Coming Soon

Here is a short list of movies coming soon to theaters which I'm really excited about and also the reasons why.

Just click on the Title to view the trailer.

Sex Drive - This movie definitely has the potential to be the next Superbad. Like I said in my review for Roger Dodger, this is the decade of the geek/average guy and it looks like this one has two very affable ones. It appears to be a movie about a couple of friends trying to get the girl of his internet dreams by "borrowing" his brother's car and taking a road trip to find her. Oh, and this isn't just any car, it's a '69 GTO. And like the best friend says in the movie, "you roll up in a '69 GTO... she's not gonna care what you look like." Here's to hoping the geek gets the girl. Granted the premise seems a little Eurotrip-ish, but the scenes where the main character is dressed up in a mexican donut costume are reason enough to get me to see this movie.

Knowing - I know many people seem to dislike Nicolas Cage but I feel he performs the role of concerned would be hero pretty well. He did so in Next and it looks like he will play the part again in this movie. Plus it's directed by Alex Proyas who did films like I, Robot and The Crow. Could be promising.

Yes Man - Jim Carrey looks like he may be coming back in true form here where he plays a man who through a self help seminar can only say yes to things he previously said no to. This changes his life in more ways than he or you would think. Looks like a cross between Shallow Hal and Liar Liar.


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - This one comes out this weekend and I am pretty excited to see it. It definitely looks like it's in the same genre of comedy as Juno and Garden State. I'm a total sucker for these types of movies.

Role Models - Just call me Ronald McDonald cause I'm loving it! I don't know what it is with this resurgence of crass, crude, in-your-face comedy but it's turning out some great hits. First came School for Scoundrels, then Step-brothers and now this. Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott have great a-hole chemistry together and you can see a little bit of redemption in the end based on the subject matter. I can't wait for this one!

Movies for that Horrorific Day

That notorious holiday where horror movies are cranked out of the woodwork like geeks to a comic book convention is approaching us very soon. What if any of the new splatterific films should garner your attention? I'm compiled a short list of films you should see in theaters this Halloween and if you'd prefer to spend the night in, I've got a small list of movies well worth the price of a DVD rental. So grab some popcorn, redvines a pillow or arm to hide behind and read on... if you dare.

Please excuse the halloween type puns. I'm a sucker for a good thrill. Bwahahaha!

Quarantine - These types of films really intrigue me. The something is happening and no one knows what is going on until now thing is just plain creepy and suspenseful all at the same time. Chalk it up to brilliant marketing but I really want to know what is going on in this "quarantined" building and what happens to the crew that is sent there.

**Update on Quarantine: If you haven't seen the original Spanish version of Quarantine titled [rec], you really owe it to yourself to check it out, both films are well done but [rec] clues the viewer in to why or how this whole thing happened and it's almost an essential revelation and brilliantly conceived by the writers to show the origin of this pandemic.

Eden Lake - I know, I know, at first sight, I thought to myself why would a couple be afraid of a group of some young rambunctious hooligans? Did any of you see Children of the Corn? How about Village of the Damned?? Well this movie looks to take the insane, sinister children idea to the next level. Why does it seem like every other country but America is coming up with great horror ideas?

Saw V - So I gotta admit, I was one of those who was super excited to watch the first Saw movie. I can't remember if I saw it on opening night but it was definitely opening weekend. I came out of the theater crushed. Throughout half of the movie I was cracking up, which wouldn't have been such a bad thing had I been watching a comedy. Cary Elwes' acting was so laughably bad and the direction of that first film, well, let's just say I wasn't feeling it. So I put a sort of boycott on the rest of the films until just recently and I will admit that I was dead wrong for putting off the rest of the franchise. Saw 2, 3, and 4 were amazing and really set the surprisingly intelligent story into motion. So much so that I cannot wait to see Saw 5. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up the momentum into a final and hopefully climactic Saw 6 or if they will bleed out the franchise now with this one. There's a LOT riding on this fifth installment though regardless, it's debatable that the Saw franchise was responsible for putting Lions Gage Films on the map.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley - This film doesn't scream out to me the way the other aforementioned films do. I don't know, call it a poorly edited trailer. I just don't see what makes this movie special at all. It is the only horror movie coming out ON Halloween day though so maybe it will make all its money on that day. It will probably tank the rest of the weekend and soon after that.

DVD's

Session 9 - If you've never seen it, I suggest you do. I always recommend it to all my friends who question and wonder if there has been a good modern day contemporary horror film to come out in the past decade. Surely there have been some other great ones but they're all well known and you've probably already seen them. Session 9 is about this crew of guys that have to remove the asbestos in an insane asylum. That's pretty much all you really need to know.

Cabin Fever - A surprisingly good debut film by now famous Eli Roth. Cabin Fever is a terrific throwback to the campy 70's horror films which inspired so many of the horror films we all love today. While you've got the DVD, after you've finished watching the film, go to the special features on the disc and watch the little clip of the small girl doing some martial arts. You will be amazed!

The Eye - I had an idea to do a screenplay about pretty much this very same premise. You'd think I'd be upset after watching it, but it was done exactly how I would have done it, so I was pleasantly surprised. Plus, they cast Jessica Alba! Hmm, I guess they really did film it EXACTLY how I would have.

That's about it. Happy Hauntings Ladies and Gentlemen!

5 Songs You Should Be Listening To

"Damn, these beats are so fresh! Snap!"

The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go
The Bravery at one point may have been considered a one hit wonder band, that is until now. This song is a throwback to classic Cure from the early 80's. It's got a touch of soul and should show to the world that they are not 'An Honest Mistake'.

O.A.R. - Shattered (Turn the Car Around)
O.A.R. was another band that was in danger of becoming a one hit wonder but this song, quite simply may be even better than their first hit, "Love and Memories". This song reminds me a bit of Train's musical stylings and evokes a bit more emotion than their first hit.

Metro Station - Shake It
Now I know everyone has already heard this song but I feel it's really not getting enough recognition, at least on the airwaves. Wasn't this an iPod commercial song? If not, it totally should be.

Mandy Moore - Extraordinary
Mandy Moore should be classified as a guilty pleasure but she's not, and it's exemplified very well in this song. She's a remarkable actress and an even more talented musician. The song is completely whimsical and speaks with a certain level of female empowerment which is displayed in the music video. http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--43485267While you're there at Yahoo! Music watching a Mandy Moore video check out the exclusive video of her performing a live studio acoustic version of Rihanna's Umbrella. Truly outstanding.http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--45701948

T.I. - Livin' Your Life w/ Rihanna
Frankly T.I.'s entire album 'Paper Trail', is pretty hot. I haven't heard a consistently good R&B/Rap album in a long time. This track along with many others should solidify T.I.'s spot in the Billboard charts for quite a while.

**Update to 5 songs post**

If any of you happened to catch the series premiere of 90210 last night, they played "Time to Pretend" off of the same album as the song "Kids" by MGMT. One of the 5 songs you should be listening to as seen on my most recent post. Just thought I'd mention that. Oh and it's also in a movie trailer for what looks to be a very funny movie called Sex Drive. I will be discussing the potential of this movie in a future post called, Coming Soon.

Stay tuned.

Taek

5 songs you should be listening to...

In honor of a close friends birthday today, this post will be a music review. So here's 5 songs you should be listening to JQ (and everyone else out there looking for something new).

"Damn, these beats are so fresh! Snap!"

Better In Time - Leona Lewis
Let's face it, this girl is "haute" right now. Although her performance in the closing ceremonies of the Olympics wasn't mind blowing, it put her face on an international level. You can be rest assured we will be hearing more from this girl in the next 4 years at the very least! This song in my opinion is even better than her debut single Bleeding Love, off the album Spirit. Thanks again to AT for the recommendation of this song, it has really resonated with me these past couple of weeks.

Kids - MGMT
To be perfectly honest, I can't remember exactly where I first heard this song. All I know is from the first couple of electronic beats I was hooked.

February Air - Lights
OK, I'll admit it. Advertising has a huge effect on me and more often than not, I'll be sitting there with the tv on only to be humming a beat and wondering where I got it from. Take the Winter/Spring Old Navy ads with the songs by a group called Lights. This song has a great wintery escape kind of feel to it and you can't help but to love her whimsical voice. A touch of Frou Frou and a sound similar to Zero 7, you have Lights. p.s. the entire Lights EP is amazing.

Time After Time - Quietdrive
You may recognize this cover of Cyndi Lauper's original hit from the trailer of Prom Night. I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm guessing this song will be the best thing to come out of the film. Regardless, if you're going to do a cover, don't try to one up the original, just do it in your own style. Quietdrive does this and they do it well.

Do You Know (the Ping Pong song) - Enrique Iglesias
Any song with ping pong in the title already has me at hello. I used to hate Enrique Iglesias but this song and oddly enough, Hero, has made me think twice about the latin crooner. This is the type of song where you want to put the top down and sing at the top of your lungs. You'll probably look like a complete idiot but it'll be fun all the same. Check out the Rob n Big youtube video with this song if you haven't seen it yet. You'll see what I mean.

Rock it don't stop it...

Taek

Tough Decision

So this is going to be my first "official" online review of a film. I've rated countless movies on Netflix and commented on some of my friends reviews of movies they've seen on Facebook but I've never actually published a review on a website.

Now the dilemma begins, what movie do I choose as my film review debut? Do I choose a movie that everyone has already seen and myself considered the best film of recent years (The Dark Knight)? Or do I choose a film where I had relatively high expectations and was completely disappointed (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Or do I pick from any number of films I feel haven't received the spotlight and attention they deserve and attempt to praise them to a level where you will run to the video store asking the teenage pimple-faced kid if they have this obscure film they've probably never heard of? Because I'm an advocate of going out and stimulating our nation's economy I'll start my first review with the latter because more than likely you have all seen the summer's blockbusters and therefore my point would be moot.

Now finally the moment you have all been waiting for; my first review.

If anything can be said about the '00 decade, it would be that this past decade was all about the average joe, the girl or guy next door, the "loser" if you will. We've seen this exemplified in such films like Knocked Up, Juno and Superbad. Even television has seen the potential in the everyday bandwagon with reality tv like Average Joe, Beauty and the Geek and the popular sitcom Ugly Betty. You could almost say that average is the new attractive.

I applaud this new direction in Hollywood and it appears that the moviegoing crowd does too. All three films I mentioned did at least $120 million domestically. Those are astounding figures considering there wasn't a single Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts in any of those films. As entertaining as those big box-office draws are, there is something so affable and down-to-earth about actors like Michael Cera, Seth Rogen and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (you may know him better as McLovin). And again, you can't help but to be drawn to the charm and cutesyness of actresses Ellen Page and America Ferrera. But just as importantly the writers of these brilliant comedies created characters that made you feel for them like they were someone you intimately knew or wanted to know.

Dylan Kidd, the Writer/Director of Roger Dodger does just that with the character of Nick portrayed by Jessie Eisenberg. A role that if the movie had been made today, I could have imagined Michael Cera easily stepping into these shoes. Jessie Eisenberg plays the nervous and naive teen so naturally you wonder if he's that awkward in real life. And Campbell Scott, in one of his finest performances ever, plays Jessie's antagonist Roger to devilish perfection. The two characters combined take on the classic... well to take a line from Roger in the film, "good cop, bad cop" roles.

By hopefully not giving too much away, Roger Dodger is about an almost overly insightful and observative advertising agent named Roger who just gets dumped and rudely discarded by his boss fiendishly played by Isabella Rossellini. Just at this untimely moment, his nephew Nick whom he doesn't seem very close to, comes to New York to visit and seeks to learn everything about women his uncle knows. Which is a lot and not very much at the same time. This is pretty much it, a simple yet clever introduction to a mentor and his student. A coming of age tale if you will, only in a gritty and a somewhat crash-course kind of way.

You really have to admire the fact that this was Dylan Kidd's first foray into filmmaking and the smart, almost philosophical dialogue and witty banter that he creates between Roger and Nick is at times mesmerizing. It definitely mesmerizes two women they meet later on in the film, enough to get Nick some "experience" if you will. It is during these times where you are secretly cheering on the "average" guy and hoping that even though he doesn't look like Paul Walker, this dog gets his day.

Roger Dodger, in my opinion easily falls into the vein of films like Garden State, and Juno, where the main character(s) are your everyday joes and you feel for them cause they are like you or similar to someone like you. And you feel their angst, their frustrations, their fear. But ultimately in the end when you've gone through it all, just like them, you feel a certain sense of accomplishment and a pretty kick ass ride to boot.

I'm a little verklempt, talk amongst yourselves...
Taek

Genesis, the first of many...

Recently a lot of my friends have been telling me to REALLY start my own blog. One where I pour all my honest yet humble opinions onto some kind of journalistic form. A quick and easy read for anyone and everyone interested in my opinion on Movies, Music and Games. The three categories that comprise some of my favorite pastimes.

I'm not entirely sure why my friends have been asking me to do this, maybe it's because they are so tired of hearing me go on and on about the latest film I saw or the song that's playing in my head over and over and I can't seem to get out of my mind no matter how hard I try. Sorry Rihanna, you seem to have that effect on me.

So to begin, a little bit about me and my personal cautionary tale about this blog.

I used to watch movies in theaters on a fairly regular basis. I would sometimes go to the theater 3 times in week whilst on numerous occasions taking in 2 dare I say 3 movies with the price of one admission. I know, I know, tsk tsk right? But hey, I was a starving student only I wasn't starving for food, just a good deal. I also used to work at several video stores and watched VHS movies, which eventually graduated to DVD movies almost religiously.

As for my music habits well I've been collecting and casually listening to music since I was in middle school and anyone that really knows me knows I used to frequent Tower Records (R.I.P.) and Leopold's records with the kind of regularity like that of going to school. In a sense it was almost like my 9th period with my teacher being anyone from Janet Jackson to Peter Gabriel. I bought Cassette Singles when kids my age were buying baseball cards and plastic bracelets (you know the kind Tiffany or Debbie Gibson wore). Yeah I was listening to them too. My taste in music ranged all over the place and I didn't discriminate. You know when you ask someone what kind of music they like and they'll tell you, "Oh, I like everything!" But then you'll ask them what country songs or what metal songs they listen to and they'll respond, "Oh, I guess I don't really listen to Metal or Country." I literally listen to EVERYTHING. Of course there's genres of music I listen to more regularly than others, everyone has their favorites right? But in general if it's got a beat and it's not talking about killing your family. I'll give it a spin. Heck, even if it doesn't have a good beat I'll still probably listen to it. Ever really listened to some of Philip Glass' more obscure stuff? Not something you can dance in the living room to.

As for gaming, well this is probably the area where my career and occupation really take things to a professional level. Although I've never really worked in the film or music industry, I have spent the latter part of my life in the gaming industry. More specifically console games. I have about 13 years in the industry altogether now and have enjoyed it for the most part.

I would like to get into the film industry next if I had the choice and then possibly try my hand at the music industry as well. Ultimately I think my dream job would be the person that selects the songs in a particular films soundtrack or tv series. I'm a sucker for the the music they play on shows airing on the CW and ABC networks.

Oh I should also mention that I may review from time to time, movies, music and games that are not "new releases". I, like I imagine many of you, love listening to 80's songs and watching Back to the Future or Rear Window for the 16th time. I also enjoy discussing and sharing my love for movies and music that many people may have missed or didn't get enough press or word of mouth. As a matter of fact I almost titled this Blog, "For those that slept..." as a tribute to those movies, songs, and games you may have missed out on. But I didn't want to restrict myself to just those sleeper hits. I want to talk about it all, from the latest Coldplay CD 'Viva La Vida' to the Mindy Smith album 'One Moment More' which I've listened to a hundred times. From 'The Dark Knight' which has definitely stepped up to my top ten best films of all time to 'Roger Dodger', another excellent film but completely polar opposite to the Caped Crusader and the brilliant performance turned in by the late Heath Ledger. Like I said, I have a lot to say.

So finally, allow me to end this first of hopefully many posts with a preface. My opinion is one of literally billions. I don't expect you to agree with me, as a matter of fact I almost assuredly expect you to never quite feel 100% in complete and total agreement with me. But if you do not agree with me, please do not leave a comment that simply states, "your opinion sucks or that movie sucked or you suck". Please. That's just lazy. If you are going to put forth the effort to click a button twice and type something out, make sure you take the time and tell me why my opinion sucks, or why you have such a mixed feeling about my rants and raves. Be as eloquent as possible and try to be respectful. In turn, I will attempt to do the same. Cause in the end, it's all a matter of opinion, it's all subjective and it's all just fun.

I hope in the future you enjoy any entries I post into this blog. And if you are still reading this, I thank you for enduring this longer-than-normal entry, and sticking around to see what's next. Because if you're as enthusiastic about popular culture as I am. We're in for one amazing ride...

See ya soon,
Taek