Requiem for a Dream (Director's Cut) (2000)

Hubert Selby Jr.'s elegiac and mesmerizing novel about four addicts of different varieties appeared in 1978 and ranked alongside Selby's "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (also made into a superior film) as one of his best books. Darren ("Pi") Aronofsky was himself a Selby fan and eventually persuaded the Thousand Arts production company to finance his $5M film of the novel.

The resulting film is as horrific and fascinating as anything ever put on a screen. The plot isn't complicated: Junkie Harry (a nearly unrecognizeable Jared Leto) takes to pawning his mother's TV set for heroin. His buddy Tyrone (Marlon Wayans, in a performance that makes his turn in "Scary Movie" and other junk look like total red herrings) hatches a plan with him to score for a pound of pure and put them on the fast track to riches. Harry's girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) has vague plans of opening a boutique with her share of the gains. And Harry's mother (a truly amazing Ellen Burstyn) is obsessed with appearing on her favorite TV show.

Movies like this are not about plotting but emotion. We know there is no happy ending possible here; what matters is not what happens but how and to what extent. The final 20 minutes -- which have been written about endlessly elsewhere -- are a masterpiece of Soviet-style intercutting and gradually mounting, excruciating tension that does not even end with the release of death, but with the promise of unending, ongoing pain.

This isn't a pretty movie. This isn't a movie for your mother (well, I guess that depends on the family), or a movie for the whole family. This is a movie about despair and destroyed dreams. In short, this is a movie about something -- and it tells its story with such fierce style and power that it almost makes issues of taste or subject matter irrelevant. You may not like the film -- and there are many who don't -- but you can't deny its power, or the skill involved in making it.

Johnny Depp role as Elvis Presley

Wide-screen film about the life of Elvis Presley will soon be made. Some actors are interested in getting a role as Elvis Presley. And Johnny Depp was mentioned interested to portray the legendary singer.

Pirates of The Caribbean, Johnny Depp who desperately wants to play Elvis.
A source close to the star of 'The Pirates of the Caribbean' that says if the lover Vanessa Paradis are always interested in things that smelled of music including the figure of Elvis Presley.

"Depp was stunned figure of Elvis because the singer had a strong character and inspire many people," said the source was quoted as saying of the Music Room, Wednesday, February 2, 2010.

The source went on the man born June 6, 1963 it will be very happy if I could portray the dark side of the legendary Elvis Presley to become superstars and icons in the music world.

"Depp was enthusiastic to figure Elvis. He can act it is the best thing in his life," said the source again.

Despite status as an actor, music is not a new world for the father of two children. He has long been interested in the music world. And he knew his interest in music. Depp has a band and he played the guitar in his band. In fact, he ever created a song for a British band 

Source Here

Digitialism: Kitsune Tabloid

1. Baba
2. Sweaty [Shazam Remix]
3. Tunnel Music
4. Raise Me Up
5. Hold On
6. Filter Jerks
7. The Things That Dreams Are Made Of [Original Dub]
8. Cowbois/Put That Pussy on Me [Acapella][Version]
9. The Pulse [DeRdiedas Remix]
10. Ending of an Era
11. Space Cowboy
12. Closing Time Closing In
13. Diskoding
14. Colours
15. Yippiyo Ya
16. If I Was Wonderman
17. Shake a Fist
18. Cheap and Cheerful
19. Funplex [CSS Remix]
20. Dance in Dark

Grenade

Bruno Mars "doo-wops and hooligans" has two good songs - "Grenade" and "Just the way you are." Bruno Mars reminds of New Kids on the Block, Justin Timberlake, The Spice Girls and even tints of Michael Jackson and Bob Marley. I like the fact that Bruno Mars is from Hawaii. It gives some kind of authenticity to his sub-tropical music. Bruno Mars seems to be a very young man. I find this lyrics to be almost child-like. Maybe if he was a little bit older I could take them seriously but I think Bruno Mars is just a little too sweet and a little too much of an ideal romantic (like in the song Grenade). I also think in a way he is like Emily Carr. Who was a good artist but it took close to a lifetime before she developed her own style. I think Bruno Mars still needs to develop his own unique style.

That's Not My Name

When it has came down to it, there just hasn't been that much excitement with the music industry this past year. There have been some surprisingly catchy songs though, like That's Not My name from The Ting Tings. The song at first didn't feel like it was anything special, but it actually was surprisingly enjoyable after a few times. I was definitely surprised about this one. While it isn't completely exciting, it still is honestly much better than a lot of other songs that have came out recently like Jordin Sparks latest Battlefield, or Beyonce's Ego. Still, I do hope that The Ting Tings next song can be better than That's Not My Name had showed, within a name.

Texas Instruments TI-30X IIS 2-Line Scientific Calculator

There are many inexpensive scientific calculators on the market, but few boast the two-line display and other advanced features users get with the TI-30x IIS. The display shows the equation you are creating on the top line, and the numbers or symbols you are currently entering on the second line. Once the equation is solved, the results are displayed on the second line, and you can use the four arrow keys on the front of the calculator to edit the original equation in any way you like for a recalculation. Better still, pressing the up arrow repeatedly lets you browse through a cache of dozens of previous calculations, meaning you can look back to see the answer to a problem you solved two minutes ago, two days ago, or whenever. The device uses solar power when possible but can fall back on the internal batteries (which are included) if there isn't enough light. The buttons wiggle around a little too much and require a firm keystroke to register input, but the fact that input can be followed by looking at the output on the first line helps to cut down on mistakes. There is a shift key that doubles the functions of most buttons, and although the TI-30X IIS isn't festooned with as many buttons or functions as some other calculators we've tested in this price range, it's still very capable. There are three angle modes (degrees, radians, and grads), scientific and engineering notation modes, and even one- or two-variable statistical modes. Five variables can also be assigned to their own memory slots. The documentation is lacking, as everything is presented on a single folded sheet of paper, but Texas Instruments did manage to pack several illustrated examples on the page. The calculator comes with a snap-on cover that fits on the back of the device when you are using it. The calculator carries a one-year limited warranty. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:

• Two-line display
• Relatively inexpensive
• Handles one- and two-variable statistical calculations

Cons:

• Weak documentation
• Buttons wiggle a bit too much

Product Description

New 2-line display. Dual power:solor and battery. View entry abd results at the same time. Edit current entry. Edit and view previous entries. Menus with functions and mode settings. Five variable memories. One and two variable statistics, results, for linear tegression, trendline. Fractions and fraction/decimal conversions. Trigonometric functions in degrees and radians.

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Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever (100% Official)

The first thing you feel is its weight in your hands, which screams, "this is an important book." "First Step 2 Forever" is a hardcover, multi-colored monstrosity that clocks in at 240 pages... half of which feature full-page pictures of the 16-year-old Bieber. This should please the majority of his pint-sized fans, who are looking for nothing more than a visual companion to Bieber's equally sugar-coated albums.

There's no way to accurately convey the inherent absurdity in reading a memoir written by someone who is only 16 years old. I'm reminded of this Friedrich Nietzsche quote: "Gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." In many ways, "First Step 2 Forever" compares to Anne Frank's diary, but the comparison ends at their young ages. At least in my opinion.

Bieber spends an inordinate amount of time talking about girls. As he writes in big letters that fill an entire page: "I really like... girls... girls... girls... girls... girls... girls... girls..." But don't peg him as a one-trick pony: "There are lots of things I really like besides girls. Like pizza.... And CHUCK NORRIS." And boy does he ever love Chuck Norris, whose name appears in all caps every time he's mentioned.

He also likes "pranking," which, if the pictures are to be believed, consists of shooting his friends and bandmates with a giant super-soaker water gun. No, I don't get it either. One of those, "You had to be there" things. Or maybe you can be there, when Bieber takes over hosting duties on MTV's Punk'd for Ashton Kutcher.

Bieber even takes a few pages to debunk some rumors that have apparently been swirling online about him:

* Im not dead. I had to check on this one... but it turns out Im alive
* Im not Peter Pan... Im growing up and my voice will change...
* I am not 10 feet tall and I dont shoot fire balls from my a**... that was BraveHeart
* No CHUCK NORRIS is not my real father... although he did birth to Hercules

Those aren't my grammatical or spelling errors, by the way. The book simply reproduces many of Bieber's Tweets without fixing them for grammar or spelling. Will anyone really care? Doubtful.

In a few places, Bieber slows down the breakneck pace of his young life to wax poetic on the state of the North American family circa 2010. "If you feel like a freak because you don't have a normal family, I've got news for you: pretty much nobody does," he writes in one moving chapter about his own family.

In one sentence, he says pretty much what took Jonathan Franzen 576 pages to say in "The Corrections" -- more or less. Could "First Step 2 Forever" be the next Oprah Book Club pick?

If you're looking for a behind-the-scenes rock-n-roll biography, pick up Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries." If you want the world's most narcissistic high school yearbook, however, "First Step 2 Forever" is your new bicycle.

Treats

This one is going to split the jury. Sleigh Bells are not a Christmas novelty act (some will disagree) but another band from the People's Independent Noise Republic of Brooklyn and an immense grungy dance punk juggernaut consisting of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller a former hardcore rock guitarist. For influences think Bow Wow Wow, crossed with Lil Wayne and then throw in the Beastie Boys, White Stripes and Le Tigre.

As for the music Sleigh Bells elephantine beats don't just hammer the damn things could pile drive concrete supports into the foundations for skyscrapers. Their primitive guitar fuzz is wickedly distorted and married to the simplest of pop melodies. Krauss's ever so sweet voice provides tranquillity amongst this cacophony. Thereby this irresistible mix combines with room-shaking production and big guitars and is the reason why so many people are salivating over this album on the blogosphere.

When I first played the opener "Tell em" on my car stereo it was so bloody loud I swerved to miss a passing cyclist. It is a full blown aural assault, the musical equivalent of a punch in the face and one of the quieter songs on the album. It may just be 2010's musical counterpart to last years "My Girls" by Animal Collective. In terms of what follows there is no let up or escape. "Riot Rhythm" has drums which pound and Millers guitar introduces a razor like cutting riff. "Infinity guitars" sounds like a cross between the Beastie boys and Japandroids. "Run the heart" is Abba for the Twitter generation. It is a staccato composition punctuated by bubbling noises, shimmering synths and the dreamlike vocal of Krauss. Then there is the Phil Spectorish "Rill Rill" formerly "Ring Ring" from their demo's which is a charming confection of a pop song that is a temporary if welcome relief from Miller frankly going mental. His return however comes back with all the force of a wayward Katyusha missile on "Crown on the Ground" which sounds like the treble button has broken and someone has sucked the bass out. Your graphic equalizer is I am afraid onto a hiding to nothing but it works brilliantly and is actually quite sweet in comparison to the 90 second riff monster "Straight A's" that follows which could be Husker Du having a bad soundcheck. "A B Machines" is a surf guitar hip hop mash up (I kid you not) with Krauss repeating a two line lyric throughout. Finally the title track sounds like Mastadon making a bid for the charts with a girl singer.

There will be many of you wonderful people on Amazon who will state that "you don't get this", that "you've heard it all before" or will use that ubiquitous insult that it is the "king's new clothes". Even more will complain that the level of distortion on the album (at Spinal Tap "11") is giving your speakers a workload which they neither desire or can cope with and that perhaps "Treats" should come with complimentary Paracetamol. Yet there are on occasions when certain albums for just a very elusive moment on the space time continuum appear to make all other game players sound a bit wrought and tired. Sleigh Bells new album "Treats" falls into that category and will nudge popular music into different directions.

Granted "Treats" is so bound for mainstream success and overexposure that you sense that a brief romance with this band may be the extent of your involvement, but so what it will be fun while it lasts. Thus we have an album that is very loud, trashy, and disposable and pulled off with the sort of brazen audacity that would find the state police visiting in the dark of night in a less tolerant society. "Treats" describes itself, get it on Amazon MP3 download now and be prepared for a complete sensory overload.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Is there anything Bill Bryson isn't interested in? He moves from one subject to the next with equal amounts of genuine enthusiasm. And we're not talking about just the really remarkable stuff - a lot of what gets Bryson going seems quite mundane. Mousetraps, for instance. Once he has you hooked, you too realize that even mousetraps are pretty fascinating after all.

There's no point looking for a theme to At Home, even though it's nominally a social history of the home, specifically Bryson's home, a former rectory in Norfolk, built in 1851. Going from room to room is just an excuse for Bryson to expound on whatever he finds interesting. It might be best to take the book as a series of loosely connected magazine articles or short essays. You can skip around without losing the thread, because there isn't one.

Most of the history is Victorian, but there are side trips to the prehistoric Britain, 19th century America, and the recent past. This is not an academic book, so there are no footnotes, which is a shame. Although Bryson usually credits sources within the text, now and then he makes an outrageous statement without attribution. One that had me scrambling for some supporting evidence was a claim that Elizabeth I admired, then scooped some silverware into her purse at dinner in a nobleman's house while on her annual royal progress. Even more remarkable was a statement that one third of all women in London aged 15-25 in 1851 were prostitutes. Really?! After browsing through the lengthy and excellent bibliography, I found the instruction to go to Bryson's website for notes and sources, but found only that they are "coming soon."

Chances are you won't be interested in everything that takes Bryson's fancy, but no worry. If you find your attention waning during a discussion of furniture varnishes, it isn't long before he's off to vitamins or Thomas Jefferson's wine collection or Ötzi the Ice Man.

I'll admit that I might have skipped this book if Bryson's name wasn't on the cover, and wondered if it could have been published at all without his name and popularity. His early works are still my favorites, more or less in the order they were written. The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America still makes me laugh, so does Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe, and Notes from a Small Island, and I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away (Notes from a Big Country). I expect I'll continue to read just about anything Bryson writes, but I have to agree with some other reviewers who look forward to his travel writing more than his excursions into weightier topics.

Blow (2001)

I initially had no interest in this film, thinking who wants to see a movie about some two bit dope dealer? My teenage son, however, rented the DVD, and I found myself a captive audience. To my surprise, it was a riveting, well done film. Sure, it was about a two bit dope dealer, but what a story. George Jung, an all American kid from a hard working, hard knocks family, begins dealing marijuana during the 1960s. He develops his business into an empire, and then he decides to branch out into the sexier world of cocaine and really big money. Using his considerable entrepreneurial instinct, he makes a deal with the Columbian drug cartel. Before you know it, he is raking in millions. Unfortunately, the best laid plans often go awry, and there is no fairy tale ending for George. This is a story of hopes, dreams, violence, greed, and betrayal.

Well directed by the late Ted Demme, the film is compelling and absorbing as it recounts George Jung's incredible odyssey in the drug trade, tracking the rise of the cocaine industry in the United States, attendant with all its violence. Johnny Depp, in the role of George Jung, makes him into a likable guy who has bitten off more than he can chew, with ultimately dire results. His is a search for the American Dream, a dream that forever remains elusive.

Ray Liotta is terrific in the role of George's father, Fred Jung, a sensitive and devoted everyman married to a hard, selfish woman, Ermine Jung, a woman who lacks all motherly instincts and is played with gritty determination by Rachel Griffiths. Jordi Molla is excellent in the role of Diego, George's entre into the world of high stakes, cocaine dealing, and Cliff Curtis is excellent as Escobar, the Columbian drug cartel's main man. Penelope Cruz is terrible as George's beautiful Latina wife, Mirtha. She is simply a bad actress whose English is often unintelligible. With the exception of Ms. Cruz, however, the cast is uniformly excellent.

This is the story about a young man who, faced with choices in his life, made the wrong ones and lived to regret it. Johnny Depp captures the pathos of Jung's wasted life. That his characterization is dead on is brought home by Ted Demme's wonderful interview of the real George Jung. This interview is one of the numerous bonus features on this DVD and is well worth watching. It is a poignant interview, as it underscores that Jung's was a life wasted. It also serves to illustrate just how remarkable Depp's characterization of Jung really is. All in all, this is a vibrant, informative, and entertaining film.

2011 GRAMMY Nominees

When I turned 40 almost 12 years ago I realized that my taste in music had not really evolve since I was 25. I worked late hours and focused on my career and starting a family. For some reason, at that point, I purchased my first Grammy CD. I really
did not like a lot of the music on the CD. But, it remained in my car and I would skip over the songs that did not appeal to me.

Over the course of a month there were times when I would forget to skip a track and would listen to songs that were not my preference. As I became more familiar with the songs, I began to appreciate genres that had previously not appealed to me. Among others, I came to enjoy and understand hip hop and rap, and to recognize the popular artists.

Each year since then, I have purchased the Grammy CD (and mp3 now) and I follow the same pattern of exposing myself to new music and new artists. I look forward to purchasing the CD, though from year to year the changes now are less dramatic than when I began. I also began having friends by to watch the awards show, which has been fun.

I am by no means an audiophile. However, while many of my peers hear new music as noise, I have acquired a much better appreciation of popular artists. My son's college aged friends are usually shocked that his decrepit father likes songs by eminem or TI. Maybe in 20 years my grandchildren will be the ones asking: "how does grandpa know about that?".

There are other annual compilations, but this is the best from my perspective. I listen to other music during the year, but buying this CD each year hopefully will keep me open to enjoying new music. I would hate to become stuck again. 

This great & fantastic CD has 19 great tracks, all nominated/from nominees for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards which were presented during the ceremony on 02/13/2011. Winners are voted by the members of The Recording Academy & recipients will receive the greatest music accalade in the music industry (Grammy Awards). A portion of CD sales will go to charities (Grammy Foundation & MusiCares Foundation). The music from this CD has various musicians & genres ranging from Classical ("Have n't Met You Yet" by the great Canadian crooner Michael Buble' from his bestseller album 'Crazy Love', wonderful track, vocals & melody), Country ("The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert & "Need You Now" by the ever popular country band Lady Antebellum from the bestseller album of the same name), Soul/R 'n B ("Forget You" by soul singer Cee-Lo Green from the bestseller album 'Lady Killer', "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars from the bestseller album 'Doo-Wops And Hooligans' & "Babyfather" by Sade nominated after a 10 year hiatus, song from great album 'Soldier Of Love'), Hip Hop/Rap/R 'n B ("Nothin' On You" by B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars, "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem & Rihanna. This track is in both 2 bestseller albums by these two great artists, CDs/albums being 'Recovery' & 'Loud' respectively) & Pop/Rock ("California Gurls" by the sucessful Katy Perry featuring bad boy rapper Snoop Dogg, "Telephone" by the ever popular & outragious Lady Gaga featuring the amazing Beyonce', "Ready To Start" by Arcade Fire, "Half Of My Heart" by John Mayer featuring country superstar Taylor Swift, song from the great album 'Battle Studies', "This Is It" by the late King of Pop Michael Jackson from the album of the same name, a posthumous release; "Beg Steal Or Borrow" by popular Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs, "Don't Stop Believin'" by great Glee Cast, "Misery" by Maroon 5 from the great album 'Hands All Over' & "Hey, Soul Sister"~(live) by the ever popular live performing rock band/act, Train from the great album 'Save Me, San Francisco'). On overall, this is a compilation of the best music/artists nominated for the greatest award in music industry, a wide variety of music/artists may be a double-edged sword for the 'purists vs fans' but often many fans are pleased as shown/indicated by the popularity/success of this series (Grammy Nominees) & this CD will make you enjoy the Grammy Awards Ceremony much more as the winners are announced as well as some great performances or if you enjoyed the ceremony/performances on 02/13/2011. All the categories of the nominations appear at the back of this great CD for each track/nominee, a highly recommended CD listening! 

The Work of Director Michel Gondry (2003)

Part of the DVD series "The Work of Director ________", a trio of DVDs featuring the work of three groundbreaking video and short film directors, "The Work of Michel Gondry" is an extensive filmography of the director's work prior to his acclaimed feature film debut "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". It was interesting to see these pieces after having seen that film because it is so clear that his innovative and (usually) whimsical vision were present long before that film was released.

Essentially "discovered" by musician Bjork and tapped to do the video for her film "Human Behaviour", Gondry went on to do several videos for her as well as for The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, Foo Fighters & The Rolling Stones, among others. All of the videos feature enormous amounts of color, are usually laden with fantasy elements (there are a lot of themes that involve time-shifting) and most either are ironic or dryly humorous. The total effect is completely intoxicating. I have always found Bjork's videos to be wonderful and unusual, but all of the videos in fair succession of one another are a heady experience. The amount of work that went into The White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl" video, which features the band as Legos, with every shot done manually is mind-boggling. Even Kylie Minogue's "Come into my World" (I personally find her insipid at best) was extremely enjoyable because the video, essentially a mobius strip where Minogue is walking around a city block, was so sublime.

The collection also features some commercial work and short films that Gondry has produced during his professional career including a beautifully shot black and white film called "The Letter". Having now seen all three of the collections released by the Directors Label series (including Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham) Gondry's work is the perfect addition to the series because he brings an element of bright imagination, and while all three directors are creative, his work is laced with a fancifulness that works as a thin patina, under which obvious intelligence lies. I considered "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to be the best film released in 2004, and Gondry's video work is a strong support for his talent and vision. I highly recommend it.

Daft Punk's Electroma (2008)

First, this is an art movie, 2nd it's a road movie (albeit featuring two robots), and for all those who said it sucks because it doesn't contain any Daft Punk music, here's the secret: "Human After All" is the alternative (and far superior) soundtrack to the film. Seriously, cue up the DVD, then put "Human After All" on album repeat; the story, songs, and even beats line up perfectly. In the opening scene, if you synced it up properly, the title track "Human After All" repeats "Human" when they zoom in on the "Human" license plate, then when the robots go into the clean room and the steam pours out of the hoses, "Steam Machine" comes on. There are several other examples, and if you really synch it up, the people even walk in time to the beat in several shots. There, that's why there is no dialogue, that's why the scenes are so long. Even when the album ends and repeats back to the first track, it's still in sync with the movie, now enjoy.

Lolita (1998)

There is a moment in Adrian Lyne's LOLITA that effectively captures the twisted, yet surprisingly innocent feeling that Vladimir Nabokov wanted to portray with his novel. When Lolita, wonderfully played by newcomer Dominique Swain, is rushing up the stairs to say goodbye to Humbert Humbert (Jeremy Irons), before she leaves for summer camp, you realize that the look of excitement in Jeremy Irons face, and the nervous posture he has is that of an innocent child in love.

Indeed it is true that Humbert is a child at heart, a fact which becomes clear early in the movie, when we learn a little bit about Humbert's first encounter with love and its subsequent painful and unexpected loss.

It seems impossible to not compare Lyne's version with Stanley Kubrick's version, made over 35 years ago. I have to admit that I am an avid Kubrick fan, and that I always thought his version of Nabokov's novel, if not faithfully reproduced, was a classic. So it was that with apprehension (and some morbid curiosity) I decided to watch Lyne's version. Boy was I blown away.

It is a terrible thing that our society as a whole, at this day and age, can't see pass the taboo that apparently clogs the story. It is sad because Lyne's LOLITA is an excellent and beautiful film in every respect. From Lyne's carefully crafted visual style, to the outstanding performance given by both Swain but especially by Irons (this is his movie), to the heart-breaking music score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone. Everything is in place here.

It is clear that Lyne has a profound understanding of the novel, he successfully directs the story in a way the slowly engulfs you and never seems to fall into the traps that plagued Kubrick's version. There are a great many things that you will discover in this movie, not the least of which is the realization that, deep down inside, there is a place in each and everyone of us where love seems to have no age. In the end you understand the reasons behind the story, you will see Humbert's joy reflected in your eyes and his tears will fall down your face, but perhaps most shocking of all, you will feel like him.

Please, do yourself a favor and see this movie on DVD. Trimark has done an excellent job by including a very insightful commentary track by Adrian Lyne, a wealth of deleted scenes (some of which I wish were on the film), theatrical trailers, and perhaps the most wonderful feature of all, a casting session with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain, where you see them rehearse a scene, and later get to see the final scene. Highly recommended.

City of God (2002)

"City of God" ("Cidade de Deus") is the story of a boy, but also the story of a "favela" (Portuguese word with similar meaning to slum or shantytown) on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. That shantytown is called "Cidade de Deus". Throughout this extraordinary movie both the boy and the favela grow, albeit obviously in very different ways :)

The boy is Rocket (Buscapé in Portuguese, played by Alexandre Rodrigues), who is born in Cidade de Deus and grows up before our eyes living in it. He is quiet and easygoing, just a non-violent person seeking a way to survive in a brutal environment. Rocket ends up doing exactly that through his passion, photography, that ends up making him an intermediary between the local gangs and the press. He is also the narrator of this movie, the voice that accompanies us throughout many of the stories that "City of God" has to offer...

The other main character of "City of God" is the "city" itself, that starts merely as a couple of houses, but that grows immensely as years go by. The activities in which its inhabitants are involved also change, from petty robbery to organized crime that involves drug dealing and arms trafficking. We see Li'l Zé (Zé Pequeno in Portuguese, played by Leandro Frimino), one of the boys that used to play soccer with Rocket, grow up to become a murderer and a drug lord, someone that makes his own laws. The same happened with others, but Li'l Zé probably represents to most dangerous kind of sociopath that the favela can produce. Rocket and Li'l Zé, same circumstances, different persons, different choices. Who says that where you lives determinates how you are and what you do?. This is an excellent example that that is not always the case...

Directors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund somehow managed to convey in their movie the full strenght of the novel (written by Paulo Lins) on which "City of God" is based. This film is full of colour and energy, carrying the spectator at a dizzying pace through the twenty years it covers, never giving him time to get bored. It is wortwhile to point out that most of the "actors" didn't have any real experience as such, they just happened to live in different slums of Rio de Janeiro (including Cidade de Deus) at the time when the film was being made. I think that is something that shows in the realism of the results...

On the whole, I can say that I loved "City of God", notwithstanding the fact that it is undeniably bloody and has some very violent scenes. In my opinion, they are not gratuitous, because they help the directors to capture what may really happen in a Brazilian shantytown, and show it to us. All in all, this movie is nothing short of an experience worth having and sharing. If you watch "City of God" and love it as much as I do, do your part and recommend it to others :)

Sonic Youth - Corporate Ghost: Videos, 1990-2002 (2004)

I very much love the music of Sonic Youth so I decided to go ahead and buy this video collection. Although I had no idea what to expect, I must say that I am very happy with what I got. Audio and video quality is as good as you can expect, especially since the videos come from such a wide rage of mediums ranging from low budget video to high quality film. Special features are great also, especially the videos directed by the fans and "My Sonic Room" where a fan paints the cover of the album Goo on her wall.
1. Dirty Boots- The band plays a concert while fans mingle with each other.
2. Tunic (Song For Karen)-Has a public access production value feel to it and it reminds me of David Lynch's Eraserhead. Includes hidden images of Karen Carpenter.
3. Mary-Christ-Mostly close ups of the band mixed with live footage, looks like it was shot with night vision cameras.
4. Kool Thing- Has Singer Kim Gordon holding a black cat while the band plays in a tin foil decorated room.
5. Mote- A mix of the band playing, footage of the film Koyaanisqatsi, and graphic dismemberment footage.
6. My Friend Goo- My least favorite on the disk, a homemade video with singer Kim Gordon in a pink cat suit singing along with a record.
7. Disappearer- The band goes on a strange road trip.
8. Mildred Pierce- Has the band in various locations around Hollywood and Sofia Coppola, director of Lost in Translation, plays Joan Crawford.
9. Cinderella's Big Score- an video about Kim Gordon's relationship to her brother is my interpretation.
10. Scooter And Jinx- Two female strippers star in this video, one poses naked while the other takes pictures.
11. Titanium Expose- Like a non linear short film, memorable for seeing singers Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore making out with each other.
12. 100%- The band plays a house party while footage of skateboarders is cut in.
13. Sugar Kane- Like a grunge fashion show video.
14. Youth Against Fascism- Just a collage of the band playing, motorcyclists, and other stuff.
15. Bull In The Heather- Features Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill acting obnoxious.
16. Superstar- a loving tribute to Karen Carpenter, the band is dressed up quite formally on a glitzy stage.
17. Little Trouble Girl- a slick looking video with a sci-fi edge, Kim Deal from the Pixies and the Breeders appears also.
18. The Diamond Sea- Footage from the band on the road.
19. Sunday- Stars Macaulay Culkin and some ballerinas.
20. Hoarfrost- Mostly footage of someone driving around at wintertime.
21. Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)- Has a bunch of people hanging out while Kim Gordon is singing on a laptop computer.
22. The Empty Page- More footage from the band touring.
23. Disconnection Notice- A short film featuring four young adults arguing with each other in a car.

La Roux (Gold Edition)

The electronic synth duo of Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid returns to the music scene with La Roux: Gold Edition. This collection of B-sides, live performances, and remixes is a standby for their new album, currently in production. Here's my track-by-track overview of the hold-over release:

In for the Kill (Remix feat. Kanye West) - An awesome collaboration between La Roux and Mr. West that takes hip-hop to a whole new level. Nice beats and addition of effects create this vintage sounding piece.

Finally My Saviour - A B-side consisting of electronic synth goodness. If you are familiar with the group, it sounds like a sonic fusion of In for the Kill and Growing Pains. A seamless addition to their debut album.

Under My Thumb - Rolling Stones cover. Elly places an electronic vibe over her voice as she sings through the track effortlessly and beautifully. This was originally found on the Sidetracked UK-exclusive compilation, but as a DJ edit that was used to fade the tracks together as one mix. Good to have this track in it's original format!

I'm Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix) - A repetitive remix of I'm not Your Toy. The electronic beats get tiresome after awhile, but this release needed a good remix and Jack Beats was the best offering out of the three on the UK exclusive 3-track I'm Not Your Toy EP.

In for the Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) - Already owned from the In for the Kill Remixes EP. It sounds like a singular toned backtrack, but fits perfectly with the vocals in such a way that it cannot be explained. The last minute is filled with beats. I replaced it with Finally (feat. La Roux) off of Skream's Outside the Box album. Very tribal-sounding with the drums, but very tranquill and a lovely remix of Finally My Saviour.

Quicksand (Boy 8-Bit Remix) - A reggae remix of Quicksand with pounding bass best heard through high-performance headphones or speakers.

Bulletproof (Zinc Remix) - Very repetitive dubstep remix. Previously released on the Bulletproof Remix EP. I replaced it with Bulletproof (Live at Shepherds Bush) found on The Gold EP.

Tigerlily (Demo Version) - The original, much more raw version of Tigerlily. Very nice addition to this release.

Bulletproof (Intimate Session at Abbey Road) - An acoustic version of Bulletproof with piano in the background and live vocals. I love this track and the raw talent that is put forth in Elly's vocals.

In for the Kill (Vevo Lounge Version) - Not my favorite performance. Elly's voice grates on my nerves here, but it's still nice to hear another acoustic session.

I also suggest adding this to the original album in your digital library for the true Gold Edition experience. This is La Roux and they are here to stay in my music library for years to come.

Lie With Me (2005)

This was fun to watch yet at the same time rather disappointing (maybe depressing would be a better description). Fun if you go into it expecting sex, pretty faces and writhing bodies. But disappointing because there is little else besides. Depressing because the main characters appear so selfish, self-absorbed and are not in fact very likeable. Its main theme is about two emotionally immature individuals, learning rather late in life, the difference between lust and love. It's based on a short story by Tamara Faith Berger who also happens to be director Clement Virgo's wife. To its credit it tackles the lust vs love angle reasonably well.

For our protagonist Leila, life is one sexual encounter after another, free of emotional attachment, free of commitment, free of love. It opens with a naked Leila (the lovely Lauren Lee Smith) alone on the couch, masturbating while watching a porn video. There is no major dialogue until at least 10 minutes into the film and even then it is pretty banal if not trite, reflecting in a way the shallowness of these individuals. Director Virgo notes that he was trying to make a visual film as opposed to a talkie. And visually, it is beautifully shot. Leila goes to a party, meets David (Eric Balfour), with whom she feels an instant and mutual attraction. However he is with his girlfriend, Victoria (Polly Shannon). So she snares another lucky male whom she proceeds to bl__ and fu__ in the parking lot, in full view of David and his girlfriend, who naturally do the same thing, both couples more interested in the opposite pair than in their own partners. David of course is enthralled with Leila and hooks up with her. They have sex. Then they have more sex. And that's all they have. They don't really have a relationship. They don't communicate. They just copulate. Like rutting animals. Throughout the film, sex is depicted as mechanical, selfish and purely physical and although arousing, it is emotionally empty. The main impression I was left with was one of emptiness, hollowness and how sad these people were, physically connecting yet mentally and emotionally all alone. So much so that when David's ailing father whom he's been dotingly caring for dies, Leila cannot empathise, much less give solace. And neither is David of much help when Leila struggles with her parents' own breakup.

Luckless girlfriend Victoria (Polly Shannon) is, for me anyway, the most sympathetic character here. Of the three she is the only one with any insight into their relationship. She is also given some of the more memorable lines in the movie. During her confrontation with Leila, she warns him against David, "He's got intimacy issues. He needs a mommy," and more cruelly but to the point, "You can suck a guy's dick all you want. It doesn't mean he's ever gonna love you." She may be cast as the "other" woman but you can't help sympathising with her and thinking that she's better off rid of him. Virgo's need to have a "happy ending" where the characters come together after realising their love for each other is simply not convincing. It's hard to believe that these self-absorbed, narcissistic personalities could suddenly develop the insight to relate to someone, other than on a purely sensual level. The odd result is that, apart from the sex scenes, the movie when viewed as a whole, has a pretty depressing feel to it. Still, quibbles about the film aside, the sex scenes are not in the least bit disappointing. In fact, they are hot. Very much so. They are a lot more erotically arousing than in the bulk of porn material shot today which is so clinically anatomical as to no longer be erotic.

Although the DVD is unrated, it would most likely merit an NC-17. The sex scenes are as close to hardcore as you can get without it being X-rated. The missing elements are the money-shots and scenes of actual penetration. Otherwise everything else is there, right down to Leila playfully handling David's little thingie.

Lauren Lee Smith is gorgeous to look at and a very good actress. It took guts to do what she did here and I hope it pays off for her in the future. She should be in more films if only she could make time in between shooting "The L Word." In the commentary, director Virgo and Smith discuss how they first met when he directed her in her first lesbian scene in "The L Word."

The film has been beautifully transferred to DVD in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (enhanced for widescreen TV). The film as we learn in the commentary was shot on Super 16mm so there is a slight graininess throughout as would be expected from this medium. Otherwise it looks gorgeous. Colors are vibrantly rich, black levels are accurately set, the golden summer palette that Virgo chooses for the film comes through handsomely. Sound comes in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 Stereo. Dialogue is recorded at a very low level and is at times barely audible while the pounding music from the nightclub scenes are overwhelmingly loud. Rather like a porn video. I was constantly reaching for the remote to raise and lower the volume. There is an accompanying trailer, a photo gallery and of course the commentary by director Clement Virgo and Lauren Lee Smith who breaks into infectious laughter whenever she's asked to comment on her sex scenes. There is however no behind the scenes footage as advertised by Amazon. In the end, it may not count as a truly thought-provoking or even very credible film but it is arousingly enjoyable nonetheless. From the other reviews here, I take it most viewers will be seeing it for the sex. So, as far as the star ratings go: Five stars for the sizzling hot sex and for Lauren Lee Smith, three and a half for the movie itself.

Valentine Amore Romantic Gift Set - Bed of Roses Scented floating silk rose petals and tealight candles

This box is a big seller. The outside says it all: Very romantic on high quality paper board each box holds 150 SILK Rose Petals, scented and floatable, 4 tea lights to set the mood and an invitation to romance. One stop shopping. You may want to add other extras to the end cap, i.e. chocolates; champagne etc The tea lights are of high quality wax, giving a nice glow to the romantic evening. You can use it for showers, parties,anniversaries and of course Valentine's Day. The possibilities are endless. The package needs no wrapping; it is a present and mood setter by itself. 

Bought these for especial night! This kit really makes it especial.
couldn't ask for more!