Cloverfield, again.

A review by Janelle Q.

This weekend has been spent intaking copious amount of Cloverfield and everything related to it. I just knew it wouldn't be made without an crazy underlying story behind it. This movie was such typical J.J. Abrams. And to be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with that guy. He makes thrilling, mysterious, mythological television and films - but he forces the viewers to do their homework, researching clues and searching for easter eggs. So here's my review: Cloverfield is ridiculous, in the best way possible. Abrams really knows how to fuck with my mind. After this movie, I can't separate the fake from reality anymore.

So, http://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com is fun. Discretion: Not everyone will like this movie, so don't blame me if you want your 10 dollars worth of movie ticket back. We've all heard the bad reviews; the shaky handy cam, the unidentified monster, the wack storyline, etcetera. And I won't lie, I felt completely disappointed right when the movie ended - until I did my homework - now I'm in a world of Slusho!

Anyway, while they're on the Brookyn Bridge, another man is caught videotaping the night's incidents. Perhaps footage from his camera will leak soon? Hope so!

Also, apparently there were unidentified advertisements for Cloverfield on The N (yes, I know you all watch Degrassi. sike.) with white noise and messages saying, "I'm still alive. Help me." See a viewers reaction here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amOv0IEm9Cg. And I'll leave yall with that.

Cloverfield (minor spoilers)

A review by Dom A.

I just saw Cloverfield last night and if you haven't seen it, stop reading now and see it. It's amazing. I don't want to go in-depth but it's nice to see some originality and something new when most of the movies released now are remakes, sequels or based off books. Being in the perspective of the group of friends makes the movie so much more engaging. The story is just about that group trying to find another friend. That's it. You don't see scientist trying to figure out what the monster is, you don't see the military planning out attacks, or what the moster is doing through out the movie. You see what the camera sees. This point of view makes everything more intense. During some parts of the film, I was like "Holy Shit!! This is crazy!!" It was like being on a roller coaster. I don't think any other camera view would have created that much emotion and even work for this type of movie.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is Hud, the guy behind the camera. The things he says are hilarious. There's a part when the group is in the subway tunnel and he starts talking about the guy who would light homeless guys on fire. It's pitch black and he says, "Man, I'm just scared a flaming homeless guy is going to jump out and attack us". Hilarious! I also like how they capture our human nature to love. From Rob wanting to find Beth, Jason always trying to be by Lily's side, and Hud's small crush on Marlena. I know if anything like that happened to where you live, whether it be a natural disaster or a monster attack, the first thing you would want to do is make sure the people you love are ok. I know I would.

For the monster itself, there is no origin story in the movie but there is a Magna about its origins. It's all in Japenese so I don't know what is means. You supposedly see a meteor hit the water at the end of the "tape" but I didn't see it myself so I don't know. The monster is kind of hard to describe so go see the movie to see for yourself.

Speaking of which, stay until the end of the credits. There is a short sound bite at the end. It sounds static so it's hard to understand. What I got from it was "It's still alive". I know I heard "alive". From Mark's observation about the numbers 36-12-18 being a date (12-18-2036), could the monster still be alive all that time? Could it be that the parasites grow to become that big? Is earth being overtaken by this (or these) things? Who knows? That's what so good about the movie- it ended leaving the audience thinking the moster died but there are so many unanswered questions. I don't want a sequel to be made. It's a good stand alone film. Go watch Cloverfield. You will be pleased. (The shaking camera didn't bother me)


Let me know what you guys think that sound bite at the end was? Post to comments.

Cloverfield

A review by Mark F.

++ WARNING THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS! ++

You have been warned...

Basic opinion - best original movie to come out in a long while. Although it covers a pretty old genre of film they did a great job of creating a 'realism' to the film. When I say original - I mean a movie that kept many of the viewers active in trying to figure out what was going on (viral promotions) and somehow was able to keep many things a mystery.

I've heard rumors of them possibly doing sequels from different perspectives in the city when the monster attacks, but I believe it to be a better stand-alone film. Giving it mystery adds to the entire effect of the movie. I'm pretty sure it was hard for anyone to catch everything the first time they watched the film. I've already seen it twice and was tempted to watch it a third.

Major things I noticed in the film and had questions about.
1) In the beginning the Do Not Duplicate screen shows the numbers 36-12-18. Do you think this is significant to anything? I believe it could be the current date of the person watching the film, December 18, 2036?

2) When it knocked down the bridge you get two opportunities to see it do it. Once at the time of the attack and second when they are inside the electronic store and see it on the news. What part of it's body was it - it looked like a tentacle?

