As you’re aware if you’ve been here before or if you’ve been here for two minutes, you know that I tend to offer a view into my life in pop culture. By that I mean I try to tell you what things I’m currently into whether it be a show, a song, or film. I also give you a look at why I like things and what these seemingly trivial things mean to me and I try, as scary as it is, to give you a view into my crazy brain and a heart as dark as a black hole. Ok, not really. Well, I mean I don’t have a black heart.

Anyways heart color aside, I’d like to tell you today about something that hits both of those tenets, in that I am lovin’ it and it has found a special place in my heart. First why I’m head over heels for AMC. I guess it starts and ends with quality. There was a time when FX had several top flight shows and that was a rarity as a basic cable channel. And now AMC has taken on that mantle as the basic cable channel to beat.  Let’s take a look at the shows they are currently airing:

1. Mad Men- Admittedly, I don’t watch this show. I am going to give it one final try this summer when it returns from hiatus. I’ll be doing my best to watch the seasons that are on demand. Despite my shortcomings on this show, its record speaks for itself: back-to-back Best Show Emmys kind of makes this a no-brainer.  Mad Men‘s hip style and slow brn drama have been the de facto best show on television for two years running. Here I come.

2. Breaking Bad- THIS show on the other hand I DO watch. And so I can personally tell you, it is just the BEST. The writing and acting are unlike anything else on television that I watch. I have thoroughly enjoyed first catching up and secondly staying right on top of each episode. This show features Bryan Cranston, who I’ve mentioned before as “President of Acting,” because he has yet to turn in a poor performance.  Sure he’s a meth cooker and generally has fallen off the wagon headed toward Normalville and has become the mayor of New JackedUp City, but it sure is enthralling. The third season just closed out and while I’ve heard criticism of it, I think they ended on a really strong run of episodes and tightened the screws nicely heading toward season 4. When the last thing you see from a season finale is an anonymous muzzle flash, things are getting good.

And now, to the forthcoming projects from AMC, which look to share the pedigree of their forefathers.

1. Rubicon- After viewing a sneak peek of this show on Monday on the AMC website (You can still catch it!), I can say that this show is different from the previous two in that the previous two are headed by some very bold male leads. This show on the other hand has a more reserved, introspective lead, but one that promises to be just as spellbinding. To be honest, I feel like this show hits me a little more squarely than some. It focuses on Will Travers who is a codebreaker basically and he uncovers what he thinks is a conspiracy involving the U.S. Government. We’re going to see how this turns out, but the mystery built beautifully through the first episode. Check this one out Sundays at 8pm starting 8/1. Here’s the trailer (via AMC):

2. The Walking Dead- Based on a series of graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, the title here gives it away: ZOMBIES! Zombies, as you’re probably aware, are some of my favorites. This show has a lot going for it: great source material, a solid cast, and the guiding hand of one Frank Darabont. The production values look to be very high as you can see in the first production photo of one of the zombies (via Slashfilm):

Get This Woman a Cheeseburger!

FREAKY. So production for this show is ongoing and we’ll probably see a late autumn premiere. Which will rock, I guarantee.  PR Guarantee of Rockitude GRANTED.

So as you can see, AMC has BEEN killing it and shows NO signs of letting up. But it’s for another reason that they mean something to me really. They were the first legitimate media outlet to recognize PR and give me some access to their materials. Which is just great! I’ve never felt so much like a real person, so thanks AMC! I haven’t been that excited since the release of the Bratz movie.

Please give these AMC shows a try, the thing that television has going really well right now and what makes it currently a more fertile creative ground than movies, is originality. But that’s a rant for another day. Shows likes these deserve your attention because they are excellently made and beacons of entertainment. Do yourself a favor and click over to AMC.

Synopsis
A young boy is pleasantly haunted by the specter of his grandfather who tells him a story about goblins on the eve of a family trip. The next morning the young boy, his sister, and their parents set out for a rustic town called Nilbog. Once they arrive there things are not as they seem and the young boy’s grandfather continually warns them they should leave town as the residents of the town were planning on eating them because they were shape-shifting goblins. No one in the family believes him until one of the townsfolk is revealed to be a goblin and now the family must fight to not become the goblin’s next meal.

Selected Scenes (Selected for awesomeness and availability on YouTube):

And here is a larger clip selection, which honestly, you SHOULD watch if you have time:

A Litany of the Issues With Troll 2 (SPOILERS ENSUE, but you won’t be able to understand them anyway):
- The acting
- The writing
- The directing
- The production values
- Total number of trolls in the film: 0
- Relation to Troll: 0
- Unnecessary characters: 6-10
- Unnecessary Plot Devices/Points: Seemingly all of them
- Communication between cast and crew: 0 (Crew mostly Italian, cast entirely American)
- The music score is from a pet commercial, not a suspenseful horror film.
- Bologna is a weapon of choice
- Vegetables are evil
- Cool ideas: 4-5, cool ideas executed well: 0
- Clever town names: 0
- Inexplicable Dance Sequences: 1
- Number of times a corn cob is used for seductive purposes: 1

Dissection of the Plot
The Plot is bizarre, but not outside the realm of things we’ve seen in horror movies. In fact the isolation/townsfolk turn on newcomers is almost cliche. What’s really WRONG with the plot is that they overload it with devices. Like where the goblins come from has something to do with a magical Stonehenge rock which is located in some with-like goblin’s house. And it’s never explained why the Goblins can’t just grow veggies instead they have to turn humans into vegetables. It just seems mean. There are some cool ideas, but there is so much nonsense, that those ideas get lost in the shuffle, QUITE easily.

Dissection of the Acting
The movie had a small budget and to cut costs they used unknowns as actors. This is a method which has worked really well in some cases, like the recent Paranormal Activity, which by all accounts was scary and well-made on the cheap with unknowns starring. But then there are movies like Troll 2 which remind movie fans why actors get (over)paid.  Rail on Nic Cage as much as you want, against these characters, he is the pudding on the pie. Sometimes you should save money on other things so that your movie isn’t completely lost in the ridiculous shuffle of overacting and confusion. Adding inexperience to communication issues with your Italian director and you have an epic calamity in the making. It’s not so much that everyone involved was a terrible actor, it’s that, no wait that is part of it. They all only have one speed.

Dissection of Themes
Themes, themes, themes. So we know it’ s bad, very bad, in fact. But what can we take away from this film? Well besides tons of belly laughs and more quotes that were never supposed to be quotable, vegetables are evil? I think. I don’t know but when our hero uses a Bologna sandwich as the weapon of necessity to defeat the goblins who are vegetarians.  So they turn humans into veggies to eat and are defeated by the foulest of deli meats. I think that says it all Meat=Good, Veg=Bad. Now while I can’t completely disagree with this message because I do love a steak, I have to think it’s the only move of its kind and in that way it’s kind of twistedly genius. Like the Talking Heads’ almost anti-environmental song “(Nothing But) Flowers”, there’s something to value in a dissenting opinion. Or am I full of it because for me food math goes like this Steak>Lettuce.
Conclusion
A thorough dissection my biology teacher would be proud of. The hard thing about attacking a movie like this is that it’s all too easy. But I promise you if you watch it, you will be enriched. At the very least you will be well aware that ANYONE can make a movie that makes it to a DVD release. Between The Room and Troll 2, I’ve become inspired! I think I heard a script for Troll 3 is out there, I might just take a stab at it. Seriously though, this film is currently up for FREE on Hulu. I encourage everyone to watch it for some strange sense of fascination. I mean let’s be honest, if you sat through Four Christmases or Surfer, Dude, you’ve pretty much reached the dregs, so why not go full force and scrape the bottom of the barrel? And when you’re done, be sure to check out the documentary that came out of the catastrophe, Best Worst Movie.

Have you seen Troll 2? Are you intrigued? For 90 minutes you will be as confused as humanly possible, and unlike in Memento, you’ll never know why.

Making Sweat sexy: Me and this guy!

What’s not gross is what Hollywood/New York/Parts Unknown have cooked up for you in the coming month! NAILED IT.

Review Snippets from April’s Entries:

Movies

Iron Man 2- Haven’t seen it. Fire me now.

Music

Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene- Really good, not great. Probably listened to the least of all the music this month, but that is in no way a marker on its quality! Check it out for yourself, what do I know? 7/10

Together by The New Pornographers- If you like this band, you’ll like this record. Things haven’t changed much, which is actually a good thing with this crew. 7/10

Heaven Is Whenever by The Hold Steady- I like this record! It’s good, they have yet to live up to Boys and Girls in America but when you set the bar THAT high it’s easy to miss. Definitely grab “Hurricane J” and “The Weekenders,” both of which have made it into my like top 6-7 fave THS songs. 7.5/10

High Violet by The National- GOOD GOOD album. Just not right for this time of the year, if this had been released 5 months ago I would be gushing about it. I still am kinda gushing about it because it’s real good, but it’s just a really broody album it’s like the Ryan Atwood of indie rock albums.8.5/10

The High Violet of Teen Heartthrobs

Infinite Arms by Band of Horses- K, I love this band, but I think this is their worst record, the more I listen to it, the less it sticks with me. Don’t get me wrong, some good tracks, but it lacks the punch of the first two albums, that being said “Blue Beard” is one of their best songs. 6/10

This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem- Destined for the upper reaches of many end-of-the-year lists, this is a good album, one that I’m sure will be pumping in my backyard all summer. Fun dancy jams. 8/10

So Runs The World Away by Josh Ritter- My fave of the month actually. Something old and familiar and new and expansive about this album, it has grown on me from day one and “The Curse” is my favorite song released this month. Really pretty stuff. Highly recommended to those of you who like their troubadours clever, soulful, and cocky. 8.5/10

