Comedy Performance: Jimmy Carr Telling Jokes

Awesome, the man is a genius. Half of his show was based on audience, based on complete improv and it was like he does that all the time. Carr can make a legitimate joke out of any subject material given to him. And, the final segment of most offensive jokes ever was priceless in the most insanely horrible ways. Please be a fan of this epic comedian with me.

5/5

Movie: Harry Brown

Fairly respectable vigilante film about an old man seeking revenge against local hoodlums who killed his only friend. I watched this after having seen multiple positive reviews and comments like "Best UK film in years" etc. Statements like this got my hopes up a little too high. The final product was decent, but it didn't have as much depth as i was looking for. And, the plot twist at the end was a little too convenient to be realistic. Michael Caine was perfect for the role and gave a great performance, but i was feeling a little let down by the simplicity of the story when the ending wrapped up to a neat package of justice. So, if you're looking for blood and vengeance against mislead youth, this is the ticket. But if you have a taste for rich story and character drama i'd say to look elsewhere.

3/5

Movie: Broken Flowers

I rewatched this movie last night specifically to be able to write a little blurb so i can look back on it in years to come. Broken Flowers is one of the many Jim Jarmusch movies i've enjoyed over the past couple years, although the story is shrouded in controversy. According to an MSNBC article the original script was stolen by some unknown producer and adapted by Jim Jarmusch into what is known as Broken Flowers. It's not that i completely deny this, but i'm skeptical. It's possible that many of the events were taken for basic plot lines but this movie wreaks of Jarmusch, with sparse but meaningful dialog, lots of emotional pauses, twists and underlying themes that create color but never divert focus away from the deep characters. Broken Flowers is one of my favorites from Jarmusch simply because he chose Bill Murray as the lead role. The charm and subtle curiosity in his character was spot on perfect and every other character even though briefly introduced and fleating was surprisingly memorable. I think my favorite moment though was when the pickup truck driven by a couple of bikers pulls up to him blasting Dopesmoker by Sleep which means not only is Jarmusch a brilliant film maker but listens to some badass music. So even though the story may have been unjustly lifted from the hands of the less fortunate, the final product is a perfect example of an indie film done right.

5/5

Matt's 2009 Top 10

1. Katatonia - Night is the New Day



2. Ancestors - Of Sound Mind



3. Muse - The Resistance



4. The Bakerton Group - El Rojo


5. Giant Squid - The Ichthyologist



6. Kylesa - Static Tensions



7. The Company Band - The Company Band



8. Russian Circles - Geneva



9. Gorod - Process of a New Decline



10. Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions

Movie: The Insider

Russel Crowe's best role that i've seen and always nice to see Al Pacino doing his thing with ferocity. The way this story was portrayed was interesting. Instead of focusing on the strength of the public on the issue of tobacco addiction, the writers chose to focus directly on a few major characters and forget about public opinion completely. From this perspective i expected it to lack a certain strength in numbers, but this movie wasn't lacking on emotion. For an issue that would seem aged and uninteresting today this story hit hard with me on an emotional level. I found myself hanging on every conflict overwhelmed with anticipation of the outcome. Superb film all around.

5/5

Best of 2009

#1 - Ahab - The Divinity of Oceans

I love concept albums. To take a story from the past and express it musically you are attempting to capture the emotion that was felt while the events actually took place. This abum is based on the whaling ship Essex. I'll describe the story for you: While at sea the crew of the ship was attcked by a freakishly large sperm whale. The whale rammed itself into the side of the ship until it was destroyed and sank into the ocean. The men managed to escape the wreckage by way of three life boats and found an island on which to wait for help to come. Instead of conserving their resources the men gorged themselves on all the island had to offer and within weeks they were starving and seemingly doomed. Two groups ventured back out to sea to increase their chances of being rescued. Three men chose to stay on the island. The situation became more and more dire with starvation taking the first few lives. The men decided to resort to cannibalism feasting on the corpses of their shipmates. After the dead were consumed, the remaining men chose to draw straws to see who would be killed, and from another set of straws, decide who would be the executioner. 95 days after the Essex sank those who survived in the life boats were rescued by the Daughin, another whaling ship. It was said that the men were so dissociative that they didn't even notice the Dauphin alongside them. The men on the island were also eventually rescued moments away from death.
Now imagine the emotion that might have been felt during those 95 days. Ahab took it upon themselves to retell the story in such a way that we might know what happened to the crew of the Essex, that we might feel what it was like to face that level of desperation. This is the album of the year because it provides insight into the unthinkable and does so by redefining the genre of funeral doom. The Divinity of Oceans is expertly composed, perfectly executed, and will remain in my memory as the high point of 2009.

Best of 2009

#2 - YOB - The Great Cessation

I haven't been seeing The Great Cessation on many year end lists and that's sort of surprising. When this first came out i saw all sorts of forums with conversations that went as follows,
"Hey! did you hear the new YOB???"
"Dude, knocked me on my ass, heaviest fucking album of the year"
"I know! god damn beast"
It's possible with time the initial effect wore off and people were left feeling unsatisfied. I was not one of those people. Although not my number 1 pick, it is the album i've listened to most this year with spins comfortably into the double digits. I enjoy this one from start to finish exposing myself to new levels of distortion and surprises of ambient noise with each listen, but there are a few moments that knock me right on my ass. Not much music these days can give me that feeling that rushes up my spine and makes the hair on my neck stand up but for these moments it happens every time. It's the only album that makes me feel like the 800 watt stereo in my car isn't loud enough. At times i think i would willingly sacrifice my inner ear because it makes me feel close enough to transcendence that i can actually feel my worldly existence burning away. So anyone who wants to go on a road trip and maybe transition into the ether with some YOB, call me.

Best of 2009

#3 - Urna - Iter ad Lucem

Urna is a band who's musicians have no interest in the stage or having fans or ever attaining any exposure on a grand scale. They stay strictly in the studio creating music for one environment as described in an interview with Mortem Webzine, "...turning the light of your room off, lying alone in your own bed and then wearing your headphones playing the cd on stereo." This approach might come off as pretentious but i appreciate their decision to remain in obscurity. Iter ad Lucem is a work of art that was only meant to be experienced on a deeply personal level. The passages on this album lead the mind into darkness and loss and places normal people won't explore willingly. With each passing track you become more and more accustomed to the style, but in a way that exposes you, that identifies your weakness and capitalizes on it. If you're already prone to question yourself, listening to Iter ad Lucem isn't going to give you any answers. It's going to emphasize the futility of existence and leave you feeling alone. Listen with caution, but appreciate the profound emotional effect this can potentially evoke.

Best of 2009

#4 - Altar of Plagues - White Tomb

I'm very content with how diverse black metal has become over the years. There was a time when black metal was simply blasts with screams of satan mixed with the most primitive equipment possible all for the sake of being "true." Those days are gone. More and more bands are taking black metal as an influence and creating something unique and in the case of Altar of Plagues, profound. White Tomb begins blasting full speed ahead with a traditional approach but as time passes it deconstructs itself piece by piece until you find yourself lost and buried by the oppressive atmosphere. It's as if this album creates a void for the listener; an actual place to exist as the experience becomes less like listening to an album and more like being trapped in a horrible nightmare. White Tomb is an album to be listened to from beginning to end in darkness. Certainly not reasonable material for your gf's mix tape.

Best of 2009

#5 - Gorod - Process of a New Decline

Sometimes i feel like i'm getting somewhere as a guitarist, actually making some amount of forward progress, but then Gorod releases another album and that thought is quickly extinguished. Damnit Gorod... You don't even have the decency to post the full names of your band members so i can look up their life stories and worship them. The guitar work on Process of a New Decline is unbelievably expressive, making use of everything music theory has to offer. But, unlike a lot of other material in this genre it's actually fun to listen to. Tech death bands often sacrifice memorability for liberal amounts of wanking, and honestly Gorod is no exception. However, Gorod has an approach that i find incredibly attractive. The guitar leads are all really fun to listen to, taking advantage of major scales and runs based on classical composition. The percussion is equally impressive, transitioning fluidly from blasts to funky grooves. There's just so much material here, so many brilliant ideas, it seems impossible for a human being to come up with this amount of material in a lifetime, much less 2 years. Process of a New Decline is an incredibly ambitious offering from these guys and it's a work that should be respected by the entire music community.

Best of 2009

#6 - Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest

Ever since "In Their Darkened Shrines" i've made sure to pay close attention to the work of Nile. I've always been fascinated by modern art that takes strong influence from ancient civilization. I think the interest comes from the brutality of those times. An individual life seemed so insignificant, faced with spiritual cleansing, disease, famine, all at the hands of a supreme deity, either in the from of a man or an illusion. Reality was brutal and life could be taken away from you on a whim. Nile capture this idea and deliver it accurately to the listener. Their bludgeoning execution would seem right at home in that sort of environment which is an odd thing to think about considering electric instrumentation wasn't around back then. Nile has been building upon each release from the start of their career, noting strengths and weaknesses and always comparing their sound to the embodiment of ancient evil, of death, of senseless destruction. Those Whom the Gods Detest is the product of that constant effort; it is their masterpiece in every quantifiable way. This album raises the bar quite high, but i'm confident Nile has a few albums to come that may raise the bar even higher.

