Groundbreaking Academy Award–winning documentarian Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) investigates what he calls “the mystery” behind the images that shocked the world; the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Standard Operating Procedure opens in Minneapolis at the Lagoon Theater on May 23. Errol Morris will also be in person for a sneak preview of the film at the Walker Art Center on April 15.
Tarsem’s The Cell is the epitomy of style-over-substance - a beautiful piece of visual art that just happened to be one of the worst films of the 90s. That being said, I’m really hoping The Fall is his desperately needed redemption piece, because the trailer and newly-released poster look stunning.
In a hospital a little girl with a broken collar bone meets a bedridden man who starts telling her a fantastical story which reflects his state of mind. As time goes by fiction and reality start to intertwine in this uplifting epic fantasy.
The Fall opens in Minneapolis at the Uptown Theater on May 30.
The Fall - Trailer
Do I really think this will ever happen? No. But have I been hoping for this perfect dream casting for over a decade, when I first got into film through the James Bond series? Oh, hell yeah.
According to The Daily Mail, which instantly makes this sound of nothing but a rumor, preliminary discussions have said to have taken place between Sean Connery and the new Bond producers after Connery was so impressed with Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale.
Unfortunately, Connery is busy enjoying retirement, and was asking for insane amounts of money for the films he was doing right before he stepped away from the silver screen. “I wouldn’t mind coming back as a Bond villain,” Connery said. “But I don’t think they would pay me enough money.”
We can always hope otherwise.
You Only Live Twice - Trailer
AOL Music linked up with new Def Jux devotee, Dizzee Rascal, to spit a surprisingly tight and polished freestyle over the beat to Lil’ Wayne’s “Fireman.”
Look for the US release of Dizzee Rascal’s long-overdue, Maths and English via Definitive Jux, April 29th, 2008.
Update 3.29.08 - YouTube video is up:
Mojo and myself went to see DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist spin nothing but vintage 45s a little while back at First Avenue. They called it The Hard Sell. The shit was packed and there was no shortage of people blazing up in the venue. Still, it was an intriguing set of classic hip-hop jams, old obscure crap (they focused a segment on “the worst song ever” as they called it), sample fodder, turntable wizardry (and invention), wacky animation, and their own reconstructions of famous beats (”Potholes in My Lawn” by De La Soul was my favorite).
They’ve decided to take their Hollywood Bowl performance of The Hard Sell tour and put it on DVD and CD. Along with the standard set, it also includes a few cuts they deemed too complex for a live performance. Sounds buttery!
It’s available via your favorite retailer and directly from DJ Shadow’s on-line store.
The Hard Sell - Excerpt
One fact you will hear from me time and time again on this site is I love Daft Punk! They are my favorite band of all-time. So when I saw a link on Sovietpanda for a new MySpace blog devoted to nothing but collecting and posting Daft Punk mixes I did a cartwheel. Check out the robot rock here:
After years of being linked to Frank Darabont’s remake of Fahrenheit 451, Tom Hanks has dropped out.
“Mr. Hanks sadly and regretfully had to back out,” Darabont told MTV. “I was really looking forward to working with him again but his other commitments just precluded it. He had to take a step back.”
One of those commitments being the Da Vinci Code sequel, by the way. No word on who Darabont might be looking at next . . .
“It needs to be somebody like [Hanks] who has the ability to trigger a greenlight but is also the right guy for the part. It’s a narrow target. It’s a short list of people,” Darabont sighed.
I say, good. Tom Hanks stopped seeming like an ‘everyman’ in the 90s, and there’s plenty of actors that could fill the role better. The only question is if it’ll get Darabont the money.
Joe vs. the Volcano - Tom Hanks Being an Everyman
Baltimore punkers TheDeathSet are on tour with Bonde Do Role who helped the guys with a remix on their latest release. They will be making a Minnesota stop at Carleton College on April 19. Whoever is booking the shows at Carleton, kudos. First the Cool Kids, now TheDeathSet. Try to convince these guys to come up to Minneapolis next time.
Bonde Do Role lost their lead singer, but have reformed and are still touring…“Featuring not one, but two new female singers who were chosen via auditions held in conjunction with MTV Brasil, Ana Bernardino and Laura Taylor will join the band for a ramped up set featuring new songs, covers, and old Bonde classics.”
TheDeathSet 2008 Tour Dates:
04.16 - Bard College - Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
04.17 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
04.18 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
04.19 - The Cave @ Carleton College - Northfield, MN
04.22 - High Dive - Seattle, WA
04.23 - Holocene - Portland, OR
04.24 - ATA - San Francisco, CA
05.04 - Sluggo’s - Pensacola, FL
05.16 - Les Saints - Montreal, QC
05.18 - The Social - Toronto, ON
with Bonde Do Role:
04.28 - Plush - Tuscon, AZ
04.30 - Emos - Austin, TX
05.01 - Palladium Loft - Dallas, TX
05.02 - Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA
05.03 - The Beta Bar - Tallahassee, FL
05.05 - Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL
05.07 - TSI - Jacksonville, FL
05.08 - Club Firestone - Orlando, FL
05.09 - Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
05.10 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
05.12 - Sonar - Baltimore, MD
05.13 - Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA
05.14 - Europa Nightclub - New York, NY
05.15 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
TheDeathSet - “Negative Thinking”
Watch the original video for the song HERE.
Bret Easton Ellis‘ novel The Informers is an oddity from the rest of his work, with elements of the supernatural found within a vampire storyline based around Jamie, who was set to be played by Brendan Routh of Superman Returns fame in the upcoming film adaptation by Gregor Jordan.
However in a recent interview with IGN, actor John Graham has this to say;
“There are no more vampires. They took the vampires out. There are no zombies or monsters either,” he announces. “This is more about the narcissistic side of people’s characters. God knows why they took the vampire characters out. I can’t say if I was pleased or displeased, that is just the way it is.”
While unfortunate, this isn’t the first time massive changes were made to Ellis’ work for the big screen, with American Psycho losing ambiguity, Rules of Attraction losing more than one main storyline, and Less Than Zero, well . . . just about everything, there.
The Informers, published in 1995, is a collection of loosely-connected short stories that capture a week in L.A. in 1983, featuring movie executives, rock stars, and other morally challenged characters in adventures laced with sex, drugs and violence. No release date for the film is set just yet.
Performing the theme song to The Wire.
Alt-Country mainstays the Old 97’s are heading out on the road in support of their upcoming full length album, Blame it on Gravity, the band’s first in 4 years.
Old 97’s 2008 Tour Dates:
05.30 - Houston, TX - Meridian
05.31 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
06.01 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
06.03 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
06.04 - Minneapolis, MN - 1st Ave
06.05 - Chicago, IL - Metro
06.06 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
06.07 - Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Festival
06.10 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
06.11 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Palladium
06.13 - Vancouver, BC - Richard’s on Richard
06.14 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
06.15 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
06.17 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
06.19 - Los Angeles, CA - Crash Mansion
06.20 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
Old 97’s - “Barrier Reef” (live in 1998, this is the best video I could find)
Maryland songwriter-producer Dayna Staggs (D’Mystro) is suing Kanye West and his record label, Roc-a-Fella, for copyright infringement over using samples from his “Volumes of Good Life” song in West’s hit, “Good Life.” Staggs claims that the song contains vulgar and offensive images that could damage his reputation.
View all of the lawsuit documents HERE.
Kanye West’s Illegal Shenanigans - “Good Life”
Posting tweet...
