Review: Hancock and Wanted

Hancock

On Freeze Dried Movies SimSandwich gives a pretty damn good explication of the Movie's General plotline, so good in fact that I get to be lazy and just ctrl+c:

John Hancock, an alcoholic, irritable, and burnt-out superhero who technically protects Los Angeles from every day criminals. As the film begins, he more or less accidentally stops the escape of a car full of robbers, and in the process destroys countless buildings, sections of the freeway, and vehicles.

Right, Drunk superhero, destroys more than he protects. Just what the trailer said. Moving Along:

Meanwhile, our other lead, Ray (Jason Bateman) is also on the outs – he’s a PR rep who wants to save the world, not his client’s bottom line. As luck would have it, Hancock saves Ray from near death when his car gets stuck on the train tracks, and to repay him, Ray decides to take Hancock as a new client, working to repair his image. Ray takes Hancock home to meet his family: a young son, and his beautiful wife (Charlize Theron), who is automatically suspicious of Hancock’s intentions.

Her suspicion can clue the attentive watcher on what is going on. While the newer trailer spills the beans on the secret that Hancock carries with him, it doesnt really hint much towards what that secret is. A smart move on the studio's part, although I'm not too sure where I sit with this. The secret changes the story's ultimate meaning, as well as the ultimate significance of Hancock as a character, not only in the movie itself, but in our ass-fucked little world. The twist hints at a higher calling for superheros, and forces you to consider them as angels, or god. To get really heady, the movie ultimately forces you to evaluate what your own damn role in this world is.

I'v heard mixed reviews of how this plot 'twist' has made people feel, but me personally, i liked it. As Sim said

at the end of the day, the film is about all three characters, not just Hancock.

And the necessary change in the story line not only adds substance to an otherwise vapid film, it ultimately makes the movie what it is.

I would recommend it if youre bored on a tuesday, if you want to see drunk people fly, and if youre an arrested development fan who wants to see Jason Bateman do his thing, or if you've seen everything else already. If you own a t.v. the size of Tecas, you may as well just wait for DVD.


Wanted

Did you see Crank? Did you love it? cuz if you did, then youre gonna flip over backwards and piss yourself in excitement over Wanted. A Dick Flick at heart, this movie packs an awesome punch with hot women (or woman, really), secret soceities, Morgan Freeman, car chases, explosions, even rats with bombs on their backs.

Really, though, the special effects make this movie. I mean, bullet rewinds, rats that crawl up peanut butter covered tracks into a dump truck by the thousands, bending bullets?? You know that shit's not real. Still, its pulled off very well.

For the Post-Production afficionados out there, I can say that there was some wonderful post work in this movie. Colors, effects, lighting, were all near perfect, but you really shouldnt expect anything less from big budget hollywood.

To sum it up, let me say this: It is not often that I go to a movie and say "That was fun, lets do it again" when the credits start rolling. This time I did just that.

Oh, and one of my fav NIN songs is in the movie. I couldnt find it online for download. but here's a vid.


Love me. Sing my praises.

Review: Take Those Panties off....

Pase Rock @ Dancers Royale
3/25/2008 - Orlando, FL

We get three to four hours of sleep on Monday night, stumble out of bed and drive to work in a drunken daze. From nine to five, we sit at our desks, our cubicles, our counters, and try our hardest to keep our foreheads from slamming onto our keyboards or registers or whatever. We count the minutes till we sit in I-4 traffic in a daze, and dream of the nap we desperately need to take while a puddle of drool from forms at our chins. We wake up and it’s Tuesday night, and day two of Orlando’s spring training week.

MySpace was all abuzz during the day. Everyone was looking forward to what was undoubtedly going to be, to say the very least, the most interesting show of the week. Now, while it’s common knowledge that taking your panties off and showing that baby rat is the right thing for a lady to do in a strip club, it’s also recently become the phrase that has made Pase Rock a name that is synonymous with what can only be termed as “dance-rap”. The two go hand in hand and so it only made sense that Pase Rock’s Orlando performance took place at one of Orlando’s most reputable, adult entertainment venues Dancers Royale.

A constant collaborator with the Spank Rock crew Spank Rock made his way onto the scene from Cincinnati, where while attending high school, the met the men that would come together to make the Five Deez crew, Fat Jon, Kyle David and Sonic. His style is versatile, and quite interesting, and seemed almost too perfect for the setting that night. This was a night unlike any other. For starters Neither Pase Rock, nor his opener, Club Firestone resident Dj Miss Fit were spinning for a group of sweaty drunk dancing fools from behind turntables, and instead, sitting in the strip club’s sound booth, were providing the soundtrack for the bevy of boobs gyrating on the club floor. Regardless both made their presence strongly felt, breaking away from regular, tried and played strip club musical rotations, to give the girls something a little more flavorful to dance to.

Of course, the girls took over the night. The only thing that could be argued, is whether its fair to consider this entertainment for boys only. While the look on most of boy’s faces were those of kids at Christmas morning, the girls, all the girls, not just the naked ones, made their own fun, and claimed the night for themselves. While it’s one thing to party with the scantily clad women who pour downtown every week, that night, there was much more to be admired on that night, and, even with Orlando’s ban on all nude dancing, the room was erotic, excited and ecstatic.

Review: Oh My God, Theres a Riot in Belgium

Riot in Belgium
Crush @ BackBooth
3/24/2008 - Orlando, FL

Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference brings the biggest and the best of electronic music to the south. But for those that don’t want to or can’t make to the drive/flight/train trip to the sweaty south, good news! Orlando got lucky this year and is blessed to serve as a pit stop for a few of the finest making their way down. The result: This week, Orlando is a party destination like it’s never been. No mouse, no theme park, no movie studio could make for a bigger load of fun.

A regular Monday night, for most regular people, usually involves television and rest to prepare oneself for the week, distress from returning to work. These are the kind people who wake up extra early to clean their house and coordinate their shoes and belts. These are the people who have big IRA’s, who don’t drink, who don’t raise their voices above a three, who don’t own dancing shoes. To spice things up, a glass of wine with dinner maybe. But Every Monday night, for the past two year, Backbooth opens its door for anyone who wants to break the mold of regularity and party like rock stars at the beginning of the week.

Monday night this very special week was no exception, and for a select hard headed, dedicated individuals, the perfect start to 6 days of total non stop action. Day one of spring training, the official name for the aggregation of a week’s worth of amazing parties, was a kick in the balls delivered by Beni Single, one half of Australian dance music sensation Riot in Belgium.

In 2006, the duo sprung onto the scene with the release of their album "The Acid Never Lies" on Relish Recordings (formerly known as Relish Records). If you’ve gone to an indie dance night anytime in the past year, you know Riot in Belgium. You’ve heard their song "The Acid Never Lies", or their powerhouse hit "La Musique". You've no doubt also been privy to their remix work for the likes of Yelle, Surkin, Sneaky Soundsytem, K.I.M. Headman, and Chromeo.

Riot in Belgium is Joel Dickson & Beni Single, but Beni performed alone on Monday night. Individually, Joel also puts out fantastic music with Tim from Cut Copy as Comets, and Bennie is one fifth of the banging (pun intended) Sydney based DJ collective the Bang Gang Deejays.

Beni’s set was amazing, he comes on all of a sudden, full throttle with a noticeable and very audible warning. “Oh my God, there’s a riot in Belgium” and the entire crowd wants to be a part of it. Beni makes his performance look easy. He is dancing, throwing his hands in the air, wooing the audience and passing out stickers while tweaking the knobs and buttons that make his characteristic funky electro noise. He even has time to put a bandana over his face to look extra cool for his photo ops. It is total non-stop action from this man, and the slew of drunk 20 something’s and underagers that want to fit in shaking and mixing to his music, your humble reviewer included, don’t care to focus on what individual songs he mixes, because the overall effect is too too strong. The entire set is electric and we all move with every single drop and pound of his bass heavy sound. People seem drawn to him, there are almost more people on the stage than there are on the dance floor, they all just want to get as close as possible to the source.

All in all, The Aussie delivered from start to finish and sent us home reeling, pumped and ready for the sleep deprived week ahead.

Review: JUSTICE / Dj Medhi - MySpace Music Tour - Club Firestone - Orlando, FL - 03.06.08

JUSTICE / DJ Mehdi - MySpace Music Tour 08
Club Firestone & Saturday/Thursday - 03.06.08
by Melanie Gapany & Kevin Collier

If it weren’t for high tech cell phones and digital cameras, a typical Thursday night at Club Firestone would have most people running to check their calendars to make sure that they haven’t somehow traveled into the eighties. Surrounded by latex, sequins, and hairspray, it’s easy to get confused. Filled to capacity (around 1500-1600 people), however, this Thursday was different. The day-glo was still present and the pants were just as tight, but it was the only Florida stop on the Myspace Music Tour, and the club felt distinctively different.

On a regular basis, there are plenty of musical acts to get the crowd going (Residents Pauly Crush, Miss Fit, Justin Scott, Ge30n, and Y-Not along with international acts and DJs such as Flosstradamus, Kid Sister, Girl Talk, Tommie Sunshine, Felix Cartal, and Boys Noize just to name a few), but with a lineup that includes international sensation DJ Mehdi and electro-superstars Justice, there seemed to be a particularly intense amount of energy inside Firestone.

Two of Saturday/Thursdays residents, Justin Scott and Miss Fit (formerly Bodywerx) started the night, soon followed by Mehdi, who took the floor by surprise, quickly fueling the floor with energy, spinning tracks that are both recognizable to the usual S/T crowd and some previously unheard. With the dance
floor completely covered, there were still a few brave souls who did their best to dance where they could. While everyone appeared to be enjoying Mehdi's selection and mixing for the evening, it was obvious; the crowd was there for Justice and were aching to turn their feet and ears to the main stage behind them...waiting for that big black curtain that hid Justice's impressive stage display to open up.

The curtain opens; a giant cross adorns the middle of a huge sound board with stacks of giant amplifiers on both sides. The main act rightly deserved that attention. Looking at the stage, anyone could easily assume they were about to witness a great rock band blow their minds. The DJs, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, collectively known as Justice, walk out and immediately whip the room into frenzy. There is barely standing room, but everyone is dancing. As they play the songs that have made them popular, including "Waters of Nazareth", "We Are Your Friends", and Grammy nominee for electronic song of the year "D.A.N.C.E.", you can barely hear yourself think, but the entire room is singing along. The room is electric, the people are ignited.

They finish their set and perform their encores, which included various remixes of their hits (everyone sang along to each and every one no matter how many times a remixed song was already played).

Justice (Xavier, at least) moved away from the giant stage to the turntables back on the other side of the room. Mehdi, once again enters the VIP-area-turned-DJ-booth, to tag team with Xavier until almost the end of the night with Pauly Crush hopping on to close the night out and send everyone home with memories of a pretty freaking amazing night!.

Thank you Firestone, Saturday/Thursday, Pauly Crush, Mike Feinberg, and all else involved for bringing in one of the biggest current electronic acts right now for their only FL tour stop and for putting on a perfect production and awesome show!

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