TV

The end of LOST- While I let my younger, smarter sister do the legwork for LOST on the site, I love it almost as much. Here’s my thoughts on the finale, it ended the way it had to. Personally I was satisfied, in fact about 3/4 or more of the way through I thought I was watching what was potentially one of the best finales ever filmed. The END didn’t really tickle me but then again I am notoriously difficult to tickle. I will ardently disagree with anyone who says the show was a waste of time and that it’s legacy is tainted by not answering questions. Actually I will simply say “DID YOU ACTUALLY watch!?  They never answered questions. What exactly would have been a fitting end to the show for you!?” They made a habit of not answering anything, so why expect answers to come marching out two by two Noah’s Ark-style in the final 2.5 hours? I was satisfied. I found the end to the people I was wrapped up in and for me that was enough. I respect your opinion if you feel differently, but I was happy.

On to JUNESIES!

Movies
Toy Story 3- HANDS DOWN. I’m not going to rave about Pixar again. Just read someone else’s take on how great they are. I literally just had several to choose from by googling “why pixar rules.” That says it all. Our favorite characters are back and here Pixar tries something new in going for their first trilogy. I, for one, will be there with 3D glasses on.

I miss these. They made me feel like I was in Back to the Future.

Music
American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem- If they’re good enough for The Boss, they’re good enough for me. For some reason I’m avoiding listening spoilers for this album. I have high hopes that they will blow me away as they did with  The ’59 Sound. And if they don’t then I won’t have to go to another concert where I’m the oldest person there by a solid 5 or 6 years.

Destroyer of the Void By Blitzen Trapper- One of my favorite albums of the last few years was this group’s effort, Furr. A nonstop wild ride of neo southern rock/folk/electronics (?), yeah I think I’ll take another dose of that. Also isn’t the title suppppppppppper cool. That was pronounced like SUPER not SUPPER. That title is Dinner Cool, RIGHT?

TV
Season finale of Breaking Bad- Well, if you haven’t started watching this show yet, you have now missed out on three season’s worth of EPIC TV-making. The beginning of this third season started with a slow, creeping burn and has accelerated into a full-on conflagration. The writing and acting on this show are probably the best on basic cable and while the show is crazy, it never seems too far out there. Bryan Cranston has again given an impeccable performance, but I’ve been really floored by his TV wife, Anna Gunn’s performance and his partner in crime, Aaron Paul. Paul has really come into his own this year and has been on a tough road of his own warped brand of redemption turned revenge. I honestly think that Breaking Bad is the best show on television right now and the end of the season will surely be a doozie. It’s so good it ALMOST makes me want to take up meth. Or drive around in an RV. Or open up a chicken joint. You would understand all of these references if you watched!

Potential Future Employer

Guilty Pleasure
Entourage- (returns 6/27 to HBO)- I don’t know what bugs me more, how good this show used to be or that I still watch it. I’m married to these clowns for no discernible reason. I honestly can’t give you a solid why. But I’m okay with that if they turn it around. The show has been less funny and more aggressive every season for the last 3 seasons. Yet I’ve continued to watch in hopes that they would turn it around. I’m not delusional about what this show offers it is like GUY porn. 4 dudes living the “dream.” I get it, but it also used to be funny and insightful, where now it just seems like they are lazy and really went with the guy porn idea completely. Here’s to hoping that my once beloved can turn it around.

Unlike Jon Moxon, I DO WANT. YOUR LIFE.

Anything special you’re looking forward to in June? I know there is a lot coming down the pipe, so share with Rambling nation what’s on your agenda!

Jim: “Forced to Love”  - Broken Social Scene, lots of guitars, catchy as all hell and even finds the appropriate use of the flute in a rave up.

“Drunk Girls” – LCD Soundsystem, I’m all kinds of excited to see these guys at Pitchfork in July.  Also, this has got one of the best Spike Jonze vids in a while:

“Spill the Wine” Eric Burdon and War – Mexican grass, sunshine caressing your face, hollywood movie dreams, what else do you want?  The Hall of the Mountain King???

“Get it On (Bang a Gong), T-Rex – get it on, bang a gong, get it on, get it on, bang a gong, get it on HEY NOW!

Brad: “Waltz” by Fiona Apple is a great lazy summer song. As far as new songs go, I’ma go with “Nothing Like You” by Frightened Rabbit. Just too fun and to the point to leave off this list.

Patrick: “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus — It’s not lyrical poetry or musical genius but it definitely gets people moving and singing along, which is what a summer song should do.

“Folding Chair” by Regina Spektor — This IS lyrical poetry and some musical genius and it’s beach-themed (sure it’s a metaphor, but so what).  It’s upbeat without being frantic.

“Swimming Pools” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down — This evokes images of youthful summers spent getting pruny in the pool.

“Hot in Herre” by Jenny Owen Youngs — Hands down the best cover of a Nelly Song ever made.

Surfer Blood-”Fast Jabroni”. Jabroni is the best word ever, and a fast one is always better than a slow. I got into this album through Seth, and even though it’s  gotten a Brooklyn-hipster following (and I have severe issues with hipsters), I gotta love old school surf guitar in modern day. and they’re Floridian.

This guy likes it too!

Karla: My two new ones are Sally Seltman’s infectious and sweet song “Harmony to my Heartbeat”.  I imagine that I will hear this song play in my head when I think about the guy I marry.   It’s light and fun, just like summer should be.  But it doesn’t lack depth.  Which music (and marriage) should not.And also Josh Rouse’s “I Will Live on Islands” which is so so danceable and which I had the pleasure of hearing live not too long ago.  It makes you want to move to the Costa Blanca and just figure it out when you get there.

Toto’s “Africa” is a pick because it totally rocks and I will play it more than once on my 15 hr flight to the eponymous continent on Memorial Day Weekend.

Summer: This was made for me.

Windows Down Song: “Summer Girl”- Jessica Andrews — Bringing in the girly country music that my brother will tease me for. But nothing makes me want to roll down my windows and belt it out with my girlfriends like this song. It’s just a happy, upbeat song about enjoying the summer with your girlfriends.

These guys get it. PUPS!

It’s 9pm, 90 Degrees, and Still Light Outside Song: “Snails”- The Format — You know that perfect time of night only available in the summertime. It’s late, but the sun is down so it’s warm but not uncomfortable, and it is still light out. Fireflies are out, you’re sitting on the porch with your best friends just hanging out. That moment is encapsulated in this song.

Chilling on the Beach Song: “Flake”- Jack Johnson — Jack will always be the perfect beach music to me. So chill and relaxing.

Amped that the Weather is Warm Song: “Free Energy”- Free Energy — The power poppiness of the band just screams summertime to me. In fact, every time I listen to it I just think about how much better it will sound blasting from my speakers by the pool in July.

Also, for the record, my top 4 SUMMER songs:
4) Summer Girls, LFO
3) Summer Skin, Death Cab for Cutie
2) Summer Breeze, Seals & Croft
1) Summer Girl, Jessica Andrews

And for your listening pleasure.

Steve: Jack Johnson is phenomenal and I thought of him almost first given the surfer vibe and all. I can think of 3 songs off the top of my head:

“Summertime” – Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff: We all remember back to the 90′s when Zack, Kelly, AC, Lisa, Jessie, and Screech took that trip to Hawaii to save the Hideaway. Summertime brings me to that place, thinking of the ocean, palm trees, and beaches. Somehow, at the same time, because it references so many Philly locales, it takes me to the backyard BBQ’s, cycling down Kelly Drive, and all around awesome summer nights on the town in Philly. Great summer tune for me.

“Stay (Wasting Time)” – Dave Matthews Band: Just describes a hot summer day with your favorite girl wasting time together. Sounds like a solid summer afternoon.

“What I Got” – Sublime: I think it’s just the sound of this tune. Something about it makes me think summer. The whole thing makes me think BBQ on the beach with your best friends. I know that’s not at all what the lyrics say, but the vibe of the guitar and all just brings me to that place.

“Cousins” – Vampire Weekend: Not sure why but I just think of a summertime BBQ out on the back porch.  Such an upbeat tune and fun at the same time.

Andy: Totally agree with Jack Johnson, couple that come to mind for no particular reason are: PM Dawn – “Set a Drift on Memory Bliss” and Isley Brothers – “Summer Breeze”

Karla: I’d like to add one more to my list.  And it’s not cheating because I only had three:  “In The Summertime” by Mungo Jerry.

This guys SCREAMS "Summer"

Sherman: “Treme Song” – John Boutte: The theme to HBO’s spectacular Treme – a must for anyone with the slightest fondness for jazz or music as art – is new to me, but already feels like the theme of summer.  In the spirit of just getting down and having a good time with friends, it hits the nail on the head.

“Doin’ Time” – Sublime: Since Kevin Thompson already snagged “What I Got” I’m going with another Sublime (“The official band of summer”) song, the group’s dub of the Ella-sung, Duke-penned masterpiece “Summertime (And The Living’s Easy)”.  It’s got all the smooth lethargy of the original, plus Sublime’s modifications that add a modern perspective. Apparently that means drowning your girlfriend, but that gangsta-shit always sounds so chill from Sublime (see: Santeria)

“Stars and Stripes Forever” – John Phillips Sousa: Maybe it’s a product of growing up close to the District, but it’s hard to imagine a hot, sticky summer day without an armed forces band playing the Sousa classics on the Mall.

“Window Seat” – Erykah Badu: If Sousa is summer’s heat and humidity, Erykah Badu is the cement slab in your unfinished basement that you lay down on spread eagle to keep cool.  Seriously, this song deserves to be known for its own merits, not its sensationalist video.  It’s so smooth.  Also, what’s summer without the police needlessly hassling black people?

