Saturday, July 30, 2011

Kings of Leon Quit Halfway Through Dallas Show

Last night's Dallas show took a turn for the strange when Caleb complained of "not having his voice." Then after only a handful of songs, he left the stage and didn't return. I've watched a collection of videos from the incident and the dude was clearly drunk off his ass. I sure hope he gets his shit straight for Tuesday's Tampa show or I and my fellow hatchers will be pissed. However, if the notorious, self proclaimed drinker needs to get some help, then so be it. Now this is pure speculation of my part. Maybe his voice was shot or maybe he was sick, only he knows, but in light of Amy Winehouse's death, I'd rather see him take care of himself than see him continue on a downward spiral. Below are two videos from the show. First one is Caleb's strange behavior and the second is the apology by his brother Jared and cousin Matthew. "Fuckin' hate Caleb, not us."


WTF Caleb?



Sucks to be the messengers.

Top Ten Kings of Leon Songs: Part II

How one commercial changed my life.

So I’m a bit ashamed to admit this because I don’t wanna lose any street cred, but it’s the right thing to do. Okay here it goes. I learned about the Kings of Leon via a Jetta commercial. You know the one, where the free spirited couple dances to the sounds of "Molly’s Chamber"? Well after that commercial, I said, who is that band and why don’t I know about them? Six years, five albums, a couple of EPs, two concerts (soon to be a third) and one Jetta later, they have become one of my favorites. On a side note, the car choice was not influenced by the commercial; it was mostly for gas mileage reasons. Now that said Jetta will serve its purpose this coming Tuesday, when my fellow hatchers, some hatchlings and I head to Tampa to see K.O.L. If you’ve never seen them live, I encourage you to check ‘em out. They put on an amazing concert (I’ll forever remember the St. Augustine Amphitheater) and I don’t expect anything short of that. I just hope that they perform most of the songs from my splendid Top Ten K.O.L. songs list… And here it is in all of its glory.

1. "Crawl", Only By The Night, 2008

Every time the drums come crashing in at the beginning of this song, if I’m driving, I nearly crash my car because I have to play the air drums. So if you see a crazed man on I- 95 impersonating Nathan Followill, my best advice would be to just ignore him, steer clear and maybe even find the nearest off ramp. They led with this song when they opened for Pearl Jam in 2008. Instantly, I fell in love and that love hasn’t died yet.

2. "Black Thumbnail", Because Of The Times, 2007

This really could be 1B. When the chorus hits, it will melt your face and I guarantee you will have to turn it up. It’s probably one of their hardest songs and I wish they would revert back to it on their next installment. “Don’t leave no smell on me.”

3. "Spiral Staircase", Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

As you can see, I enjoy the frantic, heavy, fast paced Kings. And who doesn’t want to feast on a sex show? I’ve had conversations with Tiffany and Nick and if my fuzzy mind serves me, I believe they hold up Because Of The Times, me, I take their debut over all of them and it will become very obvious before I finish my list.

4. "No Money", Come Around Sundown, 2010

In the past, I’ve been very critical of this album. I believe I said something about artists growing and changing, but for some reason this album has not kept me entertained. So when an upbeat tune like this one shows up in the mire of Jimmy Buffet songs, it’s going to grab my attention. I want to love this album. I just can’t quite get there yet.

5. "Notion", Only By The Night, 2008

Although it followed the arena template of "Sex On Fire" and "Use Somebody", I really enjoy this song. I probably attribute that to Nathan’s drums. I’ve always thought that his drum play is a major part of their sound, but in my opinion, on Only By The Night, his heavy play really took center stage. This song is a great example.





6. "Molly’s Chamber", Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

Ahh, the one that started it all. The song that has made me spend a hefty amount of money on CDs, magazines and concert tickets. I would like to thank VW for this and also for making a pretty decent car as well. By the way, occasionally late at night, I blast this and dance like there is no tomorrow. It’s not a pretty sight. Think white man’s overbite. Also, I would like to time this moment to say sorry to my neighbors.

7. "Joe’s Head", Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

Who hasn’t wanted to burst into their house to blast a cheatin’ girlfriend and her lover? Joe had enough and that’s just what he did. This tune kinda reminds me of 70’s southern rock. It has a Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers feel to it. “It’s too late for apologies, they’re falling at my feet.”

8. "Four Kicks", Aha Shake Heartbreak, 2004

Who’s Huffman? Who cares this song kicks serious ass!

9. "Holy Roller Novocaine", Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

“Lord’s gonna get us back.” Although that might be the case, we’re still going to the top of the mountain and “don’t worry baby you won’t feel a thing.” Like many K.O.L. songs, this one is laced with outright sexual references. You know what some say, “rock ‘n’ roll is the devil’s music.” If that’s true, he’s got really good taste.


10. "Pyro", Come Around Sundown, 2010

As you can see, this is the only slow song in my Top Ten. I think they have written some great slow songs over the years; like "The Runner", "Arizona", "Revelry", "Cold Desert" and even the lesser known "Wicker Chair". "Pyro" falls into that category. This one has the passion and soul that I’m looking for from these guys. It doesn’t feel mailed it like so many of the other songs from this album.




One more song! One more song! One more song!…… clap, clap, clap, wooo, wooo, wooo, screammmmmmm. Here are three for ya:

11. "Trani", Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

Even they need love too. The last 1:25 classic!

12. "Wasted Time", Holy Roller Novocaine EP, 2003

Fellas we’ve all been there before, haven’t we? “Shakin' your apple right in my face, only when you know that I'm beggin' for a bite.”

13. "The End", Come Around Sundown, 2010

It’s a very good opener from a mediocre effort. “I’ll forever roam.”

Friday, July 29, 2011

Escape by Talking to Your Dog: Beginners

There’s a scene in director Mike Mills’ new drama Beginners featuring the child version of Ewan McGregor’s character Oliver and his mother, played by Mary Page Keller. Oliver’s mother tells him to go in his room when he’s feeling emotional and scream – “It’s cathartic,” she explains. He stands in silence in his room for a few moments and then walks back out to his mother. “I don’t feel like screaming,” he tells her. This scene is important to remember, because the film revolves around withholding our emotions and what it can lead to.

McGregor’s Oliver is a 38-year-old artist dealing with two big relationships – one with his dying father Hal (Christopher Plummer), who came out of the closet after Oliver’s mother died, and another with a young French actress named Anna (Mélanie Laurent), whom Oliver falls for.

The film opens at a point after most films usually stop. Hal has died from cancer and Oliver is throwing away his medicine and other possessions. We then see him on the beach, shooting off fireworks with Hal’s friends as a memorial service of sorts. Hal’s lover, Andy (Goran Visnjic), is an aspiring pyrotechnician or something, so he’s handy with explosions. It isn’t long before we flash back to a time when Hal was still alive. At one point early in the film, Oliver mentions that, after his mother got sick, she sort of skipped around in time in her head, implying that she had Alzheimer’s or dementia. Similarly, the film itself is nonlinear and skips around in time quite a bit. We see Oliver after Hal has died, we see him while Hal is still living, we see Oliver as a young boy visiting museums with his mother. This technique could have been jarring, but Mills pulls it off with quirky and artistic flair.

The core of the film is Hal and his relationship with Oliver. The older man represents what happens when we deny ourselves that catharsis. He spent most of his life and his entire marriage repressing and withholding his true feelings and emotions. A scene where Hal and Oliver talk about Oliver’s mother is painful, with Hal assuring Oliver that he truly did love his mother. Plummer is great as Hal, managing to produce both a restrained acceptance of the man’s fate and an embrace of what remains of his new life.

Oliver’s relationship with Anna is just as interesting. They meet at a costume party and hit it off that night. I'd like to point out that someone was bound to fall for Oliver – he had his dog with him, looked sad, was emotionally vulnerable, and he was dressed like old Dr. Sigmund Freud (we find out later that Anna has some daddy issues of her own). Inglorious Basterds’ Laurent gets another opportunity to feature in some pretty emotional scenes in this role, and she’s perfect.

