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You’re Next Review

August 25, 2013

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Adam Wingard, Sharni Vinson, You're Next 5 Comments

You’re Next starts off slow, almost to the point that I worried it was going to lose its target audience entirely. Luckily, there is something going on, just not what is to be expected based on the gore-heavy (nearly gore-exclusive) trailers. An upper-middle-class family reunites in a Mansion in the Woods, and the barely hidden tension comes out in supremely bitchy fashion. It’s basically (and here’s your pull quote right here) a comedy of manners interrupted by a horror movie.

Erin (played by Step Up 3D‘s Sharni Vinson), a girlfriend meeting the family, turns out to be unexpectedly equipped to respond to the home invasion. The explanation for this characterization is both logical and timely. As the buzz indicates, You’re Next is heavily subversive of the home invasion genre. Whenever a trope is subverted, a logical explanation is provided for why it is subverted, and whenever a trope is played straight, a logical explanation is provided for why it is played straight.

(GENERALLY SPOILER-ISH INFORMATION IN THIS PARAGRAPH. I’m not giving anything completely away, but this is information I’m glad I didn’t know beforehand.) In the last 30 minutes or so, as Erin really doubles down in her fighting back, You’re Next decides to travel back to the 80’s with an awesome John Carpenter-style synth score. Interestingly enough, You’re Next may owe less to something like The Strangers than it does to a certain crime movie from the 40’s (quite possibly the best crime movie of all time – or at least the best noir crime movie of all time). You know how I said it’s a comedy of manners interrupted by a horror movie? Well, it’s really more of a crime movie disguised as horror. And the twists keep on coming right through to the end. There’s almost a final twist that would have been a little too bleak for most audiences’ tastes, but that is quickly averted by a different, not quite as bleak, twist. And all these final twists are punctuated by perfect pitch-black humor, particularly Erin’s recapping of the details of her fighting back. (END SPOILERS)

The cast is mostly made up of your favorite indie filmmakers (Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Amy Seimetz in a role quite different than Upstream Color), several of whom my brother knows, and the aforementioned Sharni Vinson. Now, I unabashedly love Step Up 3D, but that’s because of the dancing and the 3D, and in spite of the acting. The acting in Step Up 3D could have been worse, but it was unimpressive enough to make me worry that Sharni might be a liability to You’re Next. Well, I owe her an apology, because she rightfully deserves a place among Heather Langenkamp and Sigourney Weaver as one of the best horror heroines who fight back of all time. A

Re-Selecting the VMA’s Videos of the Year

August 24, 2013

jmunney Awards Shows, Music, Music Videos, Television, Video Music Awards Leave a comment

The 2013 VMA’s are airing tomorrow night, Sunday, August 25, and instead of working on the fool’s errand of predicting the winners, I will be going through all of the past Video of the Year winners and determining if the appropriate choice was made or if the Moonman should have gone to another nominee. There have been some deserving Video of the Year winners, but not every year. But in general, there has been at least one good nominee. Here we go:

1984: WINNER: The Cars – “You Might Think”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Michael Jackson – “Thriller” – Giant Ric Ocasek is plenty amusing, but it’s not the best music video of all time.

1985: WINNER: Don Henley – “The Boys of Summer”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “Don’t Come Around Here No More” – Alice in Wonderland homages are a dime a dozen, but they don’t often come much more memorable than Tom Petty as the Mad Hatter.

1986: WINNER: Dire Straits – “Money for Nothing”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Money for Nothing” – Tough competition from “Take on Me” and “Addicted to Love,” but MTV was thankfully willing to reward MTV-targeted satire.

1987: WINNER: Peter Gabriel – “Sledgehammer”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Sledgehammer” – Quite possibly my choice for best music video of all time, “Sledgehammer” is the apotheosis of visual wit and imagination.

1988: WINNER: INXS – “Need You Tonight/Mediate”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Need You Tonight/Mediate” – Michael Hutchence delivered sex appeal and a Bob Dylan homage that was even better than the original.

1989: WINNER: Neil Young – “This Note’s for You”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Fine Young Cannibals – “She Drives Me Crazy” – I love Neil Young, but “This Note’s for You” has not had the legacy of one of the great minimalist clips of all time.

1990: WINNER: Sinéad O’Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Nothing Compares 2 U” – Emotionally, understatedly wrenching. Totally manipulative, but in an absolutely lovely way.

1991: WINNER: R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Deee-Lite – “Groove is in the Heart” – Tough call, here. (“Wicked Game” was also a worthy contender.) I feel like “Losing My Religion” is a better song than video, but perhaps I am a bit blinded by all the colors of Deee-Lite.

1992: WINNER: van Halen – “Right Now”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – “Right Now” is quite clever and sometimes just plain old silly, which is to say, it has a spot among great videos, but it’s no “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

1993: WINNER: Pearl Jam – “Jeremy”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Jeremy” – The music video may be the best visual art form for social commentary with an artsy sensibility.

1994: WINNER: Aerosmith – “Cryin'”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Beastie Boys – “Sabotage” – We enjoyed the Thelma & Louise-style adventures of Liv Tyler and Alicia Silverstone, but not as much as the 70’s cop show adventures of Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA.

1995: WINNER: TLC – “Waterfalls”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Weezer – “Buddy Holly” – “Waterfalls” had some cool FX, but no Fonzie.

1996: WINNER: The Smashing Pumpkns – “Tonight, Tonight”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – “Tha Crossroads” – A mostly unmemorable year. At least “Tha Crossroads” had some directorial style.

1997: WINNER: Jamiroquai – “Virtual Insanity”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Virtual Insanity” – Neat camera tricks make for some weirdly cool dance moves.

1998: WINNER: Madonna – “Ray of Light”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Ray of Light” – A batch of good, but not great, nominees, with “Ray of Light” winning points for bringing visuals with an EDM sensibility to a mainstream video.

1999: WINNER: Lauryn Hill – “Doo Wop (That Thing)”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN:Korn – “Freak on a Leash” – There once was a time when the viewpoint of a bullet was “in,” and kind of deservedly so.

2000: WINNER: Eminem – “The Real Slim Shady”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN:D’Angelo – “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” – Marshall Mather’s videos are often funny, but they don’t have closeups of a naked man’s ear.

2001: WINNER: Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and P!nk – “Lady Marmalade”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Fatboy Slim – “Weapon of Choice” – It may have been surprising 12 years ago, but it is no longer a shock that it is more fun to watch Christopher Walken’s dancing than those four ladies’.

2002: WINNER: Eminem – “Without Me”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: The White Stripes – “Fell in Love with a Girl” – The attention to detail in the craft of an all-LEGO video cannot be ignored.

2003: WINNER: Missy Elliott – “Work It”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Work It” – One of Missy’s wild yet technically impressive dance clips had to be awarded at some point.

2004: WINNER: OutKast – “Hey Ya!”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: “Hey Ya!” or Jay-Z – “99 Problems” – “Hey Ya” is more fun and accessible, but the expressionistic “99 Problems” really sticks with you.

2005: WINNER: Green Day – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell – “Drop It Like It’s Hot” or Kanye West – “Jesus Walks” – Tough call. Snoop’s B&W clip might be the best minimalist video of all time, but “Jesus Walks” was the start of some incredible ambition.

2006: WINNER: Panic! at the Disco – “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Dani California” A fun homage to RHCP’s influences should have edged out P!atD’s colorful cast of characters.

2007: WINNER: Rihanna ft Jay-Z – “Umbrella”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.” – RiRi left us with quite a striking image, but Justice’s chameleonic T-shirts were the most original idea of the year.

2008: WINNER: Britney Spears – “Piece of Me”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: The Ting-Tings – “Shut Up and Let Me Go” – Awarding Britney for one of her lesser videos is the biggest VMA embarrassment in recent history. But it was slim pickings among what was nominated. The Ting-Tings stick out with their kaleidoscopic mix of colorful backgrounds and finger triangles.

2009: WINNER:Beyoncé – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Kanye West – “Love Lockdown” – Sorry, Kanye, but Beyoncé actually had one of the most overrated videos of the decade. Your own video was much better.

2010: WINNER: Lady GaGa – “Bad Romance”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Lady GaGa ft. Beyoncé – “Telephone” – How can you not go with the more insane GaGa clip?

2011: WINNER: Katy Perry – “Firework”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers” – The fact that Tyler’s mini-horror movie was even nominated (and won for Best New Artist) is enough of an accomplishment. Too bad the actual winner went to the boring “Firework” from the otherwise entertaining Katy Perry.

2012: WINNER: Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”/SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know” – A solid video was guaranteed to win in one of the best groups of nominees in VMA history, but that still doesn’t excuse the fact that Gotye was not THE winner.

Watch And/Or Listen to This: Avril Lavigne’s “Rock N Roll”

August 22, 2013

jmunney Music, Music Videos, Watch And/Or Listen to This Leave a comment

You won’t typically find me recommending anything by Avril Lavigne. In fact, you’re likely to find me doing just the opposite – in 2002, I declared “Complicated” the most overplayed song of the year and “Sk8er Boi” the worst song of the year. But her new music video for “Rock N Roll” must be seen to be believed. The song itself isn’t much – actually, though, it could be a lot worse – but that doesn’t matter when you witness Avril sporting a Tank Girl-style getup, making out with Danica McKellar (complete with Kevin Arnold-style voiceover), and fighting a bearshark. How did this happen? Well, it’s quite simply really, as the video was directed by the best music video director working right now – Chris Marrs Piliero, the man behind The Black Keys’ “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You,” Ke$ha’s “Blow,” and Britney’s “I Wanna Go.”

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 8/20/13

August 21, 2013

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

I’m back at school, so I don’t know how often or even if I’ll be able to regularly watch Fuse Top 20, but I’ll be checking the countdown online, and still posting my thoughts each week. I can’t stop.

Original Version
1. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
2. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
4. Avicii – “Wake Me Up”
5. Anna Kendrick – “Cups”
6. Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
7. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
8. Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
9. One Direction – “Best Song Ever”
10. Lana Del Rey vs. Cedric Gervais – “Summertime Sadness Remix”
11. Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
12. Lorde – “Royals”
13. Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
14. Selena Gomez – “Come & Get It”
15. Hunter Hayes – “I Want Crazy”
16. Phillip Phillips – “Gone, Gone, Gone”
17. Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
18. OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
19. Jason Derulo – “The Other Side”
20. Karmin – “Acapella”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Clarity
2. We Can’t Stop
3. Radioactive
4. Wake Me Up
5. Royals
6. Come & Get It
7. I Need Your Love
8. Blurred Lines
9. Same Love
10. Safe and Sound
11. Summertime Sadness Remix
12. Cups
13. Treasure
14. Acapella
15. Love Somebody
16. Counting Stars
17. Best Song Ever
18. Gone Gone Gone
19. I Want Crazy
20. The Other Side

Will I Ever Think Aubrey Plaza Deserves an Emmy?

August 19, 2013

jmunney Emmys, Parks and Recreation, Television Leave a comment

This may seem like a silly thing to ask, since it is something that I am in control of – I am not decrying the fact that the Television Academy has never honored Aubrey, but that I myself have never thought she quite deserved that honor. But it is not so silly when one considers how serious I am when I wonder what would happen if I were in charge of the Emmy winners. Aubrey Plaza’s performance as April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation is undoubtedly unique and entertaining enough to garner multiple Emmy nominations, which she has not received, but which she would have received if I had been in charge. She is SO unique and SO entertaining that when viewed independently of all other contenders, I do not know how I could ever vote against her. But there are other strong contenders in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy field, and the way that competition has played out suggests that the fates are simply not in Aubrey’s favor.

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of how the race would have played out if I were in charge:

-2009: I did not watch Parks and Rec‘s first season, nor does it seem like I ever necessarily should. From what I can gather from the episode synopses, April did not yet play that big a role anyway.

-2010: “I would be completely behind the absurdly idiosyncratically deadpan Aubrey Plaza winning here,” I wrote … “if not for Jane Lynch.” Once upon a time, Glee was a halfway decent show and Sue Sylvester was more or less the best character on TV for a year.

-2011: Glee wasted no time in beginning its descent into oblivion, and Jane Lynch was harmed by her show’s decline more than anyone else in the cast. “This would have made room for Aubrey,” I reasoned, “except that Alison Brie became even more essential to Community,” a show which had quickly become the best on TV. (It’s possible that Alison was already that good in Season 1, and I just didn’t completely notice at the time.)

-2012: Another year of Community at the top of its game, another year of Alison Brie blowing my mind. Further against Aubrey’s favor, I finally realized exactly what Alison’s co-star Gillian Jacobs was doing. “[O]h how I wish I could also pick Aubrey,” I screamed.

-2013: The marked decline of Community should have cleared the way right for Aubrey … except that I believed (unlike a lot of critics) that Parks declined even more than Community. However, April was actually the least harmed during Season 5. But, though she was never bad, she did not often enough get the screen time to be great. This year has been wacky enough that I would actually be in favor of Toks Olagundoye of The Neighbors , an excellent performer on an otherwise decent-to-merely good show.

So, Aubrey’s most consistently major competition has been Alison Brie. Thus, for her to break through and be number one for the year, then likely at least one of two things will need to happen:

1. Community will need to remain in decline.

2. Community will need to be cancelled before Parks and Recreation.

With the returns of Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna, Number 1 is now less likely. So that leaves us with Number 2, which not only seems possible but probable, considering how Community is perpetually on the bubble. But somehow it keeps surviving, and if there is a bump in quality, it may even be more likely to survive again (Dan Harmon vowed at Comic-Con that he was going to “do everything [he] can to get us the sixth season”). And Parks and Recreation is not too far above the bubble itself, really. I guess the solution here is … A TIE!

Now, onto the real Emmys and making that tie an actual occurrence! I know plenty of people who would enjoy the sight of Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza standing next to each other.

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 8/17/13

August 17, 2013

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

Justin Timberlake wins this round of the Michael Jackson Countdown.

Original Version
1. Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
2. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
3. Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
4. Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
5. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
6. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
7. Jason Derulo – “The Other Side”
8. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
9. Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
10. Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
11. OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
12. Walk Off the Earth – “Red Hands”
13. Train ft. Ashley Monroe – “Bruises”
14. Anna Kendrick – “Cups”
15. Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
16. Justin Timberlake – “Take Back the Night”
17. P!nk ft. Lily Allen – “True Love”
18. Paramore – “Still Into You”
19. Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran – “Everything Has Changed”
20. Passenger – “Let Her Go”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Clarity
2. We Can’t Stop
3. Radioactive
4. I Need Your Love
5. Blurred Lines
6. Same Love
7. Safe and Sound
8. Take Back the Night
9. Red Hands
10. Still Into You
11. Cups
12. Treasure
13. Let Her Go
14. Love Somebody
15. True Love
16. Brave
17. Counting Stars
18. Everything Has Changed
19. The Other Side
20. Bruises

Watch And/Or Listen To This: FIAT 500L – “Italian Invasion”

August 16, 2013

jmunney Commercials, Television, Watch And/Or Listen to This Leave a comment

It’s my first time spotlighting a commercial in my “Watch And/Or Listen to This” feature. And what has compelled me to break tradition? Well, I think I may be in love: the redhead with the face like Malin Åkerman’s has stolen my heart. (The midriff-baring blonde isn’t too bad, either. [Interestingly enough, most of the YouTube are enamored with the raven-haired donna in the blue dress.]) Also, there’s a T. Rex song.

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 8/13/13

August 14, 2013

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Fuse-VH1 #1 Agreement Alert is back, because you know, Song of the Summer logic and all. It’s official now: http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/your-2013-song-of-summer-is.html

Original Version
1. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
2. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
4. One Direction – “Best Song Ever”
5. Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
6. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
7. Anna Kendrick – “Cups”
8. Avicii – “Wake Me Up”
9. Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
10. Selena Gomez – “Come & Get It”
11. Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
12. Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
13. Hunter Hayes – “I Want Crazy”
14. Phillip Phillips – “Gone Gone Gone”
15. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
16. Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
17. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
18. Lana Del Rey vs. Cedric Gervais – “Summertime Sadness Remix”
19. Karmin – “Acapella”
20. Jason Derulo – “The Other Side”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Clarity
2. We Can’t Stop
3. Radioactive
4. Wake Me Up
5. Come & Get It
6. Mirrors
7. I Need Your Love
8. Blurred Lines
9. Same Love
10. Safe and Sound
11. Summertime Sadness Remix
12. Cups
13. Treasure
14. Just Give Me a Reason
15. Acapella
16. Love Somebody
17. Best Song Ever
18. Gone Gone Gone
19. I Want Crazy
20. The Other Side

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 8/10/13

August 10, 2013

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

The real longevity story here is “Radioactive.” Wow.

Original Version
1. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
2. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
3. Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
4. Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
5. Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
6. Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
7. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
8. Jason Derulo – “The Other Side”
9. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
10. Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
11. Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
12. Train ft. Ashley Monroe – “Bruises”
13. OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
14. Walk Off the Earth – “Red Hands”
15. Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly – “Cruise (Remix)”
16. Anna Kendrick – “Cups”
17. Paramore – “Still Into You”
18. Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran – “Everything Has Changed”
19. Johnnyswim – “Heartbeats”
20. P!nk ft. Lily Allen – “True Love”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Clarity
2. We Can’t Stop
3. Radioactive
4. I Need Your Love
5. Blurred Lines
6. Same Love
7. Safe and Sound
8. Red Hands
9. Still Into You
10. Cups
11. Treasure
12. Love Somebody
13. True Love
14. Heartbeats
15. Brave
16. Counting Stars
17. Everything Has Changed
18. Cruise (Remix)
19. The Other Side
20. Bruises

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 8/6/13

August 7, 2013

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Can we have a law that in the future comedy has to be done by comedians?

Original Version
1. One Direction – “Best Song Ever”
2. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
3. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
4. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive”
5. Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
6. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
7. Selena Gomez – “Come & Get It”
8. Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran – “Everything Has Changed”
9. Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
10. Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
11. Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
12. Hunter Hayes – “I Want Crazy”
13. Jason Derulo – “The Other Side”
14. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
15. Ariana Grande ft. Mac Miller – “The Way”
16. Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
17. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
18. Phillip Phillips – “Gone Gone Gone”
19. Karmin – “Acapella”
20. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Clarity
2. We Can’t Stop
3. Radioactive
4. Come & Get It
5. Mirrors
6. I Need Your Love
7. Blurred Lines
8. Same Love
9. Safe and Sound
10. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
11. Treasure
12. Just Give Me a Reason
13. Acapella
14. Love Somebody
15. Best Song Ever
16. Gone Gone Gone
17. Everything Has Changed
18. I Want Crazy
19. The Other Side
20. The Way

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