Look:

Sin City Trailer

In my best Canoe impression - "Whoah"

5 things i liked in 2004: aural stimulation

Aha Shake Heartbreak - Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon's first release, Youth and young manhood, were songs about how cool it would be to play in a good band, tour the world, go out with exotic girls and live a life of one big party. A dream album made by four guys from one family from rural America raised by a preacher father. And the world noticed.

Their second release has songs about how cool it is to party for a year, get out of smalltown, see the world for the first time, meet girls and play in a band.

sure i might not be able to understand the words they are saying but i know a good tune when i hear one and Aha SHake Heartbreak is full of them.

Smile - Brian Wilson and Co.

He may be suffering the effects of massive drug use but the lone Beach Boy still had this little bit of sunshine tucked in the backpocket of his Okanui shorts. My complete horror at the concept of realsing this piece of music mythology so long down the track and with a new band vanished after the first thirty seconds. Smile? Yes i did.

A Grand Don't Come For Free - The Streets

I've got my doubts about Mike Skinner the performer, but Mike Skinner the artist is pretty bloody good as far as i am concerned. It has often been claimed that if you wanted to know what was happening in Jamaica in the sixties and seventies you listened to the dancehall music, ditto for PE and the Bronx in the eighties. Now Skinner lets us know the state of play in inner city England with this Hip -hopera. Simply fantastic.

Pt 3: Random Thoughts - Koolism

Hau, Dan and the new recruit we just like to call the Passenger slipped this little bit of slick tongue action past an unsuspecting Australia. It seems that someone besides my wonderful girlfriend was also paying attention because the boys managed to get an ARIA gong for their third release.

Hau's relaxed rapping and Danielsan's way with a beat have provided a well produced album that, along with the two other rap albums on this list, hints that maybe rap has a future outside of the over-hype of the current american trash.

Special mentions

Franz Ferdinand, Dallas Crane, The Finn Brothers, The Cops, Eskimo Joe, N.E.R.D, Air, The Grey Album

Look:

I wonder if Carmen will hit me for showing Euan this?



Yes Euan it is available in Australia from here.

Well now she's gonna hit me for sure

Look:

What a wonderful invention photoshop is.



Click on the picture for the link.

5 things i liked in 2005: Big Flickers

Garden State

I hate Zack Braff with the power of the heart of the sun. He stars in one of the best shows on the cathode ray nipple then has the inconsideration to write, direct and star in one of my favourite films of the year. Garden State is packed full of great dialogue and thousands of little ideas that flutter through the film like snowflakes. Plus any film that references The Shins is pretty cool in my books.

The Cooler

If Ocean's Eleven is Vegas' glitz, glamour and bright lights then The Cooler is the grimy back alley where the dumpsters and dreams lie battered in the shadows.

Spiderman 2

It was big, it had a solid story, a strong cast, wit and a sense of fun. Sam Raimi shows that sequels can still be done well.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

My favourite scriptwriter, Charlie Kaufmann, gets together with my favourite film clip director, Michel Gondry, to make a film unlike any other. How could i not love it? Only a team as good as them could make jim carrey unsuck.

Kill Bill 2

The Long Island Iced Tea of movies. Tarantino took several distinct spirts and distilled them into a picture designed to burn your retina and knock you on your arse.

Etre Et Avoir

A doco focussing on a one teacher school in rural France. It is an absolute delight of a film. The opening with the tortoises and the scene with the photocopier just about killed me.

Special mentions:

Two films i haven't seen yet but I know will knock at least one, if not two, of the films out of this list.

The Incredibles - Brad Bird can do no wrong. Go see The Iron Giant now.

I Heart Huckabees - Robert Altman is Dead, All hail David O Russell.