AWmusic

Here’s the premise of the movie: girl (Yi) sets out to do a documentary to find the meaning of love by asking various people. She ends up meeting a guy (Cera) and falls for the guys but not necessary “in” love.

Anyway, you are on either side of things, either you believe to be this film be a legit documentary and Yi and Cera are in fact going out or you know going into the film that everything is fake…

My girlfriend convinced me that Yi and Cera were going out in real life and that the film was a semi-documentary. I probably wouldn’t have seen it had I known everything was fake because what stupid premise is that? The movie didn’t really change my mind anyway so that’s what I’m trying to get at.

My main qualms about this movie is that it hardly is one. I wasn’t convinced of the acting nor was I terribly convinced that it could’ve been real (but the jokes kept making it seem like it was). Cera plays the typecasted guy he’s been in the last few movies and I couldn’t really believe his version of the social awkward and strange Cera. I feel like I need to punch the guy in the face after a few times or at least take on a better acting role!

The only real problem with this film, it’s only funny if you believe that the film is real. A lot of the jokes are about the awkwardness of Cera and Yi in front of the camera while they document their lives. It almost makes rewatching the film like this impossible.

Rating: 1 out of 5
Based on the reviews, this film was severely overrated. While the film strives to be different, I can’t help but feel I wasted my $10 even after seeing the trailer (where I thought I was going to be ripped anyway and the film was below my expectations). The only positive? The artsy scenes where people described how they met in the backdrop were kind of cool.

Paper Thin Walls by Modest Mouse
Paper Planes (MIA Cover) by The Da Vincis
Paper Birds by Siberian

In addition to my six figure contract with AW Music I’m a budding producer/writer/filmmaker (ed note: lots of zeroes but you should really check out his other work). I’m in the midst of a really energetic project and, to cut to the chase, I’m looking for some great music to supplement my latest project.

This is a legitimate offer and a great opportunity for anyone with some ambition and a little ingenuity. Let’s hold hands and make become superstars together.

Listen up..

To all musicians.

So here’s the deal:

We’re producing a pilot for a TV show (http://highwaystofairways.com/what.html) and we want great music to showcase on the soundtrack. No road show is complete without a great soundtrack and that’s what we’re after.

What we’re simply offering is exposure for your band on the show in return for using your music free of charge. Tunes for air time. We end up with a great soundtrack for the show and you get valuable exposure for your band.

We’re trying to create a groundswell here to gather enough music to fill the pilot AND start us on the way once the show sells. The chance for you to be heard grows as we grow.

Your music will be played during the travel video montages of the program and you will be fully-credited in whatever episode you end up in. The best part of this comes when the show is picked up by a network (we already have interest even before the pilot is complete) and the eventual CD soundtrack comes out. If your music becomes a fan favourite guess who’s going to be reaping some nice royalties once the compilation hits the store shelves?

Rest assured this is a legitimate offer. I’m an artist myself and I have no patience for someone trying to screw me out of my life’s work. In this deal, you help us and we help you and we’ll meet for champagne at the launch party. Promise.

Please visit the Highways To Fairways website and submit a link to your music (no attachments please). If we fall in love with your stuff we’ll be in contact with you.

charlie@highwaystofairways.com

Important links:
Facebook group page.

(500) Days of Summer looks like a cheesy-romantic comedy from the trailer, perhaps a simple story as the tag-line suggests “Boy meets girl, Boy falls in love and Girl Doesn’t”. I’ve had a friend just recently just imply that it was just a chick flick and while there were many couples in the theatre, this is a movie you should see regardless of what preconceived notions you may have.

Marc Webb making his feature length debut does an absolutely marvellous job. Webb, has done a massive amount of music videos, for artists like Green Day, Jesse McCartney, and Miley Cyrus to name a few. He probably was a highly paid music video director but alas putting that aside, the movie used so many effects to give the film to life. Most of all, the movie was funny. It had soul and didn’t necessarily make you laugh at typical jokes but just anything really.

With its non-linear style it’s a movie you need to watch again. While it’s confusing to understand the timeline of events, it’s an important factor in cutting off scenes when it’s too cheesy or too depressing. The director plays a lot on perception as well showing you scenes early on and leaving you trying to assume what really happens. It also makes every scene seem significant with the way it’s done.

The only thing I’m not sure of is how the actors are playing their roles. This movie is very direction – heavy meaning that the actors could be lost in the shuffle a tad. I really just need to watch the film over again but it looks like Joseph Gordon Levitt nailed his role and has proven to be a fantastic lead (especially in indie films).

I can’t say enough how well done this film was. I really enjoyed it and it’s a must buy when it comes out on DVD.

Rating: 5 out of 5

(The soundtrack is great but another writer wished to review it)
Us by Regina Spektor
Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix) by Feist
Here Comes Your Man by Pixies

The article also says indie music is used for ugly guys to score hot chicks, I say it’s for smart ugly guys to score hot girls! wooo

P.S. the flowchart would be perfect if it wasn’t for the “from Obscure country” bit.

Original article.

First things first, this movie IS funny. There are a ton of penis jokes but funny even when the plot point borders on depressing. This movie however is not good for a variety of reasons. It’s a tale of two movies, one part where George is dying and seeks to improve his life the other where George finds out he’s no longer dying and he’s a total prick and you can’t side with him.

The first part is incredibly well done and it would’ve been a great film had it ended there. Sometimes you have to go with short movies in order not to ruin things. This movie decided to drag a lot longer but instead of going all out, it ends up disappointing by stopping short with a god awful ending. I wasn’t even given a chance to like George Simmons again, how am I supposed to accept that he’s “good” again by writing jokes? Especially in 5 minutes where he acts like a jerk in the first place? Out of the group of friends I was with, we all wanted George Simmons to die… so that says that much about how we liked his character.

The film is polar opposites, the first part is self-aware, funny, intentionally awkward and great character build up. The second half is started with Eminem putting “what are you doing here?” after George gets better. While Eminem asks this, the movie never asks that itself and it ends up lost. The fight scene with Eric Bana was awkward and perhaps unnecessary in fact; the more I think about it the more I feel like that whole section shouldn’t have been in there.

The latter part of the film really put a damper on the potential of what this could’ve been.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 for half a good film.

Considering there was quite a bit of music in it (Wilco references), Seth Rogen’s character Ira Wright makes a cheer up playlist for George Simmons, here’s what my list would include:
1. I Should Have Known Better by She and Him
2. Dying Is Fine by Ra Ra Riot
3. The Past and Pending by The Shins
4. My Dick by Mickey Avalon ft. Dirty Nasty and Andre Legacy
5. Laughing With A Mouth of Blood by St. Vincent
6. It’s Cool To Love Your Family by Feist
7. You Still Love Me Blondie by Matthew And The Arrogant Sea
8. It Was A Better Time by The Hermit
9. I Feel Better by Frightened Rabbit

In early 2009 N.A.S.A (North America/South America) dropped a bomb on the Hip Hop scene. Their debut album ‘The Spirit Of Apollo’ destroyed all barriers of collaborative work as we know it, fusing the stylings of Brazilian Funk sampling with North American Hip Hop production – as well as combining artists from all across the musical map. Slick Rick being paired with the distorted growlings of Tom Waits, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O blasting out a chorus on a track featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard (R.I.P) and Fatlip. George Clinton, Seu Jorge and John Frusciante make appearances alongside emcees Method Man, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, M.I.A and Chuck D…. But this is just a taste of the artists associated with this album.

With it’s tight production, laundry list of talent and exploration of new direction, this album has blown up and a remix album is already in the works. Also announced is a documentary on the making of ‘The Spirit Of Apollo’ which takes a look into the idea behind the spark of it’s creation and five year development, interviews with the artists and studio sessions as they travel across North and South America. There’s also a look at the concept behind the collaboration in the making of the music videos, which blend stylings of fine art and bring them to life through animation.

