Summer Movie Preview: The Good Stuff

Everyone knows that this summer's shaping up to be another exercise in unoriginality, with special effects-laden sequels, remakes of previous films and 80s cartoons, another animated film about penguins (enough with the penguins already!), adaptations of books, adaptations of tv shows, etc., etc. Of course, there will be indie movies for those of us lucky enough to live in and around New York and L.A., a refreshing break from this eye candy monotony, but what about good wide releases? Yes, believe it or not, there ARE islands of hope amid the sea of uninspired flicks premiering this summer, and I am your intrepid guide. Read on for a preview of three of the most promising, under-the-radar films coming soon to a theater near you!

June 1st sees the release of "Knocked Up," an R-rated comedy from Judd Apatow starring the brilliantly funny Seth Rogen. Fans of "Freaks and Geeks" (a show I can never give enough love) will recall Rogen from his turn as the dryly humorous stoner Ken, a show on which Apatow worked as producer, director and writer. More recently, Rogen starred in Apatow's hilarious and surprisingly sweet "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," delivering memorable advice to "wait until the seed grows into a plant, then fuck the plant". The premise of their latest joint endeavor is similarly raunchy and oriented towards grown-ups - Rogen and Katherine Heigl play a mismatched couple whose one-night stand ends with her unexpected pregnancy and their decision to try this whole "parenting" thing together. The promise of Rogen's and Apatow's supremely funny talents (not to mention those of Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, and fellow "F&G" alums Jason Segel and Martin Starr) on display, once again showing that sex can be hilarious and emotional, not just crass and immature, is unbelievably, cream-your-pants exciting. Yes, I did just make a crude sexual reference.

The rest of June and all of July is dead to me. And by that I mean, this is the time to check out all those big exciting movies I just ranted about avoiding but that we all really want to see anyway, because what's summer if not a time to let our gray matter slowly ooze out through our ears? Or you could, I dunno, read something. Okay, at least pick up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Then *drumroll* August comes to save us all with a one-two punch of awesome movies. Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" premieres on August 10 - although, for the sake of honesty, I should mention that he just wrote the graphic novel the flick was based on. Of course, being Gaiman, the story was fantastic, beautifully illustrated by Charles Vess, as it tells the charming, dark story of a young man's quest to find a fallen star for his lady love. This journey involves, as many do, an evil witch (Michelle Pfeiffer), a captain of a flying boat (Robert de Niro), and a dying king (Peter O'Toole) and his scheming sons. The buzz surrounding the flick is that the impression given off by the trailer of some bizarre, nonsensical, special-effects laden fantasy is completely undermined by the reality - namely, that the movie is a romantic, funny, gorgeous adventure in the vein of "The Princess Bride," and which deserves to be the surprise hit of the summer. Commence squeeing...now.

Next super-cool film to debut in August is "Superbad," arriving August 17. Co-written by Seth Rogen - yes, the very same man who's comedic genius I was just extolling - and starring the ridiculously talented Michael Cera - known to fans as the awkward, dorky, hysterically funny George-Michael from "Arrested Development" - this is another film bearing an impressive comic pedigree. The director, Greg Mottola, even directed some episodes of "AD" and "Undeclared" (Judd Apatow's short-lived follow-up to "F&G," set in college and starring...Seth Rogen! Who was also a writer for the show. When he was 18). At the most basic level, it's a teen sex comedy, about two dorks who plan to impress girls and get laid by bringing booze to a party. I know, it sounds lame, but trust me - watch the trailer. YouTube videos of Rogen and Cera. Then tell me this doesn't sound awesomely funny.

So there you have it. Three wide-release flicks to get excited for, that aren't a variation on the same schlock Hollywood keeps feeding us. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make plans to catch "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" this weekend.

Fall TV Preview: the CW and Fox

Following up on last week's post regarding new fall shows for CBS, ABC and NBC, we bring you the creative endeavors of the last two major broadcast networks - the CW (the hybrid of UPN and WB) and Fox. Want to know what to get excited for and what to skip? Just read on.

The CW doesn't stray too far from its roots in the networks that brought us the supernatural "Buffy: the Vampire Slayer" and teen soaps like "One Tree Hill" and "Everwood". First up is "Gossip Girl," a drama about kids at a private high school in Manhattan - okay, seriously, stop setting shows in NYC. This goes for everyone. Anyway...it's your typical "bratty, spoiled teenagers who bitch and whine about each other and have dark secrets" plot, except, oh look, it's got a 21st century twist! The "gossip girl" of the title is the unknown author of an up to the minute, inside-dirt blog. This show will TOTALLY speak to the Internet-savvy youth of today.

A show whose otherworldly themes hearken back, if ever so slightly, to the "Buffy" days is "Reaper," about a guy whose parents SOLD HIS SOUL TO THE DEVIL BEFORE HE WAS EVEN BORN. Kinda puts your issues with your mom and dad in perspective. As a result of this deal, the kid has to go around collecting souls for the devil - which, since the devil's basically a fair guy, means getting the bad guys. And I am down with that shit.

Then the CW decides to try out some new avenues. In the running for show most likely to either offend people or really make them think is "Aliens in America," about an American family that unwittingly takes in a Pakistani Muslim exchange student. Let's hope it actually explores prejudice and stereotype in a funny, honest, possibly satirical way - rather than exploiting cultural differences for a laugh. The other new show is "Life is Wild," about a vet who moves his family out to a South African game reserve - the same one where his first, dead wife grew up. I can't see how that would be weird for the second wife at all... Setting a show not on the itty bitty island we stole from the Native Americans but instead in a country we stole from the native Africans is an unusual way to shake things up - but will the change of venue actually revive the tired family drama?

Last and not quite least was Fox - the network known for taking chances on quirky shows like "Firefly," "Arrested Development," "Family Guy," and "Undeclared," only to drop them when audience numbers don't pan out. So this year, the network's playing it safe by sticking with fairly conventional sitcoms and dramas. For example, we have "Back to You," starring Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton as two Pittsburgh news anchors who hate each other. Both stars are pros at the traditional sitcom format, which this series seeks to follow in the footsteps of - including quirky supporting characters and an almost sorta love interest. Whoop-dee-doo.

Fox rolls out another uninspired sitcom in "The Rules for Starting Over," about divorced 30-somethings lookin' for loooooove. They've got all your stereotypes covered - the diehard romantic, the multiple-divorce, and the hopeless-with-women. Oh, and don't forget their ONE pretty female friend who just happens to live next door to contestant number 3. Right. Any show which compares dating to a farmer's market - with the assumption that anyone who's still single in their 30s is like picked-over, squeezed, bad fruit - can't possibly be good.

There's also "Canterbury's Law," featuring your assorted misfit lawyers taking on unpopular cases. Of course there's a dramatic backstory involving the missing son of the firm's head, played by Julianna Margulies, but still - another law show? Really? Is the law THAT interesting?

Another tried-and-true category is, of course, the cop show, so Fox goes for broke by premiering 2 new series in this area. "K-ville" has promise, set as it is in post-Katrina New Orleans - in case you missed it's topical themes, one of the cops is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. New Orleans is very much a tragic mess in the wake of Katrina, and I can't decide if I'm looking forward to this show exploring this sensitive subject in a manner which the press and administration has done little of, or if the reality of the situation is just too heartbreaking to stomach a fictional version of it. Maybe it's a little of both. The other cop drama, "Amsterdam," has a supernatural twist (otherworldly police seems to be all the rage these days), in the form of an immortal New York detective. Eh - it's a cute twist, since he was given immortality way back in the 17th century when he first came over with the Dutch, but since there's also a whole subplot involving his ability to become mortal only when he finds his one true love, it's kind of cheesy.

Having exhausted the usual TV formulas, Fox turns to the silver screen for inspiration and comes up with "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," set after "Terminator 2: Judgment Day". Never having seen any Terminator flicks, I don't feel I can safely judge this one's potential - but it does star Summer Glau, the ass-kicking psychic chick from "Firefly"/"Serenity," which is enough encouragement to check this one out.

There's a whole raft of reality shows coming up, but since that's the lowest form of entertainment available, it doesn't deserve comment.

