Hall of Awesome: Best Albums of 2007

10

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová

Once: Music from the Motion Picture

9

of Montreal

Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

8

Feist

The Reminder

7

Justice

†

6

They Might Be Giants

The Else

5

Patton Oswalt

Werewolves and Lollipops

4

Jens Lekman

Night Falls Over Kortedala

3

Sondre Lerche

Phantom Punch

2

Loney, Dear

Loney, Noir

1

Panda Bear

Person Pitch

Before I begin, I'm gonna go ahead and say that I never ended up buying the new albums by The National, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A, or any of the other albums that seem to be dotting everyone else's year-end best-of lists. I am constantly amazed at the sheer volume of music other bloggers are able to listen to and absorb. How some people are able to listen to countless CDs over the course of a year and actually be able to come to a consensus over their favorite 20, 25, even 50, is beyond me. After ten, aren't you just picking CDs at random? If a CD makes my list, it is become I am in love with nearly every single song on it. I can't put Radiohead's new album on the list simply because I haven't had enough time to fully absorb every song. It takes a while for me to really get into the spirit of an album and to figure out exactly what the musician or band was going for. That probably explains why a lot of the CDs that made my list were released in late winter or early spring.

Kicking off my list is the downright beautiful soundtrack for Once, a film that is bound to make my best movies list...when I get around to actually writing it. Hansard and Irglová wrote all of the songs themselves and their vocal deliveries are unparalleled. Of course, the ever-prolific of Montreal delivered another terrific album with endlessly catchy melodies and increasingly experimental song structure (the twelve-minute "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" is proof of Kevin Barnes' genius). I had Feist's new CD and was semi-impressed by it, but once I got to see her live, I revisited the album and found myself entranced by all the new sounds and emotions I was able to find within it. Justice came out of nowhere to deliver the album everyone was waiting for Daft Punk to put out (meanwhile, Daft Punk's Alive 2007 more than made up for the misstep that was Human After All). They Might Be Giants was another band I got to see live, but by that time, I was already in love with their latest album, which was definitely a grower, but at least half of the songs on there were so incessantly catchy, I couldn't get them out of my head for months. Patton Oswalt's Werewolves and Lollipops marks my first-ever inclusion of a stand-up comedy album on my annual top ten list, but what an album it is. I still crack up every time I listen to "Death Bed," and the DVD, intended as a "bonus" for those who don't download the album, is almost as essential as the album itself. I was blown away by Jens Lekman's compilation Oh, You're So Silent Jens and his newest studio album shows him in fine form. Indeed, he samples everything from old doo-wop music to scratchy recordings of himself as a child, yet everything comes off as the most sincere and original music released this year. Meanwhile, Sondre Lerche released a new hard-rockin' album that could've easily doubled for a greatest hits collection, since every single track on Phantom Punch is solid and totally worthy of some radio play (sadly, Clear Channel hates talent). Loney, Dear went under the radar after a decidedly low-key Sub Pop debut, but I hope his inclusion at the number two spot on my list will inspire you to go out and get it, or at least to listen to such brilliant tracks as "Saturday Waits" and "I Am John." Finally, I have never been able to listen to an entire Animal Collective album front-to-back, but I immediately fell in love with the stark beauty and meditative nature of Noah Lennox's Panda Bear side project. I have taken to describing Person Pitch as a cross between the Beach Boys and Sigur Rós, but that comparison doesn't really do it justice. Take a listen to "Bros" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

And now, without further ado, the honorable mentions:

"Thanks, Santa. Also, I talk now."

It just wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't point you guys in the direction of McSweeney's, where they've posted excerpts from Ben Joseph's script for Alien vs. Predator Save Christmas. Spread the yuletide cheer with some good 'ol fashioned alien blasting!

Christmas Update!

So, I should probably go ahead and let everyone know that I am hard at work on a documentary short about the indie music industry and how the Internet has changed the way bands market themselves and distribute their music. It's gonna be called Firewall of Sound, and hopefully, everyone will be able to see it this April.

But, for now, let me wish everyone some good 'ol fashioned Christmas cheer with this video of the Prayers & Tears performing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" at the Christmas at the Cradle event last year. Perry, the leader of the band, is one of the people I am interviewing for the film and he is a super-awesome guy who makes some amazing music, which you can hear a good deal of on his band's official website.



Plenty more footage from the concert can be found here.

UPDATE: I almost forgot. Perry pointed me in the direction of this really solid compilation of Christmas music by fellow blogger Hard to Find a Friend. It's only seven bucks and all proceeds go to Toys for Tots. I'm listening to it right now and I can tell you it's totally worth it!

Rich Aucoin's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Here's a novel idea. Record a cool indie rock EP with the intention of having it sync up with a timeless Christmas special. Singer/songwriter Rich Aucoin achieves this with his EP Personal Publication by having it sync up with Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the results are pretty impressive:

Give it a few minutes for the visuals to show up. The idea is the sync starts up right when track three begins, so there's a couple minutes of black with just music playing.

UPDATE: Apparently, Rich had to pull the video due to copyright, which makes absolutely no sense to me, since the video doesn't have the sound from the TV special, so anyone who watches it isn't getting to watch the actual Grinch Stole Christmas for free.

Hall of Awesome: Worst Movies of 2007

I know, it's not very awesome, but this is my chance to riff on some truly bad movies I saw this year, and God knows they deserve it. Also, I refuse to see dreck like Norbit and Epic Movie, so don't bother commenting on why they aren't on my list. So, without further ado:

1. Flanders (dir. Bruno Dumont)
   As a film student, I frequently find myself defending some really difficult movies, ones that mainstream audiences simply aren’t meant to see, much less comprehend. “I know Drawing Restraint 9 doesn’t make any sense, but it’s so fascinating to watch!” “Give Old Joy a few more viewings. I’m sure you’ll come to love it!” Then there are films that are simply not worth defending. I have tried to come up with a reason why the 2006 Cannes jury decided to give one of their highest honors to this film, especially since the jury consisted of such great actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, and Zhang Ziyi. For Flanders, director Bruno Dumont decided to conjure up the most depraved, indifferent, and downright horrible people he could find…and then make a movie about them. When a character isn’t walking down a road, or through a forest, or across a field, or through a war zone (there’s a lot of walking in this film), they’re either raping someone or getting raped. Or exploding. Maybe if Dumont made us genuinely care about these people, I would’ve been more receptive. But it seems his intentions are to make us hate these people in the beginning, downright despise them in the middle, and ultimately not to give a fuck what happens to them by movie’s end. Even though the screening of this film was free, I felt as if a part of my soul had been taken from me by the time the lights went up.
   