Best of 2009

#7 - Ulcerate - Everything is Fire

With each passing year i encounter bands that beg the question "How many times can music redefine the word extreme?" Ulcerate answers the question with a resounding "As many times as we fucking like." This is a visceral offering of music with surgical precision, face melting speed, and abundant discordance capable of making ones skin crawl. On first listen the delivery seems relentless, too chaotic to swallow at times, completely overwhelming, but given time and patience the chaos that was driving you insane starts to become memorable. Once this material begins to germinate in your skull it invades you with infectious groove and layered composition. If you choose to give this a listen, be patient, be open and run through it a few times. I can almost promise the appreciation will come.

Best of 2009

#8 - Katatonia - Night is the New Day

This was a year of progressive music with lots of bands breaking the rules of traditional song structure. Katatonia released this album toward the end of the year and completely ruined the progressive theme. Night is the New Day is the accessible album of the year. Katatonia's style has evolved over the years into something that should be very attractive to the masses. Gone are the days of harsh vocals and 8 minutes tracks. This collection of songs is emotionally charged and memorable. Each track sounds like it could be the single of the album and i thought that on the first listen and each subsequent listen. The only track that really stands out as different from the rest is the final track, and only because of the guest vocalist, which was a bold move for the closer but ultimately satisfying. I remain hopeful for the day Katatonia is played on the radio, but i'm certainly not holding my breath...

Best of 2009

#9 - Process of Guilt - Erosion

This is the first of a few down-tempo death/doom albums that made it onto the list this year. I had not heard of Process of Guilt before, but i'm glad i finally discovered them. This is one hell of a dark album. The atmosphere conveys an unrelenting sense of devastation with waves of massive guitar riffs and forward driving percussion. These musicians have a very well honed sense of tension and release that keeps this album surprising at every turn. With guitar riffs based on bludgeoning heaviness, i expected them to get boring and redundant, but it's the accompaniment that keeps them from repetition, namely the drumming, which was the most refreshing aspect of this album for me. They maintain a slow methodical pace, but manage to stay interesting with tension building fills reliant on the coming riff to resolve them. Erosion is a great example of how relatively simple pieces can come together and create something really extraordinary. Erosion is patient, it's brooding, it's unsettling and easily one of the best albums of the year.

Best of 2009

#10 - Wodensthrone - Loss

There's a lot of boring black metal out there; Black metal bands that focus too much on the message they're trying to convey, and not enough on making interesting passages that keep the listener involved. Wodensthrone accomplish something really special on Loss. They remain loyal to most of the tried and true techniques of black metal: tremelo picking, blast beats, shrieking vocals, but present them in ways that seem fresh by layering them with heavy synth work, growling vocals, momentary Gregorian chant, acoustic passages etc. With these extra techniques one might assume the ultimate composition would seem bloated or cluttered, but not the case with Loss. The composition is tight and underneath all of the musical prowess lies pure emotion. It doesn't take the listener long to sink into the album and forget about comparisons to other black metal. Wodensthrone have created a classic of nature inspired black metal and hopefully they keep churning out music of this caliber in the years to come.

Movie: Spun

This was a fun trip. Apprently the film maker is a recovering meth head and created this movie to convey the idea of being "spun" to his audience. The filming style is shocking at first, but after a few scenes you forget completely about the odd delivery and sink into the story which is involving but fairly light. I sort of expected there to be really dark moments in the life of the drug addicted, but it was all fun even the arrests and explosions. I guess maybe that was part of the perception of being on meth, it's an upper so depression wasn't really included at all in the story. The characters ran about until they were arrested then ran about some more. Jason Schwartman's character was slightly unbelievable just because i don't think he would've been that successful with women. He didn't seem to have much going for him, but it threw some stunning female characters into the mix. Especially his ex-gf who found success while he was shitting away his life on meth; She was fucking beautiful, although only had one line. Overall a bunch of good performaces and it was nice to see Mickey Rourke again so soon after the Wrestler, really great actor. His character stole the show for me as the Cook. The only reason it gets a 4 and not a 5 is because i think the film maker had the opportunity to capture some real darkness with his delivery but kept it a little light and fluffy for my tastes.

