The Decemberists’ latest album, The Hazards of Love, is my favorite album of the year so far. So when I heard they were striking out on tour, and performing the rock-opera in its entirety I immediately snapped up tickets and began the almost intolerable wait. That wait finally ended Monday when The Decemberists made their way to Columbia, MD, to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion.
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It’s crude. It’s foul. It’s wrong. And it’s fucking hilarious. Director Todd Phillips also brought us Old School, and that’s appropriate, because that’s the last movie that made me laugh this hard. Like Old School it’s the tale of normal guys on their absolute worst behavior, putting themselves in situations that are both disturbing and hilarious. This is the type of comedy that won’t just hold up to a second, third, or 80th viewing, it will get funnier and funnier.
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Whether or not you enjoy X-Men Origins: Wolverine will probably depend on what you are looking for going in. If you’re looking for something with the depth and darkness of The Dark Knight or Watchmen you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re looking for a fun comic book movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you’re in luck. That’s just what the film aspires to be, and it delivers.
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Watchmen is hailed by many critics as the greatest achievement in the the comic book medium. It has garnered praise not only from within the comic book community, but from traditional literary critics. Since its release in 1986 critics and fans have claimed it is unfilmable. It’s too big, has too much back story, and has too many characters. Numerous writers and directors have taken a crack at getting a film adaptation off the ground, but none came close to fruition until Zack Snyder took the reins. Snyder, the polarizing director behind 300 and a remake of Dawn of the Dead, committed himself to making a film that was entertaining and groundbreaking, yet as close to the source material as possible. But as word of Snyder’s involvement spread to Watchmen fans, questions started to crop up. His previous works features eye-popping, groundbreaking visuals, but some felt they came up short on meaning and depth. Would Snyder be able to match his visual flair with the kind of top-notch storytelling required to do Alan Moore’s story justice? Or would he create the cinematic equivalent of a vapid sorority girl: great to look at but boring after an hour?
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Welcome to a new feature here on Pop Culture Will Eat Itself, Rewind Reviews. Periodically we’ll take a look back at an album from the past, and take a look at what made it a classic, a dud, or something in between.
I was 17 years old in 1993. Musically I was just coming of age. I had just left behind the atrocities of Hammer’s 2 Legit 2 Quit and Another Bad Creation’s Coolin’ at the Playground Ya Know!, and had just gone through a Beatles and Zeppelin intervention. I was listening to a lot of grunge, diving heavily into Nirvana, Soundgarden, and especially Pearl Jam. Through high school band I was listening to and playing a lot of classical and jazz. With that mix of music stewing around in my head it’s amazing that I was able to understand and appreciate something that didn’t fit into any category I’d heard before: Björk’s Debut.
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It’s late, and I have to be up really early, so I’ll keep this short. Role Models is funny. Wrong. But funny. If you like to laugh, and aren’t easily offended, go see it. Or if you’re a KISS fan, go see it. If you don’t like jokes about drugs, sex, or gay robots, you may want to skip this one.
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It’s not everyday that you go to see one of your favorite bands and one of your favorite recent discoveries is opening for them. But that’s just what happened when I got to see Blitzen Trapper open for Iron & Wine at Rams Head Live in Baltimore last night. Both bands played to a packed and enthusiastic crowd, and both played great sets. But one of them really surprised me.
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It’s safe to say James Bond, both the character and the franchise, were reinvented in Casino Royale. Sure, James still got the girl, drank the martini, got caught by the bad guy, and found a way to escape. But Daniel Craig’s Bond never had it easy. He struggled. He bled. He bruised. Gone was much of his humor and wit. He was a grittier version of the classic spy.
Skip ahead to Quantum of Solace and you’ll find that little has changed. If anything, Bond got grittier, more stubborn. And this time he’s out for revenge. There’s still the usual action pieces: car chases, foot chases, plane chases, gun fights, fist fights, whatever-you-can-find-to-hit-the-other-guy-with fights. But everything’s a little darker. We’re not really sure Bond is a good guy here. And that adds a cool twist to the whole story.
That being said, on the whole I don’t think Quantum of Solace is quite as well constructed as Casino Royale, and in the end it’s not quite as satisfying. Definitely worth checking out though if you’re a fan of the Bond franchise or just need a good action fix.
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Last night I had the opportunity to attend the Baltimore screening of My Name is Bruce, complete with a Q&A with the man himself. The movie was great (you can read the review if you’d like), and Bruce was pretty funny afterward. I managed to record most of the Q&A, so you can decide for yourself if he should quit acting and just do stand-up:
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How was My Name is Bruce? I can sum it up in three words. Awe. Fucking. Some.
For those who haven’t watched the trailers, My Name is Bruce follows the plight of a small mining town plagued by the Chinese god of war (and bean curd), Guan Di. One of the towns teenage residents kidnaps Bruce Campbell and gets him to help rid the town of Guan Di. The kid kind of thinks Bruce is his Evil Dead series character Ash, and Bruce thinks the whole thing is a stunt. And wackiness ensues.
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