Bands I've seen live...yes this list will be missing a lot.

In no order I just wanted to lay these all out. So I have a record.

*The one's that made this list are simply put the most memorable. Ehem that were good accept the one's at the bottom. I saw a band call 'Sparta' play in the rain and that was cool & I saw a Velvet Revolver and they sucked terrible. I did see 'Alice in Chains' however I don't really like their music despite they were very good.*

(saw them at the Wiltern in Los Angeles)

(This is my big classy one I've seen. Everybody needs a big classy one.)

Chick groups : ^.^

(*Bayfest Mobile, AL)

(*Key Club Los Angeles, CA)

(*This was the show I was at. Only to the right and a bit further back *.*) (Hippy hopping is cute ^.^) Oh yes and 'Paramore' was their too and I couldn't kill myself fast enough *.* (Nah that's harsh. I'm deaf now.)

Men bands :

(I was at this show)

(Orlando, FL)

(Orlando, FL)

(*Bayfest Mobile, AL)

(This is more of a puppet show)

(Florida)

***Best show I've ever seen (And the one's in the video is the one I was at)*** Everybody stoned too. ********* (*Staples Center Los Angeles, CA) I've also seen them front for My Chemical Romance.

+ A sh*t ton of others who either didn't stand out, weren't good enough, or just plain I'm not proud of like Trapt or ehem...New Found Glory...or as I like to call them...New Found Gloryhole. Velvet Revolver (Slash solo was the only good part), Sparta...and like I said a bunch of others, in clubs and bars, some great locals, + I work for a talk show so occasionally seeing a variety of bands is kind of my daily routine (although nothing beats being at a real show) and even went to every show for a two year period on the road, radio interviews, and to contests of my buddies band (Which is a fun memory). (***Yes I directed this music video) ***That's my backyard biatches.

(Surprisingly one of the worst shows I've seen. Not because of the Nine Inch Nails but their crappy fans)

...

The 5 Best Special Editions to own.

5.) Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula Special Edition.

4. Disney Special Edition D.V.D's

3. The Criterion Collection (They put so much work in finding special features & cleaning up the films, most of them come with booklets and are expensive by comparison.*)

2. The Lord of the Rings

1. Robert Rodriguez D.V.D.'s

Philosophy : The meaning of life.

