I’d say at least three times a week I browse through nearly everything offered instantly from Netflix.  Typically there’s a heavy glass of red wine sitting next to me on my floor – that needs to be vacuumed with something of industrial strength – that I’ll get to once I put my X-Box controller down.  My intention is to see what is new on “instant watch” and then start buffering up a movie that hopefully doesn’t suck.  A good lot of the time I browse for too long then flash through my queue and can’t decide on any one thing.  Why?  Too many options.  I’ll even work together with my roommate Jordan to widdle down the choices, but usually I give up and head to my room for a comic or two before bed.

Sometimes too much is just too much.

I was born in ‘84 and I’ve seen the Super Nintendo (de)evolve into the Dreamcast then grow wings and become the 360.  Without having to read and recite a book about science, I’m saying that I’ve witnessed technology grow exponentially.  Today I have the option to watch hundreds of movies with the flick of joystick and a little pressure applied to a brightly colored button.  Oh, Band McMusic just re-released their live EP from the secret show they played in Hungary – circa ‘98 – during that accidental aerial bombardment from NATO Y-Wing.  ”Type type type” then “click click click” and I have that album sitting on my desktop.  It’s obvious that we’re spoiled when it comes to the entertainment that’s a hyperlink away and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

X-Box Live just added Last FM as an application for it’s fancy Gold Members – who pay 40 some dollars a year – and are given many more reasons to never bask in natural light.  Not that this invention is anything new to the interwebs, but I can pick an artist, make a station via that artist, and listen to music within the same vein of said artist.  I know, this sounds like the radio if you were able to put it under the microscope and manipulate what you wanted from it.  It is, but sometimes it’s just too much.

When I was a kid I had the radio, a small book of CDs, and the local Video Barn for entertainment.  I was content too.  As the years have passed and I now put onions on nearly every sandwich I make, it’s obvious my likes and dislikes have expanded.  My Mom would slice onions in our kitchen back home and just the scent was enough to keep me away from our downstairs for hours.  What used to sate or deter me as a child isn’t the case anymore.  Now I need three new movies in the mail twice a week to keep me from clawing at the walls.  There has to be a refresher from some new band I’ve never heard – or given any time to – at least a couple times a month, otherwise I start biting my nails down to the cuticle.  I’m American, I drink beer out of the can, and I need to be fucking entertained 24 hours out of the God damn day.  Yeah, it’s true.

I think I kinda lost my train of thought at some point in this rant, so I’ll get to some kind of point.

We used to worship idols made of stone and wood then men who said they were actual gods filled in that spot.  After that we started to hear these stories from wise elders about these powerful beings that have always been and will always be, so it was the smart choice to praise them.  Now we have the internet.  The internet knows all, tells all, and does all.  What else do we need?  If this laptop I’m typing on had a vagina built into it, could pour alcohol out one of it’s many ports, and ejected the makings for a sandwich from the CD drive… yup, wouldn’t leave the house.

I could go on with this, but I’d probably end up running my words and thoughts into solid wall of nonsense, which would most likely drive me to making dick and fart jokes.  Let me save you from that and tell you about some music you should be listening to.

1. Bang Maiden, they’re from San Francisco (make some unjustified generalizations from that fact alone because that’s what I’d do).  On Halloween last month they played their first show at The Parkside in the Misson and they definitely fit the bill if you wanna drink, dance, and bang your head.  They just uploaded a three song demo EP for download and I’m a fan.  Hardcore  - and whatever sub-genre within the same realm you babble about – is one of those sounds that’s in a bit of a slump as of late.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many greats acts currently putting out original and good tunes, but the majority is nothing more than the same old riffs that started in the ’80s, got reworked in the ’90s, and has continued the same cycle into the 2000’s.  What do these guys have that sets them apart from the fodder?  They don’t have drums, they got beats.  Patrick is the programming wizard in the three-piece that mixes the backbone of sound , which gives the group an artificial rhythm that is danceable… like boner-jams danceable.  It’s not too often you can listen to something that cuts a rug all Samurai Shodown 2 (I suck at that game), yet urges your veins to replace some of that red with drunk and maybe punch some random, all in good fun of course.  It’s dirty and fun, so give it a listen, go get tested afterwards, and pay me the ten bucks you owe.

2. Now these guys just got dredged out of the dungeon – I call it my iPod – and put a real dumb smile on my face.  Since the mammoth performance I witnessed a while back at the West Seattle Legion Hall, Giant became Brave Young, but the sound hasn’t changed a bit.  I’ve been allowing my music to grow a little more grand these days (drugs are bad), so the music I’m seeking needs to consume me and wall me up inside of it.  Brave Young is an undertaking that weighs on your ear drums with its heavy guitars and bass.  The sound becomes one looming entity that is lumbering with each bang of the drums and it’s one voice roars just far enough from the instruments before it melds back into the mass of noise.  This is one of those bands that I may never see live again, but from that one show – whatever summer it was ago – I feel lucky.

3. Oh yeah, I’m doing it.  Oingo Boingo has been the musical “first ice cold beer of the day” for me lately.  It’s fun, it’s upbeat, it can get a little spooky, and it’s one of those aspects of the ’80s that I don’t hate.  I’m not saying the 80’s were horrible, I mean come on, Earth Girls Are Easy?  You don’t have to say anything, just try not to get lost in Jeff Goldblum’s eyes, even though he does have mind powers.  There really isn’t any reason for me to explain any further.  Fire this shit up and let Danny Elfman do the rest.  Watch this too:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

A new era in animated storytelling begins on 9.9.09. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) join forces to produce wunderkind director Shane Acker’s distinctively original and thrilling tale. 9 stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover and features the music of Danny Elfman.

When 9 (The Lord of the Ring’s Elijah Wood) first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they’ll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them. –© Focus Features

Minha reação a cada filme do Tim Burton lançado é de torcer o nariz, mas o cara é muito foda. Não dá pra não gostar de nenhum filme dele. Mesmo com as caricaturas que viraram o Johnny Depp e a Helena Bonham Carter.
Um barbeiro[Depp] volta da cadeia pra Londres com sede de vingança. Queremos carne humana, é isso! O mais legal do filme são as voltas que o roteiro dá, quando pensamos que o negócio está tomando um rumo, surge o inesperado. O final é bem disgusting, mas ainda poderoso.
No mais, tem aquela estética soturna bem característica do diretor, super direção de arte[premiada no Oscar] e figurino, retratando perfeitamente uma Londres a la David Copperfield. E a trilha do Danny Elfman não deixa nenhuma melodia na cabeça mas não incomoda.
E ainda que caricatos, Depp e Carter têm seus bons momentos no filme, mas pra mim a melhor interpretação é a do Alan Rickman[casaria com a voz dele] como um suposto vilão[?].
*
E só hoje descobri que o Sacha Baron Cohen participava do filme. Ui!

Whilst I impatiently wait for my Christmas pre-order of Pandorum, I thought I should review the highly anticipated ‘9‘, directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton. Which subsequently brings me to my first point. Many people thought that this was a direct piece of work from Burton, meaning they thought he was directing. Unfortunately that isn’t the case and as a result, many individuals were slightly disappointed by the film primarily due to the shoes which Acker, never in fact had to fill.

It is fair to admit, however that Acker did an amazing job considering ‘9‘ is his first feature-length film in which he played the role of director. Acker, who may be known for his CG animation in ‘Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King‘, took the role on head first and came out with some surprising results. Astonishingly, something that no one truly appreciated was the script, although to be fair, it was not that entirely illustrious and because of that, the actors voices weren’t really appreciated also. On the other hand, 9 proved positive amongst critics for it’s CGI.

The plot, whilst fairly original, lies within a post-apocalyptic world where the only questionable living things are a series of 9, doll-like creatures who are referred to only by number. It’s safe to say that this has hardly be attempted before, with a pretty impressive execution at that, but despite all this, I found the way the film was made less favourable. For a start, even though I severely enjoyed the trailer for ‘9′ I didn’t expect the quality of the CGI of the characters to be as it was. The landscapes and lighting on the other hand, were genius with an impressive amount of detail. After re-watching the film it appeared that the simplified CGI wasn’t so much as a bad thing as it was good, not being constantly distracted from the character profiles, or plot line, or the film score allowed me to focus especially on those things. Whether this was intended or not, I was still moved by the 79 minutes of film.

