lundi 25 octobre 2010

" Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them."


WALL STREET: It’s like Oliver Stone was in competition with himself, and heck, why not? And in this case it’s a win-win situation, I mean, if the sequel is bad, he always has the classic, 1987 “Wall Street”.

So, let’s start with that one. I am not a fan of Michael Douglas, I am not a fan of Charlie Sheen, and saying that I am not a fan of Darryl Hannah is an understatement, but this movie just worked, “Wall Street” will be quoted until the end of time. It is just a classic movie, Oliver Stone directed this movie beautifully and you would think that a movie about Wall Street would be boring, but no, you are hooked from beginning to end, even someone who is as Wall Street retarded as I am, it’s a comprehensible movie that everyone has access to, and well, it makes stock brokers bad ass, and I find that cool. Now it’s the 8o’s so we can forgive the corny bits, the synth music from opening credits to the closing ones, the love story that you don’t really care about because you just can’t figure out what was going on with Darryl Hannah’s hair.


VS. WALL STREET O2: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS:

“Wall Street o2: Money Never Sleeps” so in 2010, I am still not liking Michael Douglas, I am in love with Shia LaBeouf and I don’t really know much of Carey Mulligan. I think any fan of the first movie went into this one with super high expectations. With today’s economy, this movie could have been very interesting. And if this

wasn't a sequel to a great classic, it would have been wonderful. But shit out of luck, you don’t want to have to follow a movie of such magnitude.

Don’t get me wrong, I am impressed with Shia’s ability to cry on cue, and you know, you just feel that Michael Douglas won’t let you down in portraying the asshole that is Gordon Gekko, he will do something horrible before this ends, you know it, you feel it, and without a doubt he does it. What is disappointing is that he grows

a conscience, which is not very “Gordon Gekko” like… I mean everything ends very nicely but I personally feel cheated, what happened to “Greed is good”?

The man that you loved to hate, has an epiphany, and becomes a nice guy. Literally, no transition, just lookin’ at his computer screen, bein’ his evil self, and then, poof, he decides to make everything all better.

Carey Mulligan doesn’t bother me, not the way Darryl Hannah did, but if she wasn’t in the movie, I don’t think I would have cared. Throughout the whole movie, you don’t know if LaBeouf’s character is like Gordon, or if he really just wants to do well. There is no doubt about his love for his girlfriend; Mulligan & LaBeouf have an undeniable chemistry. There is a whole “go green” subtext & I guess in this day & age you can’t get away from it. But again, you don’t really know if LaBeouf’s character is an idealist who wants to be a do-gooder while making a profit or if he is as greedy as the next guy & just wants the profit.

I went in with low expectations, not because I thought the movie would be horrible but because I just loved the first one. And like I said, if this wasn’t a follow up to such a classic, it would have been a good movie. The story was there (other than the green subplot which was kind of useless), the acting was good even if there were some characters that brought nothing to the storyline (Susan Sarandon plays LaBeouf’s mother, she didn’t do a bad job, but the part didn’t bring much to the table), the script was good, the directing was amazing (you can never say any bad of Oliver Stone), the location was great (when is there ever anything wrong with New York?).

It is just a true shame that this wasn’t just a movie on its own. If it were it would have stood on its own two feet… And it could have been great.


vendredi 22 octobre 2010

confusion.

Question: Do I have a computer?
Ansewer: Yes, siree, I do.

I have lost count of the months, but it's been a while, and in between, there has been some confusion. Many things I wanted to write about, that I can't remember, that I am no longer interested in & no, I am not suffering from ADD, but things come & go as do people who were interested in my blog, that no longer are, shit happens n'est ce pas?

But boom baby, I am back and will continue to be until someone decides to step on this computer & crack my screen (when I say someone I mean me, but it really wasn't my fault, what was the shit doing on the floor under my sisters bed? The answer? I do not know, you need to ask my sister).

So after a long hiatus... I need to attempt to get whoever was interested, interested once again.

So let's do this shit.

1o songs you should be listening to simultaneously, like now, let's go,



No particular order, just listen.


mardi 13 avril 2010

matthew gray gubler.

Weather getting nice, summer approaching, & everyone should be ecstatic.
Sorry for the temporary hiatus, I prefer to have a few beers under the warm sun then to sitting in front of my computer for hours. That and I do have an education to tend to.

Dum diddie.

So my new article (if you haven't intelligently deducted from the title) is about Matthew Gray Gubler. A true modern day renaissance man. Actor/Director/Artist...
Now, I haven't done extensive research on him because, well, I like to cling on to the thin threads of a life I still manage to have left (only god knows why), but he seems like he would be an excellent dancer, he's got that tall, thin, white boy thing going on & I am sure he can bust a move like no other.

But that is not really the point of this particular blog entry, it is more to enlighten you on the coolness that this actor possesses and that all should aspire to.

Let's start at the beginning of my discovery.
I was watching Alvin & the Chipmunks, because what 2o year old wouldn't be? And I see the name that voices Simon & I was like "interesting". Then he just kind of happened to pop up in literally everything else I started to watch, the list would be the following:

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, directed by my favorite Wes Anderson, and I had yet to see it, I figured I had to get on that.
How To Be a Serial Killer, found this one by accident, I love mockumentaries and I think the whole concept of this movie was HI-larious.
[5oo] Days of Summer, Joseph Gordon Levitt & Zooey Deschanel. Who would say no?
Then, one day out of sheer boredom & lack of anything to do, I started to watch Criminal Minds & I thought "Heeeeey, it's the Gubler guy" and to be honest, if I was a tad crazier I would actually think I was being followed, but the people in the little box aren't real, is what the doctor keeps saying, even though I beg to differ.
So obviously I deducted that some higher power was forcing me to google Matthew Gray Gubler, so google I did, and I got sent
Which I think is one of the coolest sites I have ever been to.
And for that reason I decided to come out of my hiatus early.

Matthew Gray Gubler, was born on a day in a certain month of a certain year, somewhere in some state most likely, & if this is the info your looking for I don't have it, go to imdb.

Things I do happen to know is that he hasn't been in many movies, & he hasn't had enormous roles in most of the movies he has been in, but he plays each character to a tee.
He is one of the stars of TV show Criminal Minds which just happens to seem like every crime show out there but really isn't, it's smart & funny when need be, and you literally fall in love with every single character.
The Gube (cause the two of us are at that nickname stage in our relationship) does a marvelous job as the socially retarded genius Dr. Spencer Reid.

But the acting is not all.

As someone who can not draw a picture if I had a gun pointed to my head BUT that has been known to write short films & snap a picture or two, I have become a huge fan of his artwork, which should be admired by everyone reading this right now, so go.
I am an American who has been living in France for quite a while I must do my part to make sure that we are well perceived & correctly represented abroad.
So to anyone who ever doubted the coolness of us US of A-ians;
Pretend we are all as hip as Mr. Gubler.

mercredi 17 mars 2010

Playlists: o6 things you should be watching, listening to and/or reading.


MOVIES:





TV:

o4. Skins (Seasons 1&2)
o5. 3o Rock

ALBUMS:

o1. Glee OST (Volumes 1&2)


BOOKS:



The ONLY YouTube channel you should be watching is: Indieghetto.


Welcome to Musictown, may I service you?


EMPIRE RECORDS




Hmm. I don't know where to begin... The killer cast? The great script? The bitchin' soundtrack?
I guess I do know where to begin.

Renée Zellweger & Liv Tyler are two actresses that annoy me always have & despite the fact that in a general manner of speaking they make okay movies I think they always will. But, I will admit that in this movie they play their roles to a tee.
This is the movie that made me fall in love with Ethan Embry, it's a shame that he has vanished off of the movie scene because I think he is an extremely underrated actor, but he is only one amongst a whole list in this movie.
Johnny Whitworth, Rory Cochrane & Brendan Sexton III, all actors that we don't hear much about but good actors none the less. Robin Tunney fits very nicely into the mix & Anthony LaPaglia isn't playing a mobster, it suits him.
The script is very real, you really do feel like all of these people know each other very well & have been working together forever.
In a movie about a record store the soundtrack is crucial & this movie has one of the best OST's evvvvvvvvver, very 9o's but in a good way, it's everything you love about the begining of the 9o's.

Empire Records has become a timeless movie, cult classic, it's one of the few movies that actually makes you want to become an underachiever. The first time I saw this, I was 11 years old & all I wanted to do was work in a record store. Funny, entertaining, good music, good actors, good story, wonderful location. I don't know what else people really look for in a movie.

mercredi 10 mars 2010

watching on the TV...


So, an other show produced by Mark Wahlberg amongst others. On the contrary to Entourage this show isn't about once you make it big, it's the before part.
I think that the location is use a lot better than in Entourage. New York is a beautiful city & you can see it in the show.
Bryan Greenberg is what I think an extremely underrated actor. I have loved him in pretty much everything I have seen him in, and here he does a great job of a struggling underacheiver who wants it all but doesn't nessecarily want to have to work for it.
Victor Rasuk has one of those faces, you are sure you have seen him somewhere but you just can't place it. He plays the role of the loud mouth, out-going somewhat cooky best friend to the tee. He is likable, but has the potential of becoming very annoying soon.
I am THRILLED to see Shannyn Sossamon is in this, she is a beautiful, elegent & talented actress & I think the NYC art scene role that she has taken on suits her very well.
I am curious to see how Scott Mescudi will succeed as an actor, everyone knows him a lot better under the pseudonyme Kid Cudi. I like the music, will I like the acting? After o4 episodes it is hard to tell.
That being said this show has a lot of potential. Great location, because after all is said & done who doesn't love New York? Good cast. Real writing. Great producers. Amazing directing. Everything that this show has going for it, is being used to perfection. The fact that the show isn't about having loads of money, women, material things, etc... Is what I like about it. Don't get me wrong I love Entourage, but I love this aspect of making it in the art business aswell, it's what every artist wants, the story of struggle before success, because who wants to listen to a story where having it all came easy? We all want to know that we are working our asses off for a reason...We do it because we hope that one day it might turn into something great & in the mean time, you are doing what you love & that is the story being told by this show.
I would tune in if I were you.





mardi 9 mars 2010