Interesting interview and song can be heard here along with a contextual article and a video for "Curse". Priest and Europpraiser are trying to drag me onto this bandwagon...
Continue reading this postFriday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
New Arcade Fire!
Doc and I both love some Arcade Fire, so I was pretty pumped to see their first single "The Suburbs" off the album by the same name had dropped. You can hear it here or hear the b-side, "Month of May", here. Not sure I know what I think just yet, but "Month of May" is definitely the hardest rocking song they've had to date.
Continue reading this postWednesday, May 26, 2010
Song of the Day - Interstate Love Song
By Stone Temple Pilots
I haven't heard much worth posting on their newest album, but you can't take this mid 90s classic away from them. Great harmonies and a terrific lead guitar.
Monday, May 24, 2010
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 5/25/10
Dear John - #
The Road - #
True Blood: 2nd Season - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases.
City of the Living Dead
Django
Seven Swords
Spartacus - *
Stagecoach (Criterion) - *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Song of the Day - Brassneck
By The Wedding Present
Audio isn't the greatest on this link. And the video is obviously dated. But this Brit-pop-rock music, with its strong driving rhythm and terrific chords is something I revisit every year. Sounds much better on I-Tunes and CD.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
World Cup Commercials
An odd source of entertainment, but great nonetheless:
1. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Write the Story for Nike
2. Fifa's commercial. Awesome marriage of soccer with U2 - Dentist may faint!
Weekend Box Office: 5/21-5/23/10
Shrek 4 won the weekend but it's sum was low due to the underwhelming third installment. Audiences must have felt the same as Lawyer about MacGruber whose take was surprisingly low. The top 10 is rounded out by a Bollywood release.
Title/Gross/%Change/Total
1. Shrek 4: 71 mil / NEW
2. Iron Man 2: 26.6 mil / -49% / 251 mil
3. Robin Hood: 18.7 mil / -48% / 66 mil
4. Letters to Juliet: 9.1 mil / -33% / 27 mil
5. Just Wright: 4.2 mil / -49% / 14.6 mil
6. MacGruber: 4.1 mil / NEW
7. Date Night: 2.8 mil / -26% / 91 mil
8. Nightmare on Elm St.: 2.3 mil / -51% / 60 mil
9. How to Train Dragon / 1.9 mil / -63% / 211 mil
10.: Kites: 1 mil / NEW
MacGruber - D+
In theaters. Rated R, 99 minutes. Trailer..jpg)
The latest Saturday Night Live sketch to be made into a movie is the recurring 1 minute MacGyver spoof, MacGruber. On SNL, the MacGruber sketches are almost always hilarious, with their laugh out loud scattalogical loopiness.Starring Will Forte and Kristen Wiig with Ryan Phillipe in support, the film delivers on its promise of no story or plot but is sorely lacking in the laughs that should make up for that. There are probably as many laughs in the film as there would be in 3 MacGruber sketches, and I've come to expect more from Forte, Wiig and their writing team. Click below for more on MG:
The film opens with MacGruber holed up in some sort of self-induced exile, after faking his own death following the murder of his wife at their wedding by Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer). Cunth has now obtained a nuclear bomb and the USA needs MacGruber to stop him. MacGruber reluctantly agrees and assembles a team to go after the bomb. After many trials, they succeed in stopping Cunth and Vicki and MacGruber get married.
I feel like this could've been funny if the writers had explored MacGruber's backstory or taken another angle that allowed the character to do more talking. The best parts of the film are his weird interactions with normal people, especially talking about his past. The writing is lazy and relies too much on f-bombs and unfunny sex jokes to make it work. I went in expecting a dumb comedy with lots of laughs - this is just dumb.
I will admit that the miata, the 80's soundtrack and the fact that he always removes his Blaupunkt car stereo every time he gets out of his car are all funny.
Song of the Day - She Wears a Smile - Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights
These guys are the new biggest deal in town in Dallas. I suggest listening to She Wears a Smile and Pardon Me.
Continue reading this postSaturday, May 22, 2010
Song of the Day - When You Were Young, The Killers
A modern classic from what's probably the best band of the 00's. Great video too.
Continue reading this postThursday, May 20, 2010
Summer Catch - F
On DVD (2001). Rated PG-13, 108 minutes. Trailer.
A bout of insomnia led me to a movie I hated, but couldn't turn away from. Summer Catch tells the story of a pitcher/lawnmower (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) as he tries to make it on his hometown minor league team (he does!). Along the way he falls for a rich girl (Jessica Biel) whose dad doesn't want her to date a gardener but (spoiler alert!!) love overcomes and they end up together. Throw in Matthew Lillard as a horrifying re-tread of Tim Robbins' Wild Thing, Beverly D'Angelo's sad re-tread of Susan Sarandon and Brian Dennehey as the salty manager with a heart, and you have a movie that earns every bit of the F I gave it. The climactic scene (after a no-hitter by Prinze) at the airport is one of the funniest things I've watched this year.
Song of the Day - Feelin' Satisfied
By Boston
Off their lesser known second album, this one has the great harmonies, the overproduced guitar, and the ridiculous lyrics that rival their best stuff.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Song of the Day - Peace Frog
By The Doors
I've listened to many of their songs many times, but this one is the only one I can never turn off. Especially love the band coming in together at around the 2 minute mark.
Need to See it Again
Jim Sheridan getting it right. Daniel Day-Lewis's incredible talent not being wasted (I'm looking at you, Rob Marshall). AO Scott continuing his excellent film review video series.
Continue reading this postTuesday, May 18, 2010
Song of the Day - I Can Change
By LCD Soundsystem
New album out today. Nice driving rhythm here with some interesting lyrics about a relationship on the ropes.
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 5/18/10
Extraordinary Measures - #
Invictus - #
The Messenger - #
The New Daughter - #
The Spy Next Door - #
Valentine's Day - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases
Carlito's Way
9 Songs
Outlander
Walkabout (Criterion)
# - also on Blu-ray
Monday, May 17, 2010
Woody Allen on Aging
From Cannes this week:
"There is no advantage in getting older. I'm 74 now. You don't get smarter, you don't get wiser, you don't get more mellow, you don't get more kindly...nothing good happens.
"Your back hurts more, you get indigestion, your eyesight isn't as good and you need a hearing aid. It's a bad business getting older, and I would advise you not to do it if you can."
And don't believe what you see in the movies, he added. "[Getting older] doesn't have a romantic quality. You know, elderly characters in movies like 'Gramps' or 'Pop' or 'the backstage doorman' or something. Better to be younger and get the girl."
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Song of the Day - Release, Pearl Jam
A 'deep cut' off of the band's first album, Release still has it 19(!) years later. "I'll ride the wave...where it takes meeee".
Continue reading this postWeekend Box Office: 5/14-5/16/10
Iron Man 2 topped 3 newcomers including the latest Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe collaboration. Letters to Juliet (with Amanda Seyfried) and Just Wright (with Queen Latifah) probably had zero crossover audience despite both being romantic comedies. How to Train Your Dragon and Date Night are still holding well.
Title/Gross/%Change/Total
1. Iron Man 2: 52 mil / -60% / 212 mil
2. Robin Hood: 37 mil / NEW
3. Letters to Juliet: 13.4 mil / NEW
4. Just Wright: 8.3 mil / NEW
5. How to Train Dragon / 5 mil / -24% / 208 mil
6. Nightmare on Elm St: 4.6 mil / 50% / 56 mil
7. Date Night: 4 mil / -28% / 87 mil
8. Back-up Plan: 2.3 mil / -54% / 34 mil
9. Furry Vengeance: 2.2 mil / -50% / 15 mil
10. Clash of Titans: 1.2 mil / -52% / 160 mil
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Odds and Ends
1. Surprisingly funny/cool trailer for Jonah Hex - starring Josh Brolin, with John Malkovich and Megan Fox.
2. Song of the Day - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way. GREAT country song from Waylon Jennings (love the "somebody told me...") From the Crazy Heart soundtrack.
3. Great trailer for Adjustment Bureau - looks cool and deals with free will, chaos theory and life. Starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Terence Stamp.
4. For those in big cities - keep an eye out for Banksy.
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