2. Spider-Man 3 (dir. Sam Raimi) / Shrek the Third (dir. Chris Miller) (tie)
   As far as sequels go, Shrek 2 was halfway decent and Spider-Man 2 was pretty damn good. But both of them are Empire Strikes Back-quality when compared to their god-awful third chapters. For Spider-Man 3, Sam Raimi decided to forego the usual plot development and story arcs in favor of an extended montage of Tobey Maguire hopping around like a fucking idiot, all while alienating the cardboard Kirsten Dunst in a subplot that somehow got bumped up to the main storyline. Even when we actually focus on the superhero stuff, it’s pretty pathetic. Sandman and Venom aren’t handled with nearly as much attention and care as Alfred Molina (Doc Oc) and Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin) were in the previous two films. I’ve always said that a Spider-Man film is only as good as its bad guy, and with two mediocre ones (not including James Franco as an amnesia-suffering Hobgoblin, and whatever that black alien ooze is), this third entry in the franchise just may be the last. Oh, and the same goes for the third Shrek movie. Anyone could’ve told you you’re making a big mistake when you cast Justin Timberlake as a main character. And the way the filmmakers use “Immigrant Song” is unforgivable.
   
3. Lions for Lambs (dir. Robert Redford)
   I’m sorry; I’m usually not this mean to movies I get to see for free, but I have to speak up about this one. Initially, I described this movie to friends as “Crash with politics,” but the problem with this comparison is that I actually liked Crash the first time I saw it. The reason I dislike Robert Redford’s new movie so much is that it’s one of those films that hits you over the head with its message, even though it’s murky as to what that message is exactly. Redford tries to criticize the Republican machine, but also dilutes that criticism by frequently blaming us for our lack of involvement. Not even Meryl Streep can save this film from stumbling into an incoherent jumble of liberal rhetoric and holier-than-thou posturing from poli-sci professor Redford. This is the guy that did Quiz Show, right?
   
4. Bug (dir. William Friedkin)
   This might have been a better movie if I had seen it in a different context, but I doubt it. Hopelessly misleading blurbs and plot descriptions dotted the DVD box for this film, leading me and my friends to believe we were about to watch a gripping horror film about bug infestations. How wrong we were. Ashley Judd gives a pretty impressive performance, but how hard is it to act like a fucking lunatic, especially when there’s another lunatic onscreen (Michael Shannon) who’s acting even crazier than you are?
   
5. Fracture (dir. Gregory Hoblit)
   Speaking of lunatics, Anthony Hopkins has made a career out of playing them. Every time he appears in a movie, I have a sneaking suspicion that someone else in that movie is about to die. In Fracture, Hopkins once again plays a kook, hell-bent on killing his wife and, more importantly, getting away with it. The audience finds the loophole that will incriminate Hopkins long before bland D.A. Ryan Gosling does, and the excellent Embeth Davidtz (Junebug) is sadly underused as Hopkins’ wife. The real crime is that the filmmakers tried to mix Silence of the Lambs with “Law & Order” without realizing that the crime that occurs onscreen could’ve been solved by Jodie Foster or Jerry Orbach before we even cut to commercial.

Hall of Awesome: Best Music Videos of 2007

Oh my God, is it already that time again? I apologize for my lack of posting towards the end of the year. I have been hard at work on not one, but two short films, which will hopefully be shown at various festivals around mid-2008. With that said, I'd like to begin this year's Hall of Awesome by showcasing some of my favorite music videos.

5. The Strokes, "You Only Live Once" (dir. Warren Fu)

Even though The Strokes had already released a video for the lead track off their last LP, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, I guess they felt it could've used a rewrite. So, they invited director Warren Fu to deliver a CGI-laden, 2001: A Space Odyssey referencing mini-movie.

4. Bat for Lashes, "What's a Girl to Do?" (dir. Dougal Wilson)

What is it about guys in animal masks that creep me out? Dougal Wilson turns out a well-choreographed bike ride with English singer/songwriter Natasha Khan that is anything but cute and cuddly.

3. Grizzly Bear, "Knife" (dir. Encyclopedia Pictura)

The boldly experimental production group Encyclopedia Pictura turned out this daring and bizarre little music video, perfectly complementing the daring and bizarre music of Grizzly Bear. I'd make a pun about studying geology "in-depth," but that kind of humor is below me.

2. Feist, "1234" (dir. Patrick Daughters)

This is one of those videos that you watch and it makes you end up with a smile on your face. I was surprised to learn that the whole thing was done in one take with no computer trickery to mask the other performers. There's a really cool making-of where you can see most of the single take from different angles.

1. Mute Math, "Typical" (dir. Israel Anthem)

Yes, I know the backwards thing has been done before, but Mute Math does the backwards thing really well and don't stop with the cool effects. This is also the first time I've really been impressed with the lead singer's lip-syncing to the backwards version of the song. Check the bizarre live version of this video on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Jon Stewart's Post-9/11 "Daily Show" Speech

I've been going into "Daily Show" withdrawal ever since the WGA strike started, so I took to the 'Tube and searched for any clips of Jon Stewart. I was surprised to find someone had uploaded a speech Stewart gave on the first episode of "The Daily Show" since the attacks on September 11th. Keep in mind I didn't start watching "The Daily Show" on a regular basis until my senior year of high school, so this entire segment was new to me.

It's a startling nine-minute monologue with Stewart laying it out and telling it like it is. No sugar-coated diatribe on how we're all gonna move on with our lives, no phony sentimentality. Just straight from the heart honesty and compassion. I've always said that I love Stephen Colbert but his character on "The Colbert Report" is just that: a character. When Jon Stewart does his thing, it honestly feels like he's speaking his mind and telling you what he thinks is wrong with the world. Sure, he has roughly 14 writers working behind-the-scenes, making sure he gets that everyman tone just right, but it's humbling to see that, at least for nine minutes, he was able to speak his peace and move on:



I know it seems weird to post this at this time, but I just saw it and wanted to write a post about it. I hope everyone out there has a Happy Thanksgiving!

5 More Scary Music Videos

UPDATE: Use this playlist to view these videos plus eleven others! Click the playlist button at the bottom of the video to choose the videos listed on this page.


One of the most frequently linked-to blog posts I ever wrote was one in which I listed my top five favorite scary music videos. Well, I've recently fixed some of the YouTube links that have gone stale and I got to thinkin...it being Halloween and all, why not showcase a few more of these creepy vids?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Y Control" (dir. Spike Jonze)
Spike Jonze is generally well-known for his lighthearted videos for Fatboy Slim, featuring either Christopher Walken flying around a hotel lobby, or Jonze himself breakdancing in front of a movie theater. But did you know he made this creepy little promo for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Deranged children flicking off the camera while a wild-eyed Karen O dances around them is a good way to start, but pretty soon, Jonze has the little kiddies drag a dead dog around a barren room, chop off each others hands, and slice open their stomachs, all done in a decidedly low-budget grindhouse fashion. This is Bizarro Sesame Street! UPDATE: The link broke, so I found a version on YouTube that includes a goofy intro Jonze recorded with one of the kids.

Daft Punk, "Prime Time of Your Life" (dir. Tony Gardner)
You'd think Daft Punk would be the last band to do a unsettling music video, but they've got two! "Technologic" made my list last year and I even picked this one for Most Disturbing Vid in my 2006 Hall of Awesome. The message is that the girl in the video suffers from a poor self-image that makes everyone around her seem skinny (or, in this case, skeletal). But it's really just a pretense for director and effects wizard Tony Gardner to dole out some shocking and graphic imagery. The mechanical droning of the song doesn't make the video any less creepy.

TV on the Radio, "Wolf Like Me" (dir. Jon Watts)
So, my affinity for the videos of Jon Watts are well-documented, but rarely does he get under your skin as effectively as he does here, with this vid for indie darlings TV on the Radio. A combination of factors help make this video work, such as the gritty quality of the film stock, the silent movie title cards, and the rigid stop-motion animation of the werewolves. Watts' website has a higher-quality version of this vid, along with many more that are worth watching.

Röyksopp, "What Else is There" (dir. Martin De Thurah)
Electronic duo Röyksopp's video library is pretty well-rounded. They've got the fun and surprisingly informative "Remind Me," the endangered species escape film in "Poor Leno," and the animated postcards of "Eple," but this one caught me by surprise. We can go ahead and establish that Karin Dreijer of Scandanavian electronic group The Knife is a pretty creepy individual, but even though that's her voice singing, the woman floating around in the video is actually a model named Marianne Schröder. (Dreijer makes an appearance at the end.) It's still a weird-ass vid, with flying houses, dripping milk, smoking trees, and general apocalyptic visions. It's Lynchian symbolism at its darkest.

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, "The Owl" (dir. Emmanuel Ho)
Who would've guessed that a two-minute instrumental would make for such an effectively grim music video? Ho's sparse animation style fits the stark visual of a crow tethered to...something, as it tries in futility to reach the light billowing through a window, all while the title character sinisterly watches from afar, its harsh white eyes glaring directly at the camera. Poetic, minimalist, and downright creepy. If you aren't afraid of owls, you just might be after watching this video.

I just might start making this a yearly feature, so if you know any other scary music videos I have yet to mention, send me an e-mail! I leave you with a humorous look at the life of a pumpkin, by Waverly Films, the production group Jon Watts is a part of:

They Might Be Giants, "The Mesopotamians"

Another brilliant animated music video for TMBG, this time for my favorite track from their new album, The Else:

They Might Be Giants - The Mesopotamians

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A Radiohead Revelation

If you don't know by now, here are a few headlines:

1. Radiohead has a new album out, In Rainbows. It will be available digitally on October 10 (in ten days!) and in physical form on December 3.

2. The physical form is a "discbox," consisting of the album on CD and two 12" records, a bonus CD of outtakes, and tons of cool artwork, all wrapped up in a box. Each "discbox" is £40, or roughly $81, and the price includes shipping and handling to anywhere on Earth. Everyone who pre-orders the discbox will get a download key for the album on Oct. 10.

3. If you choose to get just the download, you can name your own price, and since Radiohead will not be sending out promos of the album, everyone will get the music on the same day at the same time. No leaks, no illegal downloads, nothing until the 10th.

4. A CD version of the album will be released in early 2008.

The list of shit I want for Christmas is already pretty insane, what with the Stanley Kubrick DVD box set, the 5-disc Blade Runner suitcase, and Stephen Colbert's new book, so I doubt adding an $80 Radiohead album would be a good idea. Still, it looks pretty awesome:



Update: In response to people wondering if you can pay nothing for the new album...


Don't worry; I already pre-ordered the album last night and offered up the adequate price of $5 (roughly £2.45). This was just an experiment to see if it would work.

Old News

I'd tell you the new Darjeeling Limited prequel, Hotel Chevalier, starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman, and directed by Wes Anderson, is available for free on iTunes, but you probably already knew that.

Tear it Down, One Pixel at a Time

50099I usually don't get political on this site, but I was very impressed by Amnesty International's new website asking people to pledge to help tear down Guantánamo Bay. Cruel, inhuman treatment of prisoners by Americans is something we can not and should not allow, and pledging your support is one way we can help end illegal torture. I also really like the design of the website, which removes a pixel from the image of Guantánamo detainees every time someone pledges their support.

Savage Chickens Get Animated

Doug Savage proves his worth in this stop-motion animated video featuring a song by Laura Veirs and everybody's favorite online post-it cartoon chickens!

Theremin-Playing Robots Cover Gnarls Barkley

And I thought having "Weird Al" parody your song was proof you'd made it to the big time. Link via MoonMilk.

Kubrick, Godard, and more finally get the DVDs they deserve!

2007 is slowly turning out to be the year to score some classic movies on new fully-loaded special edition DVDs. Here's just a sample:

• Warner Bros. Video has announced that they will be releasing a Director's Series: Stanley Kubrick Collection box set on 10/23. The set will include brand-new, two-disc, remastered special editions of 2001: A Space Odyssey (my constant pick for greatest movie of all-time), The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut and single-disc editions of Full Metal Jacket and the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. The Shining has been restored to its original widescreen version, and Eyes Wide Shut will finally be released uncut. Documentaries and making-of featurettes abound. In addition, bare-bones but remastered versions of Lolita and Barry Lyndon will be available separately. (Source: DVDActive)
  
  
• The Criterion Collection has revamped their website, turning it into an online store where you can buy their über-awesome special edition DVDs directly from the source, at a discount price, no less! This October, they will release a new 2-disc edition of Jean-Luc Godard's landmark film Breathless, which will include video interviews with cast and crew, an 80-min. French documentary on the making of the film, and tons more. Other noteworthy releases include Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, a 2-disc re-release of Alfred Hitckcock's The Lady Vanishes (featuring audio from François Truffaut's famous interview with Hitchcock), and new movies by Criterion regulars Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman.
  
  
• If crazy TV is more your style, you'll be happy to know that David Lynch's groundbreaking series Twin Peaks will finally be available, pilot episode and all, in a new Gold Box Edition on 10/30.
  
  
• Pixar will finally release all of their beloved (and often award-winning) short films in one collection, Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1, on 11/6, which will include every single short film since 1984's The Adventures of André and Wally B. (Also, Ratatouille will be out the same day.)
  
  
• And, of course, unless you've been avoiding the Internet for the last year or so, you probably already know about the 5-disc Ultimate Edition of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, which will include the highly-anticipated "Final Cut" of the movie, with new scenes, effects, and 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, as well as three other versions of the film (theatrical and international versions, as well as the first director's cut), a three-hour documentary, and the never-before-seen "workprint version" of the film. Fortunately, if you don't have the greenbacks for the 5-disc edition (which comes in a f**king suitcase!), there are tons of other versions available to purchase, from a 2-disc edition that just features the final cut and the documentary, to a 4-disc edition that includes everything but the workprint.

There Will Be Blood New Trailer

There's been a trailer circulating YouTube for P.T. Anderson's new movie for quite some time, but here's the new, more official-looking trailer that just debuted:



If I wasn't already excited about this movie, I am now. Daniel Day-Lewis looks positively villainous, Paul Dano (of Little Miss Sunshine fame) seems poised to be the next big thing, and an original score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood? Holy crap!

There Will Be Blood gets unleashed on the unsuspecting masses 11/21.

DVD Review: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters

The two-disc DVD for the Aqua Teen movie, as per Williams Street standards, piles on the extras, though they might not be the extras die-hard ATHF fans were hoping for. Disc one has a commentary track with musician Patti Smith, Onion editor Todd Hanson, SNL's Fred Armisen (who also provides the voice of Time Lincoln), and Dana Snyder, the voice of Master Shake. Like most Adult Swim commentary tracks, it's just for shits 'n giggles and doesn't really provide any insight on the making of the film, but it's still fun to listen to. Plus, I now know a lot more about Patti Smith than I ever cared to know. For those who actually care about how the movie was made, there's a short behind-the-scenes documentary featuring the cast and crew, storyboards, and a pretty funny foley artist session including, in a bout of Mythbusters-inspired lunacy, the firing of a real-life potato cannon.

The selling point of the second disc is Colon, an 80-minute "deleted movie," which is essentially an early 2005 workprint version, before the addition of the Egypt opening, the Walter Melon subplot and before the special guests signed on (except for Bruce Campbell). Most of the deleted scenes that appear in Colon already appeared in finished form in the Aqua Teen "Star Studded Xmas Spectacular," which is also included on the disc. Most worth your while, however, are the music videos, which consist of either recording sessions or live performances at the movie's Atlanta premiere. The best of these are the ones featuring a quartet of radio jingle singers recording the opening song, "Groovy Time for a Movie Time," and Mastadon recording their death-metal response, "Cut You Up With a Linoleum Knife." There's just something about a group of middle-aged men and women collectively singing "Don't pull your penis out unless you really need to!" that puts a smile on your face. All of Dana Snyder's "man-on-the-street" promos are here, as well as the mock-interview he did with Bob Odenkirk, playing the obnoxious film critic Danny Mothers.

Overall, some pretty nice extras to complement a downright hilarious movie. My only complaint is that there aren't a lot of tidbits on how the movie got made exactly. How did they get all their special guests (other than by offering a fat paycheck)? Who came up with the idea for that ridiculous opening sequence? And how did the Boston bomb scare affect the marketing of the film? Other than a brief mention during the commentary that the Mooninites are the "Bin Ladens of the cartoon world," the subject is never brought up.

Maybe I'm just looking way too much into this.

Be Kind, Rewind Trailer!!

Thanks to Film Ick for the scoop. You can now download the trailer to Michel Gondry's latest flick, Be Kind, Rewind, in which two hapless video store clerks (Jack Black and Mos Def) are forced to stage their own versions of popular movies after Black mistakenly erases all of their videos. The film also features Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, and Sigourney Weaver, not to mention some hilarious send-ups of movies like Driving Miss Daisy, Ghostbusters, RoboCop, and tons more.


How may we be of service? From left to right: Diaz, Black, Def.

Classic "Even Stevphen" Daily Show Clip

Here's some vintage Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert banter on stem cell research, courtesy of The Daily Show:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Stem Cell Debate
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

New Chemical Brothers Video - "The Salmon Dance"

"The Salmon Dance" was one of the most unusual tracks to appear on the Chemical Brothers latest album, We Are The Night, or to appear on any of their albums for that matter. It features underground hip-hop legend Fatlip rapping about the ubiquitous fish and the strange dance it inspires. Also featured is a disembodied voice (known to Fatlip as "Sammy the Salmon") who relays various factoids about salmon throughout the song.

Anyway, in typical Chemical Brothers fashion, the accompanying video features a stoned-out slacker hallucinating a rave-up in his apartment aquarium, complete with a beatboxing blowfish. Here's the vid in Windows Media and RealPlayer formats. Look for the Chemical Brothers in an unusual cameo appearance at the end of the video.

Free Human Giant Episode from Apple

Now is the perfect time to join the Apple Students Group on Facebook, 'cause now when you join, they'll send you a code to redeem a free episode of Human Giant, the MTV sketch comedy show. You'll also get free episodes of My Super Sweet 16, Engaged & Underage, Rob & Big, and The Hills, but I'm sure you'll find space for them in your trash can. The free Human Giant episode contains some classic sketches, with special guest appearances by Patton Oswalt, H. Jon Benjamin, and Mr. Show alumni Jay Johnston and Brian Posehn.

Grindhouse DVDs Announced

So, it looks like Planet Terror and Death Proof will be released separately on 2-disc DVD sets, with Tarantino's film getting the earlier release date (Sept. 18) and Rodriguez' released on Oct. 16. In my humble opinion, this is a bad idea, seeing as how I loved Grindhouse as a whole entity, but I just can't see myself spending $60 to relive that experience (each 2-disc set will cost $29.95), regardless of how much extra stuff they add. They've even replaced the "missing reels" in both films, which seems to be missing the point. It would make more sense if they were included as deleted scenes. Also, which release is getting the brilliant fake trailers by Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth (not to mention the one Rodriguez did himself)? All I can hope is that Bob and Harvey Weinstein will realize that people liked both films together and release the original, three-hour theatrical version (scratches and pops intact).

Oh, and in other news, it looks like J.J. Abrams' crazy-secret monster movie is to be called Overnight.

New on DVD

Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law: Volume 3
(Warner Bros. Home Video/Adult Swim; $20.99 at Amazon)

As Adult Swim continues its slow descent into crude potty humor and bland concepts with the likes of Tim and Eric Awesome Show and Saul of the Mole Men, the late night programming block also took the liberty of ending one of their best programs, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The two-disc set skimps on the special features (no commentaries this time around), but all 12 episodes are essential viewing, and include non-stop laughs from the show’s stellar cast, including Gary Cole (as Birdman), Stephen Colbert (as Phil Ken Sebben and Reducto), John Michael Higgins (as Mentok, the Mind Taker), and Paget Brewster (as the perky and suggestive Birdgirl). Special guest Lewis Black portrays the Deadly Duplicator, who runs the shop Birdman gets his copies from, and Turner Classic Movies’ Robert Osborne stops by to premiere an classic Hanna-Barbera “Birdman” cartoon, which has been skillfully redubbed by the show’s cast. Overall, the set is worth owning simply for the inclusion of the “Sebben & Sebben Employee Orientation” episode, as well as the half-hour final episode, “The Death of Birdman.”

Zodiac
(d. David Fincher; Paramount Home Video; $17.99 at Amazon)

Every time David Fincher gets another film of his released on DVD, it’s always a bare-bones version the first time through. Then, a few months later, a fully loaded 2-disc (or, in the case of Panic Room, a 3-disc set) will emerge, and used DVD stores will soon become flooded with single-disc editions of Fight Club and Se7en. The same goes for Zodiac, which doesn’t even bother to put the usual, fake special features on the back like “Scene Selections” or “Animated Menus.” In fact, its only special feature is a handful of previews for movies that have been out for a while and (get this) a commercial for the 2-disc director’s cut of Zodiac, which will be released sometime next year! It’s sad, really, because Zodiac is David Fincher’s finest effort, and the best movie I’ve seen so far this year, and really doesn’t deserve this “bait and switch” marketing ploy.

Darjeeling Limited trailer!

Wes Anderson is one of the few American filmmakers who can seriously be considered an auteur (others include Fincher, Jonze, Russell, Tarantino, the Coens, and the other Anderson, P.T.), so whenever a new movie of his is announced, it's big news, at least in my book. Well, here's the trailer for his latest endeavor, The Darjeeling Limited, which promises heartfelt comedy, beautiful scenery, and awesome music. Oh, and Owen Wilson. Pretty much everything you've come to expect from Mr. Anderson. Did I mention it was shot in India?

200 "Bad" Comics

The guy over at Nedroid.com recently accepted the challenge of drawing 200 bad comics, and while I haven't made it through all 200, a lot of them are pretty darn funny.

Sorry I haven't been updating as frequently as usual, but there simply hasn't been much to report. Well, I'm off to buy the Zodiac DVD!

A Clunky Hunk of Machinery This Ain't

Michael Bay delivers one of the best excuses to sit in a dark room for three hours on July 4th and that excuse is titled Transformers. I’ve always considered Michael Bay to be one of the best directors of “disposable cinema,” that is, movies that you don’t need to see more than once. But this one just may end up changing my mind. You can’t help but enjoy a movie that dishes out not just the most incredible special effects ever seen, but also takes the time for characters to utter hilariously ‘80s-style dialogue like “You protect the weak. That is why you lose!”

The dialogue belongs to the sinister Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving, who is required by law to appear in every Hollywood blockbuster), and the character he is directing the statement towards is the noble Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen, who has been voicing the giant Autobot ever since I was born, a casting choice I commend the filmmakers for making. He’s the only guy I can take seriously with lines like “Before time began, there was... the cube.” Oh, that’s right; the reason all this mayhem starts in the first place is ‘cause there’s this cube called the Allspark and…you know what? It really doesn’t matter.

What does matter are the utterly mind-boggling special effects that take place within Transformers’ generous 144-minute running time. All of the transformers are given well-animated human characteristics, and their comedic value is put to good use in a sequence where lead actor Shia LeBeouf makes the Autobots hide in his backyard to keep his parents from seeing them. Robots transform seamlessly into various forms of Chevy vehicles, GPX boomboxes, Nokia cellphones, and even a Mountain Dew machine. As you can surmise, the only thing that is more prominent than the special effects is the product placement. I'd hate to ask Julian Casablancas how much he and the guys shelled out to have LeBeouf wear a Strokes t-shirt for most of the film’s first half.

But while the film’s generous screentime to car companies and cellphone manufacturers does make good fodder for critics to poke fun at, it hardly takes away from the entertainment value of this movie. All of the actors, LeBeouf especially, deliver quality performances, something of a challenge when you’re constantly being upstaged by giant machinery. The action flows pretty evenly throughout the film, and for the most part, Bay does a good job spacing the intense battle scenes with comic relief courtesy of Bernie Mac (as a used car salesman), Anthony Anderson (as a hyperactive computer geek), and John Turturro (as the eccentric head of the top-secret government organization Sector Seven). It all adds up to a great time at the movies and one killer sci-fi epic that will surely set the standard for all that come after it.

P.S.: I have to give J.J. Abrams credit for creating a trailer that almost upstages the movie it precedes. The trailer for his new film should be considered one of the best examples on how to whet the appetite of an audience without giving away any information, not even a freakin' title!

Anime Chimp Receives Live-Action Beating and Other Movie News

Who knew that the monkey from Speed Racer could be obnoxious in real life as well? Only difference is that when you (allegedly) beat up the live-action monkey, PETA comes knocking at your door.

Also, after seeing this screenshot, I'm really excited about the new Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited. Pictured are Anderson regulars Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, along with one of my favorite actors, Adrian Brody. The film comes out Sept. 29 in NY, Oct. 5 everywhere else.



Thanks to Film Ick and Rushmore Academy for the tidbits.

Why I Hate Soda Contests

Why I Hate Soda Contests
Originally uploaded by devpd

What you see before you is a Coke Rewards code from a fridge pack of Vanilla Coke. As far as I can tell, the code is "4VJM7GNRVHV97VV" but My Coke Rewards.com is telling me that's incorrect.

I remember back in the day when I bought a bottle of soda, the cap would either read "WIN FREE 20oz SPRITE" or whatever, or it would say "SORRY TRY AGAIN." See? Easy! No website to visit, nothing to sign up for, no points to accumulate. Either you won or you didn't!

Anyway, does anyone wanna take a crack at what this code is supposed to be?

The Monsters are Back!

So nice to see Stefan Bucher is back at the helm with his Daily Monsters, now reborn as Weekly Monsters. All he asks for his hard work is that you post a story about the monsters he draws. I went ahead and added my two cents to his latest creation, and so should you. I never get tired of these cool drawings. Keep up the great work, Stefan!

"Hulk 2" Gets a Truly Impressive Castlist

Okay, so technically it's not Hulk 2, rather it's being called The Incredible Hulk and it sounds like it won't have anything to do with Ang Lee's unfortunately mediocre version. But, check out this cast list! Liv Tyler? Tim Roth? EDWARD NORTON?? And now, History of Violence bad-ass William Hurt has joined in the proceedings. Rotten Tomatoes has the whole story.

Dead Oceans Sign Explorers Club

I occasionally get mass mailings from indie labels advertising new bands and stuff, but rarely will I be inspired to write a blog post about them. This one I received earlier today, however, deserves some talking about.

The Explorers Club, a Charleston, South Carolina, based sextet have signed on to Dead Oceans, and I am already looking forward to their debut release. While their sound is definitely in the realm of The Beach Boys, their songs sound fresher and catchier than other bands that have tried the same formula. Listen to this free track and try not to start tapping your feet to it.

The Explorers Club - "Last Kiss" (mp3)

Strokes Unveil New Video for "You Only Live Once"

I had been somewhat unimpressed with the newer videos by the Strokes. For their latest album, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, they opted to leave Roman Coppola, who had directed the videos for their seminal hit "Last Nite," as well as "Hard to Explain" and the Tron-inspired "12:51". Unfortunately, not even the inclusion of David Cross could save the surprisingly bland video for First Impressions single "Juicebox." Follow-up videos for "Heart in a Cage" and "You Only Live Once" were also decidedly uninteresting. Fortunately, the Strokes have bounced back with this new, alternate video for "You Only Live Once," directed by Warren Fu. The video is drenched in 2001: A Space Odyssey references (always a good thing in my book), and it also harkens back to their video for the single "The End Has No End," which was also very 2001-esque. Enjoy!

UPDATE: I got tired of this video automatically starting every time I opened up my blog. You can view the video here.

Elmo and Mr. DeNiro

It has been a while since I've watched anything from Sesame Street. Nowadays, I enjoy all the parodies and adult versions of the show like Avenue Q and Wonder Showzen, but this segment from a recent Sesame Street episode proves that nothing has changed in the last twenty years. Everyone who works on that show is still on drugs! Just watch this conversation between Robert DeNiro and Elmo and tell me I'm wrong.

Lonely, Dear Video - "Saturday Waits"

I thought this video was too clever, and this song was too catchy, not to post. Plus, instead of people in dog costumes, it's dogs in people costumes!

NPR Rocks! Also, McSweeney's Guide to the Presidential Candidates

If you have not yet subscribed to NPR's All Songs Considered podcast, I advise you to do so right away. Not only can you listen to new music from the White Stripes, Feist, and others, but every other week, they have excellent-quality concerts by artists like Andrew Bird, Ben Gibbard, and Björk! We're talking the whole shebang, too. The Andrew Bird concert alone is an hour and 50 minutes long!

In other news, online literary website McSweeney's has, for your convenience, lists of The Pros and Cons of the Top 20 Democratic and Republican Candidates. Prime candidates from both lists include Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Jimmy Carter, Ira Glass, Zombie Ronald Regan, Bigfoot, Robotic Super Bees, Optimus Prime, and my personal favorite in the Democrat list, Dick Cheney in an Elaborate Latex Disguise That Takes Five Hours to Apply.

New Free Music from Adult Swim

Despite the fact that all five of Adult Swim's new pilot episodes that aired last week were ten times better than both Tim and Eric Awesome Show and Saul of the Mole Men, only one shall be made into a new show. (Please, let it be Drinky Crow! Please!)

Still, one aspect that Adult Swim always excels on is their generosity, and to prove it, they've just released, for FREE, a new full-length compilation entitled Warm & Scratchy, featuring brand-new tracks by TV on the Radio, The Rapture, Broken Social Scene, Sound Team, Liars, and The Good, The Bad, & The Queen. Plus, there's a really sweet video for "Me-I," the TV on the Radio track, featuring bird costumes, dancing trees, and a knife-wielding sandwich. What could be better than that?

UPDATE: I got rid of the streaming player 'cause I couldn't figure out how to keep it from automatically playing when I opened the blog. Still, you can listen to the whole thing here.


UPDATE 2: Check out some really cool production stills from the making of the TV on the Radio video.

Resident Evil director to butcher perfectly good Bob Hoskins movie

Depressing news from the IMDb:

Classic British crime film The Long Good Friday is getting a Hollywood makeover in Miami under the direction of Resident Evil moviemaker Paul W. S. Anderson. The 1980 original starred Bob Hoskins as a London gangster whose criminal empire comes under attack from a wave of mysterious bombings. But production company Handmade Films says the new movie would be "refreshed" with a modern setting. Chairman Patrick Meehan says, "The original was a highly praised classic and one of Handmade's most prized films, but its reach was limited primarily to the U.K. Following continued interest from the U.S., we realized this remake could attract audiences worldwide with an updated setting and contemporary overtones. When Paul presented his creative vision for this project, we were instantly convinced that this is a story that could be successfully refreshed, yet leave the integrity of the original intact." No actors have so far been cast for the project.

What was a great British gangster flick, that not only starred Bob Hoskins, but Helen Mirren as well (and a young Pierce Brosnan), will now be horribly mangled up--I'm sorry, I mean "refreshed" by Paul W.S. Anderson, a filmmaker whose only artistic merit is that people keep confusing him with Paul Thomas Anderson. I have seen his first two Resident Evil films, one of which (Apocalypse) I actually paid money to go see. Why on earth a hack director like him would want to remake this piece of cinematic history is beyond me. I'll admit it would be nice to see a good remake, but PLEASE, anyone but him! What could possibly be Anderson's "creative vision for the project"? Have the gangsters attacked by zombies? Cast Milla Jovovich in the Helen Mirren role? Keep in mind that his next project, Death Race, is claimed to be "a no-holds-barred, ultraviolent car race, set in 2020." Sounds pretty highbrow.

Movie executives, I'm begging you. Sever Anderson from the project and get a better director to take charge. Someone like Steven Soderbergh, Jonathan Demme, or even Louis Leterrier, who directed Unleashed and the Transporter films. I don't usually get this passionate about filmmakers I dislike, but I refuse to see this wonderful film remade into yet another piece of disposable Hollywood trash. Let Anderson keep making movies based on video games, and leave Bob Hoskins alone.

Your Friendly, Neighborhood Spider-Man 3 Review

Spider-Man 3 has an excellent beginning and ending. What it is in dire need of is a good middle.

Let's face it. Each Spider-Man film has only been as good as its villain. In the first installment, we had the excellent Willem Dafoe. In the undoubtedly superior sequel, we had Alfred Molina. This time around, we have two main villains, and neither really seem to be given the time or character development that was graciously bestowed onto the last two antagonists of the series. Thomas Haden Church does a great job with what little he is given to work with, while Topher Grace seems to be out of place in this movie, playing a overtly stereotypical bad guy in a series that's been heralded for avoiding stereotypes.

What makes this even more frustrating is the fact that instead of focusing on fleshing out these characters, Sam Raimi and company spend a large amount of time on a hokey montage, showing Tobey Maguire dancing like an idiot down a New York City street (apparently, that black goo that gets on him at the start of the movie makes him dress like an emo kid and act like Will Ferrell's character from Night at the Roxbury). The Spider-Man franchise has always had its share of goofiness (the ever-popular Bruce Campbell cameos are proof of this), but it should not detract from the overall thrust of the story. In fact, so much of the film focuses on Peter Parker sabotaging his relationship with Mary Jane, you almost forget you're watching a superhero movie.

At least the special effects are impressive. The visuals employed for the Sandman are top-notch, while the horrific look of Venom ranks as one of the best creature designs this series has yet produced. As always, the supporting cast is wonderful, with Rosemary Harris (Aunt Mae) and J.K. Simmons (Daily Bugle editor J. J. Jameson) delivering another great set of performances. Newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard, as Parker's newest love interest, does alright, though it's nothing special.

With Spider-Man 3, the franchise proves its on its last legs, and while the film itself is not unwatchable (despite it's shortcomings, it's quite entertaining), it does not bode well for future installments.

UPDATE: Screenwriter John August has posted an article dissecting Spider-Man 3 on his blog, and I totally agree with him. The film is chock full of coincidences, a lot of them wholly unnecessary. He also reminded me of something I forgot to mention in this review. Why bother casting the wonderful actor James Cromwell in your movie if you're only going to have him give a few lines of expository dialogue, and as a police chief no less? I mean, seriously: How many times has James Cromwell played some form of law enforcement official? (According to IMDb, at least ten.)

Your Ill-Informed Guide to Summer Movies

It's been a while since I've done a good, ol' fashioned blog post, and after reading the latest issue of Wilmington's alternative newspaper, Encore, I feel I must write something. This issue's feature, "On the Heels of Blockbuster Season," breaks down this summer's biggest flicks and lets you know which ones are worth seeing. Well, I'm going to one-up them by breaking down the same movies and giving equal space to why they are going to be awesome, as well as why they might suck. Let's begin:

Spider-Man 3 (May 4)
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace; dir. Sam Raimi

Why It's Awesome: Raimi's first Spider-Man film blew expectations out of the water and became one of the most successful superhero films since the first X-Men movie, while Spider-Man 2 proved to be a superior sequel, with critics lauding it as the best superhero film since the original Superman. Now, Raimi is back with his multi-million dollar third episode. Familiar faces are back, including the always wonderful supporting cast of Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, and another funny cameo by Bruce Campbell, and this time, they are joined by the talented Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Did I mention Venom is in this one?

Why It Could Suck: The relationship between Maguire and Dunst has been believable, but the dialogue between the two has always been borderline sappy and contrived. Luckily, there's plenty of action and suspense to overshadow the script's relatively small amount of weaknesses, but with this third episode carrying a running time longer than both previous films (140 min.), the thrills may start wearing thin.

28 Weeks Later (May 11)
Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Lopez-Lavigne, Rowan Joffe; dir. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (yeah, I've never heard of any of these people, either)

Why It's Awesome: Danny Boyle has always been good at hopping from genre to genre, and his digitally-shot zombie flick, 28 Days Later, was not only one of the best horror films of the year, it also made audiences realize that Britain was a viable producer of bona-fide scares, a fact confirmed by the appearance of the comedy/horror flick Shaun of the Dead two years later. For the sequel, Boyle is executive producer, and relative newcomer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is filling the director's chair. A British movie with a Spanish filmmaker? Hey, it worked for Children of Men.

Why It Could Suck: The territory 28 Weeks Later covers may end up being all too familiar, i.e. boring. If there's one thing zombie franchises find harder to do is maintain an element of surprise. Since the storyline seemed to have already been spelt out for us in the trailer, the movie's gonna have to have well-written dialogue and engaging characters to hold our interest, something most horror sequels sadly lack.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (May 25)
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Chow Yun-Fat, Geoffrey Rush; dir. Gore Verbinski

Why It's Awesome: Last year's Dead Man's Chest was a breathtaking action picture, one truly worthy of the word "epic." Amazing visuals, engaging characters (including Bill Nighy as Davy Jones, a sort of real-life Squidward), and genuinely interesting dialogue helped make this seemingly unnecessary sequel essential viewing for anyone looking for a great popcorn movie. The final episode of the trilogy promises to be more of the same, with everyone's favorite bad guy Geoffrey Rush back from the dead (how convenient!), along with the addition of Chow Yun-Fat and the obligatory cast of thousands. Did I mention Johnny Depp?

Why It Could Suck: Let's face it. History has not been kind to the third part of a movie trilogy. You only need to say Matrix Revolutions or Return of the Jedi to know that studios don't always save the best for last. Plus, there were so many unresolved conflicts in Dead Man's Chest that Verbinski will have to use at least two hours of the film to resolve 'em all. Plus, with Mr. Rush and Mr. Yun-Fat on board, that means there'll be even MORE subplots!

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To tell you the truth, I'm going to go ahead and stop there. The reason is because, as always, The Onion beat me to the punch, and delivered their much-funnier Summer Movie Preview 2007. C'est la vie.

kiva.org: A worthy cause

So, even though my sidebar states that this is an ad-free blog, I feel it is important to plug this one service, namely Kiva.org. You see, my family and I loan money to over 10 different entreprenuers in many different parts of the globe. We do it through Kiva, which acts as a middleman, connecting residents of third-world companies trying to start up businesses with people willing to support a charitable cause. This is a great way to give to people who are really in need, but also a great way to see exactly where your money goes. For more information, check out this New York Times video all about Kiva and their services.

New ATHF:MFFT TV Spots

Some really funny TV spots for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie, including some really bad CGI, a golden egg, and a squirrel dry-humping a streetlight.

Plus, you get to see Carl riff on Grindhouse.

New Grizzly Bear Sessions at Daytrotter

Daytrotter continues their impressive series of in-studio sessions with a trio of revamped tunes by Hall of Awesome inductees Grizzly Bear. Among the offerings are a sparse, yet powerful, cover of the controversial Crystals tune "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Hit)," along with a drastically reworked version of Yellow House centerpiece "Little Brother." Get 'em while the gettin's good.

Need more sweet Daytrotter sessions? Try the archives where you'll find, among other things, sessions by Dr. Dog, My Brightest Diamond, The Elected, Mates of State, Of Montreal, Cold War Kids, Maritime, Sunset Rubdown, Harry and the Potters, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Something Happening in Haiti

This is the funniest video to come out of the newly-created Onion News Network so far:


Breaking News: Something Happening In Haiti

Human Giant Trailer

There is finally a reason to watch MTV again...

See more at thehumangiant.com or just watch the show this Thursday. If you can't wait, you can download the series premiere for free on iTunes!

300 Parody Trailer (PG Version)

After seeing 300 last week, half of my brain wanted to like it because it was incredible visually and had some of the most impressive set designs and fight sequences ever filmed. The other half of my brain wanted to laugh so hard at the terribly forced overacting, the ridiculous plot devices (I'm glad they waited 'till the last minute to reveal the giant hole that Persian messenger was about to be kicked into. If they had shown it in an earlier scene, people might've started saying "I wonder what that's for?"), and the totally unneccessary heavy metal soundtrack. Seriously, it felt like I was watching some YouTube "fan trailer" for the film when that crappy guitar riff started up.

Anyway, I'm thankful someone heard my cries for justice and created this hilarious "PG version" of the 300 trailer. I'll be shouting "This...is CAKE TOWN!" for many months to come, I can guarantee you.

Zodiac: Awesome?

I've seen it twice already, and I'm about ready to state that David Fincher's Zodiac will probably become one of the best films of 2007. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Devin, it's far to early to be saying stuff like that" And who knows? Maybe Wes Anderson will finally put out a new movie this year. Maybe P.T. Anderson (the other white Anderson) will finally get his "Daniel Day-Lewis as an oil tycoon" picture off the ground. Maybe Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez' new project Grindhouse will be f*ckin' awesome (it will be).

But for now, Zodiac reigns. Everything about the film is stellar. Excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. Gripping script with really innovative dialogue and sequencing. Awesome music. And such an amazing attention to detail. Every setpiece is precise, every time period is accurately represented. Fincher even throws in an old school 70's "Paramount Pictures" logo at the start of the film.

In addition to the look of the film, Fincher obsesses over the information that is shown on the screen. Countless title cards flash throughout the film, giving us the exact date and place (and often the exact time) of the events that unfold. 911 calls are repeated verbatim from the original police transcripts. Evidence, newspaper clippings, television news segments. Every aspect of this bizarre case is pored over and, like Gyllenhaal's character (who is the author of the Zodiac books on which this film is based), the audience becomes obsessed with finding the truth.

But the truth is quite hard to obtain, and unfortunately, the police (and Graysmith) never seem to reach any concrete conclusions. The film seems to reflect this, as the nameless, faceless Zodiac killer is portrayed throughout the film by no less than three different actors, each picked because they were the actors who closely matched the description by eyewitnesses and survivors of each of the murders.

Now, please don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing this innovative choice of casting. It only adds to the ominous nature of the killer, and of the film itself. Trust me; no other movie in theaters is worth your time (all two-and-a-half hours of it) and your money to go see. And that's a fact.

Decemberists' Announce "O Valencia!" Video Winner

It seems like forever since the Decemberists' had started their contest in which fans were asked to make a video for their song "O Valencia!" using the green screen footage the band provided. In fact, the contest slowly faded into obscurity after pseudo-pundit Stephen Colbert accused the group of stealing his "Green Screen Challenge" idea and challenged them to a guitar-off.

Still, a winner has to be announced, and here it is! I must say I was very impressed with the outcome. The director, Kurt Nishimura, didn't do the standard "stick the people in front of a weird background" move. Instead, he created an entirely new storyline with new characters, and simply made the Decemberists' footage part of the TV screens that occupy the video. It's a bold move that ultimately paid off, as the video is suprisingly original and entertaining, almost like the Decemberists made this video themselves.

Robot Chicken vs. Calvin and Hobbes

I don't know what to think about this recent segment from Robot Chicken that parodies the ever-popular "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip. Parts of it are pretty clever, but it strays so far away from the original concept of the strip that most of the cartoon comes off as more disturbing than funny. I'm sure if Bill Watterson knew about this, he'd be making a few calls to Turner Broadcasting. And I bet Bill is a lot harder to pay off than the city of Boston.

UPDATE: The YouTube link is dead, so I switched it to the link to Adult Swim's website.

New Pes - "Game Over"

How does Pes do it? Check out his latest piece of eye-candy, "Game Over":



A better quality QuickTime version can be found at his site, along with a ton of other awesome videos. I highly recommend Ka-Boom!, Roof Sex (not what you think), and his commercials. You've probably already seen his Bicardi and Coinstar spots. His "Making Of" featuretts are really interesting, too.

Bee Movie Teaser

Even if the resulting film is total crap, the trailers are some of the funniest, most original ever made. And they don't even have anything to do with the movie.

Here's the second (and newest) teaser, featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, and Steven Spielberg:


For you late-comers, here's the first trailer, featuring Seinfeld and Chris Rock.

Get Off Your [as]

Bored out of your mind? You must be; you're reading this blog. But now that [adult swim] has finally made their streaming video service The Adult Swim Fix Mac-compatible, it's time for me to tell you what you ought to be looking at on a website that is not my own. Let's have a looksee:

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: "Sebben and Sebben Employee Orientation"

One of the newest episodes of Birdman, this episode plays out like an old 16mm film showcasing the benefits of employment at the law firm of Phil Ken Sebben (voiced by Stephen Colbert). Listen for special guest Lewis Black as an irate office supplies manager.

The Brak Show: "Brak Street"

The famous "rap episode" of the short-lived Brak Show, featuring Cee-Lo, the singing half of Gnarls Barkley, as Prime Cut. Also, keep an eye out for a certain glob of meat on a scooter.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job: "Cats"

Despite the show's somewhat disappointing pilot episode, Tim and Eric might have finally found their footing in this insane, yet witty and provocative third episode, featuring special guest appearances by Michael Cera ("George Michael" from Arrested Development), comedian Zach Galifianakis, and Paul "Pee-Wee" Reubens. While the individual bits are pretty good, the running gag involving Tim transforming into a cat are brilliant.

The Venture Bros.: "The Trial of the Monarch"

Finally, what block of [as] content wouldn't be complete without a priceless episode of Venture Bros? This one, from the end of the first season, chronicles the Monarch's fall from grace as he is arrested for disturbing the peace in front of Dr. Girlfriend's house...I mean, Dr. EX-Girlfriend! Worth watching almost entirely because of the opening sequence. MECHA-SHIVA!

Your Daily Monster

I wish I had found this website sooner. Yewknee pointed me in the direction of Daily Monster, a really cool site run by artist Stefan G. Bucher. The deal is he draws a different monster every day for 100 days, and asks readers to post a story about the monster. Most of the creatures exhibit similar features, but it is still fun to see him draw a new one each day. Unfortunately, I've got some catching up to do. He's already at Monster No. 94 (featured above).

New OK Go Video - "Do What You Want"

Thanks, Stereogum, for the heads up. While it's no treadmill video, OK Go's new video for "Do What You Want," the second time they've made a video for this song, is pretty cool-looking. Somewhat unoriginal idea, but good execution. The backflip on the pogo stick is a definite highlight. See it at MTV.com (don't worry, it works for Macs now).

New Chris Rock Trailer

Chris Rock will be making his return to the big screen with his new film I Think I Love My Wife, directed by himself and featuring a script he collaborated on with comedian extraordinaire Louis C.K., loosely based on the French film Chloe in the Afternoon. If the trailer is any indication, it looks very promising, if not a tad reminiscent of the films of Spike Lee.

Live Action on [adult swim]?

The verdict on Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job is...unimpressive. While I did enjoy the seemingly off-the-cuff nature of the show, there didn't seem to be much in the way of content. The episodes best segments, "Hacky Sack Extreme" and "B'Owl," had already been played ad nauseum on adultswim.com, and the "B'Owl" bit didn't even feature Tim or Eric. Which leads me to my next problem with the show. While Bob Odenkirk did make a funny guest appearance, having John C. Reilly, a truly wonderful actor, appear but not do anything funny seemed like a waste of time and talent. It did seem like he would be making more appearances on the show, so hopefully, next time around, they'll give him more to do.

Surprisingly, I found much more to like on the second all-live-action [adult swim] show, Saul of the Mole Men. A witty premise, intentionally bad special effects, imaginative costumes, and an awesome theme song helped propel the show above its seemingly unoriginal concept. Sid and Marty Krofft parodies have been done many times, the best being "Drugachusetts", by the aforementioned Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.

Still, neither show has yet to reach the level of humor and innovation of previous AS hits, like The Venture Bros., Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and the show recently voted Most Likely to Cause a Bomb Scare in Boston, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Does live action have a place on [adult swim] or should it be cartoons only?

"Heck No! (I'll Never Listen to Techno)"

Regardless of whether or not the robots win, I'll still be listening to techno. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this impressive Lite Brite animation by Ryan Divine for the band Maldroid:



For another example of Lite Brite goodness, check out Rilo Kiley's video for "It's a Hit"

Andrew Bird...for Kids!

Yesterday, Stereogum showed me just about the best thing ever. It's seems one Andrew Bird, the violin-playing virtuoso, made a recent appearance on a little-known (at least to me) children's television program called Jack's Big Music Show, another one of those "interactive" shows a la Blue's Clues, but with a slant towards music-making and suprise musical guests. Previous episodes have included musical performances by The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players, blues guitarist Buddy Guy, and Steve Burns & Steven Drozd, the former host of the aforementioned Blue's Clues and the guitarist for The Flaming Lips, respectively. (If you watch the clip, you'll also catch a certain "fake news anchor" making a cameo appearance.)

Anyway, the Bird dropped by as the character "Dr. Stringz," and all I can say is I wish the TV shows I watched when I was a kid were as cool as this...