The Hedonism Arbiters
4/26/2005 05:03:00 PM | posted by Petey Boy | #  
The Fateful Promise
The Fateful Promise is a relatively new band from Madison, Wisconsin. They have only been playing gigs since April 2nd and already have a nice following of fans. With a bunch of original songs, this self-professed emo/post punk band is well on it way to being the next big thing from Madtown.

I caught one of their live performances last Friday (April 22). It was in a coffee shop basement. There were about 30 to 40 people attending. The room was humid with sweat and smelled of body odor thanks to the craziness brought from the hardcore/screamo band that had just played. The Fateful Promise was headlining. The set was amazing. TFP puts on a great live performance. They have a dynamic stage presence and their music isn't compromised by their vivacity. In fact, TFP is a very tight group.

Rob Garekis is the front man. He plays guitar, sings lead vocals, and writes all of their songs. He is a friendly chum and loves to have a good time. Eric Pedersen is the bassist and does backup vocals. Travis Smith is the drummer. He is the one who turned me onto the band. I have been friends with him since before high school and we've kept up. The three attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Travis and Rob lived across the hall from each other last year and that is how the band got started.

"We had just gotten to school," Travis tells the story of the band's beginnings, "and the last band I was in, was Tripping Over Chairs. I saw a sign on rob's door that said 'punk drummer wanted'. I was the furthest thing from a punk drummer, but I thought I would go check it out anyway. He played his songs for me and I liked them enough to start practicing with him." It took Travis a while to get into the whole punk scene, but once in, he was hooked. Travis and Rob started looking for a bass player. They had two or three prospectives and a bunch of tryouts. But, after about ten months found Eric. They started practicing as a band in January and their first show was April 2nd.

I asked both Rob and Travis why they decided to be or wanted to be in a band. Both replied with relatively the same answer. They couldn't imagine not making music. "I decided to start a band because I have an intense desire to create and perform music...it's enjoyable, but it's more than that-it's almost a necessity for me." Rob shared with me "and I have come to realize that even if this band never played a show, I would want to practice and write and play and create just as much."

If The Fateful Promise took off and required more time than school, the band would be willing to put school on hold, but it wouldn't be an easy decision. "It would be hard on me, because I believe that school is really important and interesting, and my parents would flip," Rob Said.

Some of the band's influences are Gatsby's American Dream, Further Seems Forever, and Alkaline Trio. The Fateful Promise's name is from Rob's spirituality and his personal faith. Some of TFP's older music was written about relationships with girls and friends. But the newer music is about having a positive outlook on life and for people to just love each other. "...instead of me complaining and bashing people in lyrics, I want to inspire and lift up- or at least let them know that that's what I really want- that's reflected well in our new song-'Love is there'" Rob explains his lyrical decisions.

The Fateful Promise has many opportunities coming up for you to see them live. As travis puts it,"it's such a rewarding experience, to play well and to have other people enjoy it"

The Fateful Promise at Myspace
4/25/2005 07:55:00 PM | posted by Lover Boy | #  
The Phantom Has Come to Strike Fear in Us All
Well folks, I am the newest Arbiter to this group. I am honored to be part of this prestigous organization. For my first post, I would like to give you all my first movie review.

I had a chance to view the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera." The original story was written by the French author, Gaston Leroux. Webber brought the story to life by creating an outstanding score to the story and brought it to Broadway. Now, I had a chance years ago to see this on Broadway, so my expectations were high. Joel Schumacher, who brought us such films as: Bad Company, Phonebooth, 8mm, and yes, even the very poorly made, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Hearing the Shumacher was the director for this outstanding story, I was skeptical, taking his past movies into consideration. However, Schumacher did a very good job at making this play into a visually stunning feature film. There are just some things that a live Broadway play cannot bring out, and that film is able to capture.

The performers that were chosen for the roles in this movie were very well picked. For me, most of them were not well known. The actor that played the Phantom was Gerald Butler. His performance as the Phantom was riviting. He was in some lesser quality films such as Dracula 2000, Reign of Fire, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. He brought out the anger and utter inner turmoil of what is the Phantom of the Opera. Schumacher's visual team did a great job of the make-up for the scarred face of the Phantom, the rest of the movie that was the Phantom was stolen by Butler.

Emmy Rossum took on the role as the tormented Christine. The woman torn between her love for Raoul and her passion for the music that the Phantom brought her. Emmy Rossum has been in such things as Mystic River and The Day After Tomorrow. She is an amazing actress who brought Christine to life on screen. Rossum showed the torment that Christine goes through. She acted the part very well, being the wholesome girl that Christine is, with the darker undertone.

The lesser known actor, Patrick Wilson I, played Christine's lover, Raoul. Now his acting in the story, as the man who wanted to love and protect Christine, was done very well. However, I was not a fan of the choice to give Raoul long, shoulder length hair. Now, for Wilson's defense, that did not draw away from his part, but it was something I found annoying to a point. He looked too much like a woman. But playing the man who fights for the love of Christine, Wilson does an excellent job.

What drew me away a lot of the time, was the addition of parts and the same songs that were sung over and over. I love choral enembles, but the same songs became too repetitious for me. I guess it is musicals like this being brought to film is what got to me. When performed live, the music is outstanding, however, the music being sung on film just is not the same. The actor lip sync the lyrics and it feels out of place at points. The performers did a great job portraying their parts accorrdingly, but they did not make it believable that they were singing. A lot of the time, the movements they made while in song were just not managable. Running and singing like they did is just not possible. That is one major problem with this movie. Butler did probably the best job of making it believable that he was actually singing. He showed such feeling in all his songs. Wilson, however, did not do a good job. He did not use his mouth movements and the air intake it would take to hit the notes and sing the lines.

All in all, the film was very well done, all things considered. The music was still amazing, but it was the combination of the acting while singing that just got under my skin. If the performers and Schumacher would have spent more time with the music, it would have been a lot more appealing. I enjoyed the film, and would recommend it to anyone who loves musicals. The problem with the singing does not totally take away from the movie, even though the movie is a musical. I would give the movie 3 stars. That is my take on Phantom of the Opera. Thank you for reading.

view quicktime trailer
4/19/2005 04:58:00 PM | posted by Patric (of star command) | #  
Ocean's Twelve
When their past catches up with them, Danny Ocean and his crew are forced to pull more jobs. Unfortuantly they are too "hot" to work in the US. So they leave the country and head to Europe, not knowing what lies ahead. When they get to Amsterdam they get jobs, money, and more suprises than they can handle.

So since I am a huge fan of Ocean's Eleven, watching Ocean's twelve was more like a rule that a wish. The entire movie seems more Steven Spielberg that Steven Soberberg. The close friend I watched the movie with remarked "it seem like a completely different director. I couldn't even tell it was him." Maybe it was becuase it was written by a completely different screenplay writer. Mostly I like the movie. But it was a tad bit too confusing. And the way the plot keeps changing is enough to make anyone go mad. The feel of the movie was more or less like The Italian Job than Ocean's Eleven. But for a sequel, it was good. And what they make Julia Roberts dress up as is enough to make your dad cry. I'm still freaking out about it...

The movie grossed over $184 million in it's entire box-office run.

trailer at apple.com (Quicktime)
4/19/2005 03:05:00 PM | posted by Jeff | #  
The Hudsucker Proxy
For my first review among the storming arbiters of mumbling hedonism, I'm going to gush about an 11 year old movie that I recently rediscovered, The Hudsucker Proxy.

Hudsucker was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen with a little help from Sam Raimi. First off, let me just say that I love the Coen brothers. They have the ability to make some truly unique and original works without taking themselves or their work too seriously. This is a pretty rare and refreshing thing in Hollywood.

The problem of self-importance and high-mindedness in film isn't limited to directors and screenwriters. Critics have it in spades. This is why Hudsucker isn't as celebrated as some of the Coens' other, darker works like Fargo. It would seem that most reviewers don't like to admit to enjoying smart little comedies. It would tarnish their reputation or something. Oh well. Since I don't generally concern myself with other people's views of me, I think I can give this movie a review it deserves. Here goes.

