Pop Culture Buzz

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF 40 NEW SONGS BY TORI AMOS, THE CAST OF “GLEE”, ADAM LAMBERT, KRIS ALLEN, TIGA & MORE!!

(SONG PLAYLIST IS SET ON RANDOM SHUFFLE AND ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

**** STARS

Sam Raimi, creator of the classic “Evil Dead” trilogy and Director of the “Spiderman” films, has made the best horror film of the past 20 years with “Drag Me To Hell”. This white knuckle modern horror classic is already my pick for the best movie of 2009. From beginning to end it is unrelenting and completely terrifying while still containing Raimi’s campy humor. This movie has the perfect blend of jump out of your skin scares and uncomfortable gore with the grossest sound effects I have ever heard in a film just thrown in for good measure.

The film follows a loan officer (Alison Lohman) who is ordered to evict an old woman from her home and finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse that turns her life into a living hell. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point. I love that Raimi isn’t afraid to give his female lead, Alison Lohman, a Bruce Campbell-style beating. For example, in one scene Alison Lohman starts bleeding from her mouth, and when she goes to cover it, blood shoots from her nose all over the place.

This isn’t your average horror film; this is a Sam Raimi horror experience that will have you screaming in disbelief. “Drag Me To Hell” has all the right elements that make up a classic horror movie tale; a gypsy curse, a sassy Medium to add comic relief, the gross out gore, perfectly timed scares and terrifying demons. Raimi has created a frightening tale that may have not been able to be pulled off if it weren’t for his trademark style and swooping camera angels.

The pacing of “Drag Me To Hell” grabs you by the jugular within the first 5 minutes and it doesn’t give you much time to breathe leading up to its twisted ending. It’s refreshing to see one of Hollywood’s most inventive directors fully reinvigorated. Raimi has lived up to the hype surrounding his return to the horror genre. While going gloriously over the top, Raimi makes us laugh as much as he scares the pants off us. “Drag Me To Hell” is well on its way to becoming an immediate classic and could very well be the sleeper hit of this summer. All I have to say is, “you are forgiven for “Spiderman 3” Mr. Raimi”.

** STARS

The “Terminator” franchise has always been one of the most lucrative and entertaining series of science fiction films to ever be created, and one of my personal favorites. I don’t care what critics say, “T3: Rise of the Machines” was a fun action packed romp with stellar effects and chase scenes, it was a blast to see Schwarzenegger once again playing the role that made him huge. The anticipation level for “Terminator: Salvation” was high and it was my own fault for thinking that McG, the director of the “Charlie’s Angels” films and “We Are Marshall”, could pull off a richly developed installment in the “Terminator” film series. Even the always terrific Cristian Bale comes off as a caricature of his brooding “Batman” persona with his laughably raspy voice.

McG’s choppy editing and bleak direction gave this film a stale and rehashed feeling making this the first unoriginal installment in the franchise. No matter how many explosions or blood thirsty robots you put on the screen, there still needs to be a rich storyline to keep people interested and coming back for more. McG has no clear vision or style; even his actors go through each scene like mechanical drones with no real appeal to them. All of the fun, irony and wit from the original “Terminator” films has completely disappeared.

“Terminator: Salvation” is far from awful, but it is close to joyless and down right silly. The movie’s only pleasure is a too-brief fight scene between Connor and a naked combatant made up to look precisely like Arnold Schwarzenegger. This film relies too heavily on previous knowledge of the Terminator world, and constant explanations and references eventually become obvious and repetitive. At this point let’s just say the machines have won and put this tired franchise to bed. Everything that could be said has been said, and much better I might add!

Mando Diao are a rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. According to the band, the name Mando Diao has no meaning at all, but rather appeared to band member Björn Dixgård in a dream. The band claims the Beatles as their original source of inspiration. Björn says that the band has been very inspired by movies and television with this album and cites Quentin Tarantino and Twin Peaks. The instantly catchy single “Dance With Somebody” is pretty danceable for a rock song, watch the music video below:

Tommy Sparks released “She’s Got Me Dancing” last month in the UK so you may be hearing it for the first time here on PCB. I think he’s got a great pop vibe that could catch on here in the states. Ladyhawke will join Sparks on a few dates during his U.K. tour. If you happen to be in that part of the world, I am jealous. Watch the 80’s inspired music video below:

Santigold’s sound is difficult to pin down, but it has been described as a mix of dub, electronic, hip-hop, reggae, indie rock, new wave, and punk rock (to name a few). Last night’s show at The Warfield in San Francisco highlighted all of these influences and by the end of the night I was floored by her high energy and perfect sound quality. I’ve read reviews of some of Santigold’s other live shows and in the past she has performed with just a DJ using back up tracks. As luck would have it Santigold decided to debut her new band at this concert and they sounded flawless and well rehearsed.

