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Red Dread Revolver - LiveJournal.com
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Sundance 2010
So yesterday I got back from going to Sundance for the first time and it was quite an experience. In four days I managed to see 13 movies and 3 shorts programs. Here they are in order from worst to best )not including said shorts programs and Harold and Maude (which was being shown having been restored))
Obselidia
The worst movie I saw was this piece of shit. Almost everything one can hate about an indie movie was present here. We went to see this because it looked like it would be unique and weird but it was just shit and predictable. The movie follows the life of a man who's obsessed with obsolete things and is writing an encyclopedia of them. Already you can feel this movies shitty indiness. He interviews people with obsolete jobs and through this he meets a projectionist of silent movies who is a typical indie pixie. An indie pixie is a beautiful female character that shows up in indie movies that has no real personality and no real purpose than to break the main character out of his shell for some reason. Think Garden State...or better yet don't. Her character is boring and inconsistent, the main character boring and just annoying and the script is preachy and self important. There's all this stuff about global warming and about how it's gonna kill us all if we don't do something about it but how people just aren't gonna change. Deep *rolls eyes*. Also anytime a movie has two character talking about how people just don't appreciate certain types of film, you're most likely in for a bad movie. And another thing: in the films description and in the film itself the main character is described as "the worlds last door to door Encyclopedia salesman", yet he never actually goes door to door selling encyclopedias. In short...f**k this movie.
Fix Me
Now a documentary about a Palestinian seeking therapy sounds like it could be interesting. I mean why would the film be made if some interesting stuff didn't come up? Well, when I found out the films director was also it's subject, I kind of regretted buying tickets and the film confirmed this regret. The guy the film follows is simply boring and not very likable. He goes into therapy because he's been getting headaches and early on in the film his mother asks why the audience should care about this. This question is never really answered. It's not helped by the fact that his therapist just seems to be pretty terrible. He has him do such things as write a poem for every letter of his name or paint a picture that represents him. It's all very silly and all taken very seriously. The direction is also awful. The director often shows long shots of driving or shots of himself doing nothing to show how bored he is. Once in a while the film actually talks about the conflict in the area and how it effects people but not enough and the result is just badly made and dull as hell.
The Killer Inside Me
It is an unwritten rule that except for Sin City, any movie Jessica Alba is in will be pretty awful. I'm glad to say that this rule still stands. This is a movie that could been a fun piece of pulp but due to uninspired direction and a terrible cast it falls flat and is pointlessly hard to watch. What this movie should have been was a the portrait of an insane small town sheriff that believes that he has no choice but to kill certain people. Two of the people he kills are those he loves and he should be conflicted about this or at least angry that he was, as he believes, forced to kill by the actions of others. The problem is you really need a sense of style to pull something like this off and this movie has none. It's all directed as flat and uninterestedly as possible. This makes the horrific violence towards women in the film hard to justify. It's just there to shock and cry for attention but the rest of the film is so flat that it's hard to see why it's there. As bad of an actress as Alba is, it's not pleasant to see her beaten to death for 5 minutes. Also Casey Affleck is flat and bland as the star but he still acts circles around Alba who is just terrible. There's a good movie to be made from the pulp book this is based on but this is not it. Really when the best thing you can say about a movie is that it pushes Jessica Alba's "No nudity" clause in her contract as far as it can go, you are not dealing with a very good movie.
All That I Love
It's hard to really talk about this film because it just wasn't very unique or interesting in any way. It wasn't bad but it was far from special. It's a coming of age story about a teenager in a punk band called "all that I love" in Poland in the 80s. It takes place during a not much talked about time in their history when martial law was declared, but that's more of a backdrop of the film. It follows all the cliches and really isn't very interesting about any of it but it was never bad either. Not much else to say really.
