If you read any movie sites/blogs, you probably didn't have exceedingly high hopes for Valkyrie, Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer's WWII film about Claus von Stauffenberg, the man who committed the most significant attempt on die Führer, Adolf Hitler's life. There was a flurry of bad press a month or two ago, ranging from extras suing the studio due to injuries, an edited picture of the real von Stauffenberg used in a media comparison with Tom Cruise, Germany's Finance Ministry denying filming privileges, and even Claus von Stauffenberg's son objecting to Cruise portraying his father.
The movie seems to have powered through, though, to a relatively successful opening on Christmas day. I've read reviews that the movie is somewhat factually inaccurate, but then again, that's why it says based on a true story. Apparently von Stauffenberg actually did support Nazi ideals, and only later sought to usurp Hitler mostly due to his inefficiency during wartime. Important to note for general knowledge, but as far as the film goes, it's obviously contorted a bit to make most associated parties seem a bit more noble and correct in their views. And who knows, maybe their reasons truly were noble; these things often become more and more gray throughout the years. The movie doesn't show or even mention anything in von Stauffenberg's life before talks of Operation Valkyrie begin, so it works out pretty conveniently.
Now, Tom Cruise is practically a pariah outside of Hollywood at this point, further alienating himself from normal people through his Scientological endeavors. But that doesn't stop him from consistently churning out quality performances (with the exception of Tropic Thunder -- wtf? Well, I guess he knows better than me how studio heads act.) The same holds true for Valkyrie. Sure, he was a little robotic, but that's pretty much the role the movie called for. The movie, not the story. I was extremely put off at first at Cruise's lack of AT LEAST a German accent, but they kinda made it work with the movie, starting out the narration in German with subtitles, which quickly fades to Cruise speaking English.
As far as the actual movie goes, I was pretty impressed. They do a good job of portraying how historically significant this whole plot was, and an even better job at making the movie adequately tense and intense. The supporting cast performed perhaps equally as Cruise, if not better, and most of the high ranking German officials are played by familiar faces (to adults, at least). I loved how the movie seemed like it was filmed in a past era, giving it a softened, warm feel.
I thought that this movie would be a letdown, but I honestly loved this movie. It played out perfectly, and, factually accurate or not, it's a damned remarkable story. I don't think it marks a return for Tom Cruise to his legendary status, but it's undeniably a step in the right direction.
6/7
12.25.2008
12.19.2008
Pomegranate 7-Up
I actually did some research in order to review this product. I had to, because I'd never tasted a Pomegranate, which is the newest fruit craze, especially amongst health buffs due to its many beneficial properties. Coincidentally enough, or because my grandparents are in town, I happened to find one no further than my kitchen counter.
If you've never eaten a Pomegranate, let me tell you, it's an exceedingly strange fruit. In fact, you don't even eat it. You (kinda) eat the seeds, which make up probably 80% of the fruit itself. The seeds are surrounded by juice and an outer case called an 'aril'. You can eat both the aril and the seed, or just break the aril and suck out the juice. But the seeds are one of the best sources of fiber.
Anyway, back to this drink. After three cans of this stuff, and endless wondering whether or not it's just me, as far as I can tell, there is no discernible flavor to this drink. I've now experienced the Pomegranate flavor, and I really can't pick it out of the crowd in this case. In fact, I can barely even get the normal 7-up flavor, which they pride themselves on.
That being said, it's a decent drink. Whatever flavor it has, it's not disagreeable. Not great, but not disagreeable. It is very carbonated, though, so you get more bubbles than liquid. It's sweet, and if I had to describe the actual flavor of the drink, it'd just be 'slightly red'. I have to say, I think I a completely neutral opinion of this drink. That's a first.
3/7
If you've never eaten a Pomegranate, let me tell you, it's an exceedingly strange fruit. In fact, you don't even eat it. You (kinda) eat the seeds, which make up probably 80% of the fruit itself. The seeds are surrounded by juice and an outer case called an 'aril'. You can eat both the aril and the seed, or just break the aril and suck out the juice. But the seeds are one of the best sources of fiber.
