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Art, Film Review, Films, history, Music, pictures, reviews, Video

Mini Classic Film Reviews:Born on the Fourth of July…

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Full Title: Born On the Fourth of July
Director: Oliver Stone
Year: 1989
Comments: This is one of greatest American stories ever told and one that needs to be heard. I think anyone that is considering joining the military should see this film or read the novel by Ron Kovic, which it is based on. Ronnie is easily one of the most admirable figures in American history. From start to finish he demonstrates immense courage; whether it is his unflinching attitude to immediately volunteer for the Marines, his tremendous bravery on the battlefield in Vietnam, his continuing determination (even after being paralyzed) to fight for his country whilst suffering in a horribly unfunded veterans’ hospital, to his new found awareness of the evil of government and war and his resulting militance as peace/anti-war activist/author/public speaker. I am always inspired by his character, even when I am incredibly frusturated by his ignorance and the way he blindly obeys the call to action to “Stop Communism.” The fact that he was able to stand up and take charge against the system that robbed him of so much (his ability to walk, his ability to reproduce, his faith in humanity, etc.) is remarkable. I love the way director, Oliver Stone, himself a Vietnam Vet, paints this wonderful picture of Americanism and tells the story of twentieth centruy America through Ron’s tale. Sometimes, especially at the beginning, it is kind of cheesy and cliched, but it works really well here, like it adds this made for TV movie feel to it that in many ways fits the ridiculous nature of American society as a whole. Kids had watched their fathers and grandfathers fight in “noble” wars and so when Vietnam came about, now it was their time to take up the arms and defend their country. Then they find out it was (and still is) all a lie- everything they were taught was a lie. Long live brave people like Ron Kovic, who can make such 180 turns after being so invested in the opposing side.
Grade: A-

Full Title: Malcolm X
Director: Spike Lee
Year: 1992
Comments: I CHARGE THE WHITE MAN FOR MAKING TOO MANY TERRIBLE MOVIES. I CHARGE THE WHITE MAN FOR BEING THE GREATEST PERVAYOR OF HORRIBLE TELEVISION PROGRAMS, OF BEING THE FAKEST SWINE TO WALK THE EARTH. Thank God, we have Spike Lee, an excellent Black filmmaker, and certainly this is one of his finest films. I would go as far as to say this is the best biopic to grace the silver screen, the model for all other biopics. Like Ron Kovic (except so much more), Malcolm X’s story needs to be heard. I would recommend y’all read The Autobiography of Malcolm as Told to Alex Healey (1965) as seen in the Recommend Reading section of this site before you watch this flick, but if you’re a little whiny bitch and you do not like to read or do not have the time then at least view this exceptional film. Malcolm’s story is the black man’s experience in AmeriKKKa. This is what makes him such a crucial figure, we see him rise through the shadows and darkness and into the light through prison. His militance transformed a whole generation of black people into liberators, truly emancipating themselves from their white oppressors. Now, I in absolutely no way can relate to that, but privileged (white) people, such as myself, can learn many lessons from the Minister’s teachings. He took everything and turned it upside down- whatever the white man said he sliced deep into and ripped out what lay beneath. One can do this with anything; take white man and insert government (though that’s basically the same thing) and peel slowly and see :) Denzel Washington steals the show as the title role and I love the way Lee moves beyond a simple “Malcolm X died on…. He was influential…” instead he provides one of the most heartfelt closers in the history of cinema: we see images of the real Malcolm and how he affected the world from the time of his death till present (then 1992) over Ossie Davis giving him his eulogy (if I am not mistaken). A powerful film for all to see.
Grade : A

Full Title: Walk the Line
Director: James Mangold
Year: 2005
Comments: What else can be said about the Man in Black that hasn’t been said over and over again. This film does a great job of capturing the early Rock and Roll/Sun Records Memphis music scene. Here we see Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. Great performances from Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny Cash) and Reese Witherspoon (June Carter); I appreciate the fact that both of them did their own vocals as well. We see Johnny go through hell and back and at times he is not that wonderful guy we know and love, but that is precisely what makes him who he is. He knows the plight of the worker, the misery of the drug addict, and (to a much lesser extent) the frusturation of the prisoner. He represents and brings out the best in all of us. He is our American Badass- no matter what political, social, relgious group you belong to.
Grade: A/A-

Art, CD Review, Honorary KLAYMERS, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video

Album Review: Maine Coons-Maine Coons

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Artist: The Maine Coons
Full Title: Maine Coons
Year: 2010
Label: Spent Planet

Tracks:
1) My Kinda Luv- 9
2) I Am a Motherfucker- 9/10
3) Hey Dickhead- 9
4) Ghetto Queen- 9
5) Pull the Plug On Grandma- 9
6) Hologram (Urinals)- 7
7) Uniform Choice- 8
8) Tired and Unispired- 8/9
9) Fast and Easy Livin’- 7/8
10) Can’t Follow Thru- 7/8

Comments: This is good jerkin off music. Yeah, I said it. I figured the nature of this band fit such a description. This is truly slimy Punk Slime right here, guerrila pop art at its finest. The first five tracks serve as instantaneous catchy classics. With very little effort they seap into yer psyche and crawl around for a while. Just fast, punk ditties with that gorgeous garage rockin’/ early Black Lips/King Khan & BBQ underbelly. This album has an incredible beginning, like nothing else I have seen in a while. Rarely, does an artist hit me with a ton of bricks like these guys- from “My Kinda Luv” to “Pull the Plug On Grandma,” I’m totally hooked. I love the direct vulgarity of tracks like “I Am a Motherfucker” and “Hey Dickhead,” where fans of Garage Punk, so to speak, will find themselves chanting the lyrics everytime it blasts thru their speakers. Alas, after “Pull the Plug” I am somewhat severed from the initial appeal.”Hologram” is okay, but feels more like a filler track. “Uniform Choice” and “Tired and Uninspired” are really good songs and definitely save the second half of the album from spoiling the whole LP. The last two tracks are not terrible, but simply do not cut it, at least for my money. Overall, this is a fun, invigorating, and at times fantastic record that needs to gain more recognition. Musically, I am always fascinated by the sparse production, which is relatively easy on the ears and that is not a bad thing; the simplicity of just vocals, keyboards, guitars, percussion. Two guys run this show- one on vocals/keyboards while the other bro plinks his gee tar, commands the drums a la Mark Sultan (with his feet) and shares vocals duties with his comrade. Lastly, I missed some of my favorite MC songs in “How Long Is It Going to Take For You to Find God” and “Inside You,” both of which do not appear here and I think should have replaced some of the weaker numbers. Ohh well, if you like immediate pop hooks in the vain of Black Lips, Jay Reatard, King Khan BBQ, Box Elders, Harlem, and others usually featured on this site, then I am positive you will enjoy this motherfucker. Without a doubt, the Maine Coons are amongst my new favorite bands and I hope to see them live again soon. Peace out, I gotta go kill some dickheads and then piss on their graves.

Grade: A-

Concer t Review, concert review, Music, reviews, Tours, Uncategorized

An Evening With Greg Dulli- Concert Review-Brattle Theater

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Yesterday was the moment I have been waiting for quite a while for a chance to see Greg Dulli live in concert, and even though it was an accoustic show, its a chance I have been waitng for since I first heard the Afghan Whigs 6 years ago (I was late to the party, I know)

Opening Act: Craig Wedren from Shudder to Think

Anyway doors were supposed to open at 7:00, they actually opened at around 7:20. First let me just say although the Brattle theater seems like an odd choice for a venue, for this show it worked at least, it was intimate, the sound was great, and everyone had a good view of the stage (which probably couldn’t hold more then 3 people). The opening act Craig Wedren ex lead singer (or current he didn’t seem that sure himself) of the band Shudder to Think. His set consisted of him with a guitar and a few pedals which he used masterfully. It was an experience in minimalism, and he really seemed to enjoy being on stage, all musicians do but he really seemed to relish the opportunity. I wasn’t familiar with his solo work or his work with Shudder to Think, but what I heard I liked, he defiantly falls into the singer-songwriter category of music, in fact for one Shudder to Think song he said here is the song ‘drastically reinterpreted’ and I got the feeling it was reinterpreted not only because of necessity of being the only man on stage, but because this was the song of he had envisioned, and that’s probably the best way to describe Craig Wedren’s music, it was solely is vision. Truth is Craig is just a very, very talented guy who was doing playing his songs, the way he wanted them to be played, and it worked, the set was strong and it set the mood for the main act.

B+

Greg Dulli Setlist

1. St. Gregory
2. God’s Children
3. Blackbird and the Fox
4. The Lure Would Prove Too Much
5. Bonnie Brae
6. Kings Only
7. Fourty Dollars
8. Hyperballad (Bjork Cover)
9. Step into the Light
10. Gunshots
11. If I Were Going
12. Summer’s Kiss
13. Follow You Down
14. The Stations
15. Never Seen No Devil

Encore
16. Candy Cane Crawl
17. Down The Line
18. Teenage Wristband
19. Twilight Kid.

Encore 2

20. Black Love

After Craig left at about 8:35 Greg Dulli and his back up band Twilight Singers guitarist Dave Rosser and multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson of the Polyphonic Spree, took the stage at about 9:00. Throughout the show they seemed relaxed and was joking around with the audience. Greg told a story about the last time he was in the Brattle Theater, that was good for a laugh, and he called out someone in the front row for checking his email while he was playing, also good for a laugh. I guess my one problem is their should have been more audience interaction, the Brattle only holds about 235 people and Greg really could of turned it into an event, something like VH1-Story Tellers, except people would be watching this. Musically what can I say the man has his detractor’s, just before I left, I read something in Blender saying he was embarrassing himself now on this tour, me I thought he was great, his voice sounded strong, the band was in synch, the setlist gave the audience a nice career retrospective plus a little taste of some new material. Since it was an acoustic show everyone was in their seats the entire time, nobody got up until the encore, the atmosphere was very mellow, but the audience was composed of die hard Greg Dulli fans (tickets sold out in under a week) and Greg really put on a great live show, I know I left happy.

A-

Drugs, Entertainment, Film Review, Films, humor, pictures, reviews, Video

Classic Film Review: Nice Dreams

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Full Title: Cheech and Chong’s Nice Dreams
Director: Tommy Chong
Year: 1981
Comments: WARNING: YOU MUST BE AT LEAST EIGHT BEERS DEEP, EXTREMELY HIGH AS A KITE AND IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO VIEW THIS FILM. Otherwise you will probably detest it out of sheer boredom. I can’t imagine watching this sober. Yeesh. Naturally, after the original Cheech and Chong flick Up In Smoke (1978) the series started to plummet. But, all is well if you are twizsted, at least for me. I loved how fucked up and overtly aimless this stoner essential could be. With naked ladies, crazy coke snorting, and hilarious cameos from the likes of Timothy Leary and Paul Reubens (Pee Wee!) I can safely say this was not a waste of my time, in fact it felt like I had been watching it for days.

Grade: N/A- this would be an F for obvious reasons, but given the fact that I (and hopefully everyone) do not take this at all seriously, a grade is unecessary. KLYAM Recommended? Yeah sure, if you’re really baked!

Y’all know I love this scene.

CD Review, Music, reviews, Uncategorized

CD Review: Civilized [2009]

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The drummer of the band,

Artist:

stellastarr* 

Label: Bloated Wife Records

1. “Robot”  B-

2. “Freak Out” A

3. “Tokyo Sky” B

4. “Numbers” B-

5. “Graffiti Eyes” A-

6. “Prom Zombie” B-

7. “Warchild” A

8. “People” B+

9. “Move On” B+

10. “Sonja Cries” A-

Comments:  After their last album Harmonies for the Haunted that spawned the hit single “Sweet Troubled Soul” the band stellastarr* (sometimes just referred to as Stellastarr) took to their own label Bloated Wife Records (named after a hidden track on Harmonies for the Haunted) after leaving RCA Records, and in 2009 came up with the album Civilized.  While not nearly as polished as their previous efforts and nothing is produced that was as marketable as “Sweet Troubled Soul”, major improvements has been made.  Most notably, Bassist and back up vocalist Amanda Tannen is used much more frequently and more efficiently, then in previous efforts.  Secondly, guitarist and lead singer Shawn Christensen sounds much more relaxed and comfortable on this album.  Lastly stellastarr has become much better song writers and crafters, previous efforts has really been hit and miss (although when they hit, their really good), like I said nothing measures up to “Sweet Troubled Soul” or even “My Coco”, but overall the album is much more consistent.   The album starts off with a good effort sung entirely by Amanda on “Robot” and comes close to their best work with “Freak Out”.  From then out its one solid song after another that will please any hipster, which eventually peaks with the song “Warchild”.  The album winds down after that ending on a strong note with “Sonja Cries”.  Overall the album isn’t a game changer for music, the post punk genre, or even the band, it just happens to be a solid effort, from a band who has shown sparks of greatness, but has not shown us what they can do.  But after listening to this album a few times, I have hope that maybe one day they can craft that masterpiece that they always been hinting at but never delivered on, yet.

 Grade: B- (82/100)

Art, concert review, Entertainment, Honorary KLAYMERS, King Khan, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video

Memory #2: Classic Concert Review: Shrines @ Paradise

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Bands: The Homosexuals, Mark Sultan, King Khan
Venue: Paradise Rock Club

Act One: The Homosexuals

Glen: The Homosexuals, or in this concert’s case Bruno Wizard and two members from the noise rock band Fiasco, started things off. Wizard, who has an affinity for saying ‘fuck’ and acting crazy as ‘fuck,’ didn’t fail at moving about the stage like an asshole. Wizard’s most notable song was “Hearts in Exile,” a lengthy and repetitive proto-punk jam that got the crowd semi-excited. He finally sang “Don’t Touch My Hair,” an obnoxious rhyme that was undoubtedly written while Wizard was under some form of narcotic. I give a lot of credit to Julian (drums) and Jon (guitar) for playing excellent music.

Chris: Well, the singer was a bit obnoxious and got really old rather quickly. Speaking of being old, he was middle aged, but tried to act like a buzz cock. Perhaps a bit more cock than buzz. His vocals and the songs themselves were average. He repeated one particular line at least 50 times. Ridonculous. With that being said, I appreciated his high energy, albeit a cliched, poor man’s Mick Jagger. Also, the guitarist and drummer had the musical chops and I suggest they find a new front man or create an entirely different group. [Editors Note: They are a part of Fiasco, which has a different lead singer. They were just filling in, bud.]

Act Two: Mark Sultan

Glen: Mark Sultan, or as the guy standing next to me said “the man they call B-B-Q” was very impressive. Complete with a makeshift drum kit and an old-school electric guitar, Sultan provided the audience with vintage rock n’ roll sounds. For me, Sultan’s highlight was “Waddlin’ Around.” The crowd really got into this song in particular. It was too bad Sultan only played for 30 minutes. That wasn’t the last of him though…

Chris: Mark Sultan or BBQ- Impressive. That’s the first word that comes to my mind when I think of his performance. For all ye musicians out there that merely play 1 instrument (I play none!), the BBQ has you beat! Simultaneously Sultan commands the microphone, plays the chords, and bangs the drums with the assistance of some handy dandy foot pedals. Sultan gave the audience a nice, little balance between slow, doo-wop echoing, love numbers and kick ass rockers you could rock your head and bop around to. A notable set to say the least.

Act Three: King Khan and the Shrines

Glen: I witnessed the soulful Supreme Genius! I actually noticed King Khan an hour before the show. I yelled “King!” and he stopped and gave Chris and I handshakes. Seriously, though, he puts on an amazing show. It couldn’t be done, though, without the help of the eight other members of the band. The cheerleader — unnecessary, yet unbelievably necessary — sprinkled glitter all over us in the pit. Her fine dancing was a great adjunct. The saxophone players don’t get as much credit as they deserve. They were instrumental (literally). The guitarists were fun, often interacting with the crowd (by jumping off stage). BUT it was the King who got everyone going. The minute he walked onto the stage, everyone just smiled, clapped, and knew that one hell of a show was in store. King’s swagger on stage is unprecedented. His gimmicks are vast and varied. Lying on the ground, sticking his head out to the front row, dancing over the cheerleader, whatever, you name it. His energy simply never relented. God bless him. He performed classics such as “I Wanna Be Your Girl,” “Welfare Bread,” and “Shivers Down My Spine,” before delving into a Gospel track — a brand-new 5+ minute epic that involved intensive crowd participation. King Khan came back on stage (thanks in large part to a certain energetic Shrines percussionist) after saying “this is our last song” and performed my personal favorite “Took My Lady To Dinner” followed by a few others, including a never-been-done-live-before song with Mark Sultan. Unfortunately, the experience had to come to an end. The keyboardist was doing crazy shit with his keyboard and having one hell of a time as he tackled it (which probably rendered it unusable). After slightly more than fifty minutes of moshing, sweating, and smacking King Khan’s helmet (yes, I got the privilege), the King, his underwear and animal teeth necklace, and his Shrines walked off the stage. The lights in the club turned on. We bounced.

Chris: I did not truly comprehend just how supreme the genius of King Khan and the Shrines was until Thursday night. Rarely have I ever seen such a build up to a band arriving on the stage. The Shrines, all in their black Shrine uniforms, began playing their various instruments, increasing the overwhelming anticipation of King Khan and his lady. Finally, our hero, accompanied by his ever-grinning cheerleader (pom poms and all!), hit the stage all decked out in his white suit and ready to go!. The crowd immediately danced into the “Land of the Freak,” which the Paradise Rock Club had transformed into by this point. The sensational opener was followed by even more notorious numbers including “How Do I Keep You (Outta Harm’s Way),” “Sweet Tooth,” “Shivers Down My Spine,” “Welfare Bread” (one of my favorite moments during the concert; the cheerleader sprinkled glitter all over herself and us!), “I Wanna Be A Girl” (I’d say the tune earned the biggest crowd response, at least from me anyway), “No Regrets,” “Took My Lady to Dinner,” and “Live Fast Die Strong.” The last 3 were performed as the encore in which the King appeared in his traditional golden cape, mask, and nothing but underwear!

Final Comments:

Glen: King Khan and the Shrines probably put on the best show that I’ve seen yet. It wasn’t quite a religious experience, but it was a genius experience. I’ve never gotten the privilege to see eight amazing musicians (plus one cheerleader) perform so amazingly together. I didn’t really listen to King Khan too much before the show, but now I’m absolutely hooked. But seriously this show has to be in its own category because of that. With the Black Lips and No Age, I pretty much recognized all their live music and that made seeing them so great. Bottom line: I absolutely can’t wait to see King Khan and the Shrines again!

Chris: Grade: A. Stage diving, crowd surfing, pogoing, and heartfelt singing insured one of my top 3 greatest concert experiences.

Damn, the anticipation…..

Art, Culture Jamming, Entertainment, Film, Film Review, Films, humor, pictures, Quotes, reviews, Video, Weather

Mini Classic Film Reviews: Almost Famous…

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Full Title: Almost Famous
Director: Cameron Crowe
Year: 2000
Comments: Almost Famous is perhaps the greatest portrayl of Rock and Roll ever to hit the silver screen. What I really dig about this flick is that it takes place in 1973 as the era of Great Rock and Roll was gasping for air. We see these last precious moments of rebellion through the eyes of William Miller (Patrick Fugit) a fifteen year old journalist and a devout fan, experiencing this transition from music of the people to “industry of cool,” as real life Rock Critic, Lestor Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) puts it. With great performances from Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Billy Crudup, (a young) Zooey Deschanel, amongst others, this is a Must See for Rock fans and non fans (but who cares about them?!) alike.

Grade: A/A+

Full Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Director: Milos Forman
Year: 1975
Comments: This has been a favorite of mine for about six or seven years now and I can’t imagine anyone walking through life and not seeing this at least once. Granted, the novel is better and I can understand why those who love the book would detest this. With that being said, I prefer the adaptation so much more because the brilliant performances of Jack Nicholson and crew truly bring all of these colorful characters to life in ways that for me personally are not as effective in the written form. The classic ending is so triumphant and beautiful that I have rarely seen another film top it; easily one of the greatest final shots in the history of cinema. Funny, passionate, disturbing, and inspiring- what else can you ask for? It should also be noted that after thirty-five years this movie has not dated at all; I watched it in one of my Psychology classes and nearly all of the class appreciated and/or loved it. How a film stands the test of time is to me a major factor of quality and Cuckoo’s Nest appears to be timeless.

Grade: A+ (in my top ten)

Full Title: Do the Right Thing
Director: Spike Lee
Year: 1989
Comments: So, it was after 1 A.M. on a Monday night, a school night, junior year of high school, and I’m lying in my bed, watching this Spike Lee joint (bad idea for any first time viewing of a film) struggling to stay awake. Then all of a sudden, as the film is reaching its climax, I rose and walked toward my TV set and stood there for the remainder of the film (a good 15-20 minutes) just glued to the screen. This has never happened to me before. I couldn’t sleep after what I had just seen; my brain was overloaded with numerous thoughts, questions, impressions, etc. The next morning in my Algebra class, I put forth a valiant effort to focus on whatever it was we were covering in the Math world, but my mind was just fixed on DTRT, particularly the ending (one of the greatest I’d wager). If you haven’t surmised already, this is an extremly thought provoking film and unleashes the most heated of debates, even amongst its participants (disagreements have risen between Lee and some of the actors). To spare the suspense, the movie depicts the lives of those in a Brooklyn neighborhood on the hottest day of the Summer and like the heat, the racial tension between blacks, whites, hispanics, and asians is driving everyone crazy. Though, this a black film, Lee does not shy away from portraying black characters with many flaws (there are also several black characters that fight prejudice and are quite respectable) as well as both racist and non racist characters of other ethnicities. Lee’s perspective as black director is essential to this film as it distinguishes itself from other race related films such as American History X (1998) and Crash (2004), which have less of a point of view, in this respect. I could go on all day about all the various, super factors that make this a terrific film, but in short, it’s the little things that Lee incorporates that makes this joint Spike Lee’s distinctive piece- from Rosie Perez (ready to go with her boxing gloves) dancing to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” (1989) over the opening credits to DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) listing off the roll call of the radio station’s many, essential, black artists “that make the day just a little brighter.” Suffice to say this film makes you think.

Grade: A+

Three great dramedies (though they are more than that) to check out!

Next: A Full Review of I Am Legend (2007) or a Mini Classic Review of Born On the Fourth of July (1989) and others

Art, Entertainment, Film, Film Review, Films, pictures, reviews, Video

Film Review: The Social Network

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Full Title: The Social Network
Director: David Fincher
Year: 2010
Comments: The Social Network has been hailed as a film that defines a generation and to me regardless of whether you like it or not, it is. Facebook is a part of our lives and for many it is our lives. Admittedly, I check my Facebook page at the very least a few times day. Such a phenomenon deserves its own film- even if the events depicted occured less than a decade ago and the plot itself is based on a novel (The Accidental Billionaires by: Ben Mezrich) released just last year. Everything is happening so fast! Yet, this ultra fast, in out, in out :) pace is perfect for the story or message the writers, filmmakers, etc are trying to articulate to the masses: the rampant releases of everything Facebook is a good metaphor for how quickly our modern world functions. Despite the fact that this is extremely recent history, I can’t imagine a more appropos time for its release. Now, it should be known that this film embellishes what happened in real life; it’s part fact, part fiction. In other words, the story was spiced up a bit to make the film a far more fascinating experience for all of us. I suppose one could compare this to the previous film I reviewed, Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991) in which what appears on screen is more a “vision” of the actual events. So, with a few lines, let me tell you that the story begins in 2003 with Harvard undergrad, Mark Zuckerburg (Jesse Eisenburg) feeling disgruntled after being dumped by his girlfriend, he starts to drunkenly blog about her “lessr” qualities and soon finds himself creating a new internet sensation in “Facesmash,” in which his fellow male Harvard students can compare pictures of their female counterparts and vote for which one is more attractive. Within mere hours the site receives thousands of hits and ends up crashing the system. Mark is sentenced to six months of academic probation and understandably becomes a pariah. Not too long after this incident Mark is approached by a trio of Harvard students: Identical twin brothers- Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) and their friend Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) looking for a programmer for their upcoming website, Harvard Connection. Mark accepts their offer, but eludes their subsequent calls, meanwhile he enlists his buddy, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) in assisting him with his latest project, “The Facebook,” essentially initiating the social network phenomenon we know of today. The rest of the film consists of simultaneous court cases with the Winklevoss brothers and Eduardo filing lawsuits against him over Facebook. Literally, we are bombarded with both cases at the same time; the movie goes back and forth, back and forth, leaving us feeling as overwhelmed as Mark. As a character he is quite fascinating, throughout the movie he is always searching for the meaning of “cool” and in many ways that is exactly what Facebook is: the supreme network of cool. Oddly enough, from start to finish Mark, it seems, never actually is “cool,” always an outsider (sometimes physically as metaphorically suggested in one of the party scenes where everyone is celebrating inside his house, while he is on the outside, simply observing. In essence, that is in actuality what Mark’s life becomes. He may not be cool himself, but he is the one who has created cool.
Grade: A, the best (or at least my favorite) film I’ve seen all year.


This was one of my favorite trailers from this year, so rarely do trailers entice you with something else besides the actual scenes themselves.

Art, Box Elders, concert review, Entertainment, Honorary KLAYMERS, Hunx and His Punx, Jay Reatard, Music, Nobunny, pictures, Punk, reviews

One Year Ago Today…

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On October 2, 2009 at Harpers Ferry, various KLYAMERS and friends were in attendence for one of the best shows of our lifetimes:

The Shattered Records Tour: Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, Box Elders, and Useless Eaters.

Here is the review from last year:

Best of Jay: No Reatardation This Time: Jay Reatard Concert Review

Art, Entertainment, Film Review, Films, humor, Music, pictures, reviews, Video

Mini Classic Film Reviews: Detroit Rock City…

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Full Title: Detroit Rock City
Director: Adam Rifkin
Year: 1999
Comments: This is straight up fun, fun, fun film about the nightmare of losing your KISS tickets the day of the concert and winding up in every possible adventure to make it to the show and see the HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD!!! Sure, this is over the top, absurd, and lacks many aspects of what typically makes a film decent, but this is just a wacky, fun filled flick to be taken lightly. I will say, I never lose my interest the entire movie; I can’t wait to see what obstacle will arise next in the boys’ journey to seeing KISS.

Grade: N/A, this is just a cool, popcorn movie, so I really don’t think slapping a grade on it is useful. It’s KLYAM Recommended that’s all you need to know.

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Full Title: High Fidelity
Director: Stephen Frears
Year: 2000
Comments: Our second film regarding life and music, High Fidelity, however is more substance than style and eshews basic Hollywood cliches, creating a masterful love story in the process. HF is quite humorous and should be appreciated by (OBSESSIVE) music fans, such as myself, often hitting too close to home haha. In my opinion, John Cusack’s greatest performance. The acting is great, the script is well-written, and the story nicely unfolds without the aforementioned, cliched Hollywood ending. If you’re a fan of good love stories and pop music, give this some eyetime.

Grade: A
><

Full Title: The Doors
Director: Oliver Stone
Year: 1991
Comments: For Doors fans, you should know up front this is a rather loose interpretation of their history, a “vision” of what actually happened, if you will. But, you probably will dig the plethora of excellent Doors music, the astonishingly scary depiction of Mr. Mojo Risin from Val Kilmer, and lastly the visual look of the film, which is simply stunning. For accuracy, look elsewhere. For a sad, but genuinely entertaining and thoughtful look at the decadence and tragedy of the Rockstar lifestyle, The Doors is your movie. Without a doubt one of Stone’s essentials.

Grade: A/A-