I used to believe in a soul, true-love, god, . . . then one of those words actually happened to me. And I truely believe all of those pursuits to be a game. (Accept love perhaps, which in a way may just be a long lasting placebo of happiness) Most of a human being's life is spent distracting himself or herself from either his nature or the fact that we've evolved past wasting our time on our needs. Like searching all day for food. Most people don't live day by day. Our instincts are surpressed because we don't need them so far at the surface, because of technology, the brain's evolution. And we've developed a social structure around us to justify this supression of our survival instincts or the lack of need for them so much on the surface anyways. No hunting, only supermarkets and money as the means of a medium in front of it. A barrier, a distraction to stretch time out to get to the ultimate goal of sutanance. Money alone provides no sutanance yet through the power of myth holding a bunch of it in your hand can produce pleasure. Then we've built on it starting at the simple and onto the complex. Just look and the sheer missteps in the complexity of economics a sort of monitary evolution starting originally out as the barder system has blossomed into a strange organism indeed of modern economics. So most humans distract themselves. And spend all day dreaming. (Paraphrased) "We eat, we shit, we fuck, and we die" Marquis de Sade. (in "Quills") "But we also compose symphonies, paint masterpieces, and write epics." the Abby (in "Quills"). To what? : understand the human condition? or imagine possiblities? or to have that rush that feeling of living or 'feeling alive'? Vicariously imagining we're gods, or just important, or significant...but what we truely are is dreamers. Even great men who spend their lives studying the past and science do it for future progression and the tiny bit of pleasure of meeting someone that feels the same way to put a real smile on their face for a change. Eventually we'll die. And die as we surely will won't see our success past that age, the age past death. And sure enough we'll all die alone. It's a cycle. A rythm. No more intelligent than the tide coming in and out day after day shaping the rocks. No matter how beautiful the rocks are I still don't say they're intelligently designed. But I don't say the tide is any more intelligent than the wind. So I don't believe in god at least not in the organized sense and if such believing in something certainly does not make it real. Yet I've had dreams where I'd swear that I'm flying truely and surely I am. A series of molecular reactions, trillions, creating an organism. That believes to be supreme to all around it and cowers if he's wise enough to notice that maybe, just maybe, he might be insignifigant. The little pleasures are the most important ones because they're so little and simple we tend not to distract our happiness by studying them too closely. No person should ever have to justify what makes them happy. Weather it's god, music, sex, drugs, the pursuit of stories, or the myth that they are significant. All humans deceive themselves. If all of us woke up one day and realized that our petty little idiological beliefs and rituals in and about the world around us were meaningless outside of ourselves and deeply that other humans like us probably believe something whole heartedly different about the world around us than our world might crumble. And I say might because it might not. I'd like to believe that the wiser of people take great relish in the foolishly simple pleasures of life far more than the complex ones because they aren't distracted and they do take them at face value without the need to justify anything. Just like the smile on another person's face...we react upon seeing it...realizing that we've changed another creature internally and for a strong moment, we feel powerful. We feel like gods. The bible says that god created man in his own image. I say that man created god in his own image. Out of fear. Because when I create a new creature, when I imagine one I should say, it's usually humanoid but far more alien than an exact copy. I'm a twin I don't want or need an exact copy and even if I were to imagine a copy of myself my brother is far mor unique and complex than my imagination alone would allow me to create. Based on the principles of physics and gravity as I understand because psychologically I'd like to believe that if an imaginary creature did exist I'd like to be able to interact with whatever it is I'm imagining. Either hunt it, fuck it, or tell it a good joke and watch it laugh...feeling powerful again. Like a god. Like a human. Most humans still react to a puppy quite the same way. And we don't know why. Or at least I don't I guess it's like a baby but without too much resposibility. After all if it dies it's just a dumb animal. But after all humans are just dumb animals too. Tricking themselves to believing they're smart. It's a strange complex world indeed we belong too. Changing the shape of things. And succoming to fears in order to think we're surviving or living or 'truely alive' whatever that means.

It's easy to say their is a god, it's easy to say their isn't a god. But for all my years it's hard to say that the world is rather insignificant, yet still come up with a logical and fun reason for living. And that's just it. Fun. Evolution has created an outlit for survival. Perhaps the most important survival mechanism. Fun. The pursuit of pleasure. Because if their is no god and their is no life after death and no second chances than pleasure is all their is left and be it complex or simple it's the main reason human beings carry on. We've developed a society and many ways to deceive us into thinking it's much more than this basic. But truely and surely that's what it is. And it makes me happy to know at 24 years of age be able to whole heartly believe that I've discovered the function of basic human pleasure. (even though I'm quite sure I'm not the only one) It's simply put a survival mechanism that distracts us til we die. I've discovered the meaning of life. The reason each individual one of us is here and so unique is immaterial or unimportant. It doesn't matter if their was a big bang or is a god because if their is a god he truely doesn't care and what does matter is the pursuit of pleasure after the pursuit of being alive. It's all that ever did matter. No moral, no eithics, not distractions. And no rituals Just smile. And just pleasure. It's that simple folks. The meaning of living. And the uphill battle that may occur if you find yourself in opposition to people that don't understand this principle. But ignore those people if you can or better yet convience them of your belief, if you don't have that selfish instinct. Than live your life in pleasure and happiness as you and truely you see fit and no one else. And try not to let it clash with anyone else. That might throw you off track too. ;) The meaning of life.

"Life, it's just a ride" - Bill Hicks.

But simply the meaning of life is not to die. And have the most fun not dying as you can.

IRREVERSIBLE

The more and more and more I think about it the more I realize how masterful the film "Irreversible" really is. It's easily the most affecting film I've ever seen, easily one of the best crafted films I've ever seen, easily one of the most heartbreaking films I've ever seen, and even after seeing "The Men Behind the Sun" is still one of the hardest films I've ever had to sit down and watch And it's . . .

