The Machinist

I know I'm a bit behind on this one, but I just saw The Machinist last night. Any one that has seen or even heard about this movie knows about Christian Bale's extreme crash dieting to drop his wait down to a very unhealthy 120 lbs. I must admit, the first time I saw Bale in the movie, I was a bit creeped out by his sickly appearance. However, he turns in another amazing performance (did anybody expect anything less?) as haunted insomniac Trevor Reznik, easily reinforcing his title as one my favorite actors of our time. Most of the film simply kept raising more and more questions, and I found myself getting more and more enthralled, just waiting for the climax, where all the film's mysteries would be revealed to me. I really liked the whole deal with the Post-Its and the hangman game, especially when it was all made clear at the end of the film. The best part of this movie is that a day later, I am still thinking about it. I'm not sure I'll ever know what exactly happens in the film, since it is definitely left open to interpretation. However, I did read one interesting theory that had to do with Trevor (Bale) actually being dead, and his soul finally being able to rest at the end of the film.

10/11

The Machinist
Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Scott Kosar
Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John Sharian, Michael Ironside

Step Brothers

Let's be honest, nobody goes to watch a movie like this to be blown away with quality filmmaking; we just want to laugh. Step Brothers definitely delivers on that front. The movie earned an "R" rating for the tons of crude and sexual content throughout the movie. The on screen chemistry between John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell is great, but one would expect so since they play similar characters, just with different quirks. The plot is really not that good, but the funny moments and one-liners come one after another, which keeps the movie interesting and very funny. I actually really enjoyed that they threw Brennan's (Ferrell) older brother (played by Adam Scott, formerly of short-lived Boy Meets World fame) into the mix, it really made for some funny moments. It also didn't hurt that Mary Steenburgen, who plays Brennan's mother Nancy, looks quite good for a woman her age. The only character I can say I honestly did not like was Dale's (Reilly) father, who just got on my nerves for most of what was otherwise a very enjoyable movie. Oh, and sorry for the spoiler, but I really did not need to see Will Ferrell tea bag a drum set with a fake scrotum.

9/11

Step Brothers
Director: Adam McKay
Writers: McKay and Ferrell
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen

Partie Traumatic

For the inaugural post I decided to write about an album I've recently fallen in love with, Jacksonville quintet Black Kids' Partie Traumatic. Some of you might have heard their EP Wizard of Ahhhs containing four tracks that ended up on this album, including the track "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You," which created a lot of buzz around the time of the release of the EP last fall, causing Rolling Stone to name them an "Artist to Watch." Since then, this band has generated a lot of buzz, and they definitely live up to the hype. They have crafted an album full of catchy tunes that you can't help but sing along to. People have gone so far as to compare Reggie Youngblood's vocals to Robert Smith of the Cure, and Youngblood helps the comparisons by seemingly putting on a faux British accent (and it doesn't sound half bad). The only thing that slightly bothered me was Youngblood's tendency to refer to himself as a girl, evident in "I'm Not Gonna Teach..." and "Hurricane Jane." The lyrics are pretty straightforward, but that's not to say they aren't good. Some of the subjects have been covered before, but Youngblood brings a new voice to them and I honestly enjoy it. I personally hate it when a band does not live up to its hype, but thankfully Black Kids follow in the steps of Vampire Weekend and not Angels and Airwaves (quite possibly one of the most over-hyped bands ever), and produce an album that's a pleasant dose of indie pop.

9.5/11

Black Kids
Partie Traumatic
Columbia Records
22 July 2008
Reggie Youngblood - Vocals/Guitar
Owen Holmes - Bass
Kevin Snow - Drums
Dawn Watley - Keyboards/Vocals
Ali Youngblood - Keyboards/Vocals