A Prophet
This was an extremely well made movie that I really can't fault but I kind of wanted more from. Really if you were to ask me what I wanted from it, I'm not sure I could say but it just seemed to be lacking something. The movie follows an French Arab who is sent to prison without any connections or resources. He is forced by the Italians there to murder a fellow Muslim and form there he slowly rises in the ranks and grows in power. The film was extremely well made and I never quite knew where the plot was going, which is always impressive. Still it's odd to see a film where a mans life becomes better by going to prison. Still, it is not a film to be missed.
A Film Unfinished
This film essentially shows in it's entirety a Nazi Propaganda film that they made about the Warsaw Ghettos that was never finished. It shows the insidiousness of the Nazi propaganda machine and despite their best efforts to hide it, how bad life in the ghettos really was. It's said in the film that the Nazis could fake as many scenes as they wanted but they could not hide what was behind the Jews eyes. The film has some great moments (like when they show reactions of people that actualyl survived the ghettos and were actually present for the films shooting) but overall it's a bit academic overall, which is to be expected. I was also annoyed that they didn't really make it clear that they were re-enacting a transcript from one of the original cameramen rather than actually getting said camera man. Still, these are minor quibbles. This is an important film that will probably be required viewing in schools for years to come.
Secrets of the Tribe
So apparently anthropologists are really f**ked up. This follows some of those that studied the Yanomami Indians, who at the time were one of the last untouched human communities on earth. One of the head researchers is accused of genocide via medical experimentation, another is accused of raping young boys, and one of the nicer ones married a 13 year old tribe girl. No one in this film comes off looking like anything but a horrible person and they're all okay with this as long as the others also come off as looking horrible. The stuff this doc shows will end up shaking the world of anthropology for a long time because really it calls into question the legitimacy of their entire field.
Pepperminta
This was the most hippie movie I've ever seen. The whole movie's plot boils down to the story of a free spirited hippie recruiting and converting others and freaking out the man through the magical quality of colors. The movie is extremely and over the top but man is it pretty. The colors are just wonderful and almost every shot is a visual treat. Sure the movies barely sensible but it's made with such joy and love that it's hard to care. You know a movie has brought into it's strange little word when a character drinks menstrual blood and you hardly blink. I really wanted to hate this movie but every part of it was just so enjoyable.
The Extra Man
This was probably the most normal movie I saw at the festival. Like many indie films it was full of quirky characters and a plot that really seems to exist to only explore their quirkiness but it was just so god damned funny. I admit I was nervous going into this film but when I saw that it was by the directors of American Splendor, I was put at ease. This movie was just hilarious from beginning. Paul Dano was quite good as the lead and John C Reilly was as funny as he always is but Kevin Kline really steals this movie with one of the better characters I've seen in a long time. I'm not going to waste time going into the plot because as I said, it's not that important in the long run. It's just a funny movie that I suspect will get a lot of mainstream attention when it's released.
Catfish
I can't say much about this documentary because the director asked us not to. Really, eh has a point. The less you know about this film the better. I'll just say that it's amazing that this is all a real story and it's a amazing the movie came out so well. What could have been a mean movie in the end becomes very sweet and genuinely moving because the makers of the film are simply good people. That's something you don't see that much these days. The film is also extremely funny and you'll just be amazed that all of this actually happened. I also just want to say that it's very odd to have the subject of the documentary there to answer question because it's like having a character from a movie there that can actually tell you what happened after the film ended.