. . . even harder to sit and watch it in 1 sitting on a large screen. It's horrifying and genuinely frightening and probably one of the best films I've ever seen because all the peices seem to fit. Even when I know what's coming next ever time I shutter. I'm watching scenes from it now, I know the directors newest film comes out in September and am trying to remember why I liked it, if I can use the word like. It's the most dehumanising and humanising film I've ever seen, it reminds you of true evil but reminds me of true happiness and that at any moment you're world can spin out of control and become "Irreversible", so cherishing ever moment is important, and valuing a true friend (that will smash a person's head in with a...). This film is not for children and probably not for adults either.It truely deserves it. It is a masterpiece.

So people have told me I need to be descriptive about why I love these films well here I go to the best of my ability. Irreversible sets you or more accurately spins you (the camera spins over and over ad nauseum, (No seriously if you watch it on a large screen you can get sea sick and possible if prone too it trigger epileptic seizures.) in the middle of the action. Two men go into a gay bar to find a man for 'revenge' what he did, we're not quite sure. But within the club the tension mounts as we sea in shades of red and out of the darkness homosexual men engaged in the most disturbing S&M acts imaginable. (Fisting, candle wax ext.) Until the tension mounts as out lead male (the boyfriend) starts getting impatient and attacks one of the bizarre homosexual men, causing others to gang up on him, and gang up on him until he violently lashing out against a man who breaks his arm and attempts to rape him while many other men from the club sit and cheer (cheer on the rapist that is, the rapist that would be raping our man MALE character) Still with me, this is the BEGINNING of the film!!! Then an amazing thing happens.

…

But I won't spoil it.

Thusly the camera spins , as the film plays each scene leading up til that one.

Scene 1: Hunting down the rapist

Scene 2 Searching for the rapist

So on and so forth until we the audience get to see the boyfriends reaction to his bloodied girlfriend being drug out from a subway alley covering in massive amounts of blood.

And then the rape. A 9 minute long, 0 cutaways unflinching look at a horribly violent rape in real time, to the point where at the end we aren't sure she's alive, and by the end of the movie we're still not.

But this is only the halfway point.

The scenes continue to play in a backwards order showing our main man, our man women, and a mutual platonic friend (the one who came to the rescue at the beginning) They show them at a party dancing like fools and doing drugs, then rewinds to them traveling by subway to the party, then eventually the film rewinds to the two lovers naked in bed smiling and living rather blissfully. And the most heartbreaking reveal about Monica's character is revealed. And the final shot is of Monica's character sitting out in a beautiful green grassed park, reading a book and spinning out of control.

Starting at the end of a horrible day, rewinding to the beginning of a beautiful morning.

The visual effects in the film are subtle and used while the camera spins, some of the nudity is fake and of course the rape is fake, but because you're so enraptured in the story you never ever seem to notice, even if you're a film buff like me starting right at it.

The music suites each scene it occupies, if it's supposed to disturb its mostly nodes and tonal sounds, and if it's a party scene it's bizarre techno dance music. By the same man from Daft Punk.

This film is 99.9 % shock value, and it works.

Fun and adorable characters ^.^

1. Totoro

2. Gizmo (Cutness is genetic)

3. Slimer

4. ET

5. Critters (Yes I know it's a ripoff of Gremlins)

Oh yes I forgot...GIR

INCEPTION ((**SPOILERS**))

* * * Inception not the most original film. But for those not paying attention it might feel that way.


Inception reminds me of 5 films majorly. But still in the art of it's own world feels unique and original.


1. Dark City.

2. Total Recall.

3. What Dreams May Come.
4. The Matrix.
5. Eternal Sunshine for the Spotlessmind.


I have not seen the "13th Floor" & only elements of "Existanz" remind me of this. Maybe its the portable of the unexplained-super-science-shared-dreaming-device. (Also the device in "Inception" isn't a sexual metaphor & and of course is a dream not a video game) The idea that you really never know if your in or out of a dream and the disorientation of that deception reminds me of how some of the 'Nightmare on Elmstreet' films are structured however those films give strong clues and 'Inception' does not. Also an element of the LONG-LOST-LOVE plot device from "Shutter Island" and of course the questions of *sanity* are in "Inception" but it deals with that slightly better in this film than in that film and I say slightly because it's mainly just a distracting muguffan from the plot at hand ; aka the 'corprate espionage' a far more interesting plot than the wispy (*run now spoiler*) romance plot.


This is the point where I remind you that not only am I fixing to spoil INCEPTION. I'm fixing to spoil the plots of the 5 films I just mentioned in the above. "Existanz" and "Nightmare on Elm St." will not spoil the film but if you've not seen the 5 above mentioned comparisons. Leave this review. Run, run, now!!!!


Okay now back to sanity.


Here we go.


First of all "Dark City" a film about an alien race who've kidnaped humans and change their memories in order to discover the secret of the human soul. Night after night on a timer they change the setting using a thing called 'tuning' (Changing the surroundings and landscapes around humans while simultaniously changing their memories to see how human beings react under different circumstances in search for the human soul), the film "Inception" employs the concept of an architect to do this within the dream strait that is. They've added extra rules but the conept of memories fading and creating realities from these memories and the search for peaceful memories is still an interesting thruline throughout. And the cliche of some lonely romanitic beach is indeed attached. (Shell Beach)


Total Recall leaves you with an ambiguous ending. And througout gives you awkward moments allowing you to doubt what's reality and what's Recall the same way this film emplores that mainly through it's horribly disjointed editing to create the feeling of doubt as to whats real and what's not. Also considering Mari Coliard's repeat this theme ad~nauseum. Also the wink that hey maybe the fact that you're a super agent is an absurd dream anyways,


In the film "What Dreams May Come" based on the highly praised novel by 'I am Legend' author Richart Matheson. Robin William's character creates his own heaven. (Based on what appear to be Thomas Kinkade paintings) to live out an eternity with his wife, a pefect world they can grow old together in eternity. But several times when he sees her she's a fantasy, a shade of his memories of her. The same exact thing happens ad-nausum in "Inception" when Leo's character is in the dream state. Also the idea of a strange disjointed hell like state is in "Inception". So if I ever meat Chris Nolan and he's not seen the movie or read the novel "What Dreams May Come", I probably won't believe him.


The corrolations to the Matrix are ovbious and been bled to death in other reviews and I don't give a shit. In the Matrix the characters are capable of strange feats of gravity and reality but other than that there aren't very many corrilations. The Matrix point was a strait forward allegory to whatever society I don't really remember or care. "Inception"'s plot is far far more involved. And it's also bloody ovbious when they're in the Matrix and when they are not. And there is no romantic themes in Matrix or comrodery with the group so the comparisons only have to do with style not the actual plot or themes of the films because plot & themes in these two are far drastically different.


The film only slightly reminds of "Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind" and there isn't any one specific thing I can point to. The plot of "Eternal Sunshine" was romantic. The romantic aspects in "Inception" seemed like an after thought and was far too rushed than they needed to be adding and interested backpoint to the corporate espionage plot that the film is claiming to have but really the film "Inception" is 100% about Leo's character Cobb. The corporate espionage is more of a muguffan. Because we're never fully explained why it's that important. Which is a very weak point of the film.


The film will twist your mind and is so ambigus at points that it seems to be more about mood and style & higher themes than actual plot. It does not deserve any merits of originality for the script however the visual effects & cinematography of the film are absurdly good. There are plot holes in the film which are probably devised purposely by Nolan to confuse and disorient the viewer.


7 1/2 out of 10 stars : Don't think too hard & don't lose yourself in the plotholes sit back & enjoy the exposition, the ride, & the film. Don't compare it to other films & enjoy the ride.


Also you might have noticed that I refer to both the 'romance' and 'corprate espionage' plots as muguffans because they both are. This film is far more about themes and style than plot. But that's not a bad thing for me. This film literally and figuratively allows you no leg room to stand on. Which is the mark of a well thought out and masterfully directed peice of cinema. (Even though it's derivative, devisive & full of plot holes I like to reffer to as questions or huh? moments.)


Hmm did anyone else notice the french music in the movie. It kinda reminded me of another movie with Marie Collard ? (She won an oscar for playing her silly people. ^.^)


And in a nutshell see this biatch in Imax and Mr. Gordon Levitt is great. And Mrs. Ellen Page adorable as always.


Peace out Bitches.


I also had the distintive pleasure of seeing this film at a private screening room last Monday at Warner Bros. I wasn't allowed to talk about it until it was released and just saw it for the second time in theatres at an I-Max so this was my review based on that secondary viewing experience.




I still love that the wall climbing scene utilized a technique developed in the 20's (A rotating room) and people still think that's an amazing feat of new special effect technology. That's hilarious.

Did you notice how bizzare it was that when Leo's wife kills herself she's in a hotel room um across from the room Leo's in, not the one Leo De Caprio's in? And supposedly that was after they wake up?

Leo's missing a totem? Clue much!?!

The film deserves at least 2 oscars Cinematography & Visual Effects.

You can 100% tell this was the directors passion project.

"We'll meet again, don't know where don't know when."

*.* Was my brother the only person to notice the kids at the end of the movie are wearing the exact same clothing as in his dreams ?

Okay I can't stand it, HE WAS IN A DREAM THE WHOLE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or at least the clues support it, it's too ambiguous given the fact that the director seperates the characters in some scenes which definately aren't a part of Leo's subconsious. So either or really.

Top 10 Favorite Songs

Just to mess with this countdown AFI covers two of the songs in the list. Hahahahaha.

10 Today was a Good Day : Ice Cube (I had to put a classic song from a genre I rarely appreciate)

9 In Dreams : Roy Orbison

8 Stand by Me : Ben E. King (This performance is fantasic honestly it should probably be numero uno but hell I like some of this other stuff more. I just love this performance.)

7 Ziggy Stardust : David Bowie (Yes this is A.F.I.)

6 Angels of the Silences : Counting Crows (Yeah I know they have a reputation for sucking live, but in studio they work, still happy after hearing that that all my c.d.'s of them are pirated)

5 Waiting on an Angel : Ben Harper (I honestly can't pick a favorite Ben Harper song so I went with this one)

4 Just Like Heaven : The Cure

3 There is a Light that Never Goes out : The Smiths

2 These Times they Are a Changing : Bob Dylan

1 Disorder : Joy Division

Best Directed film

Irreversible

It stays with you no longer than it needs to and if you see it once you'll never forget it.

Top 64 favorite scenes, sequences, or moments in movies (Stream of mind)

I'm thinking of each of these as they first come to my mind. Not in any particular order!

64 500 Days of Summer (What is happening & what your expectations are)
63 Silence of the Lambs (Break out)
62 The Third Man (Ferris Wheel conversation)
61 Oldboy (Fight Scene)
60 Hook (Final fight scene)
59 Allegro Non Troppo (the army builders sequence)
58 Gremlins (Gremlins at the bar)

57 Legends of the Fall (Brad Pitt fights a bear)

56 The Dark Knight (I'm gonna make this pencil disappear)

55 Jacob's Ladder (The hospital to hell sequence)

54 What Dreams May Come (Our D Day stands for divorce)

53 Good Will Hunting (Park Bench scene)

52 Godfather 2 (Michael choses to assasinate his own brother)

51 Godfather (Resturant assasination)

50 Marathon Man (No it's not safe : The ending scene)

49 All that Jazz (Sex dance)

47 Y Tu Mamma Tambian (Dance scene)

46 An Innocent Man (killing jingles)

45 Requiem for a Dream (A not so pleasant chat with mom)

44 Jaws (I'll catch him for 3 but I'll kill him for 10)

43 The Wrestler (Out here is the only place I belong)

42 Scream (I want to know who I'm looking at)

41 A Clockwork Orange (The ludvico technique)

40 Alice (The caterpillar is a sock)

39 Jurrasic Park (The raptors are hunting)

38 Logan's Run (The chase scenes runs them through an orgy)

37 The Searchers (Stand aside Ethan)

36 The Hurt Locker (There's still a sniper in that bunker)

35 Candyman (The boy in the bathroom legend)

34 The Usual Suspects (lineup)

33 12 Angry Men (There's another knife)

32 Deliverance (How do we bury him?)

31 Pulp Fiction (Is there a sign on my garage that says dead . . . storage?)

30 A Clockwork Orange (The droogs have a stern talking to Alex after his threesome)

29 One Hour Photo (the creepy dream)

28 2001 A Space Odyssey (We've discovered life on other planets)

