Pop Culture Buzz

Australian electro-duo Empire of the Sun released this video for “We Are The People,” and the clip doesn’t spare us any of the usual Empire of the Sun melodrama, as the outrageously done-up group walks across the desert.

Directed by Josh Logue of Mathematics the clip was shot in the towns of Garcia, Xilitla, and the Icamole Desert in Mexico and used the ancient Mexican festival, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), as its inspiration.

“We Are the People” is the second single from their debut album “Walking on a Dream”. The song peaked at #26 on UK Singles Chart and at number 24 on Australian ARIA Singles Chart. If you have not had a chance to listen to this Aussie groups super cacthy 80’s synth inspired music, run out and get some now!

Yahoo! Movies has your first look at the new trailer for director Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi film “District 9″, which is presented by Peter Jackson. “District 9″ is based on “Alive in Joburg“, a short film produced by Neill Blomkamp, Sharlto Copley, Simon Hansen and Shanon Worley. The film was directed and co-written by Blomkamp.

Opening August 14, the movie depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa. In the movie an alien race arrives on planet Earth and are rounded up and shipped to live as refugees at a site in South Africa named District 9.

A corporation is given the task of figuring out their weapon systems and discover that the technology requires alien DNA to work. When a human is infected with this alien DNA, all hell breaks loose and he becomes the most wanted man on the planet. And the only place for him to hide is District 9.

This movie trailer has had movie geeks all over the world foaming at the mouth for months, this one included! Each time more footage is released it makes me want to see it more and more. Hopefully this film won’t be a loud clunker like “Transformers 2″.

** STARS

In the action-thriller “Public Enemies”, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Best Actress Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger. Dillinger was the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), who ended up becoming a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public.

“Public Enemies” is not terrible or even unwatchable, it’s just too long and slow. I went into this film craving a change of pace from the regular high concept summer blockbusters like “Terminator Salvation”, “Wolverine” and “Transformers 2″ that have done little to make one use their brain while in the theater. Usually Michael Mann has a way of stretching out a story and making it seem seamless like he did in “Heat”, but with “Enemies” I found myself sighing with restlessness and boredom.

The acting by Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard are text book depression-era gangster cut out performances with not much real charm or passion added to them. The first half of this film had a lot of energy and excitement but somewhere in the middle, as the gangsters began to be executed by the FBI, the story began to plod along and lose steam. The two and a half hour running time was nowhere near as thrilling and cool as when it was done in “The Untouchables”, I found myself checking the time quite often.

In the end I had no compassion or sympathy for Dillinger, his love life or anyone in his band of outlaws. In much better gangster films such as “Bonnie & Clyde” we cheer for the Robin Hood mentality of the crooks. In Mann’s “Public Enemies” I ended up rooting for J. Edgar Hoover and his band of goons, and if history has taught us anything, that is not a good thing. This film may please hardcore Depp fans that think he can do no wrong, but I couldn’t help but wish the movie would just end about half way through.

REAL LIFE - “SEND ME AN ANGEL (1983)”

MEN WITHOUT HATS - “SAFETY DANCE” (1983)

FLOCK OF SEAGULLS - “I RAN (SO FAR AWAY)” (1982)

THE THOMPSON TWINS - “HOLD ME NOW” (1983)

LISTEN TO A FRESH MIX OF 25 NEW SONGS FOR SUMMER 2009!!

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

“Ponyo” (titled “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” in it’s native Japan when it was release in 2008) is a 2009 animated film by the Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film did well in Japan grossing over $150 million. It is Miyazaki’s tenth film for Ghibli, his others being the Academy Award winning animated classic “Spirited Away”, “Princess Mononoke” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” among others.

The plot centers on a juvenile fish named Ponyo who wants to become a human girl. In pursuing her goal, she befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sosuke. The film releases in theaters in the US on August 14, 2009. The movie is Produced by Frank Marshall, Hayao Miyazaki & John Lasseter.

Miley Cyrus’s younger sister, Noah Cyrus, will voice Ponyo, while The Jonas Brothers little brother, Frankie Jonas will voice Sosuke. The film is rated G by the MPAA, being Hayao Miyazaki’s first film to be rated G by the MPAA since the 1998 direct-to-video release “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.

“The Box” is an upcoming horror film based on the 1970 short story “Button, Button” by author Richard Matheson. The film is written and directed by Richard Kelly (”Donnie Darko”) and stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box with a mysterious power. Kelly described his intent for the film, “My hope is to make a film that is incredibly suspenseful and broadly commercial, while still retaining my artistic sensibility”. “The Box” is scheduled for release on October 30, 2009 just in time to creep you out this Halloween.

(ARTICLE FROM COMINGSOON.NET)

USA Today has published new images from Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” featuring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Also included are three more pieces of concept art.

The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.

Pixie Lott is a 18-year-old British singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. “Mama Do” is the lead single from her highly anticipated debut album “Turn It Up”. The single is also known as “Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)”, which is the full title, but frequently abbreviated. The strikingly attractive blond 18-year-old who is not only beautiful, but has an impressive and rich voice that makes her emergence on the music scene so exciting. Watch her fun video below:

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF OVER 100 OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE TV SHOW THEME SONGS!!!

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

MARTIKA - “I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE” (1988)

THE BANGLES - “ETERNAL FLAME” (1989)

TAYLOR DAYNE - “I’LL BE YOUR SHELTER” (1990)

TRACY SPENCER - “THIS HOUSE” (1991)

“Zombieland,” a zombie comedy, has a release date of October 9th of this year and stars Woody Harrelson as “Tallahassee,” a man who looks to be quite skilled at killing zombies. The film revolves around a mismatched pair of survivors who find friendship and redemption in a world overrun by zombies. Judging from the trailer, it looks like it’s going to be loads of fun! It also stars super-cute Emma Stone, and … Bill Murray as a zombie??? Check out the kick ass trailer below!

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF 35 NEW SONGS BY MOBY, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, MANDY MOORE, GRIZZLY BEAR, MAXWELL & MORE!!

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

David Lynch directed the video for the latest Moby track, “Shot In Back Of The Head”, from his upcoming album, “Wait For Me” (his 9th studio album). This track didn’t excite me too much, primarily because Moby’s already composed music that sounds very similar to it. I like David Lynch’s funny-crude sketches, but expected to see something more memorable. Moby called in his friends to help record the album, doodled the album art with sharpie on some copy paper and did the whole thing from the comfort of his own home. What do you think of the song and music video below?

The Juan Maclean have released their new single “One Day”, off the American electronic group’s second album titled “The Future Will Come”, which is out now on DFA Records. I love the 80’s throw back music video below, even though I do acknowledge it is very similar to every Human League song ever recorded. The Juan Maclean has been described as disco + electro + indie + funk and with Nancy Whang (of LCD Soundsystem) back on vocal duty this album is sure to rock.