Four Lions
This is a extremely funny comedy about suicide bombers. Let me say this again. This is a comedy about suicide bombers and it's one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time (or at least I would be able to say that if I hadn't recently seen In The Loop, which is pretty hard to beat). Director Christopher Morris is best known for his British series Brasseye, which made fun of the media. Here he somehow makes a comedy about suicide bombers that is consistently funny and satirical. He is careful to not make fun of Islam itself, only the extremist, who in the movie are just hilariously stupid, nor does he ever show suicide bombing as being anything but being incredibly stupid. You'll really be surprised how much humor can be wrung from this topic. Out of all the films I saw this is the one I can recommend the highest. Still, it wasn't the best film I saw that was:
Enter the Void
What. The. f**k? I have never been effected like a film like I was by this one. Hours after it was over I was still shaking. The director of this film said that he was trying to create a bad trip and that's what he made. This film is unlike anything I've ever seen before. This film follows in first person an American drug dealer in Japan. The movie opens with him taking drugs and a ten minute long gorgeous trip sequence. He is brought out of it when he gets a call to go to give an associate some pills. When he arrives he finds he has been set up. He runs to the bathroom where he tries to escape but is shot by the police. We then follow (still in first person) the Tibetan book of the dead interpretation of death and follow his soul as it hovers around those he loves (mainly his sister) and goes back into his past and relives his various traumas. As the movie goes on the line between past and present begin to blur and things get more an more nightmarish. The movie is mostly unbroken shots and it all looks awe inspiringly amazing. The special effects were done by the guy who did the Matrix and the sound was handled by half of Daft Punk so on both those fronts the movie is pitch perfect. That isn't to say this movie is perfect at all. Far from it. It does meander alot, and although I can see why it does, it's still really tried your patience. It also has FAR too much pointless sex (and for me to say that says something) including a 20 minute scene showing various sexual going on in a hotel. The movie is also obsessed with going into light sources (voids if you will) to transition scenes and does it a little too much, though it is also a little cool. Also, a warning, this movie is graphic in every way. As mentioned it has alot of sex, alot of violence and even shows someone getting an abortion (and then zooms into the aborted fetus). This movie might also f**k you up like it f**ked me up. There is one thing in particular that shook me horribly (This might get a bit spoilery. If you like skip to the next paragraph). It is shown that the main character's parents were killed in a horrific car crash. This is shown in first person and it happens suddenly and violently. It shook me greatly when it first happened but I got over it. Later in the film, the main character brings his sister to Tokyo and it shows them having fun. At one point it shows them on a roller coaster. They go through a tunnel, it goes black for a moment and when you can see a gain it's the shot of the truck hitting the car and killing his parents again. This shook me to my core and it was extremely hard to calm myself down. I still feel kind of pained to think about it.
This is a great movie but it is not an easy one. This movie puts you through horrible things but it is all so unique and wondrous. There is no other movie like this. It's going to be released by IFC later this year. Check it out if you think you can stomach it.
So that's my Sundance report. I had a great time. Really it was one of the better experiences of my life. Even the things that were a pain in the ass (like waiting in the cold for wait list tickets) were an adventure in and of themselves. I really hope I can go back next year.
Freezepop Forever!
Been awhile :)
So I saw Freezepop on Friday and they were awesome. They were playing at the Middle East which is an awesome club really. One of the best things about it is that it has a middle-eastern restaurant attached, so if you get there early (like I always do) and if you're hungry and don't want to wait in the freezing cold you can wait inside and get a bite to eat. The enterance to the Downstairs club is in the friggin, so you never have to wait outside. It's really nice.
I was front row center which is always nice. I don't even remember the name of the first band but they were really generic and just not that good. They lost any points they had with me by saying they were going to play a cover of "Master of Puppets" but then not doing so. It was supposed to be a joke I suppose but even thought that song was WAY beyond their ability, it would have been amusing to see them try.
The next band was the Televandals (a band name I'm amazed wasn't taken) and they f**king rocked. They kind of had a talking heads sound with a twist of Electric Six thrown in. The first half of their set was much better than their second but the first half rocked so hard that it's hard to complain. On a different note, the guitarist/keyboardist Girlfriends was standing next to me and she was distractingly attractive. Just throwing that out there.
The next Band was Plushgun who were just not my type of music. Their set was really brief and I can't hate a band that throws boxes of glow stick at their audience but still, not my cup of tea.
Freezepop were next and they were awesome. Their sound was a little bad at the beginning, but they fixed it quickly and after that it was pure awesome. Here's what they played
Frontload
Bike Thief
Sprode (they were disappointed that no one threw their undies on the stage at the appropriate time)
Boys on Film
Magnetic (new song)
Lose That Boy (new song)
Plastic Stars
Strange (new song)
Stakeout
a new song I don't know the name of
Get Ready 2 Rock
Less Talk More Rock
and then they brought all the bands on stage to sing Do They Know It's Christmas
It was just an aweseom show and all the new songs were flat out amazing really. It's funny to see them live because the singing is so monotone but they are so peppy and happy. The drummer/keytarist singled me out for a high 5 three times. Really in general, any show you see that at one point has three keytars on stage at once can't be bad, can it?
for Jess
Here are the four Matrix Soundtracks (four because there are two for Reloaded)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MQKR32ML
It is a rar file and I'm not sure if macs can open those by themselves so if you can't open it download this:
http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Compression-Tools/RAR-Expander.shtml
*currently rocking out to...*
The 17 minute song Planisphere by Justice rocks so hard that I don't care that the group my be christian. It's like the best Daft Punk song x 50 + mad harpsichord. Really this song might be the finkiest thing I've ever heard.
Wow...just wow...
Josh Freese, Drummer for A Perfect Circle, Devo and Nine Inch Nails is coming out with a solo album and, like Nine Inch Nails with Ghosts I-IV, he's offering different pricing levels and some of these are simply insane. They're really expensive but insane none the less. Here are the different buying options.
$7
-Digital Download of "Since 1972" (including 3 videos)
$15
-CD/DVD Double Disc Set
-Digital Download
$50
-CD/DVD Double Disc Set
-T-shirt
-"Thank You" phone call from Josh for buying Since 1972. You can tell him what you like about the record that you purchased, or what you thought sucked. Ask whatever you want, like "Is Maynard really THAT weird?" or "Which one of Sting's mansions has the comfiest beds?" or "Are Devo really Suburban Robots that monitor reality or just a bunch of Dads from Ohio?" or "Why don't the Vandals play more stuff off the first record?" It's your 5 minutes to yack it up. Talk about whatever you want.
$250 (limited edition of 25)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download.
-T-shirt
-Signed Drum Head and Drumsticks.
-Go on a lunch date with Josh to PF Changs or The Cheesecake Factory (whatever you're into.)
$500 (limited edition of 15)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download
-T-shirt
-Signed Cymbal and sticks
-Meet Josh in Venice, CA and go floating together in a Sensory deprivation tank (filmed and posted on youtube)
-Dinner at Sizzler (get your $8.99 Steak and "all you can eat" Shrimp on)
$1,000 (limited edition of 10)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download.
-T-shirt
-Signed Cymbal, Drum head and Drumsticks.
-Josh washes your car OR does your laundry....or you can wash his car.
-Have dinner with Josh aboard the "Queen Mary" in Long Beach, CA
-Get drunk and cut each other's hair in the parking lot of the Long Beach courthouse (filmed and posted on youtube of course)
$2,500 (limited edition of 5)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download.
-Get a private drum lesson with Josh or for all you non-drummers have him give you a back and foot massage (couples welcome)
-Pick any 1 member of the Vandals or DEVO (subject to availability) to accompany you and Josh to either the Hollywood Wax Museum or the lunch buffet at the "Spearmint Rhino"
-Signed DW snare drum.
-Take 3 items of your choice out of his closet (first come, first serve)
-Change diapers and make bottles with him for an afternoon (after hitting the strip club)
$5,000 (limited edition of 3)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download.
-T-shirt
-Josh writes about a song about you and make available on iTunes.
-Co-direct a video with him for the song about you and throw it up on the youtubes.
-Josh gives you and a friend a private tour of Disneyland
-Get drunk together. If you don't drink we can go to my Dads place and hang out under the "Tuba tree"
-Stone from Pearl Jam will send you a letter telling you about his favorite song on "Since 1972"
$10,000 (limited edition of 1)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download
-T-shirt
-Signed DW snare drum from A Perfect Circle's 2003 tour.
-Josh gives you a private drum lesson OR his and hers foot/back massage (couples welcome, discreet parking)
-Twiggy from Manson's band and Josh take you and a guest to Roscoe's Chicken n' Waffle in Long Beach for dinner.
-Josh takes you and guest to "Club 33" (the super-duper exclusive and private restaurant at Disneyland located above the Pirates Of The Caribbean) and then hit a couple rides afterwards (preferably the Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion and The Tower Of Terror)
-At the end of the day at Disneyland drive away in Josh's Volvo station wagon. It's all yours....take it. Just drop him off on your way home though please.
$20,000 (limited edition of 1)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download.
-T-shirt
-A signed drum from the 2008 Nine Inch Nails tour.
-Maynard James Keenan, Mark from Devo and Josh take you miniature golfing and then drop you off on the side of the freeway (all filmed and posted on youtube)
-Josh gives you a tour of Long Beach. See his first apartment, the coffee shop on 2nd St where his buddy paid Dave Grohl $40 to rip up tile just weeks before joining "Nirvana." See the old Vandals rehearsal spot, the liquor store he got busted using a Fake I.D. at when he was 17 (it was Dave from the Vandals old ID). Go check out Snoop Dogg's high- school. For an extra 50 bucks see where Tom and Adrian from No Doubt live. For another $25 he'll show ya where Eric from NOFX and Brooks from Bad Religion get their hair cut.
-Spend the night aboard the Queen Mary and take the "Ghosts And Legends" tour. (separate rooms...no spooning.)
-Josh writes 2 songs about you and it's made available on iTUnes and appears on his next record (you can sing back up on em, clap, play the drums, triangle, whatever....)
-Drum lesson OR foot and back massage (once again...couples welcome and discreet parking available)
-Pick any 3 items out of Josh's closet.
$75,000 (limited edition of 1)
-Signed CD/DVD and digital download
-T-shirt
-Go on tour with Josh for a few days.
-Have Josh write, record and release a 5 song EP about you and your life story.
-Take home any of his drumsets (only one but you can choose which one.)
-Take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from TOOL's Lamborgini OR play quarters and then hop on the Ouija board for a while.
-Josh will join your band for a month...play shows, record, party with groupies, etc....
-If you don't have a band he'll be your personal assistant for a month (4 day work weeks, 10 am to 4 pm)
-Take a limo down to Tijuana and he'll show you how it's done (what that means exactly we can't legally get into here)
-If you don't live in Southern California (but are a US resident) he'll come to you and be your personal assistant/cabana boy for 2 weeks.
-Take a flying trapeze lesson with Josh and Robin from NIN, go back to Robins place afterwards and his wife will make you raw lasagna.
sad panda etc etc
After Touring one last time this summer, NIN is going on a long Haitus...
It's really vague what that means. I mean as a NIN fan I'm used to waiting a while between albums but does that mean another 6 years or does it mean two or three or does it mean maybe never. It's hard to say and either way it's really depressing.
Your mission if you choose to accept it...
Download this album now:
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/650607576/18eed9dea60f89e17087e0cbd0f0c667
It is awesome and I am giving it to you for free so just DO IT. You won't regret it...
Still looking forward to this film...alot
According to Gaiman this trailer is more accurate to the tone of the film then most of the ads that have been running which is good because if the movie loses the books sense of horror it just won't be that good...
A moment of silence please
As of 8:00am EST on 12/18/08. My dreadlock is gone. I woke up to find it on my pillow. After months and months of barely hanging on it finally sucumbed to gravity and my restless sleeping. My dread is survived by me and the hairs surrounding it, with whom it was very close. Services will be held on friday at 10am.
All joking aside, this does vaguely depress me...
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