Jeremy Werner, Author at MediaMikes

Film Review “The Discoverers”

Starring: Griffin Dunne, Madeleine Martin, Devon Graye, and Stuart Margolin
Directed By: Justin Schwarz
Rated: Not Rated
Running Time: 104 minutes

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

“The Discoverers” might be a bit too smug with its theme. It’s the tale of a family journey that’s derailed by another family journey that finds it reenacting another journey. Through these strung-along journeys, a father discovers true insight into his children. Through emotional healing, they discover their true emotions. They eventually discover something new about themselves and all this while they portray America’s original discoverer’s Lewis and Clark. To imply there’s any more to this movie than journeying and discovering would be a vast overstatement.

Lewis Birch (Dunne) is a failing history professor who decides to road trip to Oregon for a literary conference with his artsy liberal daughter, Zoe (Martin), and incurious stoner son, Jack (Graye). This short-lived plot point is derailed by the passing of Lewis’ mother. After making funeral arrangements and a quick cameo by John C. McGinley, Lewis’ father, Stanley (Margolin), immediately heads to the woods for a Lewis and Clark re-enactment (because tradition?). The family has to follow because Stanley’s mental health is quickly waning and they must keep notes on the feeble gun-toting old man with his coonskin cap.

“The Discoverers” is a dime store movie that I assume indie admirers will gobble up, but I found myself counting down the minutes until it expired. While the movie tries to pass itself off as heartfelt, it felt a lot more insensitive and unnecessarily boorish. I guess the cockles of our hearts are supposed to melt when Lewis and Zoe have a heart-to-heart while she’s on her period in the great outdoors without a tampon for miles.

Dunne and Martin’s performances are fantastic and really create some of the more adhesive moments of the film. Martin plays the snarky daughter perfectly while Dunne’s creates a believe man on the verge of a breakdown. There is one moment in the movie that shows signs of creative bliss when Lewis and Zoe find solace in each other. I guess Jack isn’t gloomy enough to join in on the emotional conversation during the third act of this movie.

Writer/Director Justin Schwarz has the right quirks in mind, but he never fills out the emotional depth of all the side characters to compliment Dunne and Martin’s performances. Everyone feels like pieces of furniture being shifted to different locations hoping to add a flare to the scenery. Schwarz obviously wants to create a loveable, yet chaotic family, but he forgot the impassioned depth that makes us want to see the silver lining in this bleak existence.

The tale of family dysfunction has become the road most traveled when it comes to indie stories and “Discoverers” catalogues itself as one of the more forgettable ones. I personally look forward to the more sharply written movies that place a microscope over the fading nuclear family highlighting a contemporary slice of Americana. Schwarz needs some work before he crafts an indie gems that spring up in a sea of conventional blockbusters.

Film Review “The Giver”

Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep
Directed By: Phillip Noyce
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 94 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Before the screening of “The Giver”, people had the opportunity to watch the live Fathom event, the airing of the red carpet premiere of “The Giver”. While this may seem like a nonpoint in the critique of a film, it brought up a fact that I did not know and appeared to be a running motif throughout the live premiere. This is a film that has been through its own development hell. Jeff Bridges has spent 18 years trying to push this movie into production. While it may finally feel like a dream come true, I feel like nearly two decades of constant struggle should have been a sign that some things are better left unadapted.

Like most American high school students (or middle school students), I had a yearly curriculum consisting of classic literature and the occasional challenged book. I read “Of Mice and Men”, “The Scarlet Letter”, “Animal Farm” and “The Giver”. Teens still read thought provoking books right? “The Giver” is a unique amongst those books because it’s one of the few that has created its own dystopian society instead of simply mirroring the flaws in our own.

Just like the book, the movie portrays a society with no privacy, structured assigned jobs, and a community where every individual acts in a mechanical fashion and view feelings as irrational. Jonas, who’s supposed to be 11, but is instead played by the 25-year-old Thwaites, is the outlier in society. He sometimes has nagging questions and possesses an indescribable set of emotions that he’s unsure how to handle. While other kids go off to become future gears of civilization, Jonas finds himself as the perfect candidate to be the next receiver of memory and is taken in under the Giver’s (Bridges) wing.

The Giver’s job is to pass along all the memories of life, society, war, love and everything else in between. This set’s up the movie’s overall theme of love and loss, and why memories and feelings go hand-in-hand. With so many more themes in the book, it feels like they took the easy way out and went for the easiest one, but fumbled the pitch. Instead of a hidden message, the subject is railroaded and despite Bridges best acting efforts, it comes across as a bit tacky.

What makes “The Giver” a literary necessity in schools is the argument for individualism. Sure we all have memories and emotions, but it’s how each person interprets existence. The movie makes it feel more like a police state is constricting our human emotions more than the book’s notion that as we grow, we have to understand that others around us have different attitudes to this big world. We must not impose what life is and accept that reality is different for everyone. The movie fails by putting forth the notion that our main character is simply trying to share love with a few select people around him instead of sharing the experience of life as a community.

I’m not sure why the theatrical adaption lost that key element. Everything else it combined was fantastic. Bridges and Meryl Streep were spotless, the sharing of memory sequences were handled well, and the visual transition from a world of black and white to one filled with vibrant colors was very subtle and smooth. From a technical viewpoint this is a good movie and that might be why I can’t fully come out and loathe something so visually gorgeous yet so textually frustrating.

I know for some of you this is “the book fan” complaining about the movie with a predetermined viewpoint of distrust towards the adaptation, but there’s been plenty of movies based on books that know how to capture the magic and essence of the literature they’re adapting. This felt like a manipulated dream. If you’re looking for a young adult movie filled with young love and unnecessary action sequences wobbling towards the finish line, this is for you. Otherwise, unwind tonight and read the book.ividualism. Sure we all have memories and emotions, but it’s how each person interprets existence. The movie makes it feel more like a police state is constricting our human emotions more than the book’s notion that as we grow, we have to understand that others around us have different attitudes to this big world. We must not impose what life is and accept that reality is different for everyone. The movie fails by putting forth the notion that our main character is simply trying to share love with a few select people around him instead of sharing the experience of life as a community.

Film Review “Let’s Be Cops”

Starring: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr. and Rob Riggle
Directed By: Luke Greenfield
Rated: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

What should have been the dumbest plot of the summer actually manages to be not as bad as some of you probably would have thought. I’m talking of course about “Let’s Be Cops” premise that’s based solely on two guys who impersonate police officers and seemingly get away with it. While it’s far from being recommended or up to par with “22 Jump Street”, “Let’s Be Cops” proves that there’s some future potential for the two leads despite the coarse humor they had to deliver.

Ryan (Johnson) is pretty much a bum living in the past. He constantly thinks about the “What ifs” of a football career that ended due to an injury and lives off the $100,000 he got paid for a herpes commercial (By the way, if that’s the price to say I have herpes on a commercial, sign me up). His roommate, Justin (Wayans), is a little better off as a video game developer although he’s anxious about confronting his arrogant boss or standing tall and proud behind his ideas. Ironically, but not really, his video game idea is where gamers can play a cop.

Since he bought real police gear for his failed video game sales pitch, he might as well put it to good. The duo have a college alumni party to go to so they strap on the uniforms and head to the miserable reminder they’re in their 30’s and haven’t accomplished anything. It’s after the party, when they’re in the general public, that they quickly find out that they now commandeer a level of respect they’ve never felt before since bystanders now believe their actual cops. Good thing this is L.A. and not suburban St. Louis. Of course they will have their own trouble once they flaunt their false authority to some mobsters.

