I’m not a huge fan of stuff that is currently on the radio. I think most of it is lame and a lot of bands out there today are made up of pretty boys (and girls) out to make a buck. And that’s just on the “rock” side of the dial. I don’t even want to get on my soapbox about the state of Hip-Hop right now. Seriously, how is Soulja Boy’s Crank That a hit song? People listen to some wack shit these days and that’s a fact. Today it seems like most artists don’t really care about the music, but are more about the way they look or where they fit in. Enough ranting. The following is a list of my favs from the past year. Some bands you’ve heard of, some you may have not. (Read the article)

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I normally don’t judge movies by this criteria, but do you remember the last words of your favorite movie of all time? Perhaps you do, probably you don’t. There’s no doubt you’ll remember the words “I’m finished” after you’ve seen There Will Be Blood, the audacious new film from Paul Thomas Anderson. Luckily for one Orange Streeter, “finished” will now be synonymous with this film rather than the culmination of a very questionable decision made in Toronto a few years ago. You’ve probably heard all the hype about this film already. It is one of those films that gets released in one theater in December and starts winning awards like crazy even though nobody’s seen it yet.It just received eight Academy Award Nominations. Normally these films don’t live up to the hype for me. How could they? There Will Be Blood is an exception. I think it’s the best film of the year. I don’t like reading plot summaries when I read reviews (it seems like space filler) so I won’t write them either. If you’re bothering to read this, you probably already know the basic story. Citizen Kane is the film most are comparing TWBB to. For me, that’s off the mark. I took cues from the brilliantly-original score from Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead – I found it to be more like The Shining than anything else. That theory also falls in line with the performance of Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview, oilman. He is absolutely frightening in a performance that should not only secure him an Oscar, it makes you think they should name the goddamn award after him. There are at least five scenes in this film that will stay with you well after the film is over. Three of them involve Paul Dano, as evangelical preacher Eli Sunday, who manages to hold his own with Lewis in a series of ugly confrontations, sometimes verbal, sometimes physical. Dano gets extra points in my book for the ability to scream like a 13 year-old girl – which really works for this character. Anderson also does the smart thing by not giving Plainview much of a backstory. You’re introduced to him in a 20-minute sequence without dialog and he breaks his back (figuratively) and leg (literally) to scrape together his fortune. An unhappy childhood in hinted at (obviously, right?) as Plainview seems surprisingly adverse to hitting children. He never raises his hand to his adoptive son and threatenly reassures a young girl that she will never be hit again by her father as the man sits nervously within earshot. This is not to say Plainview is on the anti-violence tip. He slaps the shit out of Sunday a few times (Sunday’s revenge during Plainview’s baptism is the scene of the year), threatens a man’s life during a casual business meeting and…let’s just say he doesn’t take to being lied to very well. Plainview is even worse with his verbal assults. He remembers every perceived slight – real or imagined. In the instances when he gets his chance to respond, his taunts are so damaging and brutally personal, that you know he must have been obsessing on what he would say if he opportunity presented itself. It was fascinating to watch this man, who pretty much does everything he says he’s going to do, become an even worse human being after achieving his goals. Daniel Day Lewis has become the greatest actor working today. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. He seems to only work every few years and when he does it is in a prestige project that you know will be good. Wouldn’t you like to see him due a couple of films just for the paycheck like My Super Ex-Girlfriend or Wild Hogs every once in a while? Why can the Hudlin Bros pick up the phone and say “Get me Lewis!”? I’d like to see him in a full latex fat suit and play a black/asian women. Let’s see how good of an actor he is then. We need to make this happen. I have no idea what Anderson was trying to say with this film. Does Plainview represent America’s win at all cost mentality or maybe America was truly built by heartless pricks like this? I honestly don’t know. I do know that I just sat back and couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for nearly three hours. I advise you to do the same. By the time Plainview says “I’m finished” you’ll have a strong opinion about this film, one way or the other. There Will Be Blood may be considered a great American classic in twenty years. It could also be this generation’s version of Mommy Dearest. I’m taking option one. In either case, you should get your ass in a theater and decide for yourself.

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I just saw a commercial that CBS is going to start airing episodes of Showtime’s serial killer drama, Dexter, on Sundays in February. I think this is a fascinating decision. TBS has shown Sex and the City, A&E The Sopranos and BET The Wire, but I can’t remember a regular network showing a pay channel show before. Dexter is a fantastic show and I was pumped this year when Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under’s David) was nominated for a Golden Globe. Far less people have Showtime subscriptions than HBO, but with Dexter, Weeds and Californication its become the pay channel with the best original programming. However, I can’t see how its going to work censored because not only is there a lot of foul language and some nudity, the blood and guts are integral to the story of a vigilante serial killer in Miami. I know if I accidentally bought a PG-13 version of American Psycho from Wal-mart I’d probably wipe my ass with it before I returned it for a refund.

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I was watching Boyz n the Hood recently on latenight cable and Doughboy’s quote above made me think about HBO’s show The Wire. It has just recently started its 5th and final season and is, for my money, the best show in TV history, yet it goes criminally unnoticed during the Emmy’s and my the general public. It is the anti-CSI, in that cases don’t wrap up in one episode. In fact, its the anti-cop drama, because its one of few instances where the writers have the balls to show that the main bad guys are at the top of their profession because they are really smart, maybe even smarter than the cops.

The Wire (which is created by David Simon and Ed Burns, the duo who created the equally great and unappreciated Homicide:Life on the Streets in the 90s for NBC) started its first season as a textured look at the battle between Baltimore Po-lice (as every character on the show says it) and the Westside drug cartel led by Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell. As the seasons have progressed so have the characters and storylines. The show has now become a microcosm of the decay of the American innercity. The Wire has become far more than simple TV entertainment and has become important social commentary. Simon, who covered the city’s police beat for the Baltimore Sun, and Burns, who was a Baltimore Homicide Po-lice, have woven the narratives around storylines about not only drugs and how they destroy the community, but police and political corruption, the failures of the family structure and the educational and child welfare systems. Its set in Baltimore but it could definately be NYC, Philly, DC and probably every other city in this country. This season is focusing on the media.

I stare hyperbole in the face when I say that anyone who cares about what’s really going on in this country should be watching The Wire. This is the shiz they don’t show on CNN. You can pick up the show during the final season that’s currently airing on Sundays on HBO. I have several friends that I recommended it to last season who watched season 4 and then went back and watched the first three; however, it would probably have more emotional impact to watch all of them in order. Its a dense show with dozens of characters and unlike a certain show about New Jersey gangsters, its all connected. Characters from previous seasons that haven’t been heard from come back and play major parts. The first 4 seasons are all available on DVD. If you don’t put them at the top of your netflix queue you’re proving Ice Cube right.

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If you know me well, then you probably know that I love the hip-hop pioneers known as the Fat Boys. Fat Boys Are Back was easily my favorite album circa 6th grade. I know that my favorite Fat Boy is no longer with us, but I wonder what Prince Markie D and Kool Rock Ski are up to these days? I found this gem today on youtube. Grab some Sbarro’s and Enjoy!

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Ever since I saw The Karate Kid in 1984, I have always loved the song “You’re The Best” by Joe Esposito. It’s right up there with “Heart’s on Fire” from the Rocky IV soundtrack in my list of songs to get me fired up. I vividly remember watching the tournament scene from Karate Kid before attending karate classes as a youth to “get pumped up.” As I searched iTunes this morning I decided to search for the song. As it turns out, it is included on the King of Kong soundtrack. I went to buy it and wouldn’t you know it, its “Album Only.” Bummer. As much as I love that song I am hesitant to blow $10 on one song. So in honor of my non-purchase I give you this. Go get fired up!

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Went to see Cloverfield yesterday afternoon. I really wanted to see it opening day so whatever surprises are in the movie were not spoiled for me. The internet is great for ruining surprises, but that’s another post in and of itself.

As far as the film goes. All I can say is “WOW.”

I honestly can’t remember the last time a movie with this much hype actually lived up to it. I’ve been interested in seeing this since the teaser was shown before Transformers this past summer. I tried to keep up with all of the news and cryptic web-sites that were supposedly related to the film. One thing they definitely nailed was the markenting of the film.

I’m sure there will be haters out there, but I can say that I was completely satisfied with this 1 hour and 24 minute thrill ride. A part of me was really hoping for an out of this world surprise, like Godzilla coming out of nowhere to save the day. It never happened, and I didn’t care. J.J. Abrams and company take the giant monster movie concept that we all know and totally redefine it. And that is a good thing.

The movie really does a great job of making you like the characters and as the film progresses you really find yourself rooting for them.

One thing I was nervous about was how the “Blair Witch” cam style would be in a frantic film such as this. I can say that it totally works. The camera work is clever and you really only see what our cameraman “Hud” sees. On a side note, a guy that I went to see this with pointed out after words that “Hud” is also the acronym for “Heads Up Display.” Pretty cool, a little nerdy, but still cool.

I don’t want to spoil anything here, so if you want to know more about the film go see it.

Cloverfield definitely gets the thumbs up from me. On the grading scale that the rest of the folks at Orange Street like to use it would get a solid A- from me. There are a few nit-picky things, but overall I liked Cloverfield alot.

On a side note. I recently watched The Host. Which is a Korean horror film with similarities to Cloverfield. It’s really well done also. So check that out too if you get a chance.

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For those of you included in the yearly emails you are probably thinking, “Won’t these idiots ever stop?” Well we are back for 2008…now in blog form.

This site won’t just be for those coveted Orange Street Oscars, but for all things pop-culture. Please check back often.

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