27 Encounters at the end of the world (Penguin)

26 Fears of the Dark (Did that dog just rape that woman ?)

25 King Kong (Pit of giant insects)

24 The Sixth Sense (You had been keeping her sick)

23 Insomnia (Robin and Al Pacino's characters have a chat on a ferry)

22 The Wickerman (The naked sex dance) (And yes I mean the original)

21 Tremors (We'll name them something Oids)

20 All that Jazz (Everything old is new again)

19 Se7en (Lust)

18 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (When she breaks her leg)

17 The Shawshank Redemption (ovbiously the break out)

16 Platoon (It's an ambush)

15 Good Morning Vietnam (He finds out one of his best friends is VC)

14 The Deer Hunter (Russian roulette)

13 Deliverance (Dueling banjos)

12 The Wrestler (staple gun ?)

11 Some like it Hot (That man just bought you flowers)

10 The Dead Poets Society (I've just come to get my things)

9 The Lost Boys (how can a billion chinese people be wrong ?)

8 Alien (Ash's secret is revealed)

7 Blade Runner (The final android's death)

6 The Empire Strikes Back (I am your father)

5 Zombie (a zombie fights shark nuff said)

4 ET (I'll be right here)

3 Psycho (disposing of the body)

2 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (they finally arrive at the mountian)

1 My Neighbor Totoro (Totoro discovers rain)

Favorite Animated Features (Uniquely styled)

10.) Fears of the Dark

9.) Allegro Non Troppo

8.) Up

7.) The Secret of Nihm

6.) Triplets of Belville

5.) Fritz the Cat

4.) Sleeping Beauty

3.) My Neighbor Totoro

2.) The Nightmare Before Christmas

1.) Alice in Wonderland

Favorite Albums

(Trapped on and island and you can only have 5 albums . . . these are mine, okay honestly I'd probably have greatest hits Smiths & Dylan but for the sake of this that's just lame.)

1. Unknown Pleasure ~ Joy Division

2. Meloncoly and the Infinite Saddness ~ Smashing Pumpkins (You don't beat this album)

3. Dizzy Up the Girl (Also I love the picture and title) ~ Goo Goo Dolls

4. Sing the Sorrow ~ AFI

5. Live From Mars ~ Ben Harper

(Love Bob Dylan, The Cure, The Smiths, Queen, James Taylor & the Doors but like them and many other bands well . . . I've got the greatest hits. These albums I just love them as albums, and yeah I know Ben Harper's cheating but you know I don't care. Also don't get me started on what's the best Beatles album because the answer is clearly ALL OF THEM!!!)

Honorable Mention :

Top Favorite Directors . . . . .

M. Night Shamalan's "The Last Airbender" is coming out. And it's got me thinking. M. Night is a director known by his name, his style, and his films. Good or Bad depending on your side of the fence. He get's people talking, love or hate him. And gets people genuinely interested in film by his very unique style. If at some points derivative. (Aka ; the Hitchcock complex. I've got to appear in all my films. Which is more distracting than cute in for example "The Village".) 'Airbender' in his career also marks the first film he's directed he's not written.

Yes and I also love David Fincher

*Honorable Mention*

Hayao Miyazaki

10 Bob Fosse (Lenny, All that Jazz, Cabaret)

9 Orson Wells (I enjoy him more as a host, and actor than anything else, but his ability to draw you 100% into his characters and story is directing. Even if he's not the director.) (F is for Fake)

8 Billy Wilder (The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, Sunset Blvd.)

7 Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy and the Vengence Trilogy, Box, *not The Box* & Thirst *not the Austrailian film*)

6 Daron Aronofsky (The Fountian, Requiem for a Dream, Pi, The Wrestler)

5 Alfred Hitchcock (If you don't know who he is you probably shouldn't be reading this, there are too many good ones to name)

4 Quention Tarantino (I don't know what the award is. But man is it gaudy.)

3 Martin Scorsese (Also an imporant film preservationist.)

2 David Lean (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai)

1 Stanley Kubrick

(Hell yeah it's an awesome set. He has the eye of a professional photographer and the mind of a chess player)

(My favorite documentaries are mostly stand alone, I have no bearings for documentary film directing greatness. But from what I've seen Errol Morris is mostly my speed.) (The Thin Blue Line, Mr. Death) And also a fan of Jessica Yu (The Realms of the Unreal) (Not to mention that I love her movie and passion for documentary, but also she's smoking damn hot.)