Pop Culture Buzz

Todd Solondz is one of my top ten movie directors of all time. He has written and directed three of my all time favorite films; “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Palindromes” and “Happiness”. All of Solondz’ films have been dark and somewhat controversial so I suspect this new piece in his series will be no different.

Variety magazine has reported that Solondz will be making another film in his revealing suburban tales anthology. Read the article below:

New indie production and finance shingle Werc Werk Works has stepped in to fully finance and produce writer-director Todd Solondz’s next film, an untitled part-sequel, part-companion piece to his controversial dark comedy “Happiness.”

The film is scheduled to begin principal photography in October in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Casting is currently under way.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY ON VARIETY.COM

WATCH THE “PALINDROMES” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

WATCH THE “WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

WATCH THE “HAPPINESS” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:

THROWING MUSES - “BRIGHT YELLOW GUN” (1994)

LUSCIOUS JACKSON - “LADYFINGERS” (1999)

“FRIENDS OF P” - THE RENTALS (1995)

FOLK IMPLOSION - “NATURAL ONE” (1995)

“Surfer, Dude” is an upcoming comedy out this fall starring Matthew McConaughey in the title role. Is this type casting at its best folks or what? This isn’t a big stretch for McConaughey who lives and surfs daily in Malibu. Needless to say this is not Oscar material folks. The whole surfer dude speak is pretty tired in my book, I mean c’mon is this supposed to be “Legally Blonde” for boys? I am not sold on this clunker folks…what do you think?

Anyone remember Coppola’s last solo record? Me either! But this duo looks pretty fun and I love their pop sensibilities. This little jam is currently the theme song to VH1’s tragic reality show “New York Goes to Hollywood”. The show is unwatchable, but this song caught my ear and I did a little research to see who sang it.

Imani Coppola has returned as one half of the pop duo Little Jackie with their hit single “The World Should Revolve Around Me”. Blend the old-school R&B sound with a quirky hybrid of hip-hop and pop and you get Little Jackie, the creation of genre-defying singer-songwriter Imani Coppola and multi-instrumentalist Adam Pallin.

If you don’t know who New York is, she was a contestant on the dating show “Flava of Love” with Flava Flav and she eventually received her own spin off show to fins a mate (both were trashy and addictive). “The World Should Revolve Around Me” is also a current U.K. top 20 smash. Do you think this song or group have a chance here in the U.S.?

Portishead have been pioneers of moody trip-hop and experimental electronic music for two decades and nothing is more proof of this than their recent album “Third”. The second single from that album, titled “The Rip”, is a powerfully haunting song with an equally jarring music video that will take your breath away. The song actually grows on me with this companion piece of visual art to go along with it.

Watch the amazing video below:

PORTISHEAD

The familiar tits and ass premise of a teenager who travels across country to lose his virginity to a girl he met online is always good for a laugh when it’s done right. And yes, it can be done right…”Weird Science” anyone? The trailer posted below alone has me in stitches. And how can you not love the always adorable James Marsden?

This film may come off as a “Superbad” rip off but my bet is that this quirky 80’s style “Porky’s” homage may be another comedy gem for 2008. If so, this year will go down as another great year for smart ribald adult films. I am looking forward to this movie.

*** STARS

Most ego-driven films that are directed, produced and written by it’s main star tend to flop (think of John Travolta’s “Battlefield Earth” or Kevin Costner’s “The Postman”) but Ben Stiller is smarter than your average Hollywood mover and shaker. “Tropic Thunder” has the same comedic magic that “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Pineapple Express” had, but it adds a twist that creates a non-stop wizz bang laugh filled ride with lots of highs and a few small lows.

Stiller has a wicked sense of humor that is honest and always innovative. The most unique and refreshing part of “Tropic Thunder” is that it pokes fun at all the contrived bloated messes that have been churned out by Hollywood for years. Using a war film plot and incorporating huge action sequences this movie raises the bar on high concept comedies.

Unfortunately the humor of a movie within a movie premise gets old; thankfully the brilliant cast is able to rise above the uneven material and save this film from feeling like it was all over the place. There was one casting fumble in my opinion and it was Tom Cruise’s mini-role as the Weinstein-esque studio head. It was an over the top role and an obvious ploy by Stiller to give a boost to Cruise’s recently tarnished reputation, and it wasn’t that funny.

Robert Downey Jr. is also riding a wave of popularity in Hollywood with the double whammy of “Iron Man” and now “Thunder”. I am pretty sure at this point his “controversial” politically incorrect, genius portrayal of an African American soldier will garner him a Golden Globe nomination or win. His performance is down right brilliant as it wavers on the edge of uncomfortable and side splittingly hilarious.

The first 15 minutes of this movie are comedy gold. I can’t give too much away but the originality and laugh per minute ratio are in full gear. The middle of this film becomes sluggish when we learn more about Jack Black’s character. When all of these lead actors come together on screen they make magic that will leave you in stitches. Keep your eyes out for awesome performances by the always funny Steve Coogan and Danny McBride.

I am sure that after multiple viewings this film will provide more laughs that I may have not caught before. At the very least “Tropic Thunder” is a terrific R-rated film for grown ups to enjoy. I personally loved the sweet and gritty edge that “Pineapple Express” provided more than this movie.

“Tropic Thunder” does offer up some biting satire and genuinely funny moments that must be seen on the big screen. Even though the main gimmick and broad set up gets a bit old and far fetched, the huge who’s who of comedic actors in this movie makes it a special treat. Just when I thought this summer couldn’t get any bigger, a unqiue treat like “Tropic Thunder” comes out.

DADA - “DIZZ KNEE LAND” (1992)

SINEAD O’CONNOR - “MANDINKA” (1988)

PETER GABRIEL - “DIGGING IN THE DIRT” (1992)

THE ESCAPE CLUB - “WILD WILD WEST” (1988)

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF 100 OF MY FAVORITE SONGS TO LISTEN TO AFTER THE PARTY SLOWS DOWN OR WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING TO CHILL, BUT NOT GO TO SLEEP, AND THERE ARE NO REPEATS!

CLICK THE “STREAMING MUSIC” TAB IN THE CATEGORY SECTION TO THE RIGHT TO LISTEN TO PAST JUKEBOXES AND HAVE FUN!

About 4 or 5 months ago I posted Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold” music video on this blog and as of today that single is currently on Billboard’s heatseakers chart and making somewhat of a buzz on dance music stations here in the bay area. “Black & Gold” is hands down my favorite single of 2008. All of this hype is well worth it! Critics have called him “LCD Soundsystem meets Marvin Gaye” and that comparison is not far off.

Sparro is currently living in L.A. but he is originally from Australia and comes from a gospel music background. He is currently making waves on the summer music festival circuit across Europe and is receiving raves for his live performances. I saw him perform with Mark Ronson at Coachella this past Spring and it was the highlight of the whole 3 day concert.

Sparro’s debut is a surprisingly soulful mix of electronica which is pretty impressive for a 25 year old white boy from down under. And don’t think Sparro’s good looks have been lost on this reporter, as an out of the closet gay man he has slowly become a sex symbol of sorts in the community.

It’s refreshing and exciting as a gay man to have such a hot talent on the music scene representing gays in such a fabulous way. His day glow 80’s neon sense of style has already been somewhat a trendsetter over in the UK. Check out the sexy music video collection by Sam Sparro below and let me know if you are as much of a fan as I am!

WATCH SAM SPARRO PERFORM A COVER OF ESTELLE’S “AMERICAN BOY” BELOW:

“21st CENTURY LIFE” MUSIC VIDEO

THE “COTTONMOUTH” MUSIC VIDEO

THE “BLACK & GOLD” MUSIC VIDEO

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR “CORALINE” BELOW:

Henry Selick’s latest project announces that stop-motion is back in style! Selick’s last feature-length project (”James & the Giant Peach”) was over a decade ago, while it’s been 15 years since he revolutionized the medium for modern audiences with “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.

“Coraline” is the 2008 animated stop-motion fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman’s novella of the same name. It will be animated and co-directed by Henry Selick and is scheduled to be released in theaters on February 6, 2009.

Selick’s return to the movie fold comes in the form of Coraline, a marriage of his knack for dark whimsy and novelist Neil Gaiman’s gently twisted sense of humor. The plot details a young girl named Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) and her descent into a fantastical alternate reality that will require all her brains and resources to escape out of and back into our world.

