Best to Worst DVDs of the Month May 30, 2009

 

1. Dante 01 – See review below. Rating: 8.5/10

2. Wendy and Lucy – A human drama that tells a focused story with heart and realism. Michele Williams is great. Rating: 8/10

3. Outlander – One helluva entertaining sci-fi/dragon/Viking pic that makes you wonder how the Weinsteins dropped the ball on making $$ on it in the theaters. Even Ron Perlman has a sick role. Rating: 8/10

4. What Doesn’t Kill You - Wonderful Boston crime drama with great performances by Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke. Based on a true story. Rating: 7.5

5. Just Another Love Story – Superb Danish psychological thriller with unpredictable twists and style to burn. Rating: 7.5

6. Detective Story - A solid Takashi Miike detective horror comedy that just misses being essential. There’s some laugh-out loud moments (happy showers!), sadistic killings, and wonderfully expressive and goofy actors. Miike mostly plays it straight, and the shock factor is nowhere near Ichi, Gozu, or Visitor Q. The movie fizzles out at the end, perhaps due to Miike’s prolific schedule. My advice for him: less movies, more quality! Rating: 7/10

  —— OK

7. My Bloody Valentine – The only reason to watch this is for the 3-D effects (and some other eye-candy). So you’ll need to go find some glasses at a rental store. It’s a mediocre film otherwise. Make sure you watch it at night on a somewhat big screen to maximize the 3-D experience. It’s the same old 3-D, but it makes for an original and fun evening until your migraine sets in. Rating: 6.5

8. Eden Log - A frustratingly enigmatic industrial sci-fi film with a low budget, minimal dialogue, and not much light. It basically has a similar message as Dante 01 but with an environmental twist. Martyrs composers Seppuku Paradigm return to give this movie an eerie vibe. You’ll be confused until the final ten minutes and most will probably still be confused by the time the credits roll.     Rating: 6/10

    ———WORST

9. Powder Blue - Noteworthy for Jessica Biel and her bare-it-all performance (hot wax has never looked so appealing). But really, when you have a recent Best Actor winner alongside a noteworthy cast, and it goes straight to DVD; that’s a bad sign. Every character in this movie is either: a.) dying b.) wanting to die c.) already dead or d.) a mortician. So it’s basically the feel-bad movie of the year. And Patrick Swayze and Lisa Kudrow seal the insta-depression deal. Rating:  Ooohh, Blah

10. S. Darko – This sequel to Donnie Darko looks and sounds great, but is as hollow and insignificant as a fortune cookie. It goes back in time to go forward to go nowhere. I think S stands for sorry. Rating: Blecch

Twenty To Kickstart Your Summer — May’s Best of the Blogs May 26, 2009

(Video to the #1 song on the chart. The last 30 seconds are kinda frightening for such an elegiac song.) Indie-rock rules this time around. There should be a little for everybody’s taste so check out the descriptions and enjoy that suntan.

1. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

Bliss. The indie song that captures your future gorgeous day. Can’t wait to hear this sophomore album.

2. Midlake – Roscoe

This sounds like a great, lost easy-rock song from the 70’s with a singer alot like Thom Yorke. The band is actually from Denton, TX.

3. Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings

Passion Pit’s best song yet. It proves this band has too much depth to be a one-hit wonder.

4. The xx – Crystalised

Sorta like a cross between Sonic Youth and Mazzy Star. The xx have exploded upon the blog scene.

5. Alex Metric – Head Straight (Radio edit)

A scintillating electro-pop song that would have gotten US radio play in the 80s.

6. Autokratz – Always More

Ditto for this electro-pop gem. The lyrics aren’t as good as Metric’s, but I like the music better.

7. Crookers – Gypsy P

Crookers hijacks some Russian-polka? festivities into 2009 dancefloor/carseat entertainment.

8. Don Diablo & Example – Hooligans (Spor remix)

Spor absolutely chews you up and spits you out in this drum n’ bass banger. Mosh-dancing ensues.

9. Airys – Vedo in Te (TiTAN un figo Remix)

 TiTAN gives an incredible disco with sax rubdown to Italian electro-poppers the Airys. John Travolta would be proud.

10. Kolombo – LOL (Kolombo Remix)

I’d bet alot of $$$ that this is already blowing up Ibiza as I write this. It ingeneously uses laughter as a type of melody and the breakdowns are truly a hoot.

11. Siriusmo – High Together

Siriusmo continues to stay in the laserlight with this unconventional and spacy electro with a kid doing vocals.

12. Wolf Gang – Lions in Cages

Great arty indie-pop for fans of Passion Pit or My Arcade Fire. Love the bells.

13. Classixx – I’ll Get You feat. Jeppe (Royal Rumble Edit)

Glossy electro for Vegas pool parties, but it works everywhere else too.

14. Heartbreak – We’re Back (Vitalic mix)

Vitalic brings his Eastern Europe techno stylings to these male swooners. File under electro-kraut wave. 

15. Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

A perfect title for this detuned electro-pop song for that goofy ride to the beach.

16. Peaches – Mommy Complex (Barletta and Ernold Sane Remix)

Super-hot electro-beats that you can practice your breakdancing too.

17. The Kickdrums – When I Come Down

Sounds like a great lost song by Beck. Actually this band is from Ohio and have produced for the likes of 50 Cent and Chamillionaire. 

18. Rusko – Biggest Chopper

This may not sound like much on your computer speakers, but on some big speakers this will make some dub-steppers go crazy.

19. Miike Snow – Animal (Punks Jump Up Mix)

Everything Punks Jump Up remix turns to gold, and this certainly is the best mix of this indie-electro song.

20. Bounce Camp – Good Beat

A good b-more beat that will make you want to go to Bounce Camp. Fans of ‘Day N’ Nite’ take heed.

Terminator Salvation Review May 21, 2009

 

Entertaining action film with wicked, state-of-the-art CGI and cinematography (yes–thank the Director of Photography who was the victim of Bale’s method acting.) And yes, it’s flawed if you really want to overanalyze it. The trailers essentially gave away the structure of the plot. There’s shoddy moments in the acting and script, including some ill-placed references to famous lines of the other films. Bale plays his grumpiest role yet (maybe the thought of another grueling action series wasn’t savory), but his performance is different enough from his Batman role to warrant my admiration. Critics have complained that the movie is too serious and not fun, but what do you expect in an apocalypse with people being hunted by horrific machines? Witty gabs by Scotty have no place here. Alas, the future we got a glimpse of 20+ years ago is here, so strap the seatbelt on and expect some skull crushing.

 Rating: 8/10

MASHUP ALERT!! Ozzy vs. Pink vs. Clarkson vs. Daft Punk May 21, 2009

And here’s the track for download: HERE.  (Thanks Mashuptown)

Daft Punk’s free and New Remix Album! May 21, 2009

Well, boyz and girlz–I’m back in business after replacing a motherboard and case (next time I’m buying Vaio!!). I’ve got Best of the Blogs and Best DVDs of the month coming, and might even take a stab at Terminator after tonight. In the meantime enjoy this free remix album of none other than Daft Punk. Danger Danger has the scoop–and a fine job they’ve done:   GO HERE

Computer crash May 12, 2009

Not that kind of crash… I must have really pissed the computer gods off, because not only did my brand new, just-expired-warranty desktop bite it, but my laptop is officially kaput.  So I broke into a neighbor’s house to use their computer. Posts should resume soon, but wait, I think I heard a garage opening–.

Calvin Harris + Coke May 8, 2009

Didn’t think they were showing this in the States so your welcome Coke. Send me a check, please. Just wished Matmos would have also scored this commercial. Anbody see the film Critters?