Luke Greenfield and Nicholas Thomas have paired up before on some forgettable comedies that temporarily provide a decent chuckle, but overall fail to materialize memorable characters or stable humor. There’s definitely a lot of jokes that can be plucked from such a fruitful concept about two friends pretending to be the boys in blue, but it actually feels like they ran out of ideas after page one and then had to resort to a couple of contemporary comedy tropes like responding to perfectly normal questions with swear words or how smoking pot is just…funny…I guess.

Wayans and Johnson definitely have some chemistry and some of the more funny moments feel like genuine improv on the cast’s part, but a lot more scripted scenes feel contrived. And since this movie clocks in at over 100 minutes, those long pauses of poor comedy and tone changes push the movie past its breaking point. Another saving grace from the abyss is Rob Riggle as the legitimate cop, Segars. I say saving grace because you dream and hope that one day someone as talented and charmed as him will get his own action-comedy.

“Let’s Be Cops” feels like a concept born from people who grew up on “Lethal Weapon” and “Bad Boys”, but didn’t quite understand why those movies were good. Or perhaps the male driven buddy cop comedy movie has run its course and the only thing left to do now is to subvert the formula until audiences are ready to watch two guys with holstered weapons act like a bunch of middle school boys who smirk and laugh at swear words and genitals again.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: cops, film, review

Film Review “The Hundred-Foot Journey”

Starring: Manish Dayal, Helen Mirren, Om Puri and Charlotte Le Bon
Directed By: Lasse Hallstrom
Rated: PG
Running Time: 122 minutes
Walt Disney Studios

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

In a summer that’s already been delighted by Jon Favreau’s “Chef”, it’s hard to be charmed once again by the same feel good concept featuring an abundance of food porn imagery. “Hundred-Foot Journey” is definitely treading in paths already traveled, but as we begin to exhaust what’s left of new summer movies, it’s hard to dislike something that tries to be so uplifting.

While the advertising for this movie has gladly slapped Helen Mirren’s face on every single promotional inch of poster, the real main dish to this movie is Manish Dayal. He plays the shy, yet astute Hassan who seems to have a natural curiosity for food from a very young age. He learns quickly from his mother that food is more art than science, although much later in the movie he’s somewhat forced to believe the opposite. Her spiritual connection to food is some of the best writing in the film, but sadly it’s short lived. An unexplained, violent revolution leads to the death of his mother. Escaping what I can only assume is persecution or certain death, he and his family trek towards colder and more northwestern territories.

Britain’s a bit too cold for their liking so they quickly relocate to one the lushest parts of France. They must have found the one town in France where residents aren’t buried into their smartphone screens since everyone chats over tea and coffee and take in Mother Nature’s surroundings. I legitimately had no idea what time period it was until someone pulled out a cell phone. While in town, his father (Puri), through some odd non-visible premonition, decides that their family will open a restaurant across the street (100 feet) from a much celebrated French restaurant. Something about that dust covered building enchants him, much to the dismay of the French restaurants proprietor, Madame Mallory (Mirren). So begins a choppy and misguided rest of the movie that never replicates the exquisite flare that we see in different spicy dishes throughout the film.

The main problem with “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is it’s glaring predictability that knows how to throw out a hook, but forgets to attach any bait. A simple mislead here or there would have added a level of uncertainty to everything that transpires. Even once we meet Marguerite (Le Bon), one of the lovely young cooks in Mallory’s restaurant, we know she’s the obligatory love interest. After two hours, this movie outstays its welcome like an uninvited dinner guest.

Obvious dramedy clichés aside, it’s still very heartfelt with its material and I have to admire a passionate group of actors and actresses who are willing to add a little zest to a dry story. While I wasn’t quite wooed by some of its more comedic moments, I did enjoy some of the cultural clashes, no matter how false they were. Despite my negatives I have to reassure myself that not everything has to break new ground and it’s always beneficial to have some optimistic escapism in your life.

While I may not have the acquired taste to sit in an air conditioned theater and enjoy this movie to its fullest, I can see why others would need this much needed break. If you’re tired of superheroes, raunchy comedies and looking for a peaceful way to wind down in front a movie screen, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is your best bet…unless “Chef” is still playing near you.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, hundredfoot, journey, review

Film Review #2 “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel
Directed By: James Gunn
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 121 minutes
Walt Disney Studios

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Did one of the directors for “Movie 43” and writer for both live-action “Scooby Doo” movies just create the best Marvel movie? Yes. Yes he did. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a consistently fun and entertaining addition to the Marvel canon with enough emotional resonance to exceed beyond your stereotypical summer blockbuster. In a Marvel movie universe populated with an eccentric, metal covered billionaire, a golden haired demi-God and an experimental super soldier, the down on their luck, rag-tag bunch in “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a much needed addition.

While “The Avengers” is a cinematic juggernaut in superhero movies, “Guardians of the Galaxy” features a cast of relatable people and creatures that are far from being “super”. There’s Star-Lord/Peter Quills (Pratt), a human space outlaw who carries around an aged Walkman in the sci-fi landscape because it’s one of the few mementos he has to remember Earth before he was abducted by interstellar bandits. Pratt packed on some serious muscle for the role to give Star-Lord a tough exterior, but Pratt’s natural ability to be a spontaneous goof gives the movie a lovable charming lead.

Counterbalancing Star-Lord is Gamora (Saldana), a personal assassin to Thanos that is ready to redeem her previous misdeeds with steely gazes and swift, punishing punches and kicks. Saldana portrays one of the best superhero heroines in recent memory, providing a necessary ingredient to the group instead of being typecast as the damsel in distress. Its good Gamora can handle Star-Lord’s sarcasm and humor because also compensating for the smug Terran hero is Drax (Bautista). He’s a lumbering muscle with arms as big as my head and he’s intent on seeking vengeance for the murder of his family. It doesn’t help he can’t take a joke or grasp the concept of metaphors.

The two make-up and prosthetic covered heroes are offset by our two CGI heroes, a rambunctious space raccoon by the name of Rocket (Cooper) and a humanoid/tree called Groot (Diesel). These four help maintain an equilibrium between computer animated grandeur and hand crafted elegance. Cooper gives Rocket an arrogant East Coast gangster tone and steals a couple of scenes with his bitter quips. Meanwhile, Diesel had the arduous task of creating a vast depth to Groot since Groot’s only spoken words are “I am Groot”. Despite this hindrance, there are a lot of surprising vocal inflections in the deep rumble of Groot’s voice. He also appears to be the most heartfelt. At one point the group worries about street children pickpocketing them while Groot simply grows a flower out of his hand to offer to a dirt covered girl.

If you think I’ve been focusing on our quintet more than the plot, that’s because they are what makes this movie work. The story is a simple introduction paired with the undeveloped bad guy and explosive third act, but without these actors, their portrayals, and James Gunn’s sharp dialogue, this wouldn’t have excitedly leapt off the script pages. The obvious thing to compliment with a movie like this is the vibrant settings, majestic set-ups and awe-inspiring action, but what really left me satisfied was the foul-mouthed, crotch adjusting, band of misfits that find companionship and discover that drive to do good by the end of the movie. Although they’re still a foul-mouthed, crotch adjusting, band of misfits as the credits roll.

While I listed off a few of James Gunn’s embarrassing credits to begin this review, I’d like to point out that Gunn’s weakest efforts are still pieces that highlight Gunn’s youthful joy for nostalgia and fun with tasteless humor. Without his obscure and essential input, “Guardians of the Galaxy” would have not trekked into more peculiar territories, like Star-Lord’s mixtape that doubles as 70’s and 80’s pop-culture citations, the playful smile from Groot after he probably murder dozens of baddies, and a cameo by Lloyd Kaufman. Christopher Nolan and Marvel have been the “How-To” when it comes to making superhero movies, but they might want to learn a thing or two from Gunn since “Guardians of the Galaxy” is the best movie of the summer.

