Trevo_Lution

Blogging is Lame.

2009-01-01T14:41:00.004-07:00

No seriously, it is.

Which is why I never do it.

But Christine is under the weather today, and I don't have ANYTHING else to do. So here is an update. Ugh. This is exactly what I hate about it. Does everybody really think that their mundane pathetic excuse for an existence is really that interesting to everybody? It is not. There are probably four people out there genuinely want an update on what is going on with me, and I'd much rather those four people just come ask me. Whatever. You are getting it anyway.

Update commence.

Christine and I are well. We just celebrated our 2 year anniversary (of dating) last month and we are starting to look at apartments. Living in my parents basement is nice and all, but sometimes we would really rather have our own place. It is tough to find something in our price range because I am taking 15 credits at UVU this upcoming semester and will be cutting back on my hours at work. Rent is the last thing I want to have to worry about right now, but we are looking anyway.

I am still at X96, though not very often. I go in on Saturday mornings and getting more and more of that much needed experience to go on a resume.

Andy and I went to Seattle in November to hang out with Saba and see an AC/DC concert. I took my digital SLR camera and practiced my photography quite a bit (I'll be taking a photography class this semester as well.) I have decided Seattle is definitely in my top 5 favorite places I've been, and the concert was ridiculously awesome. And I finally got to see Kurt Cobain's former house and de-facto memorial bench ("Oh Trevor that is so cliche, Nirvana and Cobain are so overrated." You shut up. Nirvana has been my favorite band for years and its too late for you to change it now.)

I just finished my Associates Degree (Associates of Science in Communication) and am now working on the BS in Journalism. My target date for graduating is December 2010. This semester I'm taking a Digital Audio class, a Digital Photography course, a Digital Cinema course, a class about legal proceedings in journalism, and I'll be continuing my internship at the station. Over the summer I hope to do another internship, but this time somewhere in public broadcasting (PBS, KUED, KRCL, KUER, NPR, Public Radio International), which is where I would really like to end up working after I graduate.

I don't really like to make "new years resolutions" per say, but I do like to set goals for myself to achieve during the upcoming year (I know, its the same thing right? Well its not to me. "Resolution" just has a negative connotation. I prefer simple goals). In 2009 I would really like to lose this damn twenty pounds I have put on since high school, it is really getting in the way. I also want to get back to playing music regularly. I was is bands throughout middle school and high school, and since then I have yet to get back into it (aside from the occasional jam session). I really want to focus on my bass playing, because I have become extremely sloppy in the past few years. I can't justify nine guitars in my room and almost $3000 in amps just sitting around collecting dust, so I'm either going to utilize them or get rid of them. This year is all about time. It should be a pretty interesting challenge to balance 15 credits at school, 24-32 hours a week at work, and regularly playing/writing/recording music while still maintaining enough time for Christine and I to spend time together. I'll figure it out though. I usually do. Although one thing usually suffers though. This year I'll try to make the things that suffer different (or even nonexistent).

Anyway, I'm done writing now. I hope you are done reading.
Later Jerkz

Proposition 8 Rally in Salt Lake

2008-11-20T12:17:00.002-07:00

Andy and I went to Washington Square last Saturday and filmed people at the Proposition 8 Rally (put on by "Join the Impact"). This is the resulting video.

A Few Interesting Items

2008-09-21T10:12:00.002-06:00

97.9 "The Breeze" which has featured the glorious genre of smooth jazz for years has now changed their format to "smooth adult contemporary."
Smooth Jazz accounted for 80% of my radio listening during the day, and I attribute most of my good moods solely to the soothing sounds of James Taylor, Steve Cole, and Boney James.
Now the station is playing insufferable drivel that is similar to what is heard on FM100 and KOSY.
Apparently the entire radio industry is making this type of change... Screw America's financial crisis, fix this first please!!!!
http://deseretnews. com/article/1,5143,700259705,00. html

Salt Lake county is looking for 1000 more poll workers for the next presidential election.
It is "volunteer" work but you get a MINIMUM of $120 for the day.
As long as you are a legal resident and registered to vote you can do it.
Why not eh?
http://www. clerk. slco. org/elections/votePollWorker. html

Micheal Moore is releasing his next documentary "slacker uprising" for free download in the U.S. and Canada in hopes of inspiring young voters.
The movie takes place prior to the 2004 election while Moore was unsuccessfully trying to get George W. Bush removed from office. "My goal was to help turn out a record number of young voters and others who had never voted before," said Moore in an email to his newsletter subscribers. "That part was a success. Young adults voted in greater numbers than in any election since 18-year-olds were given the right to vote. And the youth vote was the only age group that John Kerry won."
It will be released on Tuesday September 23rd and you can sign up for a free download at http://slackeruprising. com/
"It was clear that young people were the ones who were going to save the day," said Moore. "Just as they are in this year's election."

Day 4 Denver

2008-08-03T18:24:00.008-06:00

Well... Day 4 was actually yesterday... I am home now ... but here is what I did yesterday on the final day of my trip with RFH.

Woke up late again... went to breakfast at some crepe place. (And here is the highlight of my day) where I found out about ChaCha. Yea... if you have not heard of this then text a question to 242242 (chacha) and a live person at a computer will try to find the answer for you. Totally awesome. Very useful in social/argumentative situations (stupid tony, Ray Bradbury is not dead).

Then we went to the final seminar.. which was pretty weak since most everyone had left already. We just watched a video of what everyone thought were the best radio bits of the past 20 years.

Afterwards Richie, Booster, Tony, Kerry, Bill, Sue and I went some rock 'n roll cafe and had lunch....

After lunch we (Tony, Bill, Kerry, Sue and I) went and saw Pineapple Express (yea it doesn't even come out for 3 days.. but we are members of the media so we totally got to see it before you). It was alright... kind of disappointing... not worth more than a matinée ticket if you do go see it.

Once it was over Kerry and Bill got on a plane and Tony and I drove home. He told me about super heroes he has invented over the years. Not a bad time. Got home at about 3 AM.

That was it... my whole trip.

Now here are those pictures I promised. Nothing really great... you could probobly just stop looking here.

Day 3 Denver

2008-08-01T23:01:00.001-06:00

Wow... now this was a grueling day. Here is the gist of what happened.

Woke up late... showered in 5 minutes and ran down to seminar #1 "Essentials of a Great Morning show"... which was cool.. i actually learned alot. Tony and I skipped the next class which was on a ratings system that wont me used in our market for another two years or somethings... meh... we walked a bit around Denver... found a 7-11 and a record store... then walked back.

There was a big luncheon with some salmon and some Billy Gardel (comedian). He was actually pretty damn funny.. you should check him out on youtube or something.

After that there was a Rock Forum that Bill moderated. That was really cool... we got to watch every rock radio morning show argue about what they thought were the best strategies... Kerry even called BJ (A really big on-air personality in California ... I think) stupid... right to his face... it was awesome. Also learned a ton here

Right after that was over we attended a presentation entitled "10 ways to become the next million dollar morning show" (or something like that). Jerry from the "Jeff and Jer" show (top morning show in San Diego) talked for two hours about blah blah blah... he tried to be funny... but blah blah it was kind of lame...

Richie, Booster, Bill, Tony, and I went to Cheesecake Factory afterwards. I would have never gone... but Richie said he would pay for a couple meals for Tony and I since we are getting raped in the parking lot (... with the $17 a night ... not like... really rap.e...d.) So I figured with the conference coming to a close I better take advantage of it quickly.

Then just now we recorded an hour of show to air on Monday morning. I think they are planning to do 15 minutes at the top of every hour of the show or something. Luckily this time they strayed away from my sleeping arrangements as a topic of discussion.

One more day... I'm sorta bummed it is almost over... but I am ready to get back home to my Christine.

I'll post pictures on my blog maybe like Sunday.

I'm tired now. Goodbye.

Jerk.

Day 2 Denver

2008-07-31T23:11:00.000-06:00

So day 2 was full of good times.

I woke up with a bed to myself. (with 4 people and 2 beds that is a pretty big accomplishment).

I went to classes/lectures for most of the day... they were really cool and I learned a ton. I especially enjoyed the "producer's forum".... except I am pretty sure the moderator was on cocaine... oh well.

The classes are sooooooooooo cold. I keep getting the seat right underneath the air conditioner and am wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I am so cold it is ridiculous.. my fingers were going numb.

The day ended with a huge get together with poker and open bar. Tony and I played Halo and he dominated the Texas Hold 'em tourny.

Be sure to listen to tomorrow's Radio From Hell. Between 7-8 I believe they will air what we just recorded, it is awesomely funny.

See ya tomorrow!

p.s.

I'll post some pictures later

Day 1 Denver

2008-07-30T22:43:00.004-06:00

Excerpts from Day 1 in Denver at Morning Show Bootcamp with Radio From Hell...

8 hours with Tony in a car = Less crap music than expected. Much more stink than anticipated. (no really like farting... from him).

Parking = SUUUUUCK town. $17 PER DAY!!! at the Westin. Total Suck.

4 People in one room = not sure yet really... to be seen.

Successfully recorded an hour of show to send back to X96 to air tomorrow so listen for that. Kerry and Bill were intoxicated (so the show was three times funnier than normal).

Basketball = I lost in PIG, but won two games out of three with Me/Richie vs Tony/Booster (oh trevo you won against a team with a girl on it big whoop.. STFU YOU!)

Anyway... I am in the lobby right now (free wireless internet) because it costs $10 PER DAY, PER COMPUTER to have internet in our room. Yea... lifestyles of the rich and famous... only i'm not rich... and not famous....

I will post some pictures tomorrow

Buddy is Back!!

2008-07-29T11:11:00.003-06:00

For anyone that was following my horrible luck with Buddy (Scooter) I just wanted to announce that I finally fixed the problem (without having to buy an entire new engine)!

For those who don't know... here is the short version. I was trying to change out my variator weights. I took the front pulley assembly off multiple times trying to get it right.... I was using an air gun ... too many tries w/ no lubrication = I completely stripped the crank shaft bolt.

I had quite a few suggestions given to me including:
1. Re-thread (which kind of worked... but I am still missing the outermost 3 threads because there was just not enough metal to make them).
2. Grind the shaft down and thread it at the next size down.
3. Drill a hole in the middle of the shaft and tap it. Cut off the front part of the shaft and put a bolt in (which would hold the variator on).

Finally... after almost 3 weeks of not scooting (see: hell) I decided to put it together the best I could (which actually seemed pretty tight despite the missing few threads) and tack weld the flange nut on. When I need to replace the weights again I can easily grind it off and repeat. Kind of a make-shift repair... but I can't afford the $700 engine/transmission replacement that the dealer quoted me.

In conclusion, everything works like before and I am ecstatic! I will not be performing any upgrades or ever doing anything mechanically to Buddy again. I just have too much bad luck. Anything more than oil changes will be going to the dealer.

Scoot on Bro

MSBC & Birthday Ideas?

2008-07-24T21:49:00.002-06:00

I am going to Denver next week for 5 days for the annual Morning Show Boot Camp with Radio From Hell. I will be sharing a two bed hotel room with Richie (RFH Producer), Booster (Richie's Girlfriend), Tony (other intern), and possibly Steen. I will be spending 8 hours a day in conferences, workshops, forums, and lectures... but I couldn't be more excited. I will finally have something worthy of talking about once fall semester starts and all my lame teachers have everyone stand up and tell the class what we did for the summer. (College = Third Grade).

In other news I turn 21 in two months. I don't really know what I want to do yet... The Foo Fighters are playing in Vegas at the Hard Rock right on my birthday... maybe I'll go to that. Any ideas?

Totally just met D Will

2008-07-10T15:29:00.003-06:00

Sure did.

You did not.

Sucks.

Mid Summer Quandary

2008-07-08T21:54:00.003-06:00

Which Bass Guitar should I get? Currently I have a Fender P-bass, Fender Jazz bass, and an ESP LTD B-104. I have been looking for something substantially more "high end." I have landed on these two basses.

Left = Ernie Ball MusicMan Stingray
Right = G&L L-2000

Cost is about the same on the two. Both were designed by Leo Fender and are crafted in the US. Please just tell me which one to get because my indecisive tard-self can't do it.

Are you kidding me?

2008-05-20T15:24:00.002-06:00

So have you heard the new offspring song? Well if you have you may have recognized the bass line. That is because it is the exact same riff Krist Novoselic of Nirvana recorded about 17 years ago.

Offspring Song is Total Nirvana Rip-Off

And while you are at it go listen to the new Atreyu song "Falling Down."
White Stripes "Rag and Bone" = Intro
Wolfmother "Joker and the Their" = Bridge

wow... I really need to stop listening to the radio and getting angry.

In other things angry I was supposed to go see Mars Volta play last night. Me and Andy drove all the way out there (Great Saltair in MAGNA) to find an empty parking lot. Sure enough it was postponed to a later date. Hey thanks for letting me know Smiths Tix. Jerks.

Summer > Winter

2008-05-13T15:56:00.007-06:00

As many of you know I originally started this blog to get extra credit in on of my media writing classes. Well that class is over now and I have let the blog sit for almost a month. I think I am going to take it in a little bit of a different direction now. Previously the majority of my entries have been movie reviews. I will still do a couple movie reviews, but from now on the blog will simply be a way for me to tell you what is happening in the world of Trevo.

You may or may not know that I am an avid scooter enthusiast and have been an owner for exactly one year last week. I drive a Genuine Buddy 125. I enjoy driving it immensely. It gets about 95 miles per gallon of gas and reaches speeds of about 65 miles per hour. This brings me to my first rant.
I recently purchased a motorcycle jacket to wear while scooting. I have only been wearing it for one week and already I have been ridiculed twice for wearing it. People think I am over-protected or trying to just look cool. There are a few things I don't think that they realize. This scooter goes just as fast as all the other traffic on the road I drive on. I am smaller than a regular motorcycle and therefore less likely to be seen (especially at night since it is black). I have the potential to be in just as bad of wrecks as any other motorcyclist and I think that merits the protection! The asphalt does not care what I am driving, neither does the hood of a car. Just because it has a cute little name "scooter" and you see idiots riding them with no helmet and sandals on does not mean they are any more safe than any other motorcycle. Sliding on the road at 60 mph hurts just as much off of a scooter as it does off of a bullet bike. All I have to say to you people is to please open the door of your car at 45 mph and jump out. Then let me know how well you faired.

Another short scoot story from today. So I took my scoot in for it's yearly safety inspection. Luckily this only costs $9, but it is still a bit of a rip because all they do is make sure your lights are working. Unfortunately all of mine were not. My tail light worked but my brake light did not. The guy at the shop told me he could sell me one of theirs for $4.50 or I could go down the street to autozone and get one for a couple bucks cheaper. I took his advice, went to autozone and replaced the light. I went back to the shop and they passed buddy. Now, here is a side note. I usually get a discount at this place when I do safety & emissions on my truck there because of the place I work. So, as you can imagine I was curious if I would also get a discount on the scooter's inpspection. So I asked the guy and he just rolls his eyes and said "dude, it's only 9 bucks." I wanted to scream in his face "you just sent me down the street to save a dollar on the light bulb and I did it, I am obviously a tight wad now give me a dollar off this ish!" Well, I didn't get the discount but whatev, his demeanor just pissed me off.

In other news I recently started an internship at the Radio From Hell morning show at X96. It has been extremely fun and I have learned a ton. I am currently working on digitizing some old shows from the early 90's so we can use them on the upcoming 5000th episode. I have also been editing the episodes for the podcast (available for free on iTunes). You can see my little intern bio on their website here.
I have to wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning every Tuesday and Thursday and have been riding the trax all the way down there. This should provide for some interesting stories as well.

As far as school goes I am almost done with an Associates of Science degree in Communication. I should have that in December. Then from there I will continue to get a Bachelors of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism. I really still don't know what I want to do... but whatever it is it will be in the field. Hopefully.

Now you are relatively caught up and you can look forward to more of my annoyance incidents.

Update

2008-04-20T22:30:00.003-06:00

The Trevonation blog has reached 20 posts. That is quite the milestone wouldn't you say? I guess I have not written as many "commentary" posts as I would have liked. It has been mostly movie reviews. I just like movies you know. I did a few concert reviews OK so leave me alone.

There has been a serious lack in quality movies to review as of late. As such I have not had much to review. I shall soon be forced to start writing about my opinion on things other than movies and concerts. Let us hope that Hollywood kicks into gear soon and gives me something to write about before that happens.

Thanks to everyone who actually reads this. You are all so completely silent... I can only assume you are actually out there.

Here is something to watch while you are putting off writing your research paper. This 22-year old pre-med student has started posting his take on random news stories on YouTube. He is pretty funny/clever and has a better news voice than Tom Brokaw. www.phillyd.tv

Jimmy Eat World Concert

2008-04-15T11:55:00.003-06:00

Arizona native rock band Jimmy Eat World played to a full house at UVSC's McKay Events Center Monday. The general admission area was full and almost every seat in the house had an occupant. After 15 years and 6 albums it seems Jimmy Eat World has finally achieved a decent sized fan-base.

The band played the same venue only about 3 1/2 years ago to merely half the amount of people. This time though they were able to virtually sell-out Orem's largest concert venue.

The songs the band played spanned their long career. They even dusted off some old gems sung by guitarist Tom Linton (who was the bands front man in the very early stages). The real highlights though were when charismatic lead singer Jim Adkins took over the microphone. They band played some classic radio hits like "A Praise Chorus" and "Sweetness" from 2001's Bleed American before moving into the well received new material from their latest album Chase this Light. Recent hits like "Let it Happen," and "Dizzy" had the crowd singing along in droves. Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams even sang back-up vocals during the song "Always Be."

Opening acts included fellow Arizona indie rock band Dear and the Headlights (no really that is how it was spelled) and the Grammy-nominated Tennessee pop rock band Paramore.

Dillinger Escape Plan Concert

2008-04-13T13:25:00.004-06:00

"It's been a few years since we've been here," said Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato Saturday night at the Avalon Theater. "It is good to be back." And oh how good it was.

