Thursday, January 17, 2008

Cloverfield

I just caught a midnight screening of Cloverfield at the AMC Boston Common.
There's been a lot of hype surrounding the film, which isn't shocking due to cryptic trailers and somewhat unsettling NYC metro posters.

Thing is, it's good.
Or, I think it's good. It could be the Enviga and TERROR speaking.
I'm not going to be an asshole and spoil it all for you.

I will say though that you KNOW the characters in the movie. They are your friends. They talk and act in a way that your friends would. Be that a credit to Drew Goddard or some sweet improv skills on the part of the actors, I don't know.

Sure some of the film is pretty out there as far as logic goes. And a lot of it is tough to watch.

I have to wonder, contextually speaking, if Cloverfield would have caused me to have such a visceral reaction had 9/11 not happened.
I have to wonder if the film would have been made had 9/11 not happened.
Just so you know, this isn't a film ABOUT terrorism...


I guess just see it.
Especially because Lizzy Caplan from Mean Girls is one of the main actors. She is also the most recognizable and actually gets top billing which is great for her. Go Lizzy!

Oh, and skeptics? Yeah, my advice to you is just see the damn thing before some asshole ruins it for you. Remember how you felt watching the first ten or so episodes of LOST? If you liked the show, you were probably petrified. That's how Cloverfield will make you feel.

And you'll never want to ride the subway again.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Arcade Fire tribute guy strikes again

This has been up for awhile, but I felt like this was a decent day to post it:


This guy is pretty amazing. He has a blog which is also a sort of portfolio.

New Media Tuesday: Radiohead, Sunshine. Goldfrapp

Don't count on me to make a habit out of this because I don't actually buy CDs and DVDs every Tuesday BUT: I just picked up In Rainbows at Newbury Comics and got a free drinking glass. Which is great because I don't have a lot of cups.

The packaging for In Rainbows is sort of like a folio with a sleeve for the actual disc that reminds me of what CD singles used to come in. There are some glossy inserts as well that I assume are meant to be used in a jewel case (not included). They even have instructions for how to adhere them to a jewel case. I guess. Interesting. Definately not the disc box to be certain, but certainly amusing.

I've yet to watch or even read the back of Sunshine, but I assume it will be pretty rad. I already have ideas for a tribute video set to Muse's "Starlight". Seriously, think about it. It works creepily well. Or, someone else could just make it for me and link to it here... I'll give you a veggie dog.

Finally, the music blogs are abuzz with opinions on Goldfrapp's new single and video for "A&E". The video (sorry kids, embedding is disabled) is certainly adorable, but the song ain't no "Ooh La La":


And, in local WTF news: The ABP in Brattle Square is no more. Not that I'm a huge fan of ABP, but it was right near my Tues/Sun job and was reliably quick. Today I was forced to finagle a bagel, and my stomach has been hating me ever since.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Resolution/There will be no country for old men

I bet you're probably wondering what I have resolved to do this year, beloved solo reader. I bet it has been keeping you up at night, nagging you like an unfortunate case of poison sumac.

Rest easy dear friend for I have the antidote to your irritated flesh: My New Years Resolution.

I resolve to write more.
I know CRAZY. Especially for someone who spent five hard years in college studying away for a degree in writing ( to be fair, two of those years were spent studying Art and Music - lot of good that did me).

That said, I've seen two films in the past three days: No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood by The Coen Brothers and P.T. Anderson respectively. Both are heavy dramas with subtle touches of the absurd. Both films filled me with dread and unease. Both were period pieces that utilize desolate landscapes to showcase the greed and insanity of the main characters.

And of course, both have already gotten critical acclaim up the wazoo, so everything I'm saying is just another drop in the bucket.

I'm not sure how much longer these films will be in theaters, but I do recommend seeing them. I take no responsibility for any loss of sleep relating to Daniel Day Lewis's mustache or Javiar Bardem's hair.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the release of Be Kind Rewind, Michel Gondry's latest effort just to lighten my mood. Seriously, I think 2007 was the year of the Sweeping But Unsettling Epic.

Or just the year of the slow-talkin Texan:





Friday, January 4, 2008

Friend Blog

You know what you should read? My friend Cullen's blog: http://www.cinema-journal.blogspot.com/

I love this kid.
Seriously, thanks again for putting me up on NYE, and for introducing me to one helluva diner. I owe you one.

Friday, December 21, 2007

The First Annual pop*creep Year-End Best Of

Hello, this is your friendly neighborhood pop*creep dropping by for what has turned out to be one of my very rare visits. The rarity of said "visits" may in fact be a gift bestowed upon you, dear (and likely to be singular) reader by the Internet Gods.

Be that as it may, I have decided to crawl from beneath the protective covering of my favorite red hoodie, cuddle deep within the cushions of my couch, crack open some containers of delivery curry, and present to you the First Ever pop*creep Year End Best Of.

____________________________________________________



Let's start this thing nice and easy with:


The Written Word

I didn't read many books in 2007, and the books that I did read were published before 2000. That said, there shall be no "best book" this year.

I did however read Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 8 religiously this year. It may not have been the Snooty McSnooterson Best Comic EVER, but it has consistently been enjoyable, most notably a four issue series written by Y's Brian K. Vaughn (he also writes for Lost). The series may not be 100% enjoyable for non-Scoobies, but it is certainly worth a peek.


I spend a lot of time waiting for phones to ring at one of my jobs. This means I spent a lot of time on the internet reading blogs (which, unlike pop*creep are generally updated on a daily basis).

These were the blogs I visited most frequently in 2007

Jezebel
Go Fug Yourself
Defamer
The A.V. Club

Idolator


Yes Gawker Media, you win again.

Webcomics of Note

Married to the Sea
Questionable Content
American Elf

Best Tribute Video



Film

I see a lot of movies. I mean, a lot. Usually about two a week. The fact that 2007 was an exceptional year for film doesn't make narrowing things down all that simple.

Let's go by genre:

Drama

Atonement: This adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel is nothing short of haunting. It is sexy, gorgeous and brooding. Actually, no... that's just James McAvoy. Let's face it, no one could quite match his brood-osity this year (seriously, here he is in Becoming Jane ... I watched so you didn't have to). You've come a long way, Mr. Tumnus. I digress. I DID enjoy the film for non-McAvoy reasons. Joe Wright is able to turn a brief tryst in a library into the hottest love scene of the year - even though Mr. McAvoy has gone on record as saying it was the most uncomfortable sex scene he'd ever filmed. Ah, celluloid... how you make the lies so very pretty.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Another adaptation done astoundingly well. The film stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck as the titular assassinated and assasin respectively. I actually saw this film twice - all 160 minutes of it. Everything is just spot on, and I really can't say enough about this film. You need to see it, if only because Nick Cave has a hilarious cameo...

Control: A fine film about Ian Curtis and Joy Division rendered in marvelous inky black and white. Heavy, poetic, and redolent of sorrow. Tough to watch if you've lost someone to such circumstances.

Comedy

Lars and the Real Girl: When I first read that this film was being made, my jaw hit the floor. I have a strange fascination with Real Dolls, and I have for a few years now. I couldn't believe that someone had written a screenplay on the topic, let alone that people seemed to be taking it SERIOUSLY. When the film finally opened in Boston in October what I saw was by far one of the most touching stories of the year. If Ryan Gosling isn't nominated for an Oscar for this film, it is a damn shame. His portrayal of Lars is nothing but sensitive and genuine.

Juno: A lot has already been made of Juno. I know that it will inevitably become dated and over-quoted, but for now let's just enjoy it for what it is: A great, hilarious comedy about what it is like to be 16, cynical, and knocked up. Finally, there's a teen girl in film I can relate to ( at least the cynical part) - too bad she popped up a decade too late. Yes, a lot of the film is "precious", but it is worth seeing just for how it portrays aging gen-Xers.

Documentary

SiCKO: Oh Micheal Moore... there you go again with the provocation and the selective fact-sharing. Except for this time you're doin' it for a good cause. We all know that the American healthcare system is nothing short of a joke, but you've made it more apparent, and more urgent. Good on you. Keep it up.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters: This is actually probably my favorite film of 2007. I don't really care about arcade games... but I care about Steve Wiebe. This film did not make the shortlist for the Oscars. Seriously, what is the Academy smoking?

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Sunshine: Danny Boyle is a genre-hopping genius. Some folk had bones to pick with this somewhat flawed film. Yeah, the science wasn't sound. There were plot holes. But fucking hell, what a gorgeous film. Underworld did a wonderful job with the score as well. I am looking forward to the DVD release so I can figure out how the hell the FX were pulled off.

The Golden Compass: You know what? It wasn't that great... but I loved every second of it. It is a shame that the Church had to go and get up in everyon'es grill about the God stuff... we all know they're just not down with Phillip Pullman's outspokenness on his atheism. Whatever, Fun movie. Will look great next to my Narnia special edition.