Thirty-two-year-old Santigold , aka Santi White, began her set with “You’ll Find A Way,” which paved the way for her pulsing 40-minute set. Her crowd pleasing track “Say Aha” started with a reggae beat and grabbed the hipster crowd instantly creating a bouncing frenzy. When the first guitar strums of “Lights Out” were played the tiny venue turned into an 80’s dance party with whole audience singing along. Afterwards Santigold announced that it was the first time she had ever performed the original version in the USA.

When “L.E.S. Artistes” started she continued to work the crowd into a lather high fiving the front row. Santigold had the voice, dance moves, and the best back up singers I have ever seen. She even invited people on stage with her to dance to the closer “Creator”. Everything she did redefined what it means to see a live rock show. The high energy, crisp vocals and almost militant timing of her dancers made this one of the best unpredictable performances I have ever seen. Santigold is hope for pop music and a “must see” live in concert for any music fan.

WATCH MY VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM SANTIGOLD’S MAY 21ST SHOW @ THE WARFIELD IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA BELOW!

SANTIGOLD PERFORMING “LIGHTS OUT”

SANTIGOLD PERFORMING “SAY AHA”

SANTIGOLD PERFORMING “LES ARTISTES”

Guy Ritchies next film “Sherlock Holmes” is of course based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective “Sherlock Holmes”, but by the looks of this fantastic trailer the film version will also be a zany buddy pick with tons of action. The movie stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes, Jude Law as Watson and Rachel McAdams as the female lead. Set in 1891, the film revolves around Holmes and Watson stopping a conspiracy to destroy Britain. The film began shooting in October 2008 and will be released on Christmas Day 2009. I am calling it now, this will be one of the biggest films of 2009.

1/2 STAR

“Angels & Demons” re-teams director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks for the sequel to their international blockbuster adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code”. Hanks stars as professor Robert Langdon, a respected symbologist, who uses his knowledge to decode ancient hidden religious symbols that reveal a sinister plot within the Vatican. The clues eventually put him on the trail of a far fetched international conspiracy involving the Catholic Church that had my eyes rolling non-stop!

In “Angels & Demons”, the filmmakers spend a lot of screen time trying to explain the plot to the point you feel overwhelmed with the details. I would hesitate to call this movie suspenseful or even involving, I found myself laughing in disbelief quite a lot. The absurd climax pushes the film past the limits of an audiences ability to suspend disbelief, which is ultimately the films biggest weakness. I guess the one thing Howard has learned in his hacky career is that a film doesn’t need to have a lot of substance to make a ton of money.

Even though this movie is a glossy, high profile popcorn flick with an A-list cast, it doesn’t mean it’s any good. This clumsy msytery is loud, 20 minutes too long and super violent for no apparent reason (I don’t underdstand why this movie wasn’t rated R). “Angels & Demons” is the first official dud of the summer movie season, it should pray for forgiveness and quietly go away to make room for bigger and smarter looking pictures like “Up”, “Julie & Julia” and “Bruno”.

“Julie & Julia” centers on a frustrated temp secretary who embarks on a yearlong culinary quest to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” She chronicles her trials and tribulations in a blog that catches on with the food crowd. Up front and center are the performances by the incredible Meryl Streep and the sweet as pie Amy Adams.

Director Nora Ephron (”Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail”) adapted the screenplay from Julie Powell’s book “Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen”. The film is actually an adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Julie Powell’s “Julie & Julia” and “My Life in France”, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme (for all the foodies out there).

Check out the trailer and leave your thoughts in the comments below!

“The Road” is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unnamed cataclysm that destroyed all civilization and, apparently, most life on earth. The film stars Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron. The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction so there is a lot riding on this film to be a masterpiece of sorts. The look, feel and over all impression I got from the trailer below is that this film may be the “it” movie of 2009.

The Australian band “Empire of the Sun” owe a lot to the 80’s and the David Bowie/Jim Henson film “Labyrinth” that is for sure. But don’t let their bizarre throw back fashion sense fool you, their first single “Walking On A Dream” is an old school New Wave pop gem! The music video below has made me very curious to hear the rest of the songs off their debut album which was released last October. What do you think?

The Weinstein’s have finally released the first movie trailer for Rob Marshall’s “Nine”. Marshall, who directed “Chicago”, is the winner of six Academy Awards including Best Picture. The story for “Nine” is inspired by the classic Fellini film “8 1/2″. The original 1982 Broadway production was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and winning five, including Best Musical.

The musical tells the story of world famous film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life including his wife (Marion Cotillard), a producer, a mistress (Penelope Cruz), a film star muse (Nicole Kidman), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Fergie), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), and his deceased mother (Sophia Loren).

The trailer for “Nine” is an absolute visual and aural delight, but did we expect anything less from Marshall? It definitely looks every bit like Oscar bait with its stunning cinematography, exquisite musical sequences and choreography and, of course, all the immense talent involved. Check it out for yourself below!

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF 40 NEW SONGS BY GREEN DAY, THE GOSSIP, CALVIN HARRIS, THE BLACK EYED PEAS, METRIC & MORE!!

(SONG PLAYLIST IS SET ON RANDOM SHUFFLE AND ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

ARTICLE BELOW WAS TAKEN FROM SPIN.COM

Surrealist songs about robots, fans with a penchant for drug use, gigantic UFOs that shoot confetti — there’s no denying the Flaming Lips’ status as psychedelic rock titans. But now the Oklahoma band are taking the ultimate plunge in conceptual bombast by releasing their first-ever double album late this September.

“Somewhere along the way it occurred to me that we should do a double album,” Coyne told Billboard.com of their follow-up to 2006’s At War With The Mystics, tentatively called Embryonic. “Just this idea that you can kind of weave a couple of themes into there and you can sort of sprawl a little bit.”

The band — frontman Wayne Coyne, bassist Michael Ivins, and guitarist Steven Drozd — have written 13 tracks for the new release, and plan to pen eight to nine more in Drozd’s empty, unsold house, which the axeman put on market last summer. “People locally do know that we’re recording there,” Coyne told EW. “I’ve talked to quite a few musicians who have gone to an open-house day and looked around and said, ‘Oh, this is where they’re doing their new record.’”

So how do the new songs sound?

Coyne said that one new track, called “Convinced of the Hex,” is like “Joy Division-meets-Miles Davis Group,” while “I Don’t Understand Karma” is his response to John Lennon’s “Instant Karma.”

“There was an element of accidentally stumbling upon more spontaneous sort of freak-out stuff,” Coyne said of the sessions. “We were sitting at Steven’s house and we just started out having these freak-out jam sessions where he’d play drums and I’d play bass and we just would sort of do freaky stuff. Some of those recordings, even though they’re not recorded very well, really had a spontaneity about them that we probably wouldn’t have purposely done.”

The Flaming Lips have a handful of gigs leading up to September’s All Tomorrow’s Parties concert, for which the band is picking the performers. Fans heading to the shows can expect new material. “We’re up for anything,” Coyne said.

ARTICLE ABOVE WAS TAKEN FROM SPIN.COM

*** STARS

If you’re planning on seeing “Observe and Report”, hold on to your britches and get ready to be thoroughly shocked and offended. Seth Rogan fans expecting another sweet and sensitive physical comedy will instead be treated to a film with much darker humor. Rogan plays security guard Ronnie Barnhardt whose delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall he works at is struck by a flasher. Anyone who has ever shopped in a mall knows that mall cops just aren’t cool and Rogan plays the out of luck loser type with fine tuned timing.

“Observe and Report” has a harsh and bizarre tone that makes you unsure whether you can laugh, although the dysfunctional characters do eventually win you over. This is a movie about damaged, deranged people, who you wouldn’t want to be near if you met them in real life. Somehow Director Jody Hill is able to push his characters to the edge of horribleness while keeping them brutally funny.

I also have to give a lot of credit to Anna Faris who proves that she is not afraid of going to extreme lengths to get laughs. Throughout the movie, she never tries to sweeten her character up like many actresses would have. Right now, she is proving to be one of cinema’s most valuable comic actresses with this and “The House Bunny”. Another inspired performance to be found in “Observe and Report” is from Celia Weston, and she plays Ronnie’s alcoholic mother. This could have been a cruel and clichéd character but Celia makes it a lot more than that.

Ultimately this film works because it is so true to life and at times uncomfortably all too real. Sure some of the humor is violent, perverted, drug related, and just disgusting, but it’s hysterical nonetheless. I appreciated the shock and awe of it all. “Observe and Report” is funny and uncompromising, offering laughs without denial or shame. This might not be a movie for everyone, but it was gut busting funny for me.