Anamanaguchi: You May Not Know #9

Sorry for not updating YMNK as much as I should, I just haven't been inspired to do one recently. Well, at last I've found what I want to tell the world about. Today's YMNK is on a band that I've loved for about three years now and they've introduced me to a new style of music that I hadn't even considered. You may not know about...

Anamanaguchi is a chiptune band from New York City. For most of you who don't know, Chiptune is a genre of music that involves the blips and boops of old video game consoles, basically video game music from the 80's and 90's. What makes Anamanaguchi unique is that they combine chiptune with real instruments, like guitars and drums. Another thing that makes them different is how they get their blips and boops, which is by using a hacked Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Game Boy. Founded in 2004, Anamanaguchi released their first album in 2006 with "Power Supply". This album, while only having seven songs, incorporates everything this band is about. It's fast paced and poppy, while also having some slower songs. It also seemed to be telling a story, with hints coming from the titles of the songs. From what I can gather, it's about breaking into a highly guarded facility full of danger and wonder, trying to reach the center, the power supply. While I don't love every song on this album, it does have some of my favorites, like "Flora/Fauna" (below)

Three years later, Anamanaguchi released their next album, "Dawn Metropolis". Like "Power Supply" before it, "Dawn Metropolis" has only seven songs and seems to be telling a story, if a little more vague this time around. It also doesn't lose their signature energy and quality. I think this is an amazing album and has most of my favorite Anamanaguchi songs, one of which is probably their most famous, "Blackout City"

After "Dawn Metropolis", Anamanaguchi started to gain a little more recognition, but nothing serious. That is until 2010. That year was the release of the "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", the highly anticipated adaptation of the graphic novels of the same name. A game company named "Ubisoft" decided to make a video game to coincide with the film's release. They decided to make it a 8-bit homage to late 80's mid-90's video games, which is what "Scott Pilgrim" was all about. For the music, Ubisoft decided to hire the band perfect for 80's to mid-90's video game homages, Anamanaguchi. This is when I discovered them. If you know me, you know that I absolutely adore "Scott Pilgrim". I love the comics, movie, music, and especially the game. I loved playing through game, so much so that I played it five times all the way through. One thing that stood out to me each time was the music. I decided to do more research and discovered Anamanaguchi. I immediately bought the game's soundtrack of 25 songs and listened to it non-stop. Months later I discovered that the song "Jetpack Blues, Sunset Hues" is used as the opening theme to Chris Hardwick's Nerdist podcast. After wearing that song out, I bought the other two albums and fell in love. I patiently awaited for their next project. On May 3rd 2013, what I was waiting for finally arrived.

On that day, Anamanaguchi began a Kickstarter campaign to release their dream project album, "Endless Fantsay"(pictured above). They'd been working on it for three years and had been turned down whenever they tried to sign with a record label. They decided to make their fans their record label and let them fund it. The money would not only get the album distributed, but would also fund many ideas they had for the album, like music videos, collaborations, and improving their concert experience. They set their goal at $50,000 and posted links on all their social medias. In 11 hours they reached their goal. Now, with 5 days left, Anamanaguchi has raised $228,654, as of the time of this writing. They've been ecstatic with this response and released the album on May 14th, giving "free" copies to anyone who donated to the Kickstarter, which I did. The album has received a hugely positive response and I whole heartedly agree. The album still feels like Anamanaguchi but with more passion and love behind it. Not to say that the others didn't have work behind them, but this one especially. The stand-out of the album, at least out of the many I had to choose from, is "Planet", which was also one of their singles.

After raising all of this money, they had to do something amazing, something astounding. So what was the first thing they did with their over $50,000? This...(awesome stuff at 3:20)

That is why I love this band. They do crazy stuff like this all time and they are the best people to follow on Twitter. I've been listening to "Endless Fantasy" non-stop for 2 weeks straight and can't stop. While I love this album, I can't wait to see what's next! If you want to support this Kickstarter, cause you do get awesome stuff for donating, check it out here:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dreamhax/anamanaguchi-make-endless-fantasy-more-than-album


UPDATE: After 30 days, the Kickstarter ended on June 2 with a total amount of $277,399. That's over 5 times their goal! They're currently on tour and you can get dates and locations at their website which I'll link here:http://www.anamanaguchi.com/#shows

The Silence of the Lambs: CR #36

Sorry this review is so late, or if it seems rushed, because today is national Banana Stand day! That also means it's the long awaited return of "Arrested Development" with its fourth season on Netflix! So I've kinda been doing that. In-between my marathoning, though, I was able to see a movie I'd long heard about and had been dying to see. A movie that I was afraid wouldn't hold up to my expectations. This is my review of the classic...

PLOT
Clarice Starling is an FBI agent in training who's been called in to investigate a serial killer that goes by the alias"Buffalo Bill". He's killed five victims so far and has skinned a certain part of each person's body. In order to find this maniac, Starling must get help from one of the most notorious killers alive, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.



PROS
Everyone in this film gives an outstanding performance, but the one really knocks it out of the park is, or course, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. He truly is creepy and sticks with you long after the credits have rolled.

I loved how the film got its excitement from its conversations and not some random action scene. There's never a useless car chase or a shootout in the middle for no reason, it's all about the dialogue.

Although the movie is over 2 hours long, it remains engaging throughout and never lost my attention for a second. That's great for a movie that's 100% talking.

The film has some great cinematography and camera work in it, which I was not expecting. there's a lot of long shots and close in shots of the actors. One shot in particular, which involves watching Jodie Foster through night vision goggles is incredible and kept me at the edge of my seat.

Even after 10 years and numerous parodies, "Silence of the Lambs" remains creepy and affective. This is a true testament to the film that scenes I've laughed at in "Family Guy" can still terrify me in context.


CONS
The film can get a little melodramatic at times, whether it be in the acting or the film's score. While it's not a huge problem, it can be a little distracting at times when a serious moment is happening and the musical score sounds like something from "Cape Fear".



CONCLUSION
As I said before, "The Silence of the Lambs" is a movie that I was afraid wouldn't hold up after so many years. Thankfully, it blew me away. I was enthralled by this film and couldn't stop watching. This is the definition of a thriller, since it's actually thrilling. This film is certainly worth your time and one that I can't wait to watch again, but with the lights on.

RATING
RUN TO

Shaun of the Dead: CR #35

While Star Trek did come out this week, I wasn't able to see it. What I was able to do was see one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. It's a comedy that I've seen at least 20 times and still love to watch it. It also introduced me to my favorite director Edgar Wright. This is...

PLOT
Shaun is not having the best day. His girlfriend Liz just broke up with him, his roommate and best friend Ed won't grow up and their other roommate is tired of it, Shaun has a crappy job and a step-father he hates. Today is the day he decides to turn his life around where he'll get his girlfriend back and fix his life in general. Sadly, today is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Now, Shaun has to gather his friends and family, try to survive, and set his life right.


PROS
"Shaun of the Dead" is one of the funniest movies and most clever movie I've seen. There's jokes all over the place. In the foreground, background, references, dialogue, body language, everything. There are even jokes within jokes! Even having seen the movie 20 times, I still find new jokes! The best part is that 99% of them hit, with very few that don't.

The main stars of the film, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, have a real camaraderie and are instantly likable  This goes for everyone else in the film, but those two especially.

There are a ton of references in this film and all of them are clever. What makes them funny and not annoying is that they're actually incorporated into the plot. One example is that Shaun's mom is named Barbra. Shaun and Ed decide to go save her and when she protests, Ed yells into the phone "We're coming to get you Barbra!" This reference is great because it's apart of the story and not just some throwaway scene.

This film is kind of a parody of zombie movies, but what makes this great like "Airplane" of "Blazing Saddles" is that you don't need to have seen or even like the movies they're parodying to get most of the jokes. But, you'll get so much more enjoyment if you do love horror movies.

While "Shaun of the Dead" is a comedy, it does deliver on the horror aspect, giving you a good amount of gore and zombies.

The directing style of Edgar Wright is very fast and frantic, and somehow doesn't feel disorienting. It actually helps to make some scenes even funnier and makes it fun to go back and see what you missed.


CONS
Um....yeah, I've never had a problem with this movie. After seeing it again and trying to come up with a problem, I find it impossible.



CONCLUSION
As you can see, I love this film so much. I also love it's spiritual sequel "Hot Fuzz" and can't wait for the last film in this trilogy "The World's End", which is coming later this year. Either way, "Shaun of the Dead" is, in my opinion, the greatest comedy of all time. It's infinitely re-watchable and will make anyone laugh at least once, I guarantee it.


RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!  

The Great Gatsby (2013)/John Dies at the End: NR #42 & #43

Well, I wasn't expecting to see these movies this weekend, or to be sick. Thankfully, I saw one of these movies before I became sick, and thankfully I saw one when I was sick. Anyway, one of this week's movies is the 4th adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The other is an indie...well...I don't know what to call it. This my double review of...

THE GREAT GATSBY

PLOT
Set in the economic and cultural boom of 1920's New York, Nick Carraway is a stock broker who gave up on his dream of being a writer and lives in a small house in the rich part of town. He also lives right beside the notorious and mysterious Jay Gatsby. He's known to throw lavish and huge parties that everyone in town goes to, yet rarely seen at. One day, Carraway is given an invitation from Gatsby to one of his parties, the first time its ever happened. Once at the party, he meets this Gatsby and soon becomes sucked into his world and his scheme to rekindle an old flame named Daisy, who just so happens to be Nick's cousin.



PROS
Once again, Leonardo DiCaprio gives an amazing performance. I actually forgot that he was playing a character and just saw him as Gatsby. If he this doesn't get him the Oscar, someone is going to pay with their life...savings.

The visuals in this film are spectacular. Not only the CG, but also the costume and set designs. They're very elaborate and impressive.

This is probably more of a compliment for the book rather than the movie, but I've yet to read the book. Anyway, the characters, especially Gatsby, are very deep and interesting. While the movie doesn't go too deep into these characters, there's a lot you can infer and project from the amount of info we're given.


CONS
The first hour of the film, at least until Gatsby meets Daisy, is very Baz Luhrmann, which for me is a bad thing. If don't know who Baz Luhrmann is, he's the director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet. My biggest problems with all three of these movies is that the first hour or so is very fast-paced, random, and disorienting. I know some people love that, but I personally hate it. While the film does significantly pick up afterwards, it's still there.

There's a jarring use of modern day music in the film. It's either rap or 1920's covers of modern day songs. It makes sense, since the soundtrack was produced by Jay-Z, it just felt out of place when put over images of the 1920's and really pulled me out of the film.




CONCLUSION
While not perfect, "The Great Gatsby" is certainly Luhrmann's most cohesive and best film. I didn't love it, but I do feel that it's worth seeing in the theater and perfect for anyone who's read the book and wants to see a new interpretation of the classic novel.

RATING
WALK TO




JOHN DIES AT THE END

PLOT
I'm going to try and describe this film as best and vaguely as I can, because 1) the less you know the better, and 2) I'm still not a hundred percent sure how to describe this film. Anyway, the film begins with our main character Dave meeting with a reporter. The reason he's doing this is because he has a crazy and unbelievable story to tell this reporter that involves his friend John, a new drug called Soy Sauce, and the discovery of how deep, expansive, and messed up the universe really is.


PROS
This film is full of surrealist humor, which means a lot of the comedy comes from how weird the images and situations are. Yet what makes this film great is that all of those odd and random things actually make sense in the context of the film.

The comedy in this movie very funny and rarely falls flat, at least in my opinion. It's very weird and niche, and I love it.

The special effects in the film are mostly practical and awesome. They're also extremely creative and fun to watch.

For a surreal and hallucinogenic drug-fueled plot, the story is surprisingly cohesive and attention grabbing.


CONS
There are a few scenes that don't really add anything to the film are mean anything, they're just there. While they're still great, they just seem useless. Luckily, there's only a few.

The special effects, while having awesome practical effects, also have some terrible CGI. It's obvious this is a lot budget film, and it especially shows when ever they use CG effects. While it doesn't hurt the film too bad, it's still a problem.


CONCLUSION
While it's certainly not for everyone, "John Dies at the End" is a unique experience that you'll know in the first 5 minutes whether you'll it or not, and if you love that first 5 minutes, you'll go crazy for the next hour and 25 minutes. Personally, I loved it and can't wait to read the book it's based off of.

RATING
RUN TO

Iron Man 3: NR #41

Sorry this review is late, but family comes before film. Anyway, this week's movie is one of the many highly anticipated films of this year and the big kick-off of the summer movie season. This is...

PLOT
Taking place after "The Avengers", millionaire/super-hero extraordinaire Tony Stark can't sleep. After going through the worm hole in battle of New York, he's experiencing PTSD. Making matters worse, a new villain has emerged in the terrorist leader The Mandarin, whose been bombing many locations in the United States. After Mandarin hits Stark personally, he goes on a war path for the Mandarin with revenge on his mind, but can Stark defeat this evil while he faces the evil within?


PROS
This film was written and directed by the spectacular Shane Black, the writer of such classics as "Lethal Weapon", "The Long Kiss Goodnight", and "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". Black is known for his hilarious and smart dialogue, and this film is no exception. All of the characters get hilarious and memorable lines that turn this film into more of a comedy for most of it's running time, but that's no problem with me.

Robert Downey Jr., as always, does a great job as Tony Stark and almost feels like his character from the other film Shane Black directed "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". The other actors are also good, but Downey Jr. is the stand-out.

The action scenes in this film are amazing and continually unique. Every scene is better than the last and make you wanna yell "HELL YEAH!"

I like what they do with the Mandarin in this version of "Iron Man", they do a good job of modernizing him and integrating him into this world.

There's a twist halfway through the film that people are either going to hate or love, personally I loved it and thought it was a good way to deal with a problem that a lot of other superhero movies have.



CONS
While I did say that I loved the twist, it does lead to a problem that I have with the "Iron Man" franchise as a whole. I would elaborate, but I don't want to spoil anything here.


CONCLUSION
"Iron Man 3", thankfully, is better that its predecessor and is a fun time at the movies. I truly loved it and would gladly see it again. If you love action movies are want a good way to start the summer of right, "Iron Man 3" is the film to see.

RATING
RUN TO