Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Slept On: TV Shows: January 27th, 2010

It has been a LONG time since I posted anything on any of these blogs, so I figured I should at least update one.

Here are a few great, mostly recent TV Shows you might have missed.


Bored to Death
Off-season, HBO
This is a GREAT show, and I'm not sure how widely exposed it got.  This show follows an underachieving, bored, weed-smoking writer who gets, well, more bored, and decides to post an "unofficial private detective" ad on craigslist, in hopes of bringing the type of excitement to his life that only film noir detectives have.  The initial 8 episode run ended back in November...the second season is coming soon.  This show is unique, funny, well written, and greatly cast (Ted Danson, Jason Schwartzman, and Zach Galifainakis)!  HBO, off-season, check your listings.


This crime-caper from USA is both under-rated and under-watched.  The show concerns a convict who agrees to help the FBI with white collar crimes (things like art forgery, bank frauds, etc...his specialty is white collar crime) in order to get out of jail and pursue his girlfriend who has mysteriously vanished.  The show has a great blend of humor/action/badass-ness and even when it's cheesy, it's still a lot of fun.  The plots are always different and intriguing and the characters are well thought out.  Also, the girlfriend story arc provides some lasting intrigue which the show desperately needs.  The second half of the first season just started airing.  USA, Tuesdays, 10pm. 


 Parks and Recreation
Thursdays, 8:30p, NBC
Don't be fooled by Amy Poehler's mediocre past (in terms of comedy success) or the fact that this airs the same night as the office (and shares some collaborators).  While it shares the same mockumentary format, collaborators, and one of the characters (Karen from the office, Rashida Jones), there is very little else in common.  Initially I wasn't a huge fan, but this show, like The Office, has developed wonderfully with time, aging like a fine wine.  The characters are now fully realized and hilarious (Andy and Ron Swanson are perhaps the 2 greatest characters on TV right now...by the way, Andy is in the pic above, seated to the right, while Ron is crossing his arms in the brown suit jacket) and the show doesn't feel forced anymore (it all comes out very naturally, to the point where you could believe these types of people are actually working in a parks department somewhere).  Very fun, very under-rated.  Enjoy Thursdays at 8:30 on NBC.




I'll be back with more sleeper entertainment in a few days...now you have some time to catch up!
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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Slept On: Music: October 29, 2009.

I haven't posted forever...mostly because I've been getting new music like CRAZY, and have been trying to sort through it all.  If you don't know these bands, you should.  All 3 of these albums have been playing non-stop on my iPod.  Oh, and the 'favorite songs' are clickable links to the youtube versions. Enjoy!


The XX-XX.

A haunting and masterful use of space lets this album flourish with smooth, simplistic sounds, often emphasized by understated, yet always present bass.  There is no genre for this type of music, altho it is reminiscient of Radiohead or Interpol.  The songs are extremely simple, but  have a somewhat futuristic sound. They generally sing about youth and sex, and it works really, really well.  This album was made by 4, 20 year old Brits, and well, I'm impressed.
My Favorite Songs: 'Crystalised' and 'Infinity'.


Built To Spill-There is No Enemy.


This long-favorite indie band has been an inspiration for many of indie music's biggest bands from recent memory (Modest Mouse, The Killers, Death cab, etc.), but their sound remains unique and captivating.  This cd is chocked full of great guitar work and interesting lyrics.  'Life is a Dream' really stands out to me, for both its awesome writing, and its beautiful instrumentals (check out the SOLO at around 3 minutes in!).  Check this band out, now!
My Favorite Songs: 'Life is a Dream' and 'Nowhere Lullaby'





Passion Pit-Manners.

Manners is a unique CD in that it wasn't so much the result of trying to make a great CD, as it was a result of wanting to make a gift for the lead singer's girlfriend.

According to wikipedia:
"Passion Pit formed in late 2007. Originally, Michael Angelakos had started "Passion Pit"   as a project in order to write a few songs for his girlfriend as a Valentine's Day present. Angelakos lived in Buffalo, NY, where his music was first heard."

Regardless of their motive for making it, Passion Pit has made a solid debut CD, which sounds (in ways) like another great 2009 debut, MGMT's excellent album, Oracular Spectacular.  However, Passion Pit has their own style.  Most of these songs are epic in scope, and they have their own unique elements that distinguish them from bands within their 'genre' (which I guess I would call electro-pop, although I don't think that does the genre justice). I don't have much else to say other than this CD is pretty amazing...the level of technical detail combined with the singer's high-register voice result in awesome musical textures and some great songs.
My Favorite Songs: 'The Reeling' and 'Sleepyhead'.
[Sleepyhead is their single, one of the best songs on the album, and one of my favorite songs of the year.]




That's all for this post, I have a LOT more recommendations coming soon, so keep checking back!
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Friday, September 11, 2009

Slept On: Movies: September 11, 2009.

Here are a few slept on movies for the week:


Directed By: The Coen Brothers
1991 Gangster film about an aging prohibition smuggler/gangster desperately trying to keep his grasp on a small town. With great acting, a great story, and amazing detail, this is just a great all around gangster movie.


Last of the Mohicans
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104691/)
 
Directed By: Michael Mann.
A story about the French and Indian war, Daniel Day Lewis plays one of the few remaining Mohican people, who helped the French attack the British in America during the French and Indian War.  This movie is epic, violent, and gory, but also very well made and pretty historically accurate (as far as movies go anyways...)


Better Luck Tomorrow
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280477/)


Directed By: Justin Lin.
A crime/coming of age movie about a group of extremely smart Asian American students who bore with their success in academia and begin to dabble in drugs and criminology.  A great look at teenage psyches, as well as a great movie with some nice plot twists.  It seems like no one has seen this movie!



Directed By: Martin McDonagh  
  A great drama/comedy about a hit man recovering from a botched hit in the city of Bruges, Belgium (despite his wishes...), and his sidekick (who loves being in Bruges...) with a secret agenda.



Directed By: Spike Jonze
One of my favorite movies, and certainly one of the few watchable Nic Cage movies.  Nicholas Cage plays twin brothers, both writers, who have very differing lives.  One brother struggles to adapt a seemingly un-adaptable book about orchid (flower) thieves, while the other brother easily pounds out a "cliche psychological thriller".  Despite the plot description, this movie is both extremely entertaining and very unique.  It will mess with your head, too.  It beautifully blends the line between reality and film.  For instance, the characters are Charlie and Donald Kaufman, and while the movie was written by the REAL Charlie Kaufman, it is mostly fiction.


Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) directed this under-the-radar romantic drama/comedy about a loner who longs for someone, anyone, to love him.  Played BRILLIANTLY by Adam Sandler (he should have gotten an Oscar nomination, in my opinion), the character of Barry is a semi-successful business man whose personal life is essentially nonexistent thanks to intrusive and mean sisters, shyness, and his misunderstanding of human nature (Barry seems to think people are inherently good).  This movie has been hated on, more than it's been appreciated, which is a shame.


My Final Thoughts...

 

Most Overlooked of the Bunch...

Miller's Crossing
This movie is slept on more than Paris Hilton's king size bed.  It's a gangster film by the Coen Brothers (who directed Fargo and No Country for Old Men, amongst others.)  Set in the era of prohibition, the film masterfully transports the viewer into a complex, rich story involving an aging mob boss trying to keep his hold on a small town.



Best Movie of the Bunch:

Punch Drunk Love.  
This is literally one of my favorite movies.  I don't really know why.  Maybe it is the camera work, maybe it's the acting, maybe it's the writing, or maybe it's a combination of a bunch of factors.  The whole thing just feels real. It feels like the whole movie could actually happen, unlike most romantic movies which use over the top Hollywood antics to sell a type of love that doesn't exist (like Serendipity or The Notebook).  Actually, Sandler's character, Barry, could very well be lonely and alienated because of those types of movies...a product of modern cultural ideologies.  Adam Sandler is a great actor, and it's awesome to see the more serious side of his acting here.  This movie also has a brilliantly dry sense of humor, and some of the moments are absolutely hilarious (everything involving the Mattress Man, for example).  Paul Thomas Anderson is amongst my favorite writer/directors, and it's because all of his movies show a great range of emotions, his camerawork is amazing, and the stories play out very uniquely and naturally.  I encourage anyone to watch this film and not feel more optimistic about life after.
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Friday, September 4, 2009

What you'll find...

This is my 4th blog.  I'm going to post weekly reviews of movies, tv shows, and/or music that I have been watching or listening to, complete with in depth opinions and analysis.  I hope you enjoy my recommendations as much as I do, and feel free to comment with further viewing/listening suggestions.  Sometimes I will only post movies, or only post music, other times I'll post all three...just depends on my mood.  I like a wide range of movies and music, so there will be an eclectic range of recommendations here...there should be something for everyone! Enjoy!
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