The album of the week this time is....

BELLE & SEBASTIAN- WRITE ABOUT LOVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDTUAgMu6VU&feature=related

I grew up listening to Belle & Sebastian. Heck I saw them live recently and they were just as good as I remembered. Many have critisized this album for being nothing special, and too similar to their old albums. To be fair that is kind of true. They really haven't changed much over the years. Their songs are still fantastic, but those who don't like their older albums I wouldn't recommend this. I would recommend it if you like their older albums though or if you like very catchy guitar pop with a 60's influence from bands like The Kinks.

They are one of the few bands these days whose lyrics are a big part of the song. Most of the time i can never hear the lyrics but Belle & Sebastian songs tend to tell charming little stories. That is one of the main reasons I like them. Sure they don't change much, but like a lovely warm stew they are comforting to listen to. I'm sure many will dismiss this album, but to me it is one of the best of 2010. I love this kind of music.

the film of the week this time is ME AND ORSON WELLES.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1175506/

I think people are too harsh on Zac Efron. Sure he did the crappy High school musical films, but come on those films would be crap no matter who was in them. He just played his crappy character as best as he could. If Disney paid me tons of money to act in crap, I would do it. I wouldn't think twice because money is a nice thing to have. Zac Efron isn't a great actor by a long shot, but he plays this role very well. Someone like Emile Hirsch would have done it better, but Efron isn't bad. He adds that whimsical air that fits his character. In this film, his character makes life appear overly romantic which makes Efron a good choice. One day when wallking he manages to join the Mercury theater run by a young Orson Welles.

While there his romantic views of life are shattered by the theater life. This is the best part of the film to me since i grew up with a family that was very involved in theater and I remember being backstage for a lot of theater shows. This film nails the details perfectly. This might not interest a lot of people, but to me it made the film more involving. Another great aspect of the film is Christian McKay who plays Orson Welles. Not only does he look very similar to Welles, but he captures the man's intensity like no other actor. You really believe you are watching the real Orson Welles as a young man. Sure this film can be a bit whimsical, but I thought it was delightful.

The album of the week this time is....

PINEAPPLE THIEF- SOMEONE HERE IS MISSING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i0nXbCskmI&feature=related

Pineapple thief have been around for years, but so far they haven't had any mainstream success. Yes they sound a bit like Radiohead, which probably doesn't help. However I think they are a much better band. I like Radiohead, but their songs never go below surface level. They sound interesting and can be fantastic, but other than a few exceptions they don't feel like they have an emotional or lyrical center. This album is different. It has a very obvious, and very well done overall theme. It can be described as an album about love, but it is mostly about the negative aspects like betrayal, lust, and other delights.

It mixes electronic sounds, with visceral guitar in a way that few bands can do well. I don't like a lot of electronic music when it is the focus but here when it is a part of the rest of the instrumentals it adds an element of something that makes the songs stand out more. All of Pineapple Thief's albums are worth checking out, but this is easily their best. It shows that 2010 has been a great year so far for music. Bands like this are a great representation of how good modern music can be.

The film of the week this time is DESPICABLE ME.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/

To be honest I really didnt want to see Despicable me. The trailers for it looked awful, and I am not a big fan of Steve Carrell. However I was on a plane recently and decided to take a chance and watch it. I was very surprised by how good it was. I thought Carrell did a great job, but what really surprised me was Jason Segel, and Russell Brand. I had no idea who was the Vector, and Dr. Nefario characters. I thought I recognized the doctor's voice, but I was impressed by how good Brand, and Segel's voices were.

Segel especially managed to sound nothing like his usual voice. What makes this film so good is how much heart it has. Animated films with heart and tough to do because it can come off as being cheesy, and overly sentimental. Despicable me manages to balance humor with characters, plot, and emotion very well. The orphan kids are adorable, and their relationship with Gru was very sweet. I don't tend to go for this kind of film, but I quite liked this.

The album of the week this time is...

THE NATIONAL- HIGH VIOLET

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_yskRDrmqI

I hope it isn't too soon to call The National one of the best bands of the decade. Well last decade anyway. Them and Okkervil River are easily the most consistant bands from this decade. Every album The National releases with the possible exception of their first, is great. High Violet is no exception. It is easily the best album of 2010. It's tough to pick a single best album of 2010 for me because there are so many great albums and music is a mood for me. Sometimes i want to hear something downbeat, and other times I want to hear something catchy and poppy. What makes High Violet so damn good is the atmosphere of the album. Their songs have an incredible sound that really draws you into the songs.

In a way it sounds like the sound I mentioned in the last album of the week, Wall of sound. Their instrumentals can be a bit minimalist, but it fits the songs perfectly. I also really like the lead singers voice. We have way too many high pitched vocalists, so it's nice to hear someone with a distinct deep voice. Their songs tended on previous albums tended to be about dark subjects like alienation, but here the songs are a lot more introverted and relating to the average person's emotions. I can't think of any band currently that sounds like The National. They are an example of what makes our decade so good for music. I think I will be doing albums of 2010 for a few weeks. It's more fun for me if the albums are recent. Anyway I recommend getting this album.

The film of the week this time is HEATHERS.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097493/

Heathers is easily the best comedy about high school. It takes all the essential tried and true elements like the social outcast fighting the popular girls by joining them and makes it great by being dark and twisted. Sadly the director never did anything after this worth seeing. Christian Slater plays JD, a messed up young man who wants to get back at everyone at school. I won't reveal how he does it, but I will say it is hilarious, and dark. Winona Ryder, and Christian Slater make a great team, and even though it gets a bit conventional later on it is still worth seeing. The title Heathers comes from the three evil Heather girls who control the school through manipulation, and sex appeal.

Okay I was lieing before, JD tries to get back at the people at school by making it look like various people killed themselves. This unfortunately makes the Heathers control on the school even tighter. From there things get even more twisted. I wish Christian Slater acted in more films, he shows here that he has tons of potential as an actor. If you like a good dark comedy about school politics I highly recommend it. The only way to describe it is Mean Girls but more messed up.

The album of the week this time is....

THE LOVE LANGUAGE- LIBRARIES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6J4Kup4v3w

I usually try to pick older albums, but I am so into this right now I had to post it. The Love Language started as a lo fi project by Stuart Mclamb. Their debut album was good, but it felt like the band had a lot more potential that they didn't use well enough yet. The first album relied so much on how lo fi it is that the songs tended to be a bit hit and miss. This album is the exact opposite. It has the lo fi charm of the original, but mixed with better sounding instrumentals, and better songs. Libraries uses the recording method originally developed by Phil Spector called Wall of sound. The instrumentals in Libraries a lot of the time merge into one dynamic and bombastic sound that makes it stand out from most albums this year. It is a very old fashion sounding album with songs that sound like they were recorded in the 60's. It is also one of the best albums of 2010. I look forward to whatever this group does in the future.

The film of the week this time is HEAVENLY CREATURES.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110005/

I am one of the few people who really didn't care much about the Lord of the rings films. They were good, but I don't love them as much as many do. Peter Jackson used to be a director I had tons of respect for, and in a way he still is. He used to be able to blend special effects, characters, and story better than most. Heavenly Creatures is an example of that. There are some very cool looking effects that mix perfectly with the disturbing story. Now though he uses so much CGI that his films are almost soulless. The Lovely Bones especially was a piece of crap that bordered on offensive.

What makes Heavenly creatures so damn good is the two leads Kate Winslet, and Melanie Lynskey. Their friendship starts off somewhat normal but gets more and more weird as they start retreating into their own fantasy world. There are questions of sexuality brought up as their friendship gets deeper, and their parents start to get concerned about them. What happens in the end is one of the most brutal and shocking scenes I can think of. My mom was around when this actually happened. One of the real girls from the film is actually a quite successful writer.

The album of the week is...

GIN BLOSSOMS- NEW MISERABLE EXPERIENCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UBnjzJMQ0

I am feeling nostalgic recently for music of the 90's. I remember The Gin Blossoms very well. This album used to be one of my favorites when I first moved to Los Angeles from London. For a while the only music I listed to was Brit Pop. I admit I was a bit closed minded, but I holding on to my heritage while my brother did the opposite. He embraced everything American and he even lost his accent very soon after he arrived. What makes this album special to me is that is was the first band I remember that really got me into American music. Thanks to the Gin Blossoms my mind was open to a whole country of fantastic music. Soon I got into grunge while still loving my favorite brit pop bands, but this album will always be great to me. The mix of country and pop music is catchy and fun to this day. I think they are even making a new album.

The film of the week this time is THREE KINGS.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120188/

The Gulf war is difficult to make a good film story out of. Any war is really, but The Gulf war wasn't that long ago. With recent wars like that you have to be very careful how you handle the material. Thankfully, this film treats the war with respect and never feels like it is mocking it despite the moments of comedy. Three Kings is pretty similar plot wise to the war film Kelly's heroes. In fact when it came out I remember people saying it was a rip off. Honestly other than the plot of a group of soldiers working together to steal gold, the similarities are not worth mentioning. This film was directed by David O. Russell, who some may know as the man who directed the baffling film I Heart Huckabees. I am not a fan of that one personally, but I respect Russell for being one of the few directors these days with a somewhat unique vision.This is easily his best film because even though it has characters who openly support the war, and are openly religious, it never feels like it is preaching any kind of message.

If anything it is an anti war film about how seeing attrocities can change the way we act. Many soldiers in The Gulf War didn't even see much combat, so naturally they would be a bit enthusiastic when the idea of it becomes a reality. When it happens in the film it never feels like exploitation. There is a part of the film where Clooney's character describes the effect a bullet has on someone's insides. This is shown in very gross detail, and later elaborated on when a soldier is injured. The moments of comedy help make this film stand out from the crowd, as do the interesting characters played very well by George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube. Another part of the film I liked was that it portrayed everyone as being human. Even the people who kidnap one of the main characters have some humanity in them, which makes the decisions they make a lot more emotional. This is one of the best films of the 90's, and one I highly recommend.