MediaboyMusings

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol [film review]

2012-01-30T07:11:00.003-05:00

Released theatrically in December 2011 Brad Bird, director of Pixar instant classics Ratatouille and one of my favourite movies, The Incredibles, makes his live action debut with the fourth film of the Mission: Impossible series, this time around titled Ghost Protocol. The last J.J. Abrams-directed outing in 2006 predictably made a ton of dough, but was a decidedly flat movie, so the franchise

Steven Tyler - Does The Noise In My Head Bother You? [book review]

2012-01-28T20:49:00.010-05:00

Released in May 2011 and earlier this month in paperback (part of an ongoing series of reviews covering older releases from the past year that "fell through the cracks") "I've been mythicized, Mick-icized, eulogized, and fooligized. I've been Cole-Portered and farmer's-daughtered, I've been Led Zepped and 12-stepped. I'm a rhyming fool and so cool that me, Fritz the Cat, and Mohair Sam are the

Man On The Train [film review]

2012-01-24T19:54:00.024-05:00

Limited theatrical release in October 2011; now available on video on demand My sole reason for watching Man On The Train was that it starred the drummer of my favourite band, U2's Larry Mullen Jr., in his film acting debut. Acting seems like an odd fit for Mullen - he may be the percussive anchor for the biggest band on the planet, but he's always seemed content to just blend into the

Steel Magnolia - Steel Magnolia [album review]

2012-01-23T20:31:00.004-05:00

Released in January 2011 (part of an ongoing series of reviews covering older releases from the past year that "fell through the cracks") Steel Magnolia's self-titled debut album came out just a little over a year ago now, but I still wanted to get a review done due to the fact that it emerged as probably my most pleasant musical surprise of 2011. The country-pop duo, made up vocalist/guitarist

American Masters - Woody Allen: A Documentary [television/film review]

2012-01-21T06:46:00.052-05:00

Debuted on PBS in November 2011; now available on DVD and video on demand Woody Allen: A Documentary premiered in late November as part of PBS's sterling American Masters series, now in its 25th season. The documentary, which aired over two nights and runs at three hours and twenty minutes, was directed by award-winning writer, director, and producer Robert B. Weide, probably best known for his

New Springsteen single plays it safe...

2012-01-19T03:55:00.012-05:00

Bruce Springsteen's newest single is called "We Take Care Of Our Own" and just hit the internet a few hours ago. It's a solid, if safe, choice as the lead track for his latest album with the E Street Band (and apparently a number of outside musicians) titled Wrecking Ball, which comes out March 6th. The tail end of the song appears to have some sax in it, although it's pretty buried in the mix.

Where has the funny gone in comedy films?

2012-01-18T14:50:00.014-05:00

Reading some of the "best of the year" lists a few weeks back, I was amazed that the comedic films Bridesmaids and Crazy, Stupid, Love had such a prominent place on them. The fact that two films I found completely forgettable seem to be held in such high regard just baffles me and had me temporarily second-guessing my own funny bone. This got me looking back at the comedies I saw over the last

The Ides Of March [film review]

2012-01-17T20:36:00.024-05:00

Released theatrically in October 2011; released on DVD and Blu-ray today George Clooney assembles a powerhouse cast for The Ides Of March, his fourth directorial effort and by far his strongest outing yet, which is admittedly faint praise when you consider that short list includes Leatherheads, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, and Good Night, and Good Luck. Clooney takes a surprisingly small

New Van Halen underwhelms (and what's with those opening acts?)...

2012-01-16T17:32:00.026-05:00

The new Van Halen single titled "Tattoo" was released last week, ahead of the early February release of A Different Kind Of Truth, which is the band's first studio album with original vocalist David Lee Roth since he split in 1985 (he returned briefly to contribute vocals to a couple of decent tracks on Van Halen's 1996 Best Of Volume I compilation album). Frankly, I'm amazed that new material

Super 8 [film review]

2011-11-22T19:00:00.029-05:00

Released theatrically in June; released on DVD and Blu-ray today I do not worship at the altar of J.J. Abrams. His talent and ambition, which have earned him a loyal and hardcore fan base, are hard to dismiss (he's a writer, director, producer, actor, and even composes, for God's sake), but I've just never been able to latch on to most of his previous work, save for the movie Cloverfield (which

Metallica and Lou Reed album tanks...

2011-11-11T13:18:00.005-05:00

As a follow-up to my review of Metallica and Lou Reed's Lulu album, first week sales figures for the release are in and it is not pretty. As predicted, this is Metallica's worst first week of sales for an album ever, with just 13,000 (!) copies sold in the U.S. By comparison, their previous release (2008's Death Magnetic) sold just under 500,000 copies in a shortened sales window. Albums are

Metallica and Lou Reed - Lulu [album review]

2011-11-07T18:37:00.014-05:00

Released November 1st Oh my...and Metallica fans thought St. Anger was bad. When the news broke back in June that Metallica and Lou Reed were collaborating on a project, fans of both artists (or anyone who'd read the story, for that matter) scratched their heads. True, the pair had graced the same stage before, in October of 2009 at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25th anniversary concerts in New

Prince's latest tour gouges fans big-time...

2011-11-04T10:25:00.008-04:00

I just finished trying to purchase tickets for one of Prince's two shows later this month in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre and was shocked at the ridiculous prices he's charging for his Welcome 2 Canada Tour. He's playing in the round, so to speak...the stage is actually in the shape of that silly symbol he bizarrely used in place of his name for several years and most of the floor seating

The Last Gladiators [film review]

2011-10-31T17:58:00.000-04:00

Filmmaker Alex Gibney is clearly a very busy man. The Last Gladiators, which takes a peripheral look at the world of National Hockey League pugilists and focusses on the story of one specific figure in former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Chris "Knuckles" Nilan, is his tenth feature film since 2005, an unusually high amount of output for a documentarian. And you can add in a couple of shorter

From The Sky Down [film review]

2011-10-20T04:30:00.002-04:00

* Written for Toronto Screen Shots When asked to choose the best two albums in U2's catalog, most fans and music critics will pick 1987's The Joshua Tree and 1991's Achtung Baby. That the band's strongest work is on albums that sound so radically different from one another is, even two decades later, fairly astounding, and points emphatically to the group's renowned reluctance for creative

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope [film review]

2011-10-07T05:45:00.004-04:00

* Written for Toronto Screen Shots Considering the treasure trove of weirdness and fascinating material that a massive event like San Diego's annual Comic-Con offers up, it's surprising the convention hasn't received the feature-length documentary treatment until now. Director Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope revolves around the 2010 convention, exploring the evolution of

Your Sister's Sister [film review]

2011-10-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

* Written for Toronto Screen Shots "Lynn Shelton". Get used to hearing the name of the Seattle-based writer/director/producer/actor, because if her newest work is any indication, she's got a very bright filmmaking career ahead of her. Her fourth film and the follow-up to 2009's acclaimed Humpday, Your Sister's Sister is one of the smartest, most engaging relationship dramas (laced with charming

Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding [film review]

2011-09-27T02:35:00.002-04:00

Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding finds Jane Fonda taking on just her third acting role in the last 21 years in director Bruce Beresford's latest film. It's not difficult to see what drew Fonda to the showy character of Grace, an eccentric hippie that allows her to send up her liberal Hanoi Jane image. What is hard to figure out is why she pulled herself out of semi-retirement for a dramedy that

The Lady [film review]

2011-09-24T06:00:00.005-04:00

Director Luc Besson steps out of his comfort zone with The Lady, a biopic about Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese politician who spent almost 15 years under house arrest in her family compound for leading a democratic uprising that opposed Burma's oppressive and corrupt government. Best known for high energy movies like La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, and Leon: The Professional, Besson reins in

Pearl Jam Twenty [film review]

2011-09-22T07:00:00.006-04:00

* Written for Toronto Screen Shots Director Cameron Crowe revisits his rock journalist past with Pearl Jam Twenty, a retrospective of the Seattle band's career and the first film that was accepted at this year's festival. The screening I attended came a couple of days after the film's world premiere and was sandwiched in between a couple of concerts in town for the band, so the numerous hardcore

Sarah Palin: You Betcha! [film review]

2011-09-20T10:41:00.002-04:00

* Written for Toronto Screen Shots Sarah Palin: You Betcha! seeks to get the real story behind the divisive former vice presidential candidate and governor of Alaska, who has somehow managed to become a prominent figure on the U.S. political landscape, despite what appears to be an almost laughable lack of qualifications. Her shortcomings become the focus of directors Nick Broomfield's and Joan

Keith Urban - Get Closer World Tour [concert review]

2011-09-12T18:15:00.005-04:00

* September 10th, Air Canada Centre, Toronto Keith Urban's latest tour in support of last year's reliably excellent Get Closer album played Toronto's Air Canada Centre on Saturday to a full house that one local paper claimed was 12,000 strong, while another stated there were 15,000 fans in attendance. That large a discrepancy is head scratching, but based on the mere sprinkling of empty seats I

Films I'm seeing at the Toronto International Film Festival...

2011-09-09T17:39:00.000-04:00

I'll be seeing nine films over the next week at this year's TIFF: Sarah Palin - You Betcha!Pearl Jam TwentyThe Lady Peace, Love & Misunderstanding Your Sister's SisterComic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's HopeFrom The Sky DownPaul Williams Still Alive Foo Fighters: Back And Forth premiered in theatres back in April, getting one-time only screenings in various countries, just before the release of the band's latest stellar album, Wasting Light (read my review here). The theatrical

Insidious [film review]

2011-08-04T14:08:00.005-04:00

* Released theatrically in April; now available on DVD & Blu-Ray The cynic in me would almost think that Entertainment Weekly magazine, a regular read of mine, had some sort of vested interest in the success of Insidious, a horror film made on the cheap (real cheap, at just $1.5 million) that went on to do a highly

U2 - 360° Tour [concert review]

2011-07-15T13:55:00.032-04:00

* July 11th, Rogers Centre, Toronto U2's 360˚ Tour touched down again in Toronto earlier this week, just over a year after its originally scheduled date, which was postponed due to emergency back surgery that frontman Bono had to undergo. "Thank you for your patience", he told the crowd. "Some of you were two years younger when you bought tickets for tonight's show...I'm

Lady Gaga - Born This Way [album review]

2011-07-12T16:58:00.013-04:00

* Released in May Lady Gaga's amazingly quick ascension from complete nobody to the biggest music superstar on the planet happened in less than three years, a most impressive feat. Her detractors, a collective which grows exponentially with each of her increased successes, label her as an artist prone to style over substance, an argument which is hard to disagree with.

DVR's and cable boxes use more energy than your refrigerator...

2011-07-07T15:44:00.004-04:00

I came across this story a couple of weeks back on the website for The New York Times, which blew my mind. It reports that "one high-definition DVR and one high-definition cable box use an average of 446 kilowatt hours a year, about 10 percent more than a 21-cubic-foot energy-efficient refrigerator, a recent study found". The nature of their design, which requires the ability to handle a heavy

Hobo With A Shotgun [film review]

2011-07-05T01:41:00.002-04:00

* Limited Canadian theatrical release in March; released on DVD and Blu-Ray today Hobo With A Shotgun follows in the footsteps of last year's Machete (read my review here), which originated as a fake trailer included in Grindhouse, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 2007 double feature. Canadian theatrical screenings of that film also included another fake trailer for Hobo from amateur

Talking Funny [television review]

2011-06-23T17:30:00.018-04:00

* Premiered in April on HBO and HBO Canada In Talking Funny, comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Louis C.K., and Ricky Gervais discuss the art of stand-up comedy and what it takes to perform it. If that description sounds like a recipe for boredom for those of you not aspiring to take the stage at the local Yuk Yuk's, then you'd be mistaken. Talking Funny is a fascinating insight into the

Clarence Clemons: 1942-2011

2011-06-19T09:10:00.028-04:00

Just before going to sleep earlier this morning, I went online for a final catch up on the news and read the headline I'd been dreading I'd see for the last week: E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons had died. Since his stroke last week, it seemed that a man who had been in extremely poor health over the last decade or so was slipping even further downhill. At the very least, it seemed

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [film review]

2011-06-17T08:48:00.005-04:00

* Released theatrically in May Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides came out a month ago, but it already feels like it's been much longer, what with the weekly onslaught of expensive and high profile movies that have followed. Our last visit with the Disney franchise was 2007's bloated and confusing POTC: At World's End, which creatively suggested the series had run its course and had a

Love Shines [film review]

2011-05-29T21:30:00.037-04:00

Love Shines is a first-rate, depthful portrait of acclaimed Toronto singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, as told by director Douglas Arrowsmith. Arrowsmith, a hardcore Sexsmith devotee, avoids turning his film into a fanboy gushfest, unabashedly presenting the singer with all of his flaws nakedly on display. Sexsmith is a painfully insecure and introverted individual - your classic "tortured artist",

Superheroes [film review]

2011-05-25T08:56:00.006-04:00

Superheroes do exist, even if they come up a little light in the "super" department (by way of an obvious lack of superpowers). My first exposure to real life superheroes (referred to as "RLSH") was a fascinating 2008 article in Rolling Stone magazine that took a look inside the subculture, which is estimated to be comprised of 700 individuals worldwide who dress up in costumes and attempt to

Inside Lara Roxx [film review]

2011-05-19T14:42:00.003-04:00

Lara Roxx became semi-famous back in 2004, but not for the reason she had intended when she moved to L.A. from Montreal at the age of 21 to work in the adult film industry. Roxx was named as one of three female performers who had contracted HIV from male co-star Darren James, which resulted in a temporary shutdown of the porn industry that garnered international headlines. The virus is believed

The Hollywood Complex [film review]

2011-05-14T23:02:00.034-04:00

The Hollywood Complex looks at the trials and tribulations of aspiring child actors and their families who make their way to Hollywood every spring for television's "pilot season", when most networks and cable channels do casting for their shows. The film follows the stories of a handful of kids and their parents, who all temporarily reside at the Oakwood apartment complex in North Hollywood. The

Eco-Pirate: The Story Of Paul Watson [film review]

2011-05-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

There's been no shortage of the spotlight on environmental and animal rights activist Paul Watson in recent years: 2008's Pirate For The Sea documentary examined his life, the popular Whale Wars show (on the Animal Planet channel), which follows his exploits fighting against illegal Japanese whaling, is about to begin its fourth season next month, South Park satirized him in an episode a couple

My interview with Matt Gallagher, director of Grinders...

2011-05-10T12:01:00.000-04:00

* The following interview was done for Toronto Screen Shots Drew Kerr: For someone who's not really a fan of poker, such as myself, why should they watch the film? Matt Gallagher: Well, that's always the challenge. I tend to do films on these subcultures and maybe only 1% of the audience is going to care about a film about poker, so you're always looking for something that will transcend the

Grinders [film review]

2011-05-09T12:00:00.005-04:00

* The following review was written for Toronto Screen Shots A "grinder" is someone who plays poker to pay their bills, typically reaping small to modest winnings. Grinders, which received its premiere at Hot Docs, is the latest documentary from director Matt Gallagher and it takes an inside look at this unconventional manner of making a living, specifically in Toronto's illegal underground poker

Sammy Hagar - Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock [book review]

2011-05-01T17:22:00.005-04:00

* Released in March Talk about truth in advertising. Sammy Hagar's new autobiography seems to hold little back while chronicling the well-preserved 63-year-old's life and 40+ years as a professional musician. It's the quintessential sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll story, co-written with San Francisco Chronicle writer Joel Selvin. Hagar's choice of scribe is a curious one, based on the pair's rocky

Kid Rock - Born Free [album review]

2011-04-26T17:19:00.030-04:00

* Released in November 2010 Kid Rock lost me for a good ten years after I first discovered him (along with the rest of the world) back in 1998 on Devil Without A Cause. His rap-metal hybrid style initially had an oddly appealing meatheaded quality to it, but coupled with Rock's in-your-face "stone cold pimp" persona, it got tiresome very quickly. A succession of interchangeable albums followed

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light [album review]

2011-04-15T18:31:00.090-04:00

* Released on April 12th Hot damn, the Foo Fighters finally went and made another killer album. It's been some time since we got one of these - by my estimation, you'd have to go all the way back to 1999's There Is Nothing Left To Lose. This viewpoint would surely spark a heated debate amongst Foo fans about the merits of the three studio albums that followed, but I feel each of those coasted

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane [album review]

2011-04-11T15:32:00.008-04:00

* Released tomorrow Paper Airplane is Alison Krauss' first album with Union Station since 2004's Lonely Runs Both Ways and her newest since pairing with Robert Plant for 2007's multi-platinum Raising Sand album. Raising Sand was a staple on music critics' "best of" lists that year and won six Grammys, including Album Of The Year. The duo attempted to record a followup, but failed to capture the

Battle: Los Angeles [film review]

2011-04-06T20:10:00.031-04:00

* Released theatrically in March; DVD and Blu-Ray release TBA I figured it best that I write a review of this one as soon as possible, as Battle: Los Angeles (known overseas as World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles) felt like one of those movies that slides from your brain within a day or two of seeing it. No, I did not have high expectations for the film, but I was in the mood for some mindless

What I'm watching at the upcoming 2011 Hot Docs festival...

2011-04-04T01:21:00.007-04:00

The 2011 edition of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival runs from April 28th through May 8th and here's what I'll be checking out: Eco Pirate: The Story Of Paul WatsonThe Hollywood ComplexFamily InstinctInside Lara RoxxDespicable Dick & Righteous RichardLove ShinesSuperheroes Reviews (hopefully for all) to follow...

Best Buy takes a bath on 'Chinese Democracy'...

2011-04-02T17:58:00.006-04:00

A story last week on Hennemusic.com caught my eye. Seems Best Buy, who signed on to be the exclusive U.S. retailer for the November 2008 release of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy album (which took almost 15 years for frontman Axl Rose to release), have so many copies of unsold product that they've, uh, slashed the price of the album to just $1.99 on their website. The infamous album, which was

The American [film review]

2011-03-30T18:59:00.022-04:00

* Released theatrically in September 2010; now available on DVD and Blu-Ray The American strikes me as one of those love-it-or-hate-it type of movies, based on its unhurried pace and European-style minimalism. Frankly, I'm amazed that it didn't tank at the North American box office, where it pulled in $35 million. That figure may be considered poor by star George Clooney's standards, but

Please excuse our appearance...

2011-02-16T13:39:00.008-05:00

Clearly, there's been some serious inactivity on this blog the past couple of months, mostly due to a beginning-of-the-year residential move that ate up a lot of my time. New reviews will be resume sometime in late March. Thanks for your patience and continued readership.

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans [album review]

2010-12-17T13:06:00.009-05:00

* Released in October Other than one not insignificant bump in the road from a September arrest in Las Vegas for cocaine possession, it's been a pretty sweet year for pop singer/songwriter/producer Bruno Mars. Born Peter Gene Hernandez in Hawaii, Mars co-wrote, co-produced, and sang on massive summer hits "Nothin' On You" and "Billionaire" (by B.o.B. and Travie McCoy, respectively), co-wrote one

Inception [movie review]

2010-12-07T12:55:00.009-05:00

* Released theatrically in July; released on DVD and Blu-Ray today A common complaint with most of today's movies is that they don't challenge the audience enough. Inception is the exception...almost to a fault. On more than one occasion, I heard feedback from moviegoers along the lines of "I liked it, but I couldn't quite figure out what was going on". That ability to impress (even while

Machete [movie review]

2010-11-24T13:54:00.028-05:00

* Released theatrically in September; available on DVD and Blu-Ray on January 4, 2011 Machete originated as a fake trailer included in the 2007 film Grindhouse, a double feature of 70's-style exploitation cinema directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Reaction to the trailer was so strong that Rodriguez decided to inflate the original idea to feature length, with co-directing help

Sarah McLachlan - Laws Of Illusion [music review]

2010-11-20T03:30:00.008-05:00

* Released in June Vancouver-by-way-of-Halifax's Sarah McLachlan had her career break worldwide in 1997 with Surfacing, after gradually building a loyal fan base in Canada following her 1988 debut. A few reviews ago, I commented on the impressive mass of music pumped out by Black Label Society during their career. Well, Sarah McLachlan's album output has been pretty much the exact opposite (

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - London Calling: Live In Hyde Park [Blu-Ray review]

2010-11-17T05:40:00.018-05:00

* Released in June; also available on DVD London Calling: Live In Hyde Park was shot at 2009's Hard Rock Calling music festival in London during Bruce Springsteen's Working On A Dream Tour and marks the first time one of his live performances has been officially released in its entirety...for the most part (apparently, a couple of very minor between-song edits were made, but the setlist is

Iron Man 2 [movie review]

2010-10-28T10:59:00.036-04:00

* Released theatrically in May; now on DVD and Blu-Ray Do one of these superhero franchises up right and it's a license to print money. Take a gander at these numbers for Iron Man 2: its Canadian and American theatrical gross was $312 million, foreign gross was $309 million, and earlier this month it sold an estimated 1.1 million DVD's and Blu-Ray's in its first day (with that number growing to

Super [movie review]

2010-10-21T10:18:00.006-04:00

Super joins a recently born niche genre dedicated to sending up superhero movies, with a common theme being the protagonists not actually possessing any superpowers. Last year's festival saw the premiere of Woody Harrelson's Defendor (which was extremely disappointing) and earlier this year came the terrific Kick-Ass. Super was already well into development before those films came out and though

Black Label Society - Order Of The Black [music review]

2010-10-16T21:50:00.037-04:00

* Released in August Order Of The Black is Black Label Society's eleventh release since their debut, Sonic Brew, was released in Japan in 1998 (followed by the rest of the world the next year). That output consists of eight studio albums, two compilations, and one live release. One need not be a math whiz to quickly figure out that that's pretty much one album a year, which is almost unheard of

Trigger [movie review]

2010-10-12T08:54:00.000-04:00

Trigger is the latest film from Canadian director Bruce McDonald, no stranger to helming movies set amidst a music-themed backdrop. He directs a screenplay by Daniel MacIvor that explores one night in the life of a relationship between former bandmates and childhood friends Vic (played by Tracy Wright) and Kat (played by Molly Parker). The duo were the frontwomen for a successful Toronto 90's

The High Cost Of Living [movie review]

2010-10-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

The High Cost Of Living received its world premiere at the September 15th Toronto International Film Festival screening and lead actor Zach Braff (best known as the star of television's Scrubs) was in attendance, along with French Canadian female lead Isabelle Blais, and director Deborah Chow (who also wrote the screenplay for the film, which is her first feature). Braff sat just across the

My TIFF lineup...

2010-09-08T16:49:00.011-04:00

Listed below are the films I've lined up for this year's 35th Toronto International Film Festival. Due to a brain cramp, I missed the original cutoff date to get my movie picks in, which lead to a mad scramble and having to opt for some films that were a little lower profile (thereby increasing the likelihood I'd be able to get a ticket). That might not be such a bad thing, though, as the "

The Expendables [movie review]

2010-09-07T14:07:00.000-04:00

* Released theatrically in August The Expendables is a clumsily executed disappointment, done in by terrible writing, lacklustre performances, and sub-par directing. The fault for most of the film's inadequacies must fall at the feet of Sylvester Stallone, who stars, co-wrote, and directed this 80's action film throwback. The Expendables has the distinct whiff of Stallone trying to launch

Hole - Nobody's Daughter [music review]

2010-08-31T10:40:00.021-04:00

* Released in April Hole's Nobody's Daughter is the epitome of mediocrity, which is a label that frontwoman Courtney Love would surely turn her reconstructed nose up at. She's always had a "love me or hate me" attitude when it comes to herself and her work, if you've ever read an interview she's given. It's her first album since the spectacular failure of 2004's solo release America's Sweetheart

Chloe [movie review]

2010-08-21T10:17:00.019-04:00

* Limited theatrical release in March; now on DVD Chloe is Canadian director Atom Egoyan's latest film and his most commercial effort yet. It also marks his first feature that he didn't also write - Erin Cressida Wilson contributed the screenplay, which is based on the 2003 French film Nathalie.... This remake is also the movie that Liam Neeson was shooting at the time of the skiing accident and

Under Great White Northern Lights [movie review]

2010-07-31T13:13:00.013-04:00

* Limited theatrical release in February; now on DVD I wasn't a fan of The White Stripes prior to viewing their documentary film, Under Great White Northern Lights...and I'm still not. I find Jack White's singing voice incredibly whiny and grating, drummer Meg White plays at a sub-intermediate level, and their music, which incorporates a wide spectrum of elements drawn from punk, blues, country,

Minor league baseball manager Wally Backman LOSES it...

2010-07-26T08:00:00.011-04:00

Former major leaguer Wally Backman, known mostly for his eight year tenure with the New York Mets, is now managing in the minor leagues and was miked during the 2007 season for the minor league baseball reality show Playing For Peanuts. Watch and listen to him have a meltdown after one of his players gets ejected from a game. Earl Weaver would have been proud. Skip to exactly a minute into the

Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots [music review]

2010-07-24T01:28:00.033-04:00

* Released in May Stone Temple Pilots were critically reviled when Core, their debut album, came out in 1992. Dismissed as a diluted derivative of the first wave of grunge, they eventually managed to carve out a highly respectable career (if still not always highly respected by critics) that saw them expand their sound and attain significant success, as evidenced by their 40+ million albums sold

One year old already...

2010-07-21T00:00:00.004-04:00

I started this blog a year ago today and have gotten a tremendous amount of satisfaction and enjoyment from contributing my reviews and commentary about things from the world of popular culture. Hopefully you've enjoyed what you've read. My output may be a little inconsistent at times, which I apologize for. I tend to write very slowly and methodically, with each normal-sized review taking

Pink's amazing high-flying performance...

2010-07-10T23:08:00.013-04:00

Pink's music never impressed me until I checked out her Funhouse album from 2008 and was won over (although her earlier material still hasn't grown on me). One thing I have always respected about her are her live performances, where she tends to push boundaries and come up with interesting ways to showcase her music, like the memorable spectacle she put on playing "So What" at the 2008 MTV Video

The Runaways [movie review]

2010-07-09T18:24:00.023-04:00

* Released theatrically in March; available on DVD July 20th The story of 70's all-female rock band The Runaways travels through much of the same territory as any other group whose rise and fall has been documented on, say, any episode of Behind The Music: wild-eyed ambition and hard work by a cast of misfit underdogs brings some level of success and attention, only to be inevitably undone by

U2 360° At The Rose Bowl [Blu-Ray review]

2010-06-22T16:07:00.015-04:00

* Released June 3rd Timed to coincide with the resumption earlier this month of the second North American leg of their juggernaut U2 360° Tour, U2 360° At The Rose Bowl will have to act as a temporary satisfier for those of us on this continent who are left holding tickets for their postponed shows (until next year) after lead singer Bono's recent unexpected back surgery. Loathe as I am to trot

The most badass drummer ever...

2010-06-20T14:30:00.006-04:00

Beneath the unassuming exterior of wedding band Rick K. And The Allnighters lies the most visually flamboyant drummer I've ever seen (with apologies to Rikki Rockett from Poison). Skip ahead to the 40 second mark during their cover of ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" for the over-the-top goodness.

Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work [movie review]

2010-06-19T13:22:00.018-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work's co-directors, Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, previously explored sombre subjects such as Rwandan genocide and the story of a death row inmate in some of their previous films. Their latest documentary tackles a decidedly less heavy subject in the trailblazing comedienne, but

12th & Delaware [movie review]

2010-05-31T10:32:00.012-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots 12th & Delaware is the latest feature documentary from Oscar-nominated co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the filmmakers behind the excellent Jesus Camp, which took a disturbing look at the religious indoctrination practices at a Pentacostal summer camp for children. Their latest finds them focusing

Butch Walker - I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart [music review]

2010-05-29T08:29:00.028-04:00

* Released in February A quick Butch Walker history lesson for the uninitiated: he's a prolific producer and songwriter who has worked with Avril Lavigne, Weezer, Dashboard Confessional, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, and Pink...and that list is just scratching the surface of his resume. Most notably (for me at least), he's a talented musical artist who plays several instruments and has amassed a (

Life With Murder [movie review]

2010-05-28T08:43:00.006-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots 20-year-old Mason Jenkins murdered his 18-year-old sister with multiple shotgun blasts to the head on January 6, 1998. The crime occurred in the home he resided in with his only sibling and parents, in the small town of Chatham, Ontario, and Mason was convicted of first-degree-murder after his shaky alibi was

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage [movie review]

2010-05-18T16:13:00.014-04:00

Toronto directors Sam Dunn and Scot McFayden's previous efforts Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Global Metal, and Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (read my review of the latter here) were solid, if unspectacular, examinations into various aspects of the world of heavy music. With Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, they've taken their game to a new level, presenting a fascinating portrait of the Canadian

Shadow Play: The Making Of Anton Corbijn [movie review]

2010-05-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots "Having your picture taken is like intimacy, it's like having sex...I've been having sex with Anton for nearly 20 years now, since I was a boy". That provocative line comes courtesy of Bono, who has worked with famed Dutch visualist Anton Corbijn numerous times over the years and is featured prominently in

Casino Jack And The United States Of Money [movie review]

2010-05-11T14:31:00.022-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots If you like your political intrigue mired in a cesspool of corruption and governmental incompetence then look no further than Casino Jack And The United States Of Money, the latest documentary from director Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room and Taxi To The Dark Side). Casino Jack... examines

The People Vs. George Lucas [movie review]

2010-05-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots The concept of The People Vs. George Lucas is succinctly summed up in its title, presenting the case of the contentious relationship that has formed over the past decade or so between the Star Wars creator and his numerous alienating missteps with the franchise, and said franchise's diehard fans. Lucas

The Parking Lot Movie [movie review]

2010-05-05T13:03:00.006-04:00

* The following review from the Hot Docs festival was written for Toronto Screen Shots The Corner Parking Lot is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, over the years, it's developed into somewhat of a local legend, based on the oddball cast of characters who have inhabited its employment ranks. The 2-acre plot of land comprised of little more than asphalt and a run-down, comically small

Slash - Slash [music review]

2010-04-30T12:34:00.003-04:00

* Released April 6th Slash is billed as the top hat aficionado and iconic guitarist's first solo album, which is somewhat misleading, as his Slash's Snakepit outfit put out albums in 1995 and 2000 (It's Five O'Clock Somewhere and Ain't Life Grand, respectively). That project might have consisted of Slash and a set band, but there's no doubt that Saul Hudson (his birth name) was calling all the

The Swell Season - Strict Joy [music review]

2010-04-19T09:59:00.003-04:00

* Released in September 2009 Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech musician Marketa Irglova gained worldwide fame in 2007 when Once, their charming gem of a movie, started showing up on critic's lists of the best films of the year. The tiny independent film's feelgood success story then soared to new levels when the pair won the Oscar in 2008 for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly". Once

The Ricky Gervais Show [television review]

2010-04-17T10:50:00.005-04:00

* Currently airing on HBO and HBO Canada The Ricky Gervais Show podcast and audiobook phenomenon is one of the odder things I've seen in pop culture in recent years. Odd, in that for something as unquestionably hugely popular as they are, I've never met a single person who has ever heard of them. First, a brief Ricky Gervais history lesson. By now, most people know who the British comedian is.

Plastic Kenny Rogers...

2010-04-13T10:03:00.013-04:00

The fact that Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (aged 71 and 64 respectively) have had plenty of plastic surgery is no secret - both have been quite open about it over the years. Based on a recent picture of the pair together, it would appear Dolly has gotten the better end of the scalpel. She looks somewhat odd, but not as bizarre as Plastic Kenny, whose expression suggests a lobotomy may also have

My 2010 Hot Docs lineup...

2010-04-12T19:45:00.014-04:00

Below are the films I'll be watching at this year's 2010 Hot Docs festival, which is North America's largest documentary film festival (running April 29th through May 9th). I've been meaning to attend for a few years now, based on highly positive feedback from my brother, Jay. Thanks to James McNally of Toronto Screen Shots for hooking me up with tickets - reviews of some of the films I'll be

Big Fan [movie review]

2010-04-06T14:00:00.002-04:00

* Released theatrically in August 2009; now on DVD Robert Siegel wrote the script for The Wrestler, which was an engrossing sports-related movie that looked at a man on the fringes of society. Big Fan is his directing debut (he also wrote the script) and he less successfully mines the same territory, this time focusing on the warped culture of rabid sports fandom, embodied here by one man's

The Hurt Locker [movie review]

2010-04-02T04:41:00.010-04:00

* Released theatrically in June 2009 (re-released in March); now on DVD There likely hasn't been a film released in the last year that was more critically adored and showered with awards than The Hurt Locker, which leaves me completely baffled. When it first hit my radar after its initial release last summer, I watched it with extremely high expectations based on accolades such as it being "a

My apologies for the inactivity...

2010-04-01T08:28:00.002-04:00

As you may have noticed, there haven't been many reviews posted the last couple of months. Not coincidentally, I started a new job almost two months ago now which is physically demanding (not to mention it's an overnight shift), so I'm pretty fried most days after work and haven't had as much spare time to write as I'd like. With the beginning of a new month, I'll do my best to pick up the pace

Orianthi - Believe [music review]

2010-03-14T05:29:00.008-04:00

* Released in October 2009 Orianthi Panagaris, who chooses to just use her first name in her career, is best known as one of Michael Jackson's two guitarists for his This Is It Tour, as well as the subsequent movie (read my review here). Only 25, she has already amassed a highly impressive resume, with additional collaborations with Prince, Mary J. Blige, a guest solo on Adam Lambert's (of

Crazy Heart [movie review]

2010-03-13T09:09:00.011-05:00

* Released theatrically in December 2009 It's hard to believe now, but Crazy Heart almost ended up as a direct-to-DVD release. Made for only $7 million by Country Music Television, it was eventually salvaged by Fox Searchlight after Paramount mysteriously decided not to give it a theatrical release. Granted, it's not exactly the most commercially viable film to try and market, but Jeff Bridges'

Foreigner - Can't Slow Down Tour [concert review]

2010-03-08T06:00:00.015-05:00

* February 20th, Casino Rama (Rama, Ontario) First, a quick recap on the past twenty or so tumultuous years for classic rock heavyweights Foreigner. In 1990, original vocalist Lou Gramm left the band and was replaced by vocalist Johnny Edwards for the ill-fated Unusual Heat album, which was so poorly received that founding member and guitarist Mick Jones patched up his creative differences with

Anvil! The Story Of Anvil [movie review]

2010-02-26T16:00:00.017-05:00

* Released theatrically in April 2009; now on DVD Michael Moore has called Anvil! The Story Of Anvil "the best documentary I've seen in years" and UK daily The Times lauded it with "possibly the greatest film yet made about rock and roll". Critics loved the movie, with MetaCritic.com showing an average critical rating of 8.2/10. MetaCritic users assigned it the same rating, while

Soundtrack For A Revolution [movie review]

2010-02-23T09:15:00.011-05:00

* Released theatrically in January; available on DVD March 4th Soundtrack For A Revolution revisits the story of the American civil rights movement from the 50's and 60's, covering familiar territory, but adding the fresh element of having music from the era performed by mostly contemporary artists. One look at the roster of acts (notably Joss Stone, John Legend, The Roots, Angie Stone, and

Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2 [music review]

2010-02-21T09:00:00.007-05:00

* Released on February 2nd Making movies seems to be a little more of a priority these days for Rob Zombie, with Hellbilly Deluxe 2 (the actual full title is the long-winded Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls And The Systematic Dehumanization Of Cool) being only his third studio album since 2001. In the meantime, he's written, directed, and produced five horror movies, including

The Informant! [movie review]

2010-02-14T04:27:00.007-05:00

* Released theatrically in September 2009; available on DVD March 23rd The Informant! is the latest film from director Steven Soderbergh and his name being attached to the project may be enough to keep most moviegoers away. Not unlike my criticism of director Roland Emmerich in my review of his latest movie, 2012, Soderbergh has an extremely shoddy track record with his directorial work since

Don't You Forget About Me [movie review]

2010-02-10T22:26:00.007-05:00

* Released on DVD in November 2009; also playing on TMN in Canada Director/writer/producer John Hughes was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 80's and 90's before he grew tired of the Hollywood treadmill and basically dropped out of sight, granting very few interviews. His first four films as a director were (in order): Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now [music review]

2010-02-06T20:37:00.013-05:00

* Released in January Prior to this writing and after giving approximately a half dozen listens to Need You Now, the sophomore release from Nashville country-pop trio Lady Antebellum, I was prepared to deliver a rating of six out of ten. Other than the title track, which is a knockout, most of the rest of the album felt merely adequate, with really only one stinker ("Our Kind Of Love") in the

Andre Agassi - Open [audiobook review]

2010-01-27T01:11:00.003-05:00

* Released in November 2009 When Andre Agassi's autobiography was announced, it was his admissions of drug and wig abuse that received the most traction in the media. Those juicy revelations are only a couple of the many fascinatingly candid disclosures that Agassi offers in the book. One of the first things you notice when listening to/reading the book is how well it's written. No, Agassi is

Megadeth - Endgame [music review]

2010-01-25T11:22:00.008-05:00

* Released in September 2009 Endgame is the 12th studio album from veteran thrash metal band Megadeth and thankfully continues in the same heavier vein as 2004's The System Has Failed and 2007's United Abominations. After cozying up to a more mainstream and accessible sound for a few years, those albums marked a return to the faster, angrier style of metal the band helped pioneer back in the

2012 [movie review]

2010-01-25T01:02:00.016-05:00

* Released theatrically in November 2009; available on DVD March 2nd You know you've just watched a quality "so bad it's good" movie when, by the end of it, you have a splitting headache from laughing so hard. And the movie wasn't a comedy. Such was my experience with 2012, the latest craptastic epic from director Roland Emmerich (who also co-wrote the ridiculous screenplay). Consider: prior to