Borderline Fantastic Entertainment

I think the first Lady Gaga song I heard was Just Dance. I’m usually not a fan of pop like that, since so much of it is the exact same regurgitated stuff in a different package, I figured she would be no exception.

Then I noticed a lot of people, who wouldn’t normally be into that sorta thing really liking her.

Then I saw this video of what happened when she had a soundboard failure and gained a whole new level of respect for her. One of the things that drives me nuts about popular music these days is it has completely lost the ’show must go on’ attitude, I need not mention all the lip singing scandals in recent years.  When they tried to pull her off the stage she said, “I promised them a 30 minute set, and I’m not stopping.” That is awesome, more artists should follow her example. It’s good to see a popular artist that really understands this.

Then I saw this video of a performance before she became Lady Gaga. You can’t ignore that talent. She knows how to play and man she can sing. That video knocked me over. In a same respect this is a more recent video  with an acoustic performance of Poker Face.

And most recent was this video with Elton John at the Grammy awards. It’s fantastic and I can’t in any fair mind call it anything else.

The evidence of her talent is overwhelming, you just can’t ignore it. But I can’t get into her normal pop style. It’s just not the kinda thing that sounds good to me. I feel like she isn’t playing what’s right for her… but I guess she wouldn’t get the audiences she does if she did anything else.

I guess I’ll remain a fan of her side stuff, because it is fantastic.

Avatar? I don’t really know what to say about all the awards it’s been handed, other then I guess you really can buy awards. I did enjoy Avatar, and it really was the most technically impressive movie I have ever seen… So give it best director, or best CGI, or best visual design. Not best motion picture. Certainly not when there are movies like The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious, and Up In The Air, which were all exceedingly superior overall. Hell I would have a hard time picking the best out of that lot, but to even put Avatar in the same ballpark as those is criminal.

The Critics Choice awards had it right. They gave Avatar best action movie, best cinematography (although I don’t totally agree wit this, but I’ll survive), best art direction, best editing, best visual effects, and best sound. those were exactly the things that were great about Avatar, but those were the only things that were great about Avatar.

Okay, enough about Avatar.

So, when I first read about The Lovely Bones I was pretty stoked. I was excited to see Peter Jackson and his writing team step away from their usual fare of epics, and go into something smaller. The movie itself was a bit of a disappointment, but I can understand why Stanley Tucci is getting all the attention for it. Hell, if I hadn’t known he was in it, I never would have guessed. He did a great job at transforming into the character. Whenever he spoke it seemed a bit forced, but a majority of his part was without dialogue.

Tarantino has gotten completely shafted this year. He must be used to that by now.

I think one of the biggest surprises from 2009 would have to be Mo’Nique’s role in Precious, the awards seem to agree. I’ve never been a fan of hers, probably because she has only been in in awful movies. It’s clear now that given real content she’s a rock star. I hope she lands more quality stuff in the future.

Up in the Air was probably my favorite movie of 2009, It wasn’t just great at a few elements that make up film (I’m glaring at you Avatar), but everything was balanced beautifully. I’m glad it’s getting all it’s nominations, but I can understand why it’s being beaten out. Anna Kendrick was especially fantastic, and I hope she doesn’t get typecasted with her role in the Twilight Saga. After Up in the Air that would be a serious shame.

In my opinion Christoph Waltz had the most impressive performance of 2009. His part in Inglorious Basterds was legendary in a role that Tarantino thought was impossible to cast. I’m so glad he’s getting the attention he deserves. It’s a shame that it has taken this long for him to be seriously discovered.

I think Pixar is going to implode the first time another animated movie beats out one of their flicks. It should be alright though, because that probably will never happen.

Oscar nominations were just announced. Usually if you pay attention to award shows leading up to the Oscars you can make a pretty good guess at what will be nominated, and usually you can guess pretty accurately what will win. I’m glad that District 9 got a nomination for best picture, but it doesn’t need to win. I also hope Tarantino gets more from the Oscars then what he has gotten from the other awards. If Avatar wins best picture at the Oscars I’ll probably have a seizure.

List of nominees

…I guess you have to hand it to Cameron, he knows what the world wants… I guess… I’m not bitter at all I swear.

Whether it’s just poorly marketed, or just a small indie flick, there are some movies that for whatever reason just don’t get seen as widespread as they should. It drives me nuts when a great movie slips through the cracks. There are a lot of great movies that people just haven’t seen, or haven’t even heard of. Here are just five of the first that came to mind, in no particular order.

Moon (2009)

This was writer/director Duncan Jones’s first major film, and a very ambitious one. It saw mild international success with little in the states. It’s likened to Kubrik’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it stands on it’s own. It’s difficult to make a movie like this and have it be original, I basically felt I knew what to expect getting into it. I was thrown for a loop when I found out the plot was not to be expected. Sam Rockwell was given a roll that really would be difficult for any actor to pull off, and did it in a way that really lets the audience buy into it. This is important because his role gets very surreal and at points it would be easy to loose the audience. Moon is a great movie, and it is a shame that it saw as little success as it did. In 15 years I see it being one of the huge cult science fiction classics. Maybe it is just a little before it’s time.

