Movie Thursday: #4

Recaps of random movies I have seen lately:

Saw 3D:

This movie officially snatched the title of biggest disappointment away from Transformers 2. I had so much hope and wanted so much closure. Instead, I got two hours of blood and guts and apparently invincible detectives. It really was too much. At one point I looked at my friend and gave a thumbs down and he nodded in agreement. I can't explain how disappointed I was.

Notorious:

Finally watched this movie from my Netflix queue and didn't really like it. Usually, I am all over music biopics. But this one was just overacted to me. I felt it moved too fast at the very beginning, then too slow at some times. I think they should have just made a movie about Tupac and Biggie and it would have been much better.

Nightmare on Elm Street (original):

I wanted to watch this not because Halloween was coming up, but because it was Johnny Depp's first starring role. And it awesome to see this young buck in a half-jersey. After, I asked jme if we could watch a comedy and she said "we just did."

The Town:

I have nothing negative to say about this movie. But I also have nothing positive to say. I didn't feel it was a waste but I wouldn't recommend it.

When in Rome:

Lame. Please listen to me and just don't do it.

Easy A:

I have to say, I was one of those people that would have not been as interested with a comedy starring a female lead. I know that sounds sexist, but it's just because most of those movies deliver to their female audience and it's hard to relate. But this movie was hilarious and only intensified my crush on Emma Stone.

Shutter Island:

When people hype up a twist in a movie, you start to look for it. That's what happened here and I saw the "twist" half way in the movie, therefore I became disappointed. I just wanted to end differently, but I can see why people like it.

Hopefully these movies will be viewed soon:

Get Him To The Greek

Due Date

Faster

How To Train Your Dragon

I probably shouldn't post this...

but I feel my blog slipping away from me.

I don't know if it's the fact that I am sort of losing my desire to stay hidden

or that most of the circle I started this thing with have fallen off as well

or that I feel I have nothing to offer

or that I am honestly at a point in my life where I'm not exactly depressed nor am I ecstatic.

All I know is it's a good thing I have a countdown going. I at least need to finish that out.

Oh yea...

There could also be the fact that I may or may not have gotten my own music blog at the newspaper I work at.

(50) Sundays of Music: #9

#9: Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

This is the most recent album to have come out to appear on this countdown and it appears here for one simple reason: I really really like it.

Maybe it's the memories. Maybe it's that I bought this cd at the Virgin store in Hollywood during our Alabama to California to road trip and listened to the entire thing while waiting in traffic. Or listened to it while traveling back through Arizona.

It does take me back to listening to the story contained in the songs, the follow-up to American Idiot. Though not as in a second chapter, but in Green Day doing yet another concept album.

I don't feel it's necessary to write a super long blog post about this album because I feel anyone who is going to comment is going to say the same thing: "I lost track of Green Day when they did American Idiot and now they just aren't even the same band anymore."

And you know what? I feel really sorry for anyone who is stuck on a band's past and is not willing to give something they put tons of effort into making a decent shot. (If you have listened to it and didn't like it, that doesn't pertain to you. It's the ones who dismiss it before even listening to it that I was referencing). Sure, it contains more elements of "pop" then any of their previous releases, but I honestly don't think I want guys their age still acting and writing like the "punks" they were when Dookie is released. They are really talented musicians and the way the songs on this release flow together and mix in a vast array of sounds is purely amazing.

When music history is written years and years from now, I firmly believe Green Day will be placed up there with Queen, Guns & Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and other legends as one of the greatest bands of all time. And this cd will be one that, if no one had heard before, they are sorely missing out.

For a more well-worded review of this cd (a 5 star review no less), please check out this post from Mike at This Song Starts a Craze.

Movie Thursday: #3

The Saw Franchise

October 2004. The fall semester of my senior year of high school.

When you live in a small town like Daleville, Alabama, there is not much to do for entertainment if you don't particularly feel like going an illegal route. Our main choice for amusement was going to the movies. Everyone was talking about going to see the latest big horror film, "The Grudge." My friend (and future roommate) suggested we go a different route and take a chance on a movie that was barely advertised, but got a really high rating on IGN.com, a website we often check to make decisions such as these. That movie was Saw.

I remember everything about the first time I saw that movie. From squirming in my seat at the traps to intensely trying to figure out what was going on to literally cheering with everyone else in the theater during a climatic "fight scene" at the end and then sitting, stunned, at the ending as the credits rolled and you could still hear screams.

I wasn't "scared" but the movie had psychologically gotten into me. During the 20-minute drive home, barely a word was said. We were comprehending what we had just seen.

The next year was our freshman year of college and Saw II turned into an event. It fell on homecoming weekend for our high school (back then you HAD to come back for homecoming) so it turned into big thing where a bunch of friends come to our house in Auburn afterward. It was a fun weekend with a great sequel.

Then Saw III happened. At the time, I thought they were ending a trilogy so when it ended I felt anger. I had so many questions and wondered what they had just done. It killed my buzz so much that I stopped associating memories with the movie.

Saw IV got back on track. But as good as it was, it also entered more questions and the plot started taking spider-web like turns.

I honestly, right now, can't tell you the difference between Saw V and VI. The events run together and I couldn't tell you what happened in which movie. But they never went downhill, not in my opinion.

The Saw franchise has taken a lot of heat (SPOILER ALERT): The main villain dies in the third movie; they keep on making movies when they should have really stopped after the second; the traps have been referred to as "torture porn." My gripe is the 3D inclusion of the next installment (not called Saw VII, but Saw 3D). It can be kinda cool - or it can be really corny.

For the record, I am not a fan of the gore. I am a fan of the story. And I look to forward to (hopefully, finally) closing the book that is Saw this weekend.

(50) Sundays of Music: #10

#10: Blink-182 - Take off Your Pants and Jacket

First off, this has got to be one of the greatest titles for an album the long history of album titles. One of the things I loved about the Mark, Tom and Travis show (not to be confused with the live cd) is their way to just have fun with life.

As much of an impact Enema of the State had during my middle school years, this release came just as I was entering high school. I remember hearing "The Rock Show" while I was in Texas during the summer of 2001. To this day, some people still refer to it as The Warped Tour Song (trivia: I didn't attend my first Warped until four years later).

That summer was actually a tough one for me. In a summary, I was basically given the decision to keep on living my life with my friends in Alabama or move back to California and be with my family. Long story short, I chose my friends. My dad picked me up from Cali in his 18-wheeler and we drove all the way back to the southeast. Along with Eminem, blink-182 was a band I listened to as I sat in the back and waited for the long drive to return to small-town home.

While living in said small-town, this was a cd that got played a lot in my room, a place I spent a lot of time in. I wasn't a loner, but my room was definitely a getaway from a lot of stress (before I could drive). Songs like "Give Me One Good Reason" and "Everytime I Look For You" were songs I had on rotation.

And just like "Adam's Song" from Enema, "Stay Together for the Kids" was another track that hit me in a time when I just wanted to rock out. I remember my best friend at the time and I made a music video to it. It's kind of lame, but was really fun and I still think of him to this day when I hear it.

The good thing about this cd? It's one I can still put on and enjoy from start to finish.

Movie Thursday: #2

The Social Network

When it comes to movies, I have to admit, I tend to go with the critics. Of course, our tastes will sometimes differ as in the case of the Saw franchise (more on that next week) but for the most part I am right there with them. Last year, I hated Transformers 2 (after loving the first one) and voted Avatar as my movie of the year. Same with this year as Inception is probably going to end up getting that title for 2010. But after months of buzz I saw the Social Network and have to admit - it was really good.

I will try to keep away from spoilers (and any details about the movie will be vague), but there weren't any "twists" as this is a movie based on actual events. I say "based" because we all know that there are going to be some stretches. For example, after seeing the film you could think to yourself "it was really all about a girl?" And this is where I think the producers added a bit of their own touch to the movie. And ultimately it seems silly - a movie about Facebook. But it works.

Why exactly does it work? Three reasons.

1) The sound and imagery. I've never been a fan of Trent Reznor but the score to this movie was on point. It helped me to feel certain moments. And though I've never been to Harvard, I imagine those that have did a lot of finger pointing and many "I've been there" phrases were said.

2) The director. I've reached a point in my movie-watching status that not only will I be interested in a film because of who is in it, but because of who is directing. There are only a few that get this treatment (Christopher Nolan, Tony Scott, Clint Eastwood) but after being amazed by Fight Club, David Fincher is on that list. I think why this movie was able to win people over is the way he was able to weave three timelines (current legal battles plus Zuckerberg's best friend's perspective plus the Winklevoss twins). I never got lost and stayed interested.

3) The actors. After Adventureland, I'm not really a fan of Jesse Eisenberg. I was ok with him in Zombieland but I HATED him in Adventureland. I feel like if you take all the reasons people hate Micheal Cera - that is why I don't like Eisenberg. But he nailed it here. Especially because while Zuckerberg isn't a villian, he is kind of a dick (some of the material is straight from his livejournal

account). I admit though, I came in scouting Andrew Garfield, who plays Zuckerberg's friend Eduardo Saverin. I had seen him in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" and knew he was going to play the next Spider-Man and based on this movie, I feel the web-slinging franchise is in good hands. And lastly, if Justin Timberlake didn't have respect as an actor before, I think he deserves it now. For some reason, I didn't know that he was playing Napster creator Sean Parker (I had no idea Parker was involved in facebook) but he played him perfectly. And ironically, I might add, as N'SYNC was popular around the time Napster was killing careers.

The best thing about this movie is I left the theater thinking about it. Facebook will be something that defines a generation. Just like Napster started iTunes and MySpace music. I remember thinking how we were going to have flying cars in the 2000s and people disappointed that we don't. But when you look at iPhones, twitter, YouTube... it is kind of amazing what technology can do.

Amazing, just like this movie.

Do you like cheap music?

Then go here:

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Books/dp/B004671Z6G/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287462717&sr=301-1

The Mp3 version of this release, a side project featuring members of Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine, is currently on sale for $2.99.

My friends, that's ridiculous.

I'm currently giving it a first listen, but I am liking it so far.

And here is what one reviewer had to say:

"If you're a fan of either Manchester Orchestra/Andy Hull or Kevin Devine, I can almost guarantee that you'll love this album. If you're a fan of rock, you'll love it. If you're a fan of indie stuff, you'll love it. If you like good songwriting, you'll love it. Hell, if you're a fan of music in general, I think you should like this album. Do yourself a favor and check it out - you might be missing out on two great songwriters and musicians otherwise."