I haven’t been able to find a release date for this documentary yet, but keep your eyes open. As far as the album goes…. Pick this shit up, you will not be sorry.

N.A.S.A. – N.A.S.A. Music (feat. Method Man, E-40 & DJ Swamp)
N.A.S.A. – Spacious Thoughts (feat. Tom Waits & Kool Keith)

I usually don’t like putting movie reviews up there but before I concentrated on music only, I did write about both sports and movies in addition to music.

I haven’t seen Sam Raimi’s infamous Evil Dead (perhaps seeing some clips through Donnie Darko) but I’ve had a chance to sit through the Spiderman movies despite the third being horrendous.

I had zero expectations for Drag Me To Hell though did it finding it quite odd at the 93% Rottentomatoes score and 83 Metacritic score. Those scores are nothing to sneeze at to say the very least. The trailer to the film, looked as if it would’ve been a typical horror movie.

This movie is every bit typical horror movie and it lets you know that. The scares are pretty typical using the same musical lead up to create tension, relaxing/silent moments and then BOOM for the scare. It’s a pretty wide used technique and this movie uses a lot of it. The character, Christine Brown (played by Alison Lohman) is your typical horror movie blonde e.g. stupid.

Basically this movie could be darn awful if you just take it at face value. It could be a bad horror movie but the X factor is that it’s hilarious. It doesn’t try to be hilarious necessarily but there are just times where you can’t help but laugh. Sort of like the So Bad It’s Good category of things.

I think I have more a tempered mindset. It wasn’t over the top scary or funny for me but there were some people who were uncontrollably laughing their heads off in the theatre. I can see people liking the movie and absolutely HATING the movie. Zero expectations or expecting a crappy horror movie might really help before checking it out.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Here’s a playlist that I like to do with movies (the scoring to the film was pretty awesome I must say):
It’s A Curse by Wolf Parade
Even While You’re Sleeping by The Acorn
Animals and Insects by The Stills
Hell Isn’t My Home by October Sky
Buttons by The Weeks
Winged/Wicked Things by Sunset Rubdown

The most wonderful thing about the avant-garde movement is its ability to elicit questions. I’m sure some of you are asking “how is this art?” Undoubtedly, the term “art” has been revolutionalized and perverted over the years to mean something quite removed from Renaissance paintings and other such traditional forms. I love the interactiveness of the avant-garde. The exhibit included a piece where you can hammer a nail into a piece of would to contribute to the art, a series of chessboards (the pieces were all white), stamps and paper, tags to hang on trees, a collection of relevant books, and a bed to imagine in

I have a feeling that everyone thinks John Lennon just faded away after the Beatles broke up. It’s like he just wandered around doing nothing until his untimely death. Not quite. He and Yoko formed the Plastic Ono band which was this avant-garde supergroup before the Beatles fell apart and both Ringo Starr and George Harrison performed with them. The only “real” album Plastic Ono Band ever had was “Live Peace in Toronto 1969″ which, true to its title, was a live album recorded in Toronto in 1969 whose tracks promoted peace and love.

I unfortunately forgot to bring my camera but here are some from Eva Blue on Flickr:

If you’ll be in Montreal from now until June 21st, be sure to pay the MMFA a visit! The exhibit is FREE. If you won’t be in the city, check out this nifty virtual tour. And of course, be sure to visit the Imagine Peace website.

John Lennon – Imagine
John Lennon – Woman is the Nigger of the World
John Lennon – Power to the People

But I’d like to think I’ve gotten better. I’d like to hear what our regular readers have to say. We do compile a lot of reviews per month. Anywhere from 60-90 a month – that’s almost or more then the amount some professional magazines write. I don’t think we’re of that quality since I like taking more of a “blogging” approach to reviews. However, I don’t believe in rushing reviews, so I have writers take their time, with most writing just once a week or once every two weeks and myself sometimes 2-3 a week. Anyway, an editor quit at the beginning of the month here’s what he (not naming names) had to say about the blog:

I don’t think everyone has written some good stuff. Generally, the level of the writing on this blog is atrocious. There are endless examples of terrible reviews on great albums, people with very little to say and writing it all down poorly.