4/5

Movie: Donnie Brasco

This is one of the mob classics i've neglected to watch over the years. I'm glad i finally got around to it. Johnny Depp and Al Pacino both put on spectacular performances. After seeing so many of this type of film the stories sort of all melt together, so it's important for a film like this to build realistic relationships between the characters and that's exactly what was accomplished. I thought Lefty's reaction to Donnie's outing as an FBI agent was unique in this sort of genre. He said simply "If it was going to be anyone, i'm glad it was him." Normally the character would go into a blind rage and set fire to everything in sight until either killing the accused or getting himself killed, but this was more real. It confirmed the fact that they were close on a deeper level than mob vs. FBI. They were like family, Brasco was Lefty's son, filling the void left by his actual son who spent all of his time with drugs. The only criticism i can think of is just that i didn't feel close to any other character in the movie. The focus never left Pacino and Depp, which was a little disappointing, but i understand that that's exactly why i felt so close to them. It took the entire canvas of the movie to portray those two characters. I think the only movie of this type that actually achieved building a generous handful of memorable characters is The Godfather, which is why it reigns supreme in this genre, for me at least.

4/5

Movie: The Wrestler

This was a good one. I've always been a fan of Mickey Rourke. Not really sure why, because i can't remember off the top of my head any roles that really stood out for him although i know there are quite a few. I always pictured him being exactly the way his character was portrayed in this film. A little delusional, a little off-balance, with obvious vices, but still just a good hearted dude. This was his opus in my opinion. Sure props go to Aronofsky, but the performances made this movie for me. Rourke and Tomei were unbelievable; unbelievably real. Tomei, it must be said is one of the most attractive actresses out there, she's aging beautifully and is really taking a lot of risks this far into her career. By risks i mean in the eyes of the up-tight. A person might say she's losing credibility with nudes scenes and trashy but colorful characters she's been undertaking, but they would be wrong. She's doing things with her career that take serious guts and i'm infinitely appreciative.
Enough about them though, the story was amazing, the script was natural and very well-written right up to the last scene, which was inevitable although made me feel legitimately lost. I didn't expect this to be as emotional as it was, but it packed some heavy punches. Awesome in every way, i can't think of a single criticism...

5/5

Movie: Extract

Mila Kunis my lord... What a perfect role for her. Perfect because she could get away with it. Any straight man with any fight left in him would stand in awe of her and give her anything she wanted. This movie uses that and builds a realistic character based on it. However, we don't don't see enough of her, we don't hear enough of her, and she throws away a lifetime of sociopathic behavior because she got caught and had some sex with... Jason Bateman... Unlikely. The movie was funny and the story was strong right up until the end when all the conflicts resolved entirely too easily. However, one specific detail stood out for me. One of the employees at the extract plant was in a grind band. So each time he was on screen he was wearing a different t-shirt, most notably Cephalic Carnage. I haven't even seen another cephalic carnage shirt in person. To see one in a wide release movie was just great. Thanks Mike judge. And thanks for casting Mila Kunis, but i want more from you next time.

3/5

Movie: 9

I had low expectations for this brought about by mediocre reviews and lack of popular appeal. I remember seeing the trailer for it about a year ago maybe and i liked what i saw but after hearing how it was criticized i placed it low on the list of priorities.
After watching it i understand why it wasn't well received. The production value of CG movies has become astounding. With funding giants like pixar and disney there's no lack of money to put top designers and hardware to task and create something remarkable visually. 9 didn't seem to have the same level of production value. It was a more modest offering in the world of CG as far as pure visuals are concerned. Specifically, the world in which the story took place seemed small and for a post apocalyptic setting, there could have been more going on that wasn't integral to the storyline. The visuals and architecture presented themselves only when they had an active role in the plot either as walking surfaces or minor physical challenges. I did like the darkness of the atmosphere and the recurrence of impending doom. It felt like a quirky video game i'd find myself enjoying thoroughly.
The story was relatively better than the production value, although not without flaw. The characters all seemed very simple and created for a specific purpose to advance the plot toward its conclusion. This means obvious protagonists and antagonists and fairly predictable decisions and actions from both. However, the characters conveyed human emotion surprisingly well. I felt sympathetic and wanted them to be safe and eventually end up the victors of the ultimate conflict which i'd rather not explain here.
There was one central theme that irked me at first, but was essential to the plot: The idea of the human spirit and the ability of the spirit to ascend somewhere. This story took a detour by way of an invention that projected parts of a human's spirit into rag dolls, which i thought was creative. This theme gave the characters a way to die without actually dying, so like i said, irksome because of my personal convictions but for the story, essential to create tension then relieve it with a nice happy ending SPOILED. The actual script wasn't terribly ambitious, but sharp and to the point, very little wasted time, which i appreciated for this type of movie.
So, overall, a modest, creative, quirky experience. One I enjoyed.

3/5