tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102911182025-02-15T11:06:09.265-05:00An eclectic guide to life's musical journey. Music, movies, curious news, and tech culture.DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comBlogger1140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-55297014970036508412013-10-27T18:35:00.001-04:002013-10-27T18:35:48.422-04:00

R.I.P. Lou Reed "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet…I’ve lost my ‘school-yard buddy’" - John Cale

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-29745628326286134582012-11-15T20:00:00.000-05:002012-11-15T20:00:11.331-05:00

Big Boi – Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)(MP3) While we won't have another Outkast album, next month comes the next best thing, Big Boi's follow-up to 'Sir Lucious Left Foot'.  Big Boi says Andre 3000 is not on the album because he's too busy doing Gillette commercials. Yo La Tengo - Before We Run (video) Excited for the new album, 'Fade', due January 15, and their new tour.

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-55898987443991043112012-11-14T21:48:00.000-05:002012-11-14T21:50:46.903-05:00

Kurt Cobain's Handwritten Top 50 Albums List Interesting to see Public Enemy and The Slits on this list. The Vaselines, David Bowie, and Leadbelly are listed and are well known to fans as they were also covered on the Unpluggged album. Black Flag is the only group to make the list twice. Beach House - Wild New, depressing video from Beach House. Possibly NSFW. Phantogram - Don't Move

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-24926946109585233172012-11-13T00:01:00.000-05:002012-11-15T22:48:17.655-05:00

Why Doesn't MTV Play Music Videos Anymore? Ok, I'm sorry I asked. Disappearing Romney: Watch Mitt Romney's Facebook Likes Decrease in Real Time Are humans becoming less intelligent? A look at YouTube comments suggests the answer is yes.

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-34778797427659183042012-11-11T01:11:00.000-05:002012-11-12T23:43:10.228-05:00

Sky Ferreira - Everything is Embarrassing I'm not sure when I'll get sick of her. Move over Lana Del Ray. Pitchfork reports on a mysterious Terrence Malick film set in Austin. Tell me if you've heard this one before: Kevin Shields Says a New My Bloody Valentine Album Will Be Out This Year.

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-22611360138616596812012-05-05T13:28:00.000-04:002012-05-05T13:28:42.433-04:00

Still hard to collect my thoughts and write a worthy tribute. Here are some remembrances from around the web. Beastie Boys ?uestlove Eminem, Nas, Chuck D, LL Cool J, Common, will.i.am, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip, and others Santigold, B Real, Major Lazer, Ice T, Duran Duran, Biz Markie, and others Sasha Frere-Jones Pitchfork

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-85130203772510114802011-09-11T13:17:00.000-04:002011-09-11T13:17:45.697-04:00

Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings, op.11 Albert Hall, London, Sept. 15, 2001.

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-51460012257694990812011-05-31T21:52:00.004-04:002011-06-02T21:15:38.386-04:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher 2011) Trailer (video) *link updated* Perhaps that is crow I am eating since I implied that David Fincher's adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" might not live up to the Swedish version. Yes, it is clearly too early to conclude anything based on the snippets above. However, the leaked trailer sure looks promising. It also features an

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-9685267117619998692011-02-14T13:25:00.001-05:002011-02-14T14:33:05.353-05:00

New Radiohead Album, 'The King of Limbs,' Will Hit Web on Saturday The best Valentine's Day news!

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-83917446477916810872011-01-20T09:00:00.003-05:002011-01-20T09:00:04.985-05:00

Blue Valentine 8/10 'Blue Valentine' is about more than just marital fatigue and burnout. It is about the capriciousness and emotional insecurities that lead to quick marriages but later also slowly eat away at love over time. Michelle Williams gives a remarkable performance as Cindy, the dedicated mother and nurse who is trying her best to cope with living with Dean (Ryan Gosling), a

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-67861958109381980062011-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:002011-01-19T09:00:14.663-05:00

The King's Speech 8/10 'The King's Speech' is bloody good. If I had had time to see it before making my 2010 favorite films list, it would have been #10. Colin Firth is the clear front-runner for the Best Actor Oscar. His transformation from the stammering, insecure Prince Albert, Duke of York to the determined, more self-assured King George VI is believable and inspiring. Helena Bonham

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-1817414323035592122011-01-18T19:06:00.000-05:002011-01-18T19:06:34.086-05:00

Green Hornet 6/10 Ever wonder what Michel Gondry would do with a big budget superhero film? 'The Green Hornet' appears to be a victim of critical groupthink. It is actually not bad. It pretty much met my expectations as a campy, uneven action/buddy superhero flick with amazing, over-the-top action, good chemistry between Jay Chou and Seth Rogen (the former's language problems notwithstanding

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-4589811831870968242011-01-14T09:00:00.002-05:002011-01-14T09:00:07.697-05:00

2011 films I am looking forward to (director also noted, if I care about them): The 13 Women of Nanjing (Zhang) The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Spielberg) Amour (Haneke, probably 2012) Bernie (Linklater) Captain America: The First Avenger Caves of Forgotten Dreams (Herzog) Contagion (Soderbergh) Coriolanus Cowboys & Aliens Damsels in Distress (Stillman) A Dangerous Method (

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-54814928805658563692011-01-13T09:00:00.001-05:002011-01-13T09:00:04.112-05:00

