All posts by mattramsden252

Young "professional" writing about life, culture and culture life.
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Film Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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I went to the movies to go see “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” And I was not disappointed. I will go so far as to say this is the best film of the year….. no one will see. “Imaginarium” tells the story of Doctor Parnassus (a phenomenal Christopher Plummer) as he struggles to save his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) from The Devil (Tom Waits) as Parnassus made a deal for eternal life that any child he fathers will become property of The Devil when they turn sixteen. The whole plot of the movie is Parnassus makes another deal that if he can get 5 souls before the Devil, then he will save Valentina. Parnassus and his merry band, Valentina, Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Percy (Verne Troyer) try to get these souls by having them go through the Imaginarium, which projects your imagination. They don’t start out so hot. That is until they find Tony (Heath Ledger) hanging from the side of a bridge. If your a Monty Python fan, you will see traces of it as it was directed by Terry Gilliam. The worlds portrayed in the Imaginarium are colorful and gorgeous and amazingly creative. Now, you probably know that Ledger died while making this film. However, Ledger’s buddies stepped in to finish the project. Now this transition isn’t one frame its Heath Ledger and next its Johnny Depp. No. They put in as whenever Tony goes into the Imaginarium, he transforms. These different transformations are portrayed by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. It is done very stylistically and very cleanly. An overall phenomenal film that no enough people will see cause you know it has… thoughts and ideas to it. Bravo Mr Gilliam. Bravo.

Overall Grade: A+

Art, Films, reviews

Movie Review: Phoebe In Wonderland

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I recently watched a film called “Phoebe In Wonderland.” I might say this is an excellent movie. “Phoebe In Wonderland” tells the story of Phoebe (Elle Fanning), a “unique” 9-year old girl who gets cast as Alice in her school’s production of “Alice in Wonderland.” Then, the various characters come to her to give her advice on her personal life, for she is as I said before “unique.” Bill Pullman, Felicity Huffman and Patricia Clarkson also are featured in this. This film is done very stylistically. It has a, dare I say, “Wonderland”-like quality to it in the various sequences when Phoebe sees her Wonderland friends. Director/Writer Daniel Barnz really makes you feel sympathetic for all the characters involved. Now, this movie could be categorized as a tragicomedy. At some points, you feel really upset for what Phoebe has to deal with and the lack of understanding expressed towards her. At other points, it is genuinely funny. One point is a certain monologue by Ms. Dodger (Patricia Clarkson), the eccentric director, about how when she was 10-years old, she “played Cleopatra and held the asp to her breast. You could hear a pin drop everyone was so entranced.” Also, one of my new favorite lines, “Is it AIDS?” is in this movie. A very touching film that deals with the modern child and the apparent ADHD epidemic that is sweeping the nation.

Overall Grade: A

Books, Entertainment, reviews

Book Review: Shutter Island

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For this review, I read Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island. You might be thinking “Thats a book?! I thought it was a Martin Scorsese movie!” Well it is. It was just a book first. Author Dennis Lehane has a knack for writing phenomenal books that turn into phenomenal movies (Lehane wrote Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.) Anyway, to Shutter Island. Shutter Island tells the story of U.S Marshals Edward “Teddy” Daniels and Chuck Aule as they are sent to Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane to investigate the disappearance of inmate and multiple murderess Rachel Solando. As they deepen their investigation, a bigger picture becomes revealed. A picture of horrifying surgeries and radical experimental treatments. Meanwhile, a massive hurricane strikes the island, knocking out communications and electricity (ergo security measures.) Teddy and Chuck struggle for their lives and their sanity as the truth becomes revealed. Lehane establishes these two characters as well as others including Chief Of Medicine Dr. John Cawley, Daniels’ dead wife Dolores Chanel, inmate George Noyce among others. Lehane makes characters that are deeply defined in their goals and their methods of achieving them. As for the writing, it is flawless. Lehane creates a sense of being lost in a world where there is no truth and no information can be trusted as well as creating suspense that equals that of Stephen King or even Hitchcock himself. But the main reason why I love this book (and why you should either read it, see the movie or both) is a certain major plot twist that is one of the most breathtaking surprises that I’ve ever read or seen. When I read it, I literally flung the book across the room, not wanting it to be true. I cannot recommend Shutter Island highly enough. And I am very anxious to see what Scorsese and DiCaprio do with one of my new favorite books.

Overall Grade: A++

Here is the trailer for the Martin Scorsese film

Art, Entertainment, Film, reviews

Movie Review: Ink

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Let me start off this review by saying: OOOOHHHHH MMMMYYYYY GGGGGOOOOODDDDDD!!!!!!!! I can’t describe how PERFECT this film is. I can’t even describe the plot that does it justice. Here is the plot as told by Netflix: “Late one night, a lost soul named Ink snatches 8-year-old Emma (Quinn Hunchar) into the world of dreams. There, he hopes to use her soul to join the ranks of the evil Incubi. In the real world, Emma lies comatose, to the despair of her father, John (Chris Kelly). But the Incubi’s benevolent opposites — the Storytellers — rally to help Emma, motivating John to wage war for his daughter. Jessica Duffy co-stars in this dark fable.” After I finished this movie, I couldn’t breathe. It’s one of those. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful and horrifying at the same time. The Storyteller characters will warm your hearts. The Incubi will give you nightmares (its kinda their job). Director Jamin Winans has given a gift to the cinema world. I dare you to watch this film and not want to watch it as soon as you finish it.

Overall Grade: A++++++++++++++++++++++++. Words cannot describe this film. I’ll let the film do it itself.
Here is the trailer.

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Movie Review: Nine

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This Christmas with all the movies opening, I decided to go against the what’s expected of me going to see Sherlock Holmes and instead going to see Nine. And might I say I’m glad I did. Nine is a movie-musical based the 1983 Broadway musical “8 1/2.” Nine tells the story of Italian director Guido Contini (Daniel Day Lewis) as he struggles to pen his latest film “Italia.” Meanwhile, his personal life is in shambles, in particular all the women in his life. These women are his wife (a phenomenal Marion Cotillard), his mistress (an equally as phenomenal Penelope Cruz), his assistant (Dame Judi Dench), his mother (Sophia Loren), a journalist (Kate Hudson), a whore from his childhood (Fergie) and his leading actress (Nicole Kidman). This super woman ensemble is perfect to a T. Most of the songs are heart felt looks into the character. I was on the verge of tears during “My Husband Makes Movies” which is sung by an aforementioned phenomenal Marion Cotillard. Rob Marshall, who directed the Oscar-winning Chicago, does the musical numbers like Chicago with his music video like editing. I personally loved it. It made it look really polished. My only real problem with it is that they added a song that was not in the original musical, “Cinema Italiano.” I like the song but it kind of goes against the theme of the rest of the music which is kind of Jazzy like. But overall a very good film worth the price of admission.

Overall Grade: B+

Nine poster

Art, CD Review, Lists, Music

Matt’s Top Albums from 2000-09

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These are some of the my favorite and in my opinion some of the best albums of the first decade in the 21st Century.

5. 19-Adele. This was one of my personal favorites from an amazingly talented girl. The album has everything heart felt ballads galore (Daydreamer, Hometown Glory, First Love among others) giant swelling songs (Chasing Pavements, Right As Rain, Tired) and even a dance track (Cold Shoulder). Written about Adele’s experience leaving her home in London and experience with love, 19 proved to be one of my favorite records of the decade.

Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

4. Funeral-Arcade Fire. The debut from one of the leading bands in indie rock. Funeral, which was named after several of the bandmate’ss relatives passed away, like 19 just has it all. It has your soft personal acoustic (Crown Of Love, Neighbor Hood 4 [7 Kettles], In The Backseat) your thunderous rock songs (Wake Up, Rebellion[Lies], Neighborhood #3[Power Out]) and yet again even kind of a dance track (Neighborhood #1 [Tunnels]). I credit this as the only record to ever make me close to really crying my eyes out. Phenomenal record. Should be in everyone’s collection.

3. The White Stripes-Elephant. Wow. All I can say about this record. What really made this stand out to me was its lack of true production. Jack had this recorded all on tapes and he spliced the tapes together. Some of my favorite songs are Seven Nation Army, Ball And Biscuit, There’s No Home For You Here, Little Acorns and You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket. An amazing outing from arguably my favorite band.

2. Radiohead-In Rainbows. What is a top ten list without Radiohead. And this record in particular is the one that really made me take notice of Radiohead. An album that makes an artist wait to put out the next record so the one before won’t overshadow it is something special. With some of the best production, arrangements and lyrics my old ears have ever heard, In Rainbows is a record not to be fucked with.

1. Radiohead-Kid A. I am speechless when it comes to this record. It’s such a… special record. Defining Radiohead’s sound most likely for the next few records and defining us as people, its just scary good. I frown on anyone who thinks they can do better. I don’t want to say anymore because my words can’t praise it enough

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Books, reviews

Book Review: Choke

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I recently read the novel “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk. Palahniuk(I don’t know how to pronounce his name either) is also the author of the phenomenal “Fight Club” which I also recommend. But the topic at hand is “Choke.” The story follows Victor Mancini, a Med school drop-out who nows works at a living colonial museum, trying to pay for his anarchist mother’s elder care by choking on pieces of food in high end restaurants. He allows people to “save” him and then, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, these people go on to send him checks. He is also dealing with his Fourth Step in a Sexual Addiction recovery workshop. The style of the book is very much kind of inner monologue like. There is dialogue (very funny dialogue at that) but it is a bit sparse. The action takes place in present day but it flashes back to when Victor was, as the book says, “a stupid little shit” and his days of breaking and fleeing the law with his mother. This book is a great satire for anyone who loves black humor. There is also a movie to accompany it starring Sam Rockwell (which is always a good thing.)

Overall grade: A. A solid read worth your time.

Cover for Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke"

Art, Entertainment, Music, Uncategorized

Avenue Q closes on Broadway

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avenueq
The Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q officially closes on Broadway after countless performances. The highly original musical features Muppet-style puppets with actors on stage providing voices and the such. But the real drawing point was its “South Park” style sense of humor. Characters included Kate Monster, the leading lady, Brian, an unemployed 32-year old, Rod, a closeted conservative homosexual, his roommate Nicky (very similar to Bert and Ernie) and a colorful collection of others. Featured songs include “It Sucks To Be Me,” “The Internet Is For Porn,” and “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist.” Below is a clip of “It Sucks To Be Me” from the 2004 Tony Awards. Avenue Q, you will be sorely missed.

Music

Concert Review: The Killers

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Band: The Killers
Venue: TD Banknorth Garden
Date: 9/4/2009

Comments: As of recently, I took a little trek to the TD Banknorth Garden to see the one and only Killers. And I can say they put on one hell of a show. With a set list ranging from Hot Fuss to Sawdust and Sam’s Town to Day & Age, they played all the right songs, including an acoustic version of “Smile Like You Mean It.” Not only were the Killers on the ball, but the opening act, Wolfmother, were also on their game. Their set list included “Joker & the Theif,” “Woman,” and “White Unicorn” among some possibly new songs off Cosmic Egg. Well anyway, The Killers left the stage after the traditional closer of “All These Things That I’ve Done” and came back for an encore with “Human,” “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine,” and an absolutely huge and perfect rendition of “When You Were Young.” Other big songs of the night were “Shadowplay,” “Somebody Told Me,” “For Reasons Unknown,” “Mr. Brightside (as an opener bizarrely),” “Read My Mind,” “Bones,” and a bunch of others I can’t remember. Overall, a phenomenal showing from one of my favorite bands, The Killers.

Culture Jamming, Entertainment

Late Night comedian has it out for Harry Potter

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If you watch as much late comedy (Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmell, David Letterman etc.) as I do, you would see that one of these in particular has a target for Harry Potter fans. The one I speak of is Conan O’Brien. Over the past few nights, he has joked over the Potter fans dedication comparing them to that of Star Wars or Star Trek fans. Most recently, he shows a sketch which depicted Dumbledore drunk out of his mind, partying like a rock star. Now, when I saw this, I thought it was absolutely hysterical. However, when I showed it to one of my friends, they were offended as if I told an offensive black joke at the Apollo. Now, the point of this is to tell all people who worship all these entertainment icons to grow a pair. It’s a joke get the frick over it. That and I wanted to drop Conan’s name. Check out the show, its really funny. Again, Good Night and Good Luck.