"Human Sacrifice, Cats and Dogs Living Together, Mass hysteria!"

    What's up everyone?
    It's been a few days, and just been a relaxing weekend. Catching up with school work and hanging out with friends and roommates and such. For all you Columbia people or people who have also been on spring break, I hope this week back in school has not been to bad for you!
    So I got to listen to the album Magic by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2007.

    Well, all I've got to say is: fuck yeah. This is my favorite Bruce Springsteen album ever! It was also the first Bruce Springsteen album I ever bought. I remember going to the K-Mart in my hometown with a friend of mine and seeing it there. I had listened to him before with my father but never really explored his music on my own, so I went ahead and bought it to give it a try. We drove around and listened to the whole album. (while skipping pretty much all my morning classes because of that and going out to get lunch and just driving around NJ and such. I was not a big fan of high school.) After one listen, I was immediately hooked.
    This is Bruce's first album with the E-Street Band since The Rising was first released, and they make quite the comeback. This album is pretty much the definition of modern rock and roll today. It brings the Bruce and E Street band elements, obviously, but also brings the music to a new intensity. Every song on this album is raw but spot on, all the instruments being emphizised and everyone giving it all they've got. Jon Landau, Springsteen's manager, classified the album as "a high energy rock" album, and he couldn't have been more right about that. He also said that is has a very "heavy E-Street Band" sound, and there too he is right. I would definitely say that this album is a bit heavier than his other albums and he does it in a way that it still sounds like him.
   Also, I remember reading that the songs on Magic were meant to be played live. I can see this, because the songs have such an energy to them that it even sounds like they were played live. It's just pure rock and roll, and I think Bruce always does a great job with this, and Magic is him at his peak.
   The themes on this album are little bit more darker and blunt. It still has the working class element to it, but it also has an element in it that sort of like about the country crying for help. It is about really looking at society in America and that state it's in, and also looking for the truth around us, even when the country seems to be slowly coming apartment. It is definitely many kinds of statements that this album is making, and you can get lost in this album very quickly, but letting the music and lyrics take you is the best way to experience this album. It does make you think a bit, so be warned.
   I can not express how much I love this album, so I can't really pick any favorite songs on this album, as they are all amazing, so I will write the whole track list for you:
     1. Radio Nowhere
     2. You'll Be Coming Down
     3. Livin' In The Future
     4. Your Own Worst Enemy
     5. Gypsy Biker
     6. Girls In Their Summer Clothes
     7. I'll Work For Your Love
     8. Magic
     9. Last To Die
   10. Long Walk Home
   11. Devil's Arcade
   *12. Terry's Song- bonus/hidden track- Bruce's song for Terry Magovern, his long time assistant, who passed away July 30th, 2007.
   
   So there you have it folks, Magic. It's a must and it never gets old.

   So otherwise, my roommate and I watched Ghostbusters last night. Ok, who HASN'T seen this movie? If you haven't, I'd get on that. Right now. It's a classic! Released in 1984 and directed by Ivan Reitman, the film is about three scientists (played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis) who, after losing their academic jobs, decide to start a ghost catching business. The film also includes Sigourney Weaver, who plays Dana, as she gets mixed up with a spiritual plot to end the world. Rick Moranis also plays Louis, Dana's geeky neighbor and Ernie Hudson, who plays one a team member of the Ghostbusters. And I mean, who doesn't know the theme song?
   This movie is a classic and should not be missed, so watch it! That's all I have to say about that.

    I also got to watch The Black Parade Is Dead!, the live DVD from My Chemical Romance, which includes the final performance of that tour over in Mexico City, where they played The Black Parade in it's entirety. It really is quite the performance. They have so much energy and stage presence when they play the album, and it really is a fun show to watch. Probably nothing like being there, but you can get a good taste of it from the DVD. It also features a show from Hoboken, NJ of all places. I have yet to see that one, but once I do, I'll report back on it. Anyway, that's pretty much it for now!
   Stay classy.

  -The AR

Long Walk Home:


Ghostbusters trailer:


The Black Parade Is Dead! trailer:

As Spring Break '11 Goes On: Wednesday AKA Bitter Sweet Migraine In My Head

    What's up everyone! Well, Spring Break keeps going and going! I hope you all had a relaxing Wednesday, and that your spring break or regular week is going well. Today was nice! Well, at least it started nice. I had a good lunch with two good friends at Giordano's which was pretty sweet!

   Alas, after lunch, about a minute after I parted ways with my friends, I was struck by a migraine attack that came with all it's fury. Yes, loss of vision, numb in one side of my body, deathly horrible headache, nausea, and all. : ( : (
   Migraines are never fun, and they always knock out my day. I hate them so much, so so so much. I always play "Give Me Novacaine" by Green Day when I have a migraine to get my spirits but, because I think they put it really nicely about how I feel at the time of a migraine attack. It's my migraine song haha! Check it out below, you'll see why.
    So this caused me to basically stay in for pretty much the rest of the day, though I did cook veggie fajitas for another good friend of mine and also had dinner: part two with my roommate at Flaco's Tacos. Good times indeed!
   But what did I spend a good four hours doing?...

   ...Finally watching Lawrence of Arabia, that's what! This film is a classic, directed by David Lean, and starring an amazing cast that includes Peter O'Toole in the title role of T.E. Lawrence. It also has Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and more! It came out in 1962 and is, as I said before, a classic of epic proportions! It's also a pretty long one, clocking in at about three hours and fourty seven minutes. Yeah, it's long, but it has an intermission/entr'acte, as well as an overture and a "finale" of sorts, with the famous music that you probably heard at least once in your life. Anyway, the film is based on   real life British Army Officer T.E. Lawrence and his experiences venturing out into Arabia during World War I, also during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turkish, and Lawrences affiliation with the Arab National Council. It also shows the struggles, both emotionally and physically, his adventure brings to him and how he deals with war and revolt. Peter O'Toole does amazingly playing Lawrence (he is very well known for this role, if it isn't his most famous one). He brings so much to this movie that makes in enjoyable, as well as the whole cast, including Alec Guinness who played Prince Faisal, who I realized towards the end of the movie was Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the first of the original trilogy to ever come out! His voice is very distinctive to me. Anyway, the whole cast did an amazing job! The desert scenes (which the movie takes place in the most in all honestly) are amazingly shot, especially when one of Lawrence's party gets lost in the Nefud Desert and Lawrence goes back to find him alone while being thurst deprived. He finds him and comes back to his party and goes up to Sherif Ali and tells him "Nothing is written", talking about his fate. You'll probably get it more if you see the movie, which I highly recommend as it is a classic and it is really epic! And that quote is probably now one of my favorite quotes ever! This is definitely one to watch, ladies and gents!

      Tonight, I also got to finish reading a book. Actually I mean a comic book! And I'm really glad I read it! I haven't read a comic book in awhile, but when I was younger, I always enjoyed reading them! I really liked Ultimate Spiderman when they first started coming out! haha, ohh comic books! Brings me back, and I still do enjoy them quite a bit, I think they are a really underated art form! Anyway, so my roommate introduced me to this comic series called The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. Gerard Way, I knew from My Chemical Romance, which I have also recently been introduced to by my roommate this year and can honestly say they are one of my favorite bands! I know, I know, I'm late as hell. I'm usually late with newer music haha! But anyway, he told me to check these out as we both knew Gerard Way from the band and he said they were really awesome, as he created the story for the comics, so he let me borrow them! I just finished the first volume, entitled Apocalypse Suite , tonight and I really enjoyed it! The story is about this family of super hero children with super powers who grow up and try to save the world from ending numorious times. In this volume (consisting of the six original issues that make up the volume), the family (or The Umbrella Company) try to save the world from a (literally) killer orchestra that is about to play a suite that will bring the world to a violent end, unfortunately with the help of one of their own. The super heroes include Space Boy, who has a gorilla body, The Rumor, who can state something and it will come true, and a few more! The world we are brought into is dark but sci-fi, and abstract. It's a very good read and the illustrations are AMAZING! I also really love the story, as it is very original and probably one of the most creative ways one can think of to end the world. So check it out, even if you don't read comics too often! It's been awhile for me, but I still love it!
    Well, that's all for now! Time for me to relax, get some rest to fully recover from this migraine, and get ready for tomorrow as my dad is coming to visit!!!!
     So I wish everyone a good night and keep it rock and roll! ; )

  -The AR


"Give Me Novacaine" by Green Day:


Lawrence of Arabia trailer:

As Spring Break '11 Goes On: Tuesday

    Happy end of Tuesday/very beginning of Wednesday everyone!!
    Hope everyone has been good! Today was a very relaxing day, kind of just stayed around the apartment all day with an exception of getting dinner. Never really have many of those days, but it was well needed I guess, you know? So, honestly, not too much. Got a few writing ideas which I am excited to expand over time.
    But anyway, now for a little diddy I'd like to call: The AR's Top Ten Spring Break '11 Songs!

    So I made a little top ten list of songs that are perfect to keep my Spring Break rockin', and they are some really awesome songs! Why they fit for Spring Break? Well, no reason really in all honesty! But I thought they were cool haha! So here's my Favorite Top Ten Spring Break songs for '11!:

         1."At The Library" by Green Day
         2. "Planetary (Go!)" by My Chemical Romance
         3. "Trembling" by Berry Sakharof
         4. "Chick Habit" by April March
         5. "We Got It Going On" by Bon Jovi feat. Big and Rich
         6. "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" by Bruce Springsteen
         7. "I Did It" by Dave Matthews Band
         8. "The Dirty Glass" by Dropkick Murphys
         9. "Last Good Time In Town" by Eagles
         10. "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis

    And there you have it, my Spring Break '11 Top Ten Song list!! Check 'em out, find them on YouTube or somewhere, and have a listen!

     Anyway, I also got to listen to some music today.

     Got to listen to Human Touch by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1992. It's an interesting album. This is his real first album without the E-Street Band, and you can tell that there has been a change. The album sounds a little more modern western rock to me. I didn't really feel too much of a New Jersey-esqe sound, though I guess what really is that? But I'm not sure. I do like the album, and it has some awesome songs, but they aren't my favorite out of all the Bruce Springsteen stuff I've heard. My favorite songs off this album: "Human Touch", "Soul Driver", "57 Channels (And Nothing On)", "Cross My Heart", "Roll of the Dice", "All Or Nothing At All" and "Pony Boy" (which is a cover of a traditional song with lyrics added by Springsteen).
My favorite song out of all these, though, has to be "Roll of the Dice". It has the classic Springsteen sound to me, more than the others in my opinion, and you can tell that even from the beginning of the song. It's pretty cool! So it's worth a listen, but if anything, those songs I mentioned will give you the jist of it!

      The other album I listened to was Lucky Town by Bruce Springsteen, released 1992 and released simultaneously with Human Touch. In all honestly, the same things I said about the other album apply for this one. Springsteen intended both of these albums to only be one album, but the project took longer than he thought, so he put it aside, but then decided to work on it again a year or so later and ended up writing more songs, so he decided to release two albums at the same time. The other thing with this album, as well as the previous one mentioned, is that you can tell through the sounds of the songs that there is a transition happening from 80's music going into 90's music. It's interesting to hear, for sure, and one of the reasons why I find these two albums so fascinating. But anyway, my favorite songs from Lucky Town: "Better Days", "Lucky Town", "Local Hero", "If I Should Fall Behind", "Leap Of Faith" and "Souls Of The Departed".

      Also got to watch a movie with my roommate tonight called Gentlemen Broncos, directed by Jared Hess (who wrote it as well, along with Jerusha Hess) and stars Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell, and Jennifer Coolidge. It is about a home schooled teenager, Benjamin Purvis (played by Michael Angarano), who wants to be a sci fi writer. He attends a writing workshop to show his ideas, and also to see his sci fi writing idol, the famous author Dr. Ronald Chevalier (played by Jemaine Clement). Unfortunatly for Benjamin, his story ends up getting plagiarized by his idol and also made into a god awful movie by the small town's local filmmaker. I really liked the movie; the cast is amazing and I love the dry humor. It reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite (which is also by the same writers and director, so no surpise it reminds me of it), which I didn't really get when I saw it, but I'm gonna have to re-watch it. It's been awhile too. But I do recommend this movie, I think it's really underated. I never even heard of it until my roommate told me about it, as he had it from netflix. From what I learned about it from looking it up, it really did not do well and got pulled from theatres, which kind of sucks because I didn't think it was really that bad! So check this out, it's really funny if you like dry humor!
        Well, that's all I have for now! Hope all is well, stay warm and have a good night, world!

    -The AR

"Roll of the Dice":


"If I Should Fall Behind" (one of the best performances I have seen):


"Gentlemen Broncos" trailer:

As Spring Break '11 Goes On: Monday

   What's up? How's everyone's spring break going? Or, if your not on spring break, how is everyone's week going? Hopefully good! Good is...good!

   Well, it's my Monday on spring break, and today was good. Went to Hot Doug's with one of my roommates and another friend of mine. Hot Dougs is pretty awesome! I had only gone once before, and I really liked it, and decided to take my friends to check it out. It's off the Belmont stop and a little ways down on the bus (west to California) and you walk north a block or two and there it is! (on the corner of California and Roscoe). They have all kinds of hot dogs if your into good hot dogs. They are amazing, and the prices are REALLY good. It's a pretty small place, and there is always a line so be prepared but today the line was only twenty minutes or so, but it's been known to snake down for two blocks or so! Another cool thing is that the owner of the store, Doug, always takes your order and he is a really nice guy! You can even have a quick conversation with him, which I have about music the first time I was there. Great guy! This is a must if you live or are in Chicago! Be aware of the line though, and also that it is currently open 10:00am-4:00pm (check website for changed hours) and that it is cash only! But it's worth it! They have even had such things as alligator sausage and (currently) Caribbean Goat Sausage as the game of the week! This place is a must! Check out their website, I even have the link below!
    Well, I also got to go check out about two movies since my last post.

     Last night I was hanging out with a good friend of mine and we decided to check out a movie and ultimately went to go see Battle: Los Angeles, now in theatres, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and, in the movie, is Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Jim Parrack, Michael Pena and more! I had wanted to see this movie for awhile, as I remember first seeing the previews for it. One of those reasons is I like quite a few alien movies when done right (such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Paul, and such, I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting or I haven't seen) and another is I do admittingly enjoy "apocolyptic" movies. So this sparked my interest, and it's nice to be able to have a big range in movies to watch, as I pretty much like all kinds of movies, so this was on my list. It actually turned out to be a pretty good movie! I didn't know Aaron Eckhart was in it before I saw it, so that was a nice little surprise, and Michelle Rodriguez is one of my favorite actresses (especially loved her in Lost), so I was excited to see her in it, and she did a great job! The performances that I thought were really good were Michael Pena's character, Joe Rincon, and Bryce Cass, who played his son, Hector. They don't come in into about the middle but their final scene is amazing! I won't say more. Anyway, in this movie, aliens take over LA, along with twenty other major cities around the world, but we stay in LA for our story. We follow a bunch of soldiers as they go in, help a small group of civilian "survivors" (such as Joe and Hector) and together, they try to escape while taking back as much of the city they can. Aaron Eckhart plays SSgt. Michael Nantz, one of the soldiers, and Jim Parrack plays LCpl. Peter Kerns. I didn't know he was in it until I saw it either, and that was nice to see! I love him in True Blood. So I definitely think this movie is worth the watch if you are into movies like these! It's really quite a ride! The one thing I might say, though, is that (at least for me) there was a tad bit too much shaky POV came in the first part of the movie, which got me a tad bit dizzy. That's just me, and mind you I was not feeling my best during my viewing of the movie, as I had wayyyy too much coffee before I saw it. But yeah, so watch out for that if you see it and you get dizzy from such things, as I guess I did. The only other movie that did that for me was Cloverfield, and I did see the whole thing, but I felt funky after I saw it haha! So yeah, worth a watch though.

      The other movie I saw just tonight was the British film Sabotage AKA The Woman Alone (US title), released in 1936 and directed by none other than Alfred Hitchcock himself! It stars Sylvia Sidney, Oscar Homolka, Desmond Tester and John Loder. The film is about Detective Sergeant Ted Spencer (played by John Loder), who is assigned by Scotland Yard to go undercover and figure out as much as he can about various terrorist plots that are suppose to unfold in London by a terrorist group from an unknown country. Among them is Karl Verlock (played by Oscar Homolka), who owns a cinema. Verloc's wife (played by Sylvia Sidney) is alo thrown into all the mess, while trying to defend her husband as a good man, as he has been nice to her. Ultimately, after a series of events, she is thrown in too deep, and things get heated. I really enjoyed it. I love Hitchcock and he did a good job with this one. The sound editing is very interesting as well and has the classic old movie feel, which I did enjoy. I really enjoyed Detective Sergeant Ted Spencer's character as he goes undercover and tries to uncover the plots, and Verloc's wife is a very interesting character. Also, her brother, Stevie, is played by Desmond Tester and does a great job as his journey goes on in the movie. Definitely a classic to watch. I grew up on films like this, so I really appreciate old movies, as I'm sure many of you out there do! So check this one out! Believe it or not, I found the whole movie on Youtube in one video, so there ya go! Posted below!
     Well, I'm going to save my Spring Break song list for the next post, as it is almost three in the morning and I'm getting a bit tired! So I hope everyone has had a cool Monday, there are links and trailers below, and I will catch ya'll later! PEACE!

    -The AR


Hot Doug's: http://www.hotdougs.com/

Battle: Los Angeles:


Sabotage (Whole movie!):

Honey, I'm Tougher Than The Rest

     What's up good people! I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend thus far, and as Sunday starts to wind down, another week is coming! For me, it's spring break, so that means music, relaxation, wandering Chicago, hangin with friends, and hoping for some warm warm weather! Well anyway, here's a few new things to check out:

      Got to listen to Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1987. This album is very interesting and I think you have to be in the right mood to appreciate it fully. Even though I do like the album and it has very good songs on it, it has a different kind of mood.
      I'd definitely call this album a "love album", if there is such a thing, but not in the way you would normally think. The themes of the album have a lot to do with love going wrong and struggles in relationships and trust. At the time of this album, Springsteen's first marrige was crumbling and he also decided, at this point, to part with the E-Street Band. They are on the album, but not very much. Most of it was recorded just by Springsteen. There is also still the 80's feel on this album, but I think a little more than the previous album to this one, Born In The USA and it's tone is definitely a little more dark. His personality does come out on this album, as well as what he was going through, which is one of the big reasons why I like it and respect it, because it's a very relatable album and has a strong universal theme. My favorite songs on this album: "Ain't Got You", "Tougher Than The Rest", "Spare Parts", "Tunnel of Love", and "Brilliant Disguise".
      Check out the video below of "Tougher Than The Rest". Gives you a good feel of the whole album. The other songs I mentioned are pretty cool too!
        I got to see some great movies this past weekend as well.