Bad FIlms
La Vie En Rose: Over-rated crap-fest of a movie. BORING.
Interview: Painful to watch, horrid characters. Let's hope Buscemi's next effort is more appealing.
I Am Legend: I got food poisoning and almost passed out half-way through the film. I chose to blame it and not the broccoli I consumed beforehand.
The Ten: Really just not that funny. I expected more from you, Paul Rudd and former cast members of the State.
Spider-Man 3: Oh, that one just hurt.
Evan Almighty: I saw this on a bus. 'Nuff said.

Music

Albums
1. Arcade Fire Neon Bible
2. Blonde Redhead 23
3. The National Boxer
4. Nine Inch Nails Year Zero and Year Zero Remixed
5. Patrick Wolf The Magic Position
6.
Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
7.
PJ Harvey White Chalk

Live

Arcade Fire: Boston, Orpheum
Neil Young: Boston, Orpheum
Aqueduct: Cambridge, Middle East Upstairs
Modest Mouse/Man Man: Boston, Orpheum
Sxip's Hour of Charm (week two): Cambridge, Zero Arrow Theater
Mew: Boston, Paradise

And: I assume that the Decemberists would have been fucking incredible. I had tickets to both nights of the Long of it and Short of it tour, but it was canceled due to illness. I hope that whoever was ill is on the mend.

TV
I do not have cable - I have rent! I did however get some television viewing in before the WGA strike.
-Heroes sort of blew this year, but Tim Kring (creator) agrees, and he promises to try harder next time. Yay!
- PBS's The War was pretty awesome. Not that anything Ken Burn's does is short of awesome. Except for his hair. Seriously.
-Remember when Lost was on? You know, aside from that whole fertility plot line, it wasn't that wretched.
-You know what show was amazing? Andy Barker, P.I.. Obviously it was destined for cancellation from the get-go. Come on, anything produced by Conan O'Brien and starring Andy Richter is way too good to be true. Let's hope for a DVD release.



That, thankfully, is all I've got dear exhausted reader. Hopefully 2008 will bring me more time for writing projects like this one.



Sunday, September 9, 2007

How the hell are ya?

Ahem...
Well this place has fallen into disuse...
My only excuse is that I currently work three jobs and tend to be so tired by the time I limp home at night that I am just too far gone to write in this thing. That said, here is a massive update:



You probably don't know who this is, but I can assure you, he is 100% awesome. This is Steve Wiebe. He is a junior high science teacher from Washington. I don't actually know him, but if I ever meet him, I am going to give him a firm handshake and a pat on the back. You can learn all about Steve and one of the greatest rivalries of all time by catching a showing of "King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters". This is a film about video games, the people who play them, and above all, human nature. It'll warm your heart and split your sides. It is easily the best film I've seen this year, no lies.





Hey, did you know that On The Road is 50 years old as of about a month ago? You did? Alright then. Well, I somehow managed to get through high school and college without ever reading it. I'm currently in the middle, and I guess I understand the hype. Kerouac had this crazed, stream of conscious as-it-happens style which can both grate and delight. I actually haven't decided which side I'm on. I do know that, every time someone catches me reading the book at work they have something to say about it. That could be because I live in Massachusetts and Jack lived in Lowell. Hometown heroes and all of that. I keep thinking "this defined a generation? Ok..." We'll see how I feel at the end of it all. I'm sure it will end up being a lifelong favorite. Maybe.





Avacado sandwiches. Oh man.
How to make the best avacado sandwich evar:
1 ripe avacado
2 slices of swiss cheese
2 slices of focaccia bread
2 tbs of Newman's Own Honey Mustard
whole leaf spinach
1/2 ripe tomato
optional: two slices of tofurkey

Alright... I think you can figure out how to construct a sandwich...



This is Louis Theroux.
I'm basically in love with him.
Yes, he's a British documentarian. You can see a great example of his work here: The Most HAted Family In America
The subject matter is close to my heart as the Phelps family actually wrote horrible things about my late friend Corey on their website and threatened to protest at his funeral in March of 2006. I digress... that isn't the reason I'm in love with Louis. Come on, look at the guy. And watch his work. DROOL. He's like British Colin Meloy... except for being lead singer of British Decemberists he's...uh...
Fuck, I'm twitterpated.

And finally:



Alright, a part of me hates to see summer end... but that part of me is easily silenced by the part of me that LOVES autumn brews, my favorite of which is Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Yes, this brew basically tastes like the smell of fall. Smooth, woody, with a nice hint of pumpkin.

That's all I got, kids.

pop*creep recommends

gofugyourself: This is my current guilty pleasure blog.
well, that and
Jezebel: I admit it, I like me some celebrity and fashion gossip now and then, and I defiantly prefer it from these ladies. They might be 100% against airbrushing and unrealistic ideals... but they aren't too proud to admit it when they see a cute pair of shoes.