(500) Days of Summer

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I have to say this is my favorite movie of this year. What can I say? I’m a sucker for movies about weird people finding love, albeit short-lived. First, I absolutely adored the wardrobe of the two main characters: Tom (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Tom’s style was Old Man Chic.

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His wardrobe was the stuff of every indie girl's dreams of what they would love their boyfriends to wear. I loved every outfit. In fact, I would love to know where he shopped because I'd like to go there myself to make a future investment... Deschanel must have either chosen her own wardrobe or had her own stylist do it because it was spot-on for her look. I loved the accents (butterflies, ribbons, pins), all the ruffles, and the secretary outfits. Only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of were the high-waisted pants, but maybe because I can’t really pull them off (darn my short torso!).

It was nice to see LA being used as a beautiful landscape instead of the typical representations of grit, poverty, and crime. I feel like so often (of the movies I've seen so far) LA is seen as a dirty battleground. I'd like to visit all the places where Tom and Summer went on dates. I felt like I was a bit alone in my excitement over seeing Tom get past the first floor of the Bradbury Building (as seen in Blade Runner

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and Pushing Daisies).

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I've been there and it's gorgeous. I would love to go on the other floors. Guess the only way is to get an interview there. Tom also mentioned when he's in downtown LA (Pershing Square, it looks like) he knows people look at the first floors of the buildings and think they're ugly, but there is so much beauty when you look up into the sky at their architectural elements. I've always had the same exact thoughts every time I've gotten stuck in traffic in that area. Sometimes when I walk around there I get distracted because I'm always looking up to the tops of these beautiful old buildings. I loved the individuality of the apartments Tom and Summer lived in. Tom's chalkboard, albeit messy, is so fantastic. I wish I had one, except maybe in the form of something neater like a glass over a wall? or whiteboard? Somehow those just don't seem as aesthetically pleasing. I loved how Summer's apartment looked like a little French flat. The flowery wallpaper could have easily come off as creepy, but her decor made everything look cute and perfect. Having seen a loft downtown in an older building, I believe these two apartments could actually exist there.

I thought it was so creative how the movie jumped back and forth through time, showing the audience glimpses of the good and bad and the causes. I know the movie was sad, but I also found it to be a bit optimistic. He had all these high ideals of love and it eventually infected the girl he once thought was the one and in the end, he was still the idealistic romantic that he started out as.

Loved all the music. Everything fit in with the scenes really well. And I liked recognizing a lot of the songs.

Track List

1. A Story of Boy Meets Girl – Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen
2. Us – Regina Spektor
3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths
4. Bad Kids – Black Lips
5. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths
6. There Goes The Fear – Doves
7. You Make My Dreams – Hall & Oates
8. Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap
9. Quelqu’un M’a Dit – Carla Bruni
10. Mushaboom – Feist
11. Hero – Regina Spektor
12. Bookends – Simon & Garfunkel
13. Vagabond – Wolfmother
14. She’s Got You High – Mumm-Ra
15. Here Comes Your Man – Meaghan Smith
16. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want – She & Him

iTunes Bonus Tracks

17. Here Comes Your Man - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
18. Sugar Town - Zooey Deschanel
19. At Last - Kevin Michael

Karen O and the Kids Single

Read and listen here. I have to say, I'm kind of not digging the kids' voices.

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8-Bit Weezer

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Buddy Holly actually sounds pretty good. I'm thinking of making it my ringtone!

Win Passes to SF's Outside Lands

I've always wanted to check it out. Here's the lineup. Enter to win!

Karen O. Composing Music for Where The Wild Things Are

along with "the Kids" made up of members from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and other bands, and an untrained children's choir. This should be interesting. More...

Jack White's Solo Single

More info

Ken Oaks Band

Recently two people were shocked that I could write a music blog without knowing who Ken Oaks was.

1. I'm not religious, so I had no inkling of his worship leader past. Judging by his looks, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a large female following.
   
2. It turned out I actually DID know who he was (point for me and my blog). I actually saw him at a small venue a long time ago because two of my friends thought he was hot after watching him perform on 3rd St, Santa Monica. Honestly, I didn't remember him at first because he really wasn't worth remembering besides the fact that he played cello. I thought his music was alright, but the lyrics were awfully trite and predictable. He sounded like a high schooler writing love songs.
   

Time Traveler's Wife Credits

I know Time Traveler's Wife will probably play a sappy love song during the credits, but how awesome would it be to have Black Sabbath's Lonely is the Word instead?

Who Knew These Rockers Had Such High IQs?

OK, some of them are really obvious, but still... link

Good Music AND Good Food

Yes, I'm jealous that Lollapolooza people get to eat Graham Elliot Bowles tasty snacks! Link

Sublime to have a new singer?

I'm probably the last person to hear about this, but here are some cover songs by the new singer, Rome:





His myspace

I don't think it'll ever be the same Sublime, but if they had to find a new singer, I think Rome would do a great job.