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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Ex-drummer, Alle Anderen, Armadillo, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

Ex-Drummer (2007)



With the atmosphere and rawness of Trainspotting, only more brutal and dirty, Ex-Drummer is about three maniacs asking a well-known writer to join their band as a drummer. None of the characters are likeable; each one is crazy in different ways.
What made the movie watchable is the cool rocky soundtrack, the different type of cinematography and a lot of crazy scenes. Nudity, blood, sick minds and rock music are the key words for this film.

My rating: 7/10


Alle Anderen (2009)

I was looking forward to finally see this German movie, but it became too boring for me. Great acting, but because of the lack of soundtrack and a proper story I quit watching this after an hour.


Armadillo (2010)



Finally I got to see this Danish documentary about a group of soldiers in Afghanistan. I saw it at Molde cinema. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn’t been for the fact that I had intense pains in my right knee. With my long legs I couldn’t stretch out, and I kept thinking of the irritating pain during half of the movie, then I finally found a position it didn’t bother me too much.
Back to the movie: it felt really “uncensored” and real. I read that the filmmakers had hundreds of hours of tape, and the result is powerful, well edited and raw.

My rating: 8/10


The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001)



This is one of the silliest movies I’ve ever seen. I laughed out loud a lot, but through the end I thought it was too much silly humor. I should have watched it in two portions. It’s kind of when I read the Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy; I got tired of all the crazy humor after the second book.
I let imdb do the work for telling what this movie is about: “A dedicated scientist, aided by his clueless wife, rolls up his shirt sleeves and tries to save the world from a radioactive monster, curious space aliens, an evil scientist and a crabby skeleton in this send-up of the best of the B movies of the 1950's. “

The bad acting and the script are hilarious. There is a bunch of obvious goofs, and it is full of movie references. I think maybe I would have enjoyed it more, if I had seen a lot of those old B movies of the 1950s the references are from.

My rating: 7/10

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Grouplove

Listen to this song on repeat several times. Ohm, so good. The song of the week!">

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Visitor, Winter's Bone

The Visitor (2007)



A very beautiful movie about a professor who returns home to his apartment in New York he hasn’t been for years. But the apartment is occupied by some strangers.
The story is great but sad, and the actor performance of Richard Jenkins is superb. Nominated for Oscar.

My rating: 8,5/10


Winter’s Bone (2010)



With an average rating of 8,1/10 at imdb, this movie is about the 17 year old Ree Dolly and her poor family. Her drug producing father is missing, and the local sheriff tells her that her father put up their house as collateral for his bail and unless he shows up for his trial in a week's time, they will lose it all. Now she starts on a long dark adventure trying to find him, but anywhere she goes the message is the same: stay out of it. She refuses to listen, even after her father’s brother Teardrop, tells her he is probably killed.
This dark sort of a fairytale reminds me a bit of The Road, only with more people in it. It’s the same grey atmosphere and similar sad, but suiting soundtrack. The acting is superb, the cinematography is great, and there are a lot of puzzles for the watcher. I wouldn’t be surprised if Winter’s Bone wins a lot of prizes.

My Rating: 8,5/10

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Lower Dens


Lower Dens – “Twin-hand Movements”

A four-man band from Baltimore and one of many side projects of Jana Hunter this is. Their psychedelic, experimental indie rock makes me think of bands like Sonic Youth, The Low Frequency in Stereo, The Warlocks and Calla.

“Together, the freak folk quartet has a sound that is psychedelic and murky, embodying the experimental nature of the Baltimore music scene with songs that are equal parts reverb-drenched folk and swirling ambience.” (Allmusic.com)

Almost every track on the album is great and unique, and my favorites are “Tea Lights”, “Rosie” and “Hospice Gates”.

My rating: 8/10

http://myspace.com/lowerdens

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Album of the Month


Gift Horse –”Mountain of Youth”

I discovered Gift Horse through Blalock’s indie/rock playlist of June 2010, and got sucked in their music. The band is from Athens, USA and this is their first album.
Gift Horse sounds a bit like a mixture of Film School and Calla. I’m no expert to write about the music itself, so I refer to what “The Silver Tongue” writes about them:

"Filled with heavy, exploding drum beats and a magical, ethereal blending of guitar, bass, and keys, Gift Horse has the ability to draw you in, capture your mind, and compel your imagination. Their songs carry menacing undertones and floating vocals that at once pick you up and mellow you out. Each melody offers a climax, backed by raging cymbals, which give way to atmospheric organ tones preparing you for the next climax and back around again."

I like almost every song on the album, but my favorites are “Not the only one”, “October House”, “Eyes” and especially the last slow track “And when I die”.

My rating: 8,5/10

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http://www.myspace.com/gifthorsetheband

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Four Lions, Vratné lahve, Monsters

Four Lions (2010)



This is low-budget black comedy and a clever satire about four Muslims in Great Britain who want to participate with the terrorists. It is funny, unpredictable, a bit annoying sometimes and a bit sad. I don’t have much more to add than it was an original movie and I haven’t seen anything like this before.

My rating: 7,5/10



Vratné lahve / Empties (2007)



Czech movie with the same director, Jan Sverák, who did “Akumulator 1”, a sci-fi comedy I really enjoyed. This movie is about the old man Josef Tkaloun who quits his job as a teacher, and begins working in a bottle recycling station at a grocery store. Though he lives with his wife, he thinks of new and younger women everyday.
This is quite a family friendly movie, a movie I could for example recommend to my mother who doesn’t like movies with cursing, sex or violence. The reason why I enjoyed it was because of many small things; the funny dialogs, the great characters and the great surprising ending.

My rating: 7,5/10


Monsters (2010)



The main story is about a US journalist (Scoot McNairy) who agrees to escort a tourist (Whitney Able) through an alien infected Mexico to the border of US.
When I watched this I was thinking about movies like District 9, Jurassic Park and maybe a dash of Lost in Translation.
I guess there are a lot of people who will get disappointed after watching this, hoping there would be more creatures as the title might suggest. It didn’t bother me. In fact, I think I would have enjoyed it without any scenes with the monsters. The story around these two fine actors was great enough. Man, Whitney Able is sexy in this. Also; good soundtrack, nice cinematography and great atmospheres.

My rating: 8/10