Beck – Modern Guilt

“Modern Guilt” may be the most inviting Beck album he’s produced, snappier than “Guero”, and dare I say, wispy, clocking in with only 10 tracks and a run time of just under 34 minutes. Though the most ardent Beck fans may pine for the days of “Odelay” or “Sea Change” (his best album, in my opinion), this is definitely accessible and an easy, breezy listen. A few songs stand out, like “Replica”, and “Gamma Ray”, but most... Keep Reading...

Slasher Classics: My Bloody Valentine (1981)

By 1981, slasher flick fever had definitely overtaken the American box office. There were a slew of horror flicks about guys in masks, killers at camps, and even Christmas time wasn’t safe anymore. But what about what was going on in Canada? Things okay up there? Well, not in the town of Valentine Bluffs. Even with free health care, relatively decent cost of living, and plenty of hockey, there were problems with the increase in crime rate. Of course, don’t tell Michael Moore that. This... Keep Reading...

Martini Take – Summer Movies 2008

With the forthcoming weather getting decidedly cooler, and the box office draws becoming decidedly weaker, it’s time to realize that we are entering autumn, one of my favorite times of the year–and, one of my least favorite times of the year. Well, as a filmgoer, at least. I’m sure I’ve chimed in more than once about how much I hate September for movies, and October doesn’t get much better. In fact, things really don’t start getting good until November and December... Keep Reading...

Burn After Reading

The Coen brothers never cease to amaze me, and have been two of the most prominent filmmakers this generation. Ever since their breakthrough debut, “Blood Simple”, they’ve not only made some of the most intriguing, intense and deep-thinking films in the last 25 years, but also some of the most gut-busting hilarious comedies as well. It’s hard to believe sometimes that the same guys who made something as devastating as “Miller’s Crossing” or “Fargo” could also make screwball romps... Keep Reading...

Fringe (FOX)

FOX, Tuesdays @ 8:00pm CT Encore of Pilot Broadcast: Sunday, September 14th, 7:00pm CT Put “Lost”, “Alias”, and “X-Files” in a blender, and this is pretty much what you get, with less endearing main characters and a fairly thin plot for an hour and a half long pilot. The first five minutes were pretty mesmerizing. It felt very similar to when I watched the first episode of “Lost”; just completely gripped by the action. And guess what? This also begins... Keep Reading...

Persepolis

“I had survived a war, and a banal love story nearly killed me.” –Marjane Satrapi This is my favorite line in “Persepolis”, spoken in narration since the film is a retrospective of her younger years and begins and end with her as an adult; the film is based on a graphic novel by Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, and tells the tale of her growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1978. This film is available on DVD, and was released last winter in limited theatres across America,... Keep Reading...