Writern Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, 500 Days of Summer is shockingly not about global warming. No, the story revolves around two people: Tom Hansen (played by the under-rated Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer Finn (played by equally under-rated Zooey Deschanel). Two people who met almost by chance, talked, dated, broke up, met again, and all the highs and lows that happen throughout.

Tom works at a greeting card company, where he thinks up slogans for the company, and prototypes cards. Summer comes into the company as the bosses new assistant. Though Tom tries to fight it, he is drawn to Summer for reasons he can’t explain. You see Tom has always believed in “the one” and felt quite certain that Summer was it. Summer on the other hand doesn’t really believe in boyfriends or any of that “fate” stuff.

Tom falls in love.

Summer doesn’t.

Within the first five minutes, you are introduced to every major character, and thrown right into the darkest part of the film. 2 minutes after that, you are thrown into the lightest part. It’s almost mind-boggling, but it holds itself together beautifully.

What I Liked

I am a huge fan of how this film was shot. amazingly simple yet strong shots really helped bring home. simple things like Tom on the Bus, freaking out about the song on his iPod, to he and Summer sitting in the Diner at the start of the movie, to the single best example of a movie breaking into a full-out choreographed song and dance number. Everything about the filmography had me, director Marc Webb does nothing less than stellar in the direction of this movie. The transitioning between scenes gave it an almost Tarantino feel, except for you know what the hell is going on. I loved the subtle use of colours and foliage changing that was a small foreshadow of how the next scene was going to play out.

I loved loved loved the use of typography in this movie. Now sadly, I’m not so much of a typophile to be able to tell you what font specifically was used, but I know it’s one I’ve seen, and it worked so very well for this movie. The transitioning between days was made that much better by the simple numeric counter that was featured (in said font, of course).

And lets not forget the music. From the Smiths to Feist, this movie ranges all over the place. What really impressed me though was how well the music actually went with each scene. Some of the musical choices might have been considered a little out of the way, but they really helped bring in the subtly of feeling that the audience needed. The soundtrack to this movie will be getting into my iTunes one way or the other, I can assure you of that.

I’m also going to give a shout out to whoever built the sets and/or found the locations to do the shots. There are some stunning locations in that movie. So much so that it made me want to crawl into the movie just so I could look around in wonder.

What I Disliked

Though I love Matthew Gray Gubler, his use in this movie was woefully contrived. He was quite literally “the friend” that you needed to fill in scenes or to say specific lines. His character, though enjoyable, was one-dimensional, and little was done to really add to it. His one moving line was too little too late to save the character.

The ending. Or, at least I should say the near ending. When Tom and Summer meet up and talk about what’s happened to them, I felt a little annoyed that Tom let Summer get off so lightly. Maybe I’m just a bitter person, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have been as big of a man.

Oh wait, yes, the actual ending. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but the name choice at the end of the film. Really? You actually went for that? Not even the least bit ashamed at the contrived selection? No? Well you should be.

Overall

I am a big fan of this movie. I may even pick up the DVD and add it to my very small pile of “DVDs I Can Be Snobby About Because I Love Them So Much” That’s right, I have that pile, and I am snobby about the movies in it. Don’t get me started on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we’ll be here for a while.

If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the drive and the money. I would know, as I am a semi-extreme case. It’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s simple yet complex. It’s everything I wanted out of a movie, and it was delivered to me in spades.

P.S. Thank you 500 Days of Summer for not using Hand-drawn block text for your movie. There seems to be a trend with indie films and that damned font-face.

8.5/10

Track Listing:

1. Life in Technicolor
2. Cemeteries of London
3. Lost! **
4. 42
5. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love **/**
6. Yes **
7. Viva la Vida **
8. Violet Hill
9. Strawberry Swing
10. Death and All His Friends **

**Clear Favorites

There are a slew of hidden/extra tracks depending on what version of Viva la Vida you have (buying from iTunes seems to be the best bet… assuming you pre-ordered it). My version actually has an extra track which is an acoustic version of Lost! entitled “Lost?” which I find fantastic. Track five (Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love) is actually two tracks in one, and there are also two hidden tracks contained within “Yes” [Chinese Sleep Chant] and “Death and All His Friends” [The Escapist], making this a much fuller album than what one would initially presume.

The best term I can use for this album is ‘solid.’ From start to finish, It’s actually quite an impressive listen. The music carries a certain vibe throughout the entire album, which really unifies it into one extended experience. Their title track, “Viva la Vida” sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Watching the video blew my mind as well.

The tracks tend to alternate between harder and softer, but they all seem to lead into one another with a musical polish that I’ve not heard from many albums. Obvious care was put into track ordering, blending, and final touches. The album still carries that soothing Coldplay feel that we’ve all come to know (if not actually love) making every track sound very “Coldplayish.”

Interesting usage of instruments can be found throughout the album, proving that they aren’t just a piano-driven alternative band.. at least not anymore. Viva la Vida shows a lot more in the ways of experimentation instrumentally, though not much changes vocally. I’m not going to say whether that’s a good thing or not, because it really depends on your perception. Personally I wish the vocals had been a bit more experimental so as to match the album, but I can’t complain about that.

What I can complain about (see what I did there?) is Violet Hill. This was the single debuted in my area (Toronto/London radio stations) and it was played to hell. As it turns out this is also my least favorite track on the entire album by a long shot. I can’t really place why I dislike it so much (read: overplaying) but if I had to take a stab at it, it would probably be the attempt at telling a story in a near-narrative format. I know they thought they were doing something cool, but the result just hurts my head. If I could pretend that wasn’t on the album It would make it that much better.

Considering my only real issue with the entire album is one track, I’d have to say that that give’s it a pretty solid score. It’s worth listening to, so long as you’re into the alternative scene, or you’re already a fan of Coldplay. If you’re as much a fan as I am/was it’s still worth listening to because I can assure you that you’ll have some new favorites to add your your song listing.

8.5/10

P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard.

Flowers for Algernon is a heart-aching story about a Charlie, a mentally-handicapped 32 year-old man who wants to be smart. He can read and write, and works hard to learn so that he can become smart so people will like him. He works are Donners bakery where Mr. Donner gives him 11 dollars a week plus all the food he wants. When approached with the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to be made smart intelligent – he feels that his ship has come in. He takes the opportunity and is given a second chance at life, becoming smarter by the day.

His intelligence eventually surpasses that of the scientists that granted him the chance, and he starts to understand the world in a way no one else can. He is eventually ostracized due to his high intelligence, and he finds that he is now more lonely than he was before the operation. Sadly, when Alergnon, a lab mouse that had the same operation done to him, suddenly deteriorates, George is struck with the fact that the same could very well happen to him.

I didn’t know what to make of this book at the beginning. The writing was childish and hard to read, riddled with typos and horrible spelling. In many cases it reminded me of the recent LOLCats Internet meme. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it, you don’t want to know. I was drawn in though, and the transition between sub-standard intelligence to brilliance happened so naturally that I didn’t even notice.

The novel then follows Charlie as his intellect explodes, and his emotional self tries to catch up. In many ways it reads like someone who’s growing up at an exceptional rate. Daniel Keyes does a fantastic job of getting across the pain and trails that Charlie has to go through. The only thing that really irritated me was the involvement of alcohol, and the weird side-effects that is left in its wake. I know that it was a required plot-device, but he could have just left the one incident.

Reading about Charlie’s eventual mental demise and knowing that he can do nothing to stop it is heart-breaking. You watch as he tries desperately to continue reading in hopes that he can retain some of his knowledge. You see how the woman he loves is pushed away for her own good, despite the obvious pain on both parts. Charlie starts to lash out at the world for reasons he doesn’t understand, because he has no other outlet. He becomes frustrated and angry at himself, and it only becomes worse as the deterioration continues.

The novel really makes you take a hard look at your own life and take stock of what you really have. We see a man who had so little given the entire world, only to watch as it is slowly taken away from him. It also points out that though mentally-handicapped people may not have the intelligence of the average person, that are still people that should be treated with love and respect. A lot of important questions and observations are made in this book, and considering it was written in 1959 (the original short story) I’m impressed with how many social norms were brought into question. It isn’t shocking to know that this book has been and is continually banned in places across the world. The truth can be a harsh light, and not everyone wants to look right at it.

I’m glad I had the chance to read this, and I’d read it again in a heartbeat. I’m 42 years past it’s original release date, but it’s still topical.

8.5/10

Apollo opened his eyes. And the sun came out.
Excerpt from Gods Behaving Badly

As I somewhat gave away in my opener, the story revolves around two parties. The first is the Greek Pantheon. The main pantheon live in a crummy townhouse in London that is utterly run-down and otherwise falling apart. They hate each other, though that’s never been a secret. The second part is the small and simple lives of Alice and Neil. They’re simple cuteness and obvious affection for each other (though hiding it from each other) makes reading any interaction with them impossible without smiling.

Did I mention that Aphrodite is a phone-sex operator, and Artemis walks dogs? I’ll admit that these were the selling points for me. That and the cover art which is pretty much fantastic in every way.

As I stated earlier, the book is somewhat of a light look at the crisis facing the Greek Gods. This can be annoying if what you were looking for was something with a bit more depth. Gods Behaving Badly is about as deep as the shallow-end of a pool. It’s loads of fun to read with great writing and fantastic dialog. I have to give high praise to the Ares-induced fight in the book, because that just blew my mind. The novel also deals out enough detail for you to put it all together, but does leave much of it to the readers imagination which I’m sure can be taken as either a pro or a con.

My main issue with the book is two-fold, though their related so I don’t know what sort of fold that would make. The first is that it is too shallow. Sure it’s a fun read, but there is a distinct lack of character to the Gods that really should be there. I mean they are gods, after all. Neil and Alice deserved a bit more development as well because they were fantastic characters, but never quite make it for me. My second problem is that it wasn’t long enough. I say this because had there been an extra hundred pages, the story could have been that much better. The ending felt a tad rushed, and like I said, the character development just isn’t all there.

Pick it up and give it a read, you’ll be glad you did. It’s pretty short, it’s entertaining the entire way through, and it’ll leave you feeling warm and tingly inside. Like having a fever but without the sweating, hallucinations, or accompanied sickness.

8.5/10

Track Listing:

Disc One:

1. Intro
2. Uncomfortably Numb **
3. Alicia Amnesia
4. Summer Jam
5. Too Famous to Get Dressed
6. Maybe It’s Just Me **
7. Bethamphetamine **
8. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Let’s Go Out Tonights
9. Dont’ Move **
10. Indie Queen **
11. Far Away From Close

Disc Two:

1. Over Your Head
2. Race Cars & Goth Rock **
3. Mixtape **
4. Stateline **
5. Sober **
6. Joan **
7. Cigarette Lighter Love Song **
8. Best Thing You Never Had **
9. Hot Girls in Good Moods
10. Lights Out
11. Canyons

**Clear Favorites

Now there are certain artists that sound good on albums but come up short in live shows. There are other artists that rock live performances like they were born to it, but fail to translate this to their recordings (Live ones aside, obviously). Then there are artists that do both exceptionally well. This is where Butch Walker falls. I have had the undeniable privilege to be literally two feet away from the man as he performed a live show at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto a while back. Until then I had only heard his albums (Letters, This Is Me… Justified and Stripped, Left of Self-Centered) and was already a big fan.

Then he started singing in that little Tavern. The true test of an artist really comes down to how close their live and recorded performances match up. Butch Walker sounds the same, other than changing it up a little in the live shows just because he can. Leavin’ the Game on Luckie Street is the second live album that I’ve heard by Mr. Walker and I can happily say that I am still in love with his work.

The album is actually split up between two discs (two discs for free, dear Lord) and have drastically different feels. I’ve decided to talk about them separately because of this.

Disc one is jumpy. I don’t mean in a spazzy sort of way, but in the “get the fuck up and dance” sort of jumpy. You listen to that first disc and you just want to get up and dance the hell out of your shoes, socks, or even your bare feet. This CD has many tracks from the Butch/LGOT album, yet also features some tracks from Marvelous 3 (a band he was formally a part of). The only slow track on the first half is Don’t Move, so time will fly as you bounce around listening to it. It’s solid and fun, though to be honest I was never as big a fan of the Butch/LGOT album in comparison to his solo work.

Enter disc two.

Disc two is easily one my favorite cds of all time, regardless of the fact that it. It features a lot more of his solo work though it also features tracks from the Butch/LGOT and Marvelous 3 albums. This half of the album is way more toned down, and features a lot of Butch’s piano workings. As a result there is a string of songs Mixtape to Best Think You Never Had that all feature Butch at the piano singing. Even after that there are a couple more tracks that are slower, and if I have to be honest, a tad depressing. This man does depressing songs in a fantastic way that don’t make you feel sad, but seem to offer a sense of closure or reflection that I cannot get enough of. This will probably become one of my staple ‘chill’ cds, and those are rare on my play list. Only high rollers make it to that list. What can I say? I’m picky.

Both cds make up the album in a rather Ying/Yang sort of feel, which can be jarring for someone who is switching between the two of them without knowing it. They also seem to suffer from a bit of variable audio. What I mean by this is that in certain parts, the audio is fantastic but suffers in others, coming in quiet or the singing being drowned out by other instruments at times. There are also points where he is obviously swinging to and from the mic, which can get annoying if you’re trying to enjoy the song.

A great album and worth getting. Six dollars is a fantastic price to pay for any album, and this one exceeds even that. It’s worth listening to, and though not the best album to introduce yourself to his work (I suggest Letters), for those who already know about him, this is a fantastic addition to the library.

8.5/10

1. Come On, Come Out **
2. The Minnow & The Trout
3. Whisper
4. You Picked Me **
5. Rangers
6. Almost Lover **
7. Think Of You
8. Ashes and Wine **
9. Liar, Liar
10. Last of Days
11. Lifesize
12. Near To You
13. Hope For The Hopeless
14. Borrowed Time

** Clear Favorites

“One Cell in the Sea” is rather piano heavy (real piano, not synth… though it features that too) and is a very calm, relaxed listen. It’s very melancholy and a little on the sad side… Not in that “I’m going to kill myself the world hates me” sort of way, but more in the “you just ended a 6 year relationship and moving on” sort of sad. Her voice projects a stunning amount of clarity and emotion that stands out on every track.

The album contains a toned-down collection of instruments which I think was a brilliant move considering how easy it is to throw instruments into a song to buff it up the sound. Like i mentioned previously, this album is very toned down and relaxed. That isn’t to say it doesn’t convey strong emotion and it has an almost sneaky in its way that it gets into your head. The funny thing it’s not the words that get stuck in your head (excluding one song that I’ve been playing the crap out of) but the melody. I’ve only had the CD 3 days and I’ve already caught myself humming bars from some of the songs on here.

Clear favorites on the track listing have emerged for me, but that isn’t to take away from any of the others. Merely that some tacks touch me more than others and so they stand out. Specifically “Almost Lover” and “Ashes and Wine” were more than enough for my purchase to be validated. The only thing I could add is that the CD is slow. It lacks anything you could consider to be a “fast track” but I realized that all her music is basically an extension on her writing (she wrote poetry before music) so it validates itself.

If you’re a fan of female singers, slow and/or melancholy music, Chantal Kreviazuk, or just good solid music overall, then One Cell in the Sea is simply a must have. At the very least go have a listen on either their MySpace or directly on their site (they have a music player) and judge for yourself.

8.5/10