Three films

After months of staying away from the Cinema, this week i've managed to settle into the cushy, rocking seats with oversized cup holders three times for three films. Here's a recap:

Sunday night, Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station:
GRAN TORINO
Rating: Awesomeness X 1,0000



In limited release until tomorrow, I was completely taken by surprise by the awesomeness of this film. Invited to tag along by a fabulous friend of mine, I admit that I had little interest in seeing this movie based upon the less-than-interesting TV spots I had seen. Boy, was I wrong.

Clint Eastwood, who also directs, plays his emotionally closed off curmudgeon to perfection, simultaneously grouchy and lovable despite the barrage of racial slurs coming from his mouth. More than just another movie about a kid and gang violence, Gran Torino examines the relationships that redefine family and bridge cultures and age--and it does it all without without being preachy (*cough* Crash *cough*). Hilarious and shocking, Gran Torino is a fantastic film and I have rarely been more pleased to be proven wrong.


Monday Evening: Regal Cinemas, Atlantic Station:
THE SPIRIT
Rating:  Move along, nothing to see here



Frank Miller, what happened? You are the mind behind Zach Snyder's 300 and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City. You are even responsible for reinventing Batman as The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan owes you big). So how could you make such a lackluster movie?

Instead of a kick-ass comic book flick, The Spirit is downright boring. Rodriguez knew how to adapt a comic book for the silver screen when he took Sin City bigtime back in 2005, but Miller clearly was thinking more like a comic book artist than a director, allowing for long scenes of little movement accompanied by long-winded monologues. Even could-be-awesome lines like "I'm gonna kill you all kinds of dead" could work under different circumstances, but amongst the rampant cheesiness these quotables are just cringe-inducing.

Visually the movie has several striking scenes, as expected from a writer-artist, however they feel like Sin City leftovers at best, and odd distractions at worst. Campy acting by the typically fabulous Scarlett Johansson and super-bad Samuel L. Jackson only draw further attention to the film's many miscalculations: odd product placements, awkward, lengthy flashbacks and, the biggest offender, updating The Spirit to present day and leaving his world devoid of color. In the lead role, Gabriel Macht is one highlight in an otherwise bland movie, but by the end of the film even he can't save the billionth she-is-the-city-and-I-am-her-spirit monologue. Ok, already, we get it.

Tuesday Afternoon: Regal Medlock Crossing:
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Rating: Cinderella's got nothing on this kid



An ode to all the little things we learn in a lifetime wrapped up in an unconventional love story, Slumdog Millionaire is an American fairy-tale set in India. Told mostly in flashback (and done well, unlike The Spirit), the film moves from hilarious moments to ones that are hard to watch, all of which weave together to create the present day scenario--a young man accused of cheating on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. There's a lot of buzz and numerous accolades behind this film and they are all warranted. A fantastic premise and a fantastic director (Danny Boyle) have taken typical themes (boy-finds-girl, boy-loses-girl etc.) and reinvented them to recapture the magic that can only be found in movies. If you go see it, don't leave before the credits--what you see will put a huge smile on your face even if the ending doesn't make you as giddy as it did me.

Blast from the Past

 

Got empty wall space? We can help!

In an otherwise unsurprising article from the AP lamenting the further decline of album sales, I came across this awesome little nugget of information:

Ironically, as digital downloads grew, vinyl album sales also climbed. In 2008, more vinyl albums were purchased (1.88 million) than any other year since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

According to the article, the biggest offenders were Radiohead’s In Rainbows (guilty as charged), The Beatles' Abbey Road and, strangely, Guns N’ Roses' Chinese Democracy.

But what’s causing this surge in vinyl consumption?  As purchasing music without any type of physical form seems to become more and more the norm, it seems strange that the largest and least convenient format for playing music is seeing a surge. One somewhat obvious answer is that the group most likely to still purchase music in a physical form are its most devout fans: the record collector.  Casual music listeners are content to purchase via iTunes (or, much more accurately, download their tunes for free online), but the rock music faithful still seek out hard to find CDs and vinyl records that provide that soothing hum as it spins on the turntable.

Second, vinyl is hip. Even if you don't have a record player, vinyl albums make for great wall decor. Urban Outfitters has been selling record album frames for the past several years, and even Hot Topic is in on the action, selling new vinyl albums for a variety of bands (including the Radiohead LP).

And therein lies one major answer: even with the album collectors and hipster decorators, the truth is that vinyl is more available today than it has been in decades. More bands are releasing new albums in the antiquated format, and more stores--like the aforementioned Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and numerous independent record shops--are offering these versions for sale.

Oh, and many of these vinyl albums come with an added mp3 download of the album. How about that for the best of both worlds? I, for one, am sold.

Conundrum/Congratulations

Which came first, the music or the misery?  A famous question from Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, many times the music is greater when the misery comes first. Some of the greatest, most heartfelt, honest songs and albums have grown from that pit-of-darkness, that inescapable sense of despair. Without it, artists like Elliott Smith, Radiohead and countless others never would have written the albums we love to hear and vent our own miseries to.

But what happens when these musicians take the Partridge Family’s lead and (gasp!) get happy? Bands like Aerosmith certainly took a turn for the worse after kicking their drug habits, but what about misery addition? What happens then? 

 

Zooey and Ben...Gettin' hitched!

Time will certainly tell for Ben Gibbard, the lonesome bard for Death Cab for Cutie. It will be interesting to see if the indie rocker’s repertoire will still consist of cleverly poetic, albeit unrequited, love songs as the shaggy haired frontman has recently become engaged to actress and She & Him chanteuse, Zooey Deschanel. 

Wipe your tears, though, indie boys. Deschanel may be off the market, but it may not mean the end of Gibbard's lonesome cries. Hopefully, though, it will lead to a guest spot on the band's next album, sickeningly cute though it may be. Misery or no, may this new mine produce even greater Death Cab fodder than that found on Narrow Stairs.

Fifty-two

Although in-person interviews are definitely the way to go, sometimes phone interviews certainly have their perks. This is definitely true for singer/songwriter and DIY pioneer Ari Hest. I had the pleasure of speaking with Hest twice this year, first in February for Stereo Subversion, and again in late October for the Sound Bites Dog E-zine and both times his surroundings made for some interesting conversation.

Ari Hest, rockin' DIY | Photo by Reid Rolls 

For the SBD interview, which recently went live, Hest called me up from one of my favorite places: The Container Store. Details, such as where the interviewee is calling from, can give a bit of a glimpse into that person’s life. Hest is obviously the type of guy who shops at The Container Store, a fun detail I was sad to leave out from the article.

Storage chatter aside, the real reason for the interview was to discuss his year-long project, entitled 52. One of my favorite stories from 2008, Hest sought to record and release one song for every week in the year. For those of you counting, that’s 52 songs for 52 weeks. Songs were then sold in a variety of formats via his website, either as a subscription, per song or in seasonal clusters. The best tracks from the year-long endeavor will be compiled for a proper album in 2009.

In some ways a continuation of the conversation he and I began earlier in 2008 over at Stereo Subversion, catching up with Hest for a Q&A for the Sound Bites Dog E-zine sated my curiosity for how well one of the year’s most interesting projects fared. Read all about it, here.

Fan Funded

No band or artist can survive for long making music without fans. It’s kind of a given. However, some bands are finding a new way to incorporate their fans into the recording process. Beyond studio diaries or exclusive studio videos, some independent artists are taking matters into their own hands: asking their fans to help fund their records.

It makes perfect sense. Who wants a band to put out a new album more than the fans? Nobody. Fans can “donate” money in exchange for prizes, which can include anything from a digital or physical copy of the CD, a thank you in the liner notes, or even a chance for the artist to play your living room.

Although joke-metal band Psychostick and pop singer/songwriter Jill Sobule (“Supermodel” from the Clueless soundtrack) raised funds via their own specially set up websites, Bandstocks.com offers artists, such as Patrick Wolf, the chance to, well, basically do the same thing..

The site is set up on a three-tier system. In the first stage fans can vote for bands they would like to have the opportunity to donate money towards. Fans (or “investors”) then donate money to bands or artists, like Wolf, who make it to round two. Then, once the needed amount is raised, albums get put into production and, in addition to getting a copy of the album and other perks, investors can even make a little bit of extra cash if the album does well.

The coolest thing about this new trend is that artists with a loyal fan base don’t have to wait for record labels to take interest anymore. Instead of depending on the labels to put up money for the album upfront, bands and artists can take their needs to the fans. Labels are very quickly becoming a thing of the past, and this is just one more option for struggling musicians to get their music heard.

A Spectacular Accident

The new issue of Athens Blur magazine hit stands last week, with my article on MGMT gracing the cover. Check it out:

 

The issue also features pieces I did on both the soft voiced Denison Witmer and long-lost pop punkers Sugarcult as well as a slurry of other awesomeness.  It's pretty, it's free and it's all over the Classic City. There's no excuse not to pick it up if you're in the area. 

I spoke with Ben Goldwasser for the article. He's a super fellow and much more down to earth than you might expect from one of the year's biggest buzzed bands (need proof? They topped Filter's Top 10 of 2008!).  It's rare to find musicians as shocked at success as Goldwasser and partner-in-crime Andrew Vanwyngarden. 

In other news, the January issue of Blur is shaping up to be great as well.  Just finished up a Q&A with Mike Kennerty of the All-American Rejects and should be chatting up The Bird and The Bee later this week.

Until next time, stay classy, blogosphere.

Never Gonna Give You Up...

Rick Astley has finally really made his mark on American culture. Watch:



Yes. I just Rickrolled you. Or Barack rolled you. Either way good luck getting this song out of your head today. Tee hee.