Beowulf (HD) review February 29, 2008

The fact this movie didn’t get nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar is a crime, because this is simply the most stunning and realistic CGI movie to date. Maybe they felt either it was too gory for the kids or they simply didn’t realize it was animation, which in many instances of the movie (at least in HD) you can’t tell the difference in the characters. There is a moment where acting and CGI so perfectly converge, where you see the performance of Crispin Glover as Grendel chewing on a human head, that it sent me into catatonic glee. Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich also seem to give great performances through their CGI skin. And it doesn’t hurt to have a seemingly nude Angelina Jolie as evil incarnate. The testosterone and gore bests 300, and it shares the Thrillride of the Year Award with Cloverfield. Rating: 8.5/10 

Justice – Dance (Justice remix) video February 27, 2008

Justice opens their American Myspace.com tour right here in Austin this Monday, and I’m already getting pumped. Here is their own remix with a video that isn’t quite synced up like it should be, but I’m getting tired of the original version, so whatever.  You DJs should know the Mstrkrft remix is the one to get though.

In the Valley of Elah review February 23, 2008

The director of Crash makes up for some of the manipulation of that movie with this effort(despite its awful title). Tommy Lee Jones notches a great performance, Charlize Theron is at the top of her game, and Susan Sarandon has her best performance in years, and nearly singlehandedly brought me to tears. The rest of the cast including Jason Patric and James Franco are pitch perfect. A military intrigue film as good as A Few Good Men, this deserves your attention despite it being somewhat overlooked Oscar time. Rating: 8/10

Burial – Ghost Hardware video February 22, 2008

While I’m talking about nightmares I’m going to share this spooky unofficial video for the dubstep artist Burial’s Ghost Hardware. Fits the song quite well if you ask me.

Nightmare Detective review February 21, 2008

Finally! A Japanesse horror movie that continues the tradition of Ju-on, Suicide Circle, and Pulse (to name a few). The movie is also probably the scariest movie on nightmares since Nightmare on Elm Street. This is Tsukamoto’s best movie since Tetsuo, and is certainly the most accessible. This is a fresh perspective on horror that is exactly what I hope to discover and why I keep coming back for more. Rating: 8.5/10

2 Days in Paris review February 20, 2008

Probably the funniest overall movie I’ve seen in some time. It starts a little slow, but just wait. The family scenes rival those in Meet the Parents, and her father, oh man, you’ve got to see this guy. Delpy, who directs and stars in this, nails the nuances of a couple travelling to a hometown, especially when it’s a foreign country. This is also a great showcase for Adam Goldberg (playing a New Yorker meeting his French girlfriend’s colorful family and friends), and the way he reacts to everything was gold. I couldn’t be more surprised or elated.  Rating: 9/10

Quiet City review February 16, 2008

Generation Youtube have added a new genre to our film canon and it’s being called “mumblecore”. It’s basically hyper-realism with dialogue that seems so natural and ad-libbed at times you might wonder where the line between reality and show exists. By watching some of the awkward, uneventfulness of situations, you can make out some the minute details of life that you wouldn’t see in a Hollywood movie. The biggest compliment I can give this movie, in particular, is that it makes you want to go out and meet new and strange people. Other reasons this shot-on-DV-camera works: 1.Life in New York (Brooklyn) 2. Charming and sweet characters 3. A beautiful and mesmerizing lead actress 4. Good music. My major complaint was the improbable way the two characters meet and get to know each other. Having lived in New York, I found this set-up a bit contrived. Rating: 6/10

Zoot Woman – We Won’t Break video February 15, 2008

Zoot Woman is finally back. This is the brand new single from the forthcoming album, and the video is pretty awesome to boot. Party like it’s 1542!

Killer Pad review February 13, 2008

Andy Milonakis’s scenes in this movie alone make this worth watching. Imagine Old School mixing it up with Demons, add a dash of Troma, and you have Killer Pad. This movie fulfills the vital 3 quotients of horror: blood, babes, and beasts, and does so pretty hilariously. For you gorehounds, sorry, but it’s pretty tame, and the special effects are very bad. Yet I laughed, I cried (my inner, college-aged male at least), and it was definitely better than Cats. Even Joey Lawrence shows up playing himself, and this is directed by none other than Freddy Krueger himself!  Rating: 6.5/10

Daft Punk at the Grammys! February 12, 2008

Don’t know if you caught the Grammys, but Daft Punk’s first ever TV performance was pretty wicked. Skip ahead to 2:45 to see them unveiled. ****(The video has been removed due to copyright permission from a third party… Here’s the video for Aerodynamic instead.)

