For those of you who (like me) felt we don’t get enough of Neil Patrick Harris: NPH finally has joined Twitter. Now you can enjoy his humor in 140 characters or less.
I’m the sort of nerd who has always used her commute to get work done. After all, a long commute provides several internet-free hours a day which amounts to several distraction-free hours a day for finishing little tasks that might otherwise be overlooked. That said, now that I’ve upped it to four hours a day of travel, I’ve found that it’s healthy to use a little of that time having some fun. While I plan to do a future post on commute-worthy books, I thought I’d start off by recommending entertaining apps for the one device that never leaves my side: my iPod Touch. Best of all, all of these apps have offline functionality!
Frightened Rabbit put together my favorite album of last year with the anthemic folk-rock of The Midnight Organ Fight. The Scottish indie rock band delivers the sort of haunting melodies that will follow you throughout the day while still providing emotionally-driven rhythm guitar riffs that put some of its genre competitors to change.
The album opens up with its most immediately addictive track, “The Modern Leper.” A strumming build-up erupts into a powerful, melodic siren song to the contagiousness of self-destruction. Like many of the songs on this album, the bleakness of the lyrics is countered by uplifting instrumentation and passionate vocals.
Songs like the upbeat “Old Old Fashion” and desperate “The Twist” show a commitment to genre while still demonstrating versatility within that genre. Singer/guitarist Scott Hutchinson leads each song with the sort of vocals grounded in a long tradition of attractively wailing folk, yet inflects it with a gritty sound that makes Frightened Rabbit distinctive.
This album will be a treat for fans of artists ranging from the sweet and poppy Proclaimers to the somber yet addictive Elliot Smith. Definitely worth a (few million) listen(s).
I’ve always been pretty hardcore about holiday excellence. Sign me up for anything involving gingerbread or latkas (yum!). Despite not being the most religious person in the world (I make cafeteria Catholics looks like the Pope), I have to admit that some of my favorite tracks have come from seasonal fervor. So here are the songs rocking my holiday playlist this year:
- “The Little Drummer Boy” performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby – I know a lot of people come down on this song for being overplayed, but honestly I could just put this song on repeat for the next month and be perfectly content. Bowie’s silky voice along with Crosby’s bassy bliss is just holiday perfection for me.
- “Frosty the Snowman” performed by Fiona Apple – I just love the simple jazz guitar and vocal arrangement on this song, somehow transforming one of the hokiest ditties known to the Western world into a song that is both playful and interesting.
- “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues - A folky indie rock classic that I can’t go a year without.
- “O Come O Come Emmanuel” performed by Sufjan Stevens – This has always been a favorite Christmas song of mine, somehow transcending my aversion to the sometimes sickening hymns of my Catholic upbringing. One of the most gorgeous classical hymns ever written, this song is given a sweet intimacy in Stevens’ stripped-down rendition.
- “Rock of Ages” performed by Ben Kweller – Another sweet rendition of a classic, this time a Hanukkah song. Also gets bonus points for its affiliations with a certain TV show that was a high school not-so-guilty pleasure.
- “Nutmeg” by Stephen Colbert and John Legend – Aside from being hilarious, this is a pretty rad song. I would argue it was one of my favorite R&B tracks from last year.
- “Another Christmas Song” by Stephen Colbert – Yep, another Colbert song. Mocking the velvety jazz Christmas standards every American grew up with, Colbert actually created a catchy and ridiculously funny tune.
- “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” performed by Mariah Carey – Remember when Mariah was awesome? Listen to this and you will.
- “Come On Santa” by the Raveonettes – I have nothing insightful to say about this track. It just makes me feel cool enough to pull off Kanye glasses and not look like a jerk.
- “Christmastime is Here” performed by Au Revoir Simone - See above item regarding cool factor.
Expect more obnoxiously holiday-themed posts in the coming weeks!
I’m a big supporter of giving great filmmaking its due regardless of genre. One of the most critically ignored genres is that of the children’s film. Where in literature works for children such as “Through the Looking Glass” have been canonized for generations of scholars, yet it seems that some amazing children’s films have been overlooked simply because they share a genre with flicks starring sunglass-wearing gerbils voiced by has-been comedians. So here’s my list of children’s movies I feel should be given credit as great films outside of their genre.
All of these songs and their artists are highly recommended by me, as evidenced by the fact that they seem to dominate my new computer’s iTunes:
10. “Make Her Say” by Kid CuDi – One of the best songs on the radio this summer, I can’t seem to get myself to stop listening. Kanye + Lady Gaga + talented rap newb = awesome.
9. “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire – Maybe it’s my love of the “Where the Wild Things Are Trailer” (so good, I’m not even sure we need a movie) or maybe it’s my love of good music, but I put this song at the top of my summer driving mix and it takes a few listens to get to song #2.
8. “Bang Bang” by Sara Schiralli - I first heard this on that episode of Weeds when Nancy makes a horrible life choice (oh wait, that’s all of them). Schiralli puts other shy-voiced indie singers to shame by actually singing with amazing emotion. It’s just plain cinematic.