I’d like to think this isn’t the case and many examples don’t pop up. This doesn’t seem like something that goes on regularly. Or does it? Here’s a poll I’d like you to answer honestly. My personal choices would be “pretty good for a blog” and sometimes there’s room for improvement with certain writers (I’ve been on them to write more about an album and sometimes asking them to step up the quality of their work).

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Another touchy subject is that of remixing or sampling. A practice that has been going on for decades, yet only recently is there such an uproar due to mash-up artists like Diplo and Girl Talk. To be quite honest there wouldn’t be half the music today if some sort of sampling didn’t happen; Hip Hop was started by taking old funk and soul records and looping the breaks in order to form an extension of that break. Rock and Pop would have died out a long time ago if you couldn’t take influences from past bands, how many guitar riffs can you make before having to resort to taking bits and pieces and forming your own interpretation? The Rolling Stones based an idea off a gospel song by the Staple Singers when creating the song ‘The Last Time’, which was later turned into an orchestral version by their agent Andrew Loog Oldham. Thirty years later, The Verve sampled sections of Oldham’s version for their track ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and were sued by The Rolling Stones (for doing something they had done three decades prior), therefore losing all money the band had made from the song. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards then made more money by selling The Verve’s version to Nike for an ad campaign. As far as I’m concerned, that’s pretty disgusting.

This got me wondering where the lines are drawn. Does a shitty AC/DC cover band have to hand over royalties after making their couple of hundred bucks playing in some shady bar? Does a DJ have to fork out money to all the artists whose records he plays at a live gig, or even on cd for that matter? Why can some pop music artists blatantly use another artists music, while others are getting sued over just a sample?

‘RiP: A Remix Manifesto’ is a new documentary by Brett Gaylor that examines the questions surrounding the copyrights of all intellectual property. A battle between those that want to share ideas and those that want to sell them. A six year development that has become possible with the aid of Greg Gillis (Girl Talk), Cory Doctorow, Lawrence Lessig and a couple other remix/mash-up artists; This film explores the history of copyright infringement, from Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones to Walt Disney and throughout countries all across the globe.

Another inspirational aspect to this project is that Brett Gaylor is taking a new approach and letting you have your part. This is, as Gaylor states, “An ambitious and ground-breaking Open Source documentary, all of the footage for the film is released under a Creative Commons license and can be re-mixed at OpenSourceCinema. Hundreds of collaborators have submitted material through the website over a 4 year period to produce a truly global film, one that harnesses the power of social media and collaboration.“

This documentary is currently screening across Canada:

March 6 (open run)
Cinema Du Parc, Montreal (French subtitles)

March 6 (open run)
AMC Forum, Montreal (original English)

March 13 (open run)
AMC Yonge & Dundas, Toronto

March 13 (open run)
Royal Cinema, Toronto

March 18-20, 22, 25,26
Cinematheque Winnipeg, Winnipeg

March 20 (open run)
The Ridge Cinema, Vancouver

March 20 (open run)
The Plaza Cinema, Calgary

March 27 – April 4
The Mayfair Cinema, Ottawa

April 3 – April 9
Metro Cinema, Edmonton

April 3 – April 9
Broadway Cinema, Saskatoon

April 9
Paramount Cinema, Kamloops BC

Here’s the trailer for your viewing pleasure:

…And for your ears:

Girl Talk – Shut The Club Down
Diplo & M.I.A – Sunshowers (Diplo mix)
The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony
MC Lars – Download This Song (ft. Jaret Riddick from Bowling For Soup)