Anyway, back to this drink. After three cans of this stuff, and endless wondering whether or not it's just me, as far as I can tell, there is no discernible flavor to this drink. I've now experienced the Pomegranate flavor, and I really can't pick it out of the crowd in this case. In fact, I can barely even get the normal 7-up flavor, which they pride themselves on.
That being said, it's a decent drink. Whatever flavor it has, it's not disagreeable. Not great, but not disagreeable. It is very carbonated, though, so you get more bubbles than liquid. It's sweet, and if I had to describe the actual flavor of the drink, it'd just be 'slightly red'. I have to say, I think I a completely neutral opinion of this drink. That's a first.
3/7
12.18.2008
Flight of the Conchords - Season 2 Premier
Last time we saw Bret and Jemaine, they were being neglected by longtime manager Murray, in favor of his new clients, The Crazy Dogggz, whose single "Doggy Bounce" is number one in 24 countries. Needless to say, Murray's raking in cash, and the Conchords are not. Flight of the Conchords usually turn in their best performances when they're down, but the second season premier is just pretty good.
I can't really complain, though; they released the premier online more than a month before it airs on HBO, which is nothing short of fucking awesome.
The first episode of what is likely the final season starts out with a band meeting. Something's different, though... perhaps it's the fact that they're in an enormous, luxurious office that belongs to none other than Murray himself. Quite a drastic change from the claustrophobic wooden box that was Murray's old office. After accidentally reading them a few of the Crazy Dogggz' news items ("Your CD has made double-platinum in America."), the Conchords do something that many would argue they should've done long ago: fire Murray. They want to manage themselves. At this point, we get a treat that was probably inevitable after the first: another song by Murray. Or, at least partially.
They manage (see what I did?) to get a gig of their own (in which they're playing a funky song that I hope we might hear more of), and it actually goes well. A man from Great Expectations, a NY agency, played by Whose Line favorite Greg Proops, approaches them after the show to write a jingle for women's (only!) toothpaste. Thus, their first Murray-free band meeting ensues. Unsurprisingly, it's much shorter than usual. They take the deal, which is revealed to have been offered to them because they 'look like two guys who understand how women feel'.
All the classic Conchords characters make a return in this episode. Mel, as extreme in her fandom as ever, is found burning a bunch of Crazy Dogggz merchandise bossing around Doug, for reasons that I will not specify. Dave is there, as always, with sage advice on how to negotiate a deal with the Great Expectations representatives.
The show itself has obviously gotten a bigger budget, and the vibe is more grand, but it still retains that indie comedy feel to it. The jokes are still as dry and awkward and clever, including one especially brilliant joke about Women's Rights that I absolutely loved. There were a few recurring jokes. The episode's songs weren't the greatest -- Murray's song isn't exceedingly humorous, and the other song is actually a pretty old one called "Angels", but it's still good. Overall, it's a quality episode, good, but not great. It doesn't really surpass most of the first season episodes in terms of comedy, music, or concept, yet thankfully it manages to feel as fresh and unique as the first season. I have a feeling the second episode and on will be much better.
4/7
I can't really complain, though; they released the premier online more than a month before it airs on HBO, which is nothing short of fucking awesome.
The first episode of what is likely the final season starts out with a band meeting. Something's different, though... perhaps it's the fact that they're in an enormous, luxurious office that belongs to none other than Murray himself. Quite a drastic change from the claustrophobic wooden box that was Murray's old office. After accidentally reading them a few of the Crazy Dogggz' news items ("Your CD has made double-platinum in America."), the Conchords do something that many would argue they should've done long ago: fire Murray. They want to manage themselves. At this point, we get a treat that was probably inevitable after the first: another song by Murray. Or, at least partially.
They manage (see what I did?) to get a gig of their own (in which they're playing a funky song that I hope we might hear more of), and it actually goes well. A man from Great Expectations, a NY agency, played by Whose Line favorite Greg Proops, approaches them after the show to write a jingle for women's (only!) toothpaste. Thus, their first Murray-free band meeting ensues. Unsurprisingly, it's much shorter than usual. They take the deal, which is revealed to have been offered to them because they 'look like two guys who understand how women feel'.
All the classic Conchords characters make a return in this episode. Mel, as extreme in her fandom as ever, is found burning a bunch of Crazy Dogggz merchandise bossing around Doug, for reasons that I will not specify. Dave is there, as always, with sage advice on how to negotiate a deal with the Great Expectations representatives.
The show itself has obviously gotten a bigger budget, and the vibe is more grand, but it still retains that indie comedy feel to it. The jokes are still as dry and awkward and clever, including one especially brilliant joke about Women's Rights that I absolutely loved. There were a few recurring jokes. The episode's songs weren't the greatest -- Murray's song isn't exceedingly humorous, and the other song is actually a pretty old one called "Angels", but it's still good. Overall, it's a quality episode, good, but not great. It doesn't really surpass most of the first season episodes in terms of comedy, music, or concept, yet thankfully it manages to feel as fresh and unique as the first season. I have a feeling the second episode and on will be much better.
4/7
12.11.2008
Frosted Flakes Gold
One time when I was like 12 years old, I was pouring myself some Frosted Flakes when a large, black, disgusting flake made its way out of the bag and into my bowl. I didn't know what to do, so I dumped the entire bowl in the trash and proceeded to avoid Frosted Flakes for the next few years. It was pretty traumatizing. Eventually, though, I overcame my disdain for Frosted Flakes and came around to 'em again, though not without lots and lots of therapy.
So then yesterday, I opened up my pantry, and what do I see, but Frosted Flakes Gold? I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Turns out it was based on Golden Grahams, in that they had removed the creme flavored icing and replaced it with honey. It occurred to me that Golden Grahams are great, so I grabbed a bowl.
I took a bite. The first thing that hit me was the flavor; it was actually pretty intense. But it wasn't overpowering, you could still taste the 'flake' of it. The honey was definitely there, and I think I tasted a hint of vanilla as well. The texture is different to normal Frosted Flakes also; they feel thicker and crunchier, which is great. Over time I realized that the milk wasn't really taking away the honey flavor, and that the flakes tended to stay crunchy for longer than most other cereals. Five minutes in I was scooping flakes off the bottom of the bowl, submerged completely in milk, and they probably had 80% crunchiness still. My theory is that the honey is so sticky and dense that it serves as a delicious barrier to the milk, thus protecting the flavor AND the crunch of the cereal. Brilliant.
6/7
So then yesterday, I opened up my pantry, and what do I see, but Frosted Flakes Gold? I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Turns out it was based on Golden Grahams, in that they had removed the creme flavored icing and replaced it with honey. It occurred to me that Golden Grahams are great, so I grabbed a bowl.
I took a bite. The first thing that hit me was the flavor; it was actually pretty intense. But it wasn't overpowering, you could still taste the 'flake' of it. The honey was definitely there, and I think I tasted a hint of vanilla as well. The texture is different to normal Frosted Flakes also; they feel thicker and crunchier, which is great. Over time I realized that the milk wasn't really taking away the honey flavor, and that the flakes tended to stay crunchy for longer than most other cereals. Five minutes in I was scooping flakes off the bottom of the bowl, submerged completely in milk, and they probably had 80% crunchiness still. My theory is that the honey is so sticky and dense that it serves as a delicious barrier to the milk, thus protecting the flavor AND the crunch of the cereal. Brilliant.
6/7
12.10.2008
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
I know I'm a bit late to the game on this one, but I found it difficult to critique such an intimidatingly unique work. Just to recap for the two or three people who use the internet that don't know and love Bon Iver already, Bon Iver is a guy named Justin Vernon. Coming off a breakup with a girlfriend AND a band, he ventured up to his father's cabin in a remote area of Wisconsin. There, he started accumulating songs over a three month period, but he had no plans to release them. However, due to positive feedback from those who heard it, he went ahead and did it anyway, and the rest is indie history.
So the music isn't the only part of this project that is unque; the conditions surrounding its birth were as well. The music is the recollection of that experience, though, and that's strikingly obvious in the songs. They're melancholic, wintry, and bare, but I bet that won't stop you from obsessing over them. The lyrics are certainly interesting; most of them were written around the syllables he used to make the melodies. But it's the vocals that will really get you. Like I said, Bon Iver is one guy, which means all the vocals you hear on the record are directly attributed to him, believe it or not. If you've already heard the album, you know how truly crazy that is.
For Emma, Forever Ago is a universally haunting album, and it's startlingly raw emotionally. The music is very minimalist, apart from the vocals. It's got hooks aplenty to keep you coming back for more, but they're not the usual temporary pop hooks; these hooks grab onto you and don't let go. I'm talking about some deeply satisfying, memorable hooks. An instant indie gem, For Emma, Forever Ago is going to be around for a while, but it deserves every second of recognition it gets. This review is short for such an amazing product, but I really believe that reading anything I or anyone else could say about it is utterly futile, and this is something that has to be experienced firsthand. So get to it!
7/7
So the music isn't the only part of this project that is unque; the conditions surrounding its birth were as well. The music is the recollection of that experience, though, and that's strikingly obvious in the songs. They're melancholic, wintry, and bare, but I bet that won't stop you from obsessing over them. The lyrics are certainly interesting; most of them were written around the syllables he used to make the melodies. But it's the vocals that will really get you. Like I said, Bon Iver is one guy, which means all the vocals you hear on the record are directly attributed to him, believe it or not. If you've already heard the album, you know how truly crazy that is.
For Emma, Forever Ago is a universally haunting album, and it's startlingly raw emotionally. The music is very minimalist, apart from the vocals. It's got hooks aplenty to keep you coming back for more, but they're not the usual temporary pop hooks; these hooks grab onto you and don't let go. I'm talking about some deeply satisfying, memorable hooks. An instant indie gem, For Emma, Forever Ago is going to be around for a while, but it deserves every second of recognition it gets. This review is short for such an amazing product, but I really believe that reading anything I or anyone else could say about it is utterly futile, and this is something that has to be experienced firsthand. So get to it!
7/7
12.09.2008
Jake Shimabukuro - Walking Down Rainhill
I recently saw Jake Shimabukuro on Conan O'Brien. Conan was going on about how amazing his next act was, when it cut to Jake starting to play a familiar tune on his little ukulele. Turned out to be a cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." And it was a great one at that, which is hard to say about 99% of Beatles covers. It was intense and captivating, frenetic and graceful. He was rocking out. So I decided to pick up the album that Jake had made with that cover on it, called Walking Down Rainhill.
I didn't really know what to expect because I didn't know who Jake Shimabukuro was. He's a Japanese-American from Hawaii. He got his start in Pure Heart, a Hawaiian trio that won multiple awards at the Hawaiian Grammys. I also expected most, if not all, of the album to be just Jake and his ukulele, playing intense music that you wouldn't believe was coming out of that tiny instrument. I was half right.
Some of the music is insane, but the majority of it is radio friendly music accompanied by Jake's incredible ukulele skills. The album suffers a bit from that slick Hawaiian style of production, causing it to sound a bit too mainstream and perhaps like something that your grandmother would listen to. I don't think it's a great representation of Shimabukuro's style or songwriting skills, but it does prove how amazing he is at the ukulele. The songs on Walking Down Rainhill cover most genres -- it has adult contemporary music (Heartbreak, Walking Down Rainhill, Blue Roses Falling), a seventies style song (Grandma's Groove), a 50's diner kinda song (6 In The Morning), a surf-rock song (Toastman's Wave), an amazing jazz song (Wes On Four), even a Honolulu Marathon Theme (Rainbow). And then there's the Beatles cover itself. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is certainly the centerpiece of the album, but it's nowhere near as good as when he played it on Conan. It's more restrained, and worst of all, it's not just him on the uke. About halfway in, other instruments find their way into the mix, which is exactly what I didn't want to hear. While this was a mite disappointing, the cover itself is still more than satisfactory and definitely fun to listen to.
While I was only half correct in my expectations, the unexpected half isn't actually that bad. There's no song on the album that I would go out of my way to not listen to; they're all rather relaxing and pleasant. A few of them are great, even. However, as I stated before, I don't really think this is an accurate representation of the full spectrum of Jake Shimabukuro. He plays some bafflingly beautiful and inventive lines and melodies, but it's the underlying instrumentation that got to me. I want to hear a composition that is 100% Shimabukuro; I want an album of straight-up, ONLY ukulele, ONLY Shimabukuro penned songs. Backing music or not, Jake Shimabukuro is obviously an extremely adept ukulele player an musician in general. His influences have honed in him a fantastic musical sensibility, one that pops its head up rather often on this album.