As I already mentioned the film score, I can say that it is uniquely poignant and similarly nonchalant, as if the score doesn’t need to live up to the film, as if in fact, the other way around. In some ways it’s similar to ‘‘The Dark Knight’s‘ score, in my mind, but during the actions scenes, it’s some of the better compilations I have ever heard; if you can comprehend a mixture of the awesomesauce of ‘Star Wars‘ and some random epic film with an equally representative epic score, then you’ll have a measurement of what I’m referring to. Kudos to Danny Elfman who pulls off yet another amazing soundtrack, only on the action part however, Deborah Lurie was brought in for the more orchestral sounds and her luscious work pulls you in from the start. Admittedly, it did take me re-watches to fully appreciate the entire score, as I do with many of the films I review, I re-watch them to focus on different aspects of its creation. Quality over quantity, right? Overall the film was rather good, however if you’re looking for a Tim Burton experience, this isn’t it.

Tim Burton kommer att ha en utställning, en om något tidig retrospektiv, på MoMA – Museum of Modern Art i New York. Utställningen kommer att innehålla teckningar, anteckningar, filmer och även boksignering.

En särskild avdelning får namnet “Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters”, som kan sägas vara en hyllning till de monster som inspirerat filmskaparen. Här återfinns vanskapelser från bland annat tysk impressionism och Universal Studios.

Och marknadsföringen inför utställningen? Jo den sköter Tim Burton till viss del själv, även med assistans från kompositören och ständige kompanjonen Danny Elfman. Nedan följer ett smakprov, en reklamfilm som Tim Burton har gjort för utställningen. 

Utställningen kan du se om du är i New York och besöker MoMA någon gång mellan den 22 november och 26 April. Besök MoMAs hemsida för mer info.

Läs även:
Tim Burton om Johnny Depp (Videointervju)

Alice in Wonderland är många (“Alice i Underlandet” genom filmhistorien)

Haz click en la imagen para verla a detalle

Tras de que las noticias relacionadas con la producción de El Hombre Lobo resultarán bastante halagadoras, surge el primer punto en contra. El compositor Danny Elfman anunció su salida del proyecto, para ser substituido por Paul Haslinger. Si bien este segundo es bien reconocido por su talento, Elfman tiene una fama difícil de igualar, por lo que su salida seguramente afectará a la cinta. Hasta ahora, no se ha explicado el porqué del cambio, pero quien conozca lo temperamental de este compositor podrá pensar muchísimas posibilidades.

En el video, extraido de “Chicago” (Rob Marshall, 2002), 6 asesinas convictas nos cuentan como y sobre todo porque hicieron lo que las ha llevado a estar allí. Como dice la canción, “no hemos sido, pero si lo hubiéramos hecho, ¿quién podría decirnos nada?“. El cinismo de la obra original de la que fue destilándose poco a poco este musical ganador del Oscar a la Mejor película en 2002 (primero obra teatral en 1926, película en 1927, luego musical en 1975 y por fin la versión que nos ocupa) es el leiv-motiv de la historia. Y nos demuestra que es adaptable a cualquier época o lugar. Lo importante no son los crímenes, es su apariencia, o la de los asesinos, lo importante es vender periódicos o libros. Lo importante son los focos de los periodistas o del cabaret. Poco importan los asesinados, o las víctimas inocentes. La verdad es que me suena mucho, y no precisamente de Chicago o de los “felices” 20. La película fue durante mucho tiempo un proyecto de Bob Fosse, y esa influencia se deja notar tanto en el estilo visual como en la coreografía, en la película (incluso hay una nota de agradecimiento en los créditos), que tiene más de uno y dos parecidos razonables con la obra maestra de Fosse. “Cabaret“. Esta influencia se deja notar de manera intensa en el corte que he escogido, mi preferido de la película. Me encanta la música, pero no se si más la descripción de los crímenes: “ya se sabe que hay gente que no sabe tolerar el arsénico…”

According to Cinemusic, due to scheduling conflicts, Danny Elfman has left The Wolfman.   Elfman has been replaced by Paul Haslinger.   Haslinger is familar to genre fans for his work on Crank, Underworld, Death Race, and Vacancy.

This will leave Elfman fans with a “lost score”.  Because Elfman has already completely a lot of music for the film.  And none of it will be included in the final film.

Skandal!!! Über die einschlägigen Soundtrack-Foren gerade erfahren und von Cinemusic.net bestätigt: Danny Elfman’s Musik wird in THE WOLFMAN nicht zu hören sein! 

VERDAMMT, DAS SAUGT!!!

Wie die meisten Fans hatte ich mich auf einen schönen Gothic Style – Elfman Score ala SLEEPY HOLLOW, BATMAN etc. gefreut. Die Musik scheint auch komplett fertig und bereits eingespielt worden zu sein. Nun ist der Kinostart von WOLFMAN aber schon einige Male nach hinten geschoben worden, und das ist sehr oft kein gutes Zeichen. Gerade für Filmmusiker, bedeutet es in der Regel, u.a. massive Änderungen im Schnitt, vermeintlich um den Film schneller (also moderner und damit massenkompatibler) zu machen. Das wiederum bedeutet, dass der Filmkomponist die Musik sehr zeitaufwendig und komplett neu an den Film angleichen muss, plus Änderungen und evtl. Erweiterungen. Da Elfman wohl aber gerade noch mit Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND zu tun hat, hat er anscheinend schlichtweg keine Zeit mehr, alles umzuschreiben und neu zu machen. Ausserdem könnte ich mir sehr gut vorstellen, dass die Verantwortlichen seinen Score zu “unmodern” finden, und stattdessen eh lieber wieder was aufgepimptes, pseudomodernes haben wollten. Daher wurde jetzt flugs ein neuer (billiger) Komponist engagiert, der eilig eine komplett neue Musik zu machen hat! Und die Wahl fiel auf Paul Haslinger (Death Race 2000, Crank, Underworld)! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Tja, das passt!

I’m not amused!

Den ganzen Artikel, warum wir die Musik vielleicht trotzdem noch zu hören bekommen (Bitte, bitte, bitte….) plus weiterer Infos, bei Cinemusic.net!

Iedere liefhebber van het fantastische werk van Tim Burton moet ‘m straks in huis hebben: de ‘Burtonbijbel’. Voor het eerst wordt al het artwork dat Burton heeft gemaakt (privé en voor al zijn projecten) gebundeld in een 430 pagina’s tellend boek.

Liefhebbers opgelet: de Burtonbijbel gaat verschijnen! (c) Tim Burton.

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Meer dan duizend illustraties laten de sprookjesachtige wereld van de schepper van Jack Skellington, Frankenweenie en Edward Scissorhands zien. In het boek tref je artwork aan van onder meer de volgende films en projecten: Alice in Wonderland (2010), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory en Corpse Bride (allebei 2005), Big Fish (2003), Planet of the Apes (2001), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Mars Attacks! (1996), Ed Wood (1994), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Family Dog (1987), Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1988), Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Frankenweenie (1984), Vincent (1982) en Hansel & Gretel (1982). De Burtonbijbel bevat ook nog ander tekenwerk. Zo wordt er werk getoond uit het eerder verschenen boek The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories (1997). Ook is er plek voor grafisch webwerk (The World of Stainboy).

Ook deze 'gedrochtjes' staan in de Burtonbijbel. (c) Tim Burton.

‘Beroepsdracula’
Het boek bevat tekstbijdragen van ‘mevrouw Burton’ Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Danny DeVito, huiscomponist Danny Elfman, ‘beroepsdracula’ Christopher Lee en Winona Ryder. Wanneer het boek gaat verschijnen en wat het gaat kosten, is nog niet bekend. Wel zeker is dat de Burtonbijbel deze herfst het levenslicht gaat zien. Wie meer wil weten en wie nu al een exemplaar wil reserveren, moet de supergeweldige website van Tim Burton maar checken!

Tonight as I was taking my cousin to drop her off at a singles Halloween dance, I had the idea to share a little something Halloweeny with all of you.

Well, who does Halloween like Danny Elfman? Nobody, that’s who.

So Here’s a selection of his rather Halloween-y tunes for your delectation. Enjoy!

Those first few are pretty widely known even to folks that aren’t all that familiar with Oingo Boingo, but here are a few more that might be less so…

Läskig Halloween på er allihop!

Om någon har missat filmen ovan, alltså The Nightmare Before Christmas, så får ni i bakläxa att se den. Ni har till jul på er.

Idag är MarySaintMary i Finspång för första gången på tre veckor. Ska åka till Benjamins föräldrar och fika sen och sen funderar jag på om det är värt att gå ut i Finspång ikväll. Någon som har några åsikter om det? Nån som ska ut?

It’s “Camels With Halloween” All Day Today!!!

Your Fears?

Boingo + Tim Burton = Happy Halloween!

- Gyro

Big Fish | Tim Burton, 2003

Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors because he is great at making the kind of movies he makes, and doesn’t let go of that. However, if you were to ask some film connoisseurs what they think Burton’s best film is, they’d respond with one of the two films that marked a departure from his dark story telling, Ed Wood and Big Fish. I would agree with those that think that the latter is indeed his best.

Big Fish tells the story of the life of Edward Blood. When he was young (and played by Ewan McGregor), he was a hot shot in his small town, so he decides to see the world, only to get sidetracked by the person he would marry. His older self (played by Alber Finney) is dying of cancer, and his son desperately want the true version of all the stories he has told him throughout his life. Throughout the movie Edward’s version of his life is told, and in the wonderful end we get to decide whether we like his version or the true version.

What Burton does best is create  movies that rely more on their visuals than the story. This time, he has a great story to work with that only relies on his style for about 25% of the movie. For the rest, we get to see him brach out and just focus on the characters rather than the elaborate sets. Yes the movie is beautiful, but the most touch scenes (aside from the end) are ones that rely on the connection between two characters in a barren room, and he handles those perfectly. In the end, great visuals are used, but he still focuses on the characters, which was the right call. None of these scenes would have worked without the actors

Ewan McGreagor and Albert Finney are great at capturing the charm in Edward Bloom. However, Finney stands out because he also has to show us the Edward that is dying and has to stop being charming when his son tries to get the truth out of him. There are also great supporting performances from Jessica Lange, Danny Devito, Steve Buschemi, and Helena Bonham Carter. Also, I will forever love this movie for introducing me to the great talent that is is Marion Cottillard.

On the technical side, it is as beautiful as any other Burton movie. The sets, the costumes, the cinematography, the make-up, all great. I must single out the music. Danny Elfman’s score is among the best of the decade (and deserved to win an Oscar), and Pearl Jam’s original song, “Man of the Hour,” packs a great emotional punch as it plays after that great finale.

Big Fish is one of the top 10 movies of the decade. It’s great story and themes combined with Burton’s vision makes this an unforgettable experience.

Well, really, was there any other choice?  The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the best Halloween movies ever, and has one of the greatest openings around.  Enjoy and remember, life’s no fun without a good scare!

I was querying G what songs she enjoyed for Halloween and she referenced the theme to Beetlejuice. I admitted it was indeed a good choice. Her response was naturally “I’m brilliant.” What can I say?! She is right. It is quite possible most of Danny Elfman’s works would qualify for they mostly have that perky creepiness that oh so appropriate for Halloween!

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• Coraline
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Space

I also suggest the music genre:

• Halloween

Click here for more info on Danny Elfman – Beetlejuice Soundtrack – “Main Titles”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

Danny Elfman - Beetlejuice Soundtrack

Danny Elfman in Forbidden Zone

Reading Steven’s Halloween posting on the oddly attractive David Turpin, I got to thinking of my favorite Halloween song. Having just co-hosted Blood on the Keyboards at Wild Pug last week I was knee deep in spooky tunes this past month.  Halloween for me, since mid-eighties has always been a Danny Elfman affair.

From his first film Forbidden Zone as a member of the Mystical Knights of Oingo Boingo, to his hits Dead Man’s Party and Weird Science, to his successful career as a composer for many of Tim Burton’s biggest films Beetlejuice, Batman, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and Sleepy Hollow. But for me, the pinnacle was one of the most overlooked moments. As a finale to Oingo Boigo’s career, they came together for a final album and tour with the release Boingo. A brilliant, dark, deep release that was all but ignored by everyone but the fans. Which is a shame.  Luckily they documented their final show with Farewell! With the CD and DVD they chronicled their final goodbye as a band…or did they. Looks like they are going waaaay back and making Forbidden Zone 2 with brother Richard Elfman and sister-in-law Jenna, but sans dead Herve Villachez.

Feed Me Seymour – Blood eating plants? Where do I sign up. I know a few people I’d feed to him. Alright he would be able to out survive a nuclear holocaust off my list.

Jeepers Creepers – If you didn’t see the movie it’s worth a good frightnight just for the song.

Down with the Sickness…Yes I love the Disturbed version but we are slowing down.

This is Halloween- can’t have Halloween without Tim Burton