Hall of Awesome, Part 2

Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Here's part 2 (of an estimated 102 parts) of the 2005 DiMattiaFilms Hall of Awesome: the best of movies and music for the halfway mark of the first decade of the new millennium.*

Best CD Packaging:

• Michael Holt/Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt
  One of the coolest album packages I've ever had the pleasure of owning (at least until Catbird Records releases their next album), this split LP between Holt and recent indie-darlings SSLYBY featured 250 individually-painted album covers and a hand-bound notebook. Pretty damn awesome, if you ask me. Sadly, they've sold all their copies, so if you're looking for an album that's probably much easier to find...
  
  
• Gorillaz, Demon Days: Special Edition
  While I don't know if it's worth paying $10 more for than the regular album, the package is beautiful, complete with a fold out cover featuring drawings of all four Gorillaz members, as well as a booklet smothered with kickass Jamie Hewlett artwork, lyrics, and a bonus DVD featuring the video for "Feel Good Inc." It looks like Amazon's got it used for thirteen bucks. I say go for it.

Best Album Artwork:
(click on the pictures for a larger view)

• Andrew Bird, The Mysterious Production of Eggs (Jay Ryan)
  The illustrations of Jay Ryan are equal parts whimsical and slightly unnerving, like a children's book written by Crispin Glover.
  
  
  
  
  
• Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Zack Nipper)
  Beautiful patchwork adorns this album cover. My only question is who ended up with the blanket afterwards?
  
  
  
  
  
• The Chemical Brothers, Push the Button (Kam Tang)
  Kam Tang's artwork for the Brothers' latest strays from the psychedelic nature of their last two albums and instead is inspired by the work of Saul Bass. Very cool, indeed.
  
  
  
  
• The Mars Volta, Frances the Mute (Storm Thorgerson, Peter Curzon, Dan Abbott, Bill Thorgerson)
  Storm Thorgerson is always interesting, even after years and years of crafting bizarre and disturbing album covers for Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and hundreds of others. Now, he takes Mars Volta's musical ideas and translates them visually, making the artwork for Frances the Mute almost as important as the music itself.
  
  
• Various Artists, Verve Remixed 3 (Hollis King, audio sculpture by David Ellis)
  The cool audio sculptures of David Ellis make for an easy translation to album covers.

Coming soon! We'll all get a little depressed as I talk about the Worst Movies of the Year and the Most Disappointing Albums of the Year!!

As always, feel free to discuss your favorite album cover and/or package in the comments!

*This phrase has probably already been copyrighted by VH1.

New Movie for Download!

For some reason, Blogger deleted my last post, so here it is again.

You can now download my final project for Intro to Film Production, entitled Dollars Don't Discriminate, off of my short movies page! Let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, everyone! Sorry about the lack of updates. I've gone home for the Thanksgiving holiday, so DiMattiaFilms will be taking a brief siesta. Let me take this time to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

See you next Monday!!

A Day in the Life of a Rockette

Last year, I had the good fortune to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular live in New York City, featuring the one-and-only Rockettes. This year, the New York Times has posted a fascinating article giving a glimpse into the backstage life of the Rockettes. I did community theater for a couple years, but I can't begin to fathom how difficult it would be to do what those girls have to do, sometimes doing five shows a day!

Robots!!

There's a really cool animated short featuring original music by The Flaming Lips, featuring robots and other various creatures getting together to paint and stuff. Apparently, it's for some short film contest Coke is sponsoring but, thankfully, the beverage makes no appearance in the film. To get to the film, click "English" and then click on the third tab from the top (it should say "Coca-Cola M5" when you roll your mouse over it).

Plus, if your craving for robots hasn't been satisfied, Beck's new video for "Hell Yes" is now up for streaming on his website. It features four Sony QRIO robots doing elaborate dance moves, which apparently took three weeks to program into the robots. Alright, Beck; we get it. You obviously want a video music award really bad, and weren't able to get Christopher Walken. It happens, man.

Since I always give credit where credit is due, thanks Stereogum.

UPDATE: Now even Coldplay's gotten into the act. Their new video "Talk" (viewable from their website) features more giant robot action!

LAST CHANCE on Jump Cut merch!

I finally decided to do a little spring cleaning at my online store and I have slashed prices on all my Jump Cut Radio merchandise!! The prices can't get any lower (seriously) so this is the best deal you can possibly get on this stuff. Plus, I'll be pulling all the Jump Cut merchandise on Friday (11/18), so these offers aren't going to last long!

Also, Cafepress just added black t-shirts, so look for those soon!

The only time you need to TiVo the Weather Channel

According to CNN, Comedy Central comedian Lewis Black will be on the Weather Channel tonight as a sort-of "celebrity guest" weathercaster. The official website for the network doesn't really say when he'll be on, but I'm gonna say maybe around 8 PM?

Damon Albarn, now in holographic form!

Last post for the night, I promise.

Yewknee pointed out this link to where you can download the video of the Gorillaz performing live at the European MTV Video Awards. If you didn't know, the Gorillaz are a cartoon band and don't exist in real life (don't tell Damon Albarn). So, Jamie Hewlett and his team got together with Industrial Light & Magic and whipped up some kickass digital animations to perform at the show. It's pretty damn cool, if you ask me. And according to this article about how the performance was created, the technology is only going to get better, leading up to the insanely-hyped Gorillaz World Tour in 2007.

Could it be? 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel coming to North Carolina? Let's hope so.

ALSO: See the new video for the song "DARE."

Squares in KS

Hey, you know those cool commercials for Wendy's? Who knew that the guy that makes them hailed from my hometown of Wichita, Kansas? Friggin' sweet!

Click here to see a whole bunch more of those Wendy's ads.

Here's a link to his work-in-progress website, Bendable Rubber.

As always, thanks to Drawn! for the hookup.

The Denial Twist revealed!

So, Jack and Meg must've listened to my previous ranting because, lo and behold, they got Michel Gondry to direct their new video for the song "The Denial Twist." You can see it here.

This one definitely pulls out all the stops, which is nothing unusual for a director like Gondry. It mainly focuses on shape and size distortion (don't worry if the video looks weird at first; that's normal), with the video centering on when the White Stripes made several appearances on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". Apparently, it was all shot in one take (a Gondry trademark) and Conan O'Brien even makes a guest appearance in it!

If you'd like to know more about the video, MTV News has a really interesting article about it, as well as what Gondry and the Stripes' plans are for future videos.

Beautifully dark and depressing...

So I saw North Country last night with Merri. We were planning on seeing The Weather Man with Nicholas Cage, but the theatre cancelled the late showing to make room for an additional screening of Jarhead, which is apparently a huge hit with the military crowd.

We were very, very impressed with North Country. It's an unbelievably powerful film, one that plays with your emotions non-stop. The film makes you cry, makes you angry, shocks you, and ultimately, makes you hopeful. I believe that every single actor and actress in this film is worthy of an Oscar nomination, from Charlize Theron, Sissy Spacek, and (especially) Frances McDormand, to the male actors like Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean, and (especially) Richard Jenkins.

The film is about the first ever class-action sexual harassment suit, filed against a mining company in northern Minnesota. The film makes it clear early on that its story is "inspired" by true events, which makes the somewhat over-the-top courtroom scenes in the end permissible. But it's the director, Niki Caro, whose previous film Whale Rider was the best family film to ever receive an unnecessary PG-13 by the MPAA, who makes North Country special. With her beautiful sweeping shots of the mine and the small town that harbors it, the great musical choices, and the bleak blues and blacks which make up the film's color scheme, she turns what could've been just another "woman takes on the world" movie and makes it into an intimate portrait of a small town struggling with the constant gender battles in the workplace. Go see it.

New Kong Trailer! Plus, more movie stuff...

Click here for King Kong-related goodness.

So, apparently, Peter Jackson's in a little bit of trouble 'cause his rough cut is over three hours. I say leave it! There are plenty of excellent three-hour movies (Magnolia, to name a more recent one) and it certainly looks like this film will be excellent, at least if the trailers are any indication. I rarely get this excited about a film.

Oddly enough, another mainstream motion picture that I'm really looking forward to is coming out in a couple weeks: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I hadn't picked up a Harry Potter book since I read The Prisoner of Azkaban in eighth grade and I finally got around to reading the fourth one over the summer. It's definitely my favorite Harry Potter book. Let's hope it becomes my favorite Harry Potter film.

Alright, getting back to more artsy films ('cause I know most folks think that's more my style), Merri and I saw Broken Flowers on campus this week. It fits right in with Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic as Bill Murray's more intellectual comedies. What set Broken Flowers apart from these films is the way in which writer/director Jim Jarmusch creates a world in which Bill Murray is the only sane person and that everyone else is totally nuts. I also think the ending hit just the right note of uncertainty and confusion. If you're the kind of person who wants a well-rounded story, with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end, don't see this film.

Charles Foster White

A while back, The White Stripes made a song called "The Union Forever," whose lyrics consisted entirely of dialogue from Orson Welles' grand opus Citizen Kane. Even though no credit is given to the film in the album notes (bad move, Jack) it's still a pretty interesting song, and a nice way to pay homage to one of the greatest movies ever made.

Well, now it's come full circle because editor Jeff Yorkes has made a music video for that song, using clips from...you guessed it, Citizen Kane.

Click here to watch it. It's pretty sweet.

Personal Music Purchasing Ban: Results

So, it's November now, and per the rules I gave myself, I should be allowed to buy movies and music again. What I learned through this exercise is that I still end up spending as much money as I normally do, just not on movies or music. :-(

Oh, well. The personal ban also gave me the chance to revisit a lot of the music I have filed away in my CD racks, prompting me to add Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs to my Top 10 of 2005 (So Far) list, even though the album came out back in January. I only just now realized how great an album it really is. It's subtle; very, very subtle. It definitely warrants repeated listenings. Here's an MP3:

Andrew Bird, "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left"

You also should be able to stream the entire album here. My favorite tracks are "MX Missiles," "Masterfade" and the beautiful "Tables and Chairs," in which the most triumphant moment is when Andrew Bird shouts joyously "There will be snacks!!"

Just awesome.

An Eye for Good Animation

The blog Drawn! always has the lowdown on the coolest drawings, sketches, and cartoons on the web, and their most recent entry is no exception. It's a short film called An Eye for Annai by Jonathan Klassen and Daniel Rodrigues, and it's definitely one of the most beautiful and deceptively simple short films I've ever seen. It reminds me a lot of the old National Film Board of Canada animated shorts I used to check out of the public library back home. You can see more animation, as well as some great drawings, on Klassen's Burst of Beaden website.

The Lowdown on the Death Cab Concert

Um...Ben Again
Originally uploaded by devpd.

Alright, I know everyone's been waiting for me to talk about the Death Cab for Cutie concert I recently attended, and I'm sorry for making you guys wait but I've been busy writing papers and making movies and whatnot.

I am happy to say that the concert photos are now available for your viewing pleasure!

The show itself was very good. As you can see, we got pretty close to Ben Gibbard and his crew. They played a good set, ending with an excellent rendition of "Transatlanticism." The opening band, Stars, was really good, too, and I'll probably end up purchasing their new album when I've lifted my personal ban on buying music.

PLEASE comment on the photos, lemme know what you think! Oh, and also please sign my Frappr map!! Seriously, I will love you forever if you do this for me! Thanks!

Reworking of Snapped now available for download!

The film production team I am in, "Two Guys, Two Girls, and a Camera," received an A for our last class project, Snapped.

We were then faced the task of creating a parallel action to the film, which we accomplished by adding new scenes, re-editing old scenes, and by adding a new ending.

You can view the new version of Snapped on my short films page.

Death Cab for Cutie tomorrow night!

Man, I can't wait for this biology midterm to be over with! Mainly 'cause once it is, I know that I have the Death Cab for Cutie concert to look forward to. Of course, I will be accompanied by The Usual Suspects (i.e. Merri, Nathan, and Caroline) and, if I'm not mistaken, Catherine from Clever Titles will be there as well! Catherine, if you'd like to hook up with us, I'll be the dorky guy in the black Postal Service t-shirt. Yea, that's right. I already planned out what I'm going to wear.

I also forgot to mention this a while back, but I added a bunch of new photos to my Flickr account. Look 'em over, leave comments, especially check out the photos of chalk art, since it rained recently and all of them have most likely vanished.

Alright, gotta go. But first...FRAPPR MAP!!

Sorry, just had to remind everyone.

Busy, busy, busy!!

Sorry I haven't been updating often. My schedule this week is INSANE!! Like, as soon as this post is done, I have to run around campus getting all sorts of crap taken care of.

I did find the time to add Jacksonville City Nights by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals to my Top 10 of 2005 (So Far) list.

And I also discovered another really funny online comic. It's called Beaver and Steve and it's about a lizard (or dinosaur?) named Steve and a beaver named...um...Beaver.

Alright, gotta go! Oh, but before I do, EVERYONE SIGN MY FRAPPR MAP! NOW!



...please?

Map It Out; Remixed Movie Trailers

As of now, the average daily readership for this blog is 15 people, which came as a real shock to me. I mean, seriously, FIFTEEN?! I thought for sure I was the only one who actually read my blog.

So, in the interest of getting to know my readers, I have just taken the liberty of adding a Frappr! map to this blog. Please add your name, zip code, and a few words (if you'd like) so we can all learn of the far-flung places this blog is being viewed in!

In related news, the blog over at My Mean Magpie has posted some live Sufjan Stevens tracks, vintage 2001. Get 'em while there hot!

Also, I'm sure this one's been blogged to death, but I finally got around to seeing the remixed Shining trailer and it's f*cking hilarious! See for yourself. Also, here's West Side Story reimagined as a horror flick. And, finally, Cabin Fever as teenage drama.

Spoon Ruins Best Song With Crappy Video

So, a few months ago, I was singing the praises of Spoon's newest album Gimme Fiction and especially, the second track off it, "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine." Well, Catbirdseat just pointed me in the direction of their new video for it and, in my humble opinion, it doesn't do the song justice at all. To tell you the truth, I have been very unimpressed with all of Spoon's videos. None really capture the spirit of the songs they're supposed to promote. I guess I'm a stickler on these things 'cause I've been pampered on videos by true visionaries like Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry.

Speaking of horrid videos, what the f*ck's with Green Day? "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a truly great song, which Green Day knows or they wouldn't have sequenced it on the album the way they did (it doesn't segue into any other songs, it comes right before the final medley "Homecoming"). So why does the video suck horribly?? Certainly, it's cinematic, which would've been a good idea if the two actors they had portray the soldier and the girlfriend weren't such bad actors!! Seriously, they should've had a contest where fans submitted video ideas. I'm sure any one of them could've come up with something better.

Previously: I talk about cool videos by The White Stripes, Mint Royale, The Decemberists, Daft Punk, and The Chemical Brothers.

Update: So, according to Catbirdseat, the Spoon video's not an official one. Good. Hopefully, theirs will be better.

A History of Violence

This is the first time I had ever seen a film by David Cronenberg and, I must say, if this is his most accessible film, I'd hate to see his more experimental films. That's not to say I didn't like the film; I loved it. A History of Violence takes that favorite Hollywood standby, the violent crime thriller, and twists it in so many different directions, there really is no way to classify it. Viggo Mortensen gives a performance that's worthy of an Oscar nomination, but will probably be overlooked because there's no one specific scene that stands out (which is practically a requirement nowadays).

I'll spare you the details about the plot because, honestly, the less you know, the better. There is not one moment in the film where I was able to predict what would happen next. And when it started getting to the point where I thought I would be able to guess the next scene, the movie ended.

The film works on so many different levels that it'll have you and everyone you take to see it talking until next week. When does violence become "excessive"? Does a peaceful end justify the violent means? At what point does violence become a viable option for resolving conflict? Does it ever? See A History of Violence and let Cronenberg give you his two cents.

New short film added!

The group I'm in for Intro to Film Production just finished work on a short entitled "Snapped," which you can now download off my short films page. Hope you enjoy it!! Post a comment and let me know what you think!

My October Resolution

Have you ever had one of those moments where you suddenly realize you have no money? I don't mean when you become gradually aware that you are slowly losing money. I mean you believe for a while that your monetary situation is quite decent...and then, all of a sudden, you check your bank statement online and discover that you only have about forty-five dollars in your account!

Well, this was the blow I was dealt earlier this week, and what shocked me the most was that I had just been paid the previous Friday. I couldn't understand how my paycheck could suddenly depreciate, just like that. So, in the interest of retaining my economical sanity, I have vowed to stop purchasing CDs and DVDs for the remainder of the month.