The Hudsucker Proxy is a lot of things at once: a romantic comedy, an economic commentary, a tribute to screwballs, and a characteristic Coen film, to name a few. It's perfectly cast, full of creative cinematography, packed with razor-sharp dialogue, and has a score that fits like a glove.

The Story

The film starts with the introduction of Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), a young, naive Midwestern fellow fresh out of the Muncie, Indiana College of Business Administration. He's come to New York to make a name for himself, and quickly learns how useless his education is without job experience. Reluctantly, he takes the only job available to him: mailroom grunt at the mammoth Hudsucker Industries.

At the same time, the president of Hudsucker Industries (played by Charles Durning, who, thankfully, we get to see more of later in the film), in the middle of a very auspicious meeting about the company's financial situation, decides to take his life by leaping from the 44th floor of the Hudsucker complex. This presents a very unfavorable situation to the members of the board. Since Waring Hudsucker left no known will, his 87% share in company stock would be up for public trade in a matter of several weeks. The cold, single-minded board leader, Sidney Mussburger (played to perfection by Paul Newman), comes up with a plan to install an incompetent new president, hoping that the resulting investor panic will lower the stock price enough for the board to buy controlling interest. This is where Norville Barnes comes back in.

Through an improbable chance meeting, Barnes gets a chance to show Mussburger his one great business plan: a circle drawn on a piece of paper. "You know, for kids!" Mussburger is sure he's found his moron. Overnight, Norville Barnes goes from Hudsucker Industries' lowest employee to CEO. And that's when the fun starts. We're introduced to reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a fast-talking career girl straight out of His Girl Friday. Determined to get a scoop, she decides to infiltrate the Hud by posing as a secretary and getting close to Barnes.

Anyone could guess the rest. Barnes actually turns profit, foiling the board's plans, and hard-hearted Archer ends up falling for the innocent young man from Muncie. But it's the manner in which these events unfold that makes this movie great.

There are some points in the story (one in particular that you'll know when you see it) where your suspension of disbelief will have a hard time coping. Some people get jaded by this and claim that it's poor storytelling. I think it's the Coen brothers reminding you that it's just a movie, and you should just sit back and enjoy it for what it is.

The People

Every character in this film is deliciously over-the-top. Tim Robbins, who in the same year played soft-spoken, smart Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, nailed his role as Barnes, the simple-minded, but ultimately redeemable, buffoon. Jennifer Jason Leigh seems possessed by Katharine Hepburn, and it really works for her character. Paul Newman plays Mussburger the way Johnny Depp played Raoul Duke; he just melted into the role. And in typical Coen fashion, each of the bit players are as memorable as the lead characters.

There's an impressive extended cast, and if you're observant, you'll catch them all. John Mahoney, Peter Gallagher, John Goodman, Patrick Cranshaw, Steve Buscemi and Bruce Campbell all clock in at some point. Even Anna Nicole Smith makes an appearance in what is perhaps the only normal role of her career.

The Production

The dialogue is sharp as a tack, the camera angles are, at times, unusual, and overacting abounds. But that's what makes Hudsucker great! The actors jump into their roles; their overacting isn't Carrey-esque, but a requirement for the characters. The dialogue manages to be mile-a-minute at times but delivers perfectly. Although it's as over-the-top as the characters speaking it, it never seems contrived or forced. It just fits. And the camerawork is standard Coen fare: weird, but with purpose. Like everything else, it just works.

The whole movie can be considered a tribute to the screwball genre of the 30s and that alone would explain its appeal to me. It seems like a Howard Hawks picture at times, which is just kind of hilarious: the Coen brothers, auteurs in their own right, choosing to emulate Hawks, an auteur before the term was ever popularized.

