First Pic of New Will Smith Action Movie

Will Smith (Independence Day, I Robot) is set to star in the update of Omega Man, which starred Charlton Heston (Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes).  The orignal title of the story was “I Am Legend”, and that is the title of the new Smith movie.

Here is the first pic I can find of Smith as Robert Neville:

IMDB Details: I am Legend

Music Review: In Reverse, Matthew Sweet (1999)

In Reverse may have been a more “silent release” on the music scene than many of Matthew Sweet’s previous or post works, however, it doesn’t make this CD irrelevent by any means.  Matthew Sweet is a true Power Pop superstar, taking the genre to new heights.

Haunted by the ghosts of his earlier hits like Girlfriend (Girlfriend) and Sick of Myself (100% Fun), Matthew Sweet pays homage to the sounds of the 60’s as made bright and poppy by bands like The Beach Boys.  Sweet avoids the cheesiness that could have easily befallen such a tribute, and instead, creates a very smart retro sound, complete with excellent use of ‘backmasking’.  He even uses the Beach Boys’ studio musicians to create the lush fa-lala-la la sound that was popular back in the day.

I guess we could suppose that Sweet was prepared for such a venture into the retro-pop scene, as he was part of the band, Ming Tea, as featured on Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.  Although Mike Meyers (Shrek, So I Married an Axe Murderer) was the lead for the band, prominent music celebs Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) were backing him up with true shagadelic success.

 If it is possible to listen to In Reverse in a single-flowing context, from track 1 to tack 14 in order, I would highly recommend it.  Some of the songs have no lead-in and blend right from one to another, but that’s part of what makes it so great.  Sweet tried very much to make this even a classical piece as much a classic piece of music.  In a classical piece, there are different movements to the overall symphony, and Sweet does this in a modern-retro sort of way.

The most notable songs being If Time Permits (sample here) as a true Beach Boys-sounding anthem that makes you imagine yourself driving a red Ford Thunderbird convertable down the California coastline.  It stokes images of positivity and an “everything’s gonna be great” kind of feeling.  That is powerful stuff for Power-pop to be able to do.

Other notable tracks are Beware My Love (sample here), Future Shock (sample here), and What Matters (sample here).  The thing I noticed most about this retro-homage to a simpler time in music was that the music is not simple by any means.  Not only is it not simple, it is smart, clean, and lush.  Matthew Sweet shows true musical genius in going the other direction with music.  He pulls it off with a magical splendor that gets lost in today’s music machine driven by the suits in the music industry.

In showing his respect for music from the past, Sweet himself never loses his true identity, and instead embraces it.  Although he may cringe when he gets requests for the seventy-billionth rendition of Girlfriend at his concerts, hopefully he would take solace in knowing In Reverse is a solid contribution to the world of music.  I know I am better for having heard this gem of CD, and I just want the world to know about it.

Do you own this CD?  I’d love to hear your opinion of it.  Send a comment and make your thoughts known.

The Makers Of The Death Star Video

By popular demand, here is the IMDB entry for Robot Chicken, the show that the Death Star video appeared on.  The star and co-creator of the show is Seth Green (Austin Powers, The Italian Job).

“Robot Chicken” 2005

The show makes fun of all kinds of pop culture, and is a really innovative use of stop-action and puppets. 

U2 – Lemon

U2 has had many faces.  I used to like them way back when they were Irish, back in the early 80’s (Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire).  Since then, they’ve become Elvis-loving Americans (The Joshua Tree), and Techno-Germans (Zooropa, Achtung Baby, Pop), selling produkt with their Pop Mart tour.

All in all, they are still very cool.  Even during their Pop/Techno/Disco phase, they were trying new things.  They have never been happy with just one sound, and that kind of boldness I do like.  This song took a while to grow on me, but I love it.  It’s fun, hip, and very Lemon.

My First DVD Review: The Da Vinci Code (2006)

View the trailer 

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw this movie, based on Dan Brown’s book.  However, I did think this was a bold move by Ron Howard (Appllo 13, Backdraft) to try to create a smart mystery wrapped in an enigma.  I hadn’t read the book, but undoubedly, the movie most likely pales in comparison to the book, as most movie version usually do.  Let’s keep that debate out of this, and go strictly for the movie on it’s own merits, shall we?

I found the movie to be smart, and clever, and allows you to follow along pretty easily; even if you’re no Jeopardy champion like me.  Since the movie covers a wide range of topics from the taboo (Opus Dei and it’s dealings with the Roman Catholic Church), to the uber-intellectual (symbols and anagrams and puzzles), Howard paints a layered and textured piece that blends well with its European surroundings.

The cinematography is crisp, the music and sound adds tension to every move.  Overall, the movie gives you a sense of looking into a menagerie of characters, plot and subplot, with vividness of crisp imagery and well-lit scenes.  Even the night shots were particularly easy to distinguish, to which Howard deserves much credit.

While sometimes you might feel extremely inadequate in the IQ department, the movie lets you off the hook, by giving you enough to keep up and then feel smart for having stayed with the characters.  Dr. Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump), is a super-intelligent, anti-hero.  Hanks, in my opinion, has mastered the craft of acting, and is completely believable in his reluctant Dr. Langdon.  Only through Langdon’s understanding that there is no alternative but to solve the mystery surrounding him, does he dive in completely and use his intellect to turn the tables on his manipulators.

He posseses no bravado and is in some cases utterly frightened at the unknown.  Hanks portrays Dr. Langdon as a fish out of water, who is thousands of miles from home, and out of his usually safe and comfortable acedemic surroundings.

The damsel in part-distress, part savior, is played by Audrey Tautou (A Very Long Engagement), an accomplished French actress.  She is intelligent and a great counter-weight to Dr. Langdon.  She keeps him grounded and adds her own smarts to the mysteries surrounding them.

Jean Reno (The Professional, Ronin) is a little out of sorts as French Special Investigator Capt. Fache.  He is a little rusty playing a heavy, since the last time he did so was in Brian de Palma’s Mission:Impossible in 1996.  Most of the time, Reno is a good sidekick or a tough guy who is at home in action movies.  In this case, Capt. Fache is not a serious bad guy, but more of an obsessed stooge, doing someone else’s bidding.

The standout performance of the movie had to be Paul Bettany (A Knight’s Tale) and his portrayal of Silas.  Bettany creates a truly morbid, confused, yet fragile character that leaves you wondering whether or not to feel sorry for him.  I had to do a double-take upon seeing him, as Bettany was completely transformed into Silas, and fully devouring his role to the point of unrecognition.

Because of the controversial nature of the storyline, this may not be for everyone, however, I did enjoy the plot and the subplots, and found it to be a fun time.  At the end, I felt a little smarter for hanging in there and letting myself soak up the history and trivia, not all of which may be true.  But, hey, won’t I be the life of the party when I talk about the trivia surrounding the painting of “The Last Supper”?