3) Some of my friends didn't realize that the film would go back and forth between the month April (the happy footage between Rob and Beth) and May (the footage of the attack).

4) The monster's origin was never truly answered but in the ending scene on the beach - if you watch the right side of the screen in the ocean near the boat. You will see a meteor like object crash into the water. Meaning I will go with Hud's idea of 'Superman'. Some of my friends still believe it's an underwater creature that came from the seas, due to the hype and ideas originally posted by the viral promotions.

5) After the credits and the awesome playlist for the party scene, there is a sound byte of static where the audio (in my opinion) says, "Help Us". Not really sure how that is going to apply to the next project for Bad Robot.

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Also, I have been running a promotion company for regional/national touring bands in my area for close to a year now. I finally got someone in the local newspaper to start doing write ups for me. You should read her blog here. She wrote a review for that band The New Frontiers full length due out in February and currently out online on Amazon/Itunes. Anyways they have peaked at the #4 spot of most downloaded albums on Amazon.com this week behind the Juno Soundtrack and Radiohead.

CLOVERFIELD: Dru's Take

a not so in-depth review by Andrew "Alejandro" Bueno.

At exactly a 90-minute running time, the J. J. Abrams-produced, Matt Reeves-directed film
makes you wonder as you sit before the movie, "Is this going to be worth it?"

Maybe.

What kind of film were you expecting? Here's my little breakdown:

GOOD!
+ Story. Just like something J.J. would be associated with, you're given a set of characters put in a situation where the importance is in the present action, not in some wild back-story. As it's been stated before, no one knows the history of the monster. What? When? Where (from)? Why? Mr. Reeves and company don't give a shit- and it's wonderful

+ All the videogame references: The cameraman Hud (or head's up display), the helicopter scene where you're going up to look down upon the monsters path of destruction, the insane belief that you can trek up one building and climb over to the other, even the theory that the title CLOVERFIELD was the name of a level in Rampage, a videogame about monsters destroying cities.

+ The viral marketing campaign. Damn that shit went beautifully and had everyone hungry to see the movie.

+ What really happened in this scene:



BAD!
- Beth had a little less than 2' of rebar sticking out of her left chest cavity. Didn't that completely fuck her up? A minute or two later, homegirl's running fine in the street.

- The abrupt ending. (Some may have thought this was a plus. Personally, na uhh.) The running time comes in at a short 90 minutes. When I see movies, I want at least 91. (=

- I felt misled as I was hoping this was a monster movie, not a love story. It does revolve around the fact that there's a monster running around and reeking havoc, but the story is centered about some dude trying to find his one-night-stand. I wanted more monster dammit. The monster should have been the star, not Rob and Beth. Look at you two! You killed all your friends!

So hopefully no sequel happens. It was a fun stand-alone flick, but studios give a shit when you make around $20 Million on your opening night.

Things to think about:

Were we watching the film as people in the future viewing the evidence of the attack from this memory card's data -OR- were we a government body watching the documented footage. The president? DARPA? Survivors? Is the monster still running amok as we "watch" the film? Pay attention to the beginning of the film next time.

Lupe Fiasco - The Cool

Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
Released December 18, 2007
Label : Atlantic / Wea









And it's finally here. My review for "The Cool". I'm sure it's a little too late because you have probably already made up your mind about the album but I still like to put in my two cents. Lupe's first album "Food & Liquor" was something that I think contemporary pop hip-hop has been needing for a long time. A bridge between the geek rap guys like myself and the mainstream community. He is someone I can talk about to a person who isn't as into hip-hop as I am. He has an appeal on all fronts. I think he has production that is appealing to the ears and a flow that feels good. I don't think he brings anything special to the lyrical table but I won't be greedy. Before I make this statement, I am not comparing him to these artists I am about to mention, it's just a comparison of social impact. Just as Talib Kweli offers a connection to projects like Madvillian through Mad Lib, Common to J Dilla, and Gnarls Barkley to DangerDoom, Lupe links you to similar projects through his mass appeal.

"The Cool" feels like a little more of a mature album than "Food & Liquor". Mature in the sense that I think he is falling a little more into who he wants to be than what he is expected to be. He is still a geek and proud of it, still matching flows like "I love Street Fighter 2; I just really hate Zangief; only Ken and Ryu; I find it hard to be Blanka", on Gold Watch, a song about rappers and there public image. This feels less like a personal album though. "Food & Liquor" was a little more about him and this seems to be a little more about...things. He runs around topics like immigration, rape, youth violence, and imbalance of wealth. I guess you are warned of this from the albums intro where a women goes on a social issue rant which still feels out of place to me and doesn't open the album well. Many times the intelligence he tried to display feels a little forced. Anymore people seem to make a political song because they feel like they should and sometimes I just want him to back to rapping about a skateboarding romance.

He doesn't have the laid back flow like he did on "Food & Liquor". More of the tracks are faster paced with heavier beats and a pushed flow. There really isn't a track like "Sunshine" or "He Say She Say". I think this album demonstrates a little more with his defense for the whole "Fiascogate" crap. He grew up listening to groups like UGK, not stuff like Tribe Called Quest, and it shows here. Where I enjoyed "Food & Liquor" more because it was a little more my style of hip-hop I think Lupe feels a little more natural in this form. It works well for him. He has a vocal emphasis in his flow on the bass counts and he feels more accustomed and adjusted to this.

I enjoyed "The Cool" thoroughly and it lived up to it's hype. But for my closing comments I have too point out my issue with the track, "Dumb it Down". Lupe isn't considered a smart rapper. You don't have to dumb it down, you don't have to simplify anything. Sorry duder, but you are no Aesop or Eyedea. It is appropriate that his worst rhymes are on that track though. "The Cool" is a good album, great for some background sound but nothing you can through on and listen to just to listen to. That said this album does have some of the best hooks I have heard for a long time. Do check out "The Coolest" mixtape though. I think it's better than the album.

***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

The New Frontiers - 5 Song EP

The New Frontiers - 5 Song EP
by Mark Flentge

Nathan Pettijohn - Vocals / Guitar
Ryan Henry - Bass / Vocals
Jacob Chaney - Guitar / Vocals
Guy Turner - Keyboard / Vocals
Alex Bhore - Drums

Label - The Militia Group

1. Man Down
2. Mirrors
3. Walking on Stones
4. Car Doors and Stolen Keys
5. The Sound of Love
click here to buy the album


The New Frontiers are a musical gem that bleeds out soul and hail from the Dallas metropolitan area. Where the current music scene is drowned out by mass amounts of screaming pseudo 'emo' hipsters, vintage dressed dance parties, or southern hardcore kids that like to wave their fists in circles. Basically they don't exactly fit the normal bill for where they come from playing some of the best heartfelt music you've heard anywhere. You should definitly look into them if your a fan of Wilco, Spoon, or The Decemberists. This new EP is a taste of what their full length is going to be like. Which I believe is due out nationwide in late January / early February.

The first track on the EP, Man Down, I believe is going to be used as the single for their full length. The track is just a great opener that grabs your attention throughout ranging from the swelling chorus to the guitar solo that has a very distinct country feel. Not the new pop country, but the old country that was comprised of men that were total bad asses. It gives you a peek of what the band is able to do with only 4 minutes, which makes you really think of how good the full length is going to be. The track isn't totally comprised of some hook that all you remember is the chorus of the song and your done with it. Although the piano and drums do such an awesome job during the chorus it's hard not to get stuck in your head. It's a song that envelops an emotion that is truly memorable.

I originally heard Mirrors as a demo a long time before the guys ever headed into the studio to record it. Hands down this is my favorite track on the EP. The thing that is infectious about this song is the build up into the choir section when all the members of the band sing, "We saw the spark within in your eyes, your face reflected in the light. We all are angels in the sky, we are all mirrors in the skys. We will lift you up. We will place you on your feet. We will pick you up, we will never let you go." Simply amazing. Not for some poetic value, but for the auditory experience of that many people harmonizing and putting soul into their music.

Walking on Stones is a track that just drives all the way through. The track follows a post-rock feel from the soft plucking of an acoustic guitar to the basic bass drum plowing on through with a constant crescendo throughout. The track ends with a simply colossal sound of harmonizing vocals, cymbal crashes, guitar distortion, and static. So much fun, as post-rock is my favorite genre. Go Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed!

Car Doors and Stolen Keys follows a true americana sound, like Tom Petty. With a lap slide guitar being heard throughout the track. The song follows the fantasy of a person running away with someone they are in love with. "This time we watched the sun go down over the city I wanted to hold you close, but I keep forgetting. We were out of control till the day you ran away." The best lines though are "Your father can go to hell, your mother can go as well. We've gone too far to change their minds." The track ends with swirling lap guitar, organ, and great solid drumming.

Sound of Love is a James Iha cover of The Smashing Pumpkins. It sounds pretty much the same, except different vocals. Which leads me to my idea that originals are normally better than the covers.

I'll leave you with a youtube video of theirs. Their old name was Stellamaris.


Also if you check out their myspace they have video blogs of recording the album, being on tour and playing a that 70's show game in front of some bigwig music editors.

Peace and <3>

Hatchet

Hatchet
Directed by Adam Green
Produced by Scott Altomare, Sarah Elbert, Cory Neal
Starring: Joel Moore. Deon Richmond, Tamara Feldman
Production Companies: ArieScope Pictures, High Seas Entertainment, Radioaktive Film
DVD Release: December 18, 2007 by Anchor Bay Entertainment




When one of the taglines to your movie is "Old School American Horror" you are actually giving yourself a title that is potentially digging your own grave. You are immediately choosing your target audience of those who know Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and Halloween like a 15 year old girl knows Mean Girls or The Notebook. If I start thinking about what "Old School American Horror" means to me, of course I drift back to the classic slashers like the ones stated above, but I also start thinking of a time when I was young and so naive that a simple concept could be scarier than Rosie O'Donnell on a cocaine bender. Movies like Dr. Giggles would make me run to my mom's room in terror, and Nightmare on Elm Street would make me wake up in a cold sweat still seeing Freddy over my bed. A movie didn't need to be disturbing or need an emotionally disturbing element more than a duder chasing you with a machete. That is what Hatchet is. It is simple, classic, gory, horror.

The premise is simple. A group of friends go to Mardi Gras, trying to get a friend, Ben (Joel Moore), to forget his ex girlfriend. He isn't feeling Mardi Gras and drags one of his friends, Marcus (Deon Richmond), to a night swamp tour. The tour is brought to crashing halt when the boat runs into a rock. Once they come to the conclusion they are stranded and there are no other tours coming through the swamp, an introverted girl, Marybeth (Tamara Feldman), explains that the swamp is closed because people have been disappearing around the swamp and these people include her father and brother. She tells the story of a deformed boy who lived in the woods with his father and the story of his demise in a horrible accident,resulting in his haunting and tormenting of the swamp and all those who enter. Then the slaughter begins.

The amazing part about a movie like this is that you don't need anything more than that to make an entertaining movie. It's a simple concept but it gets the job done when it's in the right hands. Hatchet delivers on all basic horror requirements. It is gory, has some decent jumps and scares, it's gory, entertaining cast who works well together, plenty of humor, it's gory, it doesn't take itself to seriously, and did I mention it's gory. The gore surprisingly enough can't be overstated. Usually I come out of these movies disappointed with the amount of violence, but with a few exceptions like Hatchet, Feast, and Audition I can actually have my appetite for blood, gore, and violence quenched.

Joel Moore plays the pathetic, socially awkward, and recently heartbroken guy very well. Keep in mind I am giving natural horror movie acting ability leeway. You can't expect an oscar winning performance from a movie where more than half it's budget is placed in the make-up department. Tamara Feldman is one hell of a badass hottie, and Deon Richmond brings the comedic relief. No one takes their role to serious, so no one overacts. Surprisingly enough everything seems extremely natural and well tuned. I think Adam Green shows promise as a horror director if he realizes that people before him have set the bedrock for this style of film. If you stray to far away from the way things have been done, you either have to have the skill to be a trailblazer or you need an ingenious idea to carry your film. He had a simple idea, and is a new director so he took a page from those who came before him.

People say that horror movies are lame anymore and they will blame people for being uncreative or not having vision to produce something that requires such an emotional response as fear. It doesn't require a brilliant idea, or being tremendously creative, you just have to know your subject matter and the art of those that came before you. If you have a simple story and concept such as that of Hatchet, you can't really stray from that which has already been done, unless you can genuinely do it better, which let's face it, we haven't really seen anyone who can. You either have a brilliant story and concept, or you have the skill to surpass those before you.

When it gets down to it and we come to my conclusion here, Hatchet was a blast. I have been looking for something that can give me a feeling of the movies I have come to love, in a new packaging. I wouldn't say Hatchet is a scary movie by any means, it just reminds you of those scary times you had watching the horror movies of your youth. No wonder Tony Todd (Candyman) and Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) signed on for their cameo roles. They were a part of everything this movie was all about. "Classic American Horror".

Watch it bitch!

4/5 stars

Oh No - Dr. No's Oxperimentals, Go Team! - Proof of Youth

Oh No - Dr. No's Oxperimentals
Released July 31st 2007
Label : Stones Throw





by Dan Stalker

So whether you believe talent is something that is in the genes or not, Oh No (Michael Jackson) does his best to prove that idea. He is the son of Singer/Songwriter Otis Jackson, nephew of Jazz musician Jon Fadds, and brother of hip-hop producer Madlib. Talent runs in this guys family.

Dr. No's Oxperimentals is "an audio tour of Turkish, Lebanese, Greek and Italian psyche funk". It has been a long time thing for hip-hop producers, and others as well, to use world sounds to construct new beats. Oh No takes it to new level composing all the music on this album using samples pulled from the musical cultures stated above. Rather than taking a sound and just throwing in a little bit of funk to it. He takes these musical cultures and exposes all the funk they have to offer, and he does it well.

Rather than overexposing you to a single beat for extended periods of time and running the risk of anything being to repetitive he keeps all track times below two minutes. He brings the samples together quickly and refrains from boring you with a track that feels like it should be accompanied by vocals. He is producing a beat that would fit a rhyme, but without a rhyme why give you a four minute track that has a standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse pattern. He hits you with a verse, chorus, verse and gets to stepping while it's still hot.

When I first heard about this album I couldn't help but think Oh No is taking a page from his brother's book with this running nearby the release of Madlib's India Vol. 3 & 4, which has a heavy world beat influence. But after hearing both albums you can see how these brothers are very different. Madlib tends to have a little more of a rundown beat with a vibe that feels almost dirty bordering on basement grimey. Oh No tends to keep things a little more on the high point and constantly moving. They both do what they do well and Dr. No's Oxperimentals is a treat for the ears.

This is the first direct project I have heard from Oh No and won't be the last. He has intrigued me to pick up "Exodus", his prequel to Dr. No. Where Dr. No is an instrumental album, Exodus is his beats with guest rappers. I give Dr. No's Oxperimentals a big ol' thumbs up. When an album can blend so many sounds seamlessly to the point you almost can't tell what the sounds are because they practically become there very own sound, I think that is something that needs a listen. You can listen to this while walking to work, it's always giving you a new sound. You can chill out and listen to it while doing some homework or cleaning the room, because it has a mellow background. It really is an album that deserves attention and should be recognized.

4/5 stars

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The Go! Team - Proof of Youth (2007)

I first heard The Go! Team in late 2004 when I was living in my crappy basement apartment with my old roommate Alden. The music actually fit really well with the experiences I had in that apartment. A little weird, very random, and always fun. The music hits you in a weird way much like an Irish immigrant being hit with a bag of potatoes. The music comes out of the gates at full force and never seems to let up. There is so much going on that you don't really know where to start and after a while you just except that it's badass and stop worrying about it. You just let the music kind of take you over and enjoy it. There are trumpets, saxophones, harmonicas, two drums, keyboards, a crazy british female rapper, and synths abound. It is one of the most intense listening experiences ever.

Thunder, Lighting, Strike was great because it introduced you to an interesting sound that was a lot to take in at a single time. It is filled with more instrumentals and hits you with a little bit of that 70's super heroe theme music that there just isn't enough of. It makes you feel young again. Proof of Youth does a very similar thing. It still has the same amazing harmonies and compilation of instruments and sounds that made the first album amazing but this time they throw in more vocals a little more funk, and rarely lets up with a slower more melodic song. They seem to be driving at full speed and there's a beer bottle under the brake pedal.

I think the thing outside of the outrageous music stylings that grabs the listener are the vocals. The lead singer is an amazing female rapper from the UK but she is just the beginning. What really sends The Go! Team into a whole new realm is the hooks and chants that are spread out through out the album. They remind me of double dutch chants that you well sing at recess. it sounds like there are 8 people singing these chants and just runs with the music perfectly. I couldn't imagine what the production time was for an album like this, and all the planning that had to be involved. But they do it perfectly. There is very vocally little that could rise to the level of the music, but they manage.

I think Thunder, Lighting, Strike was a great album but Proof of Youth comes with a little more authority and forces you to listen and enjoy. I challenge you to listen to this album on not just enjoy yourself. It just has so much to offer and you want to soak up every last bit and leave nothing to be lost. You will listen to the album front to back, push play again, and throw it on repeat. Great album, it's a must have.

One last piece. If you are not already familiar with The Go! Team, I would recommend listening to Proof of Youth first, then taking a step back to Thunder, Lightning, Strike.

4.5/5 STARS

Highlighted Tracks

-Grip Like a Vice
-Doing it Right
-Titanic Vandalism
-Keys to the City
-Flashlight Fight (feat. Chuck D.)