Untraceable
When the terms "cat and mouse chase" and "serial killer" are used in the same sentence to describe a film, it's too easy to compare it to Silence of the Lambs. With the film Untraceable, I actually I found it closer to Saw than Silence of the Lambs. You've heard the premise before. Someone gets traumatized by a life situation, and seeks to teach some kind of "lesson" through murdering people. In this case, the murders are broadcasted live on a website where the more hits the site gets, the faster the victims die. And the "lesson" he's trying to teach? It's mostly about society's fascination with seeing people exploited for the sake of entertainment. To stop this killer, a tech savvy FBI team led by Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) step in to find the killer. The problem is that he's always one step ahead of them, since his website is "untraceable". When one of the killings gets personal to Jennifer, she needs to think really fast since her life is now at stake. This film reminds us that while the Internet can be used for doing wonderful things, there also is a dark side to that. Some sick shit can be done in the hands of the wrong person. Although the story is not the most original I've seen, I thought it was a decent thriller. Diane Lane pulled through in the main role playing an FBI agent who's also a single mom. And it's her character's fate that's in jeopardy at the climatic ending, when she winds up in the hands of the killer. The only question is how will she make it out alive, since the killer is untraceable?Untraceable comes out on DVD May 13th.
Jars Of Clay - Greatest Hits
I'm still confused why there was a need to release 2 greatest hits albums in less than a year. If you already own the 2-disc set The Essential Jars of Clay, then you have all the songs here, with the exception of Show You Love and Love Is The Protest. One of my complaints with the Essential CD is that it left off Show You Love. One benefit of this greatest hits release is that it contains this song. Also included here is a bonus track called Love Is The Protest. Nothing against their other hits here, but this was the highlight of the album for me. This song continues where their last album Good Monsters left off. It's a reminder that the old Jars Of Clay is gone, and has been replaced with a band that rocks out a lot more (and shows their love for 80's music too).Here's the track list for Greatest Hits:Flood
Love Song For A Savior
Like A Child
Worlds Apart
Crazy Times
Frail
Unforgetful You
I Need You
Show You Love
Amazing Grace
God Will Lift Up Your Head
Dead Man (Carry Me)
Work
Love Is The Protest
If you're in the mood to see an underdog film with some great acting, check out The Great Debaters. Based on a true story, this inspirational film includes A-list actors such as Denzel Washington (proving again why he's one of Hollywood's best) and Forest Whitaker. Professor Melvin Tolson (played by Denzel) is the coach of a debate team for a small African American college during the 1930's. Tolson teaches his team the power of words, and challenges them to use their skills to debate bigger universities. Along the way, they deal with extreme racism along with their own personal conflicts. In regards to the racism issue, there is one scene that got me really pissed off. It was very hard to watch. But seeing the team work to overcome the odds and travel to Harvard for a final debate made up for the horrible situations they had to deal with. Expect to be cheering for them by the ending of the film!
The Great Debaters comes out on DVD May 13th. The special features include a commentary by Denzel Washington and a documentary with the original debaters, giving you more insight into the story.
The last time I saw them live, they opened up for Mute Math, which was a phenomenal show. I though then that Eisley was much more than an opening act. Last week, Eisley came back to NYC to play at the Highline Ballroom. My beliefs were confirmed that they deserved their own tour.
From the moment they stepped on stage, you could feel the energy rise as the crowd 
excitedly welcomed them through much cheering. The band went through most of the songs on the album Combinations, and they couldn't have sounded any better. With the Dupree sisters' haunting vocals soaring on each track, they played a set that made sure the fans got their moneys worth. Not to take away from their last performance, but I thought they sounded better this time around. Proof that this band is moving full steam ahead, rather than floating in musical oblivion.
One other observation at the show. As much as the band gave a stellar performance, I thought the crowd could have moved around a bit more. I mean, they showed their support by applauding and singing along. But damn, we could have moved a bit more people!!! Some jumping at least?? Other than that, it was a memorable performance by this sibling band from Texas.
I was never a fan of Bob Dylan's music. I grew up during the 80's and 90's, so I was way past his era. The cynical side of me thought that the people around me who claimed to be Dylan fans, were just doing it because it seemed trendy. Being open to different forms of creativity, I gave his music a try. I still couldn't get into it even after listening. Mind you, I did think that he was great at poetic expressions, which carried over into him becoming a huge cultural icon. And I respected the way he inspired people through creativity, even if I didn't like his music. Well, my respect for his work went up a bit after seeing a little film called I'm Not There. This isn't any ordinary film though. It's about Bob Dylan, only he's played by 6 different people! This cast of six actors each playing Dylan includes Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger (R.I.P.), Ben Whishaw, and Marcus Carl Franklin. I just watched the DVD this weekend and I thought the movie was fascinating. The idea to have multiple actors each playing a different side of one character was genius. And of course, the acting was awesome. The standout performance though (if you haven't already heard) is Cate Blanchett's. I remember rolling my eyes when people were raving about it. It wasn't until I saw the DVD the other night that I understood all the attention she got for this role. You almost think you're watching Dylan himself! This surprisingly turned out to be one of the most unique films I've seen, about a very complex artist.
I'm Not There comes out on DVD May 6th.
In the film In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, I couldn't wait for Ray Liotta's loathsome character Gallian to die a slow death. Yeah, he's that bad. In fact, after about the first 20 minutes, you want to jump through the screen and seek vengeance yourself for what he does. But, that's why the hero known as Farmer (played by Jason Statham) is there. This is one farmer you don't want to mess with. He can take on legions of men by himself using martial arts along with his weapon skills. And you get to see him in action after Gallian commits a horrible act against Farmer's family. I would hate to ruin it for anyone who hasn't watched the film, so I will refrain from going into detail as to what Gallian does. But what I will say is that Farmer seeks justice with a vengeance. I was a little uncomfortable the first half of the film watching the cast that includes Jason Statham, Leelee Sobieski, Ray Liotta, and Burt Reynolds in a fantasy/adventure film like this. But, by the time the story kicked into gear, the sometimes uncomfortable acting was outweighed by the Lord Of The Rings style action. And in this underdog story, you get taken on a journey to see an ordinary farmer transform into an unlikely hero, as he leads an uprising against a very evil army.
In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale is out now on DVD.
David Attenborough: Wildlife Specials"Out now on DVD"
I don't know about you, but living in the NYC area, I tend to forget about the wildlife on our planet. Usually, the only time you'll see wildlife here is if you go barhopping on a Saturday night. But that's beside the point. I recently checked out one of BBC Video's latest releases, David Attenborough: Wildlife Specials. I was blown away by this amazing collection of episodes that studied wildlife such as Polar Bears, Crocodiles, Leopards, Eagle, Whales, and Wolves. I was surprised at how ignorant I was about these complex creatures. With David Attenborough narrating each episode along with some stunning camera work, you are taken right into the world of these animals. You get to follow them as they hunt for prey in some of the most remote areas. I particularly enjoyed the special about the leopard, who hunts for food in complete darkness. With the leopard being taped by infrared technology, you get to see this animal on the move at night. And along with the leopard, each animal here shows how amazing they really are. By far, this is one of the best wildlife specials I have ever seen. Even if you're not into animals, I am sure you will be amazed at this brilliant DVD set.
