“Get Him to the Greek” Movie Trailer

February 14th, 2010 | By Keith

“Get Him to the Greek” reunites Jonah Hill and Russell Brand with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller in the story of a record company intern with two days to drag an uncooperative rock legend to Hollywood for a comeback concert. The comedy is the latest film from producer Judd Apatow. Brand and Hill have proven their onscreen chemistry but will it be enough to carry a movie? What I do know is that Apatow needs a hit after the failure of last year’s terribly unfunny “Funny People”.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Skeletons” Music Video

February 14th, 2010 | By Keith

Yeah Yeah Yeahs return with another music video for “Skeletons” which is directed by the lovely Karen O’s boyfriend, Barney Clay. The track is one of the down-tempo songs off of last year’s album, “It’s Blitz!” During their live show at Coachella last year this song was a pivotal moment in the set – so haunting and lush that it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Check out the video below and leave a comment!

“The Blind Side” Movie Review

February 13th, 2010 | By Keith

* STAR

“The Blind Side” was written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and is based on the 2006 book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis”. The storyline features Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. The film follows Oher from his impoverished upbringing, through his years at a Christian School, his adoption by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, and on to his position as one of the most highly coveted prospects in college football. For her performance as Anne Touhy, Sandra Bullock won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role as well as receiving an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination.

I am here to clear the air, all of the hype and Oscar nominations over Sandra Bullock and “The Blind Side” are completely exaggerated. Before I went to see this movie I considered myself automatically biased because I am ardent Sandra Bullock hater. I find her roles and films hallow and artificial, her acting style too relaxed and mediocre. In “The Blind Side” Bullock barely pulls off her Texan accent and the horrific blonde hair she wore clashes with her skin tone. Just 10 minutes into the movie I was overwhelmed with “Lifetime Movie of the Week” sentimentality, and not a subtle kind, but a constant bashing over your head cheese that was cringe worthy at times. I couldn’t help but watch the screen in awe trying to find out what it was that the Academy found so special it would nominate this drivel with a Best Film nomination.

In a year when a remarkably moving and real film such as “Precious” is able to become such a hit, it is almost disheartening to see a movie that takes such a giant step backwards embracing a “white hope” plot that makes inner city African Americans come off as helpless and pathetic. I know, I know…this movie is based on real events and there is a huge population in this country that loves football almost as much as Jesus, but I couldn’t relate to any of the film’s supposed struggles or any of the characters flaws. I wish this film focused on the life of Michael Oher and his childhood as well as his success in the NFL rather than his adopted family. “The Blind Side” doesn’t know what it wants to be; a rousing sports film or a schmaltzy tear jerker. We all know now that this film was huge and has a big market of fans, but when it comes down to the test of time and compared to other films such as “Hoosiers” or “Precious”, “The Blind Side” doesn’t come close.

New “Toy Story 3″ Character Revealed!

February 11th, 2010 | By Keith

ComingSoon.net posted an exclusive first look at Peas-in-a-Pod, a new character in Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 3″, opening in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on June 18. Here’s how the toy is described:

Peas-in-a-Pod will quickly become a parent’s favorite on-the-go toy. The soft, plush pod secures the happy peas inside with a durable metal zipper, making it perfect for the car or stroller. The Peas-in-a-Pod plush toy also develops fine motor skills by catering to a child’s natural grab instinct. Pulling the three peas out of the pod will provide repeated enjoyment for infants and toddlers, and soon they’ll learn to put them back in! Machine washable. Not for human consumption.

Below the Peas-in-a-Pod image we’ve also included a sneak peek at the 14 new characters you’ll meet in the sequel and underneath that you can watch a video which gives you a 360 degree look at the character.

Gorillaz New Album “Plastic Beach” Trailer & Clips

February 11th, 2010 | By Keith

Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D (lead vocals, keyboard), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (lead guitar and occasional vocals) and Russel (drums and percussion). Below is the official HD Orchestral Trailer for Gorillaz’ fantastic new album “Plastic Beach”, along with a couple other fun clips that give you a feel for the new albums’ concept and feel.

The animated super group is known for their breakthrough futuristic pop and hip-hop infused sound as well as their artistic music videos, conceptual art work and album storylines. As with previous Gorillaz albums, “Plastic Beach” features a number of collaborations with other musicians and music groups. The album features Snoop Dogg, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Bashy, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, sinfonia ViVA and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. I have super high hopes that the Gorillaz will put on an out of this world live show at Coachella this year when I am there.

Look for my full review of the new Gorillaz album here soon, until then leave a comment below!

“Couples Retreat” DVD Review

February 10th, 2010 | By Keith

By: Claudia Pierce

GRADE: D

Couples Retreat is the story of 4 thirty-something couples/best friends –Jason and Cynthia (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell), Dave and Ronnie (Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman), Shane and Trudy (Faizon Love and Kali Hawk), and Joey and Lucy (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis) who end up going on a marriage therapy retreat in Bora Bora together. Jason and Cynthia feel their marriage is on the rocks and decide to sign up for a couples retreat. However, they (conveniently) need 3 other couples to go with them to get the discounted price. The others agree to go on the condition that they don’t have to participate in the therapeutic activities, only to find out upon arrival that they must participate or leave.

Generally, this kind of set up would make for wacky hijinks and fun, but that just didn’t happen here. The plot build-up to get the couples to the island retreat was admittedly bad, but I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. Okay, it’s a little sloppy, but it was just a vehicle to get us to the real part of the story, which is the resort, right? Wrong. Sadly, the movie never picked up, but only got worse. Rather than build on the story or move the plot along, it seemed as though each couples activity or each therapy scene just added another random component, screaming “oh, and this other thing happened that was funny”. To make matters worse, the only things tying these non-sequitors together were the consistent ‘ball-and-chain’ marriage clichés. I felt like I was supposed to relate to these people based solely on the idea that being married sucks.

I’m not sure if it was the PG-13 rating, or just laziness on the filmmaker’s part, but this movie was a poorly written sitcom at best. It somehow managed to be equally predictable and unbelievable at the same time. I found myself thinking “This is going to happen…I’m not sure why on Earth they think that would ever happen, but I can tell that’s where this is going”, and in the end, that’s exactly where it ended up. I think more than anything, the film was a phony. I’m all for suspension of disbelief within the 4 walls of a theater, but I had trouble buying the idea that these couples would be together. I had trouble believing that these 4 couples would be friends to begin with. They continually used the excuse that the resort was full and hard to get into as a reason for trying to keep everyone together, but they were seemingly the only 4 couples on the island. Most importantly though, I didn’t feel the connection between the characters was real, and therefore I couldn’t make myself care what happened to any of them. This was supposed to be a movie about people bonding, but it felt like a bunch of people standing around reciting lines about bonding –it just wasn’t genuine in any way.

“Couples Retreat” seemed to have all the components to make it good –a great cast, a plotline with potential, good writers –but it failed on all levels. The possibilities were there, but the script was too scattered and poorly written to execute a solid story. The cast was full of some great comedic actors, but the script relied heavily on bad sexual innuendo, foreign accents, racial sterereotypes and toddlers to get its cheap laughs. Even that list alone feels scattered and unrelated, which seemed to be the theme of this movie as a whole. I say go ahead and watch it if you’re ever home sick and it happens to come on TV, but “Couples Retreat” is not even worth the effort of seeking out on cable or DVD and certainly not worth owning.

Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck “Heaven Can Wait” Music Video

February 9th, 2010 | By Keith

The video for Charlotte Gainsbourg’s new single “Heaven Can Wait,” with duet partner/producer Beck, shows that the French singer/actress loves a good visual non sequiturs in slow motion. The song itself is a low-key, Sunday afternoon pop song with a vibrant sound. What do you think of this wacky video and the song itself? Leave a comment below!

Charlotte Gainsbourg + Beck “Heaven can wait” from Fluor Ink on Vimeo.

“Repo Men” Movie Trailer

February 9th, 2010 | By Keith

Universal has just released a red-band trailer for “Repo Men”, a sci-fi thriller starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker slated for an April release. Despite the similar title, Repo Men is not a remake of the 1984 sci-fi punk cult classic “Repo Man” or the tragic Paris Hilton musical that came out two years ago called “Repo: The Genetic Opera”. Based on this trailer, “Repo Men” actually looks like it has potential to be pretty fun, in a gruesome, bloodsoaked way, with a darkly comic, satirical edge that harks back to movies like “Robocop” and “Total Recall”. Leave a comment and let me know what you think below!

“So Light is Her Footfall” Music Video by Air

February 8th, 2010 | By Keith

I am a huge fan of the French Band “Air” and their space lounge sound. The latest track off of their new album “Love 2″ is out of this world sexy. The music video for “So Light is Her Footfall” is an artsy head scratcher, but the soothing guitar hook makes it all well worth it. Check out the video below and leave your thoughts.

The New Sade Music Video “Soldier of Love”

February 2nd, 2010 | By Keith

Do you realize IT’S BEEN TEN YEARS since Sade’s last album? “Soldier of Love” is the title track off of Sade’s new album out next week, just in time for Valentines Day. Besides looking ageless and absolutely flawless Sade’s voice is strong as ever. The visually striking music video for the sultry title track is posted below, let me know what you think of this long awaited new song by Sade.

2010 Academy Award Nominations

February 2nd, 2010 | By Keith

Complete List of Oscar Nominations 2010:

Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”

George Clooney in “Up in the Air”

Colin Firth in “A Single Man”

Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”

Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon in “Invictus”

Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”

Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”

Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”

Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”

Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”

Carey Mulligan in “An Education”

Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Penélope Cruz in “Nine”

Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”

Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”

Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”

Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

“Coraline” Henry Selick

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson

“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements

“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore

“Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith

“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

“Avatar” Mauro Fiore

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel

“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd

“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson

“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

“Bright Star” Janet Patterson

“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme

“Nine” Colleen Atwood

“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

“Avatar” James Cameron

“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow

“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels

“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

“Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller

“The Cove” Nominees to be determined

“Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

“Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)

“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill

“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher

“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

“Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

“Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron

“District 9″ Julian Clarke

“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film

“Ajami” Israel

“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina

“The Milk of Sorrow” Peru

“Un Prophète” France

“The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano

“Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

“Avatar” James Horner

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat

“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer

“Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)

“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″ Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas

“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture

“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

“The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined

“District 9″ Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers

“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

“The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined

“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers

“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer

“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

“French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert

“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell

“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia

“Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin

“A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

“The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn

“Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström

“Kavi” Gregg Helvey

“Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

“The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing

“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson

“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman

“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin

“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing

“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano

“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects

“Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

“District 9″ Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken

“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“District 9″ Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell

“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby

“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal

“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino

“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman

“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy