MMM: Seemingly Appropriate, But Is it?

Afternoon, stargazers! For those who celebrate Memorial Day, I hope it has been a great day. For those who do not observe the holiday, I hope this Monday hasn't been as bad as many Mondays can be.

Many folks have spent their holiday grilling. There won't be any grilling around the Whore house today, but good things will be a-cookin'. Though we won't be fixing that good 'ol American fare of hamburgers and hot dogs, here's a tune that every person should add to their grillin' mix.

Or is it? American singer-songwriter Meiko wrote this little tune called the Hot Dog Song a.k.a. You and Onions Make Me Cry. As she mentions in the video below, the song was inspired by a friend's film project. It's a short, infectious song. And even if it isn't really about scarfing down tasty hot dogs, it's still worth the listen.

Meiko - The Hot Dog Song

To all you grillers out there, enjoy an extra dog for me.

You Can Leave Your Crown On...

My fellow LAMBs, I thank you! I owe you for not one, but two 2010 LAMMY nominations! If by chance you don't know which awards I am in the running for, they are:

Best Blog Name

Best Random LAMB Banner

I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to regain my crown for my banner and recognition for blog name would just be icing on the cake. To make my dreams, and yours, a reality, I thought I'd provide a little incentive:


What are you waiting for? Go vote now! You've only got until June 7th.

The Hump: No. 4

MMM: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Faithful Monday Mood Music readers may recall a post I did a little over six months ago about a fellow NC State alum, Kyler England. Today's post once again features Ms. England, well, kinda sorta.

Kyler, along with Gabriel Mann, Adrianne Gonzalez and Rob Giles, will be playing together this Thursday at the Local 506 in Chapel Hill, under their indie supergroup moniker, the Rescues. I don't know a whole lot about the band, except that the folks at Grey's Anatomy really like them. Five of their songs have been used on the show. Who knew I'd ever have anything in common with that show except an appreciation of Sandra Oh.

I'm excited the Rescues will be in town, but I'm not sure if I'm up for the show. Just two weeks ago I was in Chapel Hill for a Tuesday show. I didn't make it home until after 1am; that's a great evening, but the next day at work was a bitch! While I decide if I want to drag into work, musically satisfied though sleep deprived, why don't you check out the live and studio versions of my favorite Rescues tune.

The Rescues - Can't Stand the Rain

The Rescues - Can't Stand the Rain (Live)

Decisions, decisions.
What do you think I should do?

.

Bangin' Out the Jizt:: One-Man Wolf Pack Edition

In this fast-paced world of blogging, tweeting and fly-by-night film voyeurism, sometimes one doesn't have the time to give a film proper treatment. More importantly, others do not always have the time to read it. Sometimes you just have to take it around back and squeeze one out in 1-2-3 quick licks.

Think of The Jizt as the wham, bam, thank you ma'am of reviews.

***

The Ghost Writer


Release: 02.19.10 limited
Rated PG-13
2 hours, 8 minutes


Full Price



Cast: Ewan McGregor (Stay), Pierce Brosnan (The Matador), Olivia Williams (An Education)

The Build-up: Contracted to polish the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, the Ghost becomes fixated on the circumstances surrounding his predecessor's death.

The Blurt-out: I'm not sure Eli Wallach was cast or, by complete coincidence, owned the beach house used on location, but it worked either way.

The Jizt: This tautly directed and excellently performed mystery keeps the cat in the bag and audiences on the edges of their seats until the very end.

"I don't need a ghost writer to help me with the Jizt, so bugger off!"

***

Terribly Happy (Frygtelig lykkelig)


Release: 02.05.10 limited
Rated UR
1 hour, 30 minutes


Full Price



Cast: Jakob Cedergren, Lene Maria Christensen, Kim Bodnia

The Build-up: After marshal Robert Hansen goes a little crazy in Copenhagen, he is relocated to the insular farming town of Skarrild where he appears to be the only sane one.

The Blurt-out: If you've been feening for a movie where folks smack children, commit adultery and play cards on the regular, this should be the must-see event of your year!

The Jizt: The dreariness of the bog pales in comparison to the desperate situations the marshal mires himself in, yet you'll be the one glued to the spot as the story unfolds.

"Just one moment more, sir. I've nearly got the Jizt."

***

Greenberg


Release: 03.26.10 limited
Rated R
1 hour, 47 minutes


Full Price




Cast: Ben Stiller (The Royal Tenenbaums), Greta Gerwig (Baghead), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill)

The Build-up: Emotionally fragile Roger Greenberg returns to Los Angeles to house-sit for his brother, but secretly hopes to mend the broken connections in his life.

The Blurt-out: Had Greenberg seen Florence in her pre-hospital duds, I wonder if his attraction would have remained as strong.

The Jizt: Look beyond the unlikeable facade of these characters to discover the latest disturbingly funny and emotionally poignant coming-of-age story from the mind of writer-director Noah Baumbach.

"When subjected to the Jizt, I always wear adequate eye protection."

***

Youth in Revolt

Release: 01.08.10
Rated R
1 hour, 30 minutes


Group Rental

Cast: Michael Cera (Paper Heart), Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart (Garden State)

The Build-up: As an outcast in both his family and high school circles, Nick Twisp finds ascension to coolness by following the advice of his lusty, devil-may-care alter ego, Francois Dillinger.

The Blurt-out: I'm fairly certain Zach Galifiankis's brief appearance was because he jumped this shit-ship the moment The Hangover opened at number one at the box office.

The Jizt: It takes some amazingly disjointed filmmaking to effectively neutralize, nay degrade, the movie-redeeming charms of Michael Cera.

"I'm impressed you managed to get the Jizt stuck to your forehead."

The Hump: No. 17

Stargazers! You've asked for a new feature, and those who ask shall receive.

Huh, Huh, You Said "Poll"

My latest poll has closed and what a turnout! If you're just tuning in and missed it, I asked the question:

Which Reel Whore specialties do it for you?

In an effort to return to my former, variety-rich content, I wanted to know which of my feature posts have you missed most. Turns out, you miss all of them; even some you don't even know!

Of the 14 votes cast:

1 vote just wants more reviews!

3 votes say gimme something new!

4 votes need The Face Punch

4 votes want to know Who's That Lady?

and landing appropriately on top...

6 votes demand more Spank Bank!



Seeing all the love for so many of my features, I will do my best to breathe new life into each and every one over the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

***

As always, once we've had our fill of one poll, it's time to move onto the next one. As a LAMB I am participating in the March to Box Office Madness; the game where we movie buffs try to predict the big summer winners.

The Madness has been underway for over six weeks. Of the 64 films in contention, eight have already opened in theaters. Of those, three releases are from the top, i.e. #1 and #2 positions, of each grouping. Two films are from the bottom, #7 and #8, of each grouping.

What I've noticed is that, with the exception of Iron Man 2, all the contenders currently in play have kind of sucked. The questions that give the Reel Whore that familiar, burning sensation are:

Which huge opener makes you all tingly?

Five Films with Really Big... Expectations:
Prince of Persia
Twilight: Eclipse
Toy Story 3
The A-Team
Sex & the City 2

and question numero dos;

Which bottom feeder sucks hardest?

Six Films with Little... Impact:
The Expendables
Salt
Despicable Me
MacGruber
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Dinner for Schmucks

Choices are limited to films yet to be released from the top and bottom seeds. Enough chatter, get to voting!