My Thoughts on Megan Is Missing

A dear old friend of mine called me up about an hour ago to ask me to watch a movie called Megan Is Missing. I had never heard of the movie but going off the title I guessed that it had something to do with a kidnapping. Naturally my hunch was right. However, I had no idea the amount of depth the actual movie would have. I'll be honest I only saw the last 22 minutes of the film. The reason being because after doing some research on the movie, (and by research I mean typing Megan Is Missing into google and seeing what came up and then clicking around for information like any pro detective would do, right?) I discovered that a lot of people were in shock of how the last 22 minutes shaped the film. So naturally I wanted to do the same. I just watched the last 22 minutes and let me say that was one hell of a 22 minutes. The extreme low key lighting combined with oblique camera angles and a lack of proper viewpoint really gave the movie a haunting atmosphere. This movie wants you to WANT to see what's going on but guess what....it doesn't allow you to and it'll drive you crazy not seeing, but only hearing what's happening.

I'm not sure if it would be considered taboo to review a movie based on seeing 22 minutes of it, so I won't call this a formal review. However you should know that Megan Is Missing was made for a specific reason: to bring about more attention to a problem that we as a society seem to not really care about, or at least do not know how to combat. It tackles the issue of the over-sexualization of young girls on the internet and specifically how often they are the targets of predators appearing to come off as "the right guy" who pretend to care and listen when all they want is to use these women in the worst possible ways. It may not be the greatest movie ever. Hell just based off the little I saw of it, I could tell you that the production value was very low. It's also not a movie for everyone that's for damn sure. However if you do watch it, whether or not you enjoyed it, you have to at least agree that it did give you something to think about. Any media that does that is, by my definition, great media.

I'd like to thank my old friend Liann for asking me to watch it. I'd also like to say that thanks to those 22 minutes I will eventually watch the whole movie. Probably not for a looooooooong time. The college life is a pretty busy one and I don't always feel like watching something. But rest assured I will watch this movie in it's entirety. Well thanks for reading my thoughts on Megan Is Missing and I wish you a great day!

Big Fish (2003)

Veteran's Day just passed and as I do on every Veteran's Day, I think a lot about my father and how he fought in Vietnam. Of course that leads me to think of how different he and I are and that leads me to think about Big Fish. Then that leads me to think about Yellowcard (for a good reason!). They have a song on their Lights And Sounds album called "How I Go" and it's inspired by this movie! Anyway Big Fish, (for anyone unfamiliar with this film) was directed by Tim Burton (which kind of shocked me). It's a movie essentially about the relationship between a father and a son. The story focuses on Edward Bloom (played by Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor), a man who takes pleasure in telling stories about things that have happened to him. A lot of these stories tend to be really abstract in nature and completely devoid of any logic or realism which is in fact the beauty of his stories. Although the stories are a major part of the film, the actual plot revolves around Edward's son William (Billy Crudup) and his coming to terms with the relationship he has with his father. Specifically, he wishes to fully understand his father and his desire to tell such exaggerated tales about his life. As the audience, you experience William's frustration with his father, while at the same time, seeing just how imaginative and beautiful the stories Edward tells. In Big Fish, a father and a son who don't really understand each other finally become close. 

The stories themselves are what make this movie stand out to me. For a Tim Burton movie, this movie is actually anything but dark. Its colorful, imaginative, beautiful and surreal. I have two favorite umm, let's call 'em "story moments" in this movie. One of them is where Edward recalls the day he proposed to his wife. He filled a field with her favorite flowers. I'm not sure why but the way that field looked with all those daffodils, it just...I dunno, it made something warm up inside of me. The other "story moment" I loved was when Edward was driving a car and suddenly was underwater. The water looked so beautiful and serene. I really felt like I was with Edward as he went through that experience.