Fall TV Preview: NBC, ABC and CBS

The new shows and renewals for next fall have been announced by 3 of the major networks - CBS, ABC and NBC. I take a look at what looks promising and what doesn't (links are to DarkHorizons' descriptions of the shows and the complete fall lineups):

NBC was the first to announce their lineup, taking a cue from their uber-popular comic book fantasy "Heroes" by producing several new series with sci-fi or supernatural undercurrents. Including...a "Heroes" spinoff! Except not really a spinoff - it's a 6 episode show called "Heroes: Origins," which will introduce audiences to never-before-seen heroes, one of whom viewers will vote to keep as a regular character on the show. To a reluctant "Heroes" fan, this premise sounds promising, although it threatens to destabilize the character cohesion that really formed only recently.
Another new show-but not is "The Bionic Woman," an updated version of the 70s classic. I can't think of "The Bionic Woman" without recalling the Halloween episode of "Freaks & Geeks," when Bill Haverchuck went as Jamie Sommers (her Bionic-ness' alter ego). Remember how freaking hilarious that was? Anyone? *Sigh*
Anyway, we've also got a spy thriller, time-travel drama, and cop show - with some twists, but nothing too imaginative. Oh, but don't forget "Lipstick Jungle," in the running to replace "Sex and the City" as the hip show about "modern" New York women. Of course, they're smart, sexy and powerful - but they still have problems. Oh man, I totally relate to this show. I'm a modern woman! I'm smart! I have issues! I live near New York! I'm a high-powered career girl with money to burn on the latest fashions...oh wait, that last part's not true. Never mind then.
All dramas, you'll note, except a mid-season sitcom called "The I.T. Guys," about, um, I.T. guys and the new (female, of course) office manager whose gonna make them cool. I.T.'s just hilarious on its own, and this series is especially auspicious since it stars Joel McHale (from E!'s "Talk Soup" and a brief appearance on "Thank God You're Here!") and Jessica St. Clair (regular on VH1's "Best Week Ever"), both of whom are pretty funny.

On to ABC's fall lineup. Unlike NBC, they're not limiting themselves to high-powered women with issues - no no, let's bring the men along too. So we've got male CEOs AND male suburbanites dealing with life's problems. But don't worry gals, ABC cares about you too - just look at "Cashmere Mafia," a series about strong, sexy female executives who live in New York and struggle to balance life and career issues. Nothing like "Lipstick Jungle" at all. Wait, what? You're a woman who DOESN'T work at a New York corporate job? Then you must be a member of "Women's Murder Club," a bunch of women who solve crimes because the men don't know what they're doing. Silly boys.
Let's see, what else is up - a soap opera about rich, pretty people behaving badly. "Pushing Daisies," about a guy who can bring murder victims back to life just long enough so they can tell the cops who did them in - except when he revives his girl, she stays alive, but only as long as he NEVER TOUCHES HER AGAIN! Why does she get to stick around but no one else he touches does? Could it be - gasp - a ploy to ensure an unending supply of romantic tension? No, there must be a TOTALLY LOGICAL explanation...
I'm not even going to mention the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off, except to say that I've never seen the original show and think the spin-off looks even worse.
The one show that COULD be really clever is "Cavemen," the sitcom based on those Geico commercials. Yeah, yeah, I too thought it was a dumb concept when I first heard about it - but those ads are pretty ingenious. So maybe, just maybe, with the right writers and a good cast, the show will actually be a funny, insightful commentary on prejudice in modern society. Or it'll just prove that trying to spin an episodic series out of 30-second ads is one of the dumbest ideas to ever occur to network execs.

Surprisingly, CBS has the most shows that I'm excited about - although I'll be surprised if any of them actually succeed in making their premise work. The network stays away from the "successful people with issues" genre so popular with ABC, as well as the sci-fi gimmickry of NBC, opting instead for what sound like more nuanced shows.
Striking a blow for television diversity is "Cane," a drama about a successful Cuban-American family involved in the rum and sugar business. The prospect of Latinos portrayed not as subjects of broad comedy but as genuinely complex characters is intriguing, and it stars two of today's most successful Hispanic actors - Hector Elizondo and Jimmy Smits. If it manages to avoid stereotyping and sensationalism, it could be well worth looking into.
Another exciting premise is "Moonlight," about a vampire cop. Okay, I admit it, I think vampires are cool. Especially the sweet, sensitive, tormented kind the hero seems to be (aw, he has to decide between leaving a lonely, loveless life or turning his crush into a vampire!) . So that's why I'm hoping this one doesn't bite...except in the literal sense.
In the category of "shows about important social issues" we have "Swingtown," which focuses on the swinging 70s - a time of women's lib, experimentation and open marriages. In other words, sex. Will this show be a genuine exploration of an interesting time in our social history, or just an exploitation of the decade's tawdrier elements? Probably the latter, but you never know.
And the most amazing genre ever: Mystery Musical Drama. Currently describes only one American show - "Viva Laughlin," based on a BBC series (why are all the cool shows British knock-offs?). Seems to revolve around the owner of a Vegas nightclub - really all I got. But it's a Mystery Musical Drama, starring and executive produced by Hugh Jackman. You might know him as Wolverine, but his roots are actually in musical theatre - he has a Tony for his starring role in "The Boy From Oz". As a musical theatre fangirl, I'm predisposed to like this show.

Stay tuned for commentary of the new shows from the CW and Fox.

The Arcade Fire Keep Us Pumped

Eclectic Montreal rockers The Arcade Fire have released more details about their eagerly awaited second album, "Neon Bible," due March 6 (in the U.S.) via Merge. And as to be expected with these guys, the news arrives in an unorthodox way - via this YouTube clip:


Meanwhile, the brand-spankin' new single from "Neon Bible" has been unearthed and is available for your listening pleasure via the official Arcade Fire site:

Win has posted the first OFFICIAL single from Neon Bible over on arcadefire.com. To listen to it, click on Win's Scrapbook, then click on the image and it will load up and play.

"Intervention," the hyped first glimpse we got of the new album, is now for sale at iTunes with all proceeds benefiting Partners In Health (also linked to from the Arcade Fire homepage).

The tracklist for "Neon Bible" is as follows (via Billboard):

1. Black Mirror
2. Keep The Car Running
3. Neon Bible
4. Intervention
5. Black Wave / Bad Vibrations
6. Ocean of Noise
7. The Well & The Lighthouse
8. (Antichrist Television Blues)
9. Windowsill
10. No Cars Go
11. My Body Is A Cage

Billboard also gives us more goodies as we anxiously await the release date:

...The 11-track set was primarily recorded in a church outside the band's Montreal homebase and features contributions from Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett, Calexico's Martin Wenk and Jacob Valenzuela and Wolf Parade's Hadjii Bakara.

...Additional highlights include the sweet, solemn ballad "Ocean of Noise" ("who here among us still believes in choice / not I," Butler sings), the propulsive, major-key rockers "Keep the Car Running" and "The Well and the Lighthouse" and the hardscrabble "(Antichrist Television Blues)," where Butler's passionate phrasing recalls the Bruce Springsteen of "Born To Run."

Butler and Chassagne's vocal interplay is at the heart of "No Cars Go," another driving cut that shows clear evolution from the band's 2004 breakthrough, "Funeral." The song climaxes with a swell of choir and orchestra.

The group will be busy on the road for the next several months, but you're SOL if you were hoping to catch the 5 night NYC run at Judson Memorial Church. While we all devoutly pray for the live preaching of the "Neon Bible," you can tide yourself over on the three available tracks from the album (via The Hype Machine):

Black Mirror

Black Wave/Bad Vibrations

Intervention

This is also one of my most anticipated of the year. What is your favorite of the new songs that are currently available?

Bloc Party Still Remembers How to Rock

Bloc Party is coming stateside. Billboard reports that the U.K. buzz band has unveiled the following North American tour dates:

March 11: Seattle (Paramount Theatre)
March 12: Vancouver (Orpheum Theatre)
March 13: Portland, Ore. (Crystal Ballroom)
March 15: Austin, Texas (South by Southwest)
March 17: San Francisco (Concourse Exhibition)
March 19-20: Los Angeles (Wiltern Theatre)
March 23: Chicago (Congress Theatre)
March 24: Detroit (Royal Oak Theatre)
March 25: Toronto (Kool Haus)
March 27: Montreal (Metropolis)
March 28: Boston (Orpheum Theatre)
March 30-31: New York (United Palace Theatre)

Billboard also reports that opening acts will be rotated among The Strokes' Albert Hammond, Jr., Final Fantasy, Sebastian Grangier, The Like and Smoosh.

Meanwhile, MTV2 has an exclusive video premiere of Bloc's first U.S. single, "I Still Remember." The Aggressive-directed clip is available here.

Additionally, Reuters recently shed some new insight on the band's forthcoming sophomore effort, "A Weekend in the City."

"A Weekend in the City," particularly on its back half, is dominated by slower, richly textured songs that stretch into pop/rock territory.

"It's got everything that makes a Coldplay song, plus more," bassist Gordon Moakes says of the band's more introspective material. "It has a lush sound without being too syrupy."

It also features much more direct vocals from frontman Kele Okereke, who makes a big leap as a songwriter and lyricist on this loose song cycle that thematically mirrors its title.

"I wanted to make something that could be more easily understood, without dumbing it down," Okereke says.

The article mentions the aforementioned headlining March U.S. tour and also confirms 3 more domestic visits before the end of 2007.

With the newly released single plus "The Prayer," there is no doubt that Bloc Party is on the list of most anticipated albums of the year and quite near the top to boot.

What are on your list of the most anticipated albums of the year?


For more on Bloc Party: http://www.blocparty.com

2007 Previews: Finger Eleven

After bands really hit the mainstream, they are given a few options.

1. They can start writing songs that flow more into the mainstream sound. Hoobastank fell into this trap with their latest release, "Every Man For Himself". Sometimes it works and sometimes it falls apart. EMFH barely made a noise in the stream of music.

2. They can try something new. This could be either a negative reaction to their success (Live's "V," the Beatles' latter catalogue) or just wanting to try something a little different (Sum 41, Lostprophets).

3. They can self-destruct (The Doors, Nirvana).

Finger Eleven came to this crossroads following the golden reception that their single, "One Thing," received and continues to receive. They responded by heading for Door #2. Their release "Them Vs. You Vs. Me," due out in March, promises "keyboards, xylophones, a lap steel, violin, banjo, and other assorted instruments," according to SoundScan. The leadoff single, "Paralyzer," is a dance-rock track that vaguely recalls "Deep Enough" off Live's album "V". The rest of the album ranges from F11's typical fuzzy rock to country, touching on various styles throughout. Over a hundred tracks relay-recorded over the Internet are pared down to 12 for the final cut.

Finger Eleven will support this album by opening for Hinder in the upcoming months.

2007 Previews: The Arcade Fire

Eclectic Montreal outfit The Arcade Fire are poised to release their next studio effort, "Neon Bible," in March via Merge. The set will be the follow-up to their 2004 debut LP "Funeral," which featured "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" and "Rebellion (Lies)." The band, which is self-producing the new disc, recorded the songs in a converted church in their Montreal hometown. In terms of the composition and feel for the new material, NME reports:

Frontman Win Butler added: "We talked about a lot of ideas for orchestration and Regine Butler and him are trading off midi files trying to get three songs arranged for late August...Regine and I are going to sneak away somewhere closer to the ocean for a week..so we can record some vocals...a lot of the songs remind me of being near the ocean at night time."

Commenting on reports that the band used new instruments on the record, Butler wrote: "The pipe organ was amazing...never heard anything quite like it, we also recorded a horn section in the church with microphone 200 feet away with the craziest reverb I have ever heard.

Meanwhile, Monsters and Critics reports on how you can hear the track, "Intervention" from Neon Bible:

The Arcade Fire has unveiled "Intervention," the first track from its hotly anticipated new album, 'Neon Bible,' via a pre-recorded telephone message accessible by calling 866-636-6242, extension 7777...

If a prerecorded telephone message is not your ideal way of sampling The Arcade Fire's new album, you're in luck. The Hype Machine has the track available for listening to on the web by following this link. The aforementioned pipe organ starts us off here by eliciting a Sunday morning church service, which reflects the lyrical imagery Win Butler belts during the chorus: "working for the church while your family dies, little baby sister gonna lose her mind, every spark of friendship and love will die without a hope." The dark, despairing resignation of the opening gives way to somber acoustic tones and pleading instrumentation as Butler gushes on about groaning soldiers and the death of love. The forlorn drama of the tune is only cut deeper by the band's trademark ability to let their music bleed profusely into the heart of the listener.

You can listen to a more stripped down version of, "Intervention," by checking out the video of their performance of the song on KCRW (via YouTube). Even more, you can catch the band on the road beginning next month in London. Billboard reports:

The Arcade Fire will play a Feb. 13-17 stand at Judson Memorial Church near New York's Washington Square in advance of the March release of its next Merge album, "Neon Bible." Tickets go on sale Jan. 5 and are limited to two per person.

The shows will follow previously announced five-night stands at unconventional venues in London and the band's Montreal homebase, beginning in late January.

On-sale and additional information is available at The Arcade Fire's official site. As for the single and the album (via the Billboard article):

frontman Win Butler said the track will soon be available for legal download. Proceeds will benefit Partners in Health, which aims to provide free health care to patients in Haiti.

As for "Neon Bible," he said, "We have probably worked harder in the last three months then in the rest of our lives combined, but we are all really proud of the results."

As with Bloc Party, this is easily on my list as one of the top 10 anticipated albums of 2007. Much more on that subject as time goes on. For now enjoy the Arcade Fire and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours.

2007 Previews: Bloc Party

British post-punkers Bloc Party will release their next album, the follow-up to their critically praised 2005 debut "Silent Alarm," on February 6. "A Weekend in the City" is led by the brand new single "The Prayer," which is already getting airplay in their native Great Britain. In describing the upcoming album, MTV clues us in on how the band is moving forward but with no less musical or lyrical complexity:

Over glitchy vocal samples, piston-like drums, swooning synths and prickly guitars, Okereke weaves 11 tales of big-city life, darting between overly lonely narratives about dead-eyed teens, morning commuters, business executives and coked-up clubgoers, while capturing both the fleeting moments of beauty and soul-wrenching nights of desperation that come with 21st-century living in a faceless, unforgiving metropolis.

"A lot of the ideas for these songs came to me whilst we were touring last year, and I was coming back to the U.K. intermittently and seeing friends that I was at university with," the singer/guitarist explained. "They're all working, all commuting, all getting drunk on the weekend. And no one seemed to be particularly happy. Everyone I spoke to seemed to have this real sort of incongruity between what they thought life was going to be and what life actually was. And I wanted to capture that real sense of optimism fading against the grind and routine of everyday life. It's about getting lots and lots of different perspectives; all the songs are different voices: a teenager, a commuter, an executive type — all these snapshots of people that paint one large picture.

And Bloc Party certainly have had a bustling go of it in the last few years, following "Silent Alarm" with a remix album and several EP's, which included the release of last year's hit "Two More Years". They were also originally a part of the, "Nothing Rhymes with Circus" tour headlined by the pop-punk darlings Panic! at the Disco. Drummer Matt Tong's health brought a quick end to that venture, forcing Bloc Party to cancel the rest of their dates on the trek. But the quartet has regrouped and will begin an overseas tour next month that runs through the middle of March.

As for "The Prayer," it begins with a deep intoning chant which serves to evoke the spiritual undertones of the title, and sets up lead singer Kele Okereke's unrestrained vocals as Tong's drums dutifully play along. Moments later the noise-rock grooves reminiscent of "Silent Alarm" pound in, layering in the second tier of the band's signature multi-layered sound. By the time the chorus arrives, the aesthetic dissonance of guitarist Russel Lissack's chopping guitars moves into a 'synthier' sound and Okereke's insistent harmonics raise the urgency and immediacy of his message:

Tonight make me a unstoppable
I will charm, I will slice,
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me a unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle I will outshine all

(lyrics courtesy of Sing365.com)

You can listen to and watch the reality bending video for the single: The Prayer - Official Video at YouTube.

Alternatively, you can listen to the track (minus the video) at the official Bloc Party MySpace page.

For more: http://www.blocparty.com.