Admittedly, some of my favorite films are more downbeat than rounds in the terminal ward. However, I often find the greatest hope within these dark journeys. Steve McQueen’s HUNGER completed the Aughts as one of the decade’s best (and has since been celebrated by Criterion with a deluxe edition). L.I.E., released in 2001, serves as its complementary bookend. Co-written and directed by the under-achieving Michael Cuesta, L.I.E. is a dramatically ambiguous profile of the burgeoning relationship between a parentally-neglected, sexually-curious young boy who inadvertently befriends an admired community leader… who’s also a pederast. The material is challenging and the execution expert — amazing given it marked Cuesta’s feature debut — but it is the performances by Paul Dano and Brian Cox that cement the suburban saga as a universal, if flawed, landmark. I urge you to rent or revisit L.I.E. then watch the trailer for THE GOOD HEART below. The movie reunites actors Dano and Cox in an on-screen relationship that appears less erotically-charged yet equally compelling. THE GOOD HEART premieres on VOD, Amazon VOD, Xbox Live and Playstation on April 2nd. And, for those who prefer the four-walled anonymity of the local multiplex, THE GOOD HEART opens in theaters on April 30th.

If anything compares to falling in love, it’s the mind-easing, nerve-calming workplace joy of discovering highly-skilled, eminently likable collaborators who can transform overwhelming projects into breezy adventures. Over the past few months, I have had the great pleasure of working with Beth Lyons and Matt Francis of FiveLabs who are directly responsible for the overhaul of The Warren Report website. I am certain you agree this edition of the site is, easily, the best yet. For regular readers of The Warren Report, the benefits of the transition are obvious. In addition to a cleaner, crisper look, functionality has improved a thousand-fold. Categorization is more sensible and searching far simpler. Pages load faster and videos play seamlessly. It is tempting to refer to the upgrade in pat Madison Avenue lingo “new and improved!” yet the truth is, in essence, they started from scratch. The former site was built (by other “designer-developers”) on a shakier foundation than Tracy Pollan’s pancake make-up applied by Michael J. Fox on a trampoline. Consequently, Matt and Beth (with a tremendous assist from the artful Adam Hindman!) threw out their predecessors’ cracked code and awkward aesthetic conceits and re-imagined The Warren Report with an elegance and purposefulness that radically streamlined back-end efficiency and dramatically enhanced user interface. There is no way I can thank Beth and Matt enough, nor sing their praises loudly enough  — though, trust me, you don’t want to hear me croon. So, I’ll let the FiveLabs team toot their own horns; I promise, it’s a beautiful tune. Perhaps, someday soon, you or your company will wish to harmonize…  

Ignore Malcolm Gladwell. Sometimes we Blink and we miss the obvious. I met Travis Senger at a soporific “Career Day” event at the UW a few years back. (I was the panelist chosen to represent local industry cynicism.) He struck me as a good guy, a driven individual, and yet, my first impression neglected the fact that has become readily apparent, Travis Senger is a very promising filmmaker. Check out his music video for The Blakes‘ “Don’t Bother Me” or his sci-fi mash note, CC 2010. These are imperfect pieces yet are still indicative of a bright future. Travis’ latest work, WHITE LINES AND THE FEVER, will premiere at this year’s SXSW and, based on this clip, marks true arrival as a significant, maturing talent. I am excited to see his short doc that chronicles the downbeat life of peer-beloved 80s turn-tablist DJ Junebug. WHITE LINES AND THE FEVER features interviews with Kurtis Blow, DJ Hollywood and other hip-hop heros. By your ticket to ride here.

Applying Imagination, Creativity & Innovation to Your Business: Eric Liu Tells you How

Not every old movie is a classic, but even the average films of the past sometimes deserve revisiting. Once upon a time, Disney cranked out moderately appealing family films absent farting dogs, pointless 3D shenanigans or, worse, John Travolta and Robin Williams cavorting. (Not only are OLD DOGS incapable of new tricks, they’re not very good at old tricks either… unless you consider career-implosion worthy of kibble and comic bits.) Thus, the pleasure of renting DARBY O’GILL & THE LITTLE PEOPLE, a tepid yet inoffensive depiction of Gaelic drunks, crafty leprechauns and an Irish Spring romance, featuring a young, tuneful(?) Sean Connery(!). Manly, yes, bit I like him too!

DARBY may not fully intoxicate, but certainly can take the edge off any family movie night. O, Disney, won’t you please return to this sort of fare rather than the hyperkinetic inanity of G-FORCE? And now, The Ava Report, as dictated by my six-year-old-daughter…