Public Enemies (2009)

The main criticism of Public Enemies is it’s style. I have to say that I’m inclined to agree, at first. It doesn’t take long for you to get used to it’s style, and once you do it works well. Public Enemies is the story of the cat and mouse game  between the notorious gangster John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and the cop that is trying to catch him. As usual Johnny Depp manages to completely transform into his character, and it’s a nice departure from his usual role. Public Enemies tries to show the no holds barred lifestyle of John Dillinger, and what it takes to maintain. I will warn you, Christian Bale is frustratingly awful in this, but he does get better through the duration of the movie.

Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

This is a quirky little project that is playfully charming and over the top all at the same time. It makes the viewer completely uncomfortable but laugh hysterically. It’s basically just the day in the life of simple people, and their odd lives. It somehow delivers risky and disturbing content in a way that it seems neither risky nor disturbing. There is not much more to say about it, except that you should see it. You will be pleased, and probably a little stunned.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

This is a movie that was hugely successful with critics, but just didn’t grab a large audience. It’s a gangster movie with a different approach and completely authentic feel. We watch as Jesse James observes, with much amusement, what he thinks is his biggest fan. We watch as Robert Ford comes to realize that reality the Jesse James mythology in which he has come to love, isn’t quite what he had hoped. Unlike your usual gangster movie, this glorifies nothing. We don’t think Jesse James is cool, or that the lifestyle is full of fame and riches. When we see Jesse ride off into the sunset on horseback, we only feel sympathy. This is just a movie about a kid with unrealistic desires, in a glorified lifestyle that he is unprepared for. A neat thing about this movie, is that there are distinct undertones that can potentially change the way you see the movie. I won’t explain these because I think they are interesting to discover on your own, I just want to point out that they are there. This is a long movie, and pretty slow, so it does take a level of patience to watch, but it is well worth it.

Primer (2004)

Primer is probably the most obscure movie on this list, and the most difficult. With a budget of only $7000 an incredible script is virtually the only trick they had in their bag. Luckily the script for this is incredible. This movie re-defines the idea of time travel in a way that confuses as well as leaves the audience in awe. One of the things I look for in a great movie, is that it has re-watch-ability, as in, if I watch it more then once, will I get more out of it, or do I get it all in the first go around. If this movie has anything, it has re-watch-ability. In fact, it’s required. I guarantee you will not completely grasp the intricate twists and turns that they have constructed on the first or even third watch. It’s a movie that will leave you completely unsatisfied because of how little you will understand, but it will leave you with a strange curiosity to watch it again. That is so unique to this film, it is completely unsatisfying, but you need more of it. This is really a movie that needs to be committed to, and studied, in order to understand, and it is great for that.

On a side note, I swear it’s purely coincidental that there are two gangster movies, as well as two Sam Rockwell movies on this list.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more hooked on Sirius Hits 1 than I am right now. It’s a combination of being down on the new Alt Nation songs and a whole bunch of Hits 1 songs getting stuck in my head. Just look at my recent music posts, that’s not like me. Anyway here’s Drake. Forever mein. Ever mein. Ever mein. (I wasn’t really sure how to spell it like he says it.)

Amazon: Song Album

I realize this is two clips from the same show but this one shocked me. Magic Johnson was friends with Michael Jackson and he talks about how much fun they’d have in hotels on tour and playing with fireworks at his house. Now this still makes Michael Jackson sound crazy. But hearing Magic say it makes him sound like he was just a big kid. What I don’t understand is why they aren’t sending Magic out to talk about Michael rather than the Jacksons? I’d say people would see him as slightly more credible.

If they announced that Kimmel’s show was going to be in the barbershop every night, I think I’d change my entire life around to watch it live instead of on DVR.

I’m not even sure where it came from but in the middle of the day today I got this Eminem song in my head. I haven’t even heard he song very much. The last time I heard it was probably last week. I don’t even really know the words. By the end of the day I remembered the song getting stuck in my head but I couldn’t even remember the beat. Odd.

If I see any sort of Stupid Tricks on Letterman, I’m likely to share. Here we go 2 out of 3 on, let’s say the trick experience. I don’t know how they didn’t close with the pogo stick/violin. The keg flip wasn’t anything special but I enjoyed Dave’s interaction with the kid.

#1 – Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner (Acoustic)

This came out first on the acoustic EP. It was also on From Under the Cork Tree. Not nearly as good as the acoustic but still great.

I couldn’t find the right version anywhere. Google led me to this German site, no idea if this is the correct embed code. I’m not fluent in German.

So wear me like a locket around your throat.
I’ll weigh you down.
I’ll watch you choke.

#2 – Sugar, We’re Going Down

The song that hit it big. All my friends knew how much I liked Fall Out Boy and were aware of some of their music. When this song blew up they all thought of me whenever they heard the song.

I’m just a notch in your bedpost but you’re just a line in a song.