Monday, July 30, 2012

Music Video Monday!: Arctic Monkeys- Olympic Edition


I'm not a huge fan of the Olympics. I can respect the athletes and their skills, but I just don't get caught up in the hoopla surrounding the events. However in keeping with the spirit of the 2012 Summer Olympics, today's Music Video Monday comes from the Opening Ceremony performance by Arctic Monkeys. It's a double gold medal set, first the 2005 hit "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", followed by a cover of The Beatles classic, "Come Together."

Although they have been hard at it since 2002, releasing four full length albums and enough B-sides to make another album or two, this performance must have been a landmark moment for them. With 80,000+ in attendance and over 40.7 million viewers in the United States alone, I can assume that the boys from Sheffield probably gained a new fan or two. I'm happy for them but also a little protective at the same time because we all saw what happened to the Kings of Leon when they hit it big in America, just listen to "Beach Side".


It was disappointing that NBC covered their performance in such an after thought way. "I Bet" was interrupted by a commercial and during "Come Together", Lauer and Vieira babbled about random shit. Here is just one comment by a pissed off  American Arctic Monkey fan:  "Can we please get some kind of anti-NBC thing trending? "Fuck NBC for cutting Arctic Monkeys” sounds good. Just so they feel like dicks, and maybe give a public apology (which won’t happen but….)." I'm not happy about the coverage, but this is the same network that had a summer concert series headlined by Usher, Pitbull, Chris Brown and Justin Beiber. ** The audio is a little low on the video so you might have to turn it up. Happy Monday to you and I hope you enjoy.




Friday, July 27, 2012

Favorite Scene Friday! Hot Rod: "You're the Voice"

“Life is pain - we've got to scrape the joy from it every chance we get.” - Rod Kimble

Wise words. In fact, they inspired me to choose today’s scene. It’s just a goofy lil’ piece of a movie I like to call Hot Rod.

Wikipedia

If you’re unfamiliar with the film, it follows Rod (Andy Samberg), a wannabe stuntman trying to raise enough money for his step dad's (played by the always awesome Ian McShane) heart surgery...so he can fight him. Our scene picks up right before Rod is set to pull off his biggest stunt yet.

The song playing is “You’re the Voice” by John Farnham and if it doesn’t inspire you, kindly LEAVE. Farnham’s song combined with the always awesome “slow-motion-walk-towards-the-camera” technique should make you want to climb mountains.

Careful though - as this scene clearly demonstrates, even the most positive moments can turn into a riot.

Hot Rod is under-appreciated in my opinion. If you’re into quirky, nonsensical humor it’s Nirvana and Samberg, Taccone, Hader and McBride are kind of a comedy dream team. Film School Rejects ran an interview a while back in which Samberg jokingly mentions giving Hot Rod an unrated Criterion release someday. Ummyesplease!

gifgiving.blogspot.com

And this scene! It’s kind of amazing. The crazy amount of extras. The random trio of singers that the scene focuses on. The bagpipes. And 2:36 - they stole that guy’s wheelchair!

Happy Friday, Hatchlings! May you scrape some joy for yourself this weekend. And may the comments section below fill up with Hot Rod quotes!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Music Video Monday! Mew: The Zookeeper's Boy

For today’s Music Video Monday, I give you a song that simply makes me happy. 

I had never heard of the Denmark-based band Mew until a couple of years ago, when I found them on some random iTunes playlist.  I remember the person who created the list commenting that she could not listen to the song without being taken in by lead singer Jonas Bjerre’s angelic voice.  My initial search about Mew yielded unimpressive results.  They didn’t seem like my kind of band.  They were, however, four pretty gorgeous Danish men, so I figured I would give them a chance and downloaded the recommended song, The Zookeeper’s Boy.  The first time I heard this song way up loud, driving in my car, I knew exactly what the author of that playlist was talking about.  There is something about Bjerre’s voice and the overall sound of the song that just soothes you.

I’m not sure how the video fits with the song, but, if you’re like me, the band members will make it an enjoyable watching experience regardless.  Happy listening and watching, folks!


Friday, July 20, 2012

Favorite Scene Friday: Rise Up with the Batman!

In honor of this summer's biggest movie opening, or 2nd biggest depending on if you’re either pro-Marvel or pro-DC, today's Favorite Scene Friday is a mash up of the entire Dark Knight trilogy.  It's basically a long trailer, but its six minutes of pure, motherf**king awesomeness.  I was going to pick one of the many, many, many ... many awesome scenes from one of the first two films in this trilogy, but after Robert sent me a link with this video attached, I knew this was the perfect fit for this week's FSF.  So thank Robert, folks, because this week I’m just the messenger.

If you're not excited for the opening of The Dark Knight Rises then I can only assume that it's because you haven't seen Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, or both.  And if you haven't seen them, do yourself a favor and check them out.  There are no pansy ass nipple costumes, lame ass one liners, or homoerotic laden sidekicks in this trilogy and for that, Mr. Nolan, we thank you.  Over and over again.  What Nolan has done with this trilogy has firmly set the bar for all other superhero movies.  That’s a bold statement, I know, but I don’t think I’m wrong.  I didn’t give Batman Begins much credit when it was released in 2005 and certainly didn’t pay to see it in the theater.  My brother told me it was awesome, but I take his opinions with a grain of salt.  It wasn’t until I watched the latter half of … Begins on F/X one dreary summer day a couple of years later (with commercials interlaced throughout) that it occurred to me that this wasn’t just another lame addition to what that bastard Joel Schumacher did.  It was something more, something much, much more.  After watching, I immediately demanded that my brother let me borrow his DVD copy.  Once I completed it from start to finish, sans commercials, I was in awe. 

So you can imagine my excitement for later tonight.  The Dark Knight absolutely thrilled me and while I admittedly don’t think this final installment will be as good, I’m sure it will be a hell of a closer to the intense work that Nolan, Christian Bale, and everyone else has done for this trilogy of films.  I’m not looking forward to Batman being rebooted again (of course it will happen), but at least I’ll have these three films to fill my Dark void.  I feel this representation of Batman will stay with me for the rest of my days.  And I am totally okay with that.

Enjoy your weekend folks and show some love at your local theater.  Check out … Rises as I’m sure one of us Hatchers will have plenty to say about it in the near future.




Thursday, July 19, 2012

Batch o’ Hatch: The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Return of Hellboy and The Punisher, and Ant-Man

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Hot off the success of Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson has cast Johnny Depp in his new film The Grand Budapest Hotel, reports The Playlist. Title kinda reminds me of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel...

Grass is green. I’m excited to see this. I’m already getting a The Royal Tenenbaums vibe from it, probably because that Anderson film featured some hotels. Now that I think about it, a lot of Anderson's films feature hotels...

Do you like the idea of Johnny Depp in an Anderson movie?

Wikipedia

The Return of Hellboy and The Punisher

Ron Perlman recently solidified his status as an amazing guy by putting the Hellboy makeup on one more time to visit a young fan with leukemia.

JoBlo.com

And word is now that Perlman and director Guillermo del Toro may make a Hellboy 3 after all. But then again, del Toro is now claiming he might make At the Mountains of Madness after all as well. That guy over-commits.

In other news, Thomas Jane made a pretty awesome short Punisher sequel. It’s got some oddities - you’ll notice one big disturbing thing plus some The Dark Knight soundtrack sampling. Oh and Ron Perlman’s in this as well. Check it out at JoBlo.com over here.

What do you guys think of these returning characters?

Ant-Man

Nobody seems to like Ant-Man. He was a founding member of The Avengers in the comics, but he’s nowhere to be found in the recent slew of movies. Nathan Fillion - a geek favorite for the role -  thinks he’s a joke.

Director Edgar Wright’s been trying to get an Ant-Man film made for years now, and I’ve held out hope that he’d be a great character. Now that Wright has screened some test footage at Comic Con, I gotta say, I’d love to see a full length movie. I adore everything Edgar Wright has ever committed to film and I’ve yet to see a bad Avengers film, so I'm all for it.

It’ll still be a while before we see this movie, since Mr. Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are gearing up to film the final entry in their “Blood and Ice Cream” trilogy, The World’s End.

Is anyone out there a fan of Ant-Man besides me?

p.s. Sorry for using the phrase "Hot off".

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Music Video Monday: Enjoy some of Mama's Cookin' with Hacienda

For those of you keeping track, you’ll notice that today is Wednesday and not Monday.  I apologize for that and because I feel so bad, I’m graciously inviting you to partake in three, yes 3, music videos to make up for the empty days that have compiled this week so far.

Today’s band is a band that has been garnering a lot of attention from my iPod lately and for good reason.  Not a household name by any means, but with these kick-ass rollicking hooks, they’re soon to be.  Or at least should be.  I speak of Hacienda, an Americana Blues Rock outfit out of San Antonio, Texas.  Their music is fast, fun, and fortuitous . . . okay, I’m making that last one up, but still, these guys rock and demand more of your attention and mine.  Don’t believe me?  Well Dan Auerbach, of The Black Keys, does – not only was their first (of only 3) albums released under the same label as The BKeys’ debut, but on Auerbach’s solo album, Keep It Hid ... “he recruited members of Hacienda to play in his backing band …”  See more here.

The first track, Mama’s Cookin’, catches me each time I play it.  It makes me want to get up and dance (if you know anything about me, you know I can’t dance) and that’s saying a lot.  Not an official video, but a live version followed by another fun, kick-ass tune, Baby Don't Go, for your listening pleasure . . . and an interview.  You're welcome. The second is one of their more popular early tracks, Shake Ya, and you’ll hear why once you give it a listen (I couldn't find an official video).  The third, Younger Days, is a new one to me, but the video is pretty cool inasmuch as we get to see a little boy playing his real-live jukebox.  A wildly inventive idea for a music video, and not a bad song either.  It takes me back to old '50s rock-n-roll in a way, and that’s not a bad thing in my book.  You’ll see what I mean.  Admittedly they don’t have many videos out there so while I wasn’t able to choose the three that I initially wanted to (save for Mama’s Cookin’ – I love that tune), I still feel confident that I chose well in this introduction.

I hope you enjoy the tracks and have a good week.  Again, apologies on the MVdelay.  






Friday, July 13, 2012

Favorite Scene Friday!: Saturday the 14th

Here we are again, Friday the 13th. It's the day when people suffering from triskaidekaphobia are on edge, hockey masks are chic and somewhere tonight Jason Voorhees or his mother will be lurking around a Friday the 13th viewing party. Although this day gets all of the headlines, another day, Saturday the 14th (well movie really), has tormented me for years. I first watched it as a kid, on a lazy summer afternoon, while visiting my grandparents. As an adult, I've tried to tell people about it, but nobody has ever seen or even heard of it. 

It's corny, cheesy and downright stupid at times, but it has to be given credit or at least recognized for being one of the first spoof horror movies. The Scary Movie franchise has done very well, but the Wayans should tip their hats to Saturday the 14th. Unfortunately, I could not find a decent clip so I'm gonna cheat and show you the trailer. It's obviously not a masterpiece, IMDb ranks it a 3.9 and Rotten Tomatoes has it at a robust 10%. Okay before you disregard it, Jack and Jill is at 3%. It's not a movie to immediately put on your queue, but if you have a lazy afternoon to waste and you don't want to take yourself too serious, then you should watch, but remember as the tagline says, "It gets bad on Friday the 13th, but it gets worse on Saturday the 14th!" Enjoy your Friday, but remember to be extra careful tomorrow.


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Now Hear This!: It's Gonna Be a Pretty Good Fall

I know that I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself with this post, but the miserably hot weather has already got me thinking about the cooler temperatures of autumn and the hoards of new music headed our way. September 18 is going to be huge a day for the fans of The Killers, Band of Horses and Grizzly Bear. I tried to recall, but couldn't remember the last time three bands that continue to dominate my music libraries have released albums on the same day. Along time ago, I blogged about New Music Tuesday reminding me of Christmas and without a doubt 9/18 will qualify as one of those Red Ryder BB Gun Christmas mornings.

After solo projects by Brandon Flowers, drummer Ronnie Vannucci and bassist Mark Stoermer, The Killers have reunited and are set to release their newest album, Battle Born, on September 17/18. Below is the first single, "Runaways". To me it has a Sam's Town feel, let me know what you think.



The indie alternative group Band of Horses  has wasted no time following up their 2010 release, Infinite Arms, with the September 17/18 release, Mirage Rock. If the single, "Knock Knock" is any indication, then it should be a good one. Take a listen for yourself.


The Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit have announced that they will be releasing an EP.  I guess I’ll take that over no new music from them at all. The yet to be titled EP is set to hit stores & iTunes September 24/25. It will be followed by a full length album scheduled to be released in early 2013. I'm hoping the Mayan calculations were wrong because I'm really looking forward to this album.


The indie rock group Bloc Party returns after a four year hiatus. The bands fourth studio album appropriately titled Four will be released August 20/21. The first single, "Octopus", is below.


Finally in Grizzly Bear news, the band released the album artwork for their upcoming LP, Shield, out September 17/18.  The first single, "Sleeping Ute" is a wonderfully, flowing trip that leads me to believe that fans will not be disappointed with this latest effort.

Until all this new music comes out, here is the new The Walkmen video, "Heartbreaker" and a WTF! video for the song “Pimpon” by the French band Apoplexie. I encourage you to watch the entire video, but at least stick it out until 1:06. Sorry in advance for the nightmares.
 




Monday, July 9, 2012

Music Video Monday! Gorillaz: "Stylo"

I'm a Bruce Willis fan. From Blind Date to Die Hard to 12 Monkeys to The Sixth Sense and beyond. The guy's gonna have a hell of a 2012 once it's all said and done. He turned in a great performance in Moonrise Kingdom and he's got Looper (a flick I'm very excited for) and The Expendables 2 coming later this year.

Mr. Willis makes an appearance in this week's MVM, a short tale by virtual band Gorillaz. It's not his best or his most substantial performance butwhatthehell? I'm a pretty casual fan of Gorillaz, so I'm not sure what's happening in this video. One of them is a robot? Are they all robots? A wraith/grim reaper shows up to dispatch a donut chewing cop? Bruce Willis is some sort of vigilante? The virtual musicians have an amphibious car?

Enjoy your week, Hatchlings.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Music Video Monday!: White Lies - Strangers

Webcam Love: 

We Are All Strangers


Although they sound like a synth band from the 80's, the White Lies are relative newcomers to the world of popular music. Forming in 2007 and hitting it big with the single "Death" in 2008, these young lads from London write songs beyond their years and today's Music Video Monday is a prime example.

The world of fetishes can best be described as unique. Or some would say just plain F'ed up. I say whatever makes you happy as long as those involved aren't getting hurt. The video for the song "Strangers" gives you a peek into the world of webcam sex.  Fair Warning: If you're at work, make sure you have a quick minimize finger. It's graphic.


If you like what you hear, I have a couple more suggestions from White Lies:
"Bigger Than Us", "To Lose My Life" & "Unfinished Business". The latter was covered by the pop-folk darlings Mumford & Sons. I've linked both versions so you can decide which one is better. Hope you enjoy your Monday and remember to live your soundtrack out loud.