Skateland

In the midst of all the current teen flair, it’s nice to see a throwback film that you don’t really have to think too much about. While lacking in originality, the performances, art direction, score, music selection, and cinematography are all quite nice. Skateland has a familiar storyline about coming of age in the early 1980’s. Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) plays Ritchie Wheeler, a twentysomething who manages a roller rink appropriately named Skateland. His goals are put on hold to the dismay of his family and on and off girlfriend Michelle (Ashley Greene, Twilight). His life consists of partying with his friends, driving around, and working at the faux-utopian roller rink.

When his best friend, Brent (an excellent Heath Freeman – also writer and producer), comes back to town, Ritchie starts to reconsider his life. There might be more to life than just living the lazy teenage dream. Unexpected tragedies ensue giving the film some much needed conflict – the film has a slow pace the first half of the film, but quickly picks up, thankfully. The only real beef I had with the film was the title selection. It’s called Skateland, yet it’s only shown onscreen for a few scenes. Not a total deal breaker, but that surprised me, especially since the atmosphere of the place was flawless and felt dream-like when it was shown.

We’ve all seen Skateland before, with major influences from Dazed and Confused, American Graffiti, and the recent Adventureland (hmm, similar title). But if you enjoy those films, you will enjoy this one. If you’re looking for something new, then I suggest checking something else out. Fernandez, Greene, and Freeman all shine in their roles and give us something real and natural – something not seen much in the teen films of today. The music in this film is like an 80’s mixtape that is sure to provoke some nostalgia. Not a complete gem, but a good way to spend a Friday night. 7/10

My Top 100 Artists of All Time

1. The Police
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Van Halen
4. Nirvana
5. The Replacements
6. Joy Division
7. The Killers
8. Queen
9. Boston
10. Journey
11. The Cranberries
12. The Doors
13. The Beach Boys
14. White Lies
15. Madonna
16. Kings of Leon
17. Fleetwood Mac
18. Bruce Springsteen
19. The Bravery
20. The Cure
21. Ramones
22. Lady Gaga
23. Janis Joplin
24. The Beatles
25. New Order
26. Mazzy Star
27. Kate Bush
28. ABBA
29. Alanis Morrissette
30. Jackson Browne
31. Black Sabbath
32. Heart
33. Rush
34. Paramore
35. Tina Turner
36. Pink Floyd
37. Coldplay
38. Michael Jackson
39. Johnny Cash
40. Paul McCartney
41. Blue Oyster Cult
42. Taking Back Sunday
43. Jefferson Airplane
44. Elton John
45. INXS
46. Hole
47. Oasis
48. Credence Clearwater Revival
49. Phil Collins
50. John Lennon
51. The Cars
52. Rilo Kiley
53. Radiohead
54. Our Lady Peace
55. Beyonce
56. Jewel
57. Neon Trees
58. Britney Spears
59. Sigur Ros
60. Janet Jackson
61. Vampire Weekend
62. Carrie Underwood
63. Florence + the Machine
64. Thirty Seconds to Mars
65. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
66. Alice Cooper
67. Green Day
68. The Runaways
69. Interpol
70. Eminem
71. Alicia Keys
72. Weezer
73. Blondie
74. Foo Fighters
75. The Rolling Stones
76. Best Coast
77. Deathcab for Cutie
78. Lynyrd Skynyrd
79. Pearl Jam
80. Aerosmith
81. M.I.A.
82. Miranda Lambert
83. ‘Til Tuesday
84. Genesis
85. Phoenix
86. Elvis Presley
87. The Sounds
88. The Smiths
89. Adele
90. Rod Stewart
91. Band of Horses
92. Robyn
93. Amy Winehouse
94. Mumford & Sons
95. Lykke Li
96. Eddie Money
97. Tom Petty
98. TLC
99. Electric Light Orchestra
100. Patsy Cline

My Top 100 Movies of All Time

100. Blue Velvet (1986)
099. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
098. All About Eve (1950)
097. American Graffiti (1973)
096. My Girl (1991)
095. The Exorcist (1973)
094. Stand by Me (1986)
093. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
091. Sixteen Candles (1984)
090. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
089. Election (1999)
088. Toy Story (1995)
087. Super 8 (2011)
086. The Terminator (1984)
085. World Trade Center (2006)
084. Lucas (1986)
083. Casino (1995)
082. The Fighter (2010)
081. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
080. Blow (2001)
079. Uncle Buck (1989)
078. Pulp Fiction (1995)
077. Changeling (2008)
076. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
075. Mask (1985)
074. Junebug (2005)
073. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
072. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
071. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
070. Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
069. Adventureland (2009)
068. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
067. Batman Returns (1992)
066. Spider-Man (2001)
065. Finding Nemo (2003)
064. Saved! (2004)
063. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
062. Ordinary People (1980)
061. Private Benjamin (1980)
060. Inception (2010)
059. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
058. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2009)
057. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
056. Closer (2004)
055. The Social Network (2010)
054. Cool Hand Luke (1969)
053. The House of the Devil (2009)
052. Batman (1989)
051. The Sixth Sense (1999)
050. District 9 (2009)
049. Alien (1979)
048. Up (2009)
047. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
046. Vertigo (1958)
045. Jaws (1975)
044. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
043. Beauty & the Beast (1991)
042. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
041. Psycho (1960)
040. Black Swan (2010)
039. Superman: The Movie (1978)
038. Blue Valentine (2010)
037. Clueless (1995)
036. Zodiac (2007)
035. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
034. In the Loop (2009)
033. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
032. Match Point (2005)
031. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
030. Elizabethtown (2005)
029. Silkwood (1983)
028. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
027. Heathers (1988)
026. Up in the Air (2009)
025. The Dark Knight (2008)
024. The Shining (1980)
023. Thirteen (2003)
022. East of Eden (1955)
021. Pleasantville (1998)
020. Dazed and Confused (1993)
019. Vanilla Sky (2001)
018. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
017. Mean Girls (2004)
016. Juno (2007)
015. Giant (1956)
014. Jerry Maguire (1996)
013. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
012. Garden State (2004)
011. Boogie Nights (1997)
010. Scream (1996)
009. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
008. Wall-E (2008)
007. The Breakfast Club (1985)
006. Halloween (1978)
005. Gone with the Wind (1939)
004. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
003. Milk (2008)
002. Walk the Line (2005)
001. Almost Famous (2000)

I Like Twilight

The Twilight saga (series, books, movies, whatever) may be the biggest pieces of shit the entertainment world has ever seen. But I like the series. It's teen fluff, which I enjoy. And Stephanie Meyer may be a hack, but I give her some balls for changing the lore of the vampire and werewolf world into her own. I've compiled a list of reasons why I enjoy it, despite the haters.

1. Kristen Stewart. Her stoner-eyed girl next door awkward approach is something to be seen on screen. This girl is hilarious.
2. The soundtracks to the films.
3. Catherine Handwicke's direction for the first film in the series. The color, the atmosphere, the lighting, and score make it look like a lost teen angst classic.
4. Robert Pattinson's brooding appearance.
5. The escapism. I guess you can that about any fantasy story, but this one really sucks you in, no pun intended.
6. The backstories in "Eclipse". Meyer becomes a completely different writer when you come across the origin stories of Rosalie and Jasper - actually some of the best pieces of writing I've read, truth be told.
7. Dakota Fanning. She's just...awesome.
8. The horror movie feel of "Eclipse". After the snoozefest that was "New Moon", "Eclipse" knocked me on my ass with it's direction and completely different feel.
9. Taylor Launter's body. Yeah, I said it.
10. The feeling of reassurance after reading one of the books, or watching one of the movies. Don't ask.

Twelve Favorites of the Year

Black Swan and the Emergence of Our Dark Side

Black Swan is a very dark tale. The film dabbles in horror, psychological madness, dramatic, and bleak atmospheric themes. This movie couldn’t have been handled by a better director. Darren Aronofsky, who directed Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, has crafted a masterpiece fronted by an amazing, and I mean AMAZING performance by Natalie Portman. She is a fine actress ranging from sweet films like Where the Heart Is to indie flair like Garden State to epics like Star Wars and action-adventures like V for Vendetta. Even though she has been around for a while, I think this film has finally broken her through.

The story centers on Nina, a struggling ballerina in New York, who is trying to win the role of the swan queen in Swan Lake, a classic ballet show. The innocence behind Nina’s eyes is something that reminds us of a child – untouched and fragile. When she wins the part, she is triumphant with the role of the White Swan. However, the swan queen is split down the middle and has to conquer the role of the Black Swan – the evil twin. This is where the story takes a bizarre turn.

The rest of the cast is strong with great performances from Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassel, and Winona Ryder. The one who steals the spotlight from the supporting cast is Mila Kunis. Her sexy, humorous character is the antithesis of Portman’s character. When the two are on screen together you can’t decide who to side with which makes the movie all the more fun. The film doesn’t end up the way you think it would. There are fun surprises and some startling imagery. This is one of the few films that kept me on edge throughout the entire runtime. You’re left with thinking if you have suppressed your alter ego, your “evil twin inside” if you will.

Which gets me to the second half of the blog – do we all have a dark side? In a metaphoric sense, I believe that we are all still little children. We still pout if things don’t go our way. When we were younger, we would complain to our mothers if there was something you didn’t like going on, now it’s your friends we run to. It’s all relative. So, with that being said – I’d like to believe that we still carry these feelings with us. It’s all about maturity and what level you are with your maturity. Even the most mature can still show displeasure, even from deep within.

I think our dark side correlates with the seven deadly sins. Wrath, gluttony, sloth, greed, envy, vanity, and lust. The two biggest ones being lust and envy. What I’ve seen with people lately is definitely lust. Everything being about sex, sex, and more sex. But who would ever admit this? And I’m guilty of this too. Sex is fun and wild and crazy. But sex can be very dangerous, mentally. I think this is where our dark side escapes – for me, anyway. It’s where you are at your most private. But then again, that depends on the person. Our “evil twin” can be very angry, hungry, lazy, greedy, jealous, superficial, or just a whore. Remember, this is just my point of view – but then again, ask yourself – where do I liberate my “black swan”? And how?

The Feeling of a Summer Day