Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Photo from Daemon's Movies (great photo BTW)

Absurdly entertaining movie that sadly won't make as much money as, say, The Expendables (awesome in a corny 80s action movie kind of way) because the Scott Pilgrim-loving audience is so specific (nerds and geeks).  I'm not saying the audience is bad (hell, I'm a geek), but I think the general audience just won't get all the jokes, which the movie is chock-full of.  You get stuffed with pop culture references (per Edgar Wright's usual style.  BTW, Spaced is one of my favorite shows) until you burst into laughter, which happens almost nonstop.  I didn't even notice the movie was over two hours.  I wasn't as geeky as my two video game-loving companions, so I missed a few jokes here and there (I'm sorry I never passed Zelda :\ ), but they loved the movie and picked up on many small details that hardcore gamers would notice. 

The movie was really well-cast; Michael Cera played Scott Pilgrim to a tee.  Kieran Culkin was a fantastic sidekick and Jason Schwartzman was perfect. Who knew Mary Elizabeth Winstead could so easily go from perky cheerleader to space punk tough chick. 

I was surprised at how good the music was for all the made-up bands in the film.  Music had to be vital when the main character was named after a song. 



With the likes of Beck, Nigel Godrich, Broken Social Scene, and The Rolling Stones contributing to the soundtrack, the music had to be exceptional. 


Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World soundtrack:

01 Sex Bob-Omb: "We Are Sex Bob-Omb"
02 Plumtree: "Scott Pilgrim"
03 Frank Black: "I Heard Ramona Sing"
04 Beachwood Sparks: "By Your Side"
05 Black Lips: "O Katrina!"
06 Crash and the Boys: "I'm So Sad, So Very, Very Sad"
07 Crash and the Boys: "We Hate You Please Die"
08 Sex Bob-Omb: "Garbage Truck"
09 T. Rex: "Teenage Dream"
10 The Bluetones: "Sleazy Bed Track"
11 Blood Red Shoes: "It's Getting Boring by the Sea"
12 Metric: "Black Sheep"
13 Sex Bob-Omb: "Threshold"
14 Broken Social Scene: "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl"
15 The Rolling Stones: "Under My Thumb"
16 Beck: "Ramona (Acoustic)"
17 Beck: "Ramona"
18 Sex Bob-Omb: "Summertime"
19 Brian LeBarton: "Threshold 8 Bit"


More Reviews:
NPR (comprehensive)
NY Daily News
MTV
Guardian
Stereogum


Fun Interview:

Empire of the Sun @ Henry Fonda Music Box

Photo from Pretty Much Amazing

Great reviews from LA Weekly and Golden Bloggen.  I caught Empire of the Sun on Friday, Day 3 of their 4-day stint at Henry Fonda.  My favorite song of the night, and the most radio-friendly, was We are the People. 



Frontman Luke Steele put on a great show for being just one man, but I have to agree with LA Weekly that his dancers stole the show with their bizarre costumes and frantic dancing.  Favorite costumes of the night: the swordfish.



Some people thought Steele's voice cracked a bit, but I didn't really notice because there were so many distractions from the stage show (screensaver style background, costumes, headdresses) and you have to give him some leeway when he's been singing for a third night in a row.  The music and singing was still good enough to dance to. 

Most Amazing Drummer Ever

Where in the world did this guy learn how to play the drums?  and what's he doing in THAT band.

Planet Earth Live @ Hollywood Bowl

Since the Hollywood Bowl usually allows food, we decided to have a Porto's picnic:

1. Meat pies - nice and flaky.  I can see why they make such good pastries.  Wish there was just a little more than just meat in there.  Veggies would have helped 
2. Potato balls - free! But they got a little chewy because we waited a bit to eat them.  Note:  eat the potato balls ASAP

3. Potato Ball sandwich (a little dry.  Maybe because of the balls' exteriors or too much starch altogether) 

4. Double Danish - cherry on one side, apple on the other.  Unfortunately, I was so full I only took one bite.  It was good though! 

5. Tiramisu - really good despite being a little melted from the warm weather.   

Maybe this should have been called a starchy picnic instead of a Porto's picnic.

I've never seen the Planet Earth series (I know, shame on me), so I was really excited to finally see some of it, especially to the sounds of the LA Phil.  That weekend was the first time Hollywood Bowl used their HD screen located center stage, above the orchestra.  It was amazingly crisp and clear, like watching TV in your living room, but with better sound.

Turned out, the conductor, George Fenton, wrote the music for Blue Planet and Planet Earth.  He made some humorous intros for each of the condensed episodes.  My fav episodes:  Babies, Predators (epic shots and music), Caves (the environment and animals looked so alien!), and Behind-the-Scenes.

There were more kids at The Bowl than I'm used to seeing.  I was surprised they showed Predators with children present.  The episodes were beautifully shot.  I can't believe how many hours and months photographers wait just to get a 10 minute shot of an animal.  Editors must go through so many hours and hours of footage just to produce a single episode.  I really admire all the dedication and work that went into the series.

The LA Phil was fantastic and I hope they decide to do this again because I think it's a great family activity.  Can't wait until they do Frozen Planet Live. 

Dirty Martinis Jazz to Play @ Blogger Prom

Photo from Dirty Martinis Jazz

Jazz trio Dirty Martinis Jazz will be providing live music for Blogger Prom along with guest singer, Christiana Moffa.