“James and the Giant Peach” is a genius piece of animation, “The Corpse Bride” was WAY underrated and we all know “Nightmare Before Christmas” is a classic, so this new tale is highly anticipated in my little world. Animation is my all time favorite genre of film and Selick is considered a god amongst the folks at Dreamworks Animation, Disney AND Pixar if that is telling you anything. I cannot wait, enough said.

WATCH A SNEAK PEAK OF “CORALINE” BELOW:

MOVIE STILLS FROM THE 2009 ANIMATED FEATURE “CORALINE”

Dakota Fanning’s little sister Elle plays Phoebe, a girl who is confounded by the rule-obsessed world surrounding her. When Phoebe tries out for her school’s production of “Alice in Wonderland” Phoebe seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher. The film then follows Phoebe through the ups and downs of trying out, getting the role and being the “oddball” kid with some imaginative fantasy elements. Watch the trailer below:

ELLE FANNING & FELICITY HUFFMAN IN “PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND” IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 2008

Martin Solveig is a French house music DJ and producer from Paris. He originally started out as a producer of classical music but after purchasing his first set of turn tables he chose house music as his true passion. His brand of funky soulful house music is one of my favorite types of dance music.

The song “Jealousy” was released in 2006 off his album “So Far”, but the track is making a come back on the UK charts. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this guy until recently. Goes to show you that sometimes the Europeans know what is best when it comes to dance music, just sayin’!

Below I have posted a few of his music videos, so far I am impressed. Martin Solveig has a new album out NOW titled “C’est La Vie”, I will be sure to review it here SOON, cause you know I love some good French house! Until then watch the funky stylings of Monsieur Martin Solveig below!

“JEALOUSY” MUSCI VIDEO:

THE NEW “C’EST LA VIE” MUSIV VIDEO:

THE “REJECTION” MUSIC VIDEO:

THE “SOMETHING BETTER” MUSIC VIDEO:

GILETTE - “SHORT DICK MAN” (1994)

KHIA - “MY NECK, MY BACK” (2002)

LIL’ KIM - “HOW MANY LICKS?” (2001)

“MY DICK” - MICKEY AVALON (2006)

MONIFA - “TOUCH IT” (1998)

2 LIVE CREW - “POP THAT” (1991)

*** 1/2 STARS

Forget “Harold & Kumar” this summer belongs to Dale & Saul, the sweetest pot smoking duo since Cheech & Chong. This movie’s sweet charm was a complete surprise. I was expecting the pothead shenanigans to be funny at most, but not touching and witty. “Pineapple Express” is more than a stoner comedy; it is a classic buddy flick with one of the best and most realistic modern male relationships to ever be put on film.

Seth Rogan plays Dale, a stoner who witnesses a murder who is forced to go on the run with his dealer Saul, played by the always cute James Franco. The plot is familiar but it is also ripe for goofy chronic fused action, fast paced chase scenes and hilariously written banter. The biggest surprise in this movie is the character “Red” played by the brilliant Danny McBride. The comedy reaches its peak when all three actors are bouncing off each other with wicked abandon creating laughs at a feverish pitch.

The sentimental moments are balanced out with graphic violence, the ever classic “kicked in the nuts” gags and the terrific chemistry between the familiar supporting cast of comedic actors. The short running time and crisp screenplay give this movie a tone of realism which makes you think how much pot producer Judd Apatow and creator Seth Rogan have actually smoked in their collective careers, I’m guessing it’s a lot. Just watch the scene towards the end with Red, Saul and Dale in the diner and you will know what I mean.

Whatever they are doing Apatow and Rogan are on a creative streak with their fresh brand of current humor. “Pineapple Express” is so far the best comedy of 2008 along with “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Be Kind, Rewind” (which are also two fabulously funny “must see” films). Pineapple Express isn’t a dumb stoner comedy; it is a smart always entertaining laugh-fest with some awesome red eyed performances by Franco and Rogan.

It’s a bit obvious to say that you will get tons of marijuana jokes and drug references in “Express”, but what you won’t expect is the finely directed action and charm that eventually wins you over. Saul and Dale are two of the sweetest stoners to ever grace the big screen and this is a pitch perfect buddy film. This movie will go down as one of the top 3 pot smoking films of all time and as one of my favorite films of 2008.

WATCH THE “PINEAPPLE EXPRESS” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW: