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:

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: