AWmusic

Here’s my playlist for the movie. The soundtrack was pretty good and suited some of the cinematography. I did like the use of “Paper Planes” which was more about hustlin’ like the song says instead of just “getting high” like Pineapple Express used it for. Before I get carried away:
Born Out of The Hustle by Kites in Space
Paper Planes MIA
Blind by Hercules and Love Affair (for the blind singers)
Brother Watching by Shad
How I Made My Millions by Radiohead
Pressed In A Book by The Shins (for the Three Musketeers)
Let Love Be My Only Guide by The Bell

Now onto my review:
Slumdog Millionaire is a film that has its premise given away from the start. It asks a question whether or not Jamal Malik’s run at 20 million rupees on “Who wants to be a millionaire?’ is whether he is smart, if he cheated or if it was destiny. The movie’s plot is simple, Jamal Malik is accused of cheating and he is being questioned about how a “slumdog” could do better then lawyers, doctors and intellects in general.

A thinking man could likely extrapolate that Malik does quite well on the gameshow which serves as the backbone of the movie’s plot. The storyline isn’t the strongest as it can be painfully obvious that it could be one of those movie’s that end ups with the two love interests living “happily ever after and making a lot of babies” (the latter is implied). I’m not the type of person who looks for a movie that has an “aw” storyline (kind of ironic with the name of this site lol).

With that Slumdog Millionaire has been universally praised, why? Everything in between is done incredibly well. Sometimes a movie doesn’t need the greatest storyline to win you over. The movie gave off tense moments despite the outcome almost completely drawn out. Everything from the cinematography and to the direction was top notch. This movie is more proof that it’s not the quality of the story that counts but the quality of the storyteller that makes the world of difference.

Slumdog Millionaire I can see being universally liked by all types since it’s one of those feel good romantic dramas but it extends past that horrid drama with a stylish touch and fearless direction. It was at times light-hearted and funny and save for the last minute stopped being overly-cheesy. I think some of the gripes people have are the weaker storyline and the romance stinking up something great but it really just gives the movie some direction rather then being lost and all over the place.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
It will likely be the top or top 2 movie of the year (waiting on The Wrestler).

Being a sports writer at Sport Chit Chat (shameless plug) I’m glad it’s over as I can begin writing commentary on sports again. Then again, let’s celebrate it with a playlist.

1. Exo-Politics by Muse – the lead up before the games were all about politics
2. The Opening Act by Drive-By Truckers – the opening ceremony was amazing
3. Expecting by The White Stripes -as Canadians we expect to suck, Americans expect nothing else but gold
4. Gold Lion by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Swimming Pools by Thao Nguyen With The Get Down Stay Down
6. The First Five Times by Stars – it was jaw dropping after the first five times
7. You Are A Runner I Am My Father’s Son by Wolf Parade
8. Too Too Too Fast by Ra Ra Riot
9. Missing The Boat by Modest Mouse
10. Late Night Television by The Pomegranates
11. What’s My Age Again by Blink 182 – the age debate is comical
12. I Am History by The Bell

I don’t talk much about sports these days but the Superbowl is always fun to watch. I’m a Patriots hater so this season has been tough to stomach. The Patriots are going after the illustrious 18-0 season, already surpassing everyone’s expectation that they would’ve had one loss this year. They do have a great team all around but my favorite teams are the Chargers, Colts and Bills so you have to understand why I hate the Pats. I really hope the Giants win but the Patriots are on a different level then the Packers (the upset didn’t surprise me).

Without any further rambling and talk they you may or may not care about here’s my playlist dedicated to this fun weekend:
1. The Underdog by Spoon
2. Perfect by The Smashing Pumpkins
3. I Am History by The Bell
4. The Shadow by White Williams (dedicated to Eli Manning who will be out of the shadow of Peyton if he can pull this off)
5. Ready For The Floor by Hot Chip (Lesnar vs Mir will likely be on the ground with a wrestler vs a BJJ guy)
6. Lucky by Radiohead (who will get lucky this weekend?)
7. The Comeback by The Shout Out Louds (can Frank Mir comeback from his motorcycle accident?)
8. Different Names For The Same Thing By Death Cab For Cutie (dedicated to Brock Lesnar’s butchering of Mir’s name, apparently he thinks it’s like Murr instead of Meer)
9. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (all the talk is about who’s better, faster, stronger in Football and in MMA and I just want to enjoy the action and stop all the talk)
10. You Talk Too Much by Run D.M.C. (media kind of annoys me revolving around the super bowl)
11. The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance by Vampire Weekend (I’m going to be having a vampire weekend so I just wanted to include them )

Usually when I think of Swedish bands, either you think of Scandinavian metal or indie pop (from the likes of Peter, Bjorn and John + Shout Out Louds). It was definitely refreshing hearing a small band like The Bell. This band is basically the 2000’s version of Echo & The Bunnymen using a drum a machine and I swear Mathias Stromberg sounds like Ian McCulloch which I find more of a great thing. The only other thing is probably the mix of poppy sounds used by synthesizers which give a Joy Division feel.

“Make Some Quiet” hits the US on February 12, 2008 and luckily for me I was given a review copy. I wouldn’t instinctively call The Bell a pop band but a lot of their songs do deal with love and a lot of the songs do end up being catchy. However there’s just so much to each song that makes The Bell so kick-ass (I was going to say wonderful but I needed something strong). Genre wise, classifying them as post-punk revival seems kind poor on my side of things. Make Some Quiet musically can be whatever it wants to be as each song shows something different from awesome guitar riffs to catchy bass lines. Stromberg has a rather a deep voice but it’s not the type that bores you as he knows when to bring his voice higher when he sings “On and On It Breaks My Heart” on the song On and On. With the numerous guitar riffs throughout each song, great lyrics/singing and overall the diversity that The Bell displays on Make Some Quiet, this is an amazing album to listen to.

I should probably digress on on the band comparisons as this band sets itself apart by being incredibly diverse. You’d think as an album it would be tiresome but this one is just so entertaining and it keeps getting better and better as I keep playing it with new favorites emerging.

The Bell currently stands as a smaller band with only 11,000 myspace hits, they definitely deserve a lot more respect. At this time, I would say a review is not important, rather if you like this band, support them any way you can. If you care I would say it’s a 4.5 out of 5.

Here are some of my favorites off this album:

On and On by The Bell

I Am History by The Bell

Gone For Days by The Bell

Never Had To Pay Before by The Bell

Pre-Order Make Some Quiet @ Amazon