Aliens, Why Does it Have to be Aliens?

I’d be a total liar if I said I’m not liable to get swept up in the hype of an extremely over-publicized new release at the box office.  After watching hours of re-runs and specials on TV dealing with the first three Indiana Jones flicks, I was convinced: how hard could it be to ignite fans’ imaginations and convince them that the barely sub-octogenarian Harrison Ford could pull off the classic cheesy one-liners and crack his whip a few times?  Boy was I wrong.

The sad thing is that it’s not necessarily Ford’s acting chops and maneuverability that hamper Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls‘ potential — at times I could get past it in my head, but the dialogue and way-too-crazy plot point involving [SPOILER] aliens, of all things feels far too zany to make any sense.  Sure, thousand-year-old guards aren’t exactly commonplace, but adding extraterrestrials to the universe of Indiana Jones brings it to a level where I just can’t really see where Lucas and Spielberg plan to take the series from here (assuming another one is in the works).

Also of note: Shia LaBeaouf takes an impromptu vine-swinging lesson from a few CGI monkeys and chases down a speeding car employing his newly-perfected ability.

Here, I think they call this “laughing all the way to the bank.”

And it wouldn’t be a proper grilling of KotCS without mentioning Indy’s best escape yet, in which he survives not only the blast of an atomic bomb, but the radiation effects afterward.  I guess cancer would be as good as any way for Dr. Jones to go out, so I’m just questioning whether or not this will be used in future iterations in the series.  Which, if the shot of Jones’ newly-discovered son “Mutt” picking up his father’s hat at the end, only to quickly have it swiped back means anything, it’s definitely going to happen.

I don’t really know how to feel about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  I had such high expectations, but it’s hard to think of many non-nostalgic reasons why one would want to check it out.  It’s too over the top, too unbelievable, and hardly feels like it’s in the same series as such masterpieces as Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Review // The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath

Often regarded for their psychedelic fugues and iconic stage presence, The Mars Volta have entered heavy circulation into my music diet as of late. The Bedlam in Goliath marks the latest release from guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and co-frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and with it, creates a significant footnote in the prog-rock music scene.

While far from the downright trippy compositions found in 2006’s Amputechture and its predecessor Frances the Mute, Bedlam manages to channel The Mars Volta in perhaps their most energetic performance yet — but longtime fans should not be dissuaded — you’ll still find the classic segue ways and stylistically cryptic lyrics that leave you scratching your head, but all come together in an otherworldly fashion that just feels so right.

Much of this energy channels from the latest addition to the team, drummer Thomas Pridgen. You’ve probably never heard of him, but believe me in saying: dude’s got credentials. While the fuss over his technical skill continues to be debated among the hardcore, Pridgen’s unique patterns and rhythm prove to be a healthy acquisition for the Mars Volta — and referenced in a live performance, it seems singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala seems to be of the same opinion:

“Before we go on, There’s a little mess I wanna dispel about our band. I want everybody to take a look at this fuckin’ bass drum right here. You can see inside this bass drum right here. Does that look like a double pedal to you? Does it look like a double pedal bass drum? No that’s right its a single fuckin’ pedal bass drum. So you fuckin’ tech geeks out that accuse us of heavy metal bull shit, well fuckin’ suck our dicks. [Because] his name is Thomas Pridgen and he does it with one fuckin’ foot.”

Sans Pridgen, it’s still immediately obvious that you’re listening to the work of guitarist and producer, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Quoted as an individual who’s less than fond of his musical outlet in the band, stating that he is in a “war against the guitar,” Rodriguez-Lopez brings his trademark chops to the table en masse, providing much of the composition and direction for the rest of the band, as well as his signature blistering solos and can’t-get-them-out-of-your-head licks.

The Bedlam in Goliath stands out as an album wildly different from what we’ve seen in prior releases from The Mars Volta, and looks to only further cement the cult-like following established just seven years ago. It’s louder, heavier, trippier, and better yet, more of what die hard fans come to expect from the band.

Score:

Key Tracks:

• Ilyena
• Metatron
• Goliath

Sources:

• PopMatters [image]
  
• Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – Wikipedia

Review // The Departed

Throughout Hollywood’s antiquated history, the mob movie has always reigned supreme. We’ve seen the juggernauts of the genre (Scarface, Casino, Donnie Brasco), and as of late, the underlings that fall in the shadows of these aforementioned giants that do nothing more than tug on the bottom of your shirt seeking even the slightest bit of praise.

When we were first introduced to the Corleone family in 1972’s The Godfather, America quickly became hooked on the depiction of the underground crime ring. Martin Scorsese’s spree of hits, namely Goodfellas, only further cemented this infatuation with the mob and built up quite a legacy for Scorsese as a filmmaker. His gritty, no-holds-barred take on the mob provides an immense sense of realism that reverberates in all the right ways with his audience. Now, Scorsese is back with The Departed — a modern take on the mob that works extremely well on so many levels, all while featuring a Godly melting pot of some of the film industry’s best actors.

That last sentence wasn’t just fluff — The Departed presents a stellar cast of some of Hollywood’s best A-listers: Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Alec Baldwin stand out most notably and all present a better than average performance — and each brings their own distinctive syle to boot.

Of course, this conglomeration of names wouldn’t mean anything if the movie, itself were terrible — which it’s far from. The plot is full of cliches such as the whole good cop/bad cop situation that’s been done to death, though in this case, everything just works. As played out as mob portrayals have become on the big screen, The Departed just feels plain fresh, offering plenty of “Oh, shit!” moments that seemingly come out of nowhere.

Usually praised for his roles as “the good guy,” Matt Damon shares the lead role as Sgt. Sullivan — a baby-face cop who quickly advances up the ranks in the Massachusetts State Police force. It sounds exactly like another good guy situation…that is until you’re introduced to his backstory.

Sullivan has another role that precedes his protectorate position: he’s an undercover member of the mob brought up by the organization’s boss, Frank Castillo (Nicholson). He’s there as Castillo’s mob informant and quickly does all he can to reroute the police force according to his “true” employer’s agenda. As you’d expect from a Sergeant of the police force, he has it made: the beautiful girlfriend, nice apartment, and the respect and authority of his fuzz coworkers.

This is all in stark contrast to DiCaprio’s lowlife character, William Costigan Jr. With a family that already has ties to the mob, and a permanent record that’s not exactly fantastic to begin with, Costigan attempts to clean himself up. He goes through the police academy training program aspiring to do good — only to be quickly shot down during a job interview with smartass cop Sergeant Dignam (Wahlberg). They work out a deal that puts Costigan on the police force, but only as an undercover agent within mob boss Frank Castillo’s regime to perform the exact function as Damon’s character — only from opposite sides of the spectrum.

As you can imagine, paths cross, and while it’s all bad news bears for the characters portrayed in the film, it makes for one hell of an entertaining ride all the way up to the out-with-a-bang end. Dialog exchanges between characters are smart, witty, and do a great job to sell the movie alongside the intersecting plot-lines that unite DiCaprio and Damon’s characters. The tension between each character and their respective agency is just as enthralling and intense as the abrupt ending that’ll smack you across the face and leave you begging for more, but oh-so-pleased with the outcome.

To put it simply, The Departed proves that Director Martin Scorsese still reigns as one of the mob movie’s top yarn spinners, while providing viewers with one of the most entertaining flicks in quite a long time.

Score: