Thursday, March 31, 2011

Four Favorite Bands and Movies

There's no update today because I've spent, I don't know, the past two hours trying to clean out all the blogs I follow that don't update anymore. Also: sleeping schedules suck. I went to sleep earlier than usual last night and woke up even later than I normally do. How does that even work?

If you really need something to tide you over, here's four of my favorite bands and movies that I will not do full posts on because they're already popular / well-known enough:
Read as: I'm a big fat liar and I posted way more than I thought I was going to.
Deal w/it nrds.

Bands

Gorillaz: I wasn't a big fan of "The Fall", the most recently released album, but after listening to it a lot more, it's definitely grown on me. I like it more than Plastic Beach, but not more than Demon Days. Plastic Beach feels so melancholy, I can't listen to any of the songs, except "Stylo" and "Some Kind of Nature", with my regular shuffle music. "The Fall" is also an album that needs to be listened to on its on for the full effect, while this is also true for "Demon Days," it is not nearly as pronounced. Their first, self-titled, album I've always found to be great, but have a hard time ranking it, since the style varies wildly throughout. All are worth a listen though.

Daft Punk: With my discovery of "Alive 2007," Daft Punk soared into and took my top-listened to band spot from Gorillaz (though they have since lost the position, they continue fighting hard for it). I don't much care to listen to most of Daft Punk's music with my regular shuffle palette, but when I'm drawing or writing, I always have them on.

The Doors: Do I ever need to explain the cultural and musical impact this band had one the world? I might not obsess over Jim Morrison like most people, but I am a diehard Doors fan. I don't think I've ever heard a Doors song I did not like.

Rise Against: I feel like Rise Against is the perfect spiritual successor to 80's punk rock. Their actual music may lean towards punk influenced alternative rock, but the roots are there. Almost all their music is about a cause, fighting for something: whether it be war, love, or purpose in general, there is a vested emotional attachment.

Movies
(As a note, don't be afraid to watch the linked trailers, I made sure to watch them first and they don't spoil anything, if I didn't link a trailer, it spoils way too much: avoid watching them)

28 Days Later: The movie that, as far as I am concerned, defines the quality we should expect from modern horror movies. The desolate, bleak atmosphere is almost too much to bear at some points. The horror protagonist Jim feels is real, the characters are all so well written that you can't help but feel for them, hope for them to survive.

The Machinist: This is my favorite Christian Bale movie and in my top ten movies of all time. Bale does an incredible job playing fucked up characters because of how much dedication he puts into it. The tale of a tormented auto-part plant worker, The Machinist follows Bale as Trevor, slowly piecing together missing fragments of his life. But does he really want to know what there is to find?

The Prestige: One of my favorite mindfuck movies. The tale of rival magicians, constantly attempting to outdo each other with crazier and crazier stunts. Well-written, clever and keeps you guessing until the very end. Oh, did I mention it stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and was written by Christopher Nolan? Oh, and David Bowie is Nikola Tesla? Yeah, that's how awesome this movie is.

REC: If I was making a list of the best zombie movies ever made, REC would be in the top three. The story of a late-night news reporter and shot from the perspective of her cameraman, REC follows the news team on an ordinary firefighter distress call. Hoping for some breaking news, Angela gets far more than she expected. If you're not a fan of shaky cam, I'd still suggest giving it a chance, if only for the atmospheric tension and play-by-the-rules horror writing (i.e. you will not watch it in the dark at night). Was remade into an abortion called Quarantine for U.S. audiences, which almost completely destroyed the credible of the original as a film fr those who did not see it first. Followed by a sequel, aptly named REC 2, which takes place immediately after the first film. A good sequel, but not spectacular like the original.

13 comments:

  1. We have The Machinist in common. That's an amazing mindfuck movie.

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  2. I love Gorillaz and I really love Plastic Beach.

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  3. the fall did kinda suck. ill admit that. Plastic beach was ok though

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  4. Gotta say... DAFT PUNK IS MY FUCKING JAM DUDE! Rock out to that all night, big up to yourself!

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  5. the gorillaz are awesome and REC was a sick movie

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  6. I'm going to watch The Machinist this weekend. Discovered Rise Against recently and like it a lot. Keep on good posts

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  7. I like most of those bands too, not my favorites, but good picks,

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  8. were into similar music not the best but its good

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  9. rage against or rage against the machine?

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  10. 28 Days Later is a fantastic film, in my top 5 films list.

    Not a big fan of the Gorillaz, I went to Glastonbury last year looking forward to U2(Don't judge me) and was really let down by them.

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  11. 28 says later is absolutely an amazing movie, one of my favorites too. I really need to check out the prestige

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