'morning glory' review

J.J. Abrams has produced Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield and of course Star Trek. But Morning Glory has to be the most unbelievable, fantastical project he's ever been involved in. I explain why over at Screen International.

new order - dreams never end

Continuing the recent theme of Friday Videos that are inspired by movies I've seen lately, here's New Order's "Dreams Never End." It's used near the beginning of the 330-minute version of Carlos. (I haven't seen the shorter version, but I'm assuming it's there as well.) If you're the sort who's interested in how directors use music in their films, Glenn Kenny's piece about the postpunk songs in Carlos is pretty worthwhile. Otherwise, hey, just enjoy the song.

'paranormal activity 2' review

Following the same formula as the first film, Paranormal Activity 2 is actually better than the original. How did that happen? I explain in my Screen International review.

pearl jam - just breathe

Pearl Jam are celebrating their 20th anniversary today. Think about that for a second.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I decided to pick a recent favorite of theirs, off of 2009's Backspacer. And if you've seen the not-as-terrible-as-advertised Life As We Know It, yes, "Just Breathe" is used in the film.

'for colored girls' review

You remember how the Saw films supposedly created "torture porn"? Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls might be the start of another, even-more-frightening genre: victim porn. The African-American women whose lives we follow in this film have to be the most massively woe-is-me clan I've ever encountered. My review is up at Screen International.

kings of leon - 'come around sundown' review

Warm and inviting, and blessedly free of rock-star self-indulgence, Kings of Leon's Come Around Sundown hits stores tomorrow. But my review is up now at About.com.

'jackass 3d' review

Exactly what you expect and funnier than you might assume. My review is up at Screen International.

B-52s - "Rock Lobster"

My mom was telling me a story about a friend of hers who went to a B-52s show recently. A metal band opened for them, much to the chagrin of my mom's friend. Anyway, it made me think how much I like "Rock Lobster." How much do I like it? I'm including the original, nearly-seven-minute-long album version of it.

the event - "a matter of life and death" recap

Here's the way a typical episode of The Event plays out for me right now: many eye-rolls throughout until we get to a pretty cool final twist that I honestly didn't see coming. My latest recap is up at Vulture.

trent reznor and atticus ross - on we march

On Nine Inch Nails' most recent records, specifically The Slip, some of the best songs were the instrumentals, which were lovely yet menacing. So it shouldn't be any surprise that Trent Reznor's score for The Social Network is pretty stellar. (Hat tip to Atticus Ross who collaborated with him on the music.) If you've seen the film, you'll recognize this track almost immediately, I'm betting. And since I've been busy with other matters and haven't had time to formally review the movie, let me just say, yes, it's excellent, just like everyone else says.

the event - "protect them from the truth" recap

Last night's The Event was not very encouraging ... until the ending. My recap is up at Vulture. (And a hat tip to the commenters who pointed out the plot point I got wrong. Hey, it happens.)

'life as we know it' review

A little more than a month ago, Warner Bros. released Going the Distance, a disappointing romantic comedy that actually had an interesting premise. Next weekend, the same studio will be releasing Life as We Know It, another disappointing romantic comedy that actually has an interesting premise. (I even saw the two films in the same screening room.) For once, Katherine Heigl actually worked for me in one of her starring roles, but Life as We Know It is a good idea for a movie that ended up a rather predictable date-night flick. My review is up at Screen International.

taco - puttin' on the ritz

Synthesizers, blackface and tap-dancing: what could possibly go wrong?

the event - "to keep us safe" recap

The second episode of The Event started to answer some questions, but it also created more questions. Such as, is Jason Ritter going to become a sympathetic character any time soon? And does the show actually want us to root for the aliens over the humans? My recap is up at Vulture.

cannibal ox - iron galaxy

Can The Cold Vein, hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox's one and only album, actually be nine years old already? Unbelievable. Here's the opening track. Best line: "You were a stillborn baby/Mother didn't want you/but you were still born." Or maybe: "New York is evil at its core/So those who have more than them/prepare to be victims." Either way, the track's NSFW, people.

stone sour's corey taylor speaks

Earlier this year, I interviewed Stone Sour's Corey Taylor while he was in Nashville working on Audio Secrecy. In retrospect, what's really interesting about this piece is that it occurred before two major events: the Nashville flood and the overdose death of Taylor's Slipknot bandmate Paul Gray. So keep that in mind when you read the article, which is now available on Revolver's website.

the event - "I haven't told you everything" recap

Sort of a bad news/good news announcement: I won't be doing Fringe recaps this season for Vulture, but I will be handling The Event. Last night was the premiere, which I broke up into three categories: what we know, what we don't know, and what we really want to know. Enjoy.

beck - timebomb

Was the best Beck single of the last five years not off any album? Maybe. Plus, I love this fan-made video.

toronto film festival 2010, from worst to best

I'm back from the 2010 edition of the Toronto Film Festival. So many movies to see and too little time, but here's my ranking from worst to best of what I caught (with links to reviews where applicable). By the way, I'm including films I saw prior to the festival that were part of the Toronto lineup...

Bunraku
Super
The First Grader
Stone
Jack Goes Boating
Sarah's Key
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Easy A
Buried
Ceremony
Vanishing on 7th Street
John Carpenter's The Ward
127 Hours
The Big Picture
Waiting for "Superman"
Meek's Cutoff
Boxing Gym
Blue Valentine
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Bottom Line: I have a lot of films to catch up with now.

'sarah's key' review - toronto film festival

At the beginning of this year's Toronto Film Festival, and before the film even premiered, the Weinstein Company acquired the rights to the French drama Sarah's Key. So it was with extra interest that I checked out the film for myself. Kristin Scott Thomas is (not surprisingly) quite good in a story that, yes, involves the Holocaust. But, thankfully, it's a more personal tale than what you might expect. My review is up at Screen.