Brief Movie Review for "$5 a Day (Five Dollars a Day)" (2008)

$5 a Day (Five Dollars a Day) (2008) 

3/5 Stars ***

Not a serious movie, but not total comedy either. Christopher Walken plays as the main character's hustler of a father who refuses to pay for anything by scamming, dealing, hustling, and picking up freebies of any kind he can left and right. Actually, the many ways his character finds to get free things is probably the most interesting part of this flick. Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet have very minor roles in this one so don't expect much there. It makes me wonder if all of those vehicles driving around with big adverts on them are actually just "freebies" that someone has discovered...I always thought that they were company reps driving them around, oh well. The movie is worth watching once, but I doubt I will ever watch it again.

Song for December 2nd, 2010: "Lost My Nerve" by Jebediah

The song for today is....Lost My Nerve, by Australian alternative rock group Jebediah. Jebediah formed back in 1994, in Perth, Australia and currently consists of members Kevin Mitchell (vocals and guitars), Chris Daymond (guitars), Vanessa Thornton (bass guitar), and Brett Mitchell (drums). Between the years of 1997-2004 the group produced 4 studio albums, at which point they went on hiatus for a few years, but Lost My Nerve comes off of their newest album titled Kosciuszko, which is set to be released in April of 2011.

#38 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: "Is This Really Love?" by Narada Michael Walden (1987)

We are back, in the 80's once again, and this time we have a gem, at #38 its.....Is This Really Love? by  American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter Narada Michael Walden. Now many of you might be asking yourselves questions like "who the hell is that?" or "what song is that?" Well, I must admit that I did not know of this song or artist in the 80's, and in all actuality it has been later on (since about the year 2000 or so) that I have actually been into 80's music, movies, and media again. You know, I went through that same 90's music stage that the rest of us did only to end up in the "noughties" with not much happening musically, only to rediscover the upbeat and just plain more interesting music of the 80's decade. But now, I have noticed an influx of new-energy, especially on the music scene coming in, which is quite exciting...But that really is a tangent, so getting back to the artist....Walden started out on his musical career in the 1970's and produced 9 studio albums between the 1976-1988. Walden has collaborated with many other major talents that achieved #1 Awards, such as Whitney Houston's How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), or Aretha Franklin's Freeway of Love, to Diana Ross's Take Me Higher.  He has also owned and managed the renowned Tarpan Studios in San Rafael, California since the mid-1980's. Is This Really Love? can't be found on any of his studio albums however, as it was produced and featured in the 1987 Meg Ryan/Dennis Quaid/Martin Short film Innerspace (another 80's classic fo sho). So if you are looking for it and can't find it, the soundtrack is where you will find it. If I remember correctly from the film, this is the song they play in the dance club scene when "the Cowboy" character is dancing with/hitting on Meg Ryan's character. If you like this song I would also recommend another 80's classic song of his (which sadly won't be featured on the countdown as I have filled all the spots, so I will mention it here) caribbean-sounding Ain't Nobody Ever Loved You track, found on his 1983 Looking at You, Looking at Me album. And there it is kids, now go out and watch Innerspace, we could all use some good 80's comedy in our lives these days after all, and stay-tuned for #37!http://your80smusicauthority.blogspot.com/

Song for December 1st, 2010: "Doncamatic (feat. Daley)" by Gorillaz

Today's song is...Doncamatic (feat. Daley), by English alternative/hip-hop group Gorillaz. Gorillaz was formed in 1998 by British musician Damon Albarn and British Cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (in Essex, England), as an idea of a fictional cartoon band in a fictional reality. The fictional band consists of fictional members 2D (as lead vocalist and keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboard, and occasional vocals), and Russel Hobbs (on drums). The Gorillaz follow the "dream within a dream," or "fiction within a fiction" concept, but in reality their music comes out of collaborations between Damon Albarn (the only permanent member of the band) and many other musicians. Doncamatic is a recently released single featuring British singer Daley as the guest artist. Doncamatic was released on November 21st, 2010 and has been added to a re-released version of the latest Gorillaz album titled Plastic Beach. This song has the definitive electronic Gorillaz sound, and is quite good, so if you haven't already, be sure to check it out, and get ready for X-Mas...I can't believe we are already in flippin December, it will be 2011 before we know it folks!

Steve Judd's Global Forecast for December 2010

http://stevejudd.com/

POMATIC Mashup: Lady Gaga vs. Kardinal Offishall - "Numba 1 Game"

Song for November 30th, 2010: "I'm Not the One" by The Black Keys

Today's song is....I'm Not the One, by American blues-rock duo The Black Keys. The Black Keys have been around for awhile now, they formed in Akron, Ohio back in 2001 and have released 8 studio albums a 2 EP's in that time. That is including the collaboration album they did just recently with several R&B and hip hop artists titled Blakroc, which I would highly recommend checking out if you haven't already. Also, the Black Keys are a duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. I'm Not the One comes off of their latest album release titled Brothers (released in May 2010). I highly recommend checking out the whole album if you like this style of music, as well as their past albums. Keep it real.

Brief Movie Review for "Gigante" (2009)

"Gigante" (2009) 

3.5 Stars ***"

This is not a move to watch if you are seeking action, as it is very slow-paced, however, that is what makes it interesting in my opinion. It is not a typical formula movie, as it follows some pretty ordinary people who work at a 'Wal-Mart' type store in Montevideo, Uruguay, and specifically a night-shift-security guard who develops a crush on one of the night-cleaners by watching her over the security cameras, and then semi-stalking her for months before ever developing the courage to actually talk to her face to face. I can relate to this character somewhat, as sometimes it is much easier to live in your own mind with a fantasy idea of what a relationship or a person you have a crush on is (although it is really just an idea in one's mind and nothing more), than it is to actually meet that person and realize its all just an illusion in your head. That goes for places too, actually, the idea that a place or a person can fulfill you, or help you to be more "fully yourself." Well, that was a long review, check out the movie!

Song for November 29th, 2010: "Take Me Over" by Cut Copy

Today's song is...Take Me Over, by Australian indie-synth-pop group Cut Copy. Cut Copy originate in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and consists of Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Tim Hoey (bass guitar and sampler), and Mitchell Scott (drums). Cut Copy started out in 2001 with Dan Whitford who is both a DJ and a graphic designer, and in fact Whitford released the first single and EP on his own before he recruited the other band members that comprise the band today. I have had the privilege of seen Cut Copy live on two occasions, and I highly recommend checking them out live if you ever get this chance, a very good show. Take Me Over is the the second single release from their upcoming third studio album Zonoscope, which is set to be released in full on February 8th, 2011. Both of these singles are quite good in my opinion which bodes well for the album (although it should also be noted that the band has stated there may be different final versions of these singles appearing on the actual album upon its release), although I would be pleasantly surprised if they could out do their 2008 In Ghost Colours album, which I also highly recommend checking out if you like this one. Paste!

Song of the Day for November 28th, 2010: "Coming Around" by Hungry Kids of Hungary

The song of the day is....Coming Around, by Australian four-piece indie-pop band Hungry Kids of Hungary. Hungry Kids of Hungary formed back in 2007, comes out of Brisbane, Australia, and consists of Dean McGrath (lead vocals, guitar), Kane Mazlin (vocals and keyboards), Ben Dalton (bass guitar and vocals) and Ryan Strathie (drums and vocals). Coming Around is the latest single released in August of 2010, which will appear on their upcoming debut full-length studio album titled Escapades. If you like what you hear be sure to check out their myspace page HERE, and their Unearthed page HERE.

Song for November 27th, 2010: "Finally See Our Way" by Art vs Science

The song for today is....Finally See Our Way, by Australian dance-punk-band Art vs. Science. Art vs Science formed back in 2008, out of Sydney, Australia and consists of members Jim Finn (vocals and keyboards), Dan McNamee (aka Dan Mac) (vocals, guitars and keyboards), and Dan Williams (aka Dan W) (drums and vocals). Finally See Our Way is the lead single coming off of Art vs Science's upcoming debut LP, and it is currently available for purchase on itunes US and Australia, and probably UK. Art vs Science toured the UK as a supporting band for La Roux and then Groove Armada this past May of 2010, and they received 3 nominations at the ARIA Awards 2010. Check this band out if you haven't already, I also would highly recommend their previous 2008 single release track Flippers, innit!Art Vs Science

Brief Movie Review for "Gentleman Broncos" (2009)

Brief Movie Review for Gentleman Broncos (2009)

3/5 Stars ***

Similar to Napolean Dynamite, same director anyways, however not quite the same. Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords) plays a role of a Sci-fi author who has run out of ideas, and a teenager who is aspiring to be a sci-fi author who's work is copied and used by Clement's character as well as some local film-makers. This movie left me wondering what the point is, but then what is the point of any film, it occupied me for an hour and a half and was moderately amusing and worth watching once.

Brat Mashup: "Easy Heaven" (The Cure vs. The Commodores)