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Road House
I managed to catch some of Road House at the weekend, which you would assume was a low point for many of those involved - and turned out to be a necessary source of investigation for a lot of them.
First up, Sam Elliot has a reputation as a distinguished elder statesman of Hollywood, playing up to just that role in Tombstone and of course as The Stranger in The Big Lebowski. A turn as a straight-up-jack-drinking-bar-brawler here however led me to pull up his rap sheet and it's not a pretty picture. He has a string of previous offenses, from bit-parts in Mission:Impossible (the TV show, not the movie) and The Streets of San Francisco, to the role of Card player #2 in Butch and Sundance. The original, thank god, not The Early Years. He did manage to marry Katherine Ross however.
Next up, Marshall Teague was a guy I recognised but couldn't place. Turns out it could have been anything, as he has 86 minor offences on his sheet, ranging from Knight Rider, Baywatch, The A-Team or Quantum Leap through to playing three totally different characters in various episodes of The Fall Guy, and two in MacGyver. Book him, Danno.
Swayze is hardly even worth mentioning - being such an easy target - but one positive outcome of this movie is that it obviously had some impact on the Coen brothers, as alongside Sam Elliot they also cast Ben Gazzara as Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski - a role not dissimilar to his performance here as Brad Wesley, town bad guy. Gazzara also has that air of "cameo by a guy you should know" about his career, but again it's patchy at best. He did do his time in Cassavetes movies in the 70's, but from then on it's mostly bit-parts and the odd TV movie - often in Italian. A role as Gallo's dad in Buffalo '66 is a possible 'high-point'.
11th Sep 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
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King Freeosote
King Creosote has a new EP out on September 18th, but you can get the main track You Are Could I for free over at his website. That's a new version of a song from his excellent LP K.C. Rules O.K..
7th Sep 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Bronx: History's Stranglers
I'm enjoying The Bronx's album The Bronx (II) at the moment, and had been expecting them to be more G'n'R than Black Flag... but after seeing this great video I'm not so sure.
6th Sep 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
R.I.P. The Crocodile Hunter
The Crocodile Hunter, aka Steve Irwin, has been killed by a Stringray while filming in Australia.
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4th Sep 2006 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Take You Home by the Devastations, from the album Coal. Love that feedback frenzy at the end.
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1st Sep 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Street Wars Killer
I think we've missed the boat on Street Wars Killer, but next summer we will endeavour to organise the Chimp Wars Thriller.
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Guardian
New York Daily News
View London
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30th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
At The Drive-In
In/Casino/Out
I've back-tracked my way to At The Drive In and am thoroughly enjoying all three of their albums. Like Minor Threat covering Fugazi... if that were only possible.
30th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3.5 star reviewsA Walk Through Spain
There's a whole bunch of Spanish happenings going on and around Regent Street from tonight. The Regent Street Festival is going for a 'Walk Through Spain' theme this year - with wine tasting, food, sculptures and more. Personally I like the sound of cigar rolling.
"Spanish Nights on Heddon Street" will provide free music and dance lessons for the next three Thursdays.
30th Aug 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Molvania to Join the EU?
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A Guide to Molvania
Molvania's Eurovision Entry
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30th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Miami Vice
(dir. Michael Mann)
Following the ratting-out of some FBI agents, Miami Detectives Crockett and Tubbs head deep (deep) undercover to trap the drug traffickers who are responsible. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx assume the mantle handed down from the classic 80's TV show but, as you've no doubt read elsewhere, this movie bears very little resemblence to that. The focus here was supposed to be realism and action - both of which are delivered in fits and spurts.
The setting and photography of the movie is often superb, such as a night-time shot across the bows of two speedboats heading up a river, or the afterburners lighting up on Crockett's Ferrari as it speeds down a night lit highway. However, the contrast between the intensely grainy night scenes (often shot with mostly 'available' light) and the crystal clear daylight scenes is often jarring.
All of these things could go unnoticed in the movie if at least the script or the acting held things together - but here they are the two weakest areas. There is not a single great performance in the movie to match even Tom Cruise's over-the-top outing in Collateral. Foxx and Farrell (surely they should start an ice cream company?) are both just playing their own movie-star persona - and add little depth or emotion to what could easily have been classic roles.
The script is so thin that I found myself looking for twists, turns and red herrings where there simply were none. There's no subtext here - just straight-up 'text'. The multiple 'love' scenes, (generally with Audioslave accompaniment) were enough to make anyone puke and, while the action scenes are handled well, there's not much that we haven't seen before - most notably in Michael Mann's own films (the shootout in Heat, the nightclub killing in Collateral).
This movie had all (or most) of the necessary ingredients, but just couldn't get the mix right to bake up something special. So disappointing.
29th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
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She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge
If Interpol model themselves on Joy Division, then these guys are more like Human League. It's not bad, but the parody wears thin quite quickly - leaving a pretty empty listen behind.
29th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2 star reviewsFree Music
The system seems to be employing some Dark Maths, as I certainly wouldn't be clicking on £5+ of advertising for every album I downloaded, especially from a service called 'Spiral Frog'.
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29th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
No Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket have cancelled tonight's Birmingham show and tomorrow's Brighton show, due to a death in the family.
29th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Fopps 'n Fopps
Think we're running out of witty headlines for Tapes 'n Tapes, but they're playing instore at the new Fopp megastore on Tottenham Court Road tomorrow (Wednesday 30th) at 2pm.
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29th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The Man Who Would Be King
Stop reading this, flip over to More4 and watch what could be Connery and Caine's redeeming moment.
28th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Emmys 2006
Jeremy Piven has scooped an Emmy for his performance in Entourage, as well as the guy from Monk. I thought it was just me who found that strangely entertaining.
Disappointing movie The Girl In The Cafe (from the people that made State of Play) took the award for best TV movie, while over-the-hill Sopranos took awards for best Drama writing.
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28th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Problem Solving Shortcuts
Surely this is almost worthy of an Encyclopedia of it's own:
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A list of problems solved by MacGyver
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28th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
We're Going To Jackson
Make your own Stone Roses album cover here.
25th Aug 2006 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Good Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket have a double-live album out on September 26th. Okonokos was recorded at the legendery Fillmore in San Francisco, and the film of the concert will also be released on DVD. Ossum.
25th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Touch The Truck
Like a digital touch-the-truck competition, some bands are still hoilding out from selling digital downloads. OK Computer-savvy Radiohead being the biggest surprise.
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21st Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Double Double Bill Bill
Clint Eastwood has TWO movies coming out later this year, each telling the story of WWII's Battle Of Iwo Jima - one from a Japanese perspective, the other from an American.
Both movies are produced by veteran-of-making-war-movies Steven Speilberg, and both are written by Paul Haggis.
That explains what Clint has been up to recently, since the excellent Million Dollar Baby, also written by Haggis.
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Flags Of Our Fathers
Letter From Iwo Jima
Flags Of Our Fathers - Trailer (in Japanese)
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20th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Electrelane
Singles, B-Sides & Live
"Singles, B-Sides & Live" is a title that speaks for itself, with this album collecting together some odds, ends and non-major(ish) label releases from this Brighton based all-girl band.
Things start off well, with heavy instrumental Film Music - which is exactly that. I'd like to think it would be laid over a montage of a murderous rampage at a seaside fairground. I Love You My Farfisa is another moody highlight, building up a slow instrumental until it finally bubbles over with a screaming finale.
Cover versions have a great way of bosltering your opinion on a band - either when they cover a favourite song, or do an unusual cover that sends you off looking for the original. Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire does the business here, falling nicely between both camps.
Some of the live tracks are also covers and, while the sound quality often leaves something to be desired, the enthusiasm of covers of Roxy Music's More Than This and Leonard Cohen's The Partisan have definitely added this band to my live hit-list.
The album suffers from the lack of sequencing that often thwarts a compilation album. Here they have gone for Singles (by date) / B-Sides (by date) / Live (by date). That seems to lump things into blocks, making the album top heavy on sound quality, but bottom heavy on the material that is most 'new'. The album does however collect together some real gems - mostly suitable for inclusion on a flirtatious mix-tape.
Electrelane have been on heavy rotation in the office this year, so if you don't fancy this one then at least get a copy of the Steve Albini produced album The Power Out.
20th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2.5 star reviewsDates 'n Dates
If you can't make this week's London gigs, Tapes 'n Tapes are back in November for more. They love it.
SAT 4TH NOV – OXFORD ZODIAC
SUN 5TH NOV – BIRMINGHAM BARFLY
MON 6TH NOV – EDINBURGH LIQUID ROOMS
TUE 7TH NOV – MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY
WED 8TH NOV – LONDON ULU
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19th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Does my pre-order entitle me to bittorrent a CD?
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18th Aug 2006 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
We're loving the new M Ward album Post-War this week, following his gig at Bush Hall on Friday.
Poison Cup is the opener, setting the pace on the excellent album. Read the review for more details.
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18th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Foo Fighters
In Your Honor
Everybody loves Dave Grohl, including me, so the idea of a rock/accoustic double CD from the Foo Fighters certainly has appeal. The first (rock) disc is pretty thundering, with a great opener In Your Honor sounding like an angry, heavier Pink Floyd, followed by a handful of great, powerful numbers (No Way Back, Best of You, DOA). After that however, a couple of average tracks with fairly whack lyrics make you realise what an unfaltering pace the album has, and that's actually a problem. Things pick up towards the end of disc one with Resolve sounding like fairly classic Foo, and The Deepest Blues Are Black is pretty good, but moving onto the acoustic disc and things flatten out again...
There are a lot of good tracks on disc two, but without the juxtoposition of heavier tracks, there's no real yardstick for what stands out and what doesn't. Don't get me wrong, you get a lot for your money and there's more than a CD's worth of really top tracks, but you might be advised to edit and sequence your own version of this album.
Nice idea, but an unsuccesful one.
UPDATE: A hot tip from chimp jnr: organise a playlist by track number (1,1,2,2,3,3 etc) and things even out a lot better.
17th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3 star reviews
Assault On Precinct 13
(dir. Jean-Francois Richet)
On New Year’s Eve, a heavy snow storm forces a prison bus transporting arch-criminal Larry Fishburne to take shelter at an old Police precinct - which is a day away from closing. As the storm sets in, so do the baddies, forcing the motley crew to band together.
OK, it’s one of those re-imagining things, and maybe it’s not as good as the original - but even that’s a re-make of Rio Bravo, so who’s counting? Just forget about that and watch it on it’s own merits and it's not too shabby. Ethan Hawke puts in a reasonable show as the flawed hero character, and there’s a couple of twists and turns here and there that keep things moving along. An old-school Saturday-video-rental-type-movie that keeps everyone entertained until the pizzas arrive.1
17th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
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Rack On Tour (s)
Following their festival gigs this summer, The Raconteurs are on a headlining tour of the UK in October:
Saturday 14th October
Glasgow Academy
Sunday 15th October
Manchester Apollo
Wednesday 18th October
Newcastle Academy
Thursday 19th October
London Brixton Academy
Sunday 22nd October
Bristol Colston Hall
Monday 23rd October
Nottingham Rock City
Tuesday 24th October
Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Wednesday 25th October
Liverpool University
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16th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Every Music Video Ever Created
It's unlikly that anyone would have the persistence to actually see this through, but Yoob Tube claim that they will have "Every music video ever created" online for free viewing within 18 months.
That's what the internet was supposed to be all about, but no-one has managed to get anywhere near that with their music download offerings. Where can I buy Time Fades Away?
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16th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Back On The Wire
Chimpomatic's favourite TV show The Wire is back on TV in the US from September 10th, and is already running on "HBO On Demand".
Season 4 features a lot of the regular characters, and at this point I almost don't want to know what it's going to focus on.
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16th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The Greatest Software Ever Written
Chimpomatic opted to be excluded from the survey, before you ask.
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Information Week (Catchy title)
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16th Aug 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The Notorious Betty Page
(dir. Mary Harron)
The bog-standard approach of this film barely lifts it above the standard of a Biography Channel profile - giving us no real insight into the history of this iconic model. Nice posters though.
15th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2 star reviewsPunk Rock Lemonheads
I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but 90's soft-lads The Lemonheads (i.e. Evan Dando himself) have 're-united' for a new album, with members of 80's US punk legends (and chimp 75 all-time-hall-of-famer's) The Desendents.
Bill Stevenson and Karl Alverez will be joining Dando for an 8th Lemonheads studio album (out Semptember 06) and tour - playing Shepherd's Bush Empire on September 14th and 15th.
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15th Aug 2006 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Rian Johnson Promo
Rian Johnson, director of the fantastic movie BRICK has directed a video for the Mountain Goats.
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15th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
The secrets of online marketing
I like to think we're up there with debargeincharge.blogspot.com.
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15th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
New Layout
Thought we'd give some of you Windows 3.1 loving chimps a bit more space by dropping the scrolling news box in favour of a longer page which also makes room for more reviews. Marmot's all over Friday's M Ward gig - and Bear/Chimp's thrown in a few tasty bites, in the new "mini-review" format.
Click here for pictures.
14th Aug 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Desktop Evolution
I'd say I really came on board with Windows 3.1, in 1992...
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13th Aug 2006 - 7 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Spinto Band Instore At Fopp Camden
Kazoo-toting Americans the Spinto Band are performing instore at Fopp in Camden on Monday night.
I'd buy that for a dollar.
13th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Longcut at Koko
It's not mentioned on their website, but according to seetickets.com, The Longcut will be playing Koko on Saturday 18th.
12th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Snow (Hey Oh) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from Stadium Arcadium. I know this mix may seem like it's gone a bit mainstream, but this song was literally ruling my airwaves today.
The multiple guitar finale is enough to take on the multiple guitar opening of Just Like Heaven (particularly the Dinosaur Jr. version).
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11th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Review
Review online for the ossum new Will Ferrell NASCAR racing movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."
11th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
(dir. Adam McKay)
Highlander may have been the "Oscar winner for most awesomest movie ever," but Will Ferrell's latest movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is here to put up a fight.
NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby was brought up a winner ("If you ain't first, you're last!"), so his life is town apart when Frenchman Jean Girard (Staines' own Sacha Baron Cohen) arrives and knocks him off the top spot. His life implodes, to the point that even lifelong "Shake 'n Bake" sidekick John C. Reilly turns his back on him, morphing instead in to "The Magician". Luckily Ricky's long lost drunk of a dad comes back into his life and leads him to salvation - through some ingenious use of a cougar.
There is some vague political subtext, with the rivalry between the backwards Americans and prententious French sophisticates - but let's not kid anyone. If you seen any movie with Ferrell, or the Wilson brother's, or Vince Vaughn for that matter then you probably have a pretty clear idea of what to expect here. It's dumb and drawn out, like a series of disconnected sketches from an unfinished TV pilot. There's never any doubt how it's going to end, but there are plenty of laughs along the way.
It doesn't have the clever sub-text and emotional depth of cinematic classic Old School, but there are some genius More Cowbell moments from Ferrell. Those, plus a great red-neck soundtrack (and the fact that John C. Reilly's favourite Jesus has white wings and is backed on stage by Lynyrd Skynyrd, while he is drunk in the front row) are almost worth the future DVD rental price alone.
THAT JUST HAPPENED!
11th Aug 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
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Morbid Angel
Not long to wait until Morbid Angel are back in London....
10th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Gold Disc
"Interstellar Envelope"
"This gold aluminum cover was designed to protect the Voyager 1 and 2 "Sounds of Earth" gold-plated records from micrometeorite bombardment, but also serves a double purpose in providing the finder a key to playing the record. The explanatory diagram appears on both the inner and outer surfaces of the cover, as the outer diagram will be eroded in time.
Flying aboard Voyagers 1 and 2 are identical records, carrying the story of Earth far into deep space. The 12-inch gold-plated copper discs contain greetings in 60 languages, samples of music from different cultures and eras and natural and man-made sounds from Earth. They also contain electronic information that an advanced technological civilization could convert into diagrams and images. "
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10th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Tobias Froberg
KG was at Tobias Froberg's gig at Koko on Friday, and has posted some photos. He's one of the recent crop of Swedish imports, in the Jose Gonzales / Peter, Bjorn & John vein.
10th Aug 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Waiting On A Friend by the Rolling Stones, from Tattoo You. Used to great effect in the movie Basquiat.
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9th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Apple WWDC
It's a big day on the Mac calendar for anyone who's gives a monkey. The World Wide Developers Conference kicks of in San Francisco, with Apple boss Steve Jobs giving the keynote speech at 6pm GMT. He will be previewing the latest OS X operating system (10.5), as well as no doubt revealing some new products. Rumours are pointing towards a new Intel-based Powermac replacement, as well as a load more speculation.... but there is always a surprise.
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Mac Rumors
Think Secret
Apple Insider
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7th Aug 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Rushes Short Film Festival 2006
The festival finishes today, but you can watch the winners on their online player. Gondry's video for the White Stripes track The Denial Twist is typically mind bending.
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4th Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
R.I.P. Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee of Love has died at 61. He had been battling leukemia.
Forever Changes is an all-time favourite, and seeing Love at Glastonbury in 2003 was probably the highlight of the festival for me.
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4th Aug 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet