Yelle Covers Robyn

This is not exactly new, but it's new to me, so that's all that matters! An awesome cover of an awesome song, each by awesome foreign pop starlets. I love it.

Yelle -- "Qui Est Cette Fille"
Robyn's Original ("Who's That Girl?")

Eden Lake

What makes Eden Lake--a by and large formulaic backwoods survival slasher--genuinely good, instead of just passable, is the acting. Namely by the fantastic lead couple of Kelly Reilly (a dead ringer in looks, mannerisms, and acting style to Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby; that's a high compliment from me!) and Hunger's Michael Fassbender. They play lovebirds on a camping vacation, who find themselves the target of a group of bad apple teens. Things, predictably, escalate into a heinous and bloody struggle.

Horror is not an easy genre to be "original" in these days, and it's become enough to just do it well within the confines of the cliches. Shutter (the Thai film) is another, albeit better, example of this: nothing in that movie hasn't been done before a zillion times. It's the freshness of the filmmaking, the strength of the acting and atmosphere, that make it scary and unexpected. Eden Lake, too, manages to shine thanks to those elements. Reilly (who accomplishes things we'd normally only expect from big, burly Vietnam soldiers in movies) and Fassbender's ability to throw themselves in and go the extra mile is what elevated the film. It's a safe bet to satisfy your slasher craving, if not too terribly much more.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

I know, it happened days ago. I wasn't going to post about it, because everyone already knows. Everyone's already talking about it, much more eloquently than an extremely casual fan like myself ever could. I didn't see the point in adding to the pile. But I've been informed that I should, just to mark such a big event in history. To dignify it, make note of it, etc. So, fine.

Farewell, Michael. It sucks that you went young. It sucks that you never got to do the tour you were working on planning. I really like a lot of your songs. I saw that British documentary on you a few years ago, and for what it's worth, I feel the dude was really unfair. I don't know what you did, and what you were falsely accused of because you have billions of dollars. I'm not going to get into that. Thank you for your contributions to music. There are several artists I like that wouldn't be what they are without you.

Okay, do I get a gold star now?

Weeping for Our Generation, Vol. 1

It started out innocently enough, with Facebook's "pages." People would create them for things like Britney Spears, Star Trek, or Seinfeld. You can press a button to "Become a Fan" of the person/thing, and it will be displayed as a news update on your profile.

I saw one today called "Unknown Drunken Injuries." Two of my friends are "fans." Should I disown them?

Don't get me wrong, it's kinda funny and irreverent. But then when you view the page, it's full of people proudly boasting about their busted asses in anecdotes no one cares about. And then I realize this is basically all Facebook--once developed as a way for college students to connect, if I'm not mistaken--has become now. An excuse to upload pics of yourself being drunk and disorderly (I can admit I've even been tagged in some myself), and write on each others' walls about how you don't remember a thing about the night!

I deleted my account once, and made another shortly after because I felt out of the loop. I hope to one day have the strength to move on for good... (And yes, you can add me by searching "Cult Iconic"! Heh...heh.)

I Still Watch Movies!

Wendy and Lucy--along with Michelle Williams' performance as a defeated student at the school of hard knocks--swept a ton of critics' polls last year, and has continued to enjoy a relatively across-the-board positive reception. The success is not undeserved, but it can be detrimental to your viewing of the film if you've been hearing it for months before. That is to say, Wendy and Lucy suffers a little from overhyped syndrome. How a bleak, understated portrayal of a mysterious almost non-character and her pooch can garner such rabid praise and attention is a testament to the movie's skill, at both conveying emotion and just all-around graceful storytelling. The ending is beautifully played out, by Williams and her canine counterpart, and it's gut-wrenching in its inevitability. But is this one of the very best movies of last year (which was stellar)? Not for my money.



Jacob's Ladder (1990) is a film that's always flown beneath my radar, and once I finally did hear about it, I decided it sounded right up my alley. Surrounding the odd, vaguely supernatural and demonic occurrences endured by Vietnam vet protagonist Jacob (Tim Robbins), the story and set pieces reminded me a lot of another dated-but-interesting psychological horror, Angel Heart. I'd say Jacob's Ladder is the superior of the two, but it has been quite a while since I saw the other. It's also worth noting that this one features of the most eerie scenes from any horror movie I've seen (Jacob is admitted to a hospital for circus freaks and dismembered body parts), which alone is worth the rental price.



Though I never checked out Paris, je t'aime or New York, I Love You, I still for some reason opted to see the similarily themed Tokyo!, which has only three directors and segments as opposed to the other city collections. First up is Interior Design by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), who uses the urban space in a lovely way--neither too cold and sprawling, nor too welcoming and cheerful--with his tale of a girl who longs to just exist and do the trivial things she enjoys. She has problems with her living situation, lack of ambition and her tendency to feel threatened by those who have a purpose in life. Luckily, she adapts. It's whimsical, cute, and moving, and you'd think you were in for more good stuff with this omnibus.

Things go way, way, and yet more way downhill from here with Leos Carax's (of Pola X fame) Merde. Merde, google tells me, is the French word for "shit," which is only alluded to in the movie (or my subtitled copy anyway). It's also the name of the protagonist, a "creature" who lives in the sewers beneath Tokyo and emerges from time to time so he can wreak havoc that may be intended as comical, but is actually just vile and irritating. One day, he finds some old grenades and decides to bomb every citizen in sight with them. His trail and subsequent charging make up the short, which is utterly pointless. If we're supposed to feel for Merde (which I don't think we are), Carax has failed. If we're to find the whole thing satirically funny, he's failed once again, and has also offended along the way (Merde makes venomously racist comments toward the Japanese).

Poor Bong Joon-ho (The Host) had a lot of clean-up work to do, and his tender, unassuming Shaking Tokyo, is sadly too slight, even with all its charm and mystery, to make up for the steaming hole left behind by Merde. It's hard to even appreciate the lovely photography, and the lead actor's heartfelt performance, when you're scratching your head about what the hell Carax's film had to do with Tokyo, and what on earth possessed him to think it was a good idea. I think I owe Shaking Tokyo a Merde-free rewatch.

YYYs "Heads Will Roll" Video

I like it! The ending is a little literal, but whatevs! The werewolf/cowardly lion/CATS backup dancer guy is brilliant. As for the song, it's unquestionably one of the best on the album.

Low Point in Graphic Design, Human Existence

This might be the worst movie poster I have ever, ever seen. The guy (or at least this photo of him, whoever the hell he is) is hideous, and not even in a funny or goofy way. Just a sleazy, creepy, "oh god, why do I have to look at that all blown up?" way. It's ripping off the Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin posters, but, again, with a guy that has an intensely unlikable face. *shudder* I'm boycotting this movie, even if I hear it's somehow amazing. Which I really don't imagine I will...



Oh god, I've just seen the accompanying ones.