The Music of Metric

When I hear Metric on the radio lately something comes alive inside of me. I love the vocals and the fabulous guitar and pulse of the drums. I grew up listening to new wave music during the 80's and I love that a lot of bands are infusing it into their music. For more information about the band check out their website HERE or check out Wikipedia. I am sure once you here this band you will fall in love with them, especially the vocals of Emily Haines. Their most recent album Fantasies is available now and well worth a listen. I love music that makes you feel something when listening to it, Metric has that ability. Let me know your thoughts of the song below.

Nightwatch Movie Review

I have been meaning to watch this move for a while now and finally had the chance. It is one of those movies that I got all excited about at first after reading the premise and immediately put it on my Netflix que. But for some reason with many other cool movies out there Nightwatch just kept getting moved down lower on my list. The plot is pretty interesting. The film begins with an epic and bloody battle between the forces of light and dark that seemed to be never ending. A truce is called by the two lords of the light and the dark in an effort to end the bloodshed. Then the film skips to present day Moscow where we meet up with Anton the main character, played by Konstantin Khabenskiy, who is trying to have a witch from the dark side perform black magic thus breaking the truce. During this situation Anton realizes that he is what is known as an "Other". An "Other" is a person with supernatural powers who become part of either the light or the dark side. According to legend the two forces will be unbalanced by "The Great Other", and the side this powerful being selects will win the battle. The story jumps 12 years into the future we catch up with Anton who is now an "Other" working for the light side to help police the dark side and make sure that the truce is upheld.

Nightwatch is directed by Timur Bekmambetov, director of Wanted. He is scheduled to direct Moby Dick and Wanted 2. The special effects are phenomenal for an independent foreign film. Not to say that foreign films do not have great special effects but this is great. It has excellent sound mix as well that will have your surround sound working overtime. This is the first part of a trilogy which to me means that the character development will continue. I think that the fast paced nature of this film made it difficult to truly embrace the characters. There is some chance with Anton, the main character because we get to see how he has been adjusting to his special powers. The other characters were not well defined. I would have loved to learn more about the other members of the Light side and hope that I will in the future. This film is very confusing at times, I wish I could have had another chance to watch this before sending it back to Netflix. I am trying to watch movies the day I get them when I can so I can blow through my que. If you have a chance to see this film I would love to get your thoughts on it.

New Inglorious Basterds TV Spots

Here are two new tv spots. I am finding myself relishing every nugget of information about the movie that I can get my hands on at this point.

Dissecting My Love of Film

Have you ever thought back to when you began your love affair with a certain food, sports team or hobby? I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I have become the type of person I am. The type of person that is fanatical about movies almost to the point of having a one track mind. Not to say that there are not other things I think about, but movies are on my mind every day. There are a few incidents in my life that I remember as shaping my being.

From a young age I have enjoyed everything about going to the movies. My parents would make Friday nights our movie night and I remember the feel of the fabric of the chairs and always fighting to be able to see the screen because as a kid you cant always see above the person in front of you. The smell of popcorn to me is so intoxicating I become ravenous and am forced to part with my hard earned money whenever I go. For me, going to the movies can be a true event something that can help me get through a long and tiresome week at work. It is something to look forward to doing. My ideal day is a day spent at the movies. I am a happy camper when I am able to see one movie after another as well. I think the most I have seen in a day was at the SXSW Film Festival and that was 6. Movies to me are a form of escapism from our daily lives. Even though sometimes the stories portrayed on the silver screen are full of doom and gloom they are always a way to escape of enhance our lives and expose us to new outlooks on life. During the depression, movie houses were the perfect and inexpensive place for hordes of people to go indoors and stay cool and be entertained for a reasonable price. While prices today are not as reasonable, I still believe that going to the movies is a great way to keep your mind off of todays current economic status.

Think back to your first film or the first film that caused you to fall in love with movies. For me, event movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark Empire Strikes Back were very influential in shaping my youth and movie infatuation that I will have for the rest of my life. Now is the time to think back to movies that have impacted your love of film. Please share, I would love to hear your perspective.

2009 Emmy Nominations

For a full list of the 2009 Primetime Emmy's click HERE. I think that Neil Patrick Harris will be a great host this year. One cool point of trivia is that Family Guy is the first animated series to be nominated since 1961!!!!

Big Fan Trailer

Many of you may not have heard of Big Fan. Patton Oswalt looks phenomenal in this film. I have loved him from the Comedians of Comedy Tour and Movie. This looks like a complete departure from his prior comedic work. Big Fan was written by the same writer as The Wrestler.

Couples Retreat Trailer

Couples Retreat is another trailer that played before Public Enemies and looks like a great comedy with Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Jon Favreau. It will be great to see Vaughn and Favreau together again. It also stars Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis.

The Informant Trailer

The Informant trailer played before Public Enemies last night and I was laughing my ass off. Matt Damon looks different and definitely has comedic timing. This will definitely be one I see. It is directed by Steven Soderbergh so it should be great.

Public Enemies Review

I have been delayed at getting this review posted to the site because of a grueling move that I am still in the process of. Public Enemies is a very enjoyable film in my opinion because of many factors. First, I love the cast, you can not beat Johnny Depp for the star power and screen presence today. Plus Christian Bale was a decent addition. What made the movie for me was the wonderful cornucopia of character actors. Billy Crudup does a very good impression of J. Edgar Hoover. Michael Mann's filming style is very enjoyable for me. The vividness of the picture truly comes to life on the screen. Details of the film are just much sharper. For instance, the outdoor shots had a wonderful feel to them. Like you were almost watching events unfold before your eyes. I loved the costuming and props used for the film. Cars are something that I am truly interested in so it was nice to see such wonderful cars on screen. The costumes were wonderful as well and in my opinion should be recognized because they truly captured the period down to little details.

The film follows the life of John Dillinger during a fast-paced two years of his life during bank robbing and being on the run. This is not a glorification of violence even though it shows a lot of it during the film. I have always held a place in my heart for gangsterish films like this. John Dillinger was very different from your typical criminal because he did not aim to hurt the innocent. He actually cared about his public image. The difference can clearly be seen when he is forced to work with Babyface Nelson played brilliantly by Stephen Graham. Nelson killed for the fun of it and did not think twice of pumping his victims full of lead. That action sequence was wonderfully done in fact and one of the cool points of the film.

All in all, Public Enemies is a wonderful film to see if you are fan of Johnny Depp or if you love films that have great style and will definitely be of entertaining value. I have come to the conclusion that Depp is wonderful at playing any character he decides to do.

Cool Music: Teddybears 'Punkrocker'

Here is a cool song from Teddybears called 'Punkrocker'. I love the rythm and the lyric to this song. It is a great driving song.

Teddybears Feat. Iggy Pop -Punkrocker
by LostPirate77

Roku Reviews: Hanky Panky

1/2

Hanky Panky stars Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner and is directed by Sydney Poitier. It reminds me of a classic Alfred Hitchcock film because of its suspenseful music, fabulous camera angles and close-ups and the wonderful theme music used throughout the film. It is a perfect mix of comedy and suspense. The plot of the film is as follows. Michael Jordan, played by Gene Wilder, is an architect that gets caught up in a murder mystery and secret government plot while on business in New York City. He takes off on the run and meets up with Kate Hellman a reporter, played by his real-life wife Gilda Radner. The two travel on a cross-country journey being chased by the police and the bad guys that is reminiscent in some respects of North by Northwest. I love the comedic nature of this film. There are some great scenes and wonderful facial expressions by Radner that really add some humor to suspenseful situations. As I mentioned I love the music, it does a great job of helping to set the tone of the film. It is much different because it uses orchestral music which is different than current style films that use popular songs primarily. A great example of their comedic timing together is a scene where Michael puts on the outfit of a magician accidentally and they do an impromptu performance on a bus. Sydney Poitier does a great job of directing. This is the second time he directed Wilder. His first time was for Stir Crazy which paried Wilder with Pryor. Richard Widmark does a wonderful job as Ransom the primary bad guy. His eyes are so cold and piercing that they are just menacing to look at. He does not have to try too hard to be scary, he can do it by looking at you. There are some great locations to this film. It has NYC, Boston and the Grand Canyon to name a few. It is not a great movie, but it is definitely good. There are very few perfect films. The primary reason to enjoy this film is because of Wilder and Radner together. If you are looking for a great mix of chase scenes, comedic moments and suspense thrown in you will enjoy Hanky Panky.

International Trailer for Inglorious Basterds

Wow, Trailer Addict is right this is the best trailer thus far. What do you think?

Roku Reviews: Silver Streak

I hold a fond memory for the Silver Streak for two reasons. It was released in 1976, the year I was born and it stars Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in their first on screen pairing. When I watched this growing up I missed so many hidden jokes and double entendres. The film takes place on the Silver Streak, a train en route to Chicago. Gene Wilder plays George Caldwell a book publisher on the way to his sisters wedding. During the trip he becomes romantically involved to Hilly played Jill Clayburgh. George witnesses the murder of Hilly's boss but no one believes him at first. George gets caught up in the search to solve the crime but finds it hard to stay on the train and gets paired with Grover Muldoon's character played by Richard Pryor. The two join forces to solve the crime and save the day. Ned Beatty has a memorable role as Bob Sweet an undercover federal agent. Scatman Crothers who is a wonderful mix of actor, singer and composer has a great role as a bell hop on the train. You may remember him from his role in The Shining. The bad guys are led by Patrick McGoohan as Richard Devareax an unscrupulous Chicago art dealer. His henchmen are played by Ray Walston and the towering Richard Kiel from Moonraker.

This movie is a classic mix of comedy, action, suspense and mystery and even road movie. The script is wonderful and Wilder and Pryor deliver their lines effortlessly. The scenery is wonderful and you definitely get to see a lot of it during the film. I really love the comedic genius that is Pryor and Wilder. When they are on the screen together it is wonderful and truly brings a smile to your face. If you are looking for an enjoyable classic that will make you laugh then this is the film for you.

Roku Reviews: Timecrimes

I have decided to start a new weekly feature called "Roku Reviews" in celebration of my Roku Digital Video Player. Each week I will focus on films that I had the chance to watch using my Roku Player.

To kick things off I am reviewing a fabulous Spanish language Science Fiction/Thriller called Timecrimes directed by Nacho Vigalondo who also stars in the film. The main character is Hector played by Karra Elejalde. Hector accidentally enters a time machine that sends him back in time by an hour thus setting off an unfortunate series of disastrous events. A husband Hector and his wife Clara played by Candela Fernández have just moved into their new home. His wife Clara is in the backyard gardening as Hector arrives home from the store with supplies. After an unsuccessful attempt at a nap Hector gets and begins looking out the window with his binoculars where he seems something among the trees. He decides to go to his backyard to investigate some more. He sees a young lady undressing who suddenly disappears. After his wife leaves to go to the store, Hector decides to take a closer look. That decision sets off a chain of events that will change Hectors life forever. Saying anything further will give away too much of the film. As I mentioned, this film involves time travel and has a high dosage of suspense. I love the music used in this film. It is very simple yet does a tremendous job of heightening the tension in the film. Simplicity is the key to this movie, there are only four people in the film and the movie takes place in a rather small vicinity. This small location gives the film a true sense of isolation which plays strongly to the development of the characters. If you enjoy unique films that offer you a chance to think then this is the film for you. I enjoyed the movie because it made me think and always kept me guessing. One thing to note is the haziness of the picture, this may be in part to the time of night that it took place or the quality of the cameras. For a low budget film this is an example of doing more with less. Take the chance and see this movie. If you have already seen this movie please give me your feedback.