Run Fatboy Run

Yeeeeaaa Simon Pegg. Did you like Shaun of the Dead? How about Hot Fuzz? Well then you will "meh" all over Run Fatboy Run.

While Pegg's witty comedic writing is present in Run, it is only about 5 parts Simon Pegg hilarity and about 15 parts run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Especially in the last half hour of the movie.

Run Fatboy Run is about a mall security guard Dennis (Pegg), who literally ran away from his pregnant would be wife Libby (Thandie Newton) at the alter 5 years ago. Dennis finds out that Libby is dating a new man Whit (Hank Azaria, who's best role is still The Blue Raja in Mystery Men) and realizes that he wants her back. In an attempt to win back the woman he loves Dennis decides to run a marathon that Whit is running in.

David Schwimmer (you know Ross from Friends) makes his major film directing debut with Run, and does a decent job. I mean it wasn't horrible. It wasn't amazing by any means, but he didn't ruin it. There were a few slapstick Friends type moments that I'm sure were his idea. It will be interesting to see what his next project is, and if he decides stay within the confides of your everyday date flick once again.

I guess I am really making this one sound worse than it is. I just had really high expectations. It is a great movie to take the lady to, she will like it. Maybe. Despite everything I didn't like Simon Pegg is a big redeeming quality. Dennis Moran also delivers some pretty funny/awkward moments as Dennis's best friend Gordan. The last half hour like I said though, turns completely into every other underdog/get the girl movie you have ever seen.

I would say it is worth a matinée ticket. If you are pretty strapped for cash you wont miss anything if you wait til the dollar theater.

3/5 stars

Explosions in the Sky Concert

My back still hurts. The doors didn't even open until an hour after they were supposed to. The opening band didn't even start for thirty minutes after that. Lots of standing. Not moving around just standing in place. It was painful, but it was definitely worth it.

Texas instrumental band Explosions in the Sky played for the first time in Utah in 5 years Monday at In the Venue. After a quick "Thank You" from guitarist Munaf Rayani the crowd was mesmerized for the duration of the hour-long set. And rightfully so. Explosions put on an amazing performance.

Explosions in the Sky is an ambient rock instrumental group. The band features 3 guitarists (Rayani, Mark Smith, and Michael James [who plays bass for about half the songs]) and a drummer (Chris Hrasky). There is no front man, there is no lead singer. There actually is no singing at all. Explosions relies on shear musical ability and technical innovation to create their records. Their passionate guitar riffs and cinematic drum parts combine to form a musical entity that has been compared by many to indie acts such as Mogwai and Sigor Ros.

Even with all of the effects and looped guitar parts the band was able to deliver a spot on performance. I don't think I have ever heard a band play so flawlessly. This was not only an impressive feat in and of itself, but also due to the fact that it was one of the most emotionally intense performances I have experienced as well.

If you have never heard of Explosions in the Sky you should definitely check them out. I have been a huge fan since being turned on to them in High School. They are the most relaxing/interesting/thought provoking thing this side of smooth jazz.

George A Romero's: Diary of the Dead

George A. Romero practical invented the mythology of the modern day zombie. Having directed/written four of the zombie movie staples of the past forty years including Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead Romero is truly a brilliant auteur. Land of the Dead (2005) was his latest effort. The film added to the mythology of the zombie and evolved the entire idea of the living dead. It did not however, quite live up to my expectations. Diary of the Dead (which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival) wasn't much better.

With just about every other movie these days coming out with their own version of the zombie (Resident Evil, 28 Days/Weeks Later, I am Legend) Romero actually has some unexpected competition. Diary however, barely exceeds the level of your standard slasher/horror movie. It does take a very interesting point of view though.

Diary is actually a movie within a movie. Within Diary is a documentary pieced together by a group of film students entitled "The Death of Death." The group was filming their own amateur horror movie when they heard about an epidemic of the dead being reanimated and attacking those around them. The students frantically try to get back home to their families in a Winnebago R.V.

The documentary is pieced together from two cameras held by the students, narration, security footage, and cell phone camera videos. We are able to see the ordeal through the eyes of the victims. As such this is not nearly the gore-fest that many other zombie movies are. Don't worry though, there is plenty of intestine eating, skull melting, and arrow impalings.

The film also contains a hint of relevant social commentary. The media's abuse of power in our commercially fueled communication system is portrayed quite distinctively, and to what end getting the truth out is worth. The end of the movie questions the morality of human beings in general. The last scene begs the question "are we worth being saved?"

I am still a Romero fan and hopefully the next chapter in the Dead series will build on the concept introduced in this movie (because it was a great idea, just poorly executed in my opinion). This was however a decent addition to Romero's resume and it is likely worth a matinée ticket.

3/5 Stars.

He Was A Quiet Man

This oddly touching drama was released a couple weeks ago on DVD. I want to know why it was never given the wide release in theaters that it well deserved. Films of this caliber are few and far between these days. I was extremely suprised with how awesome He Was A Quiet Man turned out to be.

Christian Slater (3000 Miles to Graceland, Broken Arrow) plays Bob Maconel. Bob brings a gun to work everyday just in case he works up enough courage to use it on his co-workers. Just when he thinks he is ready to pull the trigger another employee beats him to it. He watches his fellow worker's bodies hit the floor and manages to use his weapon on the assailant. As Bob is hailed as the office/community hero his life becomes increasingly uncomfortable despite the circumstantially unique relationship he builds with a female victim of the shooting played by Elisha Cuthbert (The Girl Next Door, 24).

Slaters performance? Magnificent. What a great role for him. Completely different from anything you would expect from him. He leads the film with an engrossing portrayal of a man on the brink of his own sanity. A man who's goldfish mock him. Truly this movie is worth seeing just for this character.

Cuthberts performance? Slightly less magnificent. Not that I think she is a really great actress... because she is not (I mean seriously... did anyone else see Captivity?), but I think she pulls this one off decently. She plays Vanessa, a woman who was shot in the spine during the siege and is not paralyzed from the neck down. It is really hard to decide whether or not you like the character, and she consistently makes each of her scenes as awkward/uneasy/unpredictable as she can.

Ah and then there is William H. Macy (I'm not even going to give examples of movies he has been in because if you don't know... you need to look him up you fool). Macy plays the completely aloof CEO of the company Bob and Vanessa work(ed) for. He is one of those genuinely fake people that heads up every major corporation in America. Spot on portrayal.

So. Let's talk about writer/director Frank A. Capello. Where in the crap did this guy come from? The last movie he wrote was Constantine (suck) and before that his only noteworthy effort was Suburban Comando. He has only had two other chances at directing and both were over twelve years ago (No Way Back, American Yakuza). This guy is definitely worth watching. Superb directing, excellent story telling. Oh yea and did I mention he co-wrote/performed the soundtrack with Robert Cosio.

The soundtrack by the way. Holy ish. Awesome. I'm going to go find this and buy it. So perfectly tailored to every scene. These two should work together more often.

This is another one I really regret I didn't see in 2007 (when it came out) because It would be all over that list of mine. I highly suggest seeing this movie. Darkly comedic, surreal, quirky, and gruesome. You won't be disappointed.

4.5/5 Stars

Foo Fighters Concert in Glendale, AZ

I am now completely convinced that the Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl is the most charismatic front man I've ever seen. Their performance at the Jobing.com arena in Glendale, AZ is hard evidence that the Foos are the greatest touring American rock band today.

The last time I saw the Foo Fighters was on the "One by One" tour back in 2003 when they played at the McKay Events Center in Orem. Since my dad works there I actually got to go backstage and meet them. Awesome. (yes yes I know, I was much fatter, had gross hair and braces but you know what? Dave didn't mind). They have been on multiple tours since then but for some reason have opted to stay away from Utah. WTF!?

"We have been making records for 13 f***ing years," Dave told the crowd of over 12,000 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale Arizona on March 2nd, "We have a lot of ground to cover."

They did just that. Grohl and company put on a 2 hour show that spanned the bands entire career from their first album "Foo Fighters" which featured Dave on every instrument, to the bands latest release "Echoes, Patience, Silence, and Grace."

The band opened the show with possibly the best track off of the latest album "Let it Die." They blistered through some of their classic hits like "Pretender," "Breakout," "Learn to Fly," and "This is a Call" before breaking into an epic jam in the middle of "Stacked Actors" featuring dueling guitar solos and an intense drum solo from Taylor Hawkins. Then something completely unexpected happened.

Let me set this up for you. The band was on a stage at one end of the arena. From the middle of the stage protruded a long runway that spanned 3/4 of the general admission area, at the end of which was an empty circle (almost looked like a trampoline). Dave spent much of his time running all around the stage and even sprinting all the way down this runway. I just figured that is what the runway was for. About 7 songs into the set Dave swapped his Gibson Signature model for an acoustic guitar. As he began to pluck the notes of "Skin and Bones" a whole new stage was lowered from the ceiling into the "trampoline" circle at the end of the runway.

Dave was joined on the new stage by the rest of his band (Taylor Hawkins - Drums, Chris Shiflett - Guitar, and Nate Mendell - Bass) featuring a few guest stars. Pat Smear (The Foo Fighters original guitarist who left the band in 1997) joined on guitar, Drew Hester on percussion, Jessy Greene on Strings, and another person who's name escapes me on the piano/organ. "Those cheap tickets don't seem so sh***y now do they?" Dave asked the crowd at the back of the arena.

They played a 6-song acoustic set including "Marigold," "My Hero," "Cold Day," and "But Honestly." Towards the end of the acoustic set Dave told the crowd that we just may be reaching the halfway point now. Every single person in the audience erupted. We knew we were going to get our moneys worth tonight. As the band walked back to the main stage everything went dark except for a single spot-light on Dave. He gave a solo performance of what I consider to be the Foo Fighters masterpiece "Everlong." During the bridge of the song the rest of the band on the main stage joined in and they rocked the last quarter of the song.

The band shredded through a few more of their massively successful songs like "Monkey Wrench," and "All My Life" before ending the set with a beautiful duet of "Big Me" featuring Jesse Greene and Dave on vocals.

Minutes after leaving the stage Dave responded to the relentless cheering of the crowd. His face appeared on a screen above the stage. He showed the camera a copy of the set list. There was tape over the last couple songs. As he began to pull the tape off to reveal the encore the volume level in the arena reached levels I had not heard since Rage Against the Machine hit the stage at Vegoose back in October. After contemplating and stroking his beard Dave gestured to the crowd indicating that he was considering playing 2 encore songs. The audience lost it. Screaming and whistling grew so loud I could feel my eyes squinting in pain. After hearing this Dave thinks a moment... looks at the camera... holds up 3 fingers and smiles.

The band came back to play 3 encores inlcluding their current single "Long Road to Ruin" and the classic "Have it All." They ended the concert with the first single from the "In Your Honor" album "Best of You," and the crowd couldn't have loved it more.

(Picture from FooFighters.com)

This show was definitely one of my favorite concerts ever, and I have been to a lot of concerts. It was worth the 22 hour round-trip road trip in Andy and Amanda's Corolla with a baby who doesn't enjoy long bouts with her car seat. Thank You Christine for getting me the ticket for Valentines day :) sorry you had to deal with a cockroach in the hotel.