I’ve noticed on other people’s blogs they wrote a final post detailing the things they learned from this project. I’m not sure if this is required of the project, but I feel a little discouraged to write anything else. In fact, I’ll just spare you the time because….who’s reading?
I will sign things off with a video (since I’ve finally conquered those embedded YouTube videos). This is a beautiful music video directed by one of my favorite directors, Wong Kar Wai. Bye, losers!
Yay, another boring “best of” list
I know there’s still one more month to go before 2006 can just roll over and die already, but because this blog is due this afternoon, I have no choice:
10. Ammoncontact - With Voices (review posted below)
9. Barbara Morgenstern - The Grass is Always Greener
8. Burial - Burial
7. Mono - You Are There
6. Phelan Sheppard - Harp’s Old Master
5. Junior Boys - This is Goodbye
4. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
3. Ryan Teague - Coins and Crosses
2. Xela - The Dead Sea (review posted below)
1. Joanna Newsom - Ys
(All of these except, maybe, the top 5 will change.)
Buy your friends something they’ll actually like
Aww, got another Chia Pet last year? Or how about those comfy tube socks? This disease has preyed on millions of people every year. DON’T LET YOUR LOVED ONES BE ONE OF THEM! Take some advice from moi and buy this crap:
Nintendo Wii
Don’t waste your money on a self-indulgent, overpriced peice of crap (Yes, I’m talking about the PS3). Save your money and go with a Wii. Only $285 if you’re not ripped off on eBay.
OldBoy Three Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition
One of the best Korean revenge films of all time, OldBoy returns in a new sexy box packed with hours of extras. Perfect for any foreign film lover. Buy Me
Bjork: Surrounded
Bjork’s entire solo catalog all in one little pink box and in high def. It’s almost too good to be true. Buy Me
Nintendo DS Lite
For those who still don’t have one, you should really think of picking one up. The new design is lighter, brighter and, yes, cuter. Buy Me
Elite Beat Agents
A fun, addicting rhythm game for the DS. Perfect for all ages. Buy Me
Okami
A stunning adventure title for PS2.
(I’m getting lazy with links…)
Culture Warrior by Bill O’Reilly
Keep yourself warm this winter. Chuck this into a fire. Buy Me
I was a little surprise when the press release for Tidwell’s mini album described her music as “gothic country.” I was taken aback by the description and started to wonder if there was a plethora of underground avant garde bands making leftfield country music. Perhaps this shows my ignorance about country music (and I’ll admit that), but who knows, the alternative country revolution might exist….wherever they are. Fortunately, Tidwell doesn’t allow herself to be pigeonholed, and her full length album is a varied mix of gentle electronics, jazz and acoustics. The most common comparisons are Bjork and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins. But honestly, Tidwell sounds like neither of the two and it’s mostly the attitude of the music that stems the comparisons, not the music itself.
Various Production has made a name for itself for releasing rare 7″ records. Although the copies were always out of stock or under “limited time only,” the praise was always the same: “You’re going to die if you don’t hear this. This is the future of dubstep music.” Since most people don’t own record players, we just had to take their word for it.
The title of Ammoncontact’s new album is like the label on a bottle of kitchen cleaner. New and improved! Now with lemon! Now with faster grease fighting action! Well, this is Ammoncontact’s “new and improved” album, now with voices!
Note: This is a column I wrote about “Flavor of Love” earlier this year. I decided to post it because, well, it’s a well-written column, but some of my opinions are out-dated. I’m still in favor for raunchy, sadistic reality TV shows, but “Flavor of Love” has ran out of steam, and I don’t find it entertaining anymore.
Last season when a loogey the size of a coin came spiraling out of Pumkin’s mouth and landed in New York’s weave, a masterpiece was born. True, not a masterpiece in the classical sense, but fit enough to satisfy the 21st century’s taste for public humiliation. In the medieval times, people had to settle for public executions. Today, watching a woman unapologetically shit on the floor is good enough for us.
Some long-awaited films are finally being released with English subs. Of course, you’ll still need a region 3 DVD player, but I’m sure all the cool people own all region DVD players. Now don’t you?
The Host
Hailed as the number one Korean film of all time, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this contemporary monster film. Buy Me
Invisible Waves
From the same director of Last Life in the Universe, Tadanobu Asano returns in this tale of revenge and guilt. Buy Me
Lately, it seems a lot of movies have been taking advantage of our generation’s short attention span. There have been a lot of movies (for example, “Survive Style 5+”) that rely on fast cuts, cartoonish characters and over the top colors and physical action. It’s like the equivalent of watching a two hour Fanta commercial. While many might find this distracting, it has a weird allure that makes the film more interesting than it really is. Even though the audience can predict what happens next, it is the strange characters and titillating eye candy that keeps them watching. Read the rest of this entry »
After a 14 year hiatus, Icelandic indie super group The Sugarcubes reuninted for one night only in Iceland on November 17. I unfortuantely wasn’t there (obviously), but many others were there and took plenty of awesome pictures and videos for the less fortunate.
Oh, these youth today. With their strange music, questionable behavior and disregard for rules and organization. Thank goodness grownups can pop them with pills so they can shut up and stop acting like kids for once. Then the adults can dwell on their mundane cocktail parties and neighborhood get-togethers, all while secretly envying the youth they pretend to hate.
Of course, the paragraph above is only true if you’re a fan of sweeping generalizations. But this is the typical life depicted in “The Chumscrubber,” a film that takes a dark and sarcastic look at youth relations in suburbia. In their world, all kids are unhappy, pill popping misunderstood rebels, while the adults are social climbing, unhappy soul suckers. Think you heard this before? You’re right, you have. But let’s move on anyway.
Visual artist and musician Takagi Masakatsu has been gaining tons quiet notoriety lately. First there was his video profile posted on Apple’s web site, which drove enough traffic to his site to shut it down. Then there was the typical legion of Internet promoters (for example, YouTube) that further spread his name and converted the heathens. And, of course, the fans of bedroom pop electronic music have probably seen his name pop up sporadically on the occasional message board.
Regardless of what its overbearing satirical title wants you to believe, there is no smoking in Thank You For Smoking. This might seem odd at first and might let the film appear less satirical than it could be, but director Jason Reitman doesn’t want to teach you a lesson about smoking. If viewers left this film thinking, “Wow, smoking is awesome,” the real meaning unfortunately went spiraling over their heads.
Last season when a loogey the size of a coin came spiraling out of Pumkin’s mouth and landed in New York’s weave, a masterpiece was born. True, not a masterpiece in the classical sense, but fit enough to satisfy the 21st century’s taste for public humiliation. In the medieval times, people had to settle for public executions. Today, watching a woman unapologetically shit on the floor is good enough for us.
