Did that guy just steal his wallet?

Not exactly about stealing wallets, but Breaking and Entering, the new film from director Anthony Minghella (English Patient and Talented Mr. Ripley) is definitely centered around theft, loss and emptiness. It's a damn good film. I'm talking intense drama.

Will Francis (Jude Law), an architect reshaping the King's Cross section of jolly-old London town. King's Cross is a crummy neighbor hood, but Will's project is hoping to change that. Will's life is in a strange place. He is overwhelmed with work and his live in s.o., Liv (Robin Wright Penn) is in a fit of depression due to her daughters erratic behaviour due to autism. Will is not the father of her daughter and she has a hard time accepting him as a father figure to her daughter. This makes their relationship distant and estranged.

A series of robberies at his firm leads Will into strange encounters with prostitutes as he plays watchdog to his place (amazinly played by Vera Farmiga... *swoon*) and he eventually follows the young boy who is responsible for the crimes. He then gets entangled into a torrid affair with the boys mother, Amira (Juliette Binoche) who in turn finds out Will's motives to get his shit back and blackmail's him. It's a crazy story of overlapping relationships, lack of relationships, the search for love, acceptance and a place in the world.

See this movie. There are not enough good dramas out anymore. The last drama this good that I can remember seeing was In The Bedroom. Definitely see it and check out the apperance of such actors as the afformentioned people and others like Martin Freeman and Ray Winstone.

That's about it for now. I have Babel and The Presitge to watch this weekend. I am going online and re-applying for Netflix as we speak to see when Science of Sleep comes out. I need it and I don't think Wow has it! WTF!

God Bless, This Great Nation

I'm glad I live in a country that allows me to download the PDF of Anna Nicole Smith's will.

CNN- Lowering the Brow of America, one news story at a time.

On another note, Vegas succesfully thwarted the rise of Adolf Hitler in the body of a cat. They slaughtered 1,000 animals in a shelter to cover the bigger leak that this mitty was evil incarnate. I hear that this cat wasn't that great of an artist and was breeding a master race of kittens with blonde hair and blue eyes, yet this kitty has black hair and green eyes. Hmmm... Kitler has been stopped.

I'm glad I live in a country where this abortion of a film is number one at the box office. Oscar Nomination? Wtf! I know it's not for this movie, but Eddie Murphy, you are no longer Gumby, Dammit!

What is the world coming to?

Regardless, on more musical notes, Tickets for the Shins went on sale today. I'm going this time. Thank GOD! No 30 page script due the next day to thwart me from seeing these dudes. I will be swimming in 14 year old girls who only want to hear "New Slang" as I chant for them to rock out "Baby Boomerang."

Times are good.

Tenderness on the Block

As you may have noticed, there are two new linkys on the right. Let's give a firm welcome to Nighttime at the Switching Yard and Carmelita to the ranks of awesome Zevon links.

Other news, new Dinosaur Jr. album coming this year. A new track "Almost Ready" has been released and I am loving it. It's the orig Dino Jr. line-up too!!

And a band I love called The Earlies has a new album out this year too! YEAH! Join the nighthawks if you wanna get one of their tracks in the next week or so.

Also, new Arcade Fire album is totally sexy. The Neon Bible comes out soon, but thanks to leaks, I can listen to it now before I buy it. Also, iTunes has the three songs Bowie did with Arcade Fire at the Fashion Awards. SO GOOD!

I like music I guess...

Random Rules

I'm stealing this from the A.V. club website. I'm not famous. You don't care what I listen to, but I want to put my iTunes on random and explain why or what the next few songs mean to me.

1) Black Rebel Motorcycle Culb's "Weight of the World"- BRMC was introduced to me by a guy who worked next door to Wow video. He introduced to me several bands, but this album Howl in particular was one of the best. It was 2005 I believe when this one came out. Seems so long ago, but I still really like this disc. BRMC did a lot more grungy, harder stuff and then they decided to listen to Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The Band to make this more folksy, bluesy rock album. Not particularly the most impressive song on here, but it's definitely a good track.

2) The Beatles' "Come Together"- I don't care how many millions of times I've listened to this song, it still is one of my all-time favorite tracks. Abbey Road is awesome, duh. I don't know what it's about (bukkake?) and I don't care. It's just a fun jammy song. There is something minimal about this song too as compared to stuff from other albums. Not too much going on besides the bass riff, a simplistic drum beat, the occasional guitar riff and the organ solo. The organ a la Billy Preston definitely makes it better.

3) The Roger Sisters'"Why Won't You"- The new album wasn't as good as Purely Evil which was an awesome debut of straight outta CBGB rock. Needless to say The Invisible Deck is a decent album. This is probably the best track, which is a shame because it's the first track. I hate when that happens because if the first track overwhelms the whole album, why should I continue listening? In hopes of more likely songs. But when the rest is just meh, then we have issues.

4) Mose Allison's "I Love the Life I Live"- Mose was a great discovey for me the past month. He wrote several songs that the Who later would cover ("Young Man Blues" and "Eyesight to the Blind") and many other artists of the late 60's and 70's would go on to emulate his jazz/blues style. Van Morrison is one of those. His piano on this track is pretty standard, but it's definitely great stuff.

5) The Earlies' "Low Man's Dream"- Here is one of those bands who probably won't release another album. But I don't know why. This disc came out in 2004, but I only have had it for a year. It's a melding of the Flaming Lips, The Beach Boys and ambience. This is an instrumental from their album These Were the Earlies. I first heard these guys on the Jeff & Tim Buckley tribute album. They do an immaculate version of "I Must Have Been Blind" by Tim Buckley. One of my all time fav. covers. This track is a great meditation piece with sweeping arrangements, flute, oboe, piano and various percussion. It sounds like a Brian Wilson track produced by Eno. Definitely great stuff.

6) Bob Dylan's "Ballad in Plain D"- Here is my kind of Valentine's Day song. Heartbreaking songs are my all time fav Dylan songs. This, "If You See Her, Say Hello" and "Girl From North Country" are so good. I haven't listened to Dylan in a while, but that might have to change. Anyone else get a chance to listen to Modern Times yet (I'm looking at you Lou.) I like it. I like this song too.

7) Jeff Buckley's "New Year's Prayer"- This song is awesome. Buckley has raw power. Everytime I listen to him, I get really angered that he is no longer alive. Just imagine the ouput of music he would have given us. But, alas, two albums worth is all we get. This song is spacey good times. Haunting.

8) The Flaming Lips' "Right Now"- This is from Telepathic Surgery which I rarely listen to. But these early Lips albums are so strange. Much harder rocking is done, much more guitar work and I wonder if they even tour songs like this one anymore.

That's all I feel like doing.

Other updates, FFXII is consuming my life. So many sidequests to do! So much need for leveling up! I love it.

No Valentine for me this year. Good.

And Paul is in need of some D.M.S.R.

RANT WARNING!

After reading Justin's blog, I checked out the trailer for this Across the Universe movie that is coming out.

Here's why I'm not going to like it.

I don't want to see some fruity as musical take a dump on the music of the Beatles and put it together in a Rentesque story of issues and the like. There are a few things that make it look intriguing, but I'm all for musicals. But why not make original music and songs? Are songwriters no longer good enough? What happened to the Andrew Lloyd Webbers and Tim Rice's of the world who made stylistic songs that go with the times but are original?

I'm not saying this is going to go the route of Moulin Rouge which used pre-written songs out of context and from all different eras (seriosuly?? Like a Virgin? Smell's Like Teen Spirit? Silly Love Songs?? Come on now... ) I know the arguement FOR Moulin Rouge is that it was doing something different with those songs but it didn't do a good job of it. Spend the money, hire songwriters and music artists and make something original. That and Nicole Kidman singing is probably not the best way to go... oh wait... she was up for an Oscar for that movie. Jeez-oo.

Across the Universe looks more intriguing, however, cuz they are using the songs of the time and place for the setting of the story. But I garuntee it won't transfer over well. It's just going to look silly seeing some fruit cake butcher "Hey Jude" and "Girl" as can be heard in the trailer.

The visuals look pretty sweet, but I dunno. That can't be the only reason why I want to see it.

The other negative thing this movie is going to do is teach new generations that these shitty singers are the ones who sing songs like "Across the Universe" and "All You Need Is Love" and, even though The Beatles were not my generation, will piss me off to high hell. I know Kevner isn't a huge Beatles guy, but this is going to misinform so many youths about the real music artists behind such classic songs.

That being said, I am going to see this in the theater and hopefully will be pleasently surprised.

I'm looking first here for objections from Kevner who loves Baz Luhrman's over-the-top bloated film fests. Seriously dude. Moulin Rouge? *shudders* And don't try to act like I'm Stev writing off a movie I've never seen just because Bow Wow is in it before seeing it (seriously 3 Fast 3 Furious is the best in the series). I had to sit through MR several times when working at Wow and with girlfriends. So I know the movie and I've given it a chance. (No offense Stev, I just wanted to make sure that you know that I appreciate the Bow Wow genre a little too much, so i still value your opinions [sometimes {shut ups Hymen, I mean Simon.]])

Also, Leo, any reason why you think this is going to be good? Just because its Beatles songs in a musical? Seriously. The one line in the trailer "I got a date with Uncle Sam??" sounds ridiculous.
If their isn't a scene where the comedic relief sings "Fixing A Hole" while doing silly dance moves a la "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain, or a scene where the mom and dad of the young girl sing "She's Leaving Home" duet style in a heart felt moment, I will hate it.

P.S.- Anyone notice the radio single version of "Let It Be" has a shitastic guitar solo, but the UK album version has an awesome one? Hate that.

P.P.S.- I plan on doing a post-WWII German epic with the songs of Kraftwerk soon. The 22-minute tap dance extravaganza to "Autobahn" is going to be mind numbing.

Updates Abounding!!!

New Look!

Warren Zevon songs. He's been in my head for a long long time so I figure it's time to pay homage to the man on my blog.

Nothing really of interest to update.

So yea.

Suck it.

P.S.-Why should we care that Anna Nicole Smith died?