Dillinger completely tore up the stage at their first concert in Utah in 5 years. With little or no introductions they blistered through a carefully crafted set list that satisfied fans new and old. Songs included "Baby's first Coffin" and "Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants" from their 2004 release Miss Machine and "Sugar Coated Sour" and "43% Burnt" from their 1999 debut album Calculating Infinity. The majority of the set list however was derived from the band's latest effort Ire Works. The intensity on stage multiplied when the band exploded into new songs like "Fix your Face" and "Milk Lizard."

Perhaps I can give you an image of how this concert went down. During the last song this was the placement of band members. Guitarist Ben Weinman headbanging atop a stacked amplifier and lighting fixture. Drummer Gil Sharone murdering his drums with relentless power. Vocalist Greg Puciato 20 feet in the air on top of the house PA system. Guitarist Jeff Tuttle mid-crowd facing his band mates. Bassist Liam Wilson... well OK he doesn't move around that much, but whatever he was doing I'm sure it justified the handlebar mustache he sports.

I would say this concert demolished ever other metal concert I have ever been to. Although the crowd was relatively small, it only made for a greater chance to experience Dillinger. And it was just that, and experience. I was extremely disappointed to see about 15 people walk out sporadically throughout the set. These losers obviously only came to see The Bled. Now don't get me wrong... The Bled put on a great show. They definitely did not even come close to the 10 year veterans in Dillinger though.

Other opening acts included Salt Lake local band And Embers Rise (pretty standard linear metal, very talented guitarist), and Heavy Heavy Low Low from San Jose. Heavy Heavy Low Low was a perfect opener for Dillinger. They were the only band that actually appealed to the style of music I had come to see. If you are a fan of Dillinger, Botch, The Red Chord type music... check them out.

(photo courtesy of www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan)

Happy Valley

2008-04-03T19:20:00.004-06:00

Beautiful scenery. Low crime rates. Tons of Mormons. Doesn't this sound like a nice place? Well that's exactly what they want you think. Just don't pay attention to the fact that anti-depressant usage here is double the national average, and that there is a one teen minimum drug overdose death per week in "Happy Valley."

First time documentary director Ron Williams delves into the unseen but massive drug addictions that people refuse to acknowledge in Utah County. This idea came to him while trying to track down and rehabilitate his ex-wife and re-unite his daughter with her mother.

The film splices together a series of stories. Stories from the straight "A" students, the church leaders, and seemingly problem-less community. These stories involve addiction, denial, guilt, suffering, and often death. It is a unique and needed perspective that has been rightfully brought to light in hopes of creating awareness and getting help.

The film is little rough around the edges, and you can definitely see it is an independent film. It did win "Best Film" at the Breckenridge Film Festival in 2007 though... I think the story is so engrossing that the minor editing flaws go unnoticed.

Happy Valley will introduce you to people you never knew, and maybe even some you recognize. All of whom are intertwined in the world of prescription & street drug abuse. This world is definitely worth knowing about. "People need to stop looking through the window and start looking in the mirror." (my favorite quote from the movie.)

I am always a sucker for documentaries. I don't think I have ever seen one I didn't like... so maybe this will not interest you as much as it did me. This one is a little different though. Although it is set in Utah, Williams says it could have been filmed in any city. It's purpose is to educate people in hopes that it will help somebody. If you can sit through an hour and a half of drug addiction/abuse stories it is definitely worth a matinée ticket.

3/5 Stars

21

2008-04-01T15:51:00.008-06:00

You may have heard the general story. A group of MIT students form a team to count cards and go to Vegas to win it big. Now that is all you should take into this movie. Although it is loosely based on the book "Bringing Down The House," that book was also loosely based on the true events. (For the comprehensive true story click here). So don't listen to everyone who is saying that the story is distorted beyond belief. It is... but that is not the point. Take this movie for what it is. It is not a documentary of the true events. It is not a word-for-word adaptation of the book. It is however an AWESOME movie that is inspired by true events.

21 follows MIT student Ben Campbell (Jim Strugess, Across the Universe) as he struggles to find a way to pay for Harvard Medical School. He is reluctantly recruited by a team formed by the manipulative, conniving, yet lovable MIT professor Mickey Rosa (Keven Spacy, Superman Returns among many other things). The team masters the art of card counting, forms a system of code words and gestures to avoid getting caught, and takes their "business" on the road.

The team flies to Vegas every weekend and makes a fortune. Their strategy however is slowly being caught onto by Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne, you know.. Morpheus) a casino security manager who's job is steadily being phased out by new face recognition technology.

21 is extremely fun to watch with a fast paced story and excellent performances. The cinematography aint to shabby either. Especially the Vegas scenes. The dialogue is smart and cool. Flawless editing. There is a pretty unneccessary love story between Ben and another team member... and the ending seems just a bit contrived (but in a good movie-way)... but overall I thought it was definitely the best movie to hit the theaters in 2008 so far. Worth a full price evening ticket.

4/5 stars

Run Fatboy Run

2008-03-30T22:11:00.004-06:00

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

2008-03-26T16:31:00.003-06:00

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

2008-03-17T19:16:00.004-06:00

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

2008-03-13T22:09:00.003-06:00

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

2008-03-06T11:11:00.008-07:00

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.

Gone Baby Gone

2008-02-26T21:05:00.006-07:00

Ben Affleck..... screen writing?.... Directing?..... There is no way that can be good. If that was your line of thinking (as was mine) you may be pleasantly surprised with his debut behind the camera.

Gone Baby Gone stars Casey Affleck (Oceans Thirteen, The Last Kiss) as private detective Patrick Kenzie. He is hired (along with his associate/girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)) to find a missing child (Amanda) who may or may not have been kidnapped. The movie follows the events surrounding Amanda's disappearance and the people involved in her recovery. I don't want to give you much more of the plot because it is actually pretty fun to watch and figure out yourself.

This is a good old fashioned crime/mystery/action movie with some pretty intense scenes. It takes a good half hour or so to get rolling so don't give up on it. The final scenes of this film beg questions of morality that you may not be willing to answer, but hopefully will give you something to think about.

Not the superb performance I have come to expect from Morgan Freeman, but it wasn't really that big of a part anyway. It's cool, I've seen his acting chops on display many times before. Captain Jack Doyle is a very different character for Freeman, but being the great talent he is he adapts quite well.

Exceptional portrayal of Detective Remy Bressant by Ed Harris. It may be my favorite role of his since The Truman Show. At times he is the most one-dimensional character in the movie, but at other times the most dynamic.

Overall I was impressed. Maybe Ben found his place in the film making industry. At least this place doesn't make me want to break his jaw with a tire iron.

3.5/4 Stars.

So You Missed The Oscars...

2008-02-25T19:12:00.004-07:00

This years Academy Awards (which aired last night) had the lowest ratings in twenty years! WTF? How dare you! Didn't you like Juno? LIAR! You loved it! So why didn't you watch and root for Ellen Page? Because the brilliant visionary you had better ideas for your Sunday evening right? Well, I"m still mad at you anyway.

But I will catch you up. Here is my highlight reel of winners with a few sarcastic/witty/pointless comments.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men). Definitely a good pick Academy. The only person I think deserved in maybe a little bit more was Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma), but he wasn't nominated so whatev.

Actress in a Supporting Role: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton). So... even with all the hype and nominations I never saw this movie. Maybe I should though. Sorry bro.

Documentary Feature: Taxi to the Dark Side. Again, I missed it. I really dropped the ball this year. From the clips I've seen of this though... It looks really good. It is about the treatment of war prisoners.

Art Direction: Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Now I never reviewed this movie on here but I did see it. Sweeny won best picture at the Golden Globes along with Atonement. I think I agree with this award as well. The art and set decoration for this film was extremely unique and interesting. If you haven't seen this I suggest it. Depp aint the best singer in town but it is pretty fun to watch. Some catchy songs and tons of blood. One of the few musicals that I can actually sit through more than once.

Music (Score): Atonement. I'm sort of on the fence with this one... good movie... but I don't think the score was really that amazing. I would have given this one to Into the Wild.

Sound (Mixing & Editing): The Bourne Ultimatum. I have not seen any of the Bourne series simply because I loathe Matt Damon. I don't even know why I just hate the guy, he's just so smug. No thanks.

Film Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum. See previous comment.

Cinematography: There Will Be Blood. I agree one hundred percent here. Excellent Cinematography. If you have not seen this movie yet.. what are you waiting for? Awesome, Awesome, Awesome.

Actor In a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood). Again, yes! Such a great performance. This guy is a solid actor fo sho. Maybe the best American accent since Hugh Laurie. (he really has an English accent).

Actress In a Leading Role: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose). Huh? I never even heard of this movie. I really need to polish up on my cinematic endeavors. Huge upset as far as I'm concerned. Ellen page deserved it. Bummer.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): No Country for Old Men. Sweet. I never read the book, but from a movie perspective the writing was excellent. Very interesting. Another must see. Get to it!!

Writing (Original Screenplay): Juno. For me this was a complete draw between Juno and Lars and the Real Girl. Although I still don't know if I agree with this specific award I would have rather seen Lars walk away with no awards than Juno.

Directing: No Country for Old Men. Definitely deserved. The Coen bros are now officially legendary directors.

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men. Alright alright, this was a really good movie... but I would have taken There Will be Blood or Juno (of the films nominated in this category) as best picture instead. Sorry Joel and Ethan.

So there you go. You didn't even need to watch it. I hope you enjoyed playing wii at your buddy's house instead. It's cool though, you could tell the writers strike just ended like a week ago. It took them three and a half hours to dish out these awards. I would have rather been playing wii too.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

2008-02-17T20:35:00.004-07:00

It is a bummer that I already picked my top movies of 2007 because King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters definitely would have made it.

King of Kong is a documentary that follows recently laid off Steve Wiebe as he challenges the world record high score on Donkey Kong (held by video game legend Billy Mitchell). After the multi-talented Wiebe loses his job at Boeing, he takes time to re-evaluate his goals. He realizes that there has never been a point in his life where he was the best at something. That something, could be Donkey Kong. He buys an old arcade Donkey Kong machine and sets it up in his garage and practices relentlessly. He finally films himself beating the high score, only to have the officials at Twin Galaxies (the official video game score keeper) deny the score after examining the electronics of his machine.

We follow incident after incident of Steve being denied the ability to hold the title. Billy is an icon in the video game industry, and Steve is an outsider. Every possible route is exploited in order for Billy to keep his long-standing title. Hypocrisy runs rampant as Billy refuses to meet Steve in a head-to-head live Donkey Kong showdown. You start to wonder how invested they are in Billy due to how unwilling they are to de-thrown him.

The characters in this film are so perfect you would think they were casted for their parts. They were too perfect. You can't write this kind of persona. Each person in the movie has an extensively interesting background. This creates for an extremely suspenseful series of events as Steve gets closer and closer to his goal, and as we unravel the world that is the underground video game community. You will find yourself rooting for Steve to stick it to the man.

These people have such a passion for gaming you can't help but get into it. You start getting excited when the score begins pushing record country. You sweat in anticipation of the kill-screen (the point in Donkey Kong where the game runs out of memory and you get an instant game over).

Steve's humility, conviction, and passion are truly admirable. You will miss him when the screen goes black.

Not since Rocky have I been so satisfied with a classic underdog saga. This simple little story is made into an amazing adventure movie that will keep your attention for every moment of it's 79 minute run-time. This is one of the most incredible, hilarious, and engaging documentaries I've ever seen. A fantastic examination of man vs empire as well as the the decline of western civilization.

You should no doubt rent (if not buy) this movie. The DVD has some awesome extras too.

4.5/5 Stars

Rambo

2008-02-06T20:33:00.001-07:00

I am a huge Stallone fan. Huge. I have a 5 foot Rocky Balboa poster in my room and a life-size cardboard standee of the Italian Stallion from Rocky I. I own both the Rambo & Rocky DVD box sets as well as pristine VHS copies of Judge Dredd, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and Cobra. As far as I am concerned Sly is the greatest action star of all time. So as much as I want to just say that this movie rules and leave it at that, I'll try to give an unbiased perspective (but I will inevitably fail).

I went into the latest and possibly last installment of the Rambo movies with extremely high hopes. I wanted to simply see Stallone tear it up one more time, and I really didn't care if there was even a decent storyline or not. I got exactly what I wanted.

The film begins with scenes depicting the sadistic violence and genocide taking place in Burma. While hundreds of innocent lives are being taken, Rambo lives a few miles down the river... catching some snakes. He appears to be completely apathetic about not only the situation most geographically relevant to him, but about the entire world itself. The journey we have seen Rambo on through the prior three movies seems to have come to an end. John has given up. He plans to live out his life in isolation.

A group of religious aid workers track down Rambo with the intention of having him give them a boat ride to their destination: Burma. After repeatedly refusing to help them, he finally but reluctantly gives in. As we see the most subdued Rambo ever guide his passengers down the river one might wonder if he has still got it. The ship is then ambushed by Burmese pirates. Rambo aint having none of that. After a quick confrontation he manages to wipe out every single crew member of the renegade ship with a hand gun. Awesome. After dropping off the workers at their destination Rambo returns to his snake hunting job and seemingly forgets about them. A few weeks later a leader from the workers' church comes looking for them. It turns out their camp was raided and they have been taken prisoner. The man has hired some mercenaries to retrieve his members and simply asks Rambo to take them to the area where he dropped the group off. Rambo agrees to help them.

This is where the classic Stallone action movie kicks in. Rambo gives a few solemn words to the audience as he sharpens the knife he has become so synonymous with. After taking the mercenaries to the shore of the invaded camp Rambo is told to stay behind with the boat and wait. Ha! Right. The most dangerous member of the most dangerous military unit who received two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars (for Valor), four Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor; who is highly trained in all aspects of survival, weaponry, hand-to-hand combat and guerrilla warfare is going to stay behind and watch the boat. Think again mercenaries, Rambo bout to show ya how it's done! And he does just that.

Rambo leads the operation successfully extracting the majority of the prisoners and practically annihilating the entire Burmese armed forces. The film is not quite as Rambo-centric as it's predecessors. It focuses on each of the individual rescuers as well. This change in direction however, does not hinder Rambo's ability to have an all time high kill-count (83 on screen kills) in one movie. As he spends some of the last scenes behind a machine gun mowing down row after row of the enemy I couldn't help but smile and remember why I love Stallone. He knows how it's done. He wrote the book on it. The final scene in Rambo shows our hero finally completing his journey. After years of being a man without a country, maybe he will eventually find solace in the only place aside from a war zone that he has ever called home.

Stallone has definitely brought his acting to a level far beyond what most would expect from him. He has proved to be a pretty solid director as well. I think I liked the conclusion of the Rocky series a little bit more, but it was still a great resolution (maybe) to a great icon.

3.5/5 Stars

Top 10 Movies of 2007

2008-02-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

With the Academy Awards bearing down on us (February 24th, for those not "in the know") I thought I would give you what I believe were the best cinematic efforts of 2007, and which ones they thought were pretty good too.

10. Atonement
One of the few love stories I actually enjoyed. I think the only other one may have been Chocolat. Interesting conclusion. Exceptional direction. Nominated for Achievement in Cinematography, Music, Best Picture, & Adapted Screenplay.
3.5/5 Stars

9. Sicko
If you know me, you know I am a complete sucker for Documentaries, and Moore just makes them that much more enjoyable with his witty commentary. oh lolz, I'm so funny. The social commentary this guy spits, rad to the max. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature.
4/5 Stars

8. No Country for Old Men
The most disturbing performance I've seen in a long time. So many underlying subtleties. Great story. The Coens redeem themselves, big time. Nominated for Achievement in Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Sound, Adapted Screenplay & Best Picture
4/5 Stars

7. There Will Be Blood
Excellent storytelling, magnificent cinematography. Very engrossing film overall, I loved the last scene. Glorious. Daniel Day Lewis is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for this, he should win it I think. Nominated for Achievement in Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Sound, Adapted Screenplay & Best Picture.
4/5 Stars

6. Death Sentence
What I think is the highlight of Kevin Bacon's career. So extremely entertaining it almost hurts. Such raw intensity that has been absent in film since Taxi Driver. Death Sentence escapes the awards without a single nomination. Guess I was the only one who really liked this movie.
4/5 Stars

5. Lars and the Real Girl
This would be the second of Ryan Goslings amazing performances this year (the first being in Fracture). The character development in this movie for Lars is superb. I loved this movie. However, if you are the people that sat in the theater with me and thought that it was supposed to be a funny slapstick comedy you were wrong, wrong, wrong. You laughed at completely inappropriate moments and made me want to strangle you. Please go enjoy Meet the Spartans. Nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
4/5 Stars

4. 3:10 to Yuma
Amazing performances from Russel Crowe and Christian Bale. Not to mention the menacing demoniacally exceptional portrayal of Charlie Price by Ben Foster (where is the best supporting actor nomination here Academy?). Although it is a remake, I never saw the original. Extremely entertaining. Nominated for Achievement in Music & Sound
4/5 Stars

3. Alpha Dog
Oh but Trevo, J Tim is so lame, you are such a gay for liking him in this movie. Shut up you. This was such a great movie that if you are missing it because you too coo for the Tim, then you da gay my friend, you da gay. Also includes great Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch performances. Probably the most intense ending of the year. Sundance Film Festival Winner from '06. Excellence. Pure Excellence. Alpha Dog did not receive any nomination from this years awards, but it is likely because it did not premiere in 2007, but that is when I saw it in theaters so I include it with 2007 releases.
4.5/5 Stars

2. Juno
If Ellen Page does not win best actress for this I will cry. Spectacular writing. I want to see this movie 5 more times in the theaters before I buy the DVD and watch it 10 more times. Very unique soundtrack. "The most fun I had at the movies this year." Nominated for Achievement in Direction, Best Picture & Original Screenplay.
4.5/5 Stars

1. Into The Wild
I don't think this movie got anywhere near the credit it well deserved this year. Emile Hirsch has solidified his position in my heart as one of the greatest young American talents (but don't take that as an endorsement for the upcoming Speed Racer). Stunning Cinematography. Excellent directing by Sean Penn. Amazing soundtrack by Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder. Nominated for Achievement in Film Editing.
4.5/5 Stars

There Will Be Blood

2008-01-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

I really had no idea what to expect when I walked into There Will Be Blood. I mean really, I never saw a trailer for it, and look at that poster. How am I supposed to know what it is about? All I heard was that it was about an oil prospector and it had been nominated for best picture in pretty much every awards show for 2007. So obviously I had to see it right? Right.

