20 Albums I Think Are Awesome Part 5: 4/28/2006
12. Camper Van Beethoven – Key Lime Pie (1989)
I will never forget the first time I heard Camper Van Beethoven. I was in the ninth grade and I had just joined my first band, a ska band called Checkmate. I didn’t even really know what ska was at the time, and my friend’s older brother dug out some tape he had to demonstrate the upbeat “ska-ska-ska-ska,” staccato like sound of the guitar made famous by The Skatalites in the 1960’s. The tape was a Camper Van Beethoven album called Telephone Free Landslide Victory, and the song was called Border Ska. I was hooked, and almost instantly fell in love with CVB’s unique mix of ska, punk, apathy and comedy, and their western-tinted Jewish toe-tapping skater music. For next few months their song Take the Skinheads Bowling would be my anthem.
Soon after having seen the light, I purchased CVB’s masterpiece of modern rock, Key Lime Pie, it was one of the very first CDs I ever bought (also purchased from Sam Goody’s – man, I cannot believe how awesome this mall chain used to be!). This album perfectly captures the atmosphere and tone of southern Americana through its heartfelt lyrics of love, lost, family and picturesque locals, and the instrumentation used throughout. The songs range from grungy rock (I Was Born in a Laundry Mat), to ska-tinted mellow jams (Borderline), to semi-traditional Jewish folk (Opening Theme), to full on epic and southern-gothic yarn-spinning tales (All of Her Favorite Fruit, June, and Come on Darkness).
Although front man David Lowery’s second band (Cracker) became more popular among the mainstream, I don’t think he ever came close to touching upon the genius that he harnessed on Key Lime Pie. Through his unique, raspy vocal style, and his amazing lyrics, coupled with the skillful instrumentation by Victor Krummenacher (Bass), Greg Lisher (guitar), Chris Pederson (drums), and Jonathan Segel (Violin), and a host of other studio musicians, Camper Van Beethoven crafted an album that is utterly timeless – it still sounds as fresh and exciting and out of place today as it did back in 1989. Key Lime Pie is an album I picture Mark Twain and Hemmingway listening to while sitting on a porch of some big white house along the banks of a big and open, muddy river, while smoking hand-rolled cigarettes and drinking whiskey in the gloaming, counting fireflies as they light up the hot and heavy air.
Genrebusters - in Stereo (or is it Mono?): 9:47 PM 4/25/2006
So, I recently discovered this cool podcast called Cinemaslave, hosted by a fine gentleman named Joe Barlow. I suggest you check it out if you like to listen to great film reviews and comments. About a week ago, I sent Joe my essay on Michael Bay Apologetics, after he detailed his disdain for the director’s films. Well, much to my surprise, he read the ENTIRE freaking thing on his podcast. Needless to say, he disagreed, as would most sane film fans, but I thought it was way cool of him. So go on over to his web site, download the newest episode (EPISODE#37: WORST EPISODE EVER – I like to think this is because of my Bay love) and give it a listen.
20 Albums I Think Are Awesome Part 4: 9:00 PM 4/25/2006
13. The Cure – Disintegration (1989)
I was a mild fan of The Cure before this album. In seventh and eighth grade my friends and I would skate to Staring at the Sea, while other skaters were posing hardcore listening to The Circle Jerks, The Surf Punks, and Back Flag. I liked the band, but more importantly, I liked the girls who liked the band. I love the whole goth-girl look (even though The Cure was rarely if ever goth), I loved the make-up, the messy hair, the black, the fish-net stockings, the ripped shirts, the 20 eyelet Doc Martins, I liked every thing about goth girls. One of my first major crushes in seventh grade was on this chick named Olga who looked like a cross between Robert Smith and Molly Ringwald – HOT!
Then, one night while watching MTV’s Post Modern, I saw a video for a song that would have a huge impact on me. The video took place in the snow, and there was this band I knew, but they no longer looked like they were on the verge of committing suicide. They looked a bit happy, like they were having fun. And the song! Such power, the melody, the instrumentation, the lyrics, everything about this song came together like some kind of fortunate cosmic happening. The song of course was Pictures of You, from The Cure’s true masterpiece, Disintegration. This song and video absolutely floored me, and I was instantly a real fan of the band.
I went out and bought the cassette maxi-single for this which included the title song and four amazing live versions of Fascination Street, Prayers for Rain, Last Dance, and Disintegration. I was hooked. I immediately bought everything I could by The Cure, and finally I bought the cassette for Disintegration. This album moved me something fierce. The opening track, Plainsong, is so epic in scope, it grabbed my ears and demanded my full attention, and the album only gets better from there. The shortest song on the album is over three minutes, and most of the songs clock in over at over five minutes.
The album is structured perfectly, as the songs just kind of meld into one another creating one of the richest tapestries in pop-rock history. Everything about Disintegration is top-notch and picture perfect. Robert Smith has never been stronger lyrically, and the band has never sounded better – this was by far my favorite Cure line up. The songs were moody without being over-dramatic, and songs like Lullaby, crafted strange fairy-tale like nightmare landscapes that haunted my dreams for years to come. To this day, I still throw this disc on from month to month, and I still utterly love every single second of it.
14. Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1973)
I remember getting into electronic music in high school when “rave” first hit way back in 1991-92. DJ Dick, LA Style, LFO, and other “groups” eventually led me to checking out “ambient” music from groups like The Orb and Space Time Continuum, which ultimately opened the doors for me to discover Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Klaus Shultz and other electronic pioneers. One fateful day while at a friend’s house my friend’s dad heard us discussing electronic music and he loaned me Herbie Hancock’s album, Sextant. I went home that evening, fired up the turntable, donned the headphones and had my feeble adolescent mind blown by some of the most amazingly bizarre and funky compositions I have ever heard.
Herbie Hancock was always a pioneer, and is truly a musical genius. Whether it is his early more traditional jazz, or his work with Miles Davis, or his funk-fusion based output with The Headhunters, Hancock is a man with a vision and the means to create that vision. Nowhere is his vision more apparent and accomplished than on Sextant, clocking in at roughly 50 minutes in length, with only 3 tracks, the album is epic to say the least. Sextant also represented a true “fusion” of sounds and styles, long before the word became watered down and was used to describe “jazz that white people could dig.” Hancock and company crafted some of the most finely detailed compositions one might ever hear. The layers build upon one another as melodies and rhythms and samples and analog burps, echo throughout the stereo field, creating some kind of strange soundtrack for an even stranger world.
Although I truly believe much of the creativity on this album was birthed from Herbie’s head, one cannot over look importance of Dr. Patrick Gleeson, the man behind the ARP. Up until this point, most synthesizer musicians favored the better tempered, more user friendly MOOG boards, which produced warmer, almost melotron-like tones. The ARP keyboards were a little more complicated, and they sounded much colder, and more elecotronic – that is until Dr. Gleeson showed the world what a well-trained electronic pioneer could do with one. His synth work on this album is second to none, and is what really makes the album stand out from the other synth based jazz records that followed. Gleeson’s digital bleeps, beeps, blurps, and burps, inspired years of imitation, innovation and pioneered the experimental electronic movement that is still so popular among the fringe today. His keyboard work inspired me to such a degree, that a year later I was a proud owner of an ARP Odyssey, one of the synths used on this amazing record.
Looking For a Producer
So, this guy on one of the forums I post at said he would like to see one of us who hated Silent Hill make a better film for $50 mil. I promised him that I could make two films for this price that would be better written, scarier, and just all around better films. Unfortunately, he did not give me the money to prove myself.
So, I do not know how many billionaires read Genrebusters, but if one of you would like to finance this little endeavor, please let me know.
This Guy Wished Death Upon Me!
So I posted my review for The Hill over on the forums at www.rottentomatoes.com this morning hoping to get some feedback. Never in my wildest imagination did I think my review would elicit the response posted below. Wow, this kid wishes death upon me for not liking The Hill. I am honored! Thank you sidecarsally!
Wow.
I hope you didn't write this review all by yourself. If you did.... please don't ever write another review again because if you have anyone who will fully agree with you on this, then congratulations, you have a cult following of halfwits.
I have read many terrible reviews, but this one easily takes the cake. You are wrong on so many levels and I find it depressing that you even took the time to gather your thoughts to write this holy mess. If your review is what you would consider "good" writing, then I would rather watch Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3-D than read another one of your awful attempts to slander a great movie.
The dialogue is far from brilliance, but there are two main reasons for that which you are obviously too bird-brained to realize:
1. The mother's quotes which you criticize are actually actually true to life. Can you imagine a mother trying to calm her daughter down in a terrifying situation by telling her it will be OK? I certainly can. I'm not sure what you were expecting in this situation... perhaps a shakesperian sonnet?
2. The movie was not even meant to have outstanding dialogue anyways. It was meant to immerse you in the Silent Hill world through the emotion of fear and the use of environment.
There are way too many flaws with this narrow-minded review for me to even continue without going off on a rant. I won't even try to contradict your statements about Gans because they are so blatantly wrong, no rebuttal is needed. I'm just going to say that you are wrong... so very wrong.
If you can get over your own elitist complex, go see the movie again. Sit down, have a beer, and shut the hell up. Watch the movie closely and pay attention. Don't write anything down or make any mental notes. Just watch. Don't smirk at any of the so-called "laughable" dialogue. Just watch. Maybe then you will have an epiphany and you will think to yourself, "Wow. That guy on rottentomatoes.com was right! I am an idiot!"
Then go kill yourself immediately after the movie is over so we never have to read through one of your reviews ever again.
Bravo, bravo!
20 Albums I Think Are Awesome Part 3
15. The Boo Radleys – Giant Steps (1993)
The Boo Radleys are probably my favorite modern rock band. Including their albums and singles, I own over 200 songs written and recorded by these London pop-rockers. They hit the Brit-pop scene in the early 1990’s along with bands like Blur, MBV, Ride, Chapterhouse and others. Although considered Brit-pop, what I always appreciated about the Boos, was there reluctance to participate in the band rivalries and drama so typical to this music Mecca. They were always more concerned with staying low key, and just recording good music, much to their eventual demise. The Boo Radleys NEVER headlined a US tour, and only had a few singles that ever charted in the top 100, even on their own home turf. They stayed under the radar of most music fans and critics alike, although influential magazines like NME and Select, both chose Giant Steps as their album of the year in 1993.
NME wrote about the album:
It's an intentional masterpiece, a throw-everything-at-the-wall bric-a-brac of sounds, colours and stolen ideas. That The Boo Radleys (of all people!) have decided to accept their own challenge and create a record as diverse and boundary-bending as this is, at first glance, staggering. Isn't this the job of the U2s and the leisured idols of rock, unable to do anything without the tacit approval of history? Fortunately not. The Boo Radleys are sifting through time (the mid-'60s, mostly) and conjuring up something that's as cut-up and ambitious as anything you'd care to mention.
Which is all true. Giant Steps is a giant album full of complex sounds, amazing pop-songs, noisy interludes that make MBV’s Loveless sound trite, and some of the most creative structuring of songs ever heard. The songs here range form dub, to noise, to pop, to rock, to trip hop, and often times all within a single track! The album is also put together in such a way that the listener is taken on a massive journey from beginning to end.
