The Boxer Rebellion- The Cold Still

I got my first Boxer Rebellion album, Union, free from FirstListen.org in 2009 and absolutely loved it. So when I saw that they were releasing a new album, I jumped on it. I'm really happy with how well this band is doing. They are featured in the film "Going the Distance" with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. They even recorded a song especially for the movie soundtrack; "If You Run." I was afraid that I wouldn't like "The Cold Still" as much as "Union," but luckily it proved me wrong.:) They managed to keep their original sound intact without creating songs that all sound the same. My favorites are No Harm, Get Out of the Car, Organ Song, Memo, and Doubt. Nathan Nicholson's singing style gives the band a very unique sound that is different from many male fronted bands that I've heard. The songs are on the slow side for the most part, but they are far from boring and monotonous. Their sound is pretty true to alternative. For instance, if you enjoy the Arcade Fire, Cold Play, Sufjan Stevens and/or Dashboard Confessional you might want to add them to the list of music you enjoy.

The Arcade Fire-The Suburbs

So it took me a while to buy this album. I was unsure about it, but when it beat The Black Keys and Vampire Weekend for Best Alternative Album of the year at the Grammys I figured I would give it another chance. "The Suburbs" is a great collection of songs with the same theme. I love that the songs bleed into each other, not just with subject matter, but they have some of the same lines and descriptions of the same things happening from different perspectives. The opening track, which is also the title track is a great upbeat opener to the collection. A few of my favorite tracks are Half-Light II(Celebration), The Suburbs, Ready to Start, The Sprawl I(Flatland), and The Sprawl II(Mountains Beyond Mountains) which contains some of my favorite lyrics;
"sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
that we can never get away from the sprawl
living in the sprawl
the dead shopping malls
rise like mountains beyond mountains
and there's no end in sight
I need the darkness
someone please cut the lights!"

I think the words speak for themselves. The album does a great job of presenting the reality of suburban life.

Flipped

The newest movie directed by Rob Reiner is based on the novel "Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen. The point of view constantly switches from Bryce to Julie; two children living in a suburban neighborhood in the 1950's. The switching POV illustrates two perspectives of the same events. As the story unfolds, the two characters relationship develops and the two fall in love even though there are periods when the two think negatively of each other. There aren't a lot of films shot like this, but I very much enjoyed getting both sides of the story in every instance. A good watch for the family

Micmacs

Made in 2009, Micmacs is a french film directed and co-written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet(Amelie). This clever comedy is written in the style of Amelie with a heightened reality that borders on fantastical. The story follows a man who decides to take down two french arms dealers after being shot in the head by one's bullet and learning that his father died in battle after stepping on the other company's land mine. The film stars Danny Boon as Bazil, a thirty-something year old man who has a bullet lodged in his brain and could die at any second. After recovering from his wound, he is released from the hospital. Then after a bout of being homeless he moves into a junk yard with a gang of misfits who become his family. Through carefully thought out schemes, the group attempts to take the arms dealers down. Jeunet does a masterful job of juggling a comedic action movie with very serious and real issues dealing with war, violence and greed.

The Romantics

I just watched the Romantics, starring Katie Holmes Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin, Malin Akerman, Elijah Wood, Candice Bergen, and Adam Brody. It was written/directed by Galt Neiderhoffer and based on a novel she wrote. It's categorized as a Romantic Comedy, but it's really more of a drama. It was good to see Katie Holmes out from under Tom Cruise's thumb for once. She was actually very good in the role and the most likable character in the film. So the basic gist of the movie is seven people who were best friends in college reunite for the wedding of two of those friends. The two getting married are Josh Duhamel and Anna Paquin. However, Josh Duhamel's character still has feelings for Katie Holmes' character whom he had a four year relationship with and who happens to be the Maid of Honor at his wedding. It is revealed that this group of friends gained the name, "The Romantics" in college for dating each other repeatedly. And it seems that even after growing up and leaving college they still can't get enough of each other. The mention of John Keats' poetry also adds to the meaning of the title. For a movie with so many notable actors, it was lacking plot and any sort of resolution. Its portrayal of human desire and selfishness is slightly depressing as well. I probably wouldn't watch it a second time, but it definitely had its moments.