It's kind of funny to me when I think about how long it took me to actually watch this movie. I've had it for many years now. Hell, I'd go so far as to say I've had it since 2003 and didn't actually watch it until 2011. I'm not quite sure why I kept putting it off. But I'm glad I did. This movie will warm your soul and make you want to actually get close to your father. I related to it right away because like William, I sometimes feel like I don't know my father at all. Thanks to this movie, I find myself making more of an effort to know him better. The funny thing is that although my father and I are nearly total opposites in some ways, I've learned that he and I are much more similar than I had previously thought. If seeing this movie once made me want to do this, then I think it's safe to say that it's an amazing film.

OH I nearly forgot to talk about the actors. Ewan McGregor is in this as the younger Edward Bloom. I found his performance to be quite entertaining. He knows how to get into his character and really play him well. Now that isn't to say that no one else did a good job because believe me, all the acting was superb. But Ewan's just stands out to me. He has such an energy in this movie. I'll end this review by summing it all up. Big Fish is an imaginative, unique, kindhearted, and beautiful movie. There really is nothing else like it around, even 8 years later. Plus as an added bonus it's probably the only movie I can think of with Danny DeVito's butt (Oh did I not mention he's in this movie too?? Well now you know!). So I would think that should give you an incentive to watch it if you haven't already. Well that's all I can think of for Big Fish. I hope my review was entertaining or helpful and I wish you a great day!

Neighborhoods

I don't think there are words that properly describe just how excited I was to hear that after all this time with Blink not making music, that finally they were making a new album. Now with all that excitement there was also some fear. Would Blink lose their unique identity? Would this new album sound more like Angels and Airwaves? Did they still have it in them to create another amazing album? Had too much time passed? I'm happy to say that all my fears have been alleviated. Since the album came out and I received my copy, I've been listening to it nearly nonstop. Simply put, I love this album. I had a lot of expectations for it and somehow Blink-182 just blew me away. Essentially they took their sound established in 2003 and used that as a springboard to evolve it into something even more unique. There are elements of everything Tom, Mark, and Travis have done over the years of being apart which blends together beautifully. I don't think there was any other way to make this album better.

Properly describing this sound is difficult for me. As I stated earlier it's a fresh new sound stemming from the work they made in 2003. What is amazing however is that this album shows just how radically different Mark, Tom, and Travis are nowadays. This album is more than a blend of ideas. It's also a compromise so to speak. Take "Ghost On The Dance Floor" as an example. The beginning sounds like something that belongs on an Angels And Airwaves album. Yet as soon as you hear Travis' drumming come in you know it's Blink. The combination of Tom, Mark and Travis' differences is what really makes this album come alive. I know I'm not making much sense but trust me if you listen to this album knowing what happened before it, you'll understand.

I believe it was Mark Hoppus who said in an interview that he thinks this is the best Blink-182 record. After much thought I agree with him entirely. I believe this because if it's one thing this album has in vast amounts, its creativity. The level of it is so damn high. I LOVE it. it doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard before and yet it sounds just like the Blink-182 I know and love. This is the band that I grew up with and learned from. The band that impacted my life and made me wanna teach myself to horribly play bass (which i should get back to doing hmm). The band that always had a song that I could relate to no matter how I was feeling. I'm glad Blink-182 is back. I hope they continue to make great music for years to come.

Self Titled and Greatest hits

Ahh Blink-182's self titled album. Memories are just flowing back to me. I remember listening to this album in it's entirety one summer while I was home playing some games. I have a lot of memories tied to this album. First, it was the second Blink-182 album I ever listened and the first i bought (I wouldn't own Take Off your Pants And Jacket for another 2 years.....damn what the hell was I thinking waiting like that?!). I remember how my friends and I discussed how great this album was. For me it was everything I remembered about Blink amplified to a whole new level.

I know i said in my earlier reviews that Blink had a punk sound. I described it as such to give a newcomer a way to gauge what to expect from early Blink-182. With this album however, they established a new level of sound. I know that's redundant but try listening to Take Off Your Pants And Jacket and then listen to this album and you'll know exactly what I mean. I feel like this album was Blink beginning to grow up. It sounds radically different from their earlier works and yet retains that Blink quality. There are all sorts of new elements to it. Darker lyrics, more romantic lyrics, sounds of outer space which combine together for a truly unique blend that no one else can mimic (not to mention their new kick-ass smiley face logo that I cannot get enough of!!).

The most difficult thing i find when trying to discuss music is describing the sound. I mean how many different ways can you explain how a song sounds? For me it's damn near impossible. I tend to over-think things and this is no exception. I feel that the moment you label a band as something that you're indirectly limiting the amount of creativity and diversity from their records. For that reason I don't like to label music by genre or by anything really. Either I like it, love it, or hate it like the plague. As I said earlier, the only reason I even used the words "punk" or "pop punk" in my earlier reviews was to give newcomers an idea of what to expect. Anyway, I'm starting to ramble here......Blink-182's self titled album is by far one of their best simply because of the new level of sound and maturity they've established. I feel that everyone should listen to and give it a try if you haven't already.

OH I almost forgot to discuss their Greatest Hits album. There really isn't much that can be said about it. All it is is their popular songs put on a single album with a couple of bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are why you would want to get this album. "Not Now" is in my opinion one of Blink's truly unique songs in that you can kind of form a story while listening to it. You know whenever I think of their Greatest hits album it kind of makes me sad because it reminds me of how i felt when I found out that Blink-182 broke up...I think that just makes the album as a whole bittersweet to an extent. Anyway that is all i have to say on that.

Take Off Your Pants And Jacket

Ahh, my favorite album by Blink-182. Aside from being the most mysterious of their albums, I also feel that it is the album with the most to say. A lot of the songs have a strong feeling of rebellion and just trying to survive in an oppressive world. Take "Anthem Part Two" for instance, this is a song about how screwed up things are and that adults are to blame for how messed up the world is. Pretty deep wouldn't you say?  "Stay Together For the Kids" comes from this album and its no grand secret that it is about divorce and the effects it has on the most important people involved, the kids.

This is the album that cemented Blink's status as my all time favorite band.  I say this because well...it's the album where I recognized their lyrical depth and with every song that played I related to their words. I understood them so well except for  "Happy Holidays, You Bastard".  I still haven't found any reason to just curse out Christmas since it's fun for me, but the song makes me laugh because of the memories it reminds me of (this was the song that got the album taken from me in 5th grade!).

I mentioned earlier how this is one of their most mysterious albums. I say that because originally the album was released as a Pants version, a Jacket version, and a Take Off version. Each version had their own bonus tracks which are not the versions that followed. These bonus tracks were really difficult for me to find but when I did it was one of the greatest victories I've ever had. The bonus songs vary quite differently from the songs on the album. They actually sound a lot more like something that could be put on Dude Ranch. Some songs are also very verrry peculiar and yet as with most of Blink's ridiculous songs, hilarious to listen to if you are in the proper mindset. Otherwise, it may gross you out.

Now as for any songs I recommend. I have to say that I cannot recommend a single one of them. I feel the entire album is worth listening to....MULTIPLE TIMES!!!

Enema Of The State and The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back)

Enter Travis Barker. This is Blink's first album with their new drummer.  I'm not quite sure if the average Blink fan would even know that Travis wasn't always the drummer. In fact it may interest you to know that Scott Raynor was their original drummer. Of course eventually he left the band which led Mark and Tom to get Travis to replace him.

With this change, the band went to a more pop-punk sound in Enema Of The State. A lot of their songs became more catchy. This is probably what led to their mainstream success with this album. Now people who once went like "What, Blink-18who?!" went to "YEAAH Blink-182!! (those naked guys!!)".  Does this success mean that they sacrificed their meaningful lyrics that made me love them in the first place? The simple answer is NO. Thankfully having a new drummer and changing their sound a bit didn't really impact the depth of their lyrics. Their words still carry many meanings and from them you can draw deeper interpretations.

Enema Of The State is the album that pretty much changed everything for Blink. A new drummer, a new sound, and a brand new start. The songs retain their familiar Blink style and yet have something different. The themes vary wildly from love, aliens and suicide to growing up, partying and rebelling. "Adam's Song" in particular is one of the heaviest songs the band has made. It pertains to suicide and yet by the end of it it has a slightly more hopeful feeling.  They also branched out with the use of different instruments such as a synthesizer in "Wendy Clear". Oh and let me speak briefly about "What's My Age Again", probably one of the more popular songs. It has an incredibly catchy sound and yet if you really break down the lyrics you can come up with some amazing interpretations. It's a different album from their older ones. Different yet still excellent.

As far "as songs I recommend I'd say:  "Dumpweed", "Aliens Exist", "Adam's Song", "Mutt", "Wendy Clear", and "Anthem".

Alright now time to talk about The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show, their only live album. I think it was a smart move to release it the year after Enema. I say this because there are in fact quite a few songs from their older albums on it.  I kinda feel like this is their way of saying HEY we got a new drummer but guess what we can still play our older songs just as well as we used to. Also this album is heavy with their witty vulgar humor. You really have to go in expecting some disgusting and yet oddly enough hilarious banter between Mark and Tom.

It's really cool to hear the differences in how they perform the recorded versions of their  songs and their live ones. There is one song on the album that is recorded, as in not live, "Man Overboard". It's one of my favorite songs by them.  It reflects the style of Enema by being both catchy yet deep.  I'm sure if you listen to it you'll understand why. It tells a story that I'm sure most people can relate to which is the loss of a friend.

Finding this album, in a physical form, can prove to be a little tough, but I'm sure if you search really hard for it you'll eventually find it as I did.

Dude Ranch

Dude Ranch is Blink-182's second album and let me say right off the bat, that it's an amazing album. They took their punk rock sound in Cheshire Cat and amplified it ten fold. The music sounds a lot better than their older albums and I suppose it helps that it is now 1997 (damn I can hardly believe i was 6 when this album came out).  I guess recording quality increased a lot in those short years.

Dude Ranch succeeds on all accounts as being the perfect follow up to Cheshire Cat. The main themes of the lyrics on the album mostly relate to relationships, growing up emotionally and knowing what you really need in a partner. Of course, along with these deep sentiments, there are also some elements of randomness within other songs. For example, the song Degenerate. That song is pretty much about a drunken night gone incredibly wrong followed by a series of unfortunate events that you just can't help but laugh at.  Honestly, that song makes me laugh every time I hear it. If you're willing to listen to it then you'll understand why. Classic Blink with immature toilet humor. Vintage Blink, 'nuff said.

As far as  songs that I can recommend, there are seven. I picked them because I feel they demonstrate what the album is about. They are: Pathetic, Apple Shampoo, Untitled, Dick Lips, Waggy, and finally Dammit. Oh, if you happen to be a Star Wars fan (as I am.....I'll get around to those movies...trust me) then I also recommend New Hope. I really like how creative Mark got with the lyrics.  Anyway that's Dude Ranch.

As far as who I would recommend the album to, I'd say anyone who has an interest in Blink who can't handle Cheshire Cat's and Buddha's umm let's say "older" sound. It's an all around great album not just because it's a Blink-182 album. It's also a fantastic punk rock album.

Buddha and Cheshire Cat

Blink-182's debut album was Cheshire Cat (1994). Buddha wasn't released until 1998. Now I know it's kind of weird to be talking about 2 different albums in one review, but trust me, by the end of it you'll know why I chose to do things this way. I'll begin by discussing Cheshire Cat. Let's imagine that it's 1994.......wait that's actually kind of difficult for me to do as I was just 3 years old at the time...hmm, alright, scratch that thought!

As Cheshire Cat was the debut cd of this band, you probably would not expect it to be awesome. Well, you'd be right. The sound is pretty old fashioned and the guitars at times can be very difficult to listen to since often times they sound like static. That probably can be attributed to the fact that it was 1994 and sound quality really wasn't as great as it is today (where you can hear some dude sneezing in the background of a damn song sometimes).

The album itself is very punk rock as in very quick guitars and vocals. The album though has that key thing that makes Blink-182 so awesome...amazing lyrics.  Most of the lyrics can be interpreted as having a coming of age theme.  I like to think that it has a lot to do with your last year of high school, how things just change so quickly and how life differs after that year is over. There are some amazing songs that I base my interpretation on. Peggy Sue, Carousel, M+M's, Touchdown Boy, Does My Breath Smell?, and (my personal favorite) Wasting Time. Of course, there is the Blink-182 tradition of toilet humor and vulgarity which is present in the songs Depends, Ben Wah Balls, and Just About Done.

If you are curious about Blink-182's roots then I recommend this album. However if you don't really possess a real interest then I urge you to (at the very least) listen to those songs I listed (the non-vulgar ones of course!).

Now fast forward to 1998 when Buddha was released. It is the third album Blink released though technically it's actually one of the first things they ever recorded. For those who don't know, Buddha is a remastered version of a demo they made way back in 1993, which predated Cheshire Cat by about a year. In fact a lot of the songs on Buddha are on Cheshire Cat. Now for the most part the songs sound a bit better on Cheshire Cat, however there is one song that I personally prefer on Buddha. That song is Carousel. I believe Carousel has a lot of significance to the band as they still perform it. When they do I'm sure it's a nostalgic trip for them and for the fans. It's as if they're saying that no matter what we'll never forget our roots. That says a lot since so many bands change and forget what made them so great in the first place.

Buddha has mostly the same material as Cheshire Cat, but there are a few original songs that are worth checking into. My recommendations would be Time, Carousel (if only to hear the differences between the two versions) and my personal favorite, 21 days.

Now I know I said that their sound at this point isn't all that good, but again these are their humble beginnings, their roots. Beginnings are always messy, but for me their beginnings still impress me and to this day I still go back to listen to them.

My Blink-182 Retrospective

As I've probably said already Blink-182 is my all time favorite band. I remember the first time I ever had the pleasure of listening to them, I was in 5th grade and my cousin was talking about this band he heard on the radio. He really liked them and thought that I should listen to them if i ever got the chance. A few days later I had the opportunity to hear them on the radio. A couple of months later the two of us actually tried AND succeeded in getting copies of their "Take Off your Pants And Jacket" album, however, due to the umm... let's say "nature" of some of the lyrics, we ended up having our cd's taken away....

ANYWAY regardless of that event, I hadn't forgotten about Blink-182 and in the years after that incident I remained a fan and bought as many albums as I could.

The first one I bought was their self titled one from 2003. I loved the entire album and it inspired me to reclaim my "lost" cd and eventually buy all the ones that came before.

Now I was a happy little Blink fan until the fateful day came when I heard that they had broken up...I remember how shocked and deeply saddened I was about this turn of events. I even cried for a bit. However, hope was not lost because soon enough Angels and Airwaves and +44 came out. I bought their albums too and although it wasn't Blink, I found myself loving those unique sounds which were born from the death of my favorite band. Of course years later Blink got back together and once again I was a happy camper!!

Well after that looong trip down memory lane, I feel compelled to discuss why I like Blink-182 so much. It is because of their lyrics. Blink has such depth and I honestly don't think people give them enough credit for that. A lot of people that I've spoken with refer to them as either the "all the small things guys" or "those guys who ran naked for some reason". YES they sing "All The Small Things" and YES they ran around naked for the music video of "What's My Age Again" but they are so much more than that. SO MUCH MORE. There is a hidden level of meaning behind a lot of their songs. Take my favorite song by them "Everytime I Look For you", there is so much within that song, so many stories that can be told and it can be interpreted in so many different ways (interesting fact about me, that song is what inspired me to want to teach myself to play bass...which I do, badly). Another example would be "Stockholm Syndrome" so much meaning behind such a short song. Its amazing really.

I suppose one could gather that I relate to pretty well to almost all of their songs. Blink-182 is much more to me than just some band. They are an inspiration with words of wisdom. Words I can and probably will always relate to.

I can't really convey how excited I am about their new album "Neighborhoods" which comes out tomorrow. I've heard two songs off of that album: "Up All Night" and "After Midnight". These songs build upon the sound that their 2003 album had and really demonstrate the growth that Tom, Mark, and Travis have gone through musically. I know I'm doing an awful job of conveying that, however this post is just a trip down memory lane and doesn't really have much in the way of a review. I can guarantee that once "Neighborhoods" is released, and I have had enough time to process and digest the album thoroughly, I will be reviewing that album and all of their albums (even Angels and Airwaves and +44's albums).

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day!!

I figure it couldn't hurt to place some links to the songs I've mentioned. Who knows you just might like them if you don't already.

"All The Small Things"

"What's My Age Again"

"Everytime I Look For You"

"Stockholm Syndrome"

Kill Bill (My First Review)

    
     I figure my first review should be a movie that I know fairly well. I LOVE Kill Bill. It is in fact one of my favorite movies of all time. Now anyone that is even remotely familiar with the films will think "WAIT there are two movies, AREN'T THERE?! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU"RE TALKING ABOUT!!" and to that I say that you'd be half right. There are two films with Kill Bill in the title, however, they are not sequels to each other. In fact, the Kill Bill movies are one story split into two distinct parts, or in this case "volumes", each with its own unique way of telling the story.

     I cannot think of anyone who hasn't at least heard of how crazy the first movie was. Whenever people hear the name Kill Bill, I'm almost positive that they think of the scene where Uma Thurman's character (The Bride) gets into an epic fight with a nearly limitless army of insane thugs inspired by Japanese Yakuza. They call themselves the Crazy 88....but if you ask me there has to be at least 100 of 'em. Anyway, what sticks with people about this particular scene, in this particular volume, would be the OUTRAGEOUS amount of blood that gets spilled throughout the course of this battle. To sum it up, you could create an entire ocean with that blood and it really give something for Moses to part. Ultimately, the whole scene is quite the bloody spectacle.
     Now, for those unfamiliar with why such heavy amounts of gore is fair game in this film, allow me to sum up the plot as revealed in the first volume. The Bride is on a quest for vengeance after nearly being shot to death at her wedding by a man named Bill and his squad of professional assassins. Needless to say, when The Bride recovers, she is hell bent on exacting revenge on every single person involved with her near-death experience. This is pretty much all anyone needs to know when watching Volume 1.  Plot is not something that comes in plentiful amounts, but the movie more than makes up for that with insane action scenes and kick ass confrontations. It's an action masterpiece and all the fight scenes are incredibly well done.
     I also have to give credit to the film's soundtrack. The music does a fantastic job of showing the audience what inspired Quentin Tarantino in making this movie. It borrows elements from a lot of old school martial arts movies. It even pays homage to plenty of those iconic Kung Fu movies from the '70's. Hell during the fight scene I described earlier, The Bride is wearing a costume identical to Bruce Lee's from "Game of Death".  All of these elements blend together beautifully and give the audience something unique, which can still be appreciated even eight years after it was made.

     Volume 2 borrows heavily from spaghetti westerns, and is my personal favorite of the two volumes. This time around there is not so much "movie" as there is a build up to the final confrontation between The Bride and Bill. The action takes a back seat to the plot and here the audience can really see the reasons behind everything and who these people really are. Bill in particular is quite the character. In fact, he remains my all time favorite character and is what makes Volume 2 stand out to me more than Volume 1. David Carradine was spectacular as Bill because of his charisma and talent. He makes Bill a fairly likable person, despite being a self-described "murdering bastard".
     Now I've talked with a few people about Volume 2 and I always hear them say that they prefer Volume 1. To me, that's like saying that you like half of one movie. Sure Kill Bill is separated into two volumes, two separate DVDs, but they are meant to be viewed together. I've always wanted a release where that's an actual option. Now I know that I could just as easily pop in one movie and then pop the next one in right after, but it just wouldn't give the feeling of viewing a double feature as in the older days of cinema.
     If you have not seen Kill Bill then I strongly urge you to watch it. You won't be disappointed.

     Anyway, thanks for reading my first review and have a great day!