First, let me start with a list of films that I did not get a chance to see but wanted to see (in alphabetical order): Another Year, Biutiful, Blue Valentine, Buried, Carlos, A Film Unfinished, Hereafter, The Illusionist, I'm Still Here, The King's Speech, Life During Wartime, Made in Dagenham, Mother, Outrage, Restrepo, The Strange Case of Angelica, Submarino, Tabloid, Tangled, The Way Back (

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-65934636816857191862011-01-12T17:45:00.001-05:002011-01-12T18:16:29.342-05:00

127 Hours 8/10 '127 Hours' is about a horror that is almost unimaginable. Can you imagine going through what he went through and doing what he had to do? I was not sure I would be able to finish watching this, but I'm glad that I did. It is a tale of human resourcefulness and survival that makes 'Cast Away' look like Gilligan's Island. I didn't think that James Franco could carry this, but

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-84903784247933519082011-01-11T08:27:00.000-05:002011-01-11T19:52:36.070-05:00

The Social Network 8/10 Jesse Eisenberg is perfect in his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, the obsessive and off-putting founder of Facebook, whose brainchild is a remarkable example of Adlerian compensation, albeit not due to an inferiority complex so much as a reflection of his unique combination of narcissism, obsessive-compulsiveness, and sociopathy. To me, this is Fincher's best film since '

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-28795495476144395382011-01-09T19:35:00.000-05:002011-01-09T19:35:11.949-05:00

Somewhere 7/10 'Somewhere' won the Golden Lion at the 2010 Venice Film Festival, maybe because ex-boyfriend Tarantino led the jury? I have gone back and forth in my mind about this film. Although I think that similar themes were better explored in 'Lost in Translation', it does stand up on its own merit. The film portrays the celebrity experience of ennui but does so at a somewhat

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-72428869847544249352011-01-08T19:28:00.001-05:002011-01-08T19:29:22.452-05:00

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 8/10 'Uncle Boonmee' is mysterious, haunting, surreal, and unconventional, a deserving winner of this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes. However, it is sure to be a bore for the majority of audiences, particularly those who lack an appreciation for postmodernism, magic realism, and Buddhism. The opening is brilliant and Tarkovsky-esque, and the catfish

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-66450715909622616712011-01-04T22:53:00.005-05:002011-01-11T08:15:50.769-05:00

Dogtooth 8/10 (rating adjusted) 'Dogtooth' is a really bizarre film that reveals the dangers of overprotectiveness, social isolation, and censorship. Be warned, it is disturbing and rather sexually explicit. The father is a control freak and through his exacting manipulations, he projects his insanity onto his wife, son, and two daughters. He creates a hellish, sheltered world of mind games,

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-84559125859837123702010-12-19T08:30:00.005-05:002010-12-19T10:11:59.094-05:00

Enter the Void 7/10 If you can't take first person camerawork or themes that are characteristic of the New French Extremity, stay far, far away from this film. It is initially engrossing but at the same time suffocating and claustrophobia-inducing. The first 10 minutes are like a weird acid trip. Being inside Oscar's (Nathaniel Brown) head is not a fun place to be. The cinematography during

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-44320755289919498132010-12-18T11:16:00.000-05:002010-12-18T11:16:03.026-05:00

R.I.P. Captain Beefheart Eerie. I was just listening to Trout Mask Replica this morning when I came across this news. A huge loss for anyone who is a fan of experimental rock.

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-23675056804237735792010-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:002010-12-15T09:00:09.005-05:00

The Kids Are All Right 7/10 I tried to dismiss this film initially, but I ended up really enjoying it. The plot is unusual: it's just your typical lesbian couple whose children want to meet their artificial insemination sperm donor father, which leads to a mid-life crisis, story. There really aren't films that explore similar themes and feature such a stellar cast. I am sure that there will

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-9398561946429125272010-12-13T22:20:00.001-05:002010-12-13T22:20:49.649-05:00

Easy A 7/10 If high school sucked for you, just be glad you didn't go to Ojai North High during the age of text messaging. Ordinarily, I would have stayed far away from this sort of movie. But after hearing the buzz about Emma Stone's performance, I decided to check it out. And I'm glad that I did. Emma Stone is a bona fide star who has a certain edginess mixed with girl-next-door appeal,

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-77779490541503350402010-12-12T09:25:00.002-05:002010-12-12T09:27:14.145-05:00

Rabbit Hole 7/10 I'm not sure why director John Cameron Mitchell has taken so long in between directorial efforts. This is his best film since his debut, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". "Rabbit Hole" is a sad and uncomfortable examination of life after the tragedy of losing one's child. The pace is a tad slow at first, but it is an adaptation of a Tony Award and Pulitzer Award-winning play that

DJMonsterMohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10758262295462860149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291118.post-54196362858717729862010-12-11T10:30:00.001-05:002010-12-12T09:27:12.389-05:00

Youth In Revolt 7/10 For wacky and weird, just add Steve Buscemi. Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long, and Steve Buscemi = winner for awkward, offbeat ensemble cast. I must admit that I had pigeonholed this earlier in the year after seeing the ridiculous trailer, but I gave it a chance after seeing the cast and directing credits. I am pleased to report that it is nothing like the

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