Rocket Science review February 10, 2008

I’ve never seen a more annoying movie that I liked. Having a main character as a severe stutterer is very, very painful, and at times I wanted to throw something (soft) at my TV and yell, “Spit it out!!”. The constant narration and teenage kissing motif also grates on the nerves. However, some of the best movies define a town in which they are set, and this movie does that for Trenton. The people who live there and make up the cast are such a wide spectrum of random and freaky people you might swear this was your town. (The psycho brother and Japanese step-dad had me rolling.) Also who doesn’t love a story of revenge and redemption after heartbreak and humiliation? Rating: 7/10

Duran Duran – Planet Earth video February 6, 2008

Speaking of Planet Earth and Duran Duran… You know this is hot-.

Planet Earth (HD) Collection February 6, 2008

If you have an HD player this needs to be your first rental or purchase-. This is a culmination of stunning achievements in technology, exploration, and science to create a cinematic experience that is unequalled. It also features one of the best scores I’ve ever heard (and eight hours of it no less). I’m only four episodes into this and my jaw has dropped dozens of times. The “Caves” episode was like a rollercoaster ride of insane discoveries. And this isn’t the show on HD Discovery channel narrated by Sigourney Weaver. By the way, this is now necessary viewing in Earth Studies on Nebula 3.  Rating: 10/10

Radiohead – All I Need video February 4, 2008

Here is a well-done, unofficial video to this song that topped January’s chart. Radiohead should keep it, pay for any copyrights, and make it official. Footage is from the doc Microcosmos.

February’s Fab Fifteen! February 4, 2008

There is alot of good, new music for February, including albums and multiple songs from certain bands. Metal and hard rock have their day this month, and dubstep continues to blow up.

1. Studio – “Self service (short version)” and “No Comply”

These guys sound like they stepped out of an 80’s time-capsule listening to early Duran Duran and Bob Marley, and that’s a good thing.

2. Deerhunter – “Flourescent Grey” and “Like New”

Recalls vintage Pixies. Fantastic stuff.

3. Mgmt – “Weekend wars” and “Electric Feel”

There is so many influences going on here, but if you like The Flaming Lips you should like their debut album.  

4. The Mars Volta – “Wax Simulcra”, “Goliath”, and “Ouroborous”

Mars Volta got some help from the netherworld purportedly on their new album through conversations on a Ouija board. Sounds far-fetched right? Listen to the album and lyrics and it becomes scarily plausible. I don’t condone their methods, but this album is inspired and I’m now officially a fan of Mars Volta’s heavy prog-rock.

5. Black Mountain – “Angels” and “Wucan”

If you like QotSA, Wolfmother, or the Doors you should like this.

6. Machine Head – “Beautiful Mourning” and “A Farewell to Arms”

I don’t know the difference between death and black metal, but this is some heavy, heavy metal that is very, very good.

7. Amy Winehouse – “Love is a losing game (Moody Boyz badboy remix)”

Dubstep goes mainstream.

8. Dan Deacon – “The Crystal Cat” and “Wham City”

These are the songs that sends the crowd at his live shows over the top, euphoric and transcended.

9. Bloc Party – “Where it home (Burial remix)”

Burial can make anyone sound like ghosts singing in the rain.

10. Autechre – Quaristice (album)

They continue to make music for the 22nd century, and this features some of their best ambient transmissions yet.

11. Beck – “Cellphones Dead (Villalobos mix)”

Beck gets a 14 minute wonky journey by the current king of minimal.

12. Metronomy – “Radio Ladio”

A modern day “She Blinded Me with Science”.

13. Clark – Turning Dragon (album)

Warp Records’ IDM prodigy continues to explore the hairy underbelly of technology.

14. Franz & Shape – “Eyes like knives (d.i.m. remix)”

Dancefloor destroyer of the month. 

15. Deadmau5 – “Not Exactly”

If he keeps this up, Madonna’s going to have him on speed dial.