5/7
I didn't really know what to expect because I didn't know who Jake Shimabukuro was. He's a Japanese-American from Hawaii. He got his start in Pure Heart, a Hawaiian trio that won multiple awards at the Hawaiian Grammys. I also expected most, if not all, of the album to be just Jake and his ukulele, playing intense music that you wouldn't believe was coming out of that tiny instrument. I was half right.
Some of the music is insane, but the majority of it is radio friendly music accompanied by Jake's incredible ukulele skills. The album suffers a bit from that slick Hawaiian style of production, causing it to sound a bit too mainstream and perhaps like something that your grandmother would listen to. I don't think it's a great representation of Shimabukuro's style or songwriting skills, but it does prove how amazing he is at the ukulele. The songs on Walking Down Rainhill cover most genres -- it has adult contemporary music (Heartbreak, Walking Down Rainhill, Blue Roses Falling), a seventies style song (Grandma's Groove), a 50's diner kinda song (6 In The Morning), a surf-rock song (Toastman's Wave), an amazing jazz song (Wes On Four), even a Honolulu Marathon Theme (Rainbow). And then there's the Beatles cover itself. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is certainly the centerpiece of the album, but it's nowhere near as good as when he played it on Conan. It's more restrained, and worst of all, it's not just him on the uke. About halfway in, other instruments find their way into the mix, which is exactly what I didn't want to hear. While this was a mite disappointing, the cover itself is still more than satisfactory and definitely fun to listen to.
While I was only half correct in my expectations, the unexpected half isn't actually that bad. There's no song on the album that I would go out of my way to not listen to; they're all rather relaxing and pleasant. A few of them are great, even. However, as I stated before, I don't really think this is an accurate representation of the full spectrum of Jake Shimabukuro. He plays some bafflingly beautiful and inventive lines and melodies, but it's the underlying instrumentation that got to me. I want to hear a composition that is 100% Shimabukuro; I want an album of straight-up, ONLY ukulele, ONLY Shimabukuro penned songs. Backing music or not, Jake Shimabukuro is obviously an extremely adept ukulele player an musician in general. His influences have honed in him a fantastic musical sensibility, one that pops its head up rather often on this album.
5/7
12.03.2008
Trident Splash - Citrus with Blackberry
I always thought Trident's "Splash" gum was a novel idea -- delicious juice of one flavor inside a chewy gum coating of another flavor. Kinda like a gusher that you can keep chewing on. In theory, it's perfect. The problem is the inevitable, inescapable dilemma that every gum manufacturer, except for Stride apparently, faces: loss of flavor.
Flavor loss or not, Trident Splash is great for at least ten seconds. After that, it's up to you, really. That was the rule for the original flavor - Strawberry Lime - and that's the deal with Citrus Blackberry as well. The good thing here is that the Citrus Blackberry flavor is much more exquisite than the original. It's tart and sweet, and both flavors make their presence known rather well.
I chewed this gum until the flavor completely dissipated, and it took a good half hour before it started to taste like my mouth. That's actually a relatively respectable amount of time. My gums actually got a bit achey before the flavor split, but then again, I'm not a frequent chewer. A good half hour of tooth-cleaning power with a fantastic taste yields some pretty good gum.
5/7
Flavor loss or not, Trident Splash is great for at least ten seconds. After that, it's up to you, really. That was the rule for the original flavor - Strawberry Lime - and that's the deal with Citrus Blackberry as well. The good thing here is that the Citrus Blackberry flavor is much more exquisite than the original. It's tart and sweet, and both flavors make their presence known rather well.
I chewed this gum until the flavor completely dissipated, and it took a good half hour before it started to taste like my mouth. That's actually a relatively respectable amount of time. My gums actually got a bit achey before the flavor split, but then again, I'm not a frequent chewer. A good half hour of tooth-cleaning power with a fantastic taste yields some pretty good gum.
5/7
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