Yay for another decade list of albums that influenced my growing up as a teenager. This list probably means jack-shit in the grand scheme of things, but regardless here are my top 40 records that I think owned. Just a note that one a band has had an album already appear, no more will come up, just to share it around.

40. The Killers – Hot Fuss (2004)

I remember back in 2004 when The Killers were the ultimate hype of the year, and so they should have been, they were great, and Hot Fuss was an amazing album. From “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” through to “Everything Will Be Alright”, this album owned my summer and was one of my first transitioning albums from my young, 13-year old rap and hiphop faze (everyone’s been there, okay?). I’m not sure if it was their catchy one-liners, or dominate 80’s synths, that would go on to really influence the bands I enjoy in music, but The Killers catchy pop riffs backed with Brandon Flowers lyrics “Make this go away without a word” in “Midnight Show” lifted my adolescence. What a shame The Killers never got back to this status as the following 2 albums that followed (not including Sawdust, b-side albums don’t count).

39. Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (2008)

For me lyrics are a huge part of who I do and don’t enjoy listening to. So when Icelandic band Sigur Rós came into my life it breached all contracts. Understandably, hardly any of their tracks are in English but for some reason it doesn’t seem to faze me. Their music is simply so divine by tune of the song you can gather what it is about. And if you still don’t know you can make it up really. I suppose the influence of Thom Yorke putting forward that “this band is going to be huge” also helps ones inhibition and self promotion. I think with or without the word from Yorke Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust was always going to be a fantastic album.

38. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (2003)

Having your bands name come out of Natalie Portman’s mouth I guess impacts on a small minority of followers. Having your band pasted all over a soundtrack is another. Regardless, The Shins were always going to be as rated as they are, and their fantastic debut is no exception. Realistically, Garden State was an indie film, and although there have been amazing indie’s before it, ie. The Virgin Suicides collaboration with Air, Dappled Cities writing out the last couple of anthems for Disney. The Shins success has also been filled with rock n roll back-story that critics love to hear, from front-man James Mercer receiving death-threats from a neighbor while trying to write and record Wincing The Night Away. Chutes Too Narrow is full of fun and vibrant “indie” tracks that have easily impacted on the decades explosion in the indie world.

37. The Postal Service – Give Up (2004)

Ben Gibbard and James Figurine seemed like an unlikely couple, and many were skeptic from the start. One gave his soul to promotion on The OC and is now more commonly known as the king of the indie world, though 7 records in and signed to a major label. The other half of The Postal Service is an electronics genius. But when the two got together to do Give Up it proved a fantastic combination of talents, even among the music world. “Such Great Heights” has boastfully been covered more times by more artists than most (Ben Folds, Iron & Wine etc), not to mentioned a sneak cover every now and then, with one of the greatest lyrics in a song written, also covered by Teddy what’s-his-name. Give Up oozes confidence from start to finish.

36. Peter, Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block (2006)

For a good 18 months people all over the world could not stop whistling that pop brilliance that came out of the world wide hit “Young Folks”. It was enjoyable regardless of people not listening to the lyrics and hearing what the song was really about “If I told you things I did before, Told you how I used to be, Would you go along with someone like me?“. Writer’s Block is solid gold in every track from start to finish. In its lyrical brilliance of “Objects Of My Affection” to the short and sweetness of “Start To Melt” that you never want to end. And the devistating heart-break of “The Chills” with “Don’t know about love, But I know the lack of it” that rings in your ears for days after.

35. Iron & Wine – The Shepard’s Dog (2007)

After releasing multiple albums revolving around a simple husky voice and an old acoustic guitar, Samual Beam, better known as, Iron & Wine turned up the amps, switched on the distortion, and layered as many tracks down per song as possible to produce one of the fantastic albums of 2007. Though as Iron & Wine’s style of song-writing goes, it can be a bit hard to tell what he is writing about, The Shepard’s Dog tells the great Beam stories of love, loss, what he wants, and what seems out of reach, “There is a house by the sea, And an ocean between it and me“, though as Beam assures no distance is too far out of reach. This in-turn creates one of the fantastic folk records of the decade.

34. Augie March – Sunset Studies (2001)

While it seems apparent that not much “super-fantastic-omg-amazing” music comes out of the western parts of the southern hemisphere, Augie March are this fantastic Australian band that have circulated around for years. Though it wasn’t until 2006 and the release of the chart topping hit “One Crowded Hour” was released that they would come to fame, but I remember hearing back when I would have been so young hearing “There Is No Such Place” and the beautiful song that it is. Augie March seem to be king at beautiful arrangements of piano & guitar that can span out for any length of time, like on the eariness of “Hole In Your Roof” another key track.

33. Band Of Horses – Everything All The Time (2006)

Strongly influenced by the likes of Built To Spill and Interpol is the Seattle based 3-piece Band Of Horses with their stunning debut release of Everything All The Time. Like Built To Spill before them Band Of Horses follow the same multi-layered guitar, strongly dominated by lead rifs, arranged around Ben Birdwill’s beautiful and unique voice. Tracks like, “Our Sword” and “The Funeral” play key in this epic, 36 minute indie-pop gem of the decade that recieved critical praise among reviewers all over the world.

32. Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)

Something about the unflinching charm and optimism of Daft Punk’s Discovery is too lovable to hate on too much. It’s so damn happy and unassumingly danceable that it doesn’t grate on me the way other albums like it have. Though previous Daft Punk records seemed hard to listen to, after all, they were really just a combination of samples that the duo would use in their live sets, they just made tracks out of them, yet Discovery seems the perfect record for a group of this genre so early on. The duo from Paris who hit the dance bullseye in Discovery by combining a variety of old-school styles with modern studio techniques and meticulous production. And who is ever going to forget this album with singles like “One More Time”, the anthem to any party that will just never end.

31. Muse – Black Holes And Revelations (2006)

Muse has cemented its legacy among the faithfuls of the rock genre with this effort. Riding on the coattails of Absolution’s stunning success, Black Holes And Revelations simply is a stellar gem from top to bottom. Opening the curtains for this album is “Take A Bow” which has a strong political message included in it. Screaming “Corrupt, you’re corrupt and bring corruption to all that you touch”, the song really tells what the band thinks about the present world. Closing the album is one of its released tracks “Knights of Cydonia”. Galloping horses, a spectacular guitar work, the song closes the album on a high note implanting in your head “No one’s going to take me alive“, it really seems fitting for anthem of the decade.

Isu 2012 mengingatkan saya akan beberapa tahun yang lalu, isu tahun 2000. So, di tengah ribut-ributnya kiamat tahun 2012, saya mensurutkan diri ke 13 tahun yang lalu. Mulai pertengahan dasawarsa 90an, kedatangan tahun 2000 begitu hangat menjadi topic. Sebagaimana isu 2012 yang dimanfaatkan beberapa orang menjadi buku, komik, pemancing hit blog, pengundang teman di situs jejaring social, begitu juga nasib kedatangan tahun 2000 CE ini.

Salah satu yang memanfaatkannya dengan baik adalah Chris Carter. Setelah sukses dengan The X-Filesnya, Fox menawari Carter untuk mengkreasi satu miniseri TV lagi. Dan Fox memberi kebebasan bagi Carter untuk membuat serial baru ini. Dan lahirlah Millennium.

Millennium - Frank Black

Mengambil nama dari mitos event yang sedang hangat-hangatnya waktu itu, Millennium merupakan serial drama thriller berbau horror. Menu utamanya adalah serial killer. Bumbunya adalah pergantian 1000 tahun masehi, kiamat, dan kedatangan Yesus kedua.

Pilot episode Millennium mencekat saya waktu itu. Pilot yang diproduksi 1996 ini ditayangkan di Indo sekitar awal 1998 di salah satu teve swasta. Jadilah Millennium menjadi serial yang saya tunggu-tunggu selain besutan Carter sebelumnya, The X-Files.

Yang menarik saya dari Millennium adalah serial ini begitu gelap dan suram. Tidak ada humor sama sekali. Millennium memberi saya pemahaman bahwa manusia punya sisi yang sama sekali gelap dan mengerikan –sesuatu yang bisa terjadi pada masyarakat di sekitar rumah kita.

Hal lain lagi yang menarik adalah tokoh utamanya, Frank Black –diperankan oleh Lance Henrikssen- adalah pensiunan agen special FBI yang menjadi konsultan/profiler pembunuh berantai. So, selain nggak tampan dan sudah lumayan berumur –di serial ini Frank Black berumur 49 tahun, ia punya keluarga dengan anak yang masih kecil –karena konon si Frank Black ini telat menikah. Jadilah, tokoh utamanya bukanlah seorang detektif tampan berjas, berbau wangi, dan suka menggoda cewek plus bersih-bersih jasnya kalo habis berantem. Frank Black layaknya orang biasa. Bahkan seperti tetangga saya yang sering minum wedang teh jahe di angkringan: pakaian biasa dan kadang berjaket.

Selain itu yang menarik dari tokoh utama ini adalah ia sudah berkeluarga. Berbeda dengan beberapa serial detektif dengan tokoh utama yang notabene masih lajang. Frank Black harus berusaha keras seimbang antara profesinya dan profesi sebenarnya sebagai kepala keluarga. Ia harus membagi perhatian antara Millennium Group tempat ia bekerja dengan Catherine dan Jordan –istri dan anaknya. Apalagi ada ancaman si Polaroid killer terhadap keluarganya yang clue-nya ditampilkan di episode 1 dan 2 season 1.

Season 1 yang penuh kegelapan mulai berubah pada season 2. Ini karena Chris Carter mau konsentrasi di The X Files Season 5 serta The X Files The Movie. Produser eksekutif diserahkan ke James Wong dan Glen Morgan yang pada season 1 hanya sebagai konsultan. Wong dan Morgan memberi humor pada season kedua ini. Lihatlah pada episode ‘Beware of The Dog’ di mana penduduk kota kecil yang didatangi Frank Black bersikeras bahwa Frank adalah sherrif baru mereka. Atau si Joe Yellow di ‘Sense and Antisense’. Atau ketika ramalan sebuah suku Indian ‘terpenuhi’ karena beberapa bison lepas dari kandang di ‘A Single Blade of Grass’. Atau sindiran terhadap salah satu aliran self-help di ‘Jose Chung Doomsday Defense’. Suasana yang di season 1 begitu gelap dan suram serta kaku dan kejam menjadi cair.

Perubahan yang memuaskan rasa penasaran saya adalah Wong dan Morgan sedikit demi sedikit mengungkap siapa sebenarnya Millennium Group ini –sesuatu yang benar-benar saya ingin tahu pada season 1.

Hix, sayang season 2 yang menarik ini benar-benar saya lewatkan. Mulai episode Monster saya kehilangan season 2. Mengapa? Karena saya waktu itu –akhir 1998- baru saja buka warung Pempek dan otomatis harus berkonsentrasi terhadap usaha baru saya ini. Dus, saya tidak tahu ada Lara Means –rekan kerja Frank- yang sempat dicemburui Catherine. Juga tidak tahu pada episode berapa –dan mengapa- rambut Catherine menjadi lurus.

