Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Water On the Coast (a music revolution!)


Schocholautte "Water on the Coast" from Antagonist Films on Vimeo.
Here's a quickie for you. So, sometimes I talk about this band, who I sorta, kinda know. Their name is Schocholautte and perhaps I might have mentioned them once or twice. Well, some other good buddies of theirs, the Antagonist Art Movement (whom I also have spoken of) made a music video for one of my favorite songs. I think it actually comes in at #3, under Orange County and Spin the Bottle. But that's just me. Ah...I digress, the point is that here is a music video, of some outstanding musicians, which you should watch, and then go on youtube and watch it again. And again. And again. And then tell your friends to watch it.

Water On the Coast YOUTUBE!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Anomaly...The Platypus

I have netflix, and every once in a while I happen upon a movie that I forgot I had placed in my instant queue. This happened last week and for two hours I watched a program about mammals. I love animals, so I thought the entire thing was just awesome, but I especially loved the beginning about mammals that still have their reptilian roots. There are only two mammals in the world that still lay eggs (as opposed to having live-births, like us humans for example). These are the Echidna and the Platypus. While both are interesting, I think the Platypus just looks a whole lot cooler.

Quick and dirty deal: The Platypus has a duck-bill, webbed feet, and a beaver-like tail. The first time a pelt was brought to Europe, people thought it was a hoax. It is the only member of its family and genus (talking in scientific terms here) and the males of the species are also somewhat venomous, with the ability to kill smaller animals and seriously incapacitate a human.

The males are larger than the females, but they all range between 15 and 24 inches long. They live exclusively in Tasmania and Eastern Australia, and can live to be 17 years old in captivity. They have been found as old as 11 in the wild. They are excellent swimmers and along with their fellow Monotremes (egg-laying mammals), use electrolocation to find food in the water, because they close their eyes.

A ton of interesting information can be found on the wikipedia article. Especially interesting are the bits about their sex chromosomes and the debate over "platypuses" or "platypi". They are luckily not considered an endangered species, because of the efforts to protect such a unique animal, and their tendency to remain aloof.

Platypus Wiki Info
Platypus Website

Monday, January 19, 2009

Red Dwarf!



For those who know me, they know that I might very well be obsessed with this show. Red Dwarf is a BBC comedy that aired from 1988 to 1998 and just might be the most brilliant show ever devised for television. It's wacky comedy about four guys who travel around deep space, 3,000,000 years in the future and meet all kinds of aliens, odd planets and different dimensions. They travel back and forth in time, get killed once or twice (and always manage to come back to life), all while eating lots of curry and cracking sarcasms as only the english can create.

Lister, Rimmer, The Cat and Kryten are: the last human alive, a hologram, a man descended from cats, and a robot, respectively. Also good to mention is the wonderfully quirky and senile computer Holly who gets them into more trouble than necessary. I grew up listening to Lister call Rimmer a smeg-head and Kryten vaccuuming with his groinal attachment. The Cat is a pretty fine dancer as well. It's best to watch all the episodes in order, because you get the full effect of the storyline and you can also watch their technology increase over the years, from cardboard sets in the first seasons to full blown explosions and tanks in the later ones. There are 8 seasons worth of pure joy and gut-busting laughter available on Netflix (which they also have it online for account-holders), or you can buy the box set or find most of them at your local video store too. See it, love it.

Other Amazing Clip!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)


I'm not one for vampire movies, and to tell you the truth, I can only count one vampire movie that I've seen and liked. More often than not, stories of vampires go the way of Underworld or Twilight, box office blockbusters with lots of unrealistic fight scenes or mushy love stories that surprisingly appeal to the tween and teen age groups that fall for the idea of living forever and being virtually indestructable.

Luckily, Tomas Alfredson has brought a new type of vampire to the screen and done so in quite stunning fashion. Let The Right One In tells the story of two children, Oskar, a lonely 12-year old who secretly dreams of killing his bullies, and Eli, a quiet, sweet-natured girl, who just happens to be a vampire. Eli moves into the housing complex where Oskar lives and the two form a sudden bond, both being outcasts and finding in one another an unspoken need to risk everything for this relationship.

The movie is rated R, and I think quite rightly so, but not for the reasons it was given. Unfortunately, in the prudish country of the United States, the brief glimpse of Eli's crotch (and that stretch's the idea, since she is not technically supposed to be a little girl at all) denotes nudity, and being that of a minor, will clearly cause all people under the age of 17 to snicker. I can attest that most people in the audience were unaware that any "nudity" had even taken place, as brief as it was. The MPAA also claims violence and languge, but the Dark Knight was given a PG-13 rating, and it quite outdoes this movie in terms of violence.

The proper reason to give this movie an R rating would be for the fact that high schoolers (especially those same ones who have just seen Twilight) probably might not understand the underlying premise of the film, which just so happens to be quite melancholy and heartbreaking. One must watch very closely and understand the purpose of each character to really grasp the true severity of the future that these two have forged for themselves.

I found myself not fearing the idea of vampires, but now feeling pity for their unfortunate lives. The two young stars grab the viewer and offer unrelenting pathos through simple dialogue and gentle scenes. Beautifully haunting, you are tempted to take both children in your arms to reassure them that life won't be so bad, and at the same time send them off to a distant land to live out their days. Let the Right One In is completely enchanting, and, undoubtedly, one of the best films of the year, from any country.

I strongly encourage everyone to see this film. With it you will understand the true tragedy of the lives of vampires and how they can be softhearted, and not perpetually evil or violent. Take your under 17 kids too, but only if you are willing to discuss the intricate storyline afterwards, or believe them mature enough to seize it on the first go. They can handle the brief nudity and the violence, it's probably nothing thay haven't seen before.

Official Movie Website

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Show Time In the New Year!


Well, it has been a while since my last post, but this is only because I have been having a blast on the west coast. Seattle is rainy and glorious, but that is not my point of this post. Schocholautte is having their first show of 2009! Hooray!! These lovlies will be playing at midnight at the Vanishing Point in Brooklyn this saturday, January 10. Woot. And I mean woot! I'm going to be there, which I think is a wonderful way to come back to NYC after two weeks on the left coast. I feel like two weeks is too long to go without seeing Michael P! nearly killing himself by falling off an amplifier or Captain K! wearing awesome sweatbands, or Artie. Rocking. Hard. The Vanishing Point is located at 240 Messerole Street off the Montrose or Grand Street stops. It will be the new year's party you wish you had been to.

Add to Your Playlist:
The Decemberists "The Mariners Revenge Song"
TLC "No Scrubs"