7. “Gravity Rides Everything” by Modest Mouse - I put this song in my first student film, which made me feel hip at the time and cliched in hindsight. Regardless, it’s an under-hyped Modest Mouse song with a driving beat and powerful melody.
6. “Ordinary People” by John Legend - I just remembered how much I liked John Legend and revisited this song a lot this summer. Maybe not his best song, but certainly his most memorable outside of his collaboration with Andre 3000.
5. “B.O.B” by Outkast - If you love music, you’ll love this song. Actually, if you love music and haven’t heard this song, you may be mistaken in your definition of music. (Hint: It goes in your ears.) Sadly, I just saw this as #1 on Pitchfork’s best songs of the decade list. Damn you, Outkast! Making me agree with Pitchfork!
4. “Machine” by Anni Rossi – Ethereal yet earthy, a gorgeous song that can be appreciated if you let go of the quirk factor.
3. “Paper Planes” by M.I.A - It makes me feel like a bad-ass when I listen to it.
2. “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here” by She and Him - This is a bit unfair since I’ve been learning to play this song, but I can’t deny that She and Him have a charm few other bands can match.
1. “Modern Leper” by Frightened Rabbit - From another band that likes animals and adjectives (see “Modest Mouse” above) is one of the best anthemic indie rock songs I’ve heard in years. If you can feel those vocals over the steady rhythm guitar, you’re a freakin’ rock and should maybe think about joining the CIA.
I’m not sure why it took me this long to review what ended up being one of my favorite movies of the year. Rachel Getting Married
Rachel Getting Married is both fascinating and real, humorous and genuinely dramatic. I’m still not sure why this Jenny Lumet-penned flick didn’t take the best screenplay prize when it has some of the most realistic and entertaining dialogue I’ve heard it quite some time.
The film starts Anne Hathaway as Kym, a young 20-something who gets out of rehab for the weekend to attend her sister Rachel’s wedding. As Kym’s neediness for attention brings out some old family scars, the wedding becomes a crock pot of suppressed feelings about to overflow. The film questions how one continues to love a sister or child after she has done the unthinkable, testing the limits of what any human can forgive as a mistake.
Hathaway manages to give a gritty performance that doesn’t gloss over Kym’s imperfections to highlight her physical beauty. Over the course of the film the audience goes from being charmed by Kym’s off-color humor to annoyed with her neediness to angry with her selfishness to finally sympathizing with her as an otherwise decent humanbeing with some pretty heavy issues.
I would recommend this movie to anybody in a heartbeat. Anybody.
I had the awesome opportunity to see Alexander Brøndsted and Antonio Tublén’s dark comedy, “Orignal.” The film, which is something along the lines of “Amelie” meets “Fight Club,” balances its quirky fairytale tone with dark plotlines fairly well. (The film takes on a sort of unpolished “Pushing Daisies” vibe, so fans of that show should definitely check it out!)
The film follows Henry, a banker who gets fired when he flips off an angry would-be loaner. Surprisingly, Henry strikes up a friendship with the same man who got him fired and the two decide to run off to Spain and start their own restaurant. Before he can leave, however, he needs to find a way to say goodbye to his mother, who has been institutionalized since a breakdown after Henry’s father died in a hunting accident. Henry goes to Ikea to fake a video of the “home” he told his mother he started and recruits the punkish yet adorable clerk, Marie, to play the part of his wife. Things turn complex when Henry falls for Marie and gets tangled up with her boss’s drug run in an effort to raise enough money to bust his mother out of the asylum. What follows is the makings of a charming comedy with a thrilling yet zany crime plot.
The performances are magnificent, with all of the leads creating characters that are both absurd and sympathetic. Sverrir Gudnason, who plays Henry, is particularly appealing as a loveable romantic who is innocent without being unrealistically doe-eyed. Marie, played by the talented Tuva Novotny, is strong-willed and independent, which is a refreshing change from the stock “girlfriend” characters we often see in plots with either crime or romance.
The film is in Swedish and Danish with English subtitles. I haven’t heard anything about it being picked up for an American release, but I can’t imagine anyone would let this goldmine of comedy and charm go unsold for long. Keep an eye out for it! (Especially those who miss the adventures of Ned, Chuck, Olive, and Emerson!)
It’s been a while, but I thought I’d write a quick post on how RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME the Chuck finale was. Even though I had read some early spoilers, I was completely surprised by the ending. The suspense was thrilling and it just goes to show how scripted television can outdo unscripted shows anyday.
For those who don’t know, this incredibly entertaining series is on the bubble for cancellation. It’s dedicated fanbase even took to the streets and started a campaign to buy Subway footlongs all day and send the receipts to NBC to show that product placement in the show works. I thought this was creative (though ultimately, I think ratings and upfronts will be the dealbreakers). Crossing my fingers that the numbers are up this week!
For a glimpse of the sandwich campaign, watch Zach Levy (AKA Chuck) lead 600 Chuck fanatics to a Subway:
If you haven’t seen Chuck, get thee to your media viewing platform of choice and watch it NOW!