I said that the film is about two big relationships, but there’s a third that’s pretty important too. After Hal died, Oliver inherited his co-dependent Jack Russell, the dog he brings to the costume party (and everywhere else). A big part of the film is how we don’t communicate with others, and ourselves, and oddly enough, Oliver’s dog talks occasionally throughout the film via subtitles. Although Oliver seems to understand him at times, I think the dog represents the fear of expresssing oneself. Another example of this is the fact that Anna pretended to have laryngitis when she first met Oliver at the costume party.

The idea that we have to live a certain way is prevalent in the film, and I’m not just talking about Hal’s marriage. As an artist, Oliver is known for his portraits, but he struggles throughout the film to find acceptance for the sad art that he’s passionate about. The past is a boulder weighing down on us in one of his drawings. Oliver also tells his dog that the only reason that he wants to chase tennis balls is because he was bred that way – someone put the desire to chase foxes in his brain long ago. “You chase tennis balls because it’s as close to the fox as you’re gonna get,” he tells him.

Oliver’s relationship with Anna throughout the film seemed to represent his father’s own relationship with Oliver’s mother. Anna meets Oliver when he’s disguised at the costume party, and I saw that as similar to his father wearing a “disguise” as a straight man. Anna knew that Oliver ended all of his previous relationships, much like Oliver’s mother knew that his father was gay but thought she could change him. The viewer starts to wonder if Oliver and Anna are destined to end up like their parents, plagued by a lack of communication. Anna’s father similarly doesn’t communicate with his wife, choosing instead to burden his daughter with disturbing thoughts that I won't reveal here.

The film is actually based on Mills' own experiences after his father came out of the closet at 75, and the director handles the issues gay men and women face with respect and compassion. The pain of trying to “cure” yourself – Hal mentions that he would have tried anything back when he and Oliver’s mother first got engaged. The dread Andy feels over alienating or threatening straight men like Oliver.

We can struggle a long time to achieve catharsis, sometimes all of our lives. In a scene towards the end of the film, Oliver, Hal and a group of friends are shooting off some of Andy’s fireworks. Remember that Hal’s wife thought she could change him, and stop him from being gay, but she couldn’t. She assumed he was the least emotional in the family, but we see Hal at the end of the film being more emotional and free than ever. He finally got out from under the boulder. Oliver is impressed and overwhelmed by the fireworks and lets out a long and resounding “Fuck!” The others join in, and the scene ends with Hal and Oliver screaming together, smiles on their faces. 




Favorite Scene Friday! Joe Versus The Volcano: Joe Sees the Moon

This is the best scene from one of my favorite movies.  Joe, exhausted, dehydrated and near death, sees the moon.  He doesn't just look at it - he really sees it, almost as if he's discovering it for the very first time.  In doing so, finds the ultimate cure for his soul-sickness. 

Its a good lesson for all of us.  Sometimes we forget how big the moon is.  Sometimes we lose sight of how beautiful and amazing life really is.  This scene never fails to bring a tear to my eye (but I'm a big sap anyway).  Enjoy!


Thursday, July 28, 2011

Top Ten Kings Of Leon Songs …

In honor of the Escape Hatch crew traveling Back Down South to Tampa for the upcoming Kings Of Leon/Band Of Horses concert, a few of us decided to make our own Top Ten KoL lists.  I’m not sure how to introduce one of the most kick-ass rock and rollbands out there without saying something that hasn’t been said before.  I’m a longtime fan of the Kings and have been following them since their 2003 debut album, Youth And Young Manhood.  I’ve noticed their music mature over the past eight years, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s gotten better.  I’d say it’s kept right on rollin’ like a train under blue skies with whiskey eyes.  So without further adieu . . .  

1.       Red Morning Light, Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

I’ve mentioned my affinity for this song once before hence the appearance at number one.  It’s fast.  It’s rough.  It’s young.  It’s spawning.  It’s a good ‘ol southern time.  What else can I say?

2.       Happy Alone, Youth & Young Manhood, 2003

Officially track number two on the debut album (after number one here no less), this one just kept the train a’rolling.  I was nearly taken aback when I heard this album take off.  I love the flow of the entire song.  I’ll say it after no one cares and I’ll say it here:  I called it back in ’03 when I bought this album on a whim.  I knew the Kings would blow up.  And I knew they’d be essential in my repertoire. 

3.       Woo Hoo, Split: Kings of Leon & Black Rebel Motorcyle Club – EP, 2007

This isn’t a very common tune among my circle of circles and at first take it didn’t strike my fancy as I’d hoped when I purchased it from iTunes.  After the third listen though, I was hooked.  The kicking drum beat Nathan lays out at the beginning is slender yet destructive and when the guitar starts singing the title, I dig it.  I really dig it.

4.       California Waiting, Holy Roller Novocaine – EP, 2003

I chose this one off of the EP simply because I can understand the lyrics better (it’s also track number six on Youth . . .).  I like the slowed tempo in this version too.  It’s a bit more personal, no?  And it’s easier for me to sing along too, which I prefer when trying to drive through Jacksonville traffic (almost died today – long story, no time).

5.       No Money, Come Around Sundown, 2010

I didn’t catch a lot of feedback on this album, but then again I wasn’t looking.  I like it.  I dig the exploration.  All four of the Kings recreated, in their own way along with the rest of the band, a genre song of their nostalgic nature.  Some work incredibly well, some are okay, worthy efforts at best, nonetheless I like the freedom and when I used to daydream about being in a band I would ponder the awesomeness of the exact direction this album took.  Every member contributing a song (not a cover) representing the reason why we, the fans, are listening in the first place.  Representing what drove them to accomplish what we talentless rock and rollers, i.e. writers, cannot.


6.       True Love Way / Ragoo / Fans, Because Of The Times, 2007

I’m going to cheat and group these together.  Yes, they flow that well.  Give them a listen and deny the fluid.  I dare you.  From the opening riff on True Love . . . and the quirky rock~n~rolling of Ragoo to the screaming crowd in the background of Fans, I can’t get off the idea that this should be one song.  It’s evident that there was no intention by the Kings to have a ten-minute track introduce the second half of . . . The Times, but I like to believe that maybe one day, next week perhaps?, I’ll hear these tracks performed in one go-round live on stage.
7.       Arizona, Because Of The Times, 2007

The Kings have a certain knack for closing out their albums with an appropriate vibe.  This one reverberates worldwide.  Like a hot, sticky dream, this one clings to you far after you’ve put down the headphones and sighed off under the drunken moonlight. 

8.       Closer, Only By The Night, 2008

This is the only . . . By The Night track I felt compelled to add.  Look, I’m happy as hell that these guys finally got the recognition they deserved, but in my opinion this is their worst album.  And by worst, I mean poppy.  And I by poppy, I mean blah . . .  Honestly, is the chorus to Sex On Fire not nearly the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?  Yet, I really like the song.  I’ve sung along way too loud way too many times that I care to admit, but after a while I really started pondering the cheesiness of “. . . your sex is on fire . . .”  I mean, what the hell?  Anyway, I don’t want to come off as too crude but 17 annoys the shit out of me.  Always has.  I can put Cold Desert and Crawl up there with some of my other favorites that didn’t make this list (McFearless, Trani, Molly’s …, Knocked Up, Back Down South, etc.), but I cannot and will not pay flattery to Use Somebody.  I should say that I can also groove to the Manhattan / Revelry combo, but nothing on this album aside from the kicking opener stands out to me. 


9.       Day Old Blues, Aha Shake Heartbreak, 2004

You’re probably scratching your head on this one after the rant I just laid down, but I was born the “illegitimate son of a rock and rollstar” and I dig the Blues, man.  I may stand alone with my opinion, but I like to think that together we’ll never fail.  I grovel at the gritty calmness bestowed by the guitars and drums behind Caleb’s southern drawl.  I heard once that when he pinches his voice with each “. . . Blu-hoo’s . . .” a fellow fish takes another drink.   

10.   Rememo, Aha Shake Heartbreak, 2004

Did I mention my affinity for the Kings closing tracks yet?  Well, in addition to all of that, I’ll add that the aural pleasure of a clearly stated, “Motherfucker,” deserves a well earned recognition where I come from.  It’s a dreamy barroom song and I like to crack a beer when I hear the intro.  In closing I’d like to say that I have no idea what “Rememo” means, but it’s a cool Blues tune and that’s why it closes out my Top Ten Kings Of Leon Songs.

A little off-kilter, I know, but it’s hard for a longtime fan to pick only ten songs.  I’d say these ten encompass everything I love about the Kings.  And I’m as excited as hell for the big show in Tampa.  This will be my third outing with the Kings and if I’m thinking trilogy, which I am, duh, I’m thinking grand finale.  So that’s it, hope you enjoyed . . . wait . . . wait . . . what’s that . . . an encore?  Oh right, right, I nearly forgot.  Yes folks, we still have a little more Top Ten for you here in the Escape Hatch.  Why, you ask?  Because here in the Escape Hatch, everything’s off-kilter . . .

11.   Mi Amigo, Come Around Sundown, 2010

I’m taking another one from the post Grammy album.  I love the lyrics in this tune and it sounds like they were having fun playing it.  Maybe they had a good day in the studio, I don’t know, but the lyrics make me laugh and the riff (indeed its explosion at the end) is too catchy to ignore.

12.   Slow Night, So Long, Aha Shake Heartbreak, 2004

This song made up the encore of both concerts I’ve been to and rightly so as it is a proper fit.  Hands down, the Kings are the best album opening/ending band out there.  Every two songs on every album cradle you like a mother’s arms rocking and rolling.  I’m choosing this one as my final closer (hmm, that sounds weird) specifically for the “hidden” song at the end.  Neither shows I’ve been to have included the “Too Good To Tangohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rememo portion of this track and I’m hoping that if they still use it they’ll include it next week.  That may well be considered a grand finale

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Every Tuesday is Like Christmas Morning

New Music Tuesday - On the Lookout

Unfortunately for most of us, the older we get the less we have to look forward to. Now before you go gettin' all depressed on me, let me explain. You know when you were a kid and every little thing was a big deal? Things like summer vacations, sleepovers, county fairs, birthdays, friends’ birthdays, the tooth fairy, dressing up for Halloween, going Easter egg hunting and of course Santa. Well for some reason, one by one, all of those "big deal" things start to lose their luster. Chalk it up to adult responsibilities, growing out of it or maybe just pure cynicism.

That’s why Tuesday, (I should actually refer to it as I officially call it, New Music Tuesday), is so very important. For me, every Tuesday is like Christmas Day morning. Like a little kid, I’m fidgety, anxious and have a hard time concentrating on anything else. So when the work whistle blows, (do whistles still blow?), I rush home to my computer so I can sit down and listen to what's new. Ok I confess, like when I was a kid, sometimes I do take a Christmas Eve peek. Occasionally, I check my phone at 1:00 am after getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Hey come on, cut me a little slack, at least I don’t do it at the same time, well not always.

And then there are those special Tuesdays, like Christmas, when you know that the gift you want is under the tree, those Tuesdays, when an artist I love releases a new album. Those glorious Tuesdays when I can go out, grab it off of the rack, break through that annoying cellophane and hold the CD in my hands while I take the new songs in. Now I don't want you to get your hopes too high because as great as those Tuesdays are, regrettably there are some dress socks and underwear Tuesdays as well, but we won't talk about those, it's just too painful.

Well without further delay here is my effort to alert you about some of the upcoming Tuesdays (I even throw in a Thursday and Friday for ya) and also a list of what you can expect for the year to come. Of course I don’t have everything, but I do have what I consider to be the most significant releases. If you don’t already enjoy your Tuesdays like me, I hope this list will help get you excited.

7/26
Release the Sunbird (Zack Rogue) - Come Back to Us

8/2
Mat Kearney - Young Love

8/9
The Horrors - Skying Out
Jeff Bridges - Jeff Bridges


8/16
Mister Heavenly - Out of Love

8/30
Lenny Kravitz - Black and White America
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I’m With You
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Am I The Enemy

9/1 - (Thursday)
The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania

9/13
Bush - The Seas of Memories
The Kooks - Junk of the Heat
Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing
Staind - Staind

9/20
Kasabian - Velociraptor

9/27
Wilco - The Whole Love
Blink-182 - Neighborhoods

10/4
John Mayer - Born and Raised
We Were Promised Jet Packs - In The Pit of My Stomach
Mastodon - The Hunter

10/18
Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

11/8
Wolfmother - Untitled

11/11 (Friday)
Angels and Airwaves - Love II

Here is a list of TBD for 2011/2012 and quite a list it is. Start booking your concerts for the summer of 2012.

2011
The Black Keys
Bloc Party
(2012)
Chevelle
Coldplay
The Killers
Mumford & Sons
(2012)
No Doubt
Pearl Jam
(2012)
Phoenix
Ryan Adams
(2012) - crossing my fingers on this one Tiff !!!
Tenaciuos D - Rise of The Phoenix
Van Halen w/ David Lee Roth

2012
Delta Spirit
Dr. Dog
Frightened Rabbit
The Mars Volta
Metallica
Muse
Queens Of The Stone Age
Slipknot
Soundgraden
Tool
U2



Monday, July 25, 2011

Music Video Monday! Aerosmith: Cryin'

Not only is Aerosmith’s Cryin’ an awesome rock n’ roll song, it’s also an amazing music video.  I'll never forget the first time I saw it, and it had a pretty big influence on me as a pre-teen girl (this would be the cue for parents everywhere to shake their heads in disapproval and curse the effects of MTV on the youth of our great nation). 

The video gives us a glimpse into the life of a character played by Alicia Silverstone.  Most people remember Alicia for her role in the 90’s classic Clueless, but to me, she will forever be that uber-cool rocker chick from the Cryin’ video.  You see, Alicia’s character is angry.  She’s had her heart broken by her boyfriend, played by Stephen Dorff.  She’s mad as hell and she has no problem showing it in the most satisfying ways.  She was the coolest girl I had ever seen and I was in complete awe of her.

To sum it up, watching the Cryin’ video led me to promise myself that my future would include four critically important things:  1) flannel, 2) a navel piercing, 3) a tattoo and 4) bungee jumping off of an overpass above a busy highway and flipping my boyfriend the bird while doing it, all with a smile on my face.  Just so you know – the first three have been achieved.  I’m still working on the fourth.  Happy watching!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Favorite Scene Friday! Raising Arizona: Gale and Evelle Forget Jr.

Starting today, we'll be posting one of our favorite scenes every Friday for your viewing pleasure.

My first choice is a scene from 1987's Raising Arizona. Not a bad way to kick things off. If you haven't seen this early Coen Brothers classic, check it out soon. So many things about this scene are great. Namely, William Forsythe before he got some facial hair and badassness, and a pre-Walter Sobchak John Goodman being insane. And round is a pretty funny shape if you think about it. Happy Friday!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Now Hear This! : Some New, Some Old

So there are times when I catch a song before everyone else and then there are other times when I catch it almost a year later. Either way I'm a winner because I’ve found something new and lately when it comes to new music, I am, as the late Charlie Sheen once said, “Winning!" What? Oh he’s not dead? Oops, my bad. Anyways recently I’ve come across a naked alt/punk band getting back together, a British band trying to reach the high bar set by the Arctic Monkeys, another Canadian band the size of a small army, a two-piece similar to The Black Keys, a so called “super group” and a song & video, from October 2010, that make me wanna be a kid again. It’s always fun finding new stuff, but even better when you can pass it along to others. Enjoy and Happy listening!

















Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Batch o' Hatch: Post Potter, Kings of Leon Concert, and An Insidious DVD Player

Post Potter

Harry Potter. It’s all over. Frowny faces abound. I won’t be writing a review about Deathly Hallows 2 – too much has been and will be said, plus I could never do it justice – but I will say that it was a great film, the sort of film that escapism is all about. If you don’t get lost in films and books like Harry Potter, well, why are you reading this blog?

The picture below is my ticket from the first film about 10 years ago and the ticket from the last movie. Kind of proud of the fact that I held on to the first one. Also, check out the price on it! The ticket for DH2 cost about $8.50…


What I did want to write about is the future of the three main stars. I was going to write all of what follows about Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as a separate post, but it feels a little People magazine or something. So…

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel’s got The Woman in Black coming out in 2012. It’s a horror film set in Victorian (?) England about a young lawyer investigating a house for some reason (lawyers do that, yes?) who runs in to a ghost at said house. I’m pretty excited about this film, actually. Straight horror is an interesting choice for Radcliffe.


Emma Watson

Coming up in November she’s got My Week with Marilyn, a pic featuring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, and I also just found out through Arrow in the Head that, supposedly, none other than Guillermo del Toro is cooking up a new take on Beauty and the Beast for her. Should be interesting with del Toro involved in some capacity.

A lot of folks might not know that the reason Emma recently cut her hair so short is that she was trying to nab the role of Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Anyone who’s read the books or seen the original films should know how…interesting that would have been. The more recent Potter films were pretty dark, but, if done right, Fincher’s new film should make Deathly Hallows Part 2 look like, well, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I heard that Fincher’s Lisbeth, Rooney Mara got…piercings…for the film.

Rupert Grint

He was the only one of the three I was a little in the dark about. The last non-Potter movie I had heard about was Cherrybomb and it turns out that was released in 2009. It seems like I just recently heard about that film.

However, IMDb showed me that Grint actually has quite a few films on the horizon. The only one listed in post production is a movie called Comrade, even though it’s listed as coming out in 2012, while two other films, Eddie the Eagle and Cross Country are supposedly coming out this year. Comrade, a film about stranded English and German forces who have to work together to survive, sounds interesting, sort of like Hell in the Pacific. Or, if you’re a nerd, Enemy Mine.


Kings of Leon Concert

Two weeks from today, The EH Team will be doing a little escaping for real. Tuesday, August 2nd we’ll be down in Tampa to see Kings of Leon and Band of Horses. I think you can expect some fanfare and a few anticipatory posts from my fellow Hatchers in the days leading up to the concert.

I honestly haven’t been to many concerts, unlike Tiff, Nick, and Pat, so I’m excited for this trip. Anybody been to a KOL concert? Happy feelings about it? 


An Insidious DVD Player
 
Bought Insidious over the weekend. When we first tried to watch it, the (numerous) previews on the DVD played, but as soon as we hit play on the menu, the DVD player crashed. After too many minutes of trying to make it work, we resorted to prying it out. We hooked up another DVD player and the sound wouldn’t work. Finally, a third player came through in the clutch. Creepy though! It’s not the house that’s haunted…it’s your DVD player!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Escape by Bringing Your Own Birthday Cake to Work With…Submarine


Submarine, a film by British director Richard Ayoade about young Oliver Tate coming of age in Wales, is hard to review. The film is so dense – packed with great visuals, music, themes, terrific performances, and humor – that I worried that I wouldn’t fit everything I wanted to talk about into my review (and I didn’t). The movie reminds me of a Wes Anderson film, if Wes Anderson was foul-mouthed and had a big mean streak. The film starts out with a note from Oliver, which mentions that he’s grateful that the U.S. hasn’t invaded his country yet. Right there I knew that the film was going to be funnier than I’d expected.

The greatest thing about the film is the cast, most of all Craig Roberts as Oliver. I found myself trying to explain to a few people some of the jokes, and realized that part of it just has to do with him. Which is something that should technically be true of any comedic performance I guess, but hey, Roberts is very funny.

The movie essentially concerns Oliver’s discovery of himself, a plotline lectured upon by one of his teachers near the beginning of the film. But the movie is also all about relationships – Oliver’s budding relationship with a classmate named Jordana and the dissolution of his parent’s marriage.

The title of the film refers to these relationships. Oliver compares people to submarines, pointing out that we’re all sort of cruising around under the surface, and we can’t really look inside anyone else to see what’s going on.

The philosophy opposite to Oliver’s comes from his “psychic” “ninja” neighbor Graham (played by the awesome Paddy Considine), who seems to say that we all sort of give off light and radiate color. “We don’t want to be in the dark,” Graham says at one of his new-age psychic lectures. His philosophy definitely conflicts with being under dark water like a submarine, invisible to everyone else.

Ayoade seems to agree with Graham on his color theory, as color plays a role in the film. The screen fades to red and blue quite a bit between scenes. Jordana is always wearing a red coat. Oliver has a poster in his room that proclaims “His death was red.”

Graham’s color philosophy isn’t the only thing about him that conflicts with Oliver. You see, Graham used to date Oliver’s mother, so when he moves in next door, it definitely ups the tension in our young protagonist’s parent’s marriage. This sort of acts as a counterweight to Oliver’s own relationship, as he has to juggle trying to protect his parent’s relationship while cultivating his own. All of this plays out in one of the film’s most meaningful scenes and it has a big impact on Oliver and the rest of the movie.

The film is pretty “meta”, which I enjoy. Oliver narrates the whole movie, and it may be one of the best examples of the technique I can think of. We see Super 8 footage of Oliver and Jordana, seemingly coming from Oliver’s brain. Oliver’s dad gives him a mix tape for his relationship (Arctic Monkeys Frontman Alex Turner actually did the soundtrack for the film).

Like I said, I wasn’t expecting the film to be as funny as it was. Simply the characters and how they interact is hilarious, but there are so many odd, funny moments that result from Oliver, his family and friends, his courtship attempts, and his misadventures. The film is actually produced by Ben Stiller, something I wasn’t aware of until I got to the theater (he actually has a very brief cameo as well). But although the film is hilarious and quite dark at times, it finds so many ways to be touching and kind of heartbreaking. It’s a great story of growing up and the grime along the way. A Christmas dinner scene involving Jordana’s family tugs on the ole heartstrings, and a tiny subplot about a girl that Oliver picks on at the beginning of the film to get close to Jordana was quite sad.

The film and its ending were really satisfying for me. The conclusion told me that, although we’re all submarines, sometimes we stop short of going under all the way.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Beware The Moon


It's a full moon on Friday…can you feel it coming? Me neither. But I know it's coming because I keep track of all the Friday/Saturday full moons. You see, we here at the EH Team are quite the connoisseurs of werewolf flicks and we have a pretty thorough list of drinking rules for said flicks, too (hence Friday and Saturday full moons - I'm old and can't stay up late drinking on weekdays, what can I say?). 


But werewolf movies have been on my mind lately, not only because of the impending full moon, but also because I've been hearing about a few new 'wolf movies set to premier in the near future. Most recently, I read about a film that might be going straight to DVD. According to the article, it was at one point planned to be a sequel of sorts to the recent Joe Johnston/Benicio del Toro effort, The Wolfman, but now it’s its own film called Werewolf (myself and any other Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans know there’s only one true Werewolf film, however). 


Speaking of Wolfman. It was pretty underwhelming in my opinion, with a little bit of bad casting, poor writing and a dash of questionable werewolf design thrown in. I know the creature design/makeup was faithful to the films of old, but there's really no beating An American Werewolf in London or even The Howling in terms of werewolf design, so don’t even bother. Nick and I also noticed that most good werewolf flicks feature a sex scene, and The Wolfman kind of dropped the ball in that department.

And like I said, Werewolf isn't our only hope for future werewolf movies, but a straight-to-DVD quasi-sequel to a lackluster pic doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in me. I need another great film to drink to, right alongside AWiL and Howling. Hopefully that movie will come along soon.

As for this weekend, we’ll most likely be watching The Beast Must Die, a 1974 film that counts Peter Cushing among the cast, and, as I’m in the mood for a classic, AWiL. The Beast Must Die is a mystery of sorts, and there’s even an actual pause at the end of the film where the audience is asked to try and solve the mystery themselves (Kevin Spacey?).

For any Hatchlings reading this, weigh in with your favorite werewolf film, or if you're not a fan of the genre, tell me why. In any case, enjoy the full moon. And stay off the moors…