Film Review “The Purge: Anarchy”

Starring: Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo and Zach Gilford
Directed By: James DeMonaco
Rated: R
Running Time: 103 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Are you ready to celebrate the annual Purge? Nearly every tattooed, face painted, vein bulging, rotted teeth maniac featured in the latest offering seems to be. “The Purge: Anarchy” takes us to 2023, a year after the previously featured Purge with a new batch of disposable characters hoping to survive the 12 hours America has made all crimes legal. Out of all the crimes that are now legal, everyone gladly picks up their nearest sharpened tool shed item and freshly polished automatic rifle, and settles on a night of murder. This time around, we’re not confined to an upper middle class home, but instead we’re placed in some rotting downtown urban warfare.

For this second installment, to what I assume will be a never ending franchise until the one that doesn’t make money, we’re introduced to three separate storylines. First off is the young, well-to-do couple, Shane (Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez). They’re one of those annoying shoppers that wait until the last possible minute to get groceries, but the real kicker is that they’re going through a shaky separation. Bad timing if you ask me. There’s also Eva (Ejogo) and Cali (Zeo Soul), a mother and a daughter just hoping to survive another annual Purge in their decrepit apartment building. Finally there’s Leo (Grillo), a father hoping to avenge his son’s death by dressing all in black and being armed to the teeth like Frank Castle. I’m sure you’ve already pieced together that they’ll eventually all meet-up, but the real unpredictable fun comes when they have to stick together to survive the night.

While the last “Purge” felt like someone left the “Panic Room” on simmer, the latest entry goes head on into dismemberments, bullet riddled bodies, gore and urban combat. It seems like one of the director’s favorite cult classics might have been “The Warriors” as we roam from one outlandish incident to another. Despite our characters quietly lurking, the film’s pace seems to be in top form as it finds clever ways to keep the anarchy engaging and absorbing. The plight of our characters isn’t an emotional investment, more than it’s a grotesque investment in the joy of watching another kill or be killed scenario.

Meanwhile, the director has still failed to create a working theme representing class warfare and race equality. He seems to believe the audience is too dense to pick up on the already implied subtleties so he proceeds to insert poorly written dialogue into actor’s mouth and further disrupts the flow with characters talking over obvious visual cues. Early on we’re introduced to a AK-47 toting pacifist who’s obviously the 2023 embodiment of Che Guevara who will obviously be making an appearance, but is given nothing of relevance to say. In more capable, demented hands, one could easily assemble a thoughtful good time.

As pure testosterone fueled savagery that’s aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, this “Purge” sequel works. As a potential cult classic with social and political commentary, it fails once again. Demarco may want to consider bringing on a second person to help him with the next “Purge” movie if it’s going in the direction I believe it’s going. If he’s hoping to hunt down some bigger issues, he may find out he’s unskilled enough to tackle them. He may just want to stick to blood and guts in poor taste and quenching American moviegoers never-ending thirst for sadism.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: anarchy, purge

CD Review: Dog Fashion Disco “Sweet Nothings”

Dog Fashion Disco
“Sweet Nothings”
Rotten Records
Produced By: Steve Wright and Drew Lamond
Tracks: 13

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Squeaking out of a rustic phonograph is Dog Fashion Disco’s opening track “Greta”. The slow big band, piano driven, number calms my nerves. Back in 2006 I thought one of my favorite bands was all but gone, never to release another beautiful sounding creature from the deep. They went out on a high note with “Adultery” and I along with many of their loyal fans believe they went out on the highest possible note. When they announced their glorious return, my excitement was quelled by the worry that they wouldn’t be able to match their magnum opus. Luckily I was wrong.

“War Party” crushes my remaining concerns as it roars out of the gate with furious anti-war/government punk lyrics and Slayer riffs. If you want to know what this band is good at, this is the song, a clear definition of circus metal. The merry-go-round tunes injected into the song project a gleeful mood to the enraged lyrics about the American war machine. “Scarlet Fever” doesn’t let up off the gas as if the band has spent the past eight years with harbored ill wills that need to be unleashed before diving into upbeat music blends with lyric’s straight from a lunatic’s dream.

Everything is not a relentless metal barrage; the title track takes on a psychedelic journey through funk, R&B and electronic blended jazz. “Tastes So Sweet” sounds like an Elton John-esque chorus wrapped around a hard rock band’s lost soul wandering through a nightmarish purgatory in the hopes of once again finding love. If that’s wasn’t enough, “Doctor’s Orders” feels like a band straight out of “Soul Train” with an apocalyptic prophecy to tell. Despite a heavy reliance on jazz throughout, the band manages to march through the musical breed’s storied history like an evil New Orleans Mardi Gras parade lightly tapping into ska and swing.

Some songs definitely have a musical theme sticking to a madman’s formula, but others seem to descend into genre chaos. “We Aren’t the World” takes listeners on a misanthropic carnival ride with no direction other than forward through a progressively bleak future focusing on overpopulation and ignorance. “Pale Horse” isn’t afraid of switching from hypnotic metal blasts to saxophones cries to epic chords straight out of a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert to a trailing guitar lick under a mourning classical piano to…ah hell, you get the point.

The album seems to be incorporating an army of horns with a marching band of varying keyboard tones ranging from harmonious organs to reverberating xylophone keys. Todd Smith once again provides the fist-pumping choruses and catchy lyrics written like a demonic children’s book. The guitars are fast and merciless while the drumming keeps up the frantic pace. The album transitions to soulful breakdowns quite well hinting that the time off may have reinforced a goal towards quality disorder.

The members of Dog Fashion Disco have once again combined a collection of personal music tastes and warped ideas to create a fluid album that skips delightfully through every psychosis in the medical book. It’s rekindled my love for music with no rules or boundaries. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for some, this music clicks on all the right cylinders. “Sweet Nothings” is an ominous trip through aggression, despair, love and loss, but with another album on the horizon, the future looks bright for Dog Fashion Disco.

Track List:
1. Greta
2. War Party
3. Scarlet Fever
4. Tastes So Sweet
5. Doctor’s Orders
6. Envy the Vultures
7. Approach the Recede
8. Down the Rabbit Hole
9. We Aren’t the World
10. Struck By Lightning
11. Sweet Nothings
12. Pale Horse
13. End of the Road
14. Hidden Track (A long and big “Thank You” to every Indiegogo supporter)

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With:

CD Review: “Weird Al” Yankovic “Mandatory Fun”

“Weird Al” Yankovic
“Mandatory Fun”
RCA
Produced By: “Weird Al” Yankovic
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Mandatory Fun” not only marks Weird Al’s 14th music album, but it also marks 35 years since his first single, “My Bologna”. I’m not even 35 years old, yet I owe so much to my current nerdom to the polka comedy master. Ever since that memorable day for me when I first heard Weird Al through the car speakers, and even since his take on “My Sharona”, Weird Al has remained a goofy class act when it comes to his art and “Mandatory Fun” solidifies that fact. In this ADHD Internet age, he remains topical and funny.

Weird Al’s finger on the pulse of pop culture must be way better than mine since I immediately consulted Wikipedia on the first track. I had no idea who Iggy Azalea is, but luckily Weird Al did on the opening track, “Handy”. It isn’t the most fertile ground for comedy, a home repair man rapping his various skills, but his injection of other popular music lines and aged cultural references shows his sharp mind is still a walking encyclopedia of television, movies, and music in the U.S.

