This movie looks like it might be an 8

I was surfing the web and hitting some sweet waves when I came across this trailer. The movie is called "9" and is based off a short animated film by visionary director Shane Acker. Tim Burton will also have a hand in this movie, and after watching the trailer, you'll know that this is right up Tim's dark gothic alley. That sounded weird.

Anyway, the movie is set in a post-apocalyptic earth and follows these guys who are running around in sack-boy costumes trying to save the world or something. At least, that's what I gathered from watching the trailer with the volume turned all the way down. I like doing that, then the movie can be about whatever I feel like. 

You're right, I do have control issues. 

Anyway, the movie will be released in the theaters on September 9th of 2009, which translates to 09-09-09 in super-secret code. 

 

UPDATE: I thought I should mention that this movie will be based of the short film of the same name and is also directed by Shane Acker. I could be an ass and make you go watch it somewhere in some obscure corner of the internet (youtube) but since I'm nice, I'll post it here.

Just to clairfy again, this is the short film, and I think it's extremely well done.

OLD: but hey, I like it, Beirut

Okay, so after having been recently informed that my blogs are read, I decided that I should probably post more. Don't blame me if I don't, I am only human and have apathetic tendencies. Oh, I also procrastinate a lot, but I'll go into that some other time ;)

Anyway, I have re-discovered a band that I had in my itunes and I thought I should blog about them. The band is called Beirut and for those of you who already know about them, you already know how unique their sound is. It kind of sounds like the spanish armada is serenading you. LastFM describes them as "an entire Balkan orchestra playing modern songs as mournful ballads and upbeat marches.."

I will admit, I first found them annoying, and I still think that I could only listen to them in certain moods. But they are definitely worth checking out for yourself. 

Walt Disney rose from the grave, then died again

Um, there is not much to say about this. All I know is that this a movie that's coming out this march, and if this snow ever melts, maybe I'll crawl out from hibernation and grab a bunny and eat it, or some other unfortunate creature of the morning, but I WONT go see this movie.

They're really draggin ol' mister Disney's name through the gutter.

BAND ALERT: Alessi's Ark

Blogging is a lot like flossing. When you first decide that it's a good idea, you do it compulsively. For a week. Pretty soon you get bored and it just get to be a hassle. Okay bad metaphor. It breaks down....never mind. What I'm saying is that flossing is more important than blogging.

I'm always on the hunt for music, and when I come across something I like, I can't shut my trap about it. Here is a band from London (but we all know nothing good ever comes from there...) called Alessi's ark. The only available music they have for us to listen in the US is scattered on random sites all across the interweb. So in order to share them properly, I thought I'd upload the video right here on muh blog. Aren't you grateful? Who am I kidding, no one really reads this anyway.

Remember to floss tonight.

Somebody told me: The Killers New CD

Fan of the killers? So am I, which is why I'm pretty excited that they're CD day and Age came out today. Haven't had the chance to listen to it yet, but the time will be here soon seeing as it's downloading as I'm writing this. 

I've always been a fan of the killers. Not my favorite band, but always a band I could listen to and not get bored of. Both of their CDs thus far I've been able to listen to all the way through with doing much of the, "Ugh, SKIP!" going on. Even though "Sam's town" took me a little longer to get used to then "Hot Fuss" it still got up their on the favorites list, and I hope that "Day and Age" won't be all that different. According to Brandon Flowers (Lead singer and frontman of the band) says that this CD will be more like a "continuation of Sam's town." If that's true, then I think "Day and Age" and I are going to be great friends. 

UPDATE: Just started listening and I think I like where it's going. It's one of those things where you're more surprised than anything, and you're not quite sure if you like it or not yet. Although, the more it keeps playing, the more I think that I'm going to be a fan. I'll probably be listening to this and Dido's new CD all week. 

Television Spotlight: True Blood

I must say, the whole vampire thing is really making a comeback. First we had the book Twilight, next the Movie Twilight, Nightwish (okay so I made the vampire connection there all by myself), and now we have this show on HBO called True Blood. Wow. It's raining blood.

True Blood, is a TV series created by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and is based on the Sookie Stackhouse book series by author Charlaine Harris. It revolves around the main character (Sookie, played by Anna Paquin) and her relationship with the vampire named Bill Compton. I watched the first episode with a buddy of mine, and we both fell in love instantly. With the show, not Bill the vampire.

The thing I like most about the show is the parallels it has with real life. Equal rights, discrimination, racism, and metaphors for religous extremism are all beautifully presented in the show's overarching metaphor for life. The vampire race is used as an illustration for almost any minority in our time, and the show (while full of language, sex, and drugs,) gives a new look at old problems. Which is what I like. A creative twist to again, show the depravity of mankind.

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, Tomorrow: The World

Probably the best band I've ever heard named after an assasinated archduke, Franz Ferdinand is yet again, ready to dazzle their fans with a brand new LP entitled, "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand."

I have always enjoyed Franz right from the start. Their music is what I'd say to be the epidemy of the brit-pop genre, and on this record, they're taking it to the next level. The flamboyant (but not gay) frontman Alex Kapranos says that this album will have a "streak of electronica" as well as "...the heavy bass and space echo you would find on a dub mix," whatever the hell that means.

The first single (also the first track on the album) is to be the song "Ulysses" and will be available on the 19th of January. The rest of the album will be released in full on the 26th of January in the UK, and the following day here in the US. I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of new things we can excpect from such a talented group of individuals. Cheers to you, Franz Ferdinand.

Well it's about FREAKING TIME: The Dragonball Movie

No, you didn't read the entry wrong. There really is going to be a Dragonball movie, and as I typed that, I think my childhood just became fulfilled. The story is centered around Goku, and his journey to defeat that evil green bastard Piccolo.

Now granted, if you aren't an anime, Dragonball, or Dragonball Z fan, you probably aren't going to like this. But me, being all of those (and still no girlfriend to speak of!) I'm kinda leaning toward the "I want to see this" in me.

What else is there to say? A movie that will feature tons of cool explosions, flashes, bangs, and even cooler hair styles is about to hit a theater near you sometime in April 2009. And by sometime in April, I mean April 8th. Look for me on opening night! I will be the one throwing oranges at little children and telling them to pick 'em up and wish for a white president on the next election! Did I really just say that?

Speaking of Vampires...

I'm operating away from home right now, but hey, that's the beauty of Laptops. I can take my work with me. Not really, I would go crazy if I took work with me. Anyway, I was showing my buddy some music and he liked a lot of it. I wanted to show him something that I thought he wouldn't like because of it's obscurity. So I downloaded a band my brother showed me called Nightwish. Now, here's the deal with this band. Their music sounds like Metallica, Dragonforce, and the soundtrack to every fantasy movie had a baby. They named this child of Fantetal (my cool name for fantasy metal) Nightwish.

The hardest part for me was actually admitting that I liked them. Their music is outstandingly creative and epic sounding and makes a part of your soul want to cower in fear, while at the same time making you want to lift your hands in victory. You have to listen to it to understand it. If anyone reading this trusts my music taste, this band might test your faith in me. Maybe I'm going insane, but I cannot get enough of this band. My advice to you is to buy one of their songs, and this is the song you should buy. It's called the "Poet and the Pendulum" and it's off of the album "Dark Passion Play". I know, sounds weird already but trust me, it's REAL good.

UPDATE: So my buddy leaves me a comment and tells me about other bands I might enjoy if I liked Nightwish. Some of them were Leaves Eyes, Lacuna Coil, and Within Temptation. I bought all three of those CDs on itunes, and had no idea that this sort of music was so popular and readily available. Nightwish is still the favorite out of these so far, but the othjers still have good things to offer. Thank you Chris, for the recomendations.

It's still not weird enough: The Gonzo DVD (finally)

For those of you who are fans of everything Gonzo, I think you'll appreciate what's to come. GONZO: The life and work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is a documentary coming to DVD later this month, and has fans all across the nation up to their chins in excitement. Ok, maybe just me, but still, to me this a very exciting thing. Hunter S. Thompson is one of my favorite authors and is famous for his works such as, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Lothing on the Campaign Trail, Hells Angels, The Rum Diary, and a whole slew of other works. He is most famous for inventing "Gonzo Journalism," an unconventional form of journalism in which the writer makes himself a part of the action.

The documentary itself will cover things like his relationship with the Hell's Angels, his run for Sheriff in Apen CO., what REALLY happened when he and his attonery made the savage voyage to the heart of the American Dream (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and his involvement with Sen. George McGovern in the 1972 presidential campaign.

Directed by Alex Gibney and Narrated by Johnny Depp, the DVD is supposed to hit shelves on November 18th. I don't think I have enough LSD to last me that long....

Click Here for the official movie site.

You know what Grinds my Gears? Not having enough time to devote to video games.

As most of you who care probably already know, Gears of War 2 is set to be released exclusively on the X-BOX 360 tomorrow, and looking at the reviews and screen shots, I must say it looks pretty sick. I myself haven't played all the way through the first one, although I have played co-op through a few levels and had quite a good experience. It's a very unique way of playing a shooter, not to mention the adrenaline rush of ripping into flesh with the chainsaw mounted at the tip of your weapon. OH BOY!!! The Gameplay. The Graphics. The Story. All of those elements are at their peak in Gears of War and judging by what people are saying about the sequel, this one will be no different.

In a nutshell, this is what the critics over Gametrailers.com had to say, "It's not absolutely perfect, it's fairly similar to the first game, and it can be boiled down to a simple war game about killing aliens. But Gears of War 2 delivers on all its promises and accomplishes almost everything a big sequel should--keeping its distinct identity while buffing up in every possible category. Unless you're already a confirmed hater or have absolutely no interest in ripping locust apart with some of gaming's most badass weaponry, don't think twice."

I am not a confirmed hater (well, at least not towards this game) and I certainly have an interest in ripping locust apart (whatever the hell that means) with badass weaponry. Where does one enlist?

It truly is getting dark in the movie world:Twilight

Let's see. What horribly degrading thing can I say about this movie? Where to even start? Well let's start with the Good. It's a vampire movie. An ugly Vampire movie. Have you seen this kid? Certainly not what I want my Vampires looking like....(okay, you're right, I AM just jealous).

Anyway, as most of you who are or were at one point "hip" already know, it was based off a book by Stephenie Meyer, and has every girl under 17 wanting their boy friends to sink their teeth into the soft flesh of their necks, and generally bringing "kinky" to a whole new level. Wow. I can't go into Borders without some emo girl crying about how good this book is. Seriously, I bet some of them got so excited for this movie that they started throwing up during the previews.

Anyway, it's set to hit theaters on November 21st, and you know what? I'll probably go see it in the spirit of journalism just to see what all the hype is about.

Okay, so I didn't really say anything good about it. I'm an angry person. Grr.

UPDATE: Sadly, I am a fan of the twilight series. The Movie could have been better though.

Gnarly Radiohead Video

Okay, so I admit I've been on a Radiohead kick lately, (but they are such a good band) and I've been looking up covers of Radiohead on youtube. I stumbled across this one, and thought it was worth seeing what other people thought.

It's Gnarls Barkley doing a cover of the song 'Reckoner' off of their In Rainbows CD. The music sounds good, and then the vocals come in. Not bad, but not Thom Yorke. It becomes painfully obvious that it is a huge black dude singing this song.

Not saying it's bad, it just comes as a bit of a shock at first. Anyway, I enjoyed it. Let me know what you all think.

 

Home Video? No....House Movie? Yes!

I don't know if people still read anymore, but I do. In fact, I read a lot, but that's neither here nor there. I read this book a while ago called "House" by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. Well, as it turns out, someone thought it was good enough to make a movie about. It was a good read, and if done right, it would actually be a thriller that might be worth seeing. 

Books in the Christian fiction genre tend to get destroyed when turned into movies however, and I really hope that isn't the case with this one, because I did enjoy the book, and hopefully the movie will be just as an enjoyable experience. 

The film is set to hit theaters on November 7th, and while it's not a movie I'm going to run out on opening night to see, you can bet that I will go see it before too long.

Lately listening to: Christopher O'Riley

Today I was out and about with a very good friend of mine. We had decided to make each other mix CD's (because its cute and fun) and there was one artist on the CD that really caught my attention. His name is Christopher O'Riley and the song I heard was "Like Spinning Plates" a Radiohead song. The thing that made this cover special was it WAS ALL DONE WITH PIANO. That's right. This man took one of the greatest alternative artists of our time and turns their songs into beautiful piano pieces.

When I got home, I bought the whole CD on itunes, and fell in love with it. The CD is called "Hold Me To This" and it's all piano Radiohead covers, and its gorgeous. It includes songs like, No Surprises, Paranoid Android, Sail to the Moon, as well as other Radiohead favorites. I find it to be very peaceful and relaxing, and I hope you will find it to be the same.

Now, if you don't like pianos, or Radiohead, or you're just not a fan of good music, I'm sure I could find a Creed CD that you would probably enjoy. However, I assume most of you have a decent taste in music, so no worries there ;)

Thanks to Sydney, who always knows just how to make me smile.

Thank God they're graduating: High School Musical 3

First there was High School Musical. A movie put out by Disney that had everyone talking (and by everyone I mean all people under the age of twelve). But that clearly wasn't enough. They needed to make a second one, and if THAT STILL wasn't enough, the wonderful people over at Disney decided to bring you a third installment of the much acclaimed "High School Musical" series.

Um, there is not much that needs to be said here I don't think. Obviously SOMEONE likes those movies enough to make Disney delusional enough to produce a third one. You know what I think? I think it was a group of thirteen year old girls who went and saw the first two movies a hundred times each, causing Disney to believe it was a box office smash hit. Thank you Disney. We really appreciate what you're doing for mankind.

The Movie opened in theaters on October 24th and in just the first three days it grossed about 42 MILLION DOLLARS!!! That means its like the highest grossing movie musical (as far as opening weekend goes...) Holy hell! Those girls are at it again!!!! Damn you Disney! Damn you!

Just in time for the Blizzards: Snow Patrol

Yesterday, the band from Northern Ireland put out their third studio LP. The band is Snow Patrol, and the CD was released in the U.S. yesterday. It's called "A Hundred Million Suns" and it was put out on the Polydor/A&M record label.

The bands previous albums have been good listens, and while I personally have not listened to the new Album, my guess is that it will be decent, just like their past CDs have been decent. They're one of those bands that is worth checking out, but they have not achieved "favorite" status, at least on my list. I will make a note (haha) of it to get the New CD and update this post with the verdict.

So if you haven't checked them out yet, it's about time you do. I would start with their first CD "Final Straw" and make a judgment from their. If you don't like that one, then chances are you probably won't like "Eyes Open" either.

Force Unleashed: It hangs in the balance

I know this game is already considered old news by most die-hard Star Wars fans, but I thought it was worth writing about. I picked up my copy for the x-box 360 the day of it's released and went home and played it that night after work. Even after all the hype, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but here is what I found after about two hours of playing.

Upon starting the game, you realize that graphics are pretty stunning. That's apparent when you start to move around the brilliant (yet often small) 3d environments. Colors are bright and vibrant, shading and shadows are almost dead on, and of course, lighting. The physics engine was also impressive, as you got to watch Wookies, stormtroopers, and other enemies get hurdled in different directions. One of my favorite things to do was smash a window and watch all the helpless soldiers get dragged out into an unforgiving void. All of these elements were above average, and lived up to the hype.

Gameplay is fun, yet gets pretty repetitive pretty fast. While throwing around enemies, frying them with lightning, and beating them to an alien pulp with a lightsaber is fun, it doesn't offer a variety of different things to do. There is hardly any dialogue between characters (except for cut scenes that help progress the story) and as far as puzzle solving goes, there is none. The only puzzle for me was "How the hell am I supposed to get past all those guys WITH GUNS when i'm stuck with this glow-stick?" I think a third installment of Knights of the Old Republic would've been a better choice.

Overall, beating the crap out of the bad guys using nothing but the force is a good way to unwind from a long day at the office, but isn't for those looking to get into a real in-depth RPG or Puzzle game. Those of you who were expecting those sort of elements will be disappointed in this game. If you take it for what it is, it's fun. 7.5 out of ten.

A New Standard of Low

Okay, just when I was beginning to rejoice that I would never see another new episode of "The Bernie Mac Show," I see a commercial on TV for this new Movie. It's called Soul Men, and features the deceased Bernie Mac, and fellow African American actor, Samuel L. Jackson. Now before you get all excited and pre-order tickets for this winter's biggest flop, you might want to at least go in with some knowledge of what to expect. IMDB.com gives us a plot summary.

"Though it's been some twenty years since they have spoken with one another, two estranged soul-singing legends agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader."

Wow. Sounds like I'll be on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can't wait to see what kind of hilarity ensues when these two try to bring the band back together. Speaking of which, I should probably go tune up the ol' tambourine.

The disaster is set to hit theaters November 7th. Click here for all the details.

Fasciinated by The Faint

For those of you who are fans of The Faint, you already know about their latest album entitled "Fasciinatiion". The CD was released on August 5th by the blank.wav record label. After a few listens, I can't really say that there is one song that I don't like. It mixes elements from all their previous CDs (with the exception of Media, and if we're lucky, we won't see any more Media-like records from them) especially, Danse Macabre. The album has a solid root in the Electronica genre, and unlike Wet From Birth, almost completely stears clear of alt. rock.

Lyrically, The Faint have also matured. While songs like "Fish in a womb" and "The Geeks were right" are a throwback to the witt and humor of Wet From Birth, tracks like "Mirror Error" and "I treat you wrong" show the darker and more intellectual side of the band.

Overall, I deem this a quality album. A good listen for those moods where you're not quite sure what to listen to. As far as Electronica goes, "Fasciinatiion" is up there in the ranks.