Nathan: Wilco – “Heavy Metal Drummer”- I have a friend who once claimed that he would only likes to listen to Wilco in the summer. I’m not sure he still adheres to this belief, and I hope he doesn’t because I think it’s silly. However, I agree with him that they’re a great summer band. “I miss the innocence I’ve know/ Playing Kiss covers beautiful and stoned” is also a great summer lyric.Iggy and the Stooges- “Search and Destroy”- “I’m a street walkin’ cheetah with a heart full of napalm” is one of my favorite opening lines for a song. This song is fast and great for those summer car chases.

Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk”- Their entire first album is great for Summer, but, as Musso would attest to, it’s pretty  hard not to feel upbeat when this song is playing.

Local Natives – “Airplanes”- I caught this band listening to internet radio and they slowly grew on me. Technically a 2010 pick because their album didn’t release in the US until February 2010 although it had been out in the UK since 2009. Their sound has been compared to Fleet Foxes and Arcade fire. This song fits the mood of summer very well.

Seth: “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” by John Denver- Not much sounds better than Denver crowing about how good he’s got it down on the farm when the temperatures rise. It’s a song most people know and that helps in BBQ settings. I grew up listening to Mr. Denver and there’s something that calls me back about this jam, I can’t help but think about running around without shoes on (which I love), wearing overalls (which I don’t), and sitting on a porch with an ice cold drink (which I do).

Summer Fashion DON'T

“Constructive Summer” by The Hold Steady- I can’t help but think of my friends when I hear this song. And the fact that I don’t drink “double whiskey, coke, no ice” doesn’t stop me from wanting one every time Craig Finn says it. And despite the fact that I’ve never climbed up the water tower and drinked and talked doesn’t mean I couldn’t. I love the nostalgia in this song, even if its his; the message still applies, “we’re gonna build something this summer.”

For the April Win!

Top Chef Masters- ERRR. Incomplete grade. I’ve only seen like 15 minutes of one episode. Whoops. Maybe that speaks for itself though, Masters lacks the drama of the original and often times the chefs come off rather pompous. Regardless, incomplete grade.

The Hold Steady- Heaven is Whenever (5/4)- listened to a few of these jams so far and I can tell you that “The Weekenders” is already vying for my favorite THS song and that’s saying something.

Josh Ritter-  So Runs the World Away (5/4)- If you haven’t been a Josh Ritter fan yet, this one can push you over the edge. I have been waiting for this album with bated breath and the first listen through was lovely, quiet, and spacious.

Band of Horses-  Infinite Arms (5/18)- I just love this band, if you don’t love them well then sorry. But I’ve listened to this album a bit and I know that “Older”, which I’ve heard in concert several times and loved,  is on there and it’s a great, great tune. It has a kind of wistfulness and whimsy that BOH sometimes lack.

The Wizards in their Words Lair

May

Iron Man 2- (5/7)
The biggest sequel of the summer helps kick it off. RDJ returns for what promises to be another fun ride, this time with even more star power and gadgets. I think we can all agree that we are happy that this got made. I certainly didn’t get enough of the armor and the billionaire playboy ways last time. Oh and Don Cheadle as War Machine because what’s better than one A-List actor playing Robo-Superhero? TWO A-List actors playing Robo-Superheroes!

Babies- (5/7)
For those of you who want the opposite of the above, we bring you Babies. Probably the cutest idea for a movie outside of Puppies.  This documentary looks at 4 babies from around the world during their first year. It’s possible that this will be the go-to movie to watch when you’re sad, that is until they make Babies 2: Human Babies Playing With Animal Babies.

Robin Hood- (5/14)
Ridley Scott takes on Nottingham’s Most Wanted in a different way. Not the classic Sherriff vs. Robbie story here folks. Instead Russell Crowe will portray Hood as he comes to be the outlaw we know and love. Cate Blanchett plays (by the look of things) an extra pasty maid Marion. Sure to be slings, arrows, and lots of epic music swells.

MacGruber- (5/21)
MacGyver gets a new lease on life with this send-up borne from an SNL sketch starring Will Forte. Honestly it looks pretty hilarious. I had really low expectations because the SNL movies have been wildly hit or miss, but MacGruber has two things going for it: MacGyver is awesome and Val Kilmer is an awesome villain.

Sex and the City 2- (5/27)
I don’t know why I A)Watched this trailer or B)It looks like they are using green screen for the camel ride or C) Why they are in what looks like Dubai (I honestly don’t know because I watched with the volume off). Isn’t the point of Sex and the City that it be in New York? I dunno. I just don’t know.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time- (5/28)
This movie is either going to be really cool or really terrible. I haven’t read any advance buzz on it to get me excited or unexcited about it. Here’s what I DO know:  Jake Gyllenhaal plays the titular character and former Bond hottie Gemma Arterton plays the sultry princess. An attractive cast doesn’t a movie make though.  Video game adaptations are historically terrible, but having played the game, I can say that it’s well fit for a movie adaptation. Color me mildly excited.

June
Get Him to the Greek- (6/4)
A comedy based kind of on Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s characters. But also kind of not. Russell Brand reprises his wackado rocker role (is it really an act?) and Jonah Hill joins him, but not as a suck-up fanboy, more as a record exec who has to “GET HIM TO THE GREEK.” Get it? I think this could suck, but I like the talent attached a lot.

Splice- (6/4)
This is a film about two scientists who create a new lifeform. From everything I’ve read it is clever and well-made, but also mildly unsettling at some points. I am really excited to see it as it looks to be one of the few original films that will come out this summer. A rarity in this day and age.

The A-Team- (6/11)
TANK. IN. THE. SKY.

Toy Story 3- (6/18)
I can’t wait for this movie. I am a diehard Pixar fanboy because they never fail. And why would going back to their first SUPER hit be any different. We add some new toys and keep the fun alive with a transfer to a new locale. Weird that people who saw the first film when it came out could be taking their kids to this one. To Infinity and BEYOND!

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse- (6/30)
Twilight seems to me to be the Saga that won’t die. I just am really getting tired of the fever pitch over Taylor Lautner. It’s creepy guys.  I watched him in Sharkboy and Lavagirl this weekend and he looked like a snot-nosed kid, that was only 5 years ago. I dunno. Icky. But I’m sure this will have the requisite amount of vampire-werewolf-human love triangle stuff that is so hot these days.

July

Predators- (7/9)
I have loved Predator since the first time I saw Arnold square off against the crab-faced original goon. It was really just a great story of man triumphing over one of the ugliest S.O.B.’s I’d ever seen. The cast is pretty solid and Robert Rodriguez is at the helm, but it’s a tough spot to follow up an action sci-fi classic. I’m in on this one just to see the dreaded (pun!) ones.

Inception- (7/16)
Chris Nolan’s first movie since he blew everyone’s face off with The Dark Knight is this thriller set in the “architecture of the mind.” So try that one on for size. The star, Leo Dicaprio has said that they basically had no idea what was going on while filming, so there’s that. But two things, I will watch my doppelganger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in pretty much anything and also it looks pretty rad.

Get Low- (7/30)
A story about a man who plans his own funeral while he’s still alive so he can enjoy it. Sounds like a fun/interesting concept and it’s a true story! The real secret here is that it’s got Bill Murray in it. And I will watch him clean a bathtub.

August

The Other Guys- (8/6)
Lots of buddy cop films have come and gone, but for some reason I have a pretty good feeling about this one. Killer cast. The director, Adam McKay just GETS me. Not much more to say about that.

The Expendables- (8/13)
It’s definitely the year of the mercenary team considering The Losers, The A-Team, and this one. There are just tons of mercs walking around our celluloid this summer. This one though, has had my attention since I first read of its announcement.  It’s like when your favorite band breaks up and your other favorite band breaks up and the broken parts reform to make something even awesomer. Sly Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham and more team up to blow stuff up . 80’s flashbacks anyone? Dreams anyone? Opening Night anyone?

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- (8/13)
Comic adaptation Scott Pilgrim has already been getting killer advance reviews and from the looks of it, this will be one of, if not the best movies of this summer. Some fun cameos from Jason Schwartzman and Brandon Routh coupled with Michael Cera’s starring role and direction from Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). Plus my secret celebrity crush, Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  I’ve yet to read the comic and hope to before I see the film, but I know this: it’s about a guy taking on all of his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends and it looks to have some whizzbang fun attached.

Those are the big films as I see it for the summer. Here’s some bold predictions:

1. Babies will lead the league in AWWWWWWWWs.
2. Sly Stallone (The Expendables) will lead the league in grunts and slow-mo dives out of explosions.
3. Pixar’s Toy Story 3 will be a smash hit, not that bold you say?! Well it will be so smashy, it will prompt a 4^th sequel, but this time they go for the classic revenge plot as Buzz and Woody team up to hunt down Andy for letting them go.
4. Some of you will see Splice on my vague recommendation and you will NOT be happy about it.
5. Twilight: Eclipse will finally make me jump to Team Edward.
6. The Switch starring Jennifer Aniston will definitely rub some people the wrong way because what’s not funny about your friend practical joking with your artificial insemination and replacing the ahem “goods” with their own.
7. The popularity of Predators will spawn a rebirth of the Alien franchise and with both revitalized we could FINALLY get the long-awaited Alien vs. Predator.
8. The forthcoming Marmaduke movie based on the classic (is it?!) comic strip will finally get that Family Circus script I’ve been writing the greenlight.
9. Nic Cage’s hair will finally get its own starring role after a breakout performance in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
10. We’ll all be reminded of Megan Fox’s weird thumb when she steams up the screen in Jonah Hex because yeah we’re all looking at her thumbs.

We’ll check back in with these at the end of the summer, but for now, enjoy the show! Or don’t. But probably you should see Babies. What did I miss that you’re excited to see? What are your bold predictions for the summer movie season?

1. Clearly the television executives have been paying attention to what has happened to music and movies since the digital age has “ravaged” those two.  Seeing their failure to adapt has proven a cautionary tale for the big wigs in television and rightfully so.  Don’t get me wrong, I want Hulu as free as Red at the end of Shawshank, but I understand that it’s a business and they’ve given us 2 whole years of glorious free, streaming beauty without consequence to us the viewer. But streaming video is also a piping hot market, giving much competition to the sales of DVD (no real research to back that up) I would guess.  And there is already a large group of people who know and like Hulu who can be exploited to make a buck.  Capitalism!  It’s actually kind of encouraging to see media executives trying to adapt to the current market.  I would gather improvements in service and advertising will continue with the paid service while those of us free wheelers will continue to soak up our 5 trailing episodes, while not venturing too far into the realm of trying new shows.

2.  Which is my second point. This will certainly deter people from taking a chance on a show and this is what makes me saddest about the whole idea. There are so many well-made, poorly- marketed, lowly-watched shows that get a second life or chance by being up for free on Hulu, a service to these shows which is invaluable. For example, Arrested Development is a show which I know gained some legs with another group of viewers simply by being free and accessible. Sure, I know, AD was already canceled by the time Hulu came around, but I can’t help but think shows of its ilk (well-made shows with small, devout followings) would benefit from extra exposure.  Something that will be lost when Hulu begins their paid subscription service.

3. Hulu has been this strange little, amazing experiment to this point. Several networks banding together to offer their shows for free to fans. It’s actually one of the coolest things going in the entertainment world and I don’t think that will change. What WILL change is the public’s opinion of it, which is a shame. Hulu has personally offered me HOURS of unbridled joy. Sure that’s a bold statement for television, but it’s true. Hulu offered a channel to save time while still being caught up on your favorite shows. It was such an effective measure of popularity that it was added to the ratings measurement system. It’s this functioning Frankenstein which has changed the way we consume our television media. Changing the very nature of that system will not go unnoticed by the consumer and I’ll be interested to see how Hulu Plus is received.

Hulu in Lego Form

Hulu will be going on an interesting ride over the next few months. There are certainly going to be naysayers and there will be those who adopt without asking a question. The fact that they are still allowing the 5 trailing episodes for free will soften the blow, but I also think it will hurt Hulu Plus, which may then force Hulu to push the price onto the site as a whole. If that happens, expect an angry mob to form, Hulu, expect it.

So Ramblers, are you ready to get your pitchforks and torches? Or will you gladly pay the extra cash to have access to Hulu Plus?

Big Echo is The Morning Benders’ second studio album, following Talking Through Tin Cans and is aptly named as the whole thing just kind of reverberates. To me, there are a few standout tracks, but the album as a whole is outstanding. The quickest little pop glory nugget is “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)”, it clocks in at a whopping 1:44, but based on the amount of times you will listen to it over and over, it might as well be about 10:00 long. Lead singer Chris Chu only needed about only needed about 20 seconds to work in one of my favorite lyrics of 2010 so far, “If you catch my drift, hold it close to your heart..” he sings as he works through a breakup scenario. He begs his opponent to keep the war cold even at the very end and the serious tone of the lyrics is belied by the upbeat hand-clapped rhythm.

On “Promises”, Chu and his mates start out cool and calculated and build toward the chorus from the verse. The organic growth of oral percussion, drums, and guitar strums is what really gets me on this track. It rises and crests just like a wave until it crashes down and the fuzzy guitars mount on top of each other again and reunite with the drums to form a pulse almost only to scatter again.

And on the track which will stay with me, with you, forever, “Excuses” they really do something special. “Excuses” is just like, remember the scene in Walk Hard when Dewey Cox has like 1000 people in the studio of all different shapes and sizes. Well this is the song that came out of it. It’s just like everything piled on top of each other, but in the way that cheese fries do it (awesome), not in the way that dumps do it (gross). Layering strings, percussion, vocals, guitar over and over to create this force of sound is just really impressive. You can see how something like this comes together, which makes it all the cooler (Thanks to Adam G. for this link):

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders “Excuses” from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

So that’s awesome. I just love what he says about the song. It makes me hopeful in that way that very few tunes ever do. Very cool.  And that’s only three tracks. I’m not going to spoil the rest for you, just listen to it. It’s going to be a great one to fill your lazy summer days and your bocce games at your cookouts, I promise.

The OTHER album you should be listening to in preparation for the summer is Free Energy’s Stuck On Nothing. It is the party anthem album of the year. Free Energy likes to pull on the tunes from bygone eras and it chooses the most bombastic and guitar duelingest ones with excellent results. In fact, sometimes you might feel like the record you’re hearing is from the 70′s.

Free Energy have been compared to several bands of the 70′s especially Thin Lizzy of “The Boys are Back” fame and that’s a good thing in this blogger’s estimation. There is something familiar and fun about almost every one of their tunes but something expansive about them too. This is a band I just have a super good feeling about whenever I listen to them. Ok, my 3 songs for them: “Free Energy”, “Bang Pop”, and “Dream City”.

I’ll start with “Dream City” which has perhaps one of the best ripped-off openings and backbeats ever. Listening once, you’ll be able to pick up the “Rock N Roll Pt. 2″ vibe rather quickly, but the song takes a couple different steps than that stadium anthem winding up and winding down in parts. It’s a cool song and it ends with a saxophone? Yes it does.

“Bang Pop” is the kind of song you immediately hang on to and shout along with. It sounds like a Weezer track if Weezer had decided to throw in a bunch of guitar soloing and a pulsing rhythm. It’s also a pretty sexy tune and one that keeps you slapping your knee and clapping your hands or vice-versa.

But for me the best is the opening track, “Free Energy” which has a little AC/DC meedley-meedley action, some fantastic solo action, and a super-positive vibe. I love listening to this song when I walk around the city, it kinda gives life to everything. It might help that they are now based in Philadelphia, but I like to think they might be singing about the street I’m walking on.  Also, do you have a fever? This track has the requisite prescription to cure it.

I’m going to find that street, looks like they’re in my old basement, except a lot less creepy. Anyways, that tune gives you a good idea of what I mean. This album will be in heavy rotation all summer because the tunes are just really positive, semi-nostalgic, and certifiably power-classic-rock-pop jams.

Start listening now, so you can sing along when you come over for a PR cookout. Otherwise, you will be super left out when we do karaoke.

'Lungs' - Florence + the Machine, July 2009, Island Records

It’s rare that I stumble upon an artist, album or song that really grabs me by the hair and forces my face into awesomeness, but thanks to Pandora.com, I recently happened to hear “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” by Florence + the Machine on my Tori Amos Radio station.  I enjoyed the song so I added F+tM to the station and heard some other really nice songs.

And then “Howl” came on and I sat for three and a half minutes at my desk at work doing nothing but listening intently.  This song is single-handedly the best song I’ve ever heard about creepy, obsessive passion.  With lyrics like “I drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart” and “The fabric of your flesh / pure as a wedding dress / until I wrap myself inside your arms I cannot rest,” a driving drum beat, a singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice and a tempo that builds from sultry to frenetic, this song will rock your world if you are into artists like Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Lykke Li and Fiona Apple.

Florence Welch doing what she does best

Obviously “Howl” is my hands-down favorite from the album, but “Lungs” is chock-full of great songs that range from demanding to smooth.  The theme of the album seems to be passion in its various forms with nods to neurotic love in several songs.  Florence Welch, the band’s frontwoman croons in “I’m Not Calling You a Liar” all but begging her lover not to treat her badly, claiming that “I love you so much I’m gonna let you kill me.”  Talk about unhealthy love, but somehow it’s beautiful when she sings it.  Continuing the obsession theme, “Drumming Song” describes an uncontrollable desire for another person that seems to be unrequited and unavoidable.  The song evokes the delicious-repulsive way we feel when we want someone so badly.

The album debuted in the U.K. in July and has yet to make it to the U.S. shores, but mark my words: This band will arrive across the pond soon enough and you’ll already know about it.  The first single, “Kiss with a Fist” is a cute song, but hardly showcases the album’s tone and genius.  Mistakes will probably be made about which singles to release when the album arrives — I’m looking at you Ting Tings — but buy it now and explore it yourself.  You won’t regret it if you like powerful female singers and ethereal sounds over a purposeful beat with lyrics that will not leave you alone.  “Lungs” fills you with an obsession for it that mirrors the obsession its songs encapsulate.

The action moves a mile a minute and for the time, the effects are really incredible. At some points, the movie makes you year for the days when movies were made by people, not computers. There are a few scenes which really bring this home and if you’ve seen the movie, I’m sure you’ll know which one I’m specifying with this phrase: Human Blowfish. Hopefully that titillates some of you who haven’t seen it.

This movie has everything action, adventure, romance, comedy, a bit of horrorishness (fairly sure that I just created that word), and some classy performances. Ok, here is my best description based on things that are common knowledge, imagine this:
Indiana Jones is not an archaeologist, but a truck driver and stumbles into Chinatown in some city, searching not for an artifact, but for a lady and a very old Chinese man. Ok, that description pretty much was an epic fail. Regardless of my stupid description, you should definitely see this movie if you haven’t. The movie looks great, the effects are still effective, Kurt Russell cements himself as a dude by wearing a tank top for the entirety of the movie, and finally HUMAN BLOWFISH. Enjoy this underappreciated classic for it’s just a solid movie watching experience. And HUMAN BLOWFISH.