While “Handy” is a fantastic take on “Fancy”, the best parody on this album is “Word Crimes”, a play on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”. It’s not only a perfect example of Weird Al’s brilliant wordplay, but feels like a funky “Schoolhouse Rock” song that could teach children a thing or two about the difference between who and whom, and other common grammatical headaches. Only Weird Al could take the much criticized “Blurred Lines” and create a song poking fun at the continual deterioration of writing skills.

While Weird Al may be well more known for parodies, he finds more success on this album with his musical style parodies, particularly a Pixie-esque song called “First World Problems”. It’s a perfect lampoon of spoiled rich people and possibly the first song he’s meshed with an Internet meme. He also stays true to his roots by consistently remaining silly throughout “My Own Eyes”, which beautifully captures the Foo Fighters style. Take out the vocals and you’d probably mistake it for another catchy rock anthem by Dave Grohl and gang. He finds success on other tracks encapsulating Crosby, Stills and Nash as well as Cat Stevens.

In an age where Youtube parodies are rattled off almost immediately after an artist’s work starts charting the Billboards, some may question the relevancy of Weird Al. But most viral videos come off as structurally weak or intentionally sinister while Weird Al seems to embrace the culture he’s satirizing. He also creates a completely unique and original feel despite imitating the footing of other musicians. He’s had a knack for targeting that sweet spot when a song begins to develop a disdain in the general population after it’s been left on repeat at every top 40 radio station in America. That’s flawlessly seen in “Tacky”, a riff on “Happy”.

Genuine artistry is seen throughout Weird Al’s latest album and it’s amazing that he’s further planted his humorous seeds into our culture. The title, “Mandatory Fun”, is a self-fulfilling prophecy once you’ve given the album a listen. While some may question his relevancy, I simply look at the explosion of coverage around his album and see that he’s become further ingrained into nearly every indie, nerd and mainstream facet of music. Question his growing legacy all you want, but his latest work has the lasting impact that “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise” have.

Track List:

1.”Handy” – “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
2.”Lame Claim to Fame” – Style parody of Southern Culture on the Skids
3.”Foil” – “Royals” by Lorde
4.”Sports Song” – Style parody of college football fight songs
5.”Word Crimes” – “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
6.”My Own Eyes” – Style parody of Foo Fighters
7.”NOW That’s What I Call Polka!”
– “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus
– “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People
– “Best Song Ever” by One Direction
– “Gangnam Style” by Psy
– “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
– “Scream & Shout” by will.i.am featuring Britney Spears
– “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra
– “Timber” by Pitbull featuring Kesha
– “Sexy And I Know It” by LMFAO
– “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
– “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
8.”Mission Statement” – Style parody of Crosby, Stills & Nash
9.”Inactive” – “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
10.”First World Problems” – Style parody of Pixies
11.”Tacky” – “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
12. “Jackson Park Express” – Style parody of Cat Stevens

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: al, cd, fun, mandatory, review, weird, ...

Film Review “Earth to Echo”

Starring: Teo Halm, Brian ‘Astro’ Bradley and Reese C. Hartwig
Directed By: Dave Green
Rated: PG
Running Time: 89 minutes
Relativity Media

Our Score: 2 out of 5 Stars

While “Earth to Echo” looks like a live action “WALL-E” mixed with the nostalgia of “E.T.”, it’s actually more like a “Goonies” for today’s youth. Regardless of what child’s science fiction movie or Steven Spielberg classic I throw at you in an attempt to convey what this movie should be, instead I come bearing bad news. “Earth to Echo” may have good intentions, but instead it fries its circuits on a misguided narrative and a plot trimmed down to the bare bones.

I may not have had high expectations before sitting down in the theater, but within the first five minutes, I really wanted to like this movie. “Earth to Echo” introduces us to a trio of best friends, with no backstory as to why they’re best friends. There’s Alex (Halm), the minimalist with an underlying layer of sincerity to everything he says. There’s also the social media junkie Tuck (Bradley), who’s hungry for an adventure he can record for his handful of Youtube viewers. Then there’s the most likable character of the youthful trinity, Munch (Hartwig). He plays the unpopular nerd that carries some of the movies more comical and heartfelt moments.

These three are getting ready to part ways because their neighborhood is about to be torn down by an evil construction project. A conflict so undeveloped, that when it shows up, you don’t have to be an engineer to see the design flaw in demolishing an entire neighborhood to build this silly looking monstrosity. Instead of selling their home and moving to another area in suburban Nevada, their parents are moving to nearly opposite ends of the country, which will surely crumble the foundation of their friendship. Surely…

But before the big move, their cellphones start receiving bizarre images, or as they put it, their phone is “barfing”. A quick Internet search leads them to plan out a night bike ride to the middle of the desert in the hopes of finding…something; anything really. In the desolate Nevada land they find a robotic alien that they name Echo. Through a series of “Yes” or “No” beeps, it tells them it was shot down, and that the evil construction company was the one that pulled the trigger and is now searching for it. What follows is a series of obstacles lacking tension and on the whole, an unfocused story.

If it wasn’t for the fine acting by the child actors, this movie would have tripped at the start line and barely survived off the fumes of other inventive movies before it. The advertising for this movie seems to be heavily focused on the pint sized electronic alien, while the movie itself seems more focused on our three human heroes. If anything, Echo is simply a metaphor for the movie’s plot instead of an actual character. This implies to me that the studio and creators definitely had different paths they wanted to take this movie on.

The movie writers (Henry Gayden and Andrew Panay) weren’t clever enough to evolve Echo more symbolically in the narrative. Instead of evoking more thoughtful “coming of age” and “friendship never dies” feelings, Echo seems to be misplaced as the cute, squeaky robot your kids will fall in love with. There are inklings of a greater idea at work towards the end when it’s finally time for Echo to head home, but that awe filled moment is short lived in a journey of similar and predictable misadventures. I can’t fault a movie too much considering it’s a safe bet for families and an enjoyable romp for kids, but you’ll definitely be thinking about better movies you could have watched instead.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: earth, echo

CD Review: Mastodon “Once More ‘Round the Sun”

Mastodon
“Once More ‘Round the Sun”
BMD Fox Records
Produced By: Nick Raskulinecz
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Don’t let the opening seconds of “Tread Lightly” fool you. While the acoustic guitar may lull you into a state of peace, the heavy guitar licks that Mastodon have meticulously churned out for over a decade lurk around the corner; ready to pound and enchant. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” pushes Mastodon farther from their murky sludge metal roots, but progresses once again into a more experimental sound that showcases their ability to mold, but remain durable to their changing appetites.

Lately Mastodon has created an accessible, mainstream appeal while continuously maintaining that heavy metal template they implemented back in 2002. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is their most melodic release to date and solidifies the fact that Mastodon is still successful when sailing into uncharted territories because they never stray too deep. While remaining diverse, they’re still nestled into their own sub-genre they’ve seemingly created in a myriad of metal categories by blending thrash, doom and a stray pinch of alternative.

On their sixth studio album, they appear to be perfecting their guitar structuring and resurrecting more of their haunting hooks on solos. The drumming continues to be unpredictably manic and catchy, while the vocals have traveled into cleaner territories and set up camp. Straying away from the growls has big one of the biggest complaints over the years by fans, but this path has led to a more popular tone that’s more approachable to audiences. Mastodon has enlisted Nick Raskulinecz as producer to help craft a hard rock sound that slyly pays homage to some of the early 90’s rockers that were birthed during the post-grunge era. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is commercially acceptable without forsaking any of the originality Mastodon has long cherished.

The track “Motherload” encompasses this album’s direction while “Chimes at Midnight” steps back into the ferocious sound that Mastodon has riled up crowds across the world with. Their hunger for experimentation is heard most in “Aunt Lisa”, a trippy song that fluidly changes tempo and cheerfully climaxes on a gleeful pep rally chant by the Coathangers. Every song has an epic flair built up by simplistic yet powerful choruses and juicy riffs that induce head bobbing. Mastodon is still a relentless beast that craves inventiveness with every evolution.

I’ve told people this Mastodon’s “Crack the Skye”: They are no longer a band for metal masses, but instead a treat that should be enjoyed by everyone who’s ever loved music; a possible gateway drug for someone looking to dip their feet into metal music. Mastodon’s expanding sound prevents them from being mundane, but it’s slowly filling a worrisome thought bubble in my head. I have to ask myself after another successful outing, when will Mastodon finally peak and release a bloated mess that’s unbecoming of their usual, beautifully woven metal masterpieces? If “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is any indication, it’s not anytime soon and it may never happen.

Track Listing:

1. Tread Lightly
2. The Motherload
3. High Road
4. Once More ‘Round the Sun
5. Chimes at Midnight
6. Asleep in the Deep
7. Feast Your Eyes
8. Aunt Lisa
9. Ember City
10.Halloween
11. Diamond in the Witch House

K.Flay talks about debut album “Life as a Dog”

Constantly changing, constantly evolving and constantly honing their craft is the sign of a good musician and K. Flay, is one of them. While in college, K.Flay found she had the chops to rap with some of the best and began to experiment, musically and lyrically. Since 2004, she has put out a myriad of music with everything from singles and EPs to collaborating with other aspiring up-and-comers like MC Lars. Her continuous, hard work has finally paid off as she releases her debut album, “Life as a Dog”. She’s also about to embark on the Warped Tour, a staple of the summer touring circuit. Media Mikes recently caught up with K.Flay about how she’s handling and preparing for these high marks of her career.

Jeremy Werner: When I was getting ready for this interview…I was a bit surprised how much music you had, in terms of singles, EPs, guest vocals, and other things spanning over half a decade. To me it’s crazy because you’re now just able to release your debut album. I’m sure all your fans, die-hard and new, who’ve recognized your hard work and talent over the years are seeing and wondering the same thing I was, which is why has it taken so long to be able to release your debut album?
K.Flay: I was actually just having this conversation with my drummer because we’re working on setlist stuff for Warped Tour this summer. But basically the reason is…I signed to a major label a little over two years ago and while I was on there, I put out a mixtape and a couple of EPs and singles and things of that nature. But I was never able to release an album. I was working on a lot of stuff, but I think they didn’t necessarily feel like anything was single worthy or ready to be part of an album, so I was kind of in this weird limbo while I was there. Which on some level was a really interesting experience in that I was able to do a ton of experimentation and really kind of take time to figure out more about the kind of music I like making and think about the music I was better at making than other kinds. It was sort of a weird process because I signed and wasn’t able to put out enough to show for a debut album, but I left the label in the fall and then worked on this.

JW: I’ve actually talked to quite a few artists as of late who’ve used online fundraising for their music and just like them, yours was very successful.
K.Flay: Yes.

JW: So I’m wondering…with no problems reaching your target goal, do you feel like this is your way of telling potential record labels, “I can sell music if give me a chance,” or is this your way of saying, “Fuck you guys. My music speaks for yourself and I don’t need you”?
K.Flay: You know, I think for me in large part, this is just about a personal goal as a human/artist in the sense of making a statement. And even if albums are becoming outdated in some capacity or whatever, I think having a statement and a body of work that has cohesive quality, to me, is really important on a fundamental level. But on the flip side of it, the experience on the label was at times, kind of frustrating and it felt like I was a little bit stuck. So it feels really good to return to how I began with music which is independently releasing things and having control over all aspects of the creative process. It just feels really empowering, really good and really natural.

JW: Is there anything with “Life as a Dog”, musically, that you’re doing different or for the first time on this album?
K.Flay: Ya know, I think this album is a little bit of shift in that it’s less like rap and it’s a little more…I don’t know…I try to be more conscious of melody a little bit. One of the things I discovered over the last two-three years it that I really do like singing and I like incorporating melodic components into the music. It’s definitely less electronic, less rap, but I don’t think in a super drastic way. It felt kind of like the natural, next step.

JW: Lyrically, when I listen to your music, it feels like there’s a lot of deep personal emotions attached to the music and it’s kind of a dumb, broad statement to say that because yeah…all music is personal. But while some bands like to play with words and allude to different ideas without completely giving themselves away, I feel like you’re more blunt and honest with what you say. What are some of things you draw from when writing lyrics?
K.Flay: Obviously there’s a lot of myself in the music and there’s always gonna be that component, but I think more than ever, especially with this record, I really tried to embody, even just for a few moments in a song, people in my life and people that I’ve met along the way. I think one of the compelling parts of being a full-time musician is the cast of characters, both bad and good, that you run into on a daily basis. I still use the first person pronoun so they feel like they’re about me, but some of them are really about people that I’ve met and experiences that I’ve kind of witnessed second hand. Which is really cool. I think it taught to expand my ideas of how to start a song. Usually for me, it starts with some kind of emotion I’m feeling at that moment. Which is interesting conceptually to experiment from a different perspective a little bit.

JW: Anything you’ve wanted to sing about, but you’re hesitant to?
K.Flay: Umm…not really. I guess there’s nothing in my life that I wouldn’t want to share. Obviously very specific details, but songwriting and performing is such a liberating thing in general and so I think that’s why I feel comfortable talking about a lot of stuff in that
capacity.

JW: Let’s switch gears. You are on Warped Tour this summer. Is this the largest tour you’ve had to tackle yet?
K.Flay: It is, definitely. I’ve done festivals before, but never anything of this kind of length or consistency. I’m really excited. I have a lot of friends who’ve done Warped in the past and literally everyone has great things to say about it. I know it’s gonna be a challenge…*laughs*…not to be covered in sweat constantly, but I’m really looking forward to it.

JW: Besides being stupid hot, Warped Tour is also known for jamming nearly every act they can on to stages. Will it be hard trying to condense what you want to express into a limited setlist?
K.Flay: I think it is gonna be a really interesting challenge. There is such a large catalog and I want to represent the new album and I also wanna represent some of the old stuff. And obviously play music that is emblematic of where I’m at, but also music that will appeal to people. I think it’s gonna be a little bit of messing around once we get started. The live shows have always been a real focus for me and touring is a place where I feel really comfortable and I’m really comfortable with experimenting. I think the first week, we’ll probably test about a bunch of different stuff. More than anything, not like anybody else wants me to, but I kind of wanna play for two hours and go through everything. It’ll be an interesting little experiment.

JW: Have you factored in fans? I mean obviously you have…but the typical Warped Tour attendee is traditionally, a punk rock enthusiast and it’s definitely changed over the past decade.
K.Flay: Totally. The show has always had a punk spirit to it. There’s headbanging and a lot of jumping around and kind of more archetypal rock moments in it. So obviously something within that spirit. I’m kind of excited to try some new stuff.

JW: Big tour…debut album…with all this success…do you see yourself being a music artist for the long haul or is there something you still wanna do or try?
K.Flay: Ya know…I don’t really know. I get asked this sometimes and I kind of have no fucking clue. Which is strange because you’d think it’d be good to have a back-up plan, but I just decide on something and I just do it. So I think I’m still in that mode of perspective where this is what I’m doing and I think if I really started to consider other viable options, it would probably be a bad sign. So I don’t know. I read a lot…so maybe something with books. That’s all I can think of at the moment.

