Five Fav's of Christmas Movie Magic

Movies are a huge part of my Holiday Season routine. This year (like many years) the Holiday movies start coming out in Theaters in November to capitalize on the poorly marketing Thanksgiving being overshadowed by Christmas. We have ABC Family's annual 25 Days of Christmas. Some movies may be more aimed toward kids but they still manage to knock out some Christmas classics. December also starts the big OSCAR push- love it. Not to mention the Kehoe Family Christmas Day Movie Tradition. This year- Sherlock Holmes.

I guess the only downside is that beside this two month stretch, I never really watch "Christmas" Movies. The following list is comprised of films that I love to watch around the Holidays (whether being affiliated with Christmas or not):

(In no particular order)

1. Elf

The only Will Ferrell movie that I genuinely love, Elf brought back the wonder and magic back to Christmas flicks. No matter your age nor your taste in Will Ferrell, this movie is for everyone. Ferrell's Buddy brings out the kids in all of us, more so because his character is basically a child. My favorite scene is when Buddy decorates Gimble's Department Story for "santa's arrival."

Overall, a great feel good movie to pop in the dvd player this time of year. Also, it has been brought to my attention that is also serves as a stylish new drinking game movie. Have a nip after each time the words "Buddy", "elf" or "Christmas" are said. Goes great with some Egg Nog.

2. Love Actually

Yes, it falls into the chick flick catagory- so what? It is a great ensemble cast full of characters with individual stories that are intertwined together. Each character deals with their own struggles around the Holiday season and its hilarious to see how they all pan out. Did I mention Keira Knightly is in it? 'Nuff reason for me to watch it.

There is the young couple that meets while "standing in" for actors in movies. The foul-mouthed Bill Nighy's aging rocker looking for a come back at all costs proves to serve as one of the best characters in the picture. Most of the characters have some type of evolution from start to finish, finding themselves and finding the solution to their predicament. My favorite scene is undoubtedly when Andrew Lincoln's Mark character shows up to Keira Knightly's door. One of those scenes that every guy wishes they could have thought of. And lastly, Hugh Grant proves effective and surprisingly powerful as the Prime Minister (p.s. nice punk on Billy Bob Thorton). I watched this movie last night and I am sure I will watch it a few more times before the 25th.

3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

My first movie that does not have one single aspect of Christmas in it at all! I think these movies always make a come back for me around the holidays because of the movies original release dates. From December 2001 to December 2003, each holiday season had a new LOTR chapter for us to gush over. Some good memories of those openings. Most notably(and hilarious), Blake Hreha taking his shirt off during the midnight showing of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers because the Apple Valley Carmike movie theater auditorium (theater #8 for anyone interested) was so damn hot due to the maximum capacity crowd.

The midnight showings were always a bit rough since the movies were pushing 3 hours. I also think back to seeing LOTR: Return of the King and heading to one of the first Christmas sweater parties (back when the venue was at a small Duplex on the U of M campus rather than Sally's Bar- 9th and 9th?). Least to say, some great memories around these movies all culminating with the complete sweep of the 2004 Oscar telecast.

An amazing journey with brilliantly developed characters and loads of heart. I always try to do the LOTR Trilogy one-day marathon, but clocking in around at least ten hours it may prove to be one heck of a day.

4. National Lampoon's Chirstmas Vacation

This Christmas classic reminds me of my buddies The Vogel Brothers. Both Nick and Dan are huge Christmas guys and I know they love this movie. Nick, Dan and their older brother Joe are in the armed forces are will be away from their families this Christmas. This is a shout out to them. Let us wish they a safe and merry Christmas. Looking forward to having you guys back soon! My favorite of the Chevy Chase vacation movies. Side splitting antics and loads of holiday cheer.

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Ron Howard, Jim Carrey and Christmas. Does it get any better? In my opinion, the only Dr. Seuss adapted movie worth spending money on. Its got everything we wanted from the original animated movie (even the song!). With narration by the incomparable Sir Anthony Hopkins, the movie is brilliant. Also worth mentioning Rick Baker's astounding make up work on Whoville's people. They at first look like rodent's but they are some amazing customes, sets and effects in the film. The movie makes you wish Mount Krumpet was an amusement park for the winter season.

I couldn't end this with out a few shout-outs/honorable mentions. They are too many movies out to put in a top 5 because they are so many great ones. And also some darn right bad ones:

3 close calls:

-The Christmas Story (did you know the guy who played Raphlie is produced IRON MAN and directed COUPLES RETREAT?)