Tiba-tiba setelah saya bisa duduk manis di depan teve, Millennium sudah menginjak di Season 3. Catherine Black sudah tidak kelihatan. Lalu siapa si Emma Hollis ini?

Alhamdulillah, di akhir 2009 ini saya bisa mendapatkan 3 season Millennium komplit-plit. Eh, cuma kurang episode ‘penutup’ serial ini yang malah merupakan episode keempat di The X Files season 7. Mulailah setiap malam saya nyicil 2 episode. Lumayan, rasa penasaran saya yang 11 tahun lalu hinggap bisa sedikit demi sedikit terobati.

Walaupun tidak sesukses The X Files, Millennium sempat menggondol beberapa award dan masuk beberapa nominasi penghargaan. Sayang, serial teve yang sempat menggaet fans fanatik ini ‘terpaksa’ dihentikan setelah season 3 karena menurunnya jumlah pemirsanya. Ajaibnya, beberapa fans fanatik merasa season 3 belumlah akhir dari petulangan Frank Black. Rame-rame, beberapa fans fanatik bikin script sendiri meneruskan serial ini, membuat Virtual Fourth Season –dan disebarkan di Internet.

Pada saat ini ditulis, saya baru selesai melihat episode 7 season 2. Millennium masih sangat menarik bagi saya. Selain sebagai seorang yang melewati pergantian 1000 tahun masehi tanpa terjadi apa-apa, eksplorasi kegelapan pikiran manusia serta mitos kuno adalah hal yang menarik bagi saya.

Thể loại : Kinh dị, Hàn  Quốc

Năm : 2000

Hãng sản xuất : Tube Entertainment

Đạo diễn : Ahn Byeong-ki

Diễn viên : Yoo Ji-tae, Ha Ji-won, Choi Jeong-yoon, Kim Gyu-ri

Nội dung : Hồn ma của một người bạn cũ trong nhóm quay trở về truy sát tất cả các thành viên nhóm Hye Jin. Tất cả manh mối để tìm ra sự thật và giúp họ thoát chết nằm trong một cuộn băng. Nhưng cuộn băng ở đâu vẫn đang là một câu đố. Trong quá trình tìm kiếm cuộn băng Hye Jin khám phá ra được nhiều bí mật khủng khiếp khác từ những người bạn của cô …

Audio : Korean

Subtitles : English – Vietnamese

Chất lượng : DVD

Giá : 15.000 đ / 1DVD

One thing i didn’t like about the transformer movie is that sound wave didn’t get alot of time. Hes a major character in the transformer universe hopefully he gets some more burn in the next film.

Soundwave

And here is one of the songs from the ninja assassin movie. Sounds like an old wu-tang song to me. The movie looks hot im in there like swimwear..lol

Chris: I’m Christopher Misch of Next Projection and he’s Chadd Roman of the University of Western Ontario. The very first film we are going to look at is M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable.  Now before Shyamalan came out with two atrocious films, he actually put together four really good ones. Yes, that’s right I’m including The Village in there as well, but that’s for another day and another film discussion.  Coming off the critical and commercial success of The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan’s Unbreakable is a modern day comic book fable starring Hollywood icon Bruce Willis as David Dunn, a security guard who miraculously survives a horrific train reck.

Chris: But, not only does he survive; he is in fact the only survivor.  This prompts a deranged comic book enthusiast and sufferer of an extremely rare bone disease, played by Samuel L. Jackson, to confront Dunn about the possibility that he may be a real life superhero. Chad, I know like me this wasn’t your first time viewing the film, so what did you think about it this time around?

Chadd: You know, Chris, when I watch the atrocities that are Lady in the Water and The Happening, I can’t help but ask myself: what on earth has happened to M. Night Shyamalan? Clearly this guy has talent and is capable of making a great film as he showed us on more than one occasion. Unbreakable is one of those films. Simply M. Night at his best. Great performances, great direction; and a wonderfully creative and original story to boot. This one is easy for me, Chris; it’s a definite “SEE IT”.

Chris: Yeah, I say “SEE IT” as well and even if you’ve already seen it, I say watch it again as it’s really a film that definitely holds up on a second and a third viewing. It’s funny to think of those who have only seen M. Night’s last two films and to hear us praising the man for his technique  as a filmmaker, but it’s true.  With what he did with The Sixth Sense, with Signs, to a lesser degree with The Village, and here with Unbreakable it is impressive.  I think what sets these four films apart from his previous two is this eerie uncomfortable mood that allows for his characteristic surprise endings to unfold; well that and a number of other things. And what separates Unbreakable from all his other work is its look. Chadd, I just love the look of this film.  From the underlying blue and grey colour pallet to the orange highlighting of the janitor’s jumpsuit, the overall visuals of this film just work.

Chadd: I’m glad that you brought up the effectiveness of the visuals in this; more specifically, the evil and twisted Janitor’s orange jump suit.  I think it’s the scene in which David Dunn confronts the evil Janitor that really shows us Shyamalan’s artistic prowess. You mentioned the use of an underlying greyish/blue color theme; the usage of these colors is really emphasized in this sequence. Ultimately what the viewer is left with is a  live-action comic. The lack of dialogue in the sequence almost leaves the audience to narrate it for themselves, which might parallel the impact of visuals in comic books.  M. Night really plays on that; in effect, he builds up the suspense of the eerie scene. When Dunn finally combats the “villain” the audience is exposed to classic comic book-esque visuals: A caped-crusader battling a giant orange monster (the orange jumpsuit really stands out here because of the underlying blues and greys); even the actions of the two actors are exaggerated to give it a more dramatic and expressive feel. This sequence is just one of the many examples of how Shyamalan uses visuals very effectively throughout Unbreakable and I think that this sequence alone is worth watching the film for. If you take nothing else from Unbreakable, at least try to understand what M. Night was trying to do with his choice of color and visuals: present the creative tale of a “real-life” superhero using colors and images inherent in graphic novels.

Chris: And in doing he has produced one of the more realistic comic book films out there because obviously if a super hero did somehow exist he or she most likely wouldn’t be wearing a spiderman or batman outfit; they would be ordinary individuals wearing, in this case, nothing more than a simple rain coat.  Chadd, and you’re so right about that scene between Dunn and the sadistic janitor.  It’s so intense yet remains artistically driven and everything is tightly brought together just perfectly by James Newton Howard’s moving musical score.  Now before this segment ends we have to talk about Bruce Willis. Often the man gets typecasted in these nothing police officer roles, but here he give his richest and most complex performance as man struggling to come to terms with the unbelievable. And it is this performance that elevates Unbreakable to one of the most complete and thoroughly rewarding comic book films of the decade.

Kids	On A Night Like This
Please Stay	Spinning Around

Your Disco Needs You

In hindsight, Y2K made us look like fools.

Think about how trivial it all was.  We were afraid of a software mistake.  How trite in light of all that happened after it.

We survived Y2K and went along with our lives.  Music and film very much did the same, ignoring the coming storm that appeared in the guise of Napster.

Rap metal, post-grunge and teen pop were all the rage.  Justin Timberlake hadn’t yet proven that he was funny and talented.  Britney Spears wasn’t quite yet a train wreck.  For some reason, Fred Durst was still cool and Creed was selling millions of records ripping off Pearl Jam by way of pseudo-Christian grunge.

In film, the first glimpse of the coming onslaught of the superhero genre came with the first X-Men.  Tom Cruise continues his Mission:Impossible franchise, his career and behavior still on the rails, while his future director and savior Ben Stiller began his long slow crawl to mediocrity with Meet the Parents.

For both film and music, 2000 was a progression of the 90’s.  Whatever the new sound was going to be (and there were several sounds that would define the decade) it wouldn’t quite appear, though there were some rumblings in the underground.    But, for the time, there was no reason to change anything.

Times were good.

There wasn’t a President to rail against, a war to protest, or an economy to crush us.

We weren’t prepared at all for what was to come.

Grumpy Pumpkin tells me “I’m still suffering from Halloween withdrawal, maybe another pick-me-up would help.” Perhaps I can help.

Sets of witchy-themed striptease photo-shoots appear every Halloween, but take a while before they circulate widely enough for me to find them. This year they have turned up sooner, and there are more of them, than usual. So many more, that I was thinking of doing a mid-week post every week from now until xmas just to post the best of what I found. Grumpy Pumpkin has offered the perfect pretext for at least making a start on this plan.

Ember is described as a “stunning blond coed with … a banging hot body”; she also has, apparently a 32F bust. Ember squeezed said banging hot body and 32F bust into a four-piece witchy outfit and, to the whirr and flash of a digital camera, and for the greater happiness of humankind, took half of it all off again (the singlet and skirt). Sensibly she left the cape and hat on. They are very fetching.

I found two different galleries online of this photoshoot (here and here). There is a certain amount of overlap between them, but there are also some fresh photos here and there online. In all, I found twenty-three different photos: too many to post here—and some are too hot for this site anyway—so I will limit myself to six. Some of the file names suggest there may be over fifty photos of this shoot on Ember Reigns’ own site. So, if you’d like to see more, look here and here, and then either trawl the internet or cough up for the whole set.

CONSPIRACY TO KILL UNITED STATES NATIONALS; MURDERING UNITED STATES NATIONALS; CONSPIRACY TO MURDER UNITED STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL; MURDER OF UNITED STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL ABOARD THE USS COLE; ATTEMPTED MURDER OF UNITED STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL ABOARD THE USS COLE; CONSPIRACY TO USE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AGAINST NATIONALS OF THE UNITED STATES; USE AND ATTEMPTED USE OF A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION AGAINST NATIONALS OF THE UNITED STATES ABOARD THE USS COLE; CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES; DAMAGING AND DESTROYING THE USS COLE; CONSPIRACY TO ATTACK NATIONAL DEFENSE UTILITIES; USING AND CARRYING A DANGEROUS DEVICE DURING THE ATTACK ON THE USS COLE; USING AND CARRYING AN EXPLOSIVE DURING THE ATTACK ON THE USS COLE; CONSPIRACY TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION; PROVIDING MATERIAL SUPPORT TO A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

FAHD MOHAMMED AHMED AL-QUSO

Aliases: Fahd Al-Quso, Abu Huthaifah, Abu Huthaifah Al-Yemeni, Abu Huthaifah Al-Adani, Abu Al-Bara’, Abu Hathayfah Al-Adani, Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Al-Awlaqi, Huthaifah Al-Yemeni, Abu Huthaifah Al-Abu Al-Bara’ DESCRIPTION Date of Birth Used:  November 12, 1974 Hair: Black (he may have facial hair) Place of Birth: Aden, Yemen Eyes: Black Height: 5′6″ Sex: Male Weight: 150 pounds Complexion: Olive Build: Slender Citizenship: Yemeni Language: Arabic Scars and Marks: None known Remarks: Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Al-Quso may be residing in Yemen. CAUTION   Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Al-Quso was indicted in the Southern District of New York for his role in the October 12, 2000, bombing of the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed.   REWARD   The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction, in any country, of Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Al-Quso.   SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS   IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS PERSON, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI OFFICE OR THE NEAREST AMERICAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.

| New York Field Office | Most Wanted Terrorists | | FBI Home Page | FBI Field Offices |

//

Summary: Anita has watched, in the three decades she has been working in the local cinema’s box office, the cinema literally go under: the building is knocked down to give may to a new multi-screen cinema and she is given early retirement with the reason that she doesn’t fit in with the new company’s image.

Resumen: Anita ve como en las más de tres décadas en las que ha estado haciendo de taquillera en un cine de barrio, se hunden literalmente: el local es derribado para dar paso a unas multisalas y ella es prejubilada porque no liga con la nueva imagen de la empresa.

Shelf location: 1 ANI

The full serie on streaming for you!

1.01 The Beginning

1.02 Our Town

1.03 Kiss And Tell

1.04 Cinderbella

1.05 Winning isn’t everything

1.06 Gone

1.07 Free Will

1.08 Will Bella Scout Her Mom?

Smokin’ Aces

Director: Joe Carnahan.

Guión: Joe Carnahan

Intérpretes: Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Joseph Ruskin, Andy García, Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, Peter Berg.

Música: Clint Mansell.

Fotografía: Mauro Fiore

Montaje: Robert Frazen

EEUU. 2006. 109 minutos.

Carnahan

El guionista y realizador Joe Carnahan despuntó como un posible revitalizador (junto a gente como James Gray, David Ayer o Wayne Kramer) del cine de género policiaco tras el aclamado estrenado en el Festival de Sundance 2002 de Narc. Quizá por tener un pie en el medio catódico, a su carrera cinematográfica le ha costado alzar el vuelo, aunque en el cambio de década tiene pendiente de finalización y estreno dos títulos con muchas posibilidades de expandir su reputación comercial, la versión cinematográfica de El Equipo A y el remake del clásico de Otto Preminger Bunny Lake is missing. Sea como fuere, en 2006 estrenó la película que aquí nos ocupa, Smokin’ Aces, cinta de acción sórdida y nihilista que narra, en condensada progresión narrativa, la pugna entre agentes del FBI, un fiador judicial y diversos asesinos a sueldo por hacerse con la vida de un mago de Las Vegas con implicaciones en la Mafia que puede actuar como testigo de cargo contra un capo.

Mecanismo de Relojería

La película fue definida por el crítico del New York Times como “un supositorio de viagra para fetichistas de la acción trepidante”, con mención implícita a los adolescentes como público potencial de la cinta. Sin entrar en tales consideraciones, decir que la propuesta de Carnahan parte de una prototípica pirueta argumental basada en la sofisticación y el constante juego al equívoco que da lugar a no menos constantes rizaduras de rizo argumentales; pero más interesante que pretender seguir la bulliciosa acumulación de datos que fundan esos equívocos y twists (e incluso la larga lista de personajes con cierto peso, pincelados a base de detalles freak para hacerlos llamativos), interesa la habilidad con la que el realizador extrae partido de esa premisa que reúne hostilidades en unidad de tiempo y escenario, el modo en el que, merced de ciertos dotes de agilidad narrativa de Carnahan (no confundir con el espídico montaje, que también concurre), se articula el mecanismo de relojería que eclosiona en el orgiástico baño de sangre del último tercio de metraje.

Exuberancias

A nivel de puesta en escena, Carnahan pretende cubrir la misma exuberancia bronca que se plantea en la definición de personajes, situaciones y diálogos, proponiendo una narración que, en esencia, adolece de los mismos vicios que, por ejemplo, el cine de acción de Tony Scott, Guy Ritchie o Matthew Vaughn (y que ya sólo los despistados confunden con la herencia del primer Tarantino), cual es el desapasionamiento que acaba despertando la forma tan trivial, hasta mecánica, de representar la violencia. Ello sin embargo, a diferencia de obras como True Romance, Snatch o Layer Cake, en Smokin’ Aces hay cierto esfuerzo por, por un lado, construir una atmósfera de suspense (pretensión que funda la propia estructura argumental, y que se hace notar en secuencias diversas del nudo, como la que transcurre en los ascensores, rubricada con una explosión violenta, por lo demás, bien resuelta), o dotar, más allá de los inevitables excesos verborreicos, de un plus de enjundia al retrato psicológico de algunos personajes y relaciones entre ellos, lo que da mayor empaque al relato.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475394/

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932474.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/12369935/review/13247238/smokin_aces

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/26/DDGF2NOE3L1.DTL

http://darkmatt.blogspot.com/2007/01/smokin-aces-review.html

http://flipsidemovies.com/smokinaces.html

Todas las imágenes pertenecen a sus autores

2012

Director: Roland Emmerich.

Guión: Roland Emmerich y Harald Kloser

Intérpretes: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Thomas McCarthy, Woody Harrelson

Música: Thomas Wanker y Harald Kloser.

Fotografía: Dean Semler

Montaje: David Brenner y Peter S. Elliott

EEUU. 2009. 160 minutos.

Espectacularidades diversas

Pariente cercano de las obras pergeñadas por el productor Jerry Bruckheimer, celoso de las ínfulas de los Wachowsky, el cine de Roland Emmerich puede verse como epítome del concepto main stream que prima en la actualidad. No nos equivoquemos diciendo que es un cine en el que prima la espectacularidad, porque espectacularidades hay muchas; por ejemplo, el aparato cinematográfico de Hayao Miyazaki es espectacular, otro tanto puede predicarse de las obras de la Pixar, o del cine bélico de Oliver Stone, o de las space operas de George Lucas, o de la SCIFI de Spielberg, o de la Tierra Media de Jackson, o de las epopeyas de Weir o de las visiones telúricas de, pongamos, Werner Herzog o Terrence Malick. Y la lista es mucho más larga, porque estos ejemplos, pillados a vuela pluma, pretenden simplemente ilustrar las diferencias entre las concepciones del espectáculo de unos y otros. Bruckheimer y Emmerich, sin embargo, son como digo parientes cercanos, al menos en la formulación narrativa y visual de sus obras (en el tono y la anécdota argumental cabría hallar leves diferencias, que hacen el cine de Bruckheimer más simpático, fundamentalmente el hecho de que se ría de sí mismo con más saña  -v.gr. Armageddon o National Treasure- que el director de Independence Day). Es una formulación basada, en lo narrativo, en el planteamiento y desarrollo más estereotipado de personajes y situaciones –buscando una improbable balanza entre la circunspección (científicos héroes, padres o hijos de familia héroes) y la sorna (secundarios bufones o villanos grotescos)-, y, en lo visual, a los montajes cortos, la planificación inexistente, la absoluta servidumbre a unos efectos especiales que, por lo demás, nunca tienen nada de novedoso, y funcionan por mecánica acumulación. Es un cine que, si no lo escribimos en cursiva, obligatoriamente debemos tildarlo de burdo, de defectuoso en todos sus aspectos, y, lo peor –pues niega la mayor de su propuesta-, unas películas que, precisamente por tan paupérrimo bagaje en su construcción argumental y escénica, se revelan siempre cansinas, más bien aburridas si duran 100 minutos, o al borde de lo inaguantable si, como sucede con esta 2012, pretenden mantenernos sentados en la butaca durante 160 minutos.

Roller Coaster

Podría analizar esta película de Emmerich comparándola con su precedente y consanguinea (allí el peligro venía del frío, aquí del calor) The Day after Tomorrow; podría ponerla en linea de tiro junto con la nutrida selección de antecedentes temáticos/subgenéricos (cine de catástrofes) de otras o esta época; podría incluso plantear un agravio comparativo con su referente cinematográfico mayúsculo, The War of The Worlds de Steven Spielberg, ni que fuera para dejar claro la diferencia entre las reglas del cine de género y las del show con fines puramente crematísticos;… labores todas ellas sencillas, pero innecesarias. También podría quedarme la mar de ancho glosando estrictamente el relato y diciendo que 2012 nos presenta una sucesión de tópicos y nos depara un espectáculo sin vida, y que vivimos el fin de la humanidad con la misma carga emocional que nos atañe cuando miramos (que no nos montamos en) un roller coaster. En cualquier caso, con sinceridad, si existe un único abordaje de esta película que merezca la pena, éste se lee en clave industrial, sobre las razones por las que Emmerich (vuelve a) filma(r) una película sobre el fin de los tiempos, regalándonos el exponente más palomitero de una oleada de títulos que mueven sus hilos narrativos en parámetros apocalípticos (entre los cuales podemos citar, como ejemplo al contraste, la austera The Road de John Hillcoat, según la novela homónima de Cormac McCarthy). No es que quepa elucubrar teorías sobre esa fecha de caducidad de la humanidad que el cine (entre otros) nos viene cacareando hace tiempo, porque esas especulaciones se escapan (y mucho) al objeto de una reseña cinematográfica. Lo que interesa es la alegoría de tan manido supuesto fantástico, las reflexiones críticas y recapitulaciones en términos de humanismo que, por ende, esconde lo que Susan Sontag, años ha, llamó “la imaginación del desastre”. Ello aplicado, claro está, a la mirada –si nos atrevemos a llamarla así- que propugna Emmerich (coautor del guión), y a esos tópicos que, uno tras otro, nos va disparando.

Salvadores y salvados

Llamativo ciertamente resulta que el filme cuente con un director de fotografía tan reputado como Dean Semler, o un montador como el oscarizado David Brenner. Llamativo resulta cómo Emmerich puede llegar a proponernos soluciones visuales que, aquí explicadas, pueden parecer sugerentes, como por ejemplo la sonrisa de la Gioconda, en un cuadro falso, enfocada por el haz de luz de una linterna; o incluso del todo turbadoras, como por ejemplo ver agrietarse la Capilla Sixtina y ser la Ciudad del Vaticano devorada por las aguas mientras el Papa está dando el último sermón, o ver al Presidente de los EEUU moribundo en los aledaños de la Casa Blanca, atestiguando como una gran ola va a devorar esa cúpula del poder político, mientras, arrastrado por las aguas, un portaaviones a la deriva se dirige contra él. Sin duda que, como digo, así contadas, uno puede pensar que la película es capaz de sugestionarnos o de dar rienda suelta a teorías de toda índole, insertas en lo que damos en llamar “el discurso”. Pero que nadie se llame a equívoco, la película no tiene discurso. Da igual que aparezcan profetas diversos (budistas, católicos e incluso el hippie que encarna histriónicamente Woody Harrelson), porque el batiburrillo de datos y admoniciones no serviría para aleccionar ni a una ameba. Da igual si se hunde el Vaticano, California o la completa Civilización, porque sólo se trata de aparatosa pirotecnia, pues, en lo narrativo, todo se supedita a un relato convencional, el de la supervivencia de una familia. Y la verdad es que Emmerich, en esta ocasión, disfrazado de postulador liberal (presunto defensor de lo intuitivo y la sabiduría civil frente a la arrogancia de los burócratas), acaba llevando al paroxismo, tan callando, unos valores que, trascendiendo lo conservador, rayan lo reaccionario en el tratamiento de los personajes como representantes de instituciones sociales y culturales (ojo, Spoilers): la familia desunida (John Cusack, Amanda Peet y sus dos hijos) terminará unida, y el elemento distorsionador (el nuevo novio de ella, encarnado por Tom McCarthy), será aniquilado, ello y a pesar de ser visto como un personaje positivo; la otra familia, la del magnate ruso, también recibirá su merecido: al páter le veremos en una breve secuencia mirando la foto de la madre de sus hijos –no sabemos si fallecida o divorciada-: posteriormente, morirá (de la forma más tonta e inverosímil imaginable), quizá purgando sus errores matrimoniales, redimiéndose al salvar (en un grotesco acto heróico) a sus hijos; su nueva esposa, con pinta de prostituta de lujo, también perecerá (la visualización de la muerte más horrible de la función), probablemente porque, por lo demás, era una adúltera, que le engañaba con un guardaespaldas cuyo final, a estas alturas, también se puede adivinar. Eso sí, el perrito de la joven sí se salva, porque los perros, ya se sabe, carecen de maldad. Salvados (la familia reunida) y salvadores (el científico bueno con cara de bueno y la hija del Presidente: la solución virtuosa) encienden la llama de la Familia de un Futuro mejor, Familia y Futuro que, por supuesto, jamás serán vencidos.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190080/

http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012

Todas las imágenes pertenecen a sus autores

Righty these are a bit thin on the ground at the moment as I don’t have many of them online and don’t have a scanner. Mr Buano states that he has quite a few of them and Morphy has some so we’re hoping to piece these together!

We ran events from May to December 2000 but at the mo I only have this one!

Fri 15th Sept 2000 @ The Glasgow School of Art:

If you are an ecommerce entrepreneur, you understand how important it is to have Google’s approval!

There is a saying that you will hear/see many times on the internet: “If you don’t exist on Google, you don’t exist.”

This is so true. To have a successful, thriving high-traffic and high- sales online store, you absolutely must be prominently featured in Google search.

Internet retail research has shown that very few consumers will go past the first page of a search. The closer you are to the top of the page, the better off you are!

So, what can you do to make Google like you and want to put you first?

Here are some pointers to making your ecommerce website more popular with the Google search engine:

• Instead of trying to work out or try some complicated, never-fail formula for SEO, write your content so that it will flow smoothly for the reader. This doesn’t mean forget about SEO, it simply means don’t make it the be-all and end-all of your content. Google likes it when you don’t overdo the SEO stuff!
• Ask your friends and/or relatives if they genuinely like the content you are writing for the web. If they like it, there is an excellent chance that Google will like it, too.
• Update your content frequently. This is one of the most effective ways you can get in Google’s good books! Google loves fresh content, so if you supply it, you are helping your website be a favorite with this search giant.
• Have a blog for your ecommerce business and share valuable, informative content with readers so that you build up a solid base of followers who read your blog posts. Google likes popular, influential websites that have lots of friends and followers.
• Use SEO with SMO, or Social Media Optimization. Google responds very well to websites who are adept at combining these two things.

The more favorably your ecommerce website is viewed by Google, the more successful it will be!

So, make sure that you schedule time at least every week or so to keep your website up to speed and keeping Google happy!

- Drop Ship Access

The Handsome Family – In The Air
Carrot Top 2000

Listen while reading:

___________________________________________________

As you may have realized I’m quite excited with Through The Trees and so every following album must stand the comparison with this gorgeous record. And the first thing that is conspicuous listening to In The Air is that they decided to leave the “mysterious sounding” path and went on to another track. It could seem that they intended to make the whole thing a bit more of a sing along experience. This maybe sounds pejorative but isn’t meant this way because the title track is one of my all time favourite songs of them. It’s just that they varied their sound into something new and one could say it is another step forward but I’m not quiet this opinion for I see tracks like Lie Down, A Beautiful Thing or the uber haunting Poor, Poor Lenore and I know that they are all the same even though they sound more fresh and vital than ever. The difference in their sound may be a result of the immense application of the keyboards – they are more apparent and so they add another quality to the album. But even this seems not quite right. However, I must say that In The Air is a very good album but it plays in another category than Through The Trees – and not many other records are in this category I think. A good friend, Lutz, once told me (and he is not quite a fan of this music at all) that In The Air sounds like what you can call Schlager music – the fact that I remember this statement means that something true lies in it and I think it could be what I called sing along experience. Indeed they got some catchy lines and easy structures sometimes and therefore you might call it so – but if you do so, you should be aware of the whole musical context of the album. I’m not willing to accept such a point of view if it is meant to make fun of the music they make – but I could accept it if one referrs to the overall structure of it and the composition of the tracks. In the end I have the secret thought that Rennie and Bret had a little off-time writing In The Air but made the best of it. And if you ask me if this album is worth to be in the catalog of such a great band, the answer only can be: yes and dang yes!

I still see this as one of my favorite comedies and cannot believe it is now 9 years old, it really does not seem like it came out that long ago!

Meeting the parents is still seen as a big step in a relationship, even bigger for a man meeting the father of the woman he wants to marry. That must be intimidating, but what if that man was Robert De Niro ex-CIA and you want to marry his little girl this is not going to be an easy task. Especially when you are Ben Stiller and everything you touch/say/do seems to go wrong without even trying.

Greg Focker . . . yes you can see what they done their and how many jokes you can fling in just saying his name. He is a male nurse, who wants to marry Pam Byrnes. When he finds out her father Jack is the type of man who would want to be asked first, he plans to ask him before proposing. The couple stay at her parents for her sister’s wedding.

Greg really does try his best to impress the people he wants as his in-laws and family by making things up and inadvertently doing everything wrong. Loosing Jinx the family cat, flushing the toilet which does not work properly, setting everything on fire and pretty much so much damage before the wedding.

I think the main reason I still like this film so much is due to that it still makes me laugh. Yes a lot of it is silly and random but I think it’s a good way to totally release while watching a comedy. Especially when someone makes as many mistakes and cannot do anything right. Everyone can relate to doing things when they should not have.

Seeing Robert De Niro in a comedy and being daft really does make this so much more than other comedies. As he is not really an actor you expect to see in a comedy, especially when he holds the cat-like a baby when getting it back, that is not what you expect from De Niro. I think this does make his scenes funnier than if a different actor had taken on the role.

I always compare Ben Stiller in other comedies to this film and really don’t think he has put in a funnier performance. He was just brilliant as the helpless guy who just wanted to marry the woman he loved, with nothing going right for him.

I bet if a man who comes across a father like De Niro’s character in this film, really would want to run a mile and possibly think twice about wanting to marry his daughter (if they were not 100% sure of course). But it really does make for a funny comedy which will probably always be relevant in having to meet the parents.

I wonder which way round people find it worse? Being the man meeting her parents . . . or being the woman meeting his parents?

Poporul a spus de doua ori “DA” in decursul zilei de ieri (off-topic: citez:”era mai bine, totusi, daca spunea “DA” colega ta aia buna de facultate”). Lucru demn de admirat. In sfarsit, gandim! Weee!

Pentru Basescu, acest referendum reprezinta asul din maneca si ii confera un avantaj pentru cel de-al doilea tur de scrutin.

Si avand in vedere ca si scorul la primul tur a fost ceva mai bun decat al lui Geoana,cred ca aseara, la afisarea primelor exit poll-uri, Basescu a avut o senzatie de déjà vu. “Parca stiu faza asta de undeva, se gandea el. Aaaa! 2000!!! ha!Ha!HA!”.

Download

Available versions:

DivX Version (Normal Quality), DVD (Good Quality), PDA Version, Full HD:1080p (Best Quality)

Actors: Sawa Devon,Smith Kerr,Todd Tony,Scott Seann William,Roebuck Daniel,Smith Roger Guenveur,Donella Chad,Fehr Brendan,Angus Forbes,Horror,Thriller,Mystery,Fantasy,

Download Full Version>>

If ever possible will you want to know the exact date when you are going to die and how? Death is inescapable?
Inspired from "The bucket list" and "final destination"

Commit suicide.
David Davidson | Nov 17, 2009

even in coma or icu… no body can say that he will die this day/hour/min or alike…
what they can assume is his death is near…
fazal_274 | Nov 17, 2009

Some believe that ‘you’ is the soul – which is eternal and cannot die – but rather change forms (much like the movie transformers – more than meets the eye)
Mc | Nov 17, 2009

At least I could plan for it.
TSW | Nov 17, 2009

This is an annual event that i always go to every year. Its good to see that the turn-outs are becoming better as the year goes by. Its always a good look for me i advise you if you are into the vintage clothing scene to check it out.  You can find out by going to the event why for the select few veiw this is a lifestyle rather than a fad.

lo-life bbq 4th annual

And here is some footage from the event. It was funny watching it because i spotted myself in the footage. Im only in there for a couple of a seconds but it was funny to me nonetheless. Enjoy the footage….peace.

 Оценка альбома “Wishmaster“: 9/10

 Группа придерживалась в “Wishmaster” жанра Symphonic Power Metal, как всегда. Хотя были песни, где Power явно не присутствовал. Хотя его отсутствие явно не портит впечатление.

 Музыка в “Wishmaster” достаточно разнообразна инструментами музыкальными и ритмами. Переходы от ритма к ритму не идут скачками, а проигрываются мелодично. Хотя, в песне Dead Boy’s Poem музыка явно “хромает”.

 Голоса вокалистки и вообще исполняющих песни в “Wishmaster” тоже хорошие. То есть пели качественно, хотя в двух или трех песнях слишком уж “сонно”. К примеру, в той же Dead Boy’s Poem вокалистка и слишком уж медленно и тихо пела.

 Общее впечатление от альбома “Wishmaster“, как видно из оценки, больше чем хорошее. Все песни, кроме двух трех упомянутых, неплохо комбинируют Metal и Symphonie. Советую послушать.

Название альбома: Wishmaster Жанр: Symphonic Power Metal Год: 2000 Продолжительность: 00:53:37 Список песен: #01 She is my sin[ 4:46 ] #02 The Rinslayer[ 3:58 ] #03 Come cover me[ 4:34 ] #04 Wanderlust[ 4:50 ] #05 Two for tragedy[ 3:50 ] #06 Wishmaster[ 4:24 ] #07 Bare grace misery[ 3:41 ] #08 Crownless[ 4:28 ] #09 Deep silent complete[ 3:57 ] #10 Dead boy’s poem[ 6:47 ] #11 FantasMic[ 8:27 ] #12 Sleepwalker[ 3:13 ] Исполнитель: Nightwish Скачать Прослушать онлайн