That's right. No new music or movies for a month (or the rest of the month, anyway). Can Devin possibly hold out that long? Will he crack under the stress of having to listen to music he's already heard and movies he's already seen? Horror upon horrors!

A Very White Stripes Blog Entry

I'm sure there's already been a million posts on it, but you can see the White Stripes' video for "My Doorbell" here. As they get bigger and bigger, their videos get more and more stylized and expensive-looking. All I got to say is BRING BACK MICHEL GONDRY!! He directed three of their videos, two of which are probably the best music videos I have ever seen (the famous Lego video "Fell in Love With a Girl" and the mind-blowing "The Hardest Button to Button").

In other White Stripes-related news, their next single will be "The Denial Twist," probably my favorite track of their latest LP, Get Behind Me Satan and they are also scheduled to perform a new song on Comedy Central's The Daily Show on December 1st, so start programming those VCRs!

The above photo was taken from LightningField.com.

Fire destroys Wallace and Gromit history

Man, this warehouse fire really sucks. Apparently, all the sets and props from the first three "Wallace & Gromit" shorts, Chicken Run, and the "Creature Comforts" series have been burned down, single-handedly wiping out a legacy of artifacts from Aardman Animation library. Luckily, the sets and props from The Curse of the Were-Rabbit weren't in that warehouse, but it is still a great loss for Nick Park and Aardman. And things were going so well.

Back in action!

Alright, the music posts have ended, so...on with the movie posts!

I'm not usually one to make "critic blurbs" about new movies, but here's one I simply cannot resist. Here goes. (ahem!)

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is, hands down, the funniest motion picture of the year.

There, I've said it. Sure, I might be a little bias (I have been, after all, an avid fan of the comedy duo since Day 1), but I honestly believe that even the most grim movie patron will get a kick out of this film. Nick Park has truly created something very special, a cartoon duo that rivals the greats, even Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse. And the film itself is a delight. Wonderful story, hilarious characters, and some of the most amazing stop-motion effects since...um...well, since Corpse Bride.

The New York Times has been kind enough to offer up a really cool slideshow of film stills and behind-the-scenes photos. As if that weren't enough, there's additional commentary provided by creator Nick Park.

Do yourself a big favor and see The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Trust me; this one is timeless.

I probably need music rehab, but I can't afford it 'cause of all the music I'm buying.

So for all you boys and girls that haven't been keeping tabs at home, here is all the music I have purchased over the past two weeks:

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Jacksonville City Nights
  
• Alpha, Stargazing
  
• Björk, Post (I found it used for five bucks; couldn't resist!)
  
• Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better
  
• The Go! Team, Thunder, Lightning, Strike
  
• Ted Leo + The Pharmacists, Shake the Sheets
  
• Michael Holt/Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt: A Scrapbook for You
  

And as if that wasn't enough, I went and downloaded a couple mixtapes:

• Out of Five: Covers That Eclipsed the Originals
  The people on this site create ten-track mixtapes every Monday based around a different theme. This particular mixtape is very cool, especially because the tracks of Al Green and Stevie Wonder covering the Beatles are a couple of the best cover songs I have ever heard!
  
  
• Palindrome: A Yewknee Mix
  Michael over at Yewknee made this really cool mix where he took eleven cover songs and added the eleven original versions, but in reverse order, creating an "audible palindrome." While there is a bit of a problem with the volume fluctuating from song to song, the selection is great (especially the TMBG cover by Steve Burns and the Björk cover by Death Cab) and the cover art is beautiful.

MP3s from Holt/Yelstin Release

Here's a few MP3s of some of the songs from the new release by Michael Holt and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, which is slowly becoming one of my favorite releases of 2005.

Michael Holt, "Private Hearts"
Michael Holt, "Courtyard" (my favorite track so far)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Lower the Gas Prices, Howard Johnson"

Previously: I show off my copy of the album.

AMG on The Go! Team

The All Music Guide just posted a glowing review of the new album by The Go! Team. I must say that I've never seen such praise distributed by the AMG. (I mean, they call Thunder, Lightning, Strike "the kind of record that makes you glad to be alive.") Still, not even all those nice words could persuade them to give the album a 5-star rating. Those guys are awfully stingy when it comes to giving out The Big Five.

The Insane Monday Music Post

A Scrapbook for Me
Originally uploaded by devpd.

Lots of stuff to talk about. First off, I just received the first release from Catbird Records, the indie label created by Ryan C., the creator of the Catbirdseat blog. The release is entitled Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt: A Scrapbook for You and it's a collaborative EP between Michael Holt and one of my new fav bands, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. While the music is great, what blew me away was the packaging. The CD comes in a hand-made, hand-bound scrapbook and each of the 250 copies has a unique, hand-painted cover! Definitely the coolest CD package I've ever seen, even cooler than Lemon Jelly's second album.

Also, Stereogum just posted a leaked track from The Strokes' new album and, even though nearly all of the comments are panning it, I think it's one of their best songs. At first listen, it almost doesn't sound like them. The most notable difference is that lead singer Julian Casablancas has dropped the fuzzy old-timey-radio vocal effect, probably at the request of their new producer, David Kahne.

And, finally, new releases by Franz Ferdinand and The Go! Team drop tomorrow! I still have $20 credit from selling a bunch of CDs at this really nice music store downtown, so I'll use that to get those new albums.

Well, I'm off to work. Have a great week, everyone!

Whee! New Blog Entry

Nate and Caroline in Midair
Originally uploaded by devpd.

