The album of the week this time is...

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS- FLOOD

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

This album brings back a lot of memories. I wasn't alive when it first came out, but I remember a good friend of mine playing it to me when I was a kid. Back then I really only listened to cheesy pop music. Nothing wrong with that, but after this album I got into Grunge, Brit pop, and all the other music I love now. It's odd considering this album has nothing to do with those genres, but somehow it got me interested in discovering more music. It showed me that there can be unique, and interesting music if I went out of my way to find it.

I think They Might Be Giants only make kid's music now, but in their prime they made some fantastic songs. Their sound was an odd mix of catchy pop, and bizzare lyrics. Their instrumentals sound pretty unique too compared to a lot of bands at the time. It's actually quite impressive that they did so well since their music was quite experimental in a way. Sure it was essentially pop, but it was weird. This is a nostalgia album for me. I recommend listening to this band if you like your music a bit odd.

The film of the week this time is FOUR LIONS.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1341167/

Four Lions is a film I was looking forward to for a while. I am a big fan of the director Chris Morris. He has been making some of the best TV comedies ever. A lot of people I know found the subject matter of this film too serious to find funny. Now I admit that fundamentalist suicide bombers are not exactly the first group of people we label as funny, but every group of nuts must have their fair share of ridiculous moments. Thankfully this film never feels the need to preach any kind of message against or for Islam. It shows all sides and how every people can be twisted into doing terrible things. Four Lions is essentially a comedy, but it isn't always funny.

It has moments that made me cry with laughter, but others were the tone got a lot darker. It gets a lot more serious near the end, but I actually respect it more for that because it treats it's subject matter with maturity rather than ending with a silly joke. If you like a good satire, or dark comedy then I highly recommend this film. It is one of the best of 2010. Also track down pretty much everything else that the director Chris Morris has been involved in. His old show Brass Eye is one of the best TV comedies ever made. We need more films like Four Lions.

The album of the week this time is...

RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS- BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23-HXhTxHtQ&feature=related

It's a shame the Red Hot Chilli Peppers released such a good album so early in their careers. Nothing they have done since can top this. I remember when I bought it at a time when I really didn't care about funk music. Heck I listened to Brittany Spears, and Backstreet Boys a lot of the time so my music tastes had not evolved much yet. This album blew me away. It's mix of fast paced funk, and rock was better than anything I had heart at the time. Their other albums are good, but nothing compares to this. Most of the time they just do very similar songs over and over again. They are never bad, but they never really change either.

The film of the week this time is THE LIFE OF BRIAN.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/

Most people I talk to think that The Holy Grail is the Pyton's best film. I love all the films they did, but this one has always made me laugh the most. It is also their most consistant film. Heck despite how silly it is, I would say this is a fairly smart satire. When it came out it attracted some controversy because some people thought it mocked Jesus. It does the exact opposite in fact. Jesus only really appears one near the start. The great satire comes in when Brian is mistaken for the Messiah. There are tons of brilliant lines, and a memorable musical moment at the end. Monty Python has always been unique.

I may find some of their sketches from The Flying Circus a bit hit and miss, but their influence cannot be denied. I think this is one of the best comedies ever. Not only is it hilarious, but it paints a surprisingly realistic looking setting for the story to unfold. I can't really think of any bad lines or scenes. Some may find the alien scene a bit weird and random, but that is to be expected from the Pythons. There was nobody else like them. It's a shame we don't have more comedies like this.

The album of the week this time is...

COUNTING CROWS- AUGUST AND EVERYTHING AFTER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oqAU5VxFWs

I have been listening to a lot of music from the 90's recently. Back then I listened to a lot of Brit Pop like Blur, and Oasis, and sadly some boy bands too. This band completely slipped past me. This is easily their best album. Their others are decent, but they never approach the greatness of this. What makes this album so good is it's timing. Well that and how great it is in general. It came out at a time when Grunge was taking over.

Really angsty and aggresive music was what everyone loved, and while there is nothing wrong with Grunge, a lot of people needed a break. Counting Crows were a slightly more upbeat band. Their sound was a lot more folky. A bit like Van Morrison mixed with the occasional more melancholy tune. I would write more about them, but it is very late and I have work tomorrow morning. I highly recommend this album. One of the best of the 90's by far.

The film of the week this time is THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366996/

This is a really weird film. I just want to say that now. I am very fond of musicals. Heck I grew up watching them. However the genre has become very stale and monotonous over the years. There are very few musicals that try and do something different. This is one that tries to be different, and for the most part it does well. The film is about a beer baroness during the Great Depression organizes a contest to find the saddest music in the world. That sounds somewhat normal, but trust me this film is anything but normal. People from around the world come to try and win the contest, including a shady businessman played by Mark McKinney.

There are a lot of odd things in this film. The beer baroness lost her legs in a car crash, and one character gets life advice from her tapeworm. Most of the film is made to look like a silent film from the 30's. That means a lot of black and white, and out of sync dialogue. This can seem like a gimmick to some, but the black & white mixed with occasional color works well in the context of the film. Eventually the contest boils down to one family. This is where it gets a lot more interesting. I really can't describe the plot too much without spoiling it. I highly recommend this film if you like weirdness. It has a great sense of humor, and a unique visual look that makes it stand out. I have never seen a film like it.