The film starts out depicting the main character, Danial Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis; Gangs of New York) striking his first plot of oil, while simultaneously breaking his leg. We then see a few years later, Daniel acquiring a "son." The first 10 minutes of this movie are completely without dialogue, or even a spoken word for that matter. It is an extremely interesting way of presenting the background for the rest of the movie to build on, and I thought it was quite effective.

The next two and a half hours of There Will Be Blood are spent following the exploits of Daniel and his business partner/son, as they build an oil industry empire. The majority of the film takes place in a town that Plainview has practically completely purchased (save a few acres) for the purpose of extracting the oil from underneath. There are some interesting conflicts between Daniel and the town's resident preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano; Girl Next Door, Little Miss Sunshine), who's sermons make the "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord" congregations look like a gathering of Buddhist Monks.

There are a few scenes that I personally thought were filmed quite exceptionally. The first is when Daniel's main oil rig finally strikes oil. The sudden burst knocks his son from the rafters and renders him deaf. The director of photography must have gone hog-wild (yes, I said it, so what?) over these beautiful shots of the oil geiser, which eventually becomes engulfed in flames. The towering inferno rages on through the night, which provides a perfect background for these bewildering images to be portrayed on screen. There is also a fantastic scene where Mr. Plainview and his alleged brother begin marking the way for the oil pipeline that will be built. The cinematography in accord with the music make for a very interesting cinematic journey for these two men. However brief, it was one of my favorite parts of the movie.

Once There Will Be Blood begins to come to a conclusion Plainview no longer spends his days in the field. Instead he lives a life of solidarity and teeters on the edge of psychosis. It is in these last scenes that Day-Lewis gets to really bust out his acting chops. It is Loaded with emotional exchanges between his now grown-up son and his old friend Eli, which all leads to the final few minutes. This is one of my favorite endings of 2007. Throughout the movie you may wonder why the title is what it is. You will find out. There will be blood.

4/5 Stars

No Country for Old Men

2008-01-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to see No Country for Old Men for quite a while now. When it came out I had planned to see it with a few friends but something came up and we had to cancel. From then on every time I brought it up I got a "County? Old men? Yea that sounds great. I have never even heard of that movie," type of response. (Yes you know exactly who you are). So despite its rave reviews I was never able to see it. Then, to my surprise the local theater decided to show it again for one more week (after being gone for two weeks). I wasn't missing it this time.

I'm sure you have heard every single critic out there praising this movie, well they all had good reason to. No Country is one of the most original films of 2007. It is an accomplishment that will surely land the Coen brothers into the future film school text books.

The opening scene pans over a vast empty desert (save a few CGI animals), with a Tommy Lee Jones voice over. This voice over sets the tone for the entire movie. Some of my fellow audience members dismissed this scene as senile rambling and paid no attention to it. If you do this, you will not understand and possibly be upset by the seemingly abrupt ending.

Tommy Lee Jones plays Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, he does amazing as you should expect and obviously nails every line in the movie perfectly. However, there are two stand out performances in No Country that I didn't see coming. Josh Brolin (American Gangster, Planet Terror) is our protagonist Llewelyn Moss. This performance proves to me that Brolin can give just as much depth to a character as his co-star Jones. Although Moss is technically stealing the money he finds (which was likely stolen from someone else in the first place), the audience ends up rooting for him the whole way. You really do want him to escape the clutches of the deranged lunatic Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Chigurh wields quite a unique arsenal of weapons. The first is a Co2 tank connected to a tube on the end of a hose, an air-compressed gun. When he opens the valve of this tank and pulls the trigger on his contraption, it shoots out a small steel cylinder with extreme force only to suck it back in instantly. This gun was originally developed to quickly and efficiently kill cattle. He uses this "weapon" mostly to knock out deadbolt locks and enter places he was not intended to be. The other weapon is a silenced shotgun that sounds slightly reminiscent of the T-100's grenade launcher in Terminator 2: Judgement Day with a little hiss before the ammo is actually propelled. Morbidly awesome. Bardem's performance is as engrossing and disturbing as the character he portrays. It represents the mindless, un-negotiable violence that exists in society today.

There is a beautiful lack of soundtrack in No Country. This was an aspect that also may upset the average movie-goer. I thought though, it was a refreshing style of storytelling that fit the motif of the film perfectly. The audience is on edge throughout the duration the movie's running time because the music wont cue their minds to begin or stop the suspense. The sound is borderline masterpiece. Without the distractions of music you are able to hear the delicate thought that was put into every footstep, gunshot, and crash.

This piece of cinema is a gritty, violent, and superbly delivered piece that examines morality itself, suggesting it could all be just as certain as a coin toss. There are some extremely subtle themes underlying throughout this film, so many it could take you quite a few hours of deep reflection to catch them all. If you have a short attention span, don't see No Country for Old Men because it is a slow moving, slowly developing character type of film and you will annoy those of us that are there to appreciate a truly great film by the modern day auteurs Coen. It is not a mindless race a fast car, kill a bad guy with an oozie, blow up a building movie. It requires you to actually pay attention and think, if it is in your mental capacity to comprehend. Sorry Bro.
I will not be surprised in the least if No Country walks away from the Academy Awards with best sound, direction, and adapted screenplay.

