Sean Penn directs Into the Wild, which stars Emile Hirsch in the true tale of a high school graduate in the early 90’s who decides to hitchike across the Alaskan wilderness. The cast also includes William Hurt, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, and Marcia Gay Harden. Look for Into the Wild in theaters on September 21st.
The big news around the music blogs today was that The Verve announced that they will reunite after eight years apart for a new album at the end of the summer as well as playing a handful of UK shows.
Coincidentally, I pulled The Verve and Richard Ashcroft albums out of my hard drive last week and when you haven't heard 'em in awhile they sound so fresh to you're ears. I can't wait to hear what The Verve will release, but I gotta be careful not to expect Urban Hymns caliber material. Here's the first single off Richard Ashcroft's last album...
Here's a couple of videos. The first one I'm sure you've seen many a time before, but it's always fun to watch, especially when he bumps into that poor girl. The second video also feature Richard Ashcroft walking around, only this time he's slightly more mentally stable.
I'm getting swamped with music, so expect to see a whole lotta music posts this week as I make my feeble attempt to play catch-up.
Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears are described as "in the vein of Queen-meets-XTC". I haven't really given this album my undivided attention yet, but I do like what I have heard.
This little black & white hand-drawn film based on Iranian author Marjane Satrapi’s comic book autobiography won audiences over at this year's Cannes Film Festival armed with nothing more than an intelligent story and realistic characters.
Persepolis is a coming-of-age story (that begins during the Islamic Revolution) of an Iranian girl and her move to Austria as a teenager at school, where she struggles to overcome stereotypes and predjudices. No official release date slated stateside, but keep your eyes peeled for this one to release in an arthouse theater near you!
View clips from the Persepolis MySpace or checkout the trailer (in French) right here...
Rocket Science is written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz (dir. Spellbound). It brings Thumbsucker to mind, except this story is about a stuttering boy joins his high school debate team. There's also some hints of Wes Anderson in there, and the trailer features a whole lotta Violent Femmes. Look for Rocket Science in theaters August 10th.
TOCA is beginning to gain comparisons to Ozomatli for their lively genre bending musical style. I recieved TOCA's debut album in the mail a couple of weeks ago (special thanks to their promotional team) and I've had it on rotation ever since.
The niche of the band is that they constantly switch up genres and styles from song to song, sometimes even in the same song. The album features: Pigeon John, Busdriver, Aceyalone, 2Mex and more. As a whole the album is a little rough around the edges, but the liveliness is definitely there. I would look for these guys to get even better as they progress.
Here's a couple of tracks that highlight TOCA's range...
No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, 3:10 to Yuma...this has surely been a western kind of week for trailers. 3:10 to Yuma is a remake of James Mangold's 1957 classic western. The film stars Christian Bale, Russell Crowe and Peter Fonda. Look for it in theaters this coming Fall.
Meadowlands is Showtime's new psychological thriller. You can catch the first episode online right now! Meadowlands follows a British family in a witness relocation program, who soon encounter the dangers they were on the lamb from.
Mica over at Showtime was kind enough to send me the first four episodes and after viewing them I am anxious to see how the show unfolds. Episode 1 starts off a little slow, but it sets up the story quite nice. Episode 2 is where the series really picks, and Episode 3 and 4 are totally intriguing. I can't wait to see how this all plays out.
For a good overview of the show with clip of interviews with the cast and creators, watch this...
View Episode 1 right here (the password is: secret)
PT Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love) offers up a first glimpse at his forthcoming film There Will Be Blood, a tale about the beginnings of the oil boom in America.
I recommend picking up the new Esquire Magazine for the new Stephen King novella...as an added bonus Angelina Jolie is practically naked on the cover! "The Gingerbread Girl" is a 21,000-word novella covering 23 pages of the issue. Esquire Editor-in-Chief David Granger said "Over the last year, we've been trying to breathe life back into magazine fiction,the best way to do that is to publish nothing other than event fiction-stories that have something in addition to their literary merit to call attention to themselves."
The Gingerbread Girl tells the story of Emily, who flees to the secluded Vermillion Key off of Florida's coast after the death of her infant child. Her new neighbor also enjoys the privacy of the key, but the women he brings with him never return home. Emily's curiosity leads her right into the hands of the madman, but it's her legs that are her only hope for survival.
This isn't the first time Esquire has published original fiction, amongst the most notable are Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Norman Mailer's "An American Dream".
I posted on this awhile back before there was a poster and a decent trailer, but now they have surfaced online.
Dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande set the stage for the forthcoming film adaptation of the novel by Cormac McCarthy. No Country For Old Men is slated for a November 21st release date.
View the Trailer...
If you've got $100 to piss away then this might interest you...
Limited edition USB flash drives containing The White Stripes new album, Icky Thump will be released on June 19th. The figures have removable hats that reveal a USB port. Each USB 2.0 flash drive has a 512-megabyte capacity and are Windows and Mac compatible. The Jack and Meg figures are available separately, or if you're a big spender you can purchase the set at a discount. There will be 3,333 Meg drives and 3,333 Jack drives made.
The hype has been building around The White Stripes forthcoming album Icky Thump (officially out on June 19th) on all around the music blogs lately. Now you can hear for yourself!
Meadowlands is Showtime's forthcoming psychological thriller, which will premiere on the network next week (June 17th). You can catch a sneak peek of the first episode online right now! Meadowlands follows a British family in a witness relocation program, who soon encounter the dangers they were on the lamb from.
Mica over at Showtime was kind enough to send me the first four episodes and after viewing a couple of episodes thus far, I'm anxious to see where the plot is heading.
For a good overview of the show with clip of interviews with the cast and creators, watch this...
View Episode 1 right here (the password is: secret)
This is a re-post with a new link to stream the whole album in it's entirety!
Here's an album that I received (and have been enjoying) from The generous folks at Eenie Meenie Records recently sent me this forthcoming release from Scissors For Lefty titled Underhanded Romance.
Standouts are in abundance. There's the The Cure influenced "X's Are Forever", the Modern English breakdown of "You've Got the Moments", or the melodic Beach Boys-esque pop of "Bring Us a Brick". The album as a whole has a real upbeat tempo feel, complete with whistling bits and plenty of hand claps. The album is due in the U.S. on June 12 (and overseas on Rough Trade later this year). Here's a couple of my other favs..
Quite simply, this comedy is ten stories, each inspired by one of the ten commandments. The film stars Jessica Alba, Adam Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Amanda Peet, Paul Rudd, Famke Janssen, Justin Theroux, Gretchen Mol, Rob Corddry, Winona Ryder, Liev Schreiber, Oliver Platt, and many more. The Ten is set for an August 3rd release.
This forthcoming action-suspense film stars Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, and Monica Bellucci and is due for a September 7th theatrical release. The plot seems pretty lazy (read about it here), but it boasts a strong cast.
Mathew over at Cheap Lullaby Records was kind enough to send me Joan As Police Woman's (aka Joan Wasser) forthcoming album titled Real Life, which officially comes out tomorrow ( June 12th). Even kinder was an invitation to see Joan As Police Woman this coming wednesday (6/13) at Hotel Cafe! So if you're in the area be sure too check her out too.
You may know Joan as one of Antony’s Johnsons, or from her stint in Rufus Wainwright’s band, or possibly through any of her other collaborations with everybody who’s cool. I was first introduced to her years ago when she played a spectacular intimite show with Joseph Arthur. Real Life features: Antony and also Joseph Arthur.
I Am Legend (based on the novel from Richard Matheson) stars Will Smith, who just might be the last man on earth. The movie has some Independance Day-type shots, but Will Smith isn't doing his usual comedic shtick so this might be worth viewing. I've heard great things about the novel so I'm not sure if the film will measure up. I'm going to be picking up the book this week and then I believe I'll have more of an opinion.
Here's the synopsis: In 2006, the KV virus is developed in a laboratory, but the virus mutates out of control, changing the world’s population into bloodthirsty creatures. Three years later, former military scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is working in Manhattan, since quarantined, to develop a cure for the pandemic. Neville finds himself to be the only uninfected human on the island, if not the world. I Am Legend is scheduled for a December release.
It looks like the 30 Days of Night trailer surfaced online over the weekend!
30 Days of Night was initially a miniseries of horror comics written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith and published by IDW Publishing in 2002. The story takes place in Barrow, Alaska, which is so far north that during the winter the sun does not rise for 30 days. The premise of the series is that vampires (who are harmed by the sun) flock to the small town and terrorize the area.
The Grand Central Performances series is celebrating it's 20th season in Los Angeles with "World-Class Global Music, Dance, and Spoken Word" this coming saturday at 3pm FOR FREE! On the bill are Latin funk-hoppers Ozomatli, Cambodian psychedelic sounds from Dengue Fever, and turntablist/mixmaster DJ Logic (Living Color, Body Count) with guitarist Vernon Reid (Living Color, co-founder Black Rock Coalition) will also be onhand.
Mary Lynn Rajskub, star of FOX’s 24 and alternative comedy darling, performed her show The Complications of Purchasing a poodle pillow on Sundays in May (for only $10), now her show will also be running sundays in June in Los Angeles (tickets now $25) at the Steve Allen Theater.
According to the management at The Steve, the show is ostensibly a platform for Mary Lynn to riff on whatever the heck she feels like.
Get more info and order your tix to The Complications of Purchasing a Poodle Pillow here.
The Farrelly Brothers have done some incredibly funny stuf...Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber, and There's Something About Mary, but they've also given us Shallow Hal, Me, Myself & Irene, Osmosis Jones, Stuck on You, and Fever Pitch. So let's cross our fingers that their forthcoming film The Heartbreak Kid (starring Ben Stiller and Rob Corddry) is a return to form. The Heartbreak Kid is set to open nationwide on October 5th. View the trailer here or right here...
You Kill Me is a forthcoming film starring Ben Kingsley, Luke Wilson and Tea Leoni. It's about a hit-man who tries to turn his life around and ends up getting a job in a mortuary, where he meets a woman who is a relative to one of his hits. View the trailer...
Ryan Adams forthcoming album Easy Tiger will officially release on June 26th. Lost Highway Records released these two minute clips of a couple of standout tracks...
The Late Night Sounds is a (roughly 30 min.) monthly mixtape I put together of some under-the-radar artists, both past and present.
This month's mix features an indie pop tune from Herman Dune, synth pop from Sally Shapiro, a 60s' inspired folk tune from The Clientele, a down-tempo electronic flavored track from Flunk, a tune from singer/songwriter Glen Hansard (off the Once Soundtrack), a post punk track from Antelope, a Latin flavored oldie from Super Fury Animals, roots music from Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective, and a garage rock rarity from Brit-popppers Marion, give it a listen or just checkout the artists on your own...
Talk To Me comes out in limited release next month. The film stars Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Martin Sheen. Talk To Me is based on the true story of Washington D.C. radio presenter Ralph Greene, who overcame drug addiction and jail time to become one of the most prominent personalities on Washington’s airwaves in the 1970’s even getting invited to the Whitehouse by invitation of President Carter. View the trailer...
Big Hassle Media was kind enough to send me the new album from Chicago indie rock outfit The Narrator (out on Flameshovel Records). This is the bands' sophomore release titled All That To The Wall and despite the pic above the band is now a four-piece (albiet after some line-up changes). .
Making his directorial debut, famed photograper and lifelong Joy Division fan Anton Corbijn directs the forthcoming Ian Curtis bio-pic titled Control. Corbijn stated that the film is in black and white to reflect the atmosphere of Joy Division and the mood of the era. Anton is also keen to point out that the film is about Ian Curtis - not Joy Division.
Sign up for updates from the official website right here.
Watch an interview with Anton Corbijn about the film...
I know season 1 of Heroes has just ended, but info on Season 2 is already leaking. *image is Hiro and the Dinosaur, a painting by fictional character Isaac Mendez. The name of the painting is unofficial.