JW: My last question, a bit random, and you don’t have to answer this, but I’ve noticed a couple of other female artists, entertainers and others have said it’s bothersome when they’re told by fans, “Oh you’re my favorite female comedian…artist…”. Things like that.
K.Flay: Right.

JW: I think this boils down to where we’re at in a society right now and how we’re starting to mold how we view gender. But I’m curious, does it bother you if a fan tells you that you’re their favorite female rapper instead of just simply saying you’re their favorite rapper.
K.Flay: I know there’s like something I got sent earlier about Neko Case talking about this, but I wouldn’t say it happens all the time. Usually people say I like you’re stuff or whatever, but I think any time you’re a little bit in the minority, I think that that’s an unfortunate byproduct. Although I am a woman and have a gendered perspective to a certain extent, just like anybody else, when I write, I’ve always just sort of naturally wanted to create music that didn’t feel super gendered, if that makes any sense. But I think it can certainly undermine what you’re doing a little bit. I’m honestly happy anyone listens to it (laughs) I’m just always stoked if anybody’s checked it out and trying to find out about what I’m doing.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, debut, dog, flay, life, talks, ...

Film Review “Think Like a Man Too”

Starring: Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara and Meagan Good
Directed By: Tim Story
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 106 minutes
Screen Gems

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

Remember when the “Brady Bunch” went to Hawaii (the episode was called ‘Hawaii Bound’)? It was one of those television moments that wasn’t meant to advance plot or propel the Bradies as characters, but stood as a disposable piece for fans of the cheery 70’s family. It takes a cast, fans know and love, and drop them into an exotic location to create their own shenanigans with complimenting inside jokes that only loyal fans would understand. “Think Like a Man Too” could definitely be lumped into that category since it’s an unnecessary sequel to 2012’s favorite group of couples. This time they’re heading to Vegas for another serving of chuckles and groan generating gender stereotypes.

I guess I should have prefaced everything with: I haven’t seen “Think Like a Man”. I blindly went in to this sequel with the notion that I didn’t need to see it to really understand anything about the mess of adorable characters. You could say I know about as much about these people than Steve Harvey has well thought out critiques of human relationships. I shouldn’t be too mean to the current host of the “Family Feud” since he is an incredibly charming guy, but when I see this is based off a relationship advice book of his called “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man”, I roll my eyes at the man who’s had more divorces than I’ve had marriages.

This movie follows four couples that I don’t feel like meticulously retreading over. All you need to know is that the main couple, Candace (Regina Hall) and Michael (Terrence J), is getting married in Sin City and have brought along their quartet of coupled friends, each with their own separate problems. One couple has to worry about the male’s reputation as a sexually deviant freak, another is conflicted about their own independent careers paths and the final two couples have problems…I think…not really. Then the eleventh wheel of the group, Cedric (Kevin Hart), is going through a messy break-up and ready to loudly hit the playing field again. You can understand my predicament on recapping a sitcom season worth of subplots.

I know I’ve ragged on Hart in the past, but this time he’s well cast, give or take a few moments where the creators are clearly cashing in on his loud squealing. Instead of being the Chris Tucker for millennials, he’s allowed to be the pompous, yet lovable short guy with funny quips and a dash of sarcasm. While he’s not a part of the emotional drama, he’s definitely a recurring centerpiece to comedic scenes, which just implies his relevance in today’s pop-culture. I actually like every actor and actress in this movie despite a couple of cheap celebrity cameos and “Oh, that’s what’s their face from that one thing.”

Hart is also used as the narrator to this movie, which I could have easily done without. The narration adds nothing new or sets anything up since the proceeding scenes basically tell the audience what the voice over just stated. I don’t think that shows much faith by the writers in the intelligence level of their audience. That might also be why some of the so-called advice in this movie comes off as sophomoric with a masculine-leaning bias. I will however give credit where credit is due. The archaic view of “women need to be ladies” is trashed on in lieu of a more modern idea that women can have the same “Hangover”-esque escapades and not be called derogatory terms in the process.

I chuckled and was surprised by some of the witty jokes that were spit out by some of the actors. I feel like director Tim Story is just inches away from making a movie I finally can recommend, but “Think Like a Man Too” feels more like fan service instead of something a mainstream audience can pack in and see. If you saw “Think Like a Man” and loved it, I can’t stop you from seeing this sequel, but to those who haven’t seen it, stay home.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, man, review

Film Review “How to Train Your Dragon 2”

Starring the Voices Of: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler and Cate Blanchett
Directed By: Dean DeBlois
Rated: PG
Running Time: 102 Minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

In a year void of anything new from the geniuses at Pixar, you’d think there would be an animated vacuum where the gap would be filled with shameless sequels and lazily written cash grabs (to be fair, there is the sequel to “Planes” coming out this summer). So it’s understandable if the average movie patron is worried that “How to Train Your Dragon 2” could wind up in that category. But I’m happy to say it defied my low expectations and soared to insanely creative heights with another superb story.

It’s been years since the hairy, broad shouldered Vikings of Berk have made peace with the dragons they once feared. They’ve successfully integrated everything in their society with their newly acquired winged friends. Hiccup (Baruchel) continues to break the Viking stereotype by using his brain more than his brawn. He also seems more in sync with his dragon, Toothless. Despite these recent successes, Hiccup is a bit apprehensive because his father, Stoick (Butler), appears to be grooming him as his successor so that he can be the next chieftain of Berk. Hiccup doesn’t believe he’s ready and he’s more focused on scoping out new dragons and new lands.

This constant thirst for more knowledge about the surrounding territory brings in a new threat. He comes across a dragon trapper, who tells him of Drago (Djimon Hounsou), a man who is amassing a dragon army. Drago views dragons as a scourge that he must eradicate by enslaving them. His quest for dominion over dragons sadly comes at the cost of human casualties along the way. Things are further complicated by a mysterious figure that seems to have a bigger attachment to dragons than Hiccup and appears to be at odds with Drago, but it’s uncertain if they’re a friend or foe.

I was worried that a lack of Chris Sanders, director and writer from the first movie, might actually defang what momentum a sequel would have, but Dean DeBlois gets to fly this one solo and doesn’t hit any turbulent air. He keeps the merriness of our dragons intact. While the story goes on, dragons are constantly acting like playful dogs or cats in the background, giving them a more relatable quality when they are consistently acting like our affectionate household pets. The voice acting is once again spot on and having Cate Blanchett on board adds another flavorful spice of adventure.

This movie continues the relationship building between Hiccup and Toothless, but creates a more substantial scenario for Hiccup to grow and better understand the relationships he experiences. There’s also some hefty emotional weight attached here, made heavier by some surprisingly mature content that shows DeBlois is not afraid of taking some risks to further enchant the audience. With so much plot to trudge through, other directors would have simply gotten lost or stuck to the ‘boy and his dragon’ cliché, but DeBlois gives the dragons just as much psychological depth than the humans.