4/5 Stars

Atonement

2008-01-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

An first glance, this is not my kind of movie. I don't usually go see romantic/love story movies. However, due to my girlfriends comments of how she goes to every "blow up the bad guy" movie with me and we never get to see girl movies, I decided to give in. That and the fact that it won Best Picture at the Golden Globes.
I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this movie actually was. Atonement takes place in pre-war England and begins with Briony Tallis (weirdest name I've ever heard, and one of the most conflicted little girls I've ever seen) writing a play. The movie follows a series of events that lead 13 year old Briony to believe that Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), her sister's (Keira Knightley) secret lover, is a sex crazed rapist. She testifies against him and Robbie is sent to prison. Eventually he is given the ultimatum to continue his life of imprisonment or join the British forces. He elects to enlist. The audience is able to see the pain that both Robbie and Cecelia (Knightley) are subjected to because of their separation. As their love for each other seems to grow the longer they are apart.
Atonement is anything but linear. Unlike most conventional love stories things don't happen exactly in chronological order. The time line is carefully plotted by director Joe Wright to accentuated emotion.
There is a scene about 3/4 of the way through the movie where Robbie and what I can only assume are the remains of his battalion stumble upon the Dunkirk evacuation. We are subjected to the living conditions of thousands of soldiers that have been completely tapped of all physical and mental energy as they wait for a their boat ride home. This is by far the most spectacular scene in the movie. Joe Wright opts for a single seamless take as Robbie walks through the crowds in search of something to drink. The way this scene is shot allows for the audience to not only feel Robbies pain, but the pain of every person he passes. It is pure sensual and aesthetic pleasure.
The ending is something that will take you by surprise, even if you are paying close attention. I didn't catch it, and I usually catch twists about a half hour into a movie (ahem, Sweeny Tood). I don't know if I would say that this was the best movie of 2007, but I would definitely allow in to enjoy a placement in my top 5.

3.5/5 stars

Hatchet

2008-01-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this movie sitting on the shelf at your local best buy recently and wondered what it was doing there. It must not have been very good since the illustrious movie critic you had never heard of it. Well, you were kind of right.
Unless you are a big fan of slasher/thriller films you would likely have not gotten word that Adam Green (Spiral, King in the Box) was directing a good old fashioned American slasher movie. This however, was not the major selling point. The buzz over Hatchet was that is was co-starring the two biggest names to ever wield a blade; Kane Hodder (the man who has played Jason Voorhees more times than anyone else) and the demonic terror of Elm Street himself Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger). These were the names I expected to see on the roster back in 2003 when Freddy vs Jason hit theaters (director Ronny Yu opted to have the 6' 5" Canadian Ken Kirzinger dawn the hockey mask instead of Hodder, to the dismay of many die hard Friday the 13th fans). With these two titans of horror how could Hatchet be anything less than the most gruesome, disturbing, and violent piece of cinema since maybe ... ever?

It was violent.

Hatchet opens with Sampson (Robert Englund) and his son Ainsley fishing for crocodiles in a swamp, moments later Sampson is attacked and disemboweled. So that is it, right there Robert Englund is dead... That's cool right? This is a slasher movie, surely he will come back to life and wreak havoc, right? Nope. He is dead. Gone. In the movie for maybe 8 minutes.
The movie takes place during Mardi Gras, and as you can imagine there are countless women removing their tops (not unfamiliar to the slasher genre). The main character Ben, played be the comedic Joel Moore (Dodgeball, Grandma's Boy) is still writhing from a nasty breakup with his girlfriend and is unimpressed with the nudity and intoxication that occupies his friend's vacation. He takes his pal Marcus and they decide to go on a midnight "scare boat" ride. The boat breaks down in the middle of the swamp near a cabin owned by Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), a boy who died there from an axe wound to the head years ago and comes back to tear up some people. You can likely guess how the rest of the movie goes from there.

It is maybe not exactly what us slasher fans were hoping for, but you do get to see Kane rip out some spines, tear open some jaws, and impale some girl on a shovel that he just used to decapitate somebody else with. Kane truly was the sparkling gem in this film, he gives Victor Crowley just as much love and devotion as he gives his beloved Jason Voorhees.

As far as the "Comedy" aspect of this movie goes, it was actually very refreshing. It was not a slapstick make-fun-of-other-horror-movies
since-making-fun-of-movies-is-such-a-fresh-and-new-idea Scary Movie type of funny. It was very subtle puns and reactions that led it to be considered "comedy." Oh yea, and the gallons and gallons of blood spraying out of recently detached limbs as if being shot out of a super soaker kind of brings a smile to your face to (if you are as twisted and demented a movie goer as myself).

Hatchet is something fresh, as it boasts on the movie poster "not a remake, not a sequel, and it's not based on a Japanese one." It is good old fashioned slasher flick with completely unrealistic circumstances, pointless side stories, forgettable characters, and several bloody, gruesome, gore-riffic deaths. I just want something like this but with an exceptional plot and character development.

3/5 stars.

I totally just blogged

2008-01-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

So, this is it. I now have a blog. Why, you ask? Obviously it is because I have so many great ideas that I simply must post on the internet (the most prestigious of publication mediums)? No. Because I want to keep on online journal of events and feelings? No. I am starting this blog simply to get extra credit in my "Writing for the Mass Media" class. I have to make 20 decent entries in this blog by the end of the semester. The following weeks will include whatever I feel like writing about. I assume I will post annoyances with people I encounter (anyone who knows me knows I could write a library on that subject), maybe some satire, a movie review here and there... who knows. That is why I called it Trevo_lution, a term I came up with that has absolutely no meaning and will lead you to expect nothing of any value, hopefully. As of yet I am writing to an unknown audience. however, I may end up telling someone about it if I ever write anything I think is worth reading about. Until then, I have something for you to dwell on.

You know on advertisements when you see a variety of one item, like different color earphones, or a few old dvd movies. And on the top it says "YOUR CHOICE ONLY $9.99". You know what I'm talking about right? Well, to that I have this to say. IT'S ALWAYS MY CHOICE. I am giving you MY money and I'm sure not going to have what I take home be YOUR choice now am I? This is something I just really have never understood. Are there really people out there that think "Wow! I get to choose whichever one I want!" You see mr. or ms. avid mall shopper, you always get to choose whichever one you want. That is the beauty of the way the American market works. You take your money to the establishment of your choice and choose what you would like to exchange it for, do you really need Target to tell you that you really do get to choose?