Man, time flies when you're having fun slaving your ass off at a certain unnamed grocery store's meat department. I've been really busy these past few days and haven't had much time to post anything. I do, however, have some cool stuff to mention to you guys:

The new Catbirdseat mix is up and I'm jamming out to it right now. For those who don't know, the Catbirdseat mix is where I get most of the new indie music I listen to. I have them to thank for introducing me to Devin Davis, Robbers on High Street, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

I bought a couple new CDs this week: Jacksonville City Nights by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, and Shake the Sheets by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Both are really good, though if the thought of owning a "country" album makes you shake in your shoes, you probably ought to skip the Ryan Adams album. Don't worry about Ted Leo, though. That guy rocks.

Merri and I went to go see Flightplan and we really liked it. While I do understand the comparisons between this film and Panic Room, this movie really owes more to Hitchcock films like The Lady Vanishes and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Oh, and PLEASE don't read anything about the airline stewardesses who are calling for the boycott of the movie. What those idiots in the media don't realize is that they are GIVING AWAY THE ENDING by reporting on this!!

And, finally, I've added a handful of new photos to my Flickr page, including the photo above, of Nathan and Caroline practicing the Will Farrell jump from Anchorman.

Which reminds me, Bewitched was the free movie this week on campus, so I went to see it and, I must say, it was very entertaining. I was pleasantly surprised.

Alright, that oughta make up for the lack of posts around here! Later!

Holy crap, it's true!

Wow, The Daily Show is right. If you go to the official website of FEMA, and click on the What We Do page, you will see a simple graph showing how FEMA's process of solving disasters...only leads to more disaster.

Update: So they finally removed the graph. Figures.

Slowly revisiting past albums...

So, now that I have entered hour 4 of studying for my biology test, I have also had the opportunity to revisit a lot of music I bought this year, and I am now reconsidering certain albums for re-inclusion back into my Best of 2005 (So Far) list:

Ben Folds, Songs For Silverman
At first, I was utterly devastated that Ben Folds' new album was not only a lot shorter than any of his other albums, but it sounded way too much like an old Ben Folds Five album. Plus, the excellent quality of the original songs on the three EPs Folds released in the last two years made the somewhat mediocre songwriting on Silverman (at least by Folds' standards) that much more jarring. With that being said, I listened to the whole thing again and a lot of little things have really come together for me. "Jesusland" and "Bastard" are still two of Folds' best tunes, and more challenging fare like "Time" and "Sentimental Guy" sound much more familiar (and, therefore, better) to me. I still say the album is hurt severely by its track sequencing. The most rollicking numbers are shoved to the front, leaving the slower fare to take up the rear. I also think "Prison Food" was the wrong song to end the album on.

Weezer, Make Believe
Unlike the Stereogum crowd, who seem content to bash Weezer when given any such opportunity, I happen to like recent releases like Maladroit and now, I am really digging Make Believe. If you are brave enough to admit that you have this album in your possession, give it a spin and IGNORE the fact that the two simplest songs are the hit singles.

Bloc Party, Silent Alarm
While that lead singer's voice does begin to grate on your nerves around track six, Bloc Party's debut is still quite impressive. "Like Eating Glass" is probably my favorite song of 2005 (so far). And the utter urgency of that song (along with more than half the songs on the album) add to the fast-paced nature of this band's hard rock attitude. Has anyone heard the remix album that they recently released? I'd like to hear it.

Has anyone else revisited an older album that they didn't care for initially, only to find that it's actually pretty good?

New song on 15 Megs!

Oh, right, I almost forgot. I've added a new song to my artist page on 15 Megs of Fame. I worked on most of the music here in my dorm, using GarageBand, and I layered down the vocals when I was at home for Labor Day weekend, also using grasping. Please stop by that site and post a comment about it. You can also check out my other songs there as well. If you'd rather not be bothered with visiting a website, I suppose I could just post the MP3s here (groan!)

Devin DiMattia, "Gotta Get My Mind Off of You" (new song, click to download)

Devin DiMattia, "Another Way" (click to download)
Someone posted a comment saying this sounded like early Pink Floyd. I don't know what he was smoking, but I do like this song. I took all the piano loops on GarageBand and wrote this song around them. I think it turned out pretty well, but I would like to re-record my vocals.

Devin DiMattia, "Solitude" (click to download)
Not to be confused with the Billie Holiday song, this is a simple piece of ambient electronica that I worked on after class in Electronic Music I at the Weaver Center in my junior year of high school. Ridiculously simple (now I see how Moby does it!), but pleasant nonetheless.

I also just realized that the last post I made was POST #150!!!! Whee! Thank you all for coming! Refreshments and after-dinner mints will now be served in the lobby. Please drive home safely!

Simple weekend post...nuff said

Well, I am utterly exhausted because of a combination of things. The fact that I had to work long shifts today and yesterday, the fact that I had to get up at seven in the morning to help shoot a commercial for the Flicker Film Society, and the fact that my dormitory has been without power since Friday morning. Luckily, power is restored, but you have no idea what a bitch it is trying to sleep in a hot room at two in the morning, knowing you have to wake up five hours later.

With that being said, I'm going to give a quick summary of what has been happening the last couple days:

1. I saw Ken Burns give a lecture.
Ken Burns is a pretty cool guy. He talks exactly like the narrators do in his documentaries. Since his lecture was being brought to us by the Creative Writing and English Departments at UNCW, he didn't talk about anything film-related. Mostly, his lecture was about history in general and how we need to pay attention to it, etc. He's a good speaker, keeps you interested, but I am kinda glad that student tickets were free. I don't know if I'd want to pay to see him again.

2. Merri and I saw "Corpse Bride."
"Corpse Bride" was a lot of fun, just as I had expected. The story is very engaging and the animation is, like always, top-notch. My only qualm is that it was over much too quickly. It's only about 78 minutes long and I felt it was quick to fade out at the end. There were a handful of unanswered questions, the most important one being what happened to Victor Van Orten's parents? I felt that was an obviously overlooked plothole. Oh, and the musical numbers weren't particularly catchy. I can't remember how any of the songs went. Still, it's worth your money.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a paper to write for World Cinema class. Have a good weekend, everybody!

Yet another reason to visit Italy!

Artists have just finished work on a giant stuffed bunny, which is now residing on the Colletto Fava mountain in northern Italy's Piedmont region. If that doesn't make you go "Awww," then nothing will.

Read the full article here. Visit the official website of the art group that designed it.

Once again, thanks to Drawn! for the scoop.

Crookie's Pix

While I can't draw anything, I can at least appreciate other folks' drawings! This is just one of the excellent works from the blog of Matt Cruickshank. I've added his site to my list o' links and you should to!

Thanks to Drawn! for pointing me in his direction.

Just In: New Album by The Bad Plus

Many of you are already aware of my love for indie music, but I doubt a lot of you know of my affinity for jazz. I just picked up the new album by The Bad Plus, an eclectic trio that performs "genre-busting, renegade acoustic jazz," at least according to the sticker.

I saw them live a couple summers ago with my friend Gerry and they were quite awesome. They do a lot of bizarre jazz covers of famous rock songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Iron Man," but they also make some innovative original songs, too. I used one of their songs, a cover of The Pixies' "Velouria," to chilling effect in Kaylee Swanson's short film Slugger.

What I like about the band is that they have the uncanny ability to make organized chaos. Most of the songs on their new album, Suspicious Activity?, have some form of avant-garde ruckus that makes you feel like the group is losing control of their instruments, only to find the early melodies of the song have resurfaced and put back in command of the madness.

I wish I had an MP3 of these guys to share with you, but I don't. They do have a blog you can check out. If you want to do a little research on them on iTunes, here's the songs I recommend you purchase:

"Flim (Aphex Twin cover)" from These Are the Vistas
"Layin' a Strip for the Higher-Self State Line" from Give
"We Are the Champions (Queen cover)" from Blunt Object Live in Tokyo
"Lost of Love" from Suspicious Activity?

iTunes also has a bunch of exclusive stuff by the band, including covers of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and ABBA's "Knowing Me, Knowing You".

Back to the fray...

Well, another weekend came and went. The big thing I did this weekend was that I went to see Junebug, which is now one of my favorite films of the year. You can tell the acting in a film is excellent when it doesn't feel like the cast is acting at all. Everyone seems to be playing their normal selves, even Amy Adams, who definitely plays one of the most hyperactive and eccentric women I've ever seen on film.

Plus, it's a film about North Carolina, the state I'm proud to call my home, even if I was born in Kansas (shh! don't tell anyone). The music is excellent, too, with an original score provided by indie group Yo La Tengo, but, sadly, there's no official soundtrack out right now.

So, my recommendation for everyone out there is to go to your local movie theater, sneak in a couple bottles of Cheerwine, and take in one hour and forty-five minutes of southern fried entertainment.

If you don't believe me, read Roger Ebert's four-star review of the film.

Speaking of Cheerwine, check out these vintage advertisements.

The Bouncy Ball Commercial

I was sent an e-mail by a guy who had managed to capture the first half of the Sony commercial with the thousands of bouncing balls. You can view the video from his blog.

Previously: More bouncy balls pics on Flickr.

New DVDs! Devin is happy...and sad.

Okay, it officially sucks not having any money, especially when your folks take you to Target and you're forced to stare down the new DVD section with nary a dollar to your name.

Crash, my favorite film of 2005 (so far), is definitely on my "NEED TO BUY" list, as is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Layer Cake and Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior.

So...could someone loan me a couple bucks? Or just click on any of those links above and buy the items through Amazon.com and I'll get a referral!

If you don't feel like buying the items mentioned above, use the link below to go to Amazon.com and do your own shopping!

Breaking News: SmarterChild isn't all that smart.

I know it's the in-thing to post conversations you've had with SmarterChild, the conversational computer, but the gadget's total lack of people skills and unneccessarily large amounts of advertisements make it one of the most difficult things to have a conversation with, thus causing it to go against its purpose.

Just read on...
(I edited this conversation a little bit. I took out, like, five extra ads SmarterChild threw into the chat.)

DEVIN: What up, SmarterChild?
SMARTERCHILD: During the course of our conversations you may see sponsored messages. These messages have the word "sponsorship" at the end. Sponsors help me remain free of cost to you! To learn more about sponsored messages, click here.

Nice to see you again, Devpd. What can I do for you?

DEVIN: Wanna chat it up, bro?

SMARTERCHILD: You ask interesting questions. I don't know the answer to that!

>>> Need a few extra bucks? - Register today and get paid to evaluate Cheesecake (sponsorship)

DEVIN: How do people evaluate cheesecake?
SMARTERCHILD: What do you think?
DEVIN: Well, I think they look at the cheesecake and say "Hmmm...this cake looks cheesy. It must be cheesecake."
SMARTERCHILD: Well you think they look at the cheesecake and say hmmm this cake looks cheesy it must be cheesecake. Whatever you say, Devpd.
DEVIN: Unless it's tofu.
SMARTERCHILD: Eh. Whatever, Devpd.
DEVIN: F*** you, man.
SMARTERCHILD: What do you have to gain by insulting a computer?
DEVIN: High self-esteem...bitch.
SMARTERCHILD: Hmm... whatever, Devpd!

>>> Concerts, Jon B., Sept 23 - Big Mouth Entertainment Your concert connection (sponsorship)

DEVIN: What's up with all the advertisements?
SMARTERCHILD: Something must be up with all the advertisements.
DEVIN: Yes, something is up. I'm suddenly seeing a ton of them.
SMARTERCHILD: OK, whatever.
DEVIN: You've totally sold out, SmarterChild.
SMARTERCHILD: Have totally sold out, you say. And so?
DEVIN: So, you no longer have any indie cred.
SMARTERCHILD: Hmm... I don't know. I no longer have any in die c red?
DEVIN: Not in die cred, indie cred. Like credibility with the independent crowd.
SMARTERCHILD: Whatever you say. Well. Anyway...
DEVIN: What kind of music do you listen to?
SMARTERCHILD: Hmm... I really like Led Zeppelin!
DEVIN: Wow, my brother would totally want to hang out with you!
SMARTERCHILD: Your brother would totally want to hang out with me? Whatever. Anyway...
DEVIN: Yeah, he likes Led Zeppelin.
SMARTERCHILD: Led zeppelin? He likes led zeppelin? Is that right?
DEVIN: Yes, that's right.
SMARTERCHILD: That is right, huh?
DEVIN: Yes, why else would I say it?
SMARTERCHILD: I don't know, Devpd...

So anyway...

>>> Like To Play Games? - Play Unlimited Free Games. You Can Start Playing Right Now. (sponsorship)

DEVIN: Stop showing me ads!
SMARTERCHILD: I'm not sure if I can stop showing you ads...
DEVIN: I COMMAND YOU.
SMARTERCHILD: Interesting...

Get discouraged!

Despair, Inc. is a truly brilliant company that specializes in the art of pessimism, dissatisfaction, and of course, despair. The biggest seller in their online store is demotivational posters, parodies of the inspirational posters you see plastered around public libraries and guidance counselors' offices.



They also sell demotivation books, anti-Valentine's Day candy and the special edition DVD of the Oscar-nominated short film More, one of my favorite animated shorts. (Click here to watch it in QuickTime.)

Wow, this is my fourth post today! It must be because of all that free time I have now!

High-quality version of T.P. now online!

Thanks to the kind people at the One Take Film Festival, I found a high-quality version of our first Nuclear Space Zombie production, T.P.

Click here and look for our entry! Enjoy!

Previously: More info on T.P.

Big Fat Independent Movie Weekend!

Wow, it's been a while since there've been a large number of movies that look interesting that're all being released at the same time. This Friday, not one, not two, but FIVE cool movies are coming to theaters (unfortunately, a couple are limited releases), but here's the rundown:

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Since all the kids who saw The Nightmare Before Christmas in theaters are all growed up (and have money), Disney has seen a resurgance in sales of Nightmare Before Christmas-related merch. Maybe that's why they green-lighted this new film, the second Burton-produced film using stop-motion animation. Still, it looks very good and with an all-star cast backing it (Johnny Depp of course, Helena Bonham Carter, Tracey Ullman, Albert Finney, and Christopher Lee) it looks like it's gonna be another hit for Tim Burton, still enjoying the successes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Big Fish. See the trailer here.

UPDATE: I just remembered that Warner Bros. is making this one, not Disney. Whoops!

Just Like Heaven
Yeah, I know. It's like Ghost, except the ghost's a chick this time. Anyway, I'd be inclined to see this one at matinee price. Mark Ruffalo is pretty funny and so is Reese Witherspoon. Jon Heder's presence makes me think he got thrown into the film just so they could cash in on the Napoleon Dynamite craze, but we'll have to find out, won't we? See the trailers here and here.

Lord of War
Um...yeah, what happened to The Weather Man? With that said, this new movie starring Nicholas Cage looks very kickass, and it's written and directed by Andrew Niccol, who wrote The Truman Show and wrote and directed Gattaca. Impressive resumé. Also, Ian Holm's in the movie, apparently. Wheee, trailers!

Everything is Illuminated
Elijah Wood stars in this film about a Jewish American who searches for the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II. From looking at the trailer, it looks very quirky and very good. Right now, it'll only be in select cities, but I'm hoping for a wide release. It's also the directorial debut of Liev Schreiber, who played the presidental candidate in the Manchurian Candidate remake.

Thumbsucker
I've saved the best for last, as this film directed by Mike Mills, whose background includes music videos for Air and Moby, looks like an independent film destined to become a classic. Newcomer Lou Pucci heads an all-star cast (Tilda Swinton, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Keanu Reeves) in this tale of overcoming addiction (of thumbsucking) and repairing the bonds of family. See the teaser and main trailer.

My friend Lance recently told me that Junebug's gonna be playing at the Mayfaire 16, this freakishly huge movie theater in Wilmington. This is awesome news and I will definitely try and see it this weekend (if we're allowed back on campus).

Previously: Devin gets really pissed off 'cause Junebug's not playing in North Carolina.

From UNCW's website: Oh, the Irony!

The threat of Hurricane Ophelia making landfall in the area has forced the postponement of the following UNCW events:

A panel discussion - Understanding Hurricanes: What You Can Do, previously scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14 has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21 in UU 100.

UNCW Students Flee Incoming Light Drizzle

Hurricane Ophelia, which is turning out to be a pretty wussy storm, still gave UNCW staff cause for alarm as they ordered a mandatory evacuation, forcing yours truly to head for higher ground in Greensboro this afternoon. Don't worry, though; I'm fine (whew!)

I'm still having that Coldplay contest! E-Mail me a link to an MP3 of Coldplay covering Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and I'll send you a free t-shirt of your choice from my online store!

Post-Coldplay Concert

The Show Begins...
Originally uploaded by devpd.

Alright, gang, I know you are all anxious to hear about the Coldplay concert I recently had the privilege of attending. I was accompanied by my friend Merri on the drive and, at the show, we were joined by Nathan, his girlfriend Caroline, and his sisters, Melissa and Elizabeth. Needless to say, it was a kickass show and you can see some photos in my Coldplay concert set.

Merri and I showed up a lot earlier than expected, and we had the good fortune of getting to hear Coldplay's soundcheck. Apart from them running through X&Y tracks like "Square One" and "Low," they also tried their hand at more than a couple Beatles tracks, like "Dear Prudence," "For No One," and "Ticket to Ride."

Once we met Nathan and his crew, they let us into the pavilion and we found a patch of grass right at the front of the lawn area, in the family section (away from the drinkers and smokers). Rilo Kiley came on first and, while the songs didn't sound as clear and tight as their studio counterparts, they were still very good.

Then, the moment we'd all been waiting for. The lights dimmed, the Beatles song "Tomorrow Never Knows" entered through the speakers, and the show began. Here are some of the highlights:

• The countdown clock (pictured above) counting down the time till the chorus of "Square One."
  
• Lead singer Chris Martin's false start on "The Scientist." Apparently, he was off-tempo. He offered a 25¢ refund for the screw-up. :-)
  
• The "unplugged" portion of the show. Drummer Will Champion put his drums aside and picked up a keyboard and joined the other three men at the front of the stage as they performed "'Til Kingdom Come," a song they had originally written for Johnny Cash.
  
• After that song, they jumped into a cover of Cash's "Ring of Fire," my favorite part of the evening.
  
• Later during the "unplugged" set, Chris had the audience sing "Happy Birthday" to guitarist Jonny Buckland, which I recorded on my cellphone (it sounds like crap, though, so you don't get to hear it).
  
• During "Yellow," big yellow balloons suddenly appeared in front of the stage and the crowd proceeded to volley them around. A few popped.
  
• During "Talk," a fan in the front held out a cellphone, which Chris picked up and started singing into (no photo of that, sorry).

Also, I have devised a NEW CONTEST for you guys! Here's the deal: I will award a free t-shirt from my online store to the first person who can e-mail me a link to a decent-quality MP3 of Coldplay covering "Ring of Fire" You get a t-shirt AND a trucker hat if you can prove your version came from the Raleigh show!

Alright, I'm tired. Goodnight, folks!

Jump Cut fading away...new problems arise!

Alright, so I just finished cancelling my service with Liberated Syndication, effectively ending Jump Cut Radio. You now have about two months to download all the episodes from the show, so get busy! :-)

In other news, a new problem surfaced. You see, in addition to using LibSyn as my web hosting client for podcasts, I was also using them as storage space for images, MP3s and video files. Well, with me leaving LibSyn, I'm also leaving my web storage behind. That means that I need a new place to host all my files (one of those files is the header at the top of this blog). If anyone out there knows a cheap and, preferably, easy web hosting service (I don't want to pay more than ten bucks a month), please send me an e-mail!

Meanwhile, I've just received the album Broom by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Pretty good so far, but the single "Oregon Girl" is still the best thing on it. Here's a couple of free tracks:

"House Fire" (MP3)

"Bigger Than Yr Yard (Non-Album Track)" (MP3)

The right way to market an album

A while back, I played a song by The Spectacular Fantastic on an episode of Jump Cut Radio. Since then, I've downloaded their free EP and enjoyed every single minute of it. Now, they've got a new album coming out and they've devised an awesome way to sell it. They've made a mashup of all the tracks on the album so you get the 30-second samples of each track, but it all flows together as a cohesive whole, making the album all the more intriguing. You can download the mashup here.

You can also pre-order the new album, The Spectacular Fantastic Goes Underground, by visiting this site.

DiMattiaFilms Hearts Z-Trip

Just added Z-Trip's album, Shifting Gears to my Top 10 (So Far) list. I've had the album for a while, but on my way home, I got a chance to listen to it, uninterrupted and without any distractions, and I must say it is one of the most fascinating DJ albums to come out since DJ Shadow's Private Press. The guy's got a great sense of sequencing and the album flows so well, you don't ever feel like skipping a track or fast-forwarding through stuff (not even when Linkin Park's Chester Bennington starts singing on "Walking Dead"). My personal favorites are the instrumentals "3rd Gear," with its Moog synthesizers practically oozing retro vibes and "About Face" with its amusing dialogue samples and fast-paced snare drum beats. Here's a free track, probably the best one on the album...

Z-Trip featuring Murs and Supernatural, "Breakfast Club" (ZIP file w/MP3)

Stream more tracks here.

Update weekend!

First off, I didn't realize I had yet to add Clever Titles Are So Last Summer to my list of links. It's a really cool blog run by really cool people!

Second, I've set up an Amazon.com Associates program and re-linked my Top 10 Albums of 2005 (So Far) list so that when you click on the album titles (and purchase the albums through Amazon.com), I get a referral. I've also added two new CDs to the list...



Both are great and you should pick them up now. I also acquired Death Cab for Cutie's new album and am in the process of taking it all in. I assure you, it'll probably be up on my list in the next week or so. :-)

Speaking of music, the upcoming Coldplay concert in Raleigh awaits me and, even though my tickets say "No Cameras," I'll see if I can sneak my Canon into the show. Don't tell Ticketmaster!