       One I have to mention is what I watched last night that is now one of my favorite movies of all time! This would be The Chumscrubber, directed by Arie Posin, released in 2005, and starring an ensemble cast which includes Jamie Bell, Ralph Fiennes, Camilla Belle, Justin Chatwin, Glenn Close, William Fichtner, and the list goes on! The film is about "suburbia" and what's hidden beneath the facade of perfection, themes including the lack of communication between parents and their kids, which shows in the movie very well as things get more dysfuntional than they already are, and it also deals the town's problem with perscription drug use. It revolves around the main character, Dean Stiffle, and his world around him, as he lives in the prison he calls his hometown. It is sooo worth the watch, and I fell in love with it. Maybe because I sort of relate to it? I lived a little piece of suburbia growing up myself, and I felt pretty trapped quite a number of times. It's a really cool movie, so check it out!

       I also got to see (twice) Paul, directed by Greg Mottola, written by the amazing Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and also starring an ensemble cast, including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (of course), Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Jane Lynch, Jeffrey Tambor, and that list also goes on, including a cameo from an amazing actress, who plays "The Big Guy". Of course, Seth Rogan voices the alien, Paul, who has crash landed on earth some odd years ago, was kept secret and contained by the US Government, but finally had enough, escaped, and is now trying to get home from help by Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, close friends from England that are UFO/Sci-fi nerds and are on a road trip in America to visit all the UFO hot spots and run into Paul on their roadtrip. On the way to help Paul, they are "chased" by the FBI and they also run into some very interesting characters. This is definitely one to see. I'm also a big Simon Pegg/Nick Frost fan so of COURSE I'm gonna love this movie. It also has quite a few sci fi/movie references that are hilarious!! This movie is just hilarious in general. It just came out this weekend, so you got time to see it in theatres. Enjoy!
          Check out the trailers for these two movies below!
         Well, that's all I got for now! Anyone else on spring break? I know a lot of people's have just ended. In my next post will be The AR's Top Ten Spring Break Songs, and also probably a few more reviews. Peace out for now!
    
    -The AR

"Tougher Than The Rest":


The Chumscrubber:


Paul:

Darkness

      What's up homies!!
      It's been a few days since I have written here. In those few days, I've been busy with school work and having crazy times with friends. It's been good, though we have reached midterm week and that means...Music Theory cramming. At least I'm getting stuff done today. My friend Gladys and I went to Evanston to have a homework intensive, and it proved (actually) pretty damn productive. Caught up with some music theory and such, so that was good and read a bit of Les Miserables. Great book so far, but just long as hell. I'm on page 114 out of, what, 1430 pages I believe. I plan on finishing it though. At LEAST before the semester ends. I wish I had more time to work on personal projects and reading leisurely and such instead of worrying about homework. It's starting to get really frustrating...oh well.

      In the mist of all this, I finally got to see the movie "Black Swan", directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hershey. If you didn't know, Natalie Portman recently won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in this film, and I believe she deserved it. I've wanted to see this film for awhile, and am glad I finally got the chance to see it. The film is about a dancer, Nina (Natalie Portman) who is a dancer who lives with her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey). She is offered the role of the white swan in the ballet Swan Lake, being directed to the hardcore ballet director Thomas (played by Vincent Cassel). Though Nina is perfect for the White Swan, she also has to play the Black Swan, which she has a hard time tapping into, since the part is more of a darker side than she appears to have. Yet throughout the film, we witness how she goes about preparing for the role and her competition between the other dancer perfect for the Black Swan, Lily (played by Mila Kunis). The acting in this film is superb and the whole film is dark and gets pretty creepy, which I like. The dancing and the way Nina's state of mind is shown is really awesome, and it has a real surreal feeling to it that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is also beautifully shot, and the tone is very fitting to the story. Certainly a film to see if you have yet to see it!

       Speaking of dark, I also got to listen to the darker Bruce Springsteen album, Darkness On The Edge of Town, released in 1978. This is know to be both lyrically and musically darker then his previous three albums. It tells of many struggles of the working class struggles, each side beginning with working class anthems and ending in pretty sad situations. I feel that this is his darkest album to date in terms of message as well, being very gritty and blunt, and I really enjoyed it. The songs here are amazing, my favorites being "Adam Raised A Cain", "Candy's Room", "The Promised Land", and "Streets of Fire" (which I'm currently listening too!). If anything, take a listen to these songs. Now that I think about it, during one of the last Bruce Springsteen concert I attended, they played this album in it's entirety and THAT was really cool and made me appreciate the album a bit more! It's consided a classic now, and has just been re-released as a box set and included a double album of outtakes, called "The Promise" (which also has a one disc version sold seperately). I've yet to listen to the album, except for a select few songs, but I heard it's amazing! Once I get a chance to listen to it, I'll tell you more about it. I hear it's amazing!
     Also, on this album, Springsteen's lyrics don't exactly tell a story straight out, the lyrics more emotional than narrative, even though I believe all songs tell stories wheather you realize it or not. But this is a great album and deserves a listen. At least check out the songs I mentioned. I'll leave a video of one below this post!
      Well, that's all I got for now! Gonna watch Slumdog Millionare with the roommates tonight, so expect to hear about that soon, as well as a few other things! Time to go work out and do a little more school work. Peace out!

-AR


Black Swan trailer


"Adam Raised A Cain" by Bruce Springsteen (I was there!!):

Coco

     Well it was a relaxing day. Not really productive, but, hey, at least I opened the text book. Yup...I don't know why I'm not productive. I mean, I need to stop procrastinating. By the end of the week, I want to be all caught up in work, read more of Les Miserables which I'm currently in the middle of reading (it's a huge book), and to finally start with this novel I have had an idea for since, at LEAST, end of senior year in high school. I know it's a big project, but I think I'm ready to try to get to it as best as I can. Ugh!! I just wish I didn't have so much homework so I could work on more personal projects!!! AHHHH!!!!...but I guess that's life.

    Well, last night I finally got around to seeing the 2009 French film Coco Avant Chanel (or Coco Before Chanel in english), directed by Anne Fontaine and starring Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, and Alessandro Nivola. The film is about Coco Chanel's early life before she became a famous fashion designer (and it will also explain in the beginning where she got her name Coco from, while her actual name was Gabrielle). Of course, we all know the fashion company "Chanel". So wheather you like to show there or not, I think this movie is worth a watch. I really liked it and it was a great part to my French film kick recently. I really like, obviously, the costumes, which are amazing in this film, my favorite obviously Coco's. I didn't realize how important she was to women's modern fashion and dress today, and it was really nice to dwelve into an aspect of the fashion world and some origins of modern fashion. I definitely have a little more appreciation for it now. I never really knew too much about today's modern professional fashion, besides bits and pieces that I have learned from someone last year, and even so, I wish I knew more about Chanel and it's origins before. Of course, Audrey Tautou does an AMAZING job as Coco, as she struggles through what to do for her professional future, as well as the relationships she gets tangled up with. Also, her unique sense of fashion (and one that seems really awesome) was not common in those days when she was growing up, but eventually became huge and inspirational. The film doesn't really go deep into when Chanel became a bigger company of her own, which I think is really cool, as this concentrates deeply on the backstory, in which the company Chanel would not be around if the story didn't go the way it did. I'm glad they concentrate on it, as it is very important. So yes, check out the trailer below this post and definitely go check out this film, it is definitely worth the watch! Especially if you are into fashion!
      Otherwise, tonight I had the great pleasure to enjoy a concert at Chicago's Symphony Center tonight, in which The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, conducted by Cliff Colnot, performed Two Legends from the Kalevala, Op. 22 by Sibelius and The Poem of Ecstasy by Scriabin. May I just say that the Civic Orchestra does an AMAZING job. This is my second time seeing them live and they are always a treat to see (check out their website below!). The music tonight was epic and I loved watching the violin parts when the music suddenly crescendoed. It was really sweet, and the whole orchestra does an amazing job. The music tonight was very epic, and they are definitely worth checking out! I believe that most of their concerts are only 2 dollars! Yup, not a bad price at all for a good concert!! Definitely worth it, especially for that cheap! There is a lot to see at Symphony hall, sometimes I forget how many great concerts it has to offer! Next season, they are also doing another "Friday Night At The Movies" series, in which the three movies they will show next season, along with a live orchestra playing the music for the movie (which I think is a really rad idea!) is Casablanca, West Side Story, and Pirates of the Caribbean! I'm really looking forward to all three of them!
       Alright, well it's 3 in the morning here, and I have dance class at nine so I should probably get going to sleep! Hope everyone has had a good start of a new week, and I will catch you all later! Peace out!

-AR

Coco Before Chanel



Chicago Civic Orchestra website: http://cso.org/Institute/CivicOrchestra/Default.aspx

Paris, Munich, and Another Place with Crazy People (At The Movies)

    Well, it certainly has been a crazy week last week. So much school work this week for some reason, and there has been a lot of crazy projects and readings that have to be done for classes. Stressing, I'll say! But I took a nice chunk of the weekend to relax and rejuvenate for another week. Besides exploring some of the north side of Chicago, chillin with some good friends, and doing good old homework, I got the chance to sit back, relaz, and enjoy some movies. Two of them are already on DVD and one is now out in theatres. So here are some movies to check out!:

     The first movie I watched this weekend was Paris, je t'aime, which came out in 2006 and is directed by, well, 22 directors. This movie is a collection of short films, each directed by different directors. This collection of shorts tells different stories that take place in Paris. Some are in English, some are in French, with a bit of Spanish, and all with the theme of love, love of the city and love of one another. Happy, sad, artistic, griddy, fun, horror, comedy, life, everything! It really is a great movie to see. I think my two favorite are: 1. The Coen Brother's short film about a man (played by Steve Buscemi) and his "misadventure" at a Paris subway stop and 2. German writer-director Tom Tykwer about a relationship between a blind man (played by Mechior Beslon) and his girlfriend (played by Natalie Portman). This is definitely a film (or I guess, technically, films) that is soooo worth a watch. I had watched it my freshman year in college with my good friend John, for the first time and fell in love with it but never got around to see it again! Well, this past weekend, I finally got around to it! It put me in such a traveling mood. One day, I will visit that beautiful city.

     The second movie I saw was Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg, released in 2005. This film, based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by the Canadian Journalist George Jonas, tells the story of the killing of 11 Israeli athletes by the terrorist group Black September, and the Israeli Government's secret response, where a small team organized by the Israeli government, led by Avner Kaufman (played by Eric Bana), is given names of certain targets that were involved in Black September and the attacks and are told to eliminate them. This cast includes Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig, and a bunch of other great actors. This film is really amazing and the story is really involved and interesting, telling about an important event in history where not every single question is answered. It will keep you on the edge of your seat as things get heated, and it is a great film. I remember seeing this film for the first time and falling in love with it and finding it amazingly interesting! I'm glad I got a chance to watch it again!

     The last film that I have seen this weekend was actually in theatres, which I got to catch with one of my roommates and some friends this weekend. And that movie is: Hall Pass, directed by the Farrelly Brothers. This movie was pretty funny! It is definitely more of a "guy movie", but is worth the watch! It's about two best friends, Rick (played by Owen Wilson) and Fred (played by Jason Sudeikis) who are a tad bit shallow and are having a bit trouble with their marriges. So their wives (Rick's wife, Maggie, is played by Jenna Fischer and Fred's wife, Grace, is played by Christina Applegate) decide to give them a "Hall Pass" for a week, in which they are allowed to take a "break" from their marriages and able to do whatever they want without any guilt. And from there, the misadventures begin! It definitely had a bunch of great laughs. I can't say it was my favorite movie of all time, but it definitely was not at all a bad movie, and I'm really glad I got to see it!
     Well, that's all for now! Time to get back to homework : (  Yeah, I hate it too...errrr. Life. Well, I'll leave the trailers at the bottom of this post to the movies I mentioned! Hope you all check out these films one of these days. I'm sure I'll be back posting here in the very near future! : ) see ya'll later! PEACE!

-AR

Paris, je t'aime


Munich


Hall Pass