Visually, Dreamworks is going toe to toe with some of the best in the industry once again and holding nothing back. Viewers are definitely going to be swept away in every battle sequence and get lost in the flying sequences that are nothing short of incredible. While the first “How to Train Your Dragon” feels like a fantastic stand-alone movie, the sequel showcases the ability to create a living, breathing franchise that may actually have the wings and power to push forth. I say that because a third is in the works and after seeing how daring and original they are, it’s a safe bet to get your expectations out of the gutter and put them near the top for “How to Train Your Dragon 3” in 2016.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: 2, dragon, film, review, train

Film Review “The Fault in Our Stars”

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Laura Dern
Directed By: Josh Boone
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 125 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Cancer is still one of the touchiest subjects in pop culture. One has to slowly tiptoe around it or find a way to perfectly skate along the razor wire topic and avoid many offensive pitfalls. “The Fault in Our Stars” hits the right chords perfectly with this topic. At times it’s our source of laughter, in multiple instances it’s our plot motivator, and most obviously, it’s the one thing that ready to viciously rip out our hearts and stomp on it.

Woodley dazzles once again, this time as the sardonic teenager, Hazel Grace Lancaster. She’s a terminally sick girl who continues to stave off the cancer that crippled her lungs, with an experimental treatment and an oxygen tank from a bag she pulls behind her. She’s in denial of her own growing depression and is heavily pushed by her ‘smile through the tears’ parents into a cancer support group run by a complacent dweeb with an acoustic guitar. She catches the fleeting glances of an astute and charming boy by the name of Augustus Waters (Elgort), but Gus for short. He has defeated his cancerous foe, but at the cost of his right leg. Rarely do I remember people’s names without writing them down, but these two constantly say each other’s full names with such affection it wasn’t too hard to remember this time around.

Hazel is repeatedly laying down some unspoken life truths that are a mix of harsh realities and sarcastic quips, which is sometimes the best way to come to terms with such a terminal predicament. Woodley once again proves she has some superior acting chops; everything from wordless facial expressions to the emotional complexities of such a strenuous situation. Her near perfect performance is so fantastic, the cracks in Elgort’s acting sometimes show when he has to provide an array of reactionary emotions. Hazel and Gus will obviously fall in love, but their story is a grand one for the current generation of young adults and teens that smile from flirtatious text messages and have a live in the moment motto.

Despite Hazel’s power to blatantly accept her untimely end, she’s unable to bear the notion of affection from others, referring to herself as an emotional grenade waiting to go off. That’s where Gus comes in, to counteract that inclination and channel her gloomy acceptance of death into wanting to live before death comes knocking and accept that the inevitable heartbreak will happen, but they need to enjoy what time is left. Of course nothing is that simple. A wrench isn’t simply thrown into the young love life of these two, but an entire damn toolbox.

The two writers, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, have had some success portraying imperfect romances with “The Spectacular Now” and “(500) Days of Summer”. They have a knack of creating equilibrium between the sappy moments we’ve come to expect from romantic movies with that authentic sorrow that comes from the flaws of everyday people. The plot and characters are so heartwarming, yet despondent; I’m willing to forgive a lot of the typical tropes it employs.

Don’t be fooled though. Between every cutesy smile and lighthearted joke lies some thought provoking philosophies about our personal experiences and demise. Hazel and Gus represent a multitude of attitudes in their over two hour runtime. The last 30 minutes is a cascade of some of the most depressing, yet uplifting scenes I’ve seen all year. If this movie doesn’t remotely pluck at your heartstrings, you definitely have no soul.

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: fault, film, review, stars

Dog Fashion Disco’s Todd Smith talks about new album “Sweet Nothings” and Summer Tour

Back in late 2006, the experimental metal band, Dog Fashion Disco, announced to their fans that they had decided to call it quits. They had just spent the last 12 years constantly pushing themselves to be more creative and crazy, playing different styles like ska, piano, and metal with many calling them circus metal. They had recently just released their sixth studio album, Adultery, and were reaching more fans than ever before. Since then, they have played a couple of reunion shows running through a marathon of fan favorites and keeping the camaraderie alive amongst the bandmates. In late 2013, the announcement was made that not only would DFD get back together, but they would be putting out a new album, called “Sweet Nothings”. They would then launch a highly successful Indiegogo campaign and realized that fans not only wanted a new album, but that they want two new albums, a music video and some overseas shows in Britain. Media Mikes recently caught up with the lead singer, Todd Smith, about their upcoming summer tour, the release of “Sweet Nothings” and the hectic schedule they’re about to enter.

Jeremy Werner: I guess the first thing that automatically comes to mind is what was it that lead you guys getting the band back together and put out another album?
Todd Smith: Since the break-up, we’d done several reunion shows and we’re all friends…so because the demand was still there and people were planting those ideas in our head about doing another tour, another album, so forth and so on, we figured why not? Like I said, we’re all very close friends. We enjoy creating and performing music together. It was just like a reunion with old friends who happen to make music together. It seemed like a no-brainer really.

JW: Your last album, back in 2006, “Adultery”, was what a lot of fans and critics would say is your best album. Was there any pressure heading back into the studio to match that same level or was it just business as usual?
TS: For the most part it was business as usual. Of course, opinions are subjective. I’m flattered that people love “Adultery” so much and are pleased that we went out on a high note, and I think we’re reemerging on a high note as well. Everyone who’s heard “Sweet Nothings”, is gushing over it and saying they love it. Will it be as well received as “Adultery”? I have no idea, but I think people are definitely gonna think it’s a solid release. I definitely do, the rest of the guys in the band do. The engineer that we recorded with said it was the best sounding he’s ever had come out of his studios. There’s a lot of positive things being said about the new album.

JW: Going back to the people who’ve heard it. You guys played the full album for a group of people that paid a certain amount towards your Indiegogo campaign. Was the room just ecstatic?
TS: Oh yeah, absolutely. There were loud cheers and applause after every song. A lot of smiles. As far as the comments when we were mingling after we played the record, they were gushing as well. They were really digging it. It’s a lot to digest in one sitting, but the reaction we got was very positive.

JW: Did the crowd have any favorites?
TS: I mean…they all seemed to be well received, but as for a crowd favorite…it’s kind of hard to tell. I had quite a few glasses of wine. (laughs) The memory’s a bit spotty, but I remember we all had a great time and they seemed to like every song, so I really can’t pinpoint a favorite.

JW: Now I remember a while back you mentioned that you guys might avoid playing new music on your upcoming tour, is that still true?
TS: Jason and I had a conversation that we totally misunderstood each other. I was saying that I would entertain performing two new songs, but we have such a catalogue of music, that I think giving people just a hint of a few new tunes and then just playing through a retrospective from each album we put out would probably be more pleasing to the crowd. So we’re going to do two new songs for the most part, every night. If for some reason we decided to just do one new song a night, that might happen as well.

JW: Going back through all your songs, what are some of the songs that you might be playing that you have rarely, if ever, played?
TS: Let me think…I mean we haven’t played in so long, I don’t remember what was in rotation back then, but we’re gonna revisit “Satanic Cowboy”. I’m trying to think what else…”Dr. Piranha”, we haven’t played that in a while. “Valley Girl Ventriloquist”, we’re gonna do that one. Pink Riots, we’re gonna do that one. Besides the reunion shows, they haven’t been played in many, many years. There’s gonna be plenty of songs to choose from every night. We’ll try to cover all our bases.

JW: Please tell me “Darkest Days” is one of those.
TS: One of those is “Darkest Days” (laughs)

JW: (laughs) Awesome, I love that song. With DFD’s music, it’s always been experimental. Sometimes it’s different from song to song or completely changes tempo within the song. It’s very Mr. Bungle with how you guys can just flip on a dime. So I gotta ask, with the new album, what kind of musical ideas went into this or is there a running theme on “Sweet Nothings”?
TS: There’s definitely not a running theme. The album is all over the place. It starts out with a jazz…smokey lounge…kind of 1940’s kind of vibe and then ends with a song that starts out acoustic country…mellow…goes to dub and ends with a three minute section of stoner rock doom metal. So it’s all over the place. We have a short attention span and we like a lot of different types of music so we tend to write a lot of different styles and try to incorporate them into an album. Even several styles into one song as you know. A lot of twists and turns, and I think our fans love twists and turns. They’re fun to perform live.

JW: I see you guys haven’t released a single yet. Is there a song you’re looking at as your first single?
TS: As far as I know, the first single would be a song called “Taste So Sweet”. It kind of goes back to maybe, “Committed to a Bright Future” era with a catchy hooky chorus, lots of horn lines. We’re making a video for that in July. So that’ll most likely be our first or second single. We had talked about a song as a lyric video, initially a song called “We Aren’t the World” which is more of an “Adultery” vibe. It has tons of horror lines, cello, lots of moods, lots of twists and turns, a big epic chorus. That would probably be the first one we do a lyric video for just to get something out there because we’re not available to do the video shoot and release the “Taste So Sweet” video until July.

JW: I want to touch upon your Indiegogo campaign for a bit. A lot of bands will put it up and will slowly watch the money crawl to their goal, but with you guys it was extraordinary how fast and how many people latched on as soon as it was live. I bet as a band, it’s a great feeling to reach your goal that quickly.
TS: To meet our goal of $30,000 in 27 hours was completely unexpected. I remember going about my day, that first day, and just seeing the totals just go up and up and up and up. I hadn’t checked in a few hours and they were way up. Our fans are absolutely incredibly and I don’t just say that lightly. Granted we’d possibly still be making music if we had no fans because we enjoy it, but they keep the train rolling. We’re very humbled by the generosity of everybody and how much they actually cared about DFD getting back together and how they care about whatever project we do. We’re very lucky in that respect.

JW: I’m sure before starting you guys didn’t have stretch goals in mind, but after that response, you got to. Even more amazing is reaching all of them. Didn’t you guys break the top 10 most successful Indiegogo music campaigns?
TS: Yeah. I think we’re in the top 10. In regards to the stretch goals, once we hit $30,000 and added the first stretch goal of $50,000 for the video, I mean I thought that was gonna peak and it just kept going and going. We ended up at $85,000 which is a staggering amount. Shows how much people love Dog Fashion Disco.

JW: You guys are incredibly busy with side projects like Polkadot Cadaver, El-Creepo, Knives Out and other things…and with such an impressive and positive response to DFD…do you think DFD now deserves your undivided attention and everything else kind of has to sit on the back burner for the time being?
TS: I would say that everything is on the back burner now. The last stretch goal was to do two albums to be released within a year of each other. So with all the tours we have coming up, there’s really no time to devote to anything else besides Dog Fashion Disco, which is fine. We just wrapped up, mixed, mastered, put a nice little bow on “Sweet Nothings” and we’re already psyched to get back into the studio, wishing it was happening next month. Everybody will go into their little corners and start writing and then we’ll reconvene in December and have another album out by next May or June.

JW: Might be too early, but do you have any ideas for the next album?
TS: Not really. I definitely wanna utilize the horns a lot like we did on “Sweet Nothings”. I mean, they’re just too good not to have. So ya know, a lot of twists and turns. Maybe have more extremes. I’d like to do like a 50’s doo-wop kind of song and then a song that’s just the heaviest thing we’ve ever done. Just a lot of polar opposite dimensions and dynamics to the album. And really like there are no rules, not like there are any rules on “Sweet Nothings”. Going into it, wanna try to do something new and push the envelope as far as what we’ve done before.

JW: So what is the future now of Polkadot Cadaver, El Creepo, Knives Out and other projects?
TS: It’s really hard to predict. I would love to do another El-Creepo record. Something that’s a little more acoustic and mellow. That’s always fun to do. Polkadot has a handful of shows that we’re doing until the end of this year. We’re going out with Bam Margera and his band in August, doing a run on the east coast and then doing a full national tour with him in October and November for Polkadot. So that would be the next in line to revisit after the next DFD record considering that that band tours as well. Kind of like a missed opportunity if we don’t put out a record and do more shows. I would say DFD and Polkadot would work simultaneously and then maybe El-Creepo would be the next thing to get to. As far as Knives Out or anything else, I would seriously doubt that there would be another album that we would put out with Knives Out. It doesn’t make any sense. The band doesn’t tour and the members aren’t available to do shows, so it’s like…what’s the point?

JW: Looking at this upcoming year, in terms of tours, it looks like the one big thing of note is that you guys will be heading across the big pond for the first time.
TS: This would actually be our second time. The first time Dog Fashion went over there was 2001.

JW: Oh shit, I guess my Dog Fashion Disco history is a bit rusty…so I guess the obvious dumb follow up question would be are you excited?
TS: We’re extremely excited and psyched that the first two shows have been sold out and that the third is on it’s way to being sold out. So that’s incredible, it’s gonna be a lot of fun. The weekend is gonna be a blast. We’re looking forward to it.

JW: Because it’s doing well in ticket sales, do you see yourself branching out in Europe?
TS: Our agent overseas is actively seeking out a support band for Dog Fashion Disco. Most likely that would happen next year. I would love to go deeper into Europe. That would be blast. So hopefully that will happen next summer.

JW: I’m out of questions, any last thing you wanna tell the fans?
TS: I just wanna say thanks for all the support on Indiegogo and support they constantly give us. Spread the word: the new Dog Fashion Disco album, “Sweet Nothings”, is coming out July 22nd. We’re psyched to be back on the road and hearing people’s reactions to the new album.

You can check out Dog Fashion Disco on their summer tour, ‘The Merica F*ck Yeah Tour’, playing alongside Psychostick and The Bunny The Bear, at the following dates:
May 29th: Amityville, NY
May 30th: Albany, NY
May 31st: Pennellville, NY
June 1st: Watkins Glen, NY
June 2nd: Trenton, NJ
June 3rd: Providence, RI
June 5th: Westland, MI
June 6th: Cleveland, OH
June 7th: Cherry Valley, IL
June 8th: Joliet, IL
June 9th: Minneapolis, MN
June 10th: Merriam, KS
June 11th: Waterloo, IA
June 12th: Des Moines, IA
June 13th: Lincoln, NE
June 14th: Denver, CO
June 16th: Salt Lake City, UT
June 17th: Sacramento, CA
June 18th: West Hollywood, CA
June 19th: Las Vegas, NV
June 20th: Tuscon, AZ
June 21st: Scottsdale, AZ
June 23rd: San Antonio, TX
June 24th: Houston, TX
June 25th: Fort Worth, TX
June 26th: Oklahoma City, OK
June 27th: St. Louis, MO
June 28th: Indianapolis, IN
June 29th: Columbus, OH

Read Complete Article

Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, discos, dog, fashion, nothings, smith, ...

« sdf

Page 26 of 30

Author: Jeremy Werner

Film Review “The Discoverers”

Related Content

Film Review “The Giver”

Related Content

Film Review “Let’s Be Cops”

Film Review “The Hundred-Foot Journey”

Film Review #2 “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Related Content

Film Review “The Purge: Anarchy”

CD Review: Dog Fashion Disco “Sweet Nothings”

CD Review: “Weird Al” Yankovic “Mandatory Fun”

Film Review “Earth to Echo”

CD Review: Mastodon “Once More ‘Round the Sun”

Related Content

K.Flay talks about debut album “Life as a Dog”

Film Review “Think Like a Man Too”

Film Review “How to Train Your Dragon 2”

Film Review “The Fault in Our Stars”

Dog Fashion Disco’s Todd Smith talks about new album “Sweet Nothings” and Summer Tour