Martin Car, guitarist and lead song writer, is a master at crafting songs that are challenging, engaging and likable, while Sice, vocals, sings with his boyish charm and surface deep anger waiting to explode at the drop of a beat. If you have not heard this album, track it down and be prepared to be amazed.
Best Tracks:
Lazarus
I Hang Suspended
Wish I was Skinny
Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce)
Barney (…and Me)
Martin Carr’s, now recording under the name Brave Captain, new album can be downloaded for free, in exchange for a name and email address, from his web site: [url]http://www.bravecaptain.co.uk[/url]
It is quite good, and free!
16. This Mortal Coil – Filigree and Shadow (1986)
This Mortal Coil is a supergroup birthed from the mind of Ivo Watts, president of the coolest record label on earth 4AD, in 1983. TMC consisted of members from various bands including: The Cocteau Twins, Breathless, Dif Juz, Wolfgang Press, Colour Box, Clan of Zymox, Dead Can Dance, Throwing Muses and others. Although most people might consider this music to be “gothic,” I do not agree with this classification. Some of the songs are sad, and a bit morose, but they are not full of the dramatic stage-like productions often associate with the gothic genre. If anything, TMC is a modern group that composes contemporary classical music, ethereal folk music, and soundscapes, and tackles the occasional cover song.
Most of the tracks on Filigree and Shadow are instrumental and consist of lush string arrangements, thickly layered synthesizers, strange samples, and world-rhythms. When listening to this album, I often find myself daydreaming about old Europe, with its cobblestone streets and quaint little shoppes and green pastures. This is an album that really takes you away to another land, and the more you allow yourself to be affected by the music, the more it speaks to you. The standout performer on this record is Dominic Appleton, the front man for the criminally underrated Belgium band Breathless. His unique, lisp filled vocal style is moving and commands attention. His portrayal of hurt and lost on the song The Jeweler is quite amazing.
Although this is not an album that can be listened to all the time – I really must be in the proper mood – it is an album that haunts me often. I still remember the first time I heard it when I was in high school, during a time when I was trying REALLY hard to be gothic, and I thought TMC was just so dang sad and cool. However, as I have no grown up, I can appreciate their music not for the clique or niche, but for the accomplished song writing, production and performances. Yes, it does sound a little cheesy by today’s standards, but Filigree and Shadow still is a very important album, and one full of artistic creativity.
Best tracks:
I Must Be Blind
The Jeweler
Tarantula
Drugs
20 Albums I Think Are Awesome Part 2
17. De La Soul – De La Soul is Dead (1991)
I was in 8th grade when De La’s single for Me, Myself and I dropped, and upon hearing it I emmiadtely went to Sam Goody’s (believe it or not, but at one time this mall based chain was THE spot to get cool vinyl and awesome CD Maxi-Singles) to buy the album, Three Feet High and Rising. De La’s style of hip hop was considered “weird” to my friends, and this album became a kind of litmus test for me: I knew that if someone liked it, chances are we would hit it off. Fast forward three years, and in 1991 they released what I consider to be one of the great hip hop albums of all time; an album with an odd name, and an album with a cover the symbolized a change in the group. Three dead Daisies, and for those who don’t know, the Daisy was an important symbol to De La. D.A.I.S.Y. stood for: Da Inner Sound Yall, and epitomized De La’s belief in good harmony and a positive message, and although their detractors labeled them as hippies, the fans understood what it was this amazing group was saying.
De La Soul is Dead was both a response to the naysayers, and was a rebirth of sorts for the group. With the Daisy Age pronounced dead, De La went further into the uncharted depths of underground sounds, and with the amazing production by Prince Paul, Mace, Posdnous and Trugoy Dove spun a record with tails so seeped in metaphors and cryptic language, they in fact further alienated many more listeners. But those who dove deep into the syntax, rhythm, and rhymes were rewarded with an album that was as complex and infinitely entertaining, as it was contemplative and groundbreaking. To this day, no other hip hop album comes close to the unique sounds the Soul brothers assembled to create their masterpiece. With Three Feet High and Rising, De La Soul practically invented the hip hop skit, and with De La Soul is Dead, they honed the in-between song skits to near comedic perfection.
Best Tracks:
Oodles of O’s: a cryptic mix of wood block rhythms, Kermit the Frog, and mysterious lingo – perhaps the most inexplicable song ever written about weed and the drug culture.
Bitties in the B-K Lounge – a great exchange of snaps and come backs taking place between a customer and a clerk at Burger King.
Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa – a tragic hip hop story about child abuse and revenge.
18. DURAN DURAN – DECADE (1989)
Yes, this one should ruffle some feathers! Although it is a collection of singles and not a proper album, it is still thoughtfully put together, and contains some of the best pop ever recorded – and songs that defined an era. Say what you will about the band, but those of you too young to remember when Duran Duran was cool, are probably over looking some awesome material because of the stigma associated with make-up wearing boy-idol pop bands of the 1980s. Fact is, the musicians in Duran Duran are all incredibly talented, and they crafted many songs full of texture and musical depth unheard from an 80s pop-band. Just listen to the complex bass lines and keyboard riffs that intertwine with the guitars, vocals and rhythms in songs like Girls on Film, Planet Earth, Rio, and Hungry Like a Wolf – and listen without jaded ears, you will be surprised at how complex the layers really are.
Duran Duran was in their heyday during a very important era of music: the dawning of the music video and MTV, when it ONLY played music. And they were perhaps the first band to ever have a video banned from MTV for adult images – full blown nudity actually – for their amazing new-wave hit, Girls on Film. It is too bad that the band never outlived the pop stigma of the 1980s, and it is too bad that more real music fans do not investigate this great group. They have much more to offer than just pretty-boy sensibilities and feathered hair – below these superficial layers is a band full of awesome musicians, captivating lyrics, and strong performances.
Best Tracks:
Planet Earth
Girls on Film
Rio
The Reflex
Skin Trade
20 Albums I Think Are Awesome Part 1
19. SKINNY PUPPY - TOO DARK PARK (1990)
Kicking off the list is Too Dark Park, Skinny Puppy’s exercise in terror, anger, nightmares and twisted imagery. This album perfectly exemplifies the entire “Industrial” genre, and it is probably the most accomplished at creating a world of grotesqueness. Nivek Ogre, the “vocalist” and front man, is in top form here as he crafts some of the most poetically disturbing lyrics this side of a Tanith Lee story. Dave Ogilvie and cEVIN Key’s “music” here eschews the typical heavy guitar-riff based compositions often found on other industrial band’s albums from the time (the more “pop” based sounds of Ministry, KMFDM and NIN come to mind), and instead it embraces complete and utter chaos through multiple layers, sampling, screaming, noises, rhythms and down right scary-as-hell melodies and harmonies.
Many bands claim to be avant-garde or experimental, while still being listenable. Well, Skinny Puppy is all of this, and there is no better example than Too Dark Park. It stands the test of time and even today still sounds exciting and fresh; unlike most industrial music that seems to grow ever more pale in comparison as time goes by.
Best tracks:
Shore Lined Poison, and
Nature’s Revenge – both quite moving and very powerful.
Spasmolytic – may be one of the most gut wrenchingly noisy and chaotic songs ever written – pure genius this one.
20. SPACEMEN 3 – RECURRING (1991)
I wanted to include some of both Jason Spaceman’s (Spiritualized) and Sonic Boom’s (Spectrum, E.A.R.) music on this list, and this album represents a turning point in both of their careers. Throughout Spacemen 3’s career, they focused on long, never changing, drone-y, and stoner rock-compositions that hinted at both of the member’s future careers. However, during the writing of this album, the two Spacemen wanted to move into decidedly different territories. Without being able to find a compromise, they decided to go their separate ways but not before recording one final album. Recurring’s tracks are equally divided in half, with a cover tune in the middle slot as a hinge to both halves.
The first half was written and performed by Sonic Boom and represents his shift towards layered electronic noises, drum loops, and analog synths. The first single BIG CITY is a masterpiece of what would be known as “acid house,” with its “Manchester” infused dance-y drumbeats and hypnotic melodies. This sound continued through his future project Spectrum, and then evolved to all out electronic noise with E.A.R.
The second half of the album was written and performed by Jason Spacemen and signifies his turn towards larger and more lavish productions, or stoner orchestration, that would become the signature sound of his future projects. His tracks included washed out guitars, strings, French horns and a variety of other instruments not frequently found in other examples of stoner/drug music. The best track here is Feel So Sad, which he re-recorded under the new name of Spiritualized and released it as a 20-minute mini-epic single after Spacemen 3 disbanded.
I love this album because it is really two very different albums connected together, and represents how the two members evolved as artists. Even though it is a bit sad to think that Jason and Sonic had a falling out, and to this day refuse to talk to one another, Recurring does prove that sometimes it takes a bit of anger and unrelenting passion to bring out the best in an artist. This album would also go on to inspire bands such as Mogwai, Pacific UV, Sugar Plant, and other post-rock style spacey drone bands.
Misc. Movie Musings Vol. 2
It’s no secret: I am not a huge fan of the theatrical cut of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Now, hear me out: it is not a bad film, and I do think it is a very important film that deserves the accolades it receives. However, I find it immensely boring, and overly long, poorly written, unintentionally silly and, never frightening. I just don’t think it is very rewatchable, and truth be told, I would rather watch the 2004 remake penned by James Gunn – it is infinitely more entertaining, and I was as surprised as anyone at this fact. Here are some brief write-ups of three zombie films I would rather watch than the original Dawn of the Dead.
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3
Dir: Brian Yuzna
ROTLD 3 is an awesome little film, which just so happens to possess the hottest gothic zombie chick you will ever see. As if goth-girls weren’t already hot enough, this one is so into the dark side that she’s dead! The action and gore are a little slow coming, but when the gore hits, it is a sight to behold. I will never forget the zombies in the strange Rector Set-like body armor, stumbling about like some fleshy-exoskeleton, half finished monstrosity. Great stuff, from Mr. Yuzna!
RE-ANIMATOR
Dir. Stuart Gordon
Another film from Yuzna working this time as producer, and directed by Stuart Gordon and yet another one that takes awhile getting to the gore. However, what sets Re-Animator apart from the others is the amazing script and the delivery from the cast, especially the legendary Jeffery Combs. Based loosely on an HP Lovecraft tale, this film is one of the best mad-scientist gone madder films of all time. And, once the gore kicks in, the film goes into over drive and grabs you by throat in a sickening and fantastic way.
VERSUS
Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura
When I first saw this film, I thought I had died and gone to movie heaven. Now, I feel it is a bit too long, but it still contains some of the most awesome action and violent bloodletting this side of Peter Jackson’s Brain Dead. In Versus, Kitamura crafted a yakuza, samurai, zombie epic full of funny characters, gross out gore, and awesome atmosphere. I am still anxiously waiting to get my hands on his redux of the film because he cuts a ton and actually adds some gore – which is no small task. Despite it’s length, and sometimes boring narrative, Versus is still a totally deserving cult film that demands to be seen by anyone who loves action, zombies and butt kicking.
More to come….
I'm Sorry
OH JOY! Two poorly computer-animated and insipidly written films about animals in the theatre at the same time, how did we get so lucky? Listen up people, quit spending your money on this crap and it will go away and it will be replaced by worthwhile entertainment with some artistic integrity. If crap makes money, that’s what the studios will give us – think about it.
Welcome Back Lara
So last night I did something I have not done in a long time; actually, I did two rare things. First, I went out and bought two games: SAMURAI CHAMPLOO for the PS2, and TOMB RAIDER LEGENDS for the XBOX. SAMURAI CHAMPLOO is made by Grasshopper and Suda 51, the same genius and brilliant minds behind last year’s strange and wonderful KILLER 7. So, it might just be the first anime-based game to have uber-style and loads of creativity on top of pretty solid game play - it totally rocks. However, the main attraction was definitely TOMB RAIDER LEGENDS.
The first TOMB RAIDER game is probably my favorite game of all time – and this is saying a lot. I have been playing games for ages, and I even remember the Christmas when my family got our Atari 2600. TR1 is just such a fantastic game full of more atmosphere than any other game I have ever played. It was also a landmark title in that it, along with MARIO 64, set the standards for 3D action/adventures. Every game I have played since TR1, has been measured by its greatness. Although, this may be a bit unfair, because the circumstances surrounding me actually playing the game were half of what made it such a memorable experience.
TR1 was the second or third game I bought for the PS1. It was a Friday, and I got home from work with the game in my hand, not knowing anything about it. My friends Paul, Mark and Jason were over, along with my sister, and we were all jut hanging out. I told them about the game, and everyone was curious to see it in action. Well, about 6 hours later, we were all still totally enthralled. It was crazy – I actually had an audience while I was playing the game. Paul, Mark, Jason and my sis were ooh-ing and ah-ing, wincing, yelling and playing the part of navigator when I was lost in one of the many caverns. It was just a heck of a lotta’ fun.
For the next week, this game totally consumed our lives – yes, “our lives.” Every night after everyone got off work, the Tomb Raider Crew would convene at my place for a little spelunking, block pushing, trap busting, and switch-pulling fun. We would stop when it got too late, or when I got stuck or lost in the game. I remember getting phone calls at work from Mark when he would have an idea of how to proceed in the game, making the remaining hours slaving away at El Pollo Loco all the more unbearable. Yes we were giant nerds – I think we all are still. But there was more to our camaraderie than just the game – it was something we all enjoyed doing and we just had a blast hanging out together.
Oh yeah, and the second rare thing I did last night? I stayed up WAY to freaking late playing the utterly brilliant TOMB RAIDE LEGENDS. On top of that, I was a little pissed that I had to go to bed, and that I have to go to work today. It is a rare game indeed that captures my mind and my time anymore, for as I get older I rarely find my attention being drawn to games all that frequently. TOMB RAIDER LEGENDS is a bit different though, it’s not just a game – it’s TOMB RAIDER. And today, the 7.5 hours I spend at work are going to seem like an eternity, as I wait to rush home and grab the controller.
Misc. Movie Musings Vol. 1
I watched a great zombie film today THE DEAD NEXT DOOR – a longer write up will be coming – and it made me think about some things. This film had a budget of around $8,000 I think, and it was shot on Super-8. It also has a cast of nobodies, who at best, can barely act, and the script is pathetic as can be. The film is also a freaking bloody good time for start to finish, especially when compared to higher budget crap like Romero’s LAND OF THE DEAD and the craptacular RESIDENT EVIL films. I also recently watched another low-budget and highly entertaining zombie film called DEAD AND BREAKFAST – which was a hoot and a half.
There seems to be a new wave of really good independent genre films as of late, and I hope the trend continues. With the availability of HD, home editing software and Internet distribution, there has never been a better time to be an indie-filmmaker. I really do hope we see a new crop of gore-hound directors popping up all over the world, as our old favorites like Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson have LONG since forgotten their indie-gore roots, and I doubt they will ever discover them again. James Gunn is another director who we can look forward to, I just hope the dismal box office returns of SLITHER didn’t hinder his budding career – if anything the film will make money on DVD, and so I hope the studio behind the film saw the theatrical run as a commercial for the inevitable director’s cut DVD.
For the last few years I have been avoiding straight to DVD horror films, because frankly most of them suck. But, my luck with THE DEAD NEXT DOOR and DEAD AND BREAKFAST has made me curious again to start pilfering the shelves of the video stores in search of low-budget gems again. Every great film I find in this way more than makes up for the dozen or so I fast forward through – and who knows? I may just end up finding a film as good as BAD TASTE someday. I know there are some directors and filmmakers out there right now making the next huge gore-filled indie splatter-fest, and I can’t wait to catch it.
I also watched BRICK this weekend, so expect a full write up soon. It was really, really good – I actually liked it much more than I though I would. The writer/director would have totally sold me on the high school noir angle had he omitted three scenes – it was almost as if he didn’t have complete faith in what he was trying to do, and sold the film short a bit. I heartily recommend this film to anyone and everyone looking for something out of the norm and challenging. BRICK is a very refreshing film – look for my review in the next couple of days.
The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
Ever since Ronald, the greatest afro-wearing psychedelic guitar player since Hendrix, left The Flaming Lips in search of spiritual enlightenment, the band has become less of a “band.” No longer do the members of the Lips strictly adhere to their positions within the band; they are not a band that is made up of a “bassist,” “drummer,” “guitarist,” “keyboardist,” and so on. No, the Lips consist of three composer/performers, as each member fills whatever role he is best suited for on each song. Sure, Stephen Drozd still plays most of the drums, and Michael still plays most of the bass, while Wayne Coyne sings – but these roles are no longer strictly defined – especially on their newest album AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS.
After CLOUDS TASTE METALLIC, Wayne really started to take the band’s sound and music in a new direction and to experiment with sonic textures never before heard. The first of these experiments consisted of the Parking Lot Experiments; I was lucky enough to attend one of these in Austin Texas. These experiments had Wayne and Stephen playing the roles of conductor as they conducted an “orchestra” of car stereos playing a “symphony” of sounds and music. After this, the Lips moved their stereophonic experience into the performance halls and used boom boxes rather than cars. The next logical progression was the 4-CD release of Zaireeka – a “musical” experience that had to be listened to on four separate stereos; each CD in the set contained a different part of the “song.” The Lips then went back on the road and performed a series of shows with headphones passed out to the members of the audience – the entire concert could be listened to either “live” from the band, or on the wireless headphones – again I was lucky enough to attend one these experiments at The Palace in Southern California.
As the Lip’s sound expanded, they needed a new way to perform the songs live. Starting with THE SOFT BULLETIN, their sound became more and more orchestrated with layers upon layers of sounds organic, and acoustic, digital, and analog. In order to perform these new grander songs, the band started to play to backtracks of audio and video prerecorded and played behind the live instrumentation on stage. Wayne and Co. adopted a more performance orientated show complete with balloons, stuffed animals, puppets, fake blood, gongs, and a plethora of party-like paraphernalia. Needless to say, The Flaming Lips are unlike any other band today – they are now more of an experience than a musical group, as a mere CD or a proper “band” can no longer contain their vision.
Which leads me to AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS, a perplexing album to say the least, and the first Lips album in fifteen years that I am not sure if I really like or not. The album is definitely complex, and it is sonically interesting, although at times the songs sound disjointed and random. The songs sound more like they were constructed rather than written, and perhaps they were stumbled upon in the studio. Which is not to say they are bad, but the album feels less organic than even their previous effort YOSHIMI. The songs require the listener to pay very close attention because they are so sonically dense.
So rich are the textures used to construct these songs that the album demands to be listened to on headphones. Every song is full of subtle and overt stereo nuances that whimsically play within the stereo-field of each composition. From funky little rhythms, to distorted digital burps, to freakishly pitched vocals, to filtered otherworldly sounds, almost everything on this album is filtered past the point of recognition. What’s making that noise, might be a common question asked when listening to MYSTICS. It has been said that this album represents a return to a more guitar based Flaming Lips, but to this I say nonsense, as it is often impossible to tell the difference between the guitars, the keyboards, the vocals and the general noisy sounds used in every song. Even the way the vocals are used is quite different, as they leave in studio talking, use vocal filters, and use all kinds of little vocal yells and flourishes to alarming effect throughout each song.
If anything, AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS is a challenging album and proves the Lips are not willing to stay with a certain sound for too long – they are a band that has evolved and changed more times than most other bands have albums. They continue to push their sound and songs into new uncharted territories and are at worst a little too esoteric, but at best they will totally blow your mind. MYSTICS is an album that must grow on the ears of the listener – it is not immediately amazing, or engaging as it takes time to adjust to the sonic onslaught and textures. Given time though, I have a feeling this album will sound as pleasing and as moving as anything the Lips have ever recorded – and in the meantime, it sure is a damn interesting sounding album that is never content with simplicity or laziness.
A Top 50 List - Oh Boy, My favorite!
So Empire magazine released their list of the top 50 independent films of all time (see it here). I hate this list. Why? Because it’s not mine! Honestly though, these lists seem so arbitrary. I mean, who is Empire magazine to declare the top 50 anything, and what is their criteria for determining what films should be on the list? I also have some major problems with some of the films they included, and some problems with some of the films they nefariously omitted.
First I will address the omitted films of which I think there are many. However, I will only bore you with a few.
HALLOWEEN – One of the most financially successful and influential indie films ever made. Carpenter’s classic launched a thousand imitators and developed the foundation for an entire genre – the slasher flick.
EL TOPO – Jodorowsky’s drug induced spaghetti-western cum experiment in religious symbolism was not only the first official midnight film to run during the groundhouse 70’s at the theatres in New York’s Times Square, but it also has one of the most torrent filled pasts of any film in cinematic history (google it if you don’t believe me!).
TOXIC AVENGER – or really ANY Troma film for that matter. Kaufman and crew made indie cinema fun again as they snatched back the reigns from the overly artsy-fartsy directors who took the genre out of indie. These guys do whatever the hell they please, and do not answer to ANYONE: true independent cinema.
I also seem to recall a little film created by some guy named George Lucas. I think it was called THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK or something? Hello? Empire? Are you out of your freaking minds, or hasn’t EMPIRE opened in Europe yet? I know they get films a little later in the UK than we do here in the states, but 20 years later?
And now for the films they included that I, in my most humble of opines, feel should be left the heck off of ANY top 50 list (and one directly below that should be destroyed with fire).
LOST IN TRANSLATION – okay, this film just downright sucks. Just because a film lacks a compelling and cohesive narrative, as well as any semblance of real character growth and emotion, does not mean it is artsy or worth a flying freak. When the Academy awarded this film with the best original screenplay Oscar, I had to ask myself: what screenplay? What did Sophia write? “Camera moves through really cool streets of Tokyo, taking footage that a blind retarded monkey could make look good, all while really hip music written my Kevin Shields plays in the background.” There was zero conflict, zero emotion, and zero anything that makes this film better than any other piece of crap film-school drop out film snob…blah!
MEMENTO – okay, this was a pretty cool flick. But I have to ask: if it weren’t so freaking gimmicky, would anyone have even cared? If a film can’t stand up without its gimmick, I hesitate to call it great cinema. Had MEMENTO been traditionally constructed, it would have been just another psychological thriller, albeit a well written and acted one. As it stands, MEMENTO is a clever film with a great gimmick, but not a great film without the gimmick.
DONNIE DARKO – take this film, please! The more I think about, hear about, and read about this film, the less I like it. I am sick of it. The more I watch it, the more I think the film is a giant turd. Sure, it is cool and all, but it is flawed as can be. The fans talk about it as if Richard Kelly is the next great film director – guess what? He’s not. DD is a total mess of a film that although it has an interesting narrative, collapses under the poorly, no, heinously written dialog and screenplay. I used to love the film – I watched it two times in a row on DVD the day it came out, but I am so sick of the cult of Darko that I want to hurl. At most it is a neat little exercise in a Phildickian styled narrative, mired in dialog plagued with Kevin Smith’s “wit.”
SHALLOW GRAVE – why is this film on here? Oh yeah, it was made in Great Britain!
(Hint: so is Empire magazine…)
8:21 PM 4/3/2006
Bill Maher, Robert Anton Wilson and The Orgone Energy Accumulator
I can no longer survive at work without my iPod Nano. This week I have been listening to the newly released podcast version of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher. Although I do not always, or often, agree with Maher’s stance on politics, religion and society, I do almost always find him smart, funny, and insightful. He also asks truly tough questions of his guests and is not afraid to crank the pressure up to eleven. I find Maher to be a beacon of common sense in our society of political and religious extremes – he challenges both the orthodox left and the fundamentalist right in his crusade to shed light on his libertine-social rhetoric. He is also a champion of first amendment rights, and was fired from ABC after his off-kilter, post 9/11 remarks.
The guests on his show range from celebrities, to politicians, to authors, to comedians, and to religious thinkers, and no one is safe or no subject taboo. From one of the shows I listened to, I learned a surprising thing about good old George Costanza, aka Jason Alexander: he is a very bright and well spoken individual who stands up for what he believes and seems like a stand up kind of guy. I was duly impressed with almost everything he said. I also had a feeling reconfirmed by one of Maher’s guests: Danny Glover is a stark raving idiotic moran that should be shipped to Cuba in a tiny little box. Talk about a celebrity who should keep his damn mouth shut unless he is reading memorized lines in front of a camera. His refusal to accept the fact that the institutions of higher learning in America are completely over-run by the extremely closed minded left, boggled not only my mind, but the mind of Maher and his guests alike. Glover is man so blinded by his little make-believe Hollywood-tinted world of the elite left, that he truly believes the crap he shovels.
I also spent a great deal of time this week listening to a wonderful interview on CD entitled: Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything, or Old Bob Reveals His Ignorance. For those of you unacquainted with Wilson’s work, please acquaint yourself. His Masks of the Illuminati trilogy is among some of the most creative works of fiction ever published, and was, I believe to be, the basis behind everything a certain author by the name of Dan Brown wrote about. Wilson is a man who has lived a life one can only imagine. He has been involved in committees with theoretical physicists discussing quantum mechanics, was a practitioner of mind altering magic, a student of Crowley’s teachings, a confidant to Timothy Leary and Terrance McKenna, a prankster, a novelist of over 30 published works, an editor for Playboy, and an expert in ancient sexual studies, expanding consciousness, mind altering drugs and all around conspiracy theorist.
Again, Wilson is a man who I do not always agree with, but I find him to be totally fascinating, and hearing him talk so optimistically about his life filled me with joy. He is now bound to a wheelchair after suffering from Polio at a young age, but he continues to be a positive beacon of light for all around him. One idea he champions is the invention known as the Orgone Energy Accumulator (read about it here), a device that he states has been supported for years by the scientific community who’s conclusions have been published in many peer reviewed journals. Although, being the conspiracy champion that he is, Wilson believes that the skeptic schools of thought headed up by the likes of James Randi, are keeping inventions like this out of our society because there is too much damn money tried up in the status quo. He goes on to say that the so-called skeptics are so close-minded that they refuse to even question what it is they so firmly do not believe. I love this man, and if given the chance, Wilson is someone with whom I would like to spend an afternoon with talking and drinking coffee at some small café in some remote location.
Osamu Tezuka
The Godfather of anime, and perhaps one of the most artistic animators who ever lived, has quite a few videos over at Youtube.com. I highly suggest you watch these, as they are all quite good. Too bad his short films are not available on DVD right now – a minor crime against art if you ask me
Mermaid
Jumping
Broken Down Film
Story of a Street Corner
Still Keeping Score
After posting tonight’s update for the site, with the included little piece on film music, I got to thinking about something: in my reviews I rarely, if ever, discuss the music. If you know me you may find this odd, with me being a musician and an admirer of good music and all. It is strange; for I rarely read a mainstream film review where the music is given any kind of prominent write up. I have to wonder why this is seeing as how music is such an important part of cinema, and unfortunately it is also one of the first components to go totally wrong.
Soundtracks and musical scores these days tend to be lumped into two main categories: they are either obtrusive over scored bombastic messes, or they are put together only to sell CDs at Wal-Mart. Scores that fall outside of these two disastrous categories are few and far between. Most of these scores tend to be only incidental background music and are not meant to draw attention, nor do they garner any kind of praise from a musically critical ear. However, there are a few film scores that are amazing works of music and do elevate the films in which they are used to levels of greatness.
Most recently, I must praise the score written by Tomandandy for the remake of The Hills Have Eyes. Now this is how to score a film. The music is loud and yet not a distraction because it creates atmosphere and helps to define the tone of the film so well. The music becomes a very important part of the film as a whole. Perhaps the best comparison I can make is to Goblin’s amazing prog-rock score for Dario Argento’s Susperia. Tomandandy’s music for the film is epic, eerie, and helps to deliver the tension to the ears while the visuals of the film assault the eyes. To say I was duly impressed would be an understatement, as I thought the film was made infinitely better for having such an inspired score.
Historically speaking, I think there are two composers who really stand out. One is a given, and he is of course John Williams. Where would neo-classical composition be without him? Williams has written so many iconic moments in film music that it is impossible to imagine the landscape without him. His music coupled with the images created by Spielberg, Lucas and others, has helped to define genres and entire movements of cinema. Although he is a true master, I often find his scores to be a bit overbearing as they seem to occupy too much of the running time of the film, but this is only a personal preference and not a mark against his amazing talent
Composer number two is the one and only Ennio Morricone. My God, this guy is a pure genius. Morricone’s work on Leone’s classic Italian Westerns contains some of the most memorable melodies and harmonies ever produced. Throughout each of the three films in the classic western trilogy, Morricone honed his skills to near perfection as his harsh yet beautiful scores weaved their way through the twisted psyches of Leone’s lawless bounty hunters, bandits, thieves and cowboys. His musical scores evolved throughout each film and took on character traits as important as any of the characters in the film – his music became another character that grew and changed and helped to drive and pull the narrative.
However, it was not until Once Upon a Time in the West that Morricone reached the point of perfection. His work here is on par with any modern composer, and is some of the most creative music I have ever heard. In the film there are also moments where he works only with environmental sounds in lieu of traditional instrumentation in order to capture the landscape's natural “music.” The use of western percussion coupled with the twang of an electric guitar and a screeching harmonica create wondrous sounds that could only come from this musical auteur.
I need to start devoting some time in my reviews to the use of music, but unfortunately, there just aren’t enough creative scores that garner such attention. All too often the music just kind of passes me by unnoticed. However, I would rather have it be forgotten than be a total annoyance as in the heinously over scored, and utterly insipid sounding zombie film Undead – here is a perfect example of what not to do.
Bo Bo Bobobobo Bo rocks JLU's Little World
On one hand you have the same old heroes fighting the same old villains, during the same old kinds of story arcs week after week.
Then on the other hand you have a cartoon about a guy who fights an evil empire bent on the baldation of the entire world with his animated nose hair, who also happens to be able to feel the feelings of hair, and communicate with it.
it's tons of creativity vs. zero creativity, I will take the creativity.
This is why Bo Bo... was put on after the Miyazaki films, because it does appeal to people who like their cartoons creative and who have grown tired of the same old super hero tripe. Bo Bo... pushes the cartoon medium by offering up a healthy dose of WTF?!?! and creative story telling, where as JLU just takes established characters runs them through the mill of comic book cliche and banks on the fact that fans of the DCU will tune in no matter what.
And as most fans of creative cartoons will say, Bo Bo is a breath of fresh air in a medium that has become stale to the point of death.
A Note From Me
My goal is to be a professional film critic - that is, I want to make a (modest) living watching and writing about films. As part of my cinematic duty, I am making it a point to seek out and critique newer films at the cinema. I feel strongly about this, as it is important for me to expose myself to films that a) I may not like, b) I may not even really want to see, and c) will expand my cinematic vocabulary.
As a critic, it is important for me to review films that are outside of the films I own on DVD. Part of the reason for this is that I am finding myself bored writing about films from my library because chances are, if I own the film, I love it. I can only write a glowing and positive review so many ways before it becomes tedious and vapid as I am already discovering that I am repeating myself. In order for my critical skills and my prose to evolve, so too does my cinematic vocabulary need to grow.
This endeavor is going to take me in many new directions, and I hope the journey is a fruitful one. Although it may be egotistic of me, I want to be a critic that film fans turn to for insight. Like Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael, and others are to me, I want to be a respected voice that commands attention from others. I want people to say, "Hey, D Davis loved this film, lets give it a chance," or "D Davis said that film is a pile of crap, let's check it out!" Most of all though, I want to add to the serious discussion of cinema and to the canon of film criticism.
A Maze of Death - I know how they feel
As you may know, I have been reading a ton of Philip K. Dick lately. The last time I read a number of his books back-to-back was in 1999 while living in Southern California. I am about finished with the first book of his I have read that I really do not like – at all. The book is A Maze of Death and some readers, like Sci-Fi critic John Clutz, consider it to be canonical Dick. I find the narrative forced, while there are way to many characters for the short length, and it sounds as if it were written by someone trying to write as Phil Dick – maybe there was some truth in his fears that the real Phil Dick had been kidnapped and replaced with an android.
AMD is a book Dick wrote to work through some very deep thoughts and questions he had about religion. After reading the wonderful biography I Am Alive and You are Dead, I was astounded to find out just how much of his life he devoted to the pursuit of Gnostic Christianity. I knew he had been interested in the ancient mystic faiths, but I never knew to what extent. This is also the only book Dick wrote while under the influence of LSD. Contrary to popular belief (due to an introduction written by Harlan Ellison) Dick was not into LSD – he had such bad trips he actually hated it, and was more than happy dabbling in prescription pills.
For this I am eternally grateful. I do not LSD-Dick – too much agenda and not enough amazing narrative. Dick is an author who can simultaneously amaze you with his societal ideas, and his insight into humanity, and also astound you with mind-boggling science fiction made of layers of conspiracy, false realities and questionable identities. In AMD, the narrative is jumbled, goes nowhere, and is incredibly cold – here Dick plays cruelly with his characters, even more so than usual, a trait I do not like. AMD lacks his usual smart sense of humor, and he is unable to create even a single sympathetic character. Funny how this is his most theological work, and yet it feels to be his furthest from the compassionate God he so desperately sought after.
Bill Cosdby Himslef - still a blast
Last night the wife and I watched Bill Cosby Himself. I had not seen this wonderful film for many, many years, and yet I still remembered almost every single line and joke. Such a great example of comedy that is clean and freaking funny - too bad there aren't more like Cosby. This is one reason why I enjoy Seinfeld so much, he rarely cusses and rarely talks about sex. The DVD also looks great - the colors are awesome, it is such a difference from our old VHS tape recorded off of HBO years ago my family used to watch.