MMM: Thank U 4 A Funky Time

I tell you, between the holidays and my recovery, I can't seem to take proper care of the site. With the new year fast approaching, it's time to declare those resolutions and maintaining my website will be in there...somewhere, I promise.

In the meantime, it's time to start the week off with a kick-ass groove. Those who know me, know this choice is a no-brainer even if it is a bit cliché. It goes without saying he is my favorite artist. He's been putting out CDs for nearly as long as I've been breathing and is still going strong with a new album nearly every year.

This selection may be obvious, but since we're ringing in the new 2009, why not remember what it's like to party like it's 1999? Prince had the right idea twenty-six years ago and though we've moved beyond the Judgement Day-millennium paranoia, I think the world's still screwy enough that the sentiment holds strong.

I grabbed this from the MTV website for it's high quality, though the lame commercial preceding it cannot be helped. Persevere through it and then rock out with the man and his awesome purple jacket.

Prince - 1999

Prince - New Music - More Music Videos

Got any 2009 resolutions you want to share?

MMM: Look Frank. It's a Toaster!

Hey Stargazers! Sorry but my recovery has me a bit out of whack with my timing. Better late than never I say. This week's mood music is an uplifting song that I cannot wait to hear when I sit down to enjoy my cache of holiday favorites.

This particular tune is sung by the cast at the end of the film Scrooged. As an added holiday bonus, I thought I'd present this nice little promo to persuade you to give this flick a look-see if you never have before:

Though this week's music selection is performed by the cast of Scrooged, the soundtrack version was a duet performed by Annie Lennox and Al Green. I know that's a bit of an oddball collabo, but it works. The video posted below, however, doesn't work as well...it looks like a sort of epileptic barrage of snowflakes, movie clips and Christmas cheer. What do you want? It was the 80's. Never the less, I hope you enjoy...

Put a Little Love in Your Heart

Wow, doesn't that just ooze the Eighties?!

Happy Holidays!

The Wrath of McCoy Ends!

Hey friends, readers and stargazers!

I know you've probably forgotten all about the Reel Whore since the auto posts died out over a week ago. Don't blame me, blame the doctors and the hospital.

After being sent home shortly after my last Monday Mood Music, I was on the road to recovery until a three day follow-up landed me back in the clink. After a week with little sleep, little food and many nights with an annoying roommate, I demanded to be sent home rather than waste another day of my life in that hole. I am home now, thankfully, and I am going to fight tooth and nail to avoid being readmitted at my next appointment. I have more tubes in me than a cyborg and my belly is carved up like a Turistas reject, but honestly, I'm doing much better now.

I'm well enough to enjoy the holidays and all the holiday movies that are being released. I have over a dozen posts in the queue that I hope to release over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I've got much catching up to do at the theaters. Maybe I'll see you there!

MMM: I Can Sing, I Just Chose Not to Sing

*This post is on the Wrath of McCoy! auto-pilot.*

Recently, the television has been blasting one of my new holiday favorites, Elf. I haven't sat down to actually watch it yet, but plan will be to curl up with several other holidays faves and make a weekend of it.

In Elf, Zooey Deschanel played the thirteen-year-younger love interest to Will Ferrell's Buddy. Now looking to tap that, though with an even more questionable eighteen-year age gap is Jim Carrey in the upcoming Yes Man. While I'll save my critique of that film for another time, I want to focus on Zooey.

For those who don't know, Zooey is the vocals, piano and percussion in the duo She & Him. The wifey bought me their debut CD, Volume One, for my b-day and I have been grooving to it frequently since. Well, grooving is a relative term as it has a mellow, old-school country vibe and I find Zooey's voice quite soothing. This selection isn't my favorite from the album, but it's intriguing and bizarre and a perfect selection for this week's mood music:

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Enjoy the Zooey goodness.

Trailer Trash: The December 5th Quickie

*This post is on the Wrath of McCoy! auto-pilot.*

This month's Gang Bang has been reduced to a series of weekly quickies not only because of the Wrath of McCoy but also because of the season. That's right, with so many films vying for your holiday bucks and Academy recognition, December is nothing short of a clusterfuck when it comes to releases.

Each week this month, I will be making an effort to report to you all major theatrical releases and any limited releases according to IMDB. Given that I'll be lucky to see any limited releases in my area by the end of December, I'll be skipping the elusive and highly exclusive LA/NY releases. Let's jump right in to this week:


Cadillac Records (limited) For those who don't know, Beyoncé is an ass hair away from a Face Punch. Still, this story about the rise and fall of Chess Records has too many great names (Mos Def, Gabrielle Union) not to see. I'm curious as to how a film starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright manages to give Sasha Fierce an "AND" credit. WTF?!


Verdict: It's Friday, I Don't Want to be Alone.



Punisher: War Zone You'd think a comic character born out of the thrilling vigilante, above-the-law films of the last few decades wouldn't have a hard time adapting to the big screen. The old Dolph Lundgren flick came close, but the Thomas Jane-John Travolta fare was all kinds of crap. After that one, Ray Stevenson and director Lexi Alexander have miles to go to conquer that mountain of turd.


Verdict: Exercise the Right To Cinematic Celibacy.



Nobel Son (limited) I'd never heard of this. The trailer looks fast and funny and has tons of under appreciated actors including Bill Pullman, Shawn Hatosy and one of my favorites, Alan Rickman. This could be more painful than it looks, but with Eliza Dushku starring alongside Rickman, I'll take my chances.



Verdict: It's Friday, I Don't Want to be Alone.


Short and not so sweet, but that's what a quickie is all about.

Repeat Bidness: An Inconvenient Truth

*This post is on the Wrath of McCoy! auto-pilot.*

An Inconvenient Truth

Release: 05.24.06
DVD Release: 11.21.06
Rated PG

1 hour, 40 minutes

Full Price ($$$$) <
> Matinee ($$$)


In Superman Returns Lex Luthor wants to create a new land mass in the Atlantic Ocean because real estate means money and power. The problem with creating the new land mass is that it would effectively destroy Metropolis with flooding and tidal waves. Luckily for the world, Superman is there to fly in and save the day. It’s a great story line and a great movie that you should check out if you haven’t already. But you may ask yourself, why am I talking about Superman Returns in a review for An Inconvenient Truth? Because the premise is strikingly similar and not as fictional as you think. Researchers have been touting the environmental effects of global warming for decades. Global warming is reported to attribute to increased melting of glaciers and ice caps on countries such as Greenland. As the temperature rises, the ice melts and much of the planet’s frozen lands will be uncovered and readied for development. Of course, all that water will flood millions of miles of existing land and one thing’s for certain; we have no Superman to stop it.

Luckily, we have former Vice President Al Gore, and though he isn’t donning any tights or cape, he has taken to the skies to travel and educate the world about the impacts of global warming in the hopes that citizens will join together to make a global change. Director Davis Guggenheim (TV: Deadwood) presents Gore’s global journey in a documentary designed to take the message to audiences beyond the lecture hall. The documentary highlights Gore’s entire presentation, complete with visual aids and witticisms. Guggenheim does depart intermittently from the engaging presentation to delve into the orator’s history. The departures review Gore’s youth in Tennessee and Washington, D.C., his time as a senator, his son’s near-death experience, and his time as a presidential candidate, all of which help to depict Gore as a concerned individual who is reaching out to his fellow man rather than a politician or salesman with a ulterior purpose. While it is true that Gore is a politician and everyone has an agenda, the documentary successfully utilizes these segues to present the issue of global warming as pertinent to everyone.

Though it is a documentary, specifically a documentary centered on a presentation, it is engaging and at times amusing despite the weighty subject. Gore’s use of satellite imagery and historical photos help put the problem into an easily understandable perspective. For folks who may need more convincing, the documentary discusses specific research that supports the effect global warming is having on the planet. For audiences who are well-versed in global warming it is probably a little too simplified and may be a bit dull, but the average concerned individual should receive a solid foundation for understanding this issue.

Dirty Undies
Gore gets a bit passionate but not quite worked up enough to generate anything worthy of Dirty Undies status.

The Money Shot
The popular media will say that there is no conclusive evidence to prove that global warming is the cause of our increasingly hot summers. This documentary gives you the information to help you decide for yourself. Whether you come out a believer or not, going to see this film will, at the very least, spare you from the record heat wave we’re experiencing for a couple hours.

More Than a Mouthful: factualTV

*This post is on the Wrath of McCoy! auto-pilot.*

First, I must apologize to Carl over at factual TV for neglecting his request for so many months. You see, Carl put me onto his website which I've found is a great place to find documentaries you may not have heard of otherwise.

Being the Reel Whore that I am, I had to check out one of the most popular documentary films, This is Rock Bitch.

This is Rock Bitch Trailer (NSFW)

Unfortunately, I have yet to finish the film, though not because it was painful to watch. I had some issues with the player, which I believe are more a function of my pathetic Vista-infected machine and a wonky Firefox upgrade than the factualTV site. I am hoping to find more time to finish this high-quality film and check out many of the others which can be found under topics ranging from biographies to culture to sports and more.

Once you sign up, you're given a number of credits which you can use to purchase any documentaries that are available for download. You can see trailers for all films. Some films are free, others you'll need to purchase but so far I've only seen films priced at $1.99 to $2.99 which isn't terrible. If you get the chance, you should give factualTV a look see.

MMM: One you Can Really Party to

*This post is on the Wrath of McCoy! auto-pilot.*

It's hard to believe but I've been cranking out the Monday Mood Music post for well over two months. In all those weeks, I have neglected to showcase an artist from my state. It's time to remedy that oversight today.

A few weeks back I watched Bill Maher's documentary Religulous. While I haven't found the time to post my review of this entertaining film, one thing I enjoyed was the music. One appropriately matched song I instantly recognized as a tune created by a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This gentleman is especially well-known in the Triangle area of NC, but many may recognize him as the frontman of Ben Folds Five. This week's mood music selection, however, is from Ben Folds's 2005 album, Songs for Silverman. Welcome to

Jesusland

North Carolina Represent!