The album of the week this time is...

SCISSOR SISTERS- SCISSOR SISTERS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-0d3cjgfLg

I bet some of you thought I was going to pick a really obscure album by some prog rock band. I actually really enjoy the Scissor Sisters. Their debut album was the last time I found any pop album remotely interesting. It was such a refreshing sound. Nostalgic and catchy but not never to the point where it became monotonous. It was a weird mix of The Bee Gees, Queen, and a bit of David Bowie. I love a great piece of clasical music, and overly long prog rock epics, but sometimes a catchy pop tune is exactly what I need. What made them stand out was how ridiculous and campy they were.

It was obvious that they didn't take themselves very seriously. Their songs were often very silly, but that just made them more endearing. They still make great pop music today. Their second album was a bit hit and miss, but their new release Night Work is fantastic. I thought I would take a break from my usual obscure indie, and prog albums of the week. I still love that music, but honestly if you want some catchy pop then I highly recommend this. I don't even dance and I was quite tempted to while listening to this.

The film of the week this time is SPEED RACER.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0811080/

I remember when I first heard about Speed Racer. I was a huge fan of the tv series from back when I was kid, so the idea of a film sounded both terrible and amazing. The tv show was terrible actually, but in a charming way that my younger mind could not comprehend. Then the film came out and everyone hated it. Critics thought it was a overly flashy piece of crap with cheesy writing, and overly melodramatic acting. I can understand these complaints because they are all true. Speed Racer was never going to be a good film. It's not the kind of material that could be done in the modern era where an old series is given a gritty reboot. Not even Christopher Nolan could have done it. Speed Racer is not a great film. I don't think it could even qualify as a great one. Actually forget that, it is an amazing film. Yet it is also kind of terrible. In a way it is like Flash Gordon. Sure it's campy and over the top, but it is done so well that I really couldn't care less.

The film looks fantastic. I can't remember who it was, but some critic described the visuals as looking like the inside of a futuristic pinball machine. That pretty much describes it. Everything in this film is colorful, and crazy. The races are the best part. The laws of physics get broken constantly as cars bounce around like hot wheels cars, and throw random insanity at each other. The cars use anything to win from bee hives, to oil spills. They also fly around in slow motion and spin on the track for no apparent reason. Oh and the film has a scene when John Goodman fights a ninja. There is also a monkey that belongs to one of the characters.

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

TALLEST MAN ON EARTH- THE WILD HUNT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOlm4OIpx4s

Wow it has been quite a year. A lot of ups and owns, but music has been consistantly good. Tallest Man on earth is the moniker of folk musician Kristian Matson. Many have compared him to Bob Dylan, which is fair since he sounds somewhat like him musically. However he still manages to stand out by putting out some of the best folk music around. I know a lot of people don't like folk, but this guy shows that it can be great when done well. Lyrically his songs are some of the best this year. They are symbolic without being pompous. Deep, and meaningful in a way that most fail to achieve. Some people I have played this album for don't like the vocals. I can understand that though since they are not exactly the best technically.

Then again most of the best songwriters are not the best singers. Look at Bob Dylan, nobody would call him a good singer but his vocals suit his songs. I would never want to hear his songs covered by someone like Josh Grobin. Nothing against trained singers, but sometimes an untrained voice can harness more raw power and emotion than any trained singer. It's not that trained singers don't have powerful voices. It's just that there are certain songs that wouldn't really suit their vocals. Anyway, this is one of the best albums of 2010. I highly recommend it to fans of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Van Morrison.

The film of the week this time is LIVING IN OBLIVION.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113677/

Living in Oblivion is a hidden gem. Nobody I know has heard of it, which is a shame because it is fantastic. It is the story of the making of a low budget film and the tensions, and various relationships between the crew, and cast. Steve Buscemi, and Catherine keener are great. This film really captures the working on set experience. It sounds cheesy, but there is a unique atmosphere you get working on a film set. I worked as a runner recently on a film set. For those who don't know, a runner is someone who does odd jobs like carrying things, and bringing people drinks.

It is sometimes called production assistant, which is just a fancy term for it. Even doing a job like that I noticed that people tended to change on set. Living in oblivion has various members of the crew having affairs with each other, and while that may seem a bit ridiculous it isn't exactly false. When you are on set you get this odd feeling of isolation. Despite how I was working in a public place a lot of the time, you don't feel like you are part reality in a weird way.It sounds a tad insane, but some of your logic you usually apply to the real world leaves after a while. Maybe it was because I was damn tired, and working outside in the cold, but I found myself thinking of things I wouldn't normally. It didn't happen much, but I noticed that some crew members tried to have flings with others on set.

I'm sure nobody actually did anything about it, but I never found out for certain. Even people in relationships tried to. They may not have been happy ones, but you get a feeling like the rest of the world doesn't notice what you do on a set. You're like a kid hiding under a blanket thinking that nobody can see him. Then when you get home you think why the hell did I even try to do that? I must be mad. Then you go back the next day and try it again. I didn't of course because I am a perfect little angel. Anyway Wasn't I talking about Living in Oblivion? It's a great film, so go watch it.