-A Christmas Carol (Jim Carrey's remake, see review)

-Home Alone 1 & 2

3 Awful Christmas Movies:

- Fred Claus

- Four Christmases (sorry Vince Vaughn, your Xmas movies suck)

- Black Christmas (a holiday horror? please)

I aim to netflix BAD SANTA because I heard its hilarious. I recently bought The Polar Express for $3 at Target(thank you black friday) and I enjoyed it! I was trying to look for a way to sneak in The Dark Knight, but honestly there is nothing holiday cheery about that movie.

See you at the Sweater Party!

Iron Man 2 poster

Ah... out of the Foodsgiving coma to share a sweet teaser poster for Iron Man 2.

Check it out!

Yes, I saw New Moon.... and loved it!

I don't care whether it is intended for tweens or what religion the author is- the movie was entertaining. The only downfall (if you wanna call it that) is that if you haven't seen the first film it may not be as clear as you'd like it to be. Some people thought that The Dark Knight was the same way (which is ridiculous to me, bets movie ever), but I think New Moon does a good job continuing the story well. There are some flash back scenes to the first movie though.

This movie plays more as an Epic than a chick flick. Biggest reason for that, Director Chris Weitz. This is the guy who made THE GOLDEN COMPASS(waste of the 8 dollars in the theater) and ABOUT A BOY(which I really liked). The action scenes are more stylized, unlike Twilight Director Catherine Hardwicke's unrealistic fight sequences. I also like his "earth tones" rather than Hardwicke's purples and blues. The look of the film makes it more Lord of the Rings. Which I guess is good, apparently the next film, ECLIPSE, is the real epic-war film of the bunch? I haven't read New Moon or Eclipse so I can't really comment on how accurate it was to the book. I read Twilight and it is pretty accurate so I assume since the same screenwriter that adapted TWILIGHT did NEW MOON, it is accurate.

I thought the film would have made more an effort to make people chose sides (over the two main dude characters). Maybe that is supposed to happen more in movie-3. The most shocking thing about this movie, is that is made me actually like Kristen Stewart. She is getting tons of roles as of late (before and after her Twilight exposure) but I hadn't really liked her since one of her first movies, aside Jodie Foster in PANIC ROOM. After TWILIGHT (actually it was filmed before TWILIGHT), ADVENTURELAND came out and I thought she was fantastic in it. Now, a fan of her work in New Moon, I am interested to see her next roles (reprising her Bella in ECLIPSE, but also playing JOAN JETT in a biopic).

The movie does a better job in this installment to draw you in, investing in the characters. Especially with how they ended it, you want to know what comes next. Luckily people can read to find out. I have a few novels to finish before I can find out. I am sure ECLIPSE'S june 2010 release date will come before I finish it.

It dominated the box office this weekend. I did find extreme pleasure in knowing that THE DARK KNIGHT still holds the top spot as biggest opening weekend ever. Thank god!

Battle Studies

Its been over 3 years since John Mayer last put out an album. He passed the time between with a sweet live album. Battle Studies is Mayer's follow up to his Grammy-winning Continuum. Anyone wanting the new disc to pick up where its predecessor left off, you will be let down. However, that doesn't mean Battle Studies is a failure- more so the opposite.

I read an article that originally said Mayer wanted to make an album that every song could be sung on American Idol. Closer to the album's release, Mayer said in an interview that this album is his most honest album ever made. I completely agree with that. Swapping artistically ambiguous lyrics for brutally straight forward ones, the album covers lots of ground. All revolving around Mayer's quest for love (whatever his definition of love is). Lyrically, my personal favorites are ASSASSINS, HEARTBREAK WARFARE, FRIENDS LOVERS OR NOTHING(reminds me of Abbey Road-era Beatles), AND PERFECTLY LONELY.

Some songs stand out among others. HEARTBREAK WARFARE jumps starts the album with a U2 style anthem. Its cool the way JM describes/brings meaning to the experiences he goes through, "Good to know it's all a game, disappointment had a name."

ASSASSINS is a dark tale of a song and its awesome what Mayer does with it. He tells a story (the cd is obviously in some way autobiograhpical) of him and his usual routine; being a lady killer and leaving everyone behind in the dust. If there is only one song you listen to on this album, make it THIS SONG. I hear this song a bit differently every time. I first took this song as a one night stand gone bad. Mayer's conquest for lust night in and night out turns sour when he is duped to the same fate he usually serves up. Lately however, I decipher this song differently. It sounds like the normal relationship trap that the ladies normally fall into with Mayer has now claimed JM as its victim. "Little did I know that girl was an assassin too." The investment into the relationship is more significant than a one night stand. With all of Mayer's high profile relationships (as well as his less known hook ups), I can only imagine what sparked this musical fire. Who cares, the song is friggin' sweet.

I hope this is single #2. I have in my mind a wicked idea for the treatment to the music video. Lots of rain. I love this song for a few of the same reasons I loved SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM. It depicts the sh*tty sides of his relationships/life/whatever. I also love that in ASSASSINS, Mayer plays the villian becoming the victim. He conveys his pain. I think its a novel approach for someone of his stature to be that honest. I guess his goal of "complete honesty" has been achieved.

The entire cd isn't as heavy as ASSASSINS. The Taylor Swift collabo is a fan favorite (at least on iTunes). I wish Swift was showcased a bit more though. I also find irony in the PERFECTLY LONELY / ASSASSIN pairing. The first song talks about how he loves the way he is living his life and how its good for him right now. Then second song (as described above) talked about how his lifestyle has got him burnt. Interesting.

Overall, the cd is pretty awesome. In true Mayer form, he once again has switched things up to give us something new. I doubt we are every going to see duplication in his catalog. We really haven't heard a YOUR BODY IS A WONDERLAND since his first album. No complaints here!

A Christmas Carol

My favorite film thus far of the Fall/Holiday Season undoubtably goes to Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol. Zemeckis(director of Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future series) and his animation team (who brought us The Polar Express and Beowulf) master their craft of uber-cartoons for an update on the Christmas classic. And to add further awesomeness to the film... it was in 3-D! Jim Carrey plays the main role (and a hand full of other roles) as SCROOGE.

Being that Christmas is my favorite Holiday (I have begun spinning the Xmas records already) and loving 90% of the Holiday movies that come out, I wasn't going to miss this. Plus being a fan of 3-D movies, I was totally in. I just hoped that Zemeckis would do a decent job with the story. I love the Charles Dickens' tale, but quite frankly the old movies are just... too OLD! There are some movies that last the test of time, but the old renditions of the story definitely needed an update.

This version more than sufficiently delivers! The animation works to the fullest and accentuates each part of the story (the three different ghosts). I expected the film to be extremely jolly yet also dark when necessary. Overall, the movie is a sure Christmas magic! Whereas we grew up on classics like It's A Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation, The Christmas Story and Home Alone- kids nowadays will tune into Jim Carrey's The Grinch, Elf and now this animated update. I especially loved Gary Oldman deliver a great CRATCHIT performance. Visually, the opening scene is one of the best pieces of animative cinematography(which may not actually be a real thing) I have ever scene.

Definitely a family friendly film (yet scarey at times for the young ones). If you can stomach it, I would 100% recommend seeing it in 3-D. I was fortunate to see the new AVATAR trailer in 3-D which was beyond amazing.

Loving the animation of this film, I am now inspired to rent POLAR EXPRESS. I didn't read that book growing up so I didn't rush to the theaters to see it. But I do love the animation Zemeckis and his team bring. I recently read that next Zemeckis plans to use the same animation techniques to update The Beatles' YELLOW SUBMARINE. Needless to say, I can't wait for that.

This is a must see from now until Christmas. I may go again.

Look for a few more movie posts this upcoming weekend. The list of movies to see this weekend consists of : New Moon, 2012, Boondock Saints II and The Blind Side. I doubt I will see all four.

Weekend at the Movies

This weekend I checked out both "Law Abiding Citizen" and "Where the Wild Things Are."

I enjoyed "Law Abiding Citizen." Directed by "Italian Job" Director F. Gary Gray, the movie was full of action, suspense and what not. Definitely what I suspected from the guy who also made "The Negotiator." It was a bit gory though. Gerard Butler plays a Philadelphian dude who's wife and daughter are murdered in front of him. Jamie Foxx plays a hot shot lawyer who represents Butler. When one of the murderers (the one who did all the murdering) cuts a deal that sends him to jail for only five years and sends the other accomplish(the "good" murdere) to enjoy some lethal injection, Butler goes nuts.

Normally, I don't enjoy movies that start with an event and then do a "TEN YEARS LATER" transition, but in this movie is worked. Ten years go by while the "good" murderer sits on death row and eventually gets off'd, while the main Baddie actually serves his five years and gets released. When the "good" murderer is harshly put to death (lethal injection isn't supposed to hurt), Foxx and his crew point fingers to the murderer got released. They end up finding out BUTLER was behind it. From there, Butler (while in jail) goes on a SAW-like killing rampage for FOXX to deal with. A solid fall-time suspense thriller shot in Philly. Lots of shots of Downtown and the massive court house that William Penn resides above. If you find yourself bored and want a good two hours of no-thinking movie fun, check it out. Otherwise, a solid Friday Night Rental once it comes out.

I just got done watching "Where the Wild Things Are." It did win the weekend box office but I wasn't a huge fan of it. I read the book growing up. Maybe a ten page kids book is meant to be a ten page kids book and not a 2 hour movie. Director Spike Jonze's movies hit and miss with me. I thought the filming/locations/cinematography was pretty awesome. The story though was sorta weak. Misunderstood boy gets crapped on by family, runs away, "sails" to magical island, meets new buddies, they have fun but ultimately get in fight, when he can't fix the issues kid leaves to go home when he realizes he misses his mom. That was a long run-on sentence.

Some are saying the movie should be nominated for Best Picture, but I am not sure. Maybe I need to see it again (waiting for a rental, not paying another theater visit for it). Maybe the movie was just over my head. Spike Jonze is the guy who made "Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich." A different type of Director with his own agenda and vision. But hey, it did well at the box office. If you would take kids or younger siblings to the movie, I would say see it first to decide whether you think they should see it(darker film), but that would mean you would have to see it twice.

Nothing really earth shaking coming out next weekend. "The Vampire's Assistant" could be one of those sleeper Fall/Halloween flicks that ends up being good. I am sure I will go see "SAW 6" just to say that I saw it, knowing that it will never be as good as the first. Welp, another five days of work coming up....Go Phillies.

New Favorite Band- OWL CITY

Many reasons to dig on Owl City. First off, lead singer/band creator Adam Young is from Owatonna, MN. Secondly, Adam Young is joined by fellow Minnesotan Breanne Duren. Aside from the MN roots, the music is amazing.

I tried to find a good way to describe the bands style. It is a solid blend of rock/pop/electronic with maybe a bit of auto-tune all mashed into one wicked cool sound. The first single to really dominate the airwaves is "Fireflies." It is playing daily on the radio in Dallas so I am assuming it is spinning in most cities. I recommend investing the $9.99 and buy Owl City's "OCEAN EYES" album. iTunes people!

After hearing "Fireflies" I was curious to listen to the rest of the album to see if the first single was a taste of the rest of the disc. My answer is YES and NO. The techno-esque vibe is definitely present throughout but there is a good mix of guitar/piano. The cd has a good natural progression of fast and slower songs. I especially like the The "Dental Care"/ "Meteor Shower" combo. Two songs that I wouldn't have thought went well one after another, but they work nicely. Sounds corny but the entire cd is awesome. Check out below for my personal favorites.

I wouldn't be doing the album justice without mentioning the WRITING. The play on words and anagolies of "Dental Care" remind me alot like Death Cab for Cutie's "Title and Registration." Not to mention, Young's voice does remind me of Ben Gibbard. The sharp and witty writing compliments the fresh techno/pop sound. Fresh is a good way to describe the music. It's the musical equivalent of the feeling you get after you brush your teeth. Fresh and crisp. Unless you smoked a cigar the night before because then brushing your teeth hurts and doesn't get rid of the cigar smoke. And never drink orange juice after you brush your teeth, it's disgusting.

Personal Favs:

Vanilla Twilight- Anyone that knows me should understand why I love this one

Hello Seattle

Dental Care

Meteor Shower

If My Heart Was A House

The Bird and the Worm- catchy guitar throughout

...again, but the whole album people!

Entourage Season 6 Finale!

Season 6 of Entourage comes to a close this Sunday night (9:30pm Central) in what is sure to be a bittersweet end to the season. Sweet because its freakin' Entourage and bitter because now we are all going to have to wait until next Summer for the next season. At least Sloan is in the season finale!

The 45 minute finale will hopefully not disappoint. Here are a few things I hope get cleared up in 45 minutes:

- Ari and Terrence's negotiations

- Drama's Drama

- Turtle's love life (seriously- who would you take: UCLA gal or J. Sigler?)

- Eric's Sloan situation (what will come from that dinner?)

Let's be honest, no one really cares about Vince. As long as he is doing what he does best (being awesome, picking up girl after girl) we will all be satisfied. We all know he is slated to head out of town to star as Enzo Ferrari in the biopic.

Slated to make cameo's are LeBron James and Matt Damon. With these guys stepping in, I am sure it will be a good episode. I just get nervous about the Entourage Finales. Season 4 ended with the Cannes Film Festival Massacre (worst finale EVER) but then Season 5 redeemed itself in NYC with Vince's return the movies (awesome ending, great Marty cameo also).

All I know is that I can't wait until Sunday night. It seems like the normal half hour show flies by way too fast! Good thing Creator Doug Ellin opted for a 45 minute finale. I hope they give us a taste of what Season 7 has in store!!! Please don't leave me disappointed HBO!!!!

Back to the blog- UPDATES!

Wow, it has been a minute since I have updated this. Work took over a bit, plus a weekend visit from friends really haulted my blogging. Luckily, back at it. Here are a few updates...

BEST SEQUELS OF ALL TIME- Empire Magazine Online constructed a TOP 50 LIST of the best movie sequels of all time. A few rankings definitely took me by surprise. I was 100% satisfied with THE DARK KNIGHT's rank. I was also shocked at the NUMBER 1 ranked sequel. Check out the site. A must read for movie nuts (so basically myself and Jimmy Knight will be the only people to visit this site!). CLICK HERE!

The O.C. meets HIMYM!!!- Rachel Bilson (The O.C., Jumper) has been confirmed to be appearing in my favorite CBS show, How I Met Your Mother. Will she end up being Ted's wife? Who knows, who really cares- the girl is smoking hot!

A Few short movie notes:

- After Disney Chairman Dick Cook stepped down, speculation arose that Johnny Depp would not return for the fourth installment of the Pirates franchise On Stranger Tides. Disney has since confirmed that Depp is still on board for the fourth movie. Thank Heavens!

-Michael Bay begins work on Transformers 3. This probably unfortunately means that Bad Boys 3 is being put on hold until after Tf-3 comes out. Release date: July 1st, 2011.

- The Apple iPhone T-Pain App is real fun!

My favorite New Fall Show: COMMUNITY

Every fall, TV shells out 20 or so new shows that will hopefully become the next Greys/Office/Mad Men. Normally, a few are cancelled after a dismal pilot episode, with more gone by January. I am still bitter that The Black Donnelly's got cancelled a few years ago. My DVR has been busy with new shows like the CW's Vampire Diaries(its okay) and Bored to Death along with Fall regulars: How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock and the last few eps of Entourage.

The newest addition to the DVR will be NBC's COMMUNITY. I thought the pilot episode was hilarious. Joel McHale (from E!'s THE SOUP) is the lead in the show with a sure to be/soon to be well known cast (NBC seems to be hoping that Chevy Chase will be the new Alec Baldwin). Joel plays a lawyer who is disbarred for falsifying his credentials and must go to community college to regain his eligibility.

If you can, jump online to watch the pilot episode. Joel's character "convinces" Britta (token love interest) that he is a certified Spanish tudor in an effort to "tudor" her. That turns into a group study session that hilariously pokes fun at the full spectrum of social stereotypes. I plan on watching the pilot again before the second ep premieres Thursday after The Office!

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs

At the beginning of the weekend I told myself I was going to see FOUR Movies. Well, its Sunday night and I only saw one. Neglecting JENNIFER'S BODY, THE INFORMANT!, and LOVE HAPPENS, I went to see CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS. Now I am a huge fan of the children's book and the movie takes some liberties with the material. Meaning, the only aspect of the book that is duplicated in the movie is that food falls from the sky. Nevertheless, I still LOVED THE MOVIE!

I ate dinner before going because I knew the movie would make me wanna leave the theater right away and hit up an Applebees, Burger King or even a 7-Eleven for a gas station taquito. It sure does make you hungry.

I loved everything about the movie. The film tells a story of Inventor-wannabe Flint Lockwood. Flint along with his Dad and pet Monkey live in a city falling on hard times. The town's sole source of food is Sardines. So obviously, Flint embarks on a way to turn water molecules into food. An experiment gone awry ends in the sky raining food, which Flint controls from his uber-dork "Tree fort" (All of Flint's invention go awry FYI).

Like most animated comedies these days, there is something for everyone. You have the kid friendly fart jokes/slap stick jokes. However, as a 24 year old, I was thoroughly entertained by the subtle adult positioned comedy. I surprisingly had a good laugh at young-Flint's childhood bedroom, decked out in SCIENTIST posters (substitute LeBron James dunking for Einstein scientisting/equationizing).

Story wise- very entertaining. Flint's nerdiness finds a love interest in Sam, a up-and-coming meteorologist who reaches star-status (along with Flint) as the new Weather-girl reporting on all of Flint's antics. Flint also becomes the interest in the town's mayor (villian). The mayer sees the "weather pattern" as a way to attract tourists and make money. Like any story, there needs to be a conflict. So duh, the machine goes hay-wire and severe food weather terrorizes the town. Against the wishes of the town's mayor, Flint, Sam and pals embark to shut down the machine (which is trapped somewhere in the clouds above the town). No spoilers- but its a kids film; the ending wasn't an ARLINGTON ROAD-esque close.

Visually, the movie was amazing. I believe this film stands up to Pixar's calibre of animation. Not to mention, I saw it in 3D. I am a huge fan of 3D. It's the "3rd heat" of movies. Only "30 Rock" fans will understand that analogy. The movie actually got me super amped for TOY STORY 3 in 3D. The movie pops off the screen. Only once or twice did I have to duck out of the way from being hit by flying meatballs.

Overall, it definitely was worth the money. A solid 90 minutes of mind-numbing entertainment. Just make sure you see it with a tub of p-corn and sour patch kids!

Michael Bay rocks my world!

Here is an update on some Michael Bay movies!

- Transformers 3 will come out either in the summer of 2011 or 2012.

-Bad Boys 3 looking to either come out before or after Transformers 3!

At least the economy hasn't kept the movie studios from dumping money into our pop corn flicks!

Seriously, Bad Boys 3 and Batman 3 in the same summer might melt my mind-grapes! Wishing it happens....

New Moon Trailer!

Check it out. New Trailer for NEW MOON . Click HERE!

Pirates 4

Yo ho! Pirates 4 has a title and a release date. FYI

Pat returns...along with Beatlemania!

Back in the swing of things! Returning from a vacation in Philly (and a minor head injury), I need to share my excitement with 9-9-09 being the return of THE BEATLES! Today, newly remastered versions of all studio albums (individual or box set) and the new THE BEATLES ROCK BAND hit shelves for past, present and future beatles fan to enjoy.

I am not as educated as I would like to be with The Beatles catalog. I won't deny that. However, I am excited to once and for all dive into their music further and become more familiar with arugably one of the greatest (if not the greatest) bands of all time. Is there a good place to start? I guess the best option would be chronologically.

The thing that really boggles my mind... The Beatles wrote/recorded/performed music for only 8 years! 8 YEARS! Just think of what would have happened if they never broke up.

What I love about The Beatles is that forty years after BEATLEMANIA occurred, their music is still relevant. I am excited to discover new favorites through the new BOX SET. Yeah, its $200 bucks, but I am excited to take the journey through those 8 years of music. From the pop hits of the early years to the wacked-out, psychadelicies of the drug-years, there is gold through out. On a flight to Philly last week, I had Martha My Dear on repeat for a solid forty five minutes (the song is like 3 minutes long). This isn't really a post to recommend the box set or even the new rock band game (santa, it is on my list!) but merely an opportunity to give some props to a band that has been more influential than any other band in history.

I hope the younger generation gets hooked on the new remastered albums. Today's music is full of crap artists, their songs penned by record label staffed yuppies hired to crank out another top 20 hit. With technology where its at, its clear that ANYONE can pay enough money to make an album ( COUGH- heidi montag-COUGH). That doesn't discredit the song for being a "catchy", radio hit. But seriously, listen to some of The Beatles songs. As far out as some are (see Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, I am the Walrus, and Strawberry Fields Forever), these staples of pop culture are classics for a reason. I honestly believe every single person would find a hand full of songs they enjoy.

Maybe its the William Miller in me (per Almost Famous) but I am 100% transfixed on music from the past. I wish our generation's musical offering had more character and personality than boy bands and pop-stars. Even though I am a huge Justin Timberlake, Coldplay and Kanye West fan- there is nothing to compare to the rock of the 60's and 70's, punk of the 70's and 80's, Disco and you can't forget the hair band power ballads! Even the early 90's had grunge and gangsta rap. I sure hope music comes back around. Until that happens, I guess The Beatles catalog and T-Pain will keep me occupied.

Death Cab vs. Vampires & Werewolves

Not really..... but actually Death Cab for Cutie's new single "Meet Me at the Equinox" will be the first single off the NEW MOON soundtrack.

Whether you are a Twilight fan or a DCFC Fan, I think this is pretty cool. Maybe no one cares, but I love Death Cab for Cutie. Yes, I fell in love with the band when they dominated the Indie music scene before becoming well-known (I hate when bands become well-known). Good for them though - Their band is making bank and the lead singer Ben Gibbard (great song writer, goofiest looking bloke ever) is engaged to Zooey Deschanel. Not too shabby. I hope the new song delivers. Their first album since signing the major record deal didn't take off mainstream as I thought it would have (rightfully so, check out Transatlanticism and Plans). However, you can't get any more MAINSTREAM then being featured in one of the most anticipated movies of the Fall. A movie that every teenage girl (plus me) will end up seeing twice in its first weekend. What, I just like Death Cab...

BoOnDoCk SaInTs II: All Saints Day!!!

Seriously, this week is just thriving with great movie news. First, Bad Boys 3 gets loosely green-lit. And now.... without further hesitation....Boondock Saints II actually releases a Trailer! Give that link a clock to check it out. I was sorta shocked to see PETER FONDA's name in the list of actors. Also, a huge shout out to Judd Nelson for playing a part in the movie. I sure have missed him since ever since his villianous role in Shaquille O'Neal's fart of a movie, STEEL.

Seriously, Bad Boys 3 starting and BDS2 coming out (Oct. 30th, by the way), will Christopher Nolan just commit to a TDK sequel and put all my suffering to rest. PLEASE!!!

Bad Boys 3!!!

Since not everyone reads the same movie blogs as I do, I thought I would let everyone in on a little bit of info. Basically for all the guys out there who LOVED Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2, you will be glad to know that Columbia Studios has hired PETER CRAIG (whoever that is) to pen a script that will reunite Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer for a third (and probably final) installment of the action-tastic series!!!

I am thrilled to hear this new. The only way today could get any better would be if Christopher Nolan signed on to direct a last Batman movie. I have been waiting for another Bad Boys movie since '03. I just hope Martin Lawrence's character isn't a complete pansy this time around. Bring on the unnecessary violence and endless F-words!!!

Jumbotron Issue

Double Update- I was told today by an insider that the JUMBOTRON has been raised "for the U2 concert" which was supposed to happen all along. Jerry Jones insists that if the NFL has an issue with the Jumbotron, they must pay the money to raise is permanently. Roger Goodell said he will not make it mandatory to raise jumbotron.

I was at the Cowboys (cowgirls) Stadium today in Arlington, TX. The news here in Dallas said that the NFL and the Cowboys are still looking into ways to resolve the matter revolving around their Jumbotron being too low. A punted football struck the screen during last weeks preseason game. A contractor at the stadium today told me that the jumbotron had since been raised another 50 feet.

Conflicting information, mmm. I snapped the above photo today of a construction crew adjusting the jumbotron. The whole time all I could think about is how sweet it would be to watch The Dark Knight on a 60 yard-wide HD TV, among other things.

More to come, back at the stadium on Thursday. Go Eagles!

Music Tuesday

I never used to really like female artists (minus my girl Mariah, or whatever the heck she goes by nowadays). I don't know what it was, but up until a few years ago my whole cd collection and iPod library was mainly Dude-errific. Colbie Caillat and Sara Barielles(sp?) were added to the roster a year or so back and now I find myself enjoying more and more female artisits. My boy Kemp got me hooked on Taylor Swift too, not ashamed.

I recently added Marie Digby to the list of aspiring female artists fighting to up their iTunes play-count on my computer. I am not sure if she started as a You Tube Favorite or what. She does have her own YOU TUBE page(click that link!) which is pretty cool. Her debut album UNFOLD is not too shabby. It is definitely not my typical music choice (but then again, I don't really have a favorite genre- I like to think of myself as musically diversified).

M. Digby favs- Say it again, Umbrella and Better off alone.

Moving on, what really cheeses me off is when an awesome unknown band becomes Mainstream. I get it, they are trying to make a living. Personally, I just feel way more connected to an artist than I do when they are streaming everyone 90 minutes on the radio. Death Cab For Cutie has transitioned to mainstream but luckily, they will never be the Maroon 5-esque radio-band (remember when we saw Maroon 5 for $1 at University of St. Thomas, circa 2003).

What brought this rant up was a new pop song, Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo. It features a sample of Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap. I fricken LOVE Imogen's song and while Derulo's song is destined to become a "hot radio jam", there is not one bit of uniqueness to the song. I honestly thought Sean Kingston had made a remix of Imogen's song. The song steals the climax of Hide and Seek and uses it for the repeating hook. Again, destined to be a club/radio favorite, but I still favor the original. Check out both (click the song titles- links) and share your thoughts.

Lastly, Jay Z is pulling a Brett Favre, coming out of retirement and putting out a new Album in September. He already released the first single, DOA (Death of Auto Tune), but his newest single is Run this town. I really like this song. Jacks me up like EMINEM'S Lose Yourself still does. It features Rihanna and Kanye West. Kanye's verse is my FAVORITE. Check it out.

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

Sunday, what better day to head to the theater for two and half hours and see what Quentin Tarantino is cooking up in his new movie, Inglorious Basterds. This film killed it at Cannes so I figure I would give it a go. Not that I wasn't going to see it, but I do have quite the love/hate relationship with Tarantino's movies.

So with my popcorn and Coke Zero (per usual, Dan Vogel's "Ultimate Movie Goer" definition), I hit up the 12 noon show. P.s.- great previews for Chris Nolan's hush-hush Inception with Leo DiCaprio, plus an Avatar and Wolf Man trailer. From the get-go, there was no question that this was a Tarantino film. His usage of long-winded conversation scenes played well against the ridiculously violent and bloody shots we have come to love/expect. Brad Pitt was hilarious as Lt. Aldo Raine. Definitely worth while to see the movie purely for his take on the Nazi-killing, Moonshine brewing Leader of the Basterds.

Two guys that I was pleasantly surprised by were Basterd Eli Roth and Nazi Christoph Waltz. I am not a fan of Roth's movie Hostel, but he definitely did a decent job acting. Particularly the rage/intensity in his eyes when he swings for the fences with weapon of choice, a baseball bat. Christoph Waltz's character is one people will surely love to hate. As main Nazi, he makes it pretty easy to hate his guts. The opening scene does a hell of a job setting up his character and "WHY" he does the things he does.

One aspect of the film that I liked was that everyone has an personality and their "nicknames" play to those ego's. Most of the characters are known for one thing or another (see Raine's Apache and Roth's Bear).

Tarantino has a way of sensationalizing and dramatizing the coolest and oddest things. There is a shot of a cigarette flying through the air that I particularly enjoyed. Plus, the movie's climax will not disappoint either. It is no doubt his Symphony of Violence. Artistically speaking, it is as visually poetic as it comes (again, see Roth's face). Where some of Tarantino's movies have real odd story lines, this film is pretty straight forward. There were some times where I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, even to the point that I found myself expecting crazy to occur. The natural progression complimented the story. Additionally, tt was cool to see, rather hear, Tarantino Alums Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel make brief cameos.

I didn't want to give anything away(in case you were expecting spoilers or in-depth plot summary) but I really did enjoy this movie. You will root for the good guys and won't like the bad guys. I found myself actually feeling for some of these characters. Like Sam Jackson and Travolta's characters in Pulp Fiction, it proves once again that Tarantino has a knack for developing personalities that you will remember long after you remember what the movie was about. I still have no idea what Pulp Fiction was about.

You won't see a non-stop actioner (Kill Bill Vol. I) but you won't be bored to tears with all the dialogue (Kill Bill Vol. II). Finally, you may find yourself squinting your eyes at a few of the blood driven scenes, especially the end!

Verdict: A "Must See."

Avatar

Last night I went to a select screening of James Cameron's AVATAR. Opening on December 18th, we saw a 15 minute preview with exclusive clips from the movie in 3D. James Cameron's F/X team developed a new type of technology to film this movie.

My initial reaction is AVATAR = Jurassic Park + Attack of the Clones + Apocolypto. I wasn't sure what to expect with this NEW TECHNOLOGY. I guess in my mind I was expecting to see something completely different. That didn't exactly happen. Don't get me wrong, the F/X are fantastic. I guess I just still have a bad taste in my mouth from F/X driven, no story telling, big budget flicks. I am now curious to see how the story develops. If I want a movie with only F/X and no story, I might as well wait for Transformers 2 to come out on Blu-ray (sorry Michael Bay).

Check out the trailer at avatarmovie.com

First Post- How this is going to work.

This blog is going to be used to update everyone on my mind-grapes. Movie reviews, music on the iPod, even books. Yes, I have started to read. It only took me twenty four years and the fact that my sister calls me out on using words that I really don't the meaning to (I used the word Advantageous incorrectly for the better part of 2007).

I will update this as much as I can. 3M has me running around Texas, Oklahoma and the occasional trip to Shreveport "The Shreve" Louisiana quite frequently. Bring on the suggestions on how to make this morning worth your time!