Audio Absinthe

You might not expect to hear about a vineyard in Arizona.  You also might not expect to hear about the lead singer of Tool owning a vineyard.  Blood Into Wine: The Arizona Stronghold is a film about just that: Maynard James Keenan’s vineyard in Arizona.  It won’t be released until 2010.  Here’s the trailer:

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- Posted by Oscar M -

June 9-14 – Arclight Hollywood – Los Angeles, CA

June 19 – 25 – Century Centre Cinema – Chicago, IL

June 23-28 – Quad Cinema – New York, NY

Hola Mexico Film Festival official website

Seldom do I see a movie and say I should write a review about it and even more rare is the time I go to a film festival and am already looking forward to next years. Well this happened at the same time at the first annual Hola Mexico Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA. When I say “first annual” I mean the term loosely, Australia has been enjoying the festival since 2006 and the USA debut of the festival was in 2008, but only in New York. This year the film festival embarks on three of the nations largest Latino populated cities Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Hola Mexico Film Festival will run 14 Mexican films all projected from 35mm prints. The best part in my opinion was the fact that this great festival was showcased at the best theatre in Los Angeles the Arclight Hollywood. The sound and picture quality are absolutely amazing. This years festival will host highly revered films like Voy A Explotar, Cosas Insignificantes, and Otra Película de Huevos y un Pollo.

My favorite film of the festival has to be Voy A Explotar (I’m Gonna Explode) written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo. The film tells the story of two rebellious teens that meet by chance but are united by their social dispositions. Narrated by the films main protagonist Maru (Maria Deschamps), a solitary girl with constant run-ins with sexual harassment and a misunderstood identity at home, her life is changed when she meets Roman (Juan Pablo de Santiago). Roman, a violent fantasy escapist who is starved for attention from his politician father is expelled and shipped off to live with his stepmother. It is there Roman meets Maru and the adventure begins. The two are instantly bonded and their friendship turned romance leads them into a rebellion against their parents. The two plot disappear and end-up settling in the best of hideouts, Roman’s house rooftop. With a new life the two make a pact to never leave each other’s side. Things heat up when their cover is nearly blown and are forced to flee their rooftop paradise. With their worried parents hot on their tail Maru and Roman find that their escape is bigger than they are and that their actions will soon have consequences.

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- Posted by Andrew C -

The Hit List

• Transformers 2 – Other than the fact that Michael Bay overdoes almost everything that he has ever directed, I think that he is a perfect fit for this movie. The first installment of the series was pretty damn good in my books. We’re not talking Oscars or anything, but if you like action packed – this is the one for you.I should also mention the fact that one of the top 5, hottest girls of all time will be in it as well – Megan Fox.Behind Harry Potter, I’m guessing this movie will make the most money this summer.

MP3: Gnarls Barkley – Transformer (Live Acoustic Abbey Road)

• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – There is no question that the 6th installment in the 7 book series will be the biggest blockbuster in terms of overall sales this summer.  However, are these “kids” getting too old for this?! I guess the fact that Hermione Granger is starting to grow a pair will make up for the inconvenience of having to imagine that these twenty-somethings are still in their mid-teens. While the film is said to be the darkest of the 6, it is also said to be filled with the most romance as well. With that, critics say that this film provides the most depth thus far compared to the other films in the series.From what I have heard from the people over at WB, this film will not disappoint.

Click here to see the trailer
Release Date: July 15 2009

• Terminator: Salvation – I have seen two trailers for this film. One of them honestly doesn’t make the film look so great, but this one below sure as hell does.  I have no doubt that if Christian Bale can make Batman any cooler than he already was, he can do the same for John Conner.  Similar to Transformers, if you like CGI and high octane action, this is a must see for you.

MP3: Kraftwerk – Man Machine

• The Hangover – This is the one comedy that I know is coming out this summer that I truly think will be hilarious. The film is brought to us by the same people who gave us Old School (Directed by Todd Phillips) and is a story about 4 guys (Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Jeffrey Tambor and Ed Helms) who go to Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up with only pieces of a story that they need to glue back together in order to find their friend who is supposed to get married in a day.  Check it out!

MP3 link: Phil Collins – In The Air

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The Miss List

• GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra – While the action looks to be ok, the fact that Dennis Quaid and Marlon Wayans are the stars of this film really discourages me from taking this movie even slightly seriously. It’s directed by the same guy who did The Mummy, but looks to be filled with straight Cheese!!!

• 2012 – Roland Emmerich has come up with some doozies in the past but this one could take the cake. Unfortunately, this one will be at the expense of John Cusack – who starred in one of my favorite comedy movies of all time: Better Off Dead. If you haven’t see that one, check it out. I digress. If you thought that Day After Tomorrow was good, or you like eating pieces of shit, then this one is will be right up your ally.

- Posted by Andrew C -

Don’t get excited guys, we aren’t going to get another peak at Neve Campbell and Denise Richards making out topless…

For the past three years, a film adaptation/re-creation of the classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are has been underway. For most of us, this book holds a special place in our childhood memories, and usually for the same reason – it rings true for any 5-12 yr old who has been sent to their room for acting up. Just like all of us, Max uses his imagination to travel beyond the confines of his bedroom in a magical journey which takes him to the land Where the Wild Things Are.

Interestingly enough, the film’s director is Spike Jonze. Jonze began his career as the co-creator of the popular MTV series Jackass and its later released film Jackass: The Movie. Some of you might remember him as the featured dancer in Fat Boy Slim’s music video “Praise You”, which he also directed. Most people know him for his directorial work on Three Kings, which took a satirical look at Operation Desert Storm (starring Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney).

Not surprisingly, Jonze is said to have put a dark twist on Wild Things, which has been the cause for the film’s mixed reviews thus far, forcing Warner Bros. to re-cut the film into what will be released later this year.

Hopefully, the mixture of Jonze’s creativity and the star-studded cast – which includes James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper and Mark Ruffalo – will prove to be an enjoyable and nostalgic experience for kids and adults alike.

Arcade Fire – Wake Up