Conclusion

If you liked Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? or The Big Lebowski, chances are you'll love The Hudsucker Proxy. And if you've never seen a Coen brothers collaboration before, it's a great place to start. There is absolutely nothing I don't like about this film, and it's one I could watch over and over again. Check it out.
4/19/2005 11:53:00 AM | posted by rockmusicguru | #  
Music of a Milwaukee Persuasion

Milwaukee has been graced with a load of amazing musicians in years past. Now, some of the area's most well known musicians have gathered to create a tastefully eclectic and talented album. The group known as MVM is composed of Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum, a seasoned pro and a professor at University Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Victor DeLorenzo, those of you might know him from a little band called the Violent Femmes; and Malachi DeLorenzo, Victor's son and a talented guitarist.

"Navigator" is quite the mind boggling album. It's very all encompassing when it comes to the musical styles found within it. The opening track "For Me" is a short mellow stringed composition that leads into a very mod blues rock tune called "And His Middle Name was Bill." The chorus makes the song sound much more humorous than it really is. It has an almost a parody-like feel. Every single song on this album has a completely different mood. It's definitely refreshing to find that someone can still compose an album where every single song doesn't sounds the same.

Much of the last half of the album really is reminiscent of 60's beat poetry. "400" is definitely far different than the rest of the album. It has this almost compressed back beat and a train-sounding harmonica with spoken word weaved throughout. "Navigation" is probably the most up beat song on the album, but instead of hearing the intro and expecting pop rock, you're surprised by simple yet complex poetry. "Navigator" is really a roller coaster of music, it keeps you on your toes and listening for the depth of the music. For the music listener that likes ear candy, this album will definitely give you a kick in the pants! To find out more about "Navigator" and the musicians involved, check out www.holyranger.com
4/19/2005 10:28:00 AM | posted by mardoc | #  
Slightly Above Normal Horror
ok, so i checked out The Amityville Horror this weekend. The movie is a remake of an old horror movie from about the 70's. I did not check this out prior to seeing the movie, so don't worry i'm not going to spend this review comparing and contrasting every single thing that is different in the two. i'm sure there are some things, but just let them go as i did. what i am going to talk about is the movies mix of blood, decent acting, and generic jump scares that makes it one to probably rent. though not spend your hard earned eight dollars on.

the story centers around the Lutz family. George Lutz (played by a still bearded ryan reynolds) has married Melissa (that girl that used to be on alias), and adopted her three children. obviously the children aren't to happy with their new dad, especially the 12 year old that wants nothing more than to have him go away. george tries his best, being that charming van wilder guy that we've all grown to love. reynolds strikes as a dad figure, one that you could talk to over a meal and then go out and see a movie with. he's just a fun guy.

so the Lutz's decide to go a house shoppin' one day and find that this fantastic house is for sale in a extremely good neighborhood. they buy it, then ask what the catch is (wouldn't it have been smarter to ask before?) only to find out that the reason for the houses recent price drop is the fact that there were a series of grisly murders that took place in the house involving a demonic voices, a gun, and some rather unhappy residence. despite this (and the fact that it would have cut about an hour off the movies time) the Lutz decide to move in anyway.

now the rest of the movie is broken up into three days. on Day 1 things already start to go a little spooky. the youngest lutz child makes an imaginary friend that resembles the little girl that was murdered in the house before. george begins seeing things around the house. hearing things here and there. and the worst is seeing a little girl hanging from a bed post while he and his wife are...uumm...doing things married people do......it's creepy. from there we jump to day 18 (i could be wrong about the exact day, but somewhere in the middle). george has moved to the basement and is hearing things all the time now. he constantly complains that the house is to cold. and is snapping at the kids frequently. that part is particularly unsettling, given the cheery state of the family before they moved. it was handled very well. also this part marks the best part of the film involving a babysitter with a pot habit and a dark closet. for god sake do not go to the bathroom during this part. it's one of the saving graces of the movie.

from there we jump one more time to Day 28. see it's on day 28 that the original family was murdered. and the house has gone completely to hell. george has cracked and is now almost completely insane. a priest has come and gone and told the mother that the house is evil (duh) and you can tell it's about to hit the fan. then it does. not gonna give away the ending for you, but it's probably worth it to see the pay off after all of that.

after the credits start to roll what is the final verdict? ehhh. i liked ryan reynolds. he impresses me for his ability to take not so great movies and add something to them. it was true of Blade: Trinity, and it's true of this. the priest is a good touch too. i almost thought he should have been in the movie earlier though. give the sort of omen that you should "GET THE HELL OUT OF THE HOUSE!" and overall most of the acting is well done.

the movie is shot pretty well. although my girlfriend and i were laughing at the over abundance of sound effects. a teddy bear falling to the ground really doesn't need a "BOOM!" sound to go along with it. it's just one of those things that we found funny, but it's more of a nitpick than a complaint. there was one sequence that was shot with quick cuts that looked almost like a trailer. that's a no no. i want to see a movie when i go to one, not a trailer. although admittedly there are some films that should stay trailers.

Amityville Horror is an above average remake that probably deserves your time if you're into scary movies. it brings nothing really new to the table, but what it offers it serves up as best it can. ryan reynolds holds your attention and the ending will creep out anyone watching it alone in a dark room. oh and if you see a house for sale that's really cheap and you find out that murders have taken place there. yet still end up moving in, good. you deserve everything that's about to happen to you. i give it a B-

view trailer at apple.com
4/18/2005 08:27:00 PM | posted by Petey Boy | #  
Casshern
After fifty years of bitter warfare between Eastern Federation and Europa, chemical, biological, and nuclear war have poisoned the land and left the exhausted population with newly mutated diseases. To save teh endangered humanity, Dr. Azuma proposes a "neo-cell" treatment that can rejuvenate the body and regenerate humankind. But an accident occers during the "neo-cell" closing experiment, unleashing a race of mutant human beings upon the world.

Casshern is the debut feature film of popular japanese music video director Kazuaki Kiriya. This film uses the popular new cinema technique of a "digital backlot". This means that most of the acting takes place in front of a huge greenscreen with a minor amount of props or set. Then, the background is added in later digitally. This technique is used in the new Star Wars films and films like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Sin City. The technique was incorporated really well. The CGI in the film looked like a fmv out of a final fantasy video game. They weren't spectacular compared to Hollywood's standards, but they were amazingly detailed and quite believable. The robots and machines in the movie look really cool.

The cinematography is really great in the movie. Also, the use of colors is very very good. Depending on were the scene took place... the background changed accordingly. I really enjoyed that aspect.

The movie is based off of an old anime television series called Shinzo Ningen Casshan. The story is good, but one part struck me as funny, because they started shooting at these "neo-sapians" before they even tried talking to them or anything. Other then that, I enjoyed the story very much. The fight scene are good and done in the japanese fighting style. The action sequences are intense and engaging. Overall, very well shot.

The music was also very good. I thought that the score was fitting at all the appropiate times. A blend of a classical score and some electronic beats make for just the right mix of emotions.

The acting is good and the characters are fascinating. The moral or theme of the movie seems kind of hard to decipher, but I think it is that humans don't really care about anything but themselves. Usually movies have a redeeming character that changes their ways, but this one doesn't seem to, but it is a different culture and the film is quite awesome. I would suggest Casshern to anyone who likes a good action movie.

Trailer at Apple.co.jp
Casshern.com Official Site
Official U.S. Casshern Site
4/18/2005 06:32:00 PM | posted by Patric (of star command) | #  
Fight Club
Ok, I know what most of you are thinking "good movie... Brad Pitt." Well what about the book? Although I have not yet enjoyed the movie, I had the pleasure of reading Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

Although Jim Carreys's Me, Mine self, and Irene takes a comical look at split personalities, Fight Club gives you a deep, serious, and surreal look at the extreme differences in people. This book has 208 pages and small font. For those of you who like psycho, silly, sassy and sophisticated reading, this book is for you.

Fight Club

Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Pages: 208
Publisher: Norton
Quote from book: "I want you to hit me as hard as you can." Tyler Durden
look inside
4/14/2005 04:52:00 PM | posted by Patric (of star command) | #  
The House of the Scorpion
What if the whole purpose of your life was to extend the life of another? But luckily no one would tell you this until you were needed to give up your heart, or lung, or kidney. In the book The House of the Scorpion, Matteo Alacrán had to do just that. Born when cut out of a cow, Matt has to go though a bunch of tough trials until he is wanted for a new heart. This book is only 379 pages long and has rather large font.

The book was given three awards including: National Book Award, a Newbery Honor award, and the Michael L. Printza Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. This book has rather large font and is only 379 pages long. It took me only three days to finish The House of the Scorpion.

To view inside this book: click here
4/12/2005 07:05:00 PM | posted by Petey Boy | #  
Josh Aran
So, I found this new artist thru my endevour to find as many new artists as possible. His name is Josh Aran. He is from the Twin Cities and does most of his shows around there. I was lucky enough to catch him here at UW-Oshkosh, but I was unluckily late to the concert so I only caught the last 5 songs of his show. At this concert it was just him and his guitar, but he has a band that plays other shows with him. Five songs was enough to convince me to buy his album.

I would classify Aran as alternative folk music. It is calming and not in your face, but still plastered with meaning and emotion. His songs are catchy and easy listening. He has an obvious sense of music and easily finds good riffs and even better harmonies to fill them. In his stage performance he used a loop station like a pro. This is a device that allows a musician to record something and immediately playback that recording and loop it on stage. The musician then has the options to record more on top of that and loop it more or to just solo with it. Josh Aran did a fantastic job of making a full sound come from his guitar by using the loop station. Overall, I would recomment Josh Aran for anyone who likes Weezer's softer music or just a nice easy guitar chill.

Listen: Josh Aran - High Like Atmosphere
Website: josharan.com
4/05/2005 12:18:00 PM | posted by mardoc | #  
Oh Sweet Sin

here it is folks, the review even I have been waiting for. Frank Miller's Sin City is just as good as I thought it would be, and a faithful representation of the gritty graphic novels that inspiried it. definatly not one to take the kids to, but one to go to if your girlfriend owes you a movie after making you sit through hitch (you know who you are).

sin city revolves around three main stories, with a short story opening and closing the movie, it begins with the opening of "that yellow bastard". bruce willis is in true tough guy form as hartigan, a cop about to retire with one last job to do. nick stahl does a very good job as the rapist/yellow bastard. you really love to hate him. after the first half of that we jump to marv, my personal favorite, as he tries to figure out who killed his beloved goldie. this is the story i got most involved in, mainly because i hadn't read the graphic novel before and had no idea what was going to happen. you feel sympathetic to marv as he explains his "condition" and are behind him until the end. frank miller himself even has a cameo in this story, so watch for him.

then we jump to dwight, a tough guy who is trying to do nothing more than protect innocent women. he's on the trail of jackie boy, a cop with a hot temper, and in this story we get introduced to the coolest set piece in the movie. the neighborhood of old town. it's translated pannel for pannel from the comics, and watching the live versions of all the hookers that run the section of sin city is something i'm still shocked at. i can't believe they pulled off hookers with guns taking the law into their own hands. anyway i'm getting off track. so dwight and the girls from old town fight off the mob. this story also gets some guest direction from quentin tarantino, his scene fits very well even though it breaks from the narritive style just a bit.

we then come full circle and finish with the conclusion of "that yellow bastard". the ending of this will make almost anyone squirm just a little. and jessica alba's performance isn't half bad. although is a stipper really that hard to act out? before you know it the credits roll and you've just got your ass kicked for close to two hours.

now sin city isn't perfect. some of the dialogue is a little wooden, and some of the actors (particularly michael madsen which makes me sad) didn't bring their A games. the cinematography is amazing though. readers of the books will be able to pick out key frames translated perfectly, and the overall style of the movie is right on. one little thing about the music. there's a scene were bruce willis walks into a bar that's played to some fast techno song. that's just not sin city, and doesn't even fit the rest of the music in the film. which excells at adding to the atmosphere of the film.

yeah, i liked sin city...a lot. i'm very happy that someone had the guts to take this one all the way to the end. watching the theaters (i saw it twice) full of people all wondering where this movie came from made me laugh. it's violent, it's an atmopsheric gold mine, and it's worth seeing. make sure you see this one, it's the best movie i've seen so far this year. i give it an A