Fall 09 Movie Preview November 8, 2009

Well it’s that time again. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that we’ll be getting the year’s second wave of Hollywood Blockbusters. I’ll be looking at upcoming highlights and give my impressions. So which one’s should you check out and which one’s should you miss?

2012

The Day After Tomorrow…. err… I mean 2012, is Hollywood’s effort to take advantage of the world possibly ending because the Mayans stopped wasting their time on a calendar. I think it’s safe to say that if you see one disaster movie you’ve seen them all except THIS ONE is warning. This WILL happen. Not only have scientists CONFIRMED it but now they’re making a MOVIE based on this upcoming disaster. The end IS OBVIOUSLY near.

RIYL: The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, every disaster film ever, John Cusack, being gullible, dumb conspiracies, explosions.

Pirate Radio

Okay. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, it’s about radio and it’s directed by the same guy who did Love Actually. I see no flaws. Please see this instead of NO SRSLY GUYS THE WORLD WILL END IN 2012.

RIYL: Philip Seymour Hoffman, British stuff, radio, thinking censorship sucks, pretending you connect with the 60s movement, not seeing 2012

Fantastic Mr. Fox

You have no idea how good I want this to be. Fantastic Mr. Fox was one of my favorite books as a kid and Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors. The stop-motion animation has been hit or miss with everyone as of now but it has very strong potential to be a hip family film for both kids and adults, unlike Where the Wild Things Are which was more of a nostalgic trip for teens/adults.

RIYL: Roald Dahl, Wes Anderson, stop-motion animation, families who want smart movies, hipsters who want childhood nostalgia, … furry fandom?

The Blind Side

“You’re changing that boy’s life!” “No. He’s changing mine.”

…Okay, so the film has one of the most cheesy cliched lines ever but in harsh economic times, we NEED a movie like this (especially during the Christmas season). Based on the trailer, Quinton Aaron looks like he’ll be giving a hell of a performance and pretty much make anyone who sees cry/cheer. And hey, if anything, it’ll definitely much a much better movie than…

RIYL: Movies that are “Based on a True Story”, Sandra Bullock, FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!, crying, being inspired, rags to ritches tales, not seeing…

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Ohhhhhhhhh mannnnnnn… The second installment of the insanely popular book series/the insanely popular fan-fiction/a cult of delusional, possibly psychotic teenage girls/Stephanie Meyer’s erotic fantasies will hit theaters November 20th. That day, high school/college girls will have aneurysms, Buffy fans will still be pissed and confused boyfriends will wonder why girls find a really pale dude who sparkles attractive. Just when you thought the series couldn’t get more ridiculous, the trailer has revealed a suicidal Bella who jumps off a cliff, pool boys who turn into wolves, an awkward attempt to create some kind of Vampire mythology and Edward Cullen fighting like Neo from The Matrix. I don’t get it…

RIYL: Twilight, “super-hot” guys who fight over Stephanie Meyer — er I mean Bella, bad special effects, Vampires that glitter, pool boys, being lonely and romantically awkward for the rest of your life, Mary Sue, reading at a 4th grade level.

Planet 51

From TriStar, the same guys who gave us District 9, comes another Alien movie that… doesn’t look nearly as good. Basically instead of aliens coming to us, we come to them and act like there’s an invasion. What follows is a reverse ET. Oh and it stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Yeah….

RIYL: Aliens, The Rock, overly obvious references to better alien movies, …Shrek?

Ninja Assassin

Do I REALLY need to explain to you why this looks awesome. Cause I think the title gives it away.

RIYL: Ninjas, badass movies, man stuff, more ninjas, violence, hoping the Wachowski brothers don’t make another disappointing movie, NINJAS!!!!!!!

No.

RIYL: Wild Hogs.

Guilty Pleasure of 09: Two Is Better Than One November 3, 2009

You have no idea how hard I wanted to hate this song. I really tried. I mean I never really liked Boys Like Girls. To me, they went from mediocre pop punk to bad pop rock to Bon Jovi sound-alike. As far as Taylor Swift, I think she’s insanely attractive and likable as a person. I mean there’s no doubt that she is talented (especially when compared to other pop divas out there) but I can just never own up to enjoying A. Country Music and B. Music that fuels awkward teenage girl hopeless romantic angst, no matter how incredible the person behind the songs is.

So, knowing I’m not a fan of the music of either Boys Like Girls or Taylor Swift, I’m typing on my MacBook in utter confusion and bewilderment. Because after hearing the new Boys Like Girls single featuring Taylor Swift, “Two Is Better Than One”, all of my pretentious music elitism seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye. I don’t know how but I love the hell out of this song.

It may be the combination of the voices. It may be the fact that I will always be a sucker for songs that erupt in gorgeous string accompaniments. It may be the utter realization that *gasp* a guy like me can like sappy love songs. However, after listening to it several times, digging down to the roots of why this song makes me smile, it hit me: the nostalgia.

The first time I heard this song, it instantly reminded me of one thing. You remember all those awesome 90s animation movies you watched as a kid like Aladdin, An American Tale, The Lion King etc (Of course you remember, you probably still watch them)? Well that’s what this song reminds me of; when the film ends with a heartfelt scene that brings your 7-year-old self to tears and as the credits roll your ears are blessed with a contemporary “boy sings one part, girl sings other part” cover of one of the songs in the movie: “A Whole New World”, “Somewhere Out There” etc.

Well, “Two Is Better Than One” sounds like all those songs just refurbished, reshipped and repackaged to our Disney movie-loving hearts just in time for the holiday season to kick in. This is easily the best Boys Like Girls song and obviously the only one I actually enjoy (or even tolerate).

Whew. That was a mouthful. But don’t expect me to like another sappy poppy love song this much anytime soon.
Oh yeah, and expect this to destroy the top 40 charts in like a month or so but before everyone starts singing it, get ahead of the game.

Warped Tour 2010 Hopes November 1, 2009

It was recently announced via twitter that the line-up for the 2010 Warped Tour is currently in the works. This year, the Warped Tour garnered some controversy for adding so many (and by so many, in reality like three or four out of 80) abysmal bands labeled under the new extremely unflattering genre dubbed “crunkcore”. This caused a slew of criticism for the tour for several reasons. Not only are these bands in fact make pretty horrible music and give off a bad image for the tour but the endless criticism of this newfound scene of “crunkcore” also turned off many concert-goers. Bands would interrupt their own sets to rant incessantly about how Warped Tour is dead because of the fact that a few of these “crunkcore” artists or “neon bands” were on the tour. As much as I hated this “crunkcore” trend and its appearance at Warped Tour, I also did not welcome this newfound elitism from supposedly real punk bands. So, since I really don’t want another year of awkward auto-tuned screaming or fire and brimstone speeches about how everyone is a poseur, I proposed a list of bands that not only I would personally love to see at Warped next year but would hopefully bring some sanity and credibility back the tour.

The Dangerous Summer

One of the biggest up and coming acts this year, their debut Reach for the Sun is filled with gloriously beautiful guitar lines, introspectively personal lyrics and overall pop-punk perfection.

RIYL: The Starting Line, Valencia

Fireworks

They have “a sound with enough pop quality to keep your little sister’s attention, and enough edge to rid them of ‘guilty pleasure’ status.” Many consider them to be one of the best new punk bands to break into the scene this year and after one listen of their album All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion, it’s pretty easy to understand why. Plus, with their extremely enthusiastic live shows, Fireworks will pretty much have something for everyone looking to have a good time at Warped.

RIYL: old Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory

Set Your Goals

2009 was the year pop-punk resurged back into its roots with bands like This Time Next Year, Four Year Strong and of course, one of the bands leading the movement, Set Your Goals. With their aggressive hooks, positive attitude, amazing live sets and this year’s fantastic release, This Will Be The Death Of Us, 2009 is becoming a fantastic year for SYG and frankly would be a perfect heavy-hitter for Warped’s line-up.

Family Force 5

As Kevin Lyman, Warped Tour founder, awkwardly stated in an interview, “some kids at Warped just want to dance their faces off” (whatever that means). Jokes aside, whether you like it or not, catchier and poppier at Warped is here to say, it’s what the kids listen to. But frankly some of this music can be good, damn good. Family Force 5 are an alternative christian rock band with hip hop and electronic dance music elements mixed together with an over-the-top tongue in cheek attitude. Quite simply, their catchy hooks and silly antics make them one of the best mainstream rap-rock artists out there and frankly, FF5 is the band every “neon band” wish they could be (if they weren’t terrible). Most importantly, FF5 boasts an insane live show that features a giant drum machine dubbed “The Family Force 5000″, ridiculous Power Ranger-inspired outfits and some guy who calls himself “Xanadu” with an epic beard and a silver jumpsuit freestyle dancing on stage (don’t ask).

RIYL: 3OH!3, Alien Ant Farm

Other Bands I Would Love To See:

Alkaline Trio

The Gaslight Anthem

This Time Next Year

Fight Fair

New Found Glory

Against Me!

Say Anything

Motion City Soundtrack

This Providence

The Morning Of

Music Was Resurrected in 2009. Glory Be To Music. October 28, 2009

Music Died in 2009. Long Live Music. October 28, 2009

The Burrowers Review: A Straight-To-DVD Horror Film That’s Good? October 26, 2009

In honor of Halloween, I decided to write about something within the horror genre. I was going to do a countdown and list a bunch of horror films you already know rock OR talk about a little gem that pleasantly surprised me. And that gem is called The Borrowers.

I’m a sucker for cheesy, bad, Straight-to-DVD horror films. One’s with horrible visual effects and even worse acting. My friend and I rented this film with the hopes of a ridiculous title like The Burrowers, it had to be promising in all the wrong ways. We popped it in and minutes later we were pretty disappointed. It wasn’t horrible, in fact it was pretty darn good.

The Burrowers is written and directed by JT Petty, best known for writing the acclaimed video game Splinter Cell. It tells the story of a Wild West rescue party in search of a missing family that mysteriously vanished. Initially, the group points the finger at the local Native Americans however some members of the party begin to realize that something else might be responsible for the disappearances.

For starters, the idea of a western horror film is intriguing in itself. It’s hard to think of any film that combines these two genres and even harder to think of one that is this good. The premise of being alone in the deserted wild wild west with an unknown force stalking you is a fairly terrifying concept in itself and once you realize who the real enemies are and what they do to their prey, even more chills arise.

The cinematography is nothing short of beautiful and while the visual effects are fairly mediocre, they’re much more impressive the atypical pseduo-CGI seen in straight-to-DVD horror films. As far as complaints, I didn’t know what to think of the ending, whether I should appreciate what it was trying to do or hate it for its sudden closure. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic low-budget horror film that is an interesting blend of western and horror.

If you have no other films to watch this Halloween weekend be sure to check this out.

Chuck Ragan – Gold Country October 26, 2009

I’m a sucker for folk punk. Being a fan of both genres and seeing the combination of the two result in truly beautiful music gives me the goose-bumps. From Against Me! to Fake Problems to Defiance, Ohio, it just never disappoints me. So when I discovered that Chuck Ragan, the former frontman of Hot Water Music, started a folk rock solo career, I was stoked. Cold Country is Chuck Ragan’s sophomore release and it is definitely one of my favorite albums to be released this year.

“For Goodness Sake” and “Glory” have fantastic choruses that prove the folk punk/alternative country scene is a force to be reckoned with. Both have catchy yet beautiful choruses that are perfect for sing-alongs.

“Don’t Say A Word” and “Ole Diesel” are serene, peaceful and showcase Ragan’s perfectly raspy voice.

All in all this album is perfect for strolling down town on autumn afternoons. It has a tone and attitude very few albums have these days. It’s both aggressive and passionate yet gentle and tranquil. If he keeps this up, Chuck Ragan has potential of being one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of our generation.

Download: For Goodness Sake, Glory, Ole Diesel

Recommended If You Like: Sundowner, Tom Gabel, Fake Problems

Inside All Of Us Really Is A Wild Thing… October 26, 2009

You’ve probably heard a lot about Spike Jonze’s (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) live-action adaptation of the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. You probably heard that back in 2008, Warner Bros planned to re-shoot the entire film because Jonze’s vision was deemed “too terrifying”. You also probably saw the trailer earlier this year with wonder. You also probably knew that the author, Maurice Sendak, was extremely proud of the adaptation and pretty much considered it to be a completely unique experience. Well, the film has hit theaters and everyone is wondering: Does it live up to all the hype? Well, yes.

Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of Max (Max Records), adventurous and curious at best, bratty and out of control at worst. While fighting with his mother, he runs away and imagines himself in a new world inhabited by the Wild Things. They crown him the king of their world and as the commercials say, the wild rumpus begins.

Before I begin raving, let me state with honesty that it isn’t for everyone, especially young children. Wild Things is in the same field as a film like Up in which it doesn’t talk down to younger audiences regarding fairly serious subjects. With this in mind, the tone of the film is very dark at times and kids may be wondering why the Wild Things are so emotional. Additionally, there isn’t exactly a concrete plot, so those expecting an exciting event film may be disappointed.

However, these flaws are subjective. Many of the things people don’t like about the film might be some things other people like. Negative aspects aside, there are many obvious statements about Wild Things. A. It’s absolutely gorgeous, from the Wild Things themselves, to the outstanding cinematography and set pieces. It simply will win you over with its visuals and, unsurprisingly, its to die for in IMAX. B. The acting is impeccable. Max Records is one of the only real actors through a major portion of the film and he keeps the whole narrative going smoothly. Additionally, all of the voice actors give an incredible amount of character to each Wild Thing making them all stand out whether they’re friendly, hostile or funny. C. The score (done by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is eccentric, fun and sometimes is the backbone for the entire film). It’s hands down the best original music for a movie since Slumdog Millionaire.

This could’ve easily been a mediocre to bad children’s film ridden with narrative cliches, dumbed down writing and immature humor. Instead, Warner Bros and Spike Jonze made the daring move to make a more mature film that frankly is more nostalgic for adults than entertaining for kids. This however, is not a bad thing in any sense. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why this is one of the year’s best. While some may think the tone is too dark or sad or the narrative is too uneventful, Where the Wild Things Are is a beautiful, uncompromising and charming work.

Shameless Plug October 7, 2009

No. But seriously I REALLY want to see this.

Brace Yourselves… October 5, 2009

It’s officially happening.