Vivek’s Blog

I managed to see a lot of movies this year but missed an equally large number, courtesy a full course-load. But, I still saw enough to complie this list.

5. Strangers With Candy

A small indie movie that was a prequel to a TV series of the same name. A very limited release and a surprisingly low 60% on RT meant that the movie slipped under everyone’s radar when it came out this past summer. Even if you haven’t seen the series, the movie is still a rib-tickler with some terrific acting by Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris. Plays out a lot like a run-of-the-mill teen movie but is a billion times better in the quality of the script and the freshness in the comedy. Fans of the series will adore it and comedy lovers will love this movie. Highly underrated.

4. Snakes on a Plane
Thank You For Smoking

Surprised to see it at #4? So am I. But the ones to follow were better movies overall. SoaP had the fun factor and all the hype. Oh, it also had Samuel L. Jackson a lot of muthaf’ing snakes on a muthaf’ing plane! One thrill ride this. Cheesy, B-grade movie credentials be damned - the movie was extremely enjoyable. Unfortunately, the hype wasn’t enough to ensure success as the movie more or less bombed at the box-office. Watch it noentheless and see what all the fuss is about!

Yes I added a second movie at #4. Only because I totally forgot about this one. A scathing satire on tobacco lobbyists, Senators, and Hollywood, this movie was hilarious. The book of the same name was excellent too and really fleshed out the characters a lot more. Aaron Eckhart was pretty much born to play the role of Nick Naylor, the tobacco industry’s top spin-wizard. Must-watch!

3. The Departed

A movie by Martin Scorsese with a cast of several talented actors and a strong script. An out and out action thriller, this movie was definitely one of the best action films of the year. Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen team up with a surprisingly mature Leonardo Di Caprio and Matt Damon to serve up a delightful treat in the acting department. Everyone is fantastic and the movie moves with a good pace in spite of the length. Oh yeah, by the way, the movie is about the Irish mafia in Boston and the cops after them. There’s double agents on both sides and everything ends well, albeit in a rush of deaths.

2. Little Miss Sunshine

It’s unfortunate that LMS ended up not being my top movie. Here’s a great movie to watch - probably not with family because of the language and some content. Funny and sensitive at the same time, the story is about a dysfunctional family that tries to come together so that little Olive can take part in the Little Miss Sunshine contest in California. The movie stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, and Greg Kinnear - all three turn in stellar performances. This is a small movie that made it big. Made on a modest budget and initially a limited release, the movie was overwhelmingly popular and forced the studio to open it to a wide release. The movie ended up making more than $50 million at the US Box Office and is an absolute delight!

1. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

I didn’t have to check the accuracy of my memory even with the ginormous title that this movie brings to the table. Such was the wondrous work of Sacha Baron Cohen. An absolute laugh-riot chronicling the adventures of Borat and his producer Azamat who come to America from Kazakhstan to understand some of their culture and subsequently use it to better Kazakhstan (hence the title). Rude, loud, and extremely offensive only begin to describe what this movie is about. No point in me wasting more words here - go read my exclusive post on the movie. While short at just under 90 minutes, this movie is well worth your money, whether you see it in the theaters or on DVD.

I ended up with three comedies on that list. Compare that to just 1 last year. There were disappointments this year as well. Here they are:

Pirates 2
X-Men 3

Both movies were hyped beyond belief but suffered from weak scripts. Pirates seemed slow and Depp not as good as in the first. Pirates 3 needs to be better. X3 threw in a boatload of mutants but was a bit of a mess. Cyclops and Professor X killed off? And what was up with Magneto feeling sorry at the end? Brett Ratner was a poor choice of director I say.

Other Good Movies that just missed out:

MI:3
V For Vendetta
Inside Man
Slither

Others I wanted to see but couldn’t:

An Inconvenient Truth
The Descent
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
This Film is Not Yet Rated
United 93
Casino Royale

2006 was a good year for rock music in general. A lot of big bands returned with their latest and most managed to do more than a decent job. Tool busted out 10, 000 Days after what seemed like an eternity and sold 550k copies in the first week. Pearl Jam returned with their self-titled 8th album to positive reviews. I also managed to go watch 3 concerts for a good first concert year. But there were some notable absentees as well. Metallica’s new record and Linkin Park’s new album were pushed into 2007 as the bands asked for more time. That actually makes for an even more interesting 2007. I’m also expecting the new Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater albums and accompanying tours this year! Radiohead might release their next album in 2007 as well. Travis’ long overdue 5th album should be out sometime soon since they’re almost done mixing it. But enough of my blabbering. Let’s get to my top 5.
Please remember that this list is made up of albums that came out in 2006 and those that I listened to. Don’t come crying to me about a certain album you think should be up here. I can’t put something here that I haven’t listened to myself.

5. Sam Roberts - Chemical City
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

Yep. Two albums on #5. Both indie I might add. Very different from what I usually listen to but both very good nonetheless. I can credit Mr. Stephen Colbert for making me listen to The Decemberists even though I’d heard of them as a good band well before he challenged them to a guitar-off. And The Onion can claim credit for introducing me to Sam Roberts. Both bands feature good guitar work and very different vocals. Production styles are very different from the other albums listed here. But I would still encourage people to go out and listen to these bands - they’re very good.

Song Suggestions:
Sam Roberts - The Gate, Bridge to Nowhere, Mystified Heavy, With a Bullet
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 3, The Island: Come and See, The Perfect Crime No.2, O Valencia!, When The War Came

4. State of Emergency by The Living End

Hailing from the land of the kangaroos, this punkabilly band might sound like a Green Day clone in more ways than one, but they sure know how to rock. Quite interesting is the fact that the bassist uses a stand-up bass for his parts which imparts a different type of sound to the songs. Lead singer Chris Cheney sounds a lot like Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong and so do some of the songs. But pay careful attention, and you will notice that The Living End are more aggressive with their music. Kicking off with the heavy “‘Til The End,” The Living End never quite let up in intensity. “Wake Up” has a section that is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in The Wall Part 2″ while the final song, “Into The Red” sounds very much like a 60s/70s punk song - even the production is such. All in all, a high-energy record with some great songs!

Track Suggestions: ‘Til The End, Wake Up, What’s on Your Radio?, State of Emergency, Into The Red
Other Album Suggestions: The Living End

3. Switzerland by Electric Six

The swinging party band E6 deliver another fun record with Switzerland. For US audiences, this was the second album in the year. This one sees E6 slowing down the madness a bit. Just a bit though. The songs are still distinctly E6 and Dick Valentine’s vocals are wonderful as ever with the lyrics being as cryptic as ever also. It’s a fun album and while it seems like the morning after the crazy party that the first two albums were, this one still has enough punch to satisfy E6 fans. “I Buy The Drugs” sings of a guy who delivers drugs and other supplies to a sorority and loves it! “Pulling The Plug on The Party” is one of the songs that gives the impression that this is not the same rollicking stuff from their debut. The album concludes with the silly, 1-minute “Chocolate Pope” and I recommend watching the video on YouTube. In conclusion, a strong album from a band doesn’t seem to disappoint with their albums.

Track Suggestions: I Buy The Drugs, Pulling The Plug on The Party, Pink Flamingoes, Rubber Rocket, Germans in Mexico
Other Album Suggestions: Fire, Senor Smoke

2. Pearl Jam by Pearl Jam

Returning four years after Riot Act, Pearl Jam’s eponymous eighth album sees them angrier than ever and has some of their best work since the peak they hit in the mid-90s. Eddie Vedder writes and delivers sensitive lyrics dealing a lot with the war that the US has gotten itself into. Pearl Jam are definitely not happy and they express their dissatisfaction time and again, in particular on “World Wide Suicide,” surely one of their best singles. But not everything is about war as Eddie sings a touching song hoping for a lover’s return with “Come Back” and a trippy song about hallucinogens on “Severed Hand.” The album has loud guitars, a lot of hooks, as well as strong lyrics and impressive delivery by Vedder. The album doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of their heyday, but is still a strong album and a sign that they’re not out of the game just yet.

Track Suggestions: World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Army Reserve, Gone, Life Wasted
Other Album Suggestions: Ten, Vs., Vitalogy

And now, time for #1. For anyone following my Last.fm charts, this will come as no surprise whatsoever.

1. 10, 000 Days by Tool

In my eyes, or ears rather, nothing in 2006 came close. Right from the first track, Vicarious, Tool’s fourth full-length studio album is a staggering sonic assault. Whether it’s the thought-provoking lyrics of Right in Two or the silliness that is Rosetta Stoned, Tool deliver a record like no other this year. Wings For Marie/10, 000 Days is a 17 minute epic written as a eulogy for the lead singer’s mother who passed away after 27 years in paralysis. Tool sort of return to the anger from their Undertow days on “The Pot” with an impressive bass line driving the song. It even managed to bag the #1 spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Jambi is an aggressive, hard rocker with some brilliant guitar work by Adam Jones and some excellent drumming by the always amazing Danny Carey. His tribal sound is like no other and lends a sense of uniqueness to Tool’s music. While ambience tracks like “Lost Keys” and “Viginti Tres” are not very good, they do their job as soundscapes meant to enhance the album. Lost Keys lays the foundation for Rosetta Stoned to build and expand upon. Tool’s songs are not the short, radio-happy variety. Discounting the soundscapes, the shortest song here is still almost 7 minutes long. But listening to Tool is a very rewarding experience and being patient is important.

Furthermore, the exquisite packaging and the 76 minute length offer way more than your money’s worth. Fans still await a video while the band is in the middle of a break from relentless touring. I bet Adam Jones, their guitarist and video director, is hard at work on the videos. I expect something special, like always!

Track Suggestions: Vicarious, Jambi, 10, 000 Days, The Pot, Rosetta Stoned, Right in Two
Other Album Suggestions: Lateralus, Ænima, Undertow

Albums that were good but didn’t make the cut:

Incubus - Light Grenades
Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

Albums everyone’s talking about but I haven’t listened to yet:

TV on The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

More Best Ofs to follow in the next week. I hope you enjoyed reading this one.

Saw Borat today. We made an unsuccessful attempt last Friday when we got to the theater only to find out 3 shows were house-full and the only the midnight show was available. Sucked. Today being Election Day, we got off and went to see Borat. The theater wasn’t full but there was still a sizable crowd. The movie made an astounding $26.5 million from it’s opening weekend - from just 837 screens! That’s a per theater average of over $31.6k. Unbelievable.

When you do see the movie, you’ll see why so many people are going to watch this movie. It is simply THE BEST COMEDY of the year, and one of the best ever, I think. For those who’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, Borat follows a reporter from Kazakhstan, named Borat Sagdiyev. The Kazakh government sends him to US and A to learn more about the culture and return with advice to improve Kazakhstan. He leaves his town of Kursek for New York City. While here, he watches an episode of Baywatch and falls in love with Pamela Anderson. From here on, his single mission is to meet Pamela, marry her, and take away her virginity. Since she lives in California, him and his producer Azamat, undertake a long road trip from NYC to California. The movie documents his several adventures and “cultural learnings” along the way, culminating in an outrageous scene where he tries to marry Pamela Anderson. The movie involves some profanity and nudity but is incredibly funny. During some parts, I couldn’t stop laughing and had to tear my eyes from the screen because I couldn’t take all the humor.

Borat is an Anti-Semite, homophobic, against women’s rights, and innocently hilarious. Along the way, he takes a stab at everything from cowboys/rodeos to fine dining. It’s hard to explain how good this movie really is - you HAVE to see it to believe it. The movie will most likely offend a lot of people, but I say it’s deliberately offensive so as to be funny. It’s funny because of how far Borat pushes the envelope for the sake of comedy. I won’t say that if you don’t like it, then you have no sense of humor. Nor will I say that those who like it had “bad upbringing” or anything retarded like that. Just watch it. Remember that it’s only comedy. It wouldn’t be funny if Borat actually meant anything he does or says.

It’s been 5 months. I missed the ones earlier because the website crashed. This was the last one for the US for this year. This was one hell of a way to spend saturday night. I got myself a mammoth poster too. My ears are still not back to normal - they cannot tolerate this much good stuff this loud.
Read the rest of this entry »

As promised in a prior post, here goes a piece on music I’ve recently started liking.

Let me go artist-by-artist in no particular order.

1. Porcupine Tree

These guys are British and they make Art/Experimental/Prog Rock. I seem to have an affinity for Prog Rock and Porcupine Tree grabbed my attention from the very first song I played: Blackest Eyes off their 2002 album, In Absentia. I’ve been playing their stuff over and over again in the past 3-4 days and I love it! Their music reminds me of Pink Floyd and A Perfect Circle, both bands I like. Their music is vibrant and they incorporate a variety of styles into their songs. Must Listen! They are poised to dethrone Tool from the top position on my weekely charts - the first time since around April. Of course, that doesn’t mean another artist will best Tool in my eyes (or ears).

Recommended Tracks: Blackest Eyes, Trains, The Sound of Muzak, Pure Narcotic, Piano Lessons, Lightbulb, Strip the Soul, Stop Swimming

2. The Mars Volta

I just started listening to them today so I don’t have a concrete opinion yet. But from I’ve heard so far, they seem interesting to say the least.

3. The Living End

If you like Green Day, you are certain to love The Living End. This Australian Rockabilly/Punk Revival trio turn in energetic music that will put a smile on your face even if a lot of it is serious in tone. Their 2006 album, State of Emergency, has been refered to as American Idiot Part II and that is true to some degree. These guys have their own style what with the stand-up bass and Australian accents. The lead singer does sound somewhat like an Australian version of Bill Joe Armstrong and on the track “Wake Up,” the children will remind fans of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” All in all, a good band and definitely worth your time.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Til the End, Wake Up, What’s on Your Radio, State of Emergency, Into the Red

4. The Supersuckers

Take this sample:

someday someone will ask
yeah this one’s for the kids
well if you look back on the days
and they ain’t got time to waste
with that mopey dopey shit
so cut the crap and bring the hits
and everywhere I go
all the motherfuckers know
that I’m ready

are you ready
I said I’m Eddie Spaghetti
here to rock your ass steady
are you ready
(yes we’re ready)
then grab a drink and chug a lug
have some sex and take some drugs, alright

Recommended Tracks: Rock n’ Roll Records, Rock Your Ass, Pretty Fucked Up, Bruises to Prove It, She’s My Bitch

5. The Riverboat Gamblers

These guys are pretty good. Their albums are around 30 minutes but it’s balls to the wall rock for those 30 minutes. The music is an excellent blend of garage rock and punk revival and is fun to listen to. They just don’t seem to wanna let up on the sonic assault until the album is done.

Recommended Tracks: Just listen to the entire albums…they’re only 30 minutes.

Among other new music by artists I have been listening to for a while, there’s Switzerland by Electric Six and Blood Mountain by Mastodon. Both are excellent albums and certainly worth checking out even if you haven’t heard of either artist…ever. This is as good a time as any to start!