Get Smart has been getting some pretty mediocre reviews, but I really liked the movie. Maybe it’s because I have the comedic tastes of a 5 year old, or maybe it’s that I grew up watching Get Smart on Nick-at-Night. Possibly I have a huge crush on Anne Hathaway, and the fact that no matter what I see him in I always enjoy Steve Carell certainly helps, but I really found this to be an entertaining movie. It’s a simple movie. Simple comedy. Fairly impressive action scenes. Nothing more. But it accomplishes what I want summer blockbuster’s to accomplish: entertain me at a level comparable to that of my ticket price. If you’re looking for the best of Steve Carell’s comedic abilities, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a faithful recreation of the original Get Smart series, look elsewhere. But if you want to plop your butt into a nice air-conditioned theater this summer and have fun watching a simple action packed comedy, then this is your movie. I laughed my ass off and had a great time watching the movie, so it’s got my seal of approval!

By the way, if you haven’t ever seen the original series, you’re seriously missing out. I highly recommend heading to amazon.com to grab a few old episodes.

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Movies — Santi @ 7:32 am

Girl Talk’s new album dropped today. But don’t go looking for it at your local record store; it is only available on the interwebs (until September 23rd, that is). Following the footsteps of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and a few others, Girl Talk is making the album available for a price of your choosing. There is, however, an incentive (other than the salvation of your mortal soul) to paying for the album. A $5 contribution nets you the sweet, sweet nectar of the album in lossless FLAC format and the whole album in one, unbroken file (Those familiar with Girl Talk know this to be a desirable item). A $10 contribution gets you all the above and the physical CD package when it hits brick and mortar stores on the 23rd day of September.

For those not paying, you still have access to 320kbps MP3 audio, albeit after some careful questioning regarding the ostensible music theft in progress.

For the unfamiliar, Girl Talk is a mash-up artist who takes samples from literally dozens of songs and remixes them into one song. A Girl Talk album will easily have hundreds of samples on it, laying track over track for some very unexpected successes. Imagine Notorious B.I.G.’s first verse from Juicy over the music to Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. Or Three 6 Mafia’s Stay Fly over Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies. It’s kind of like the Matrix, you have to experience it.

Go get the album. You can always pick it up, listen to it and go back and pay what you think is appropriate. Can’t really beat that.

Also, previous albums are on Amazon. Night Ripper is the place to start. It’s hot.

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 9:25 pm

No more waiting: Bigger, Stronger, Faster* from Christopher Bell is being released in two days.

I can’t think of a better weekend to present this brilliant documentary than the weekend which is bringing us what may be the biggest chick flick ever. That particular movie is really femininity on steroids. Balance that with this movie actually about steroids and your weekend becomes pretty interesting.

Continue reading Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is here

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Movies — Pilar @ 12:49 pm

Some of you may know the name Herbie Hancock, some may not. Some might know him for his 80’s fusion funk hit Rockit, while others might know him for his song Maiden Voyage. Regardless as to your prior knowledge of Herbie Hancock, know this: He is a jazz legend.

You may be wondering why I’m reviewing an album that is over a decade old. Well I just rediscovered this album in my collection, and I was reminded of just how good it is. More importantly, listening to this album again made me think just how great this album is for budding jazz fans.

Continue reading Herbie Hancock - New Standard… for those new to jazz

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Music — Santi @ 8:21 am

The Golden Compass, a movie based on the first book of the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman, is directly marketed to you LOTR and Chronicles of Narnia fans. While those two series have years to build their fan base, His Dark Materials Trilogy has only had a few years and competition from one Mr. Harry Potter. But, in the face of these hardships, consider this the little movie that couldn’t…do much wrong.

Continue reading Did You Miss the Golden Compass the First Time?

Filed under: Books, Media | Entertainment, Movies — Pilar @ 8:47 pm

The Perfect Scent is not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I’m glad I didn’t miss it. My mom was reading it, and she recommended that I read it because of my background in chemistry. Don’t think you need to be a chemist to appreciate this book, though; the author gives enough detail to satisfy someone like me, but it’s not necessary to understand or enjoy the book. And while the chemistry of perfume creation is there, the truly fascinating insights are on the business side of things: the utter dominance of Chanel No. 5, the small and hidden group of perfumers that create nearly every scent on the market, and the variable level of celebrity involvement in the scents which bear their names. While the advertising suggests that labels craft their own perfumes, the reality is that they provide only a general picture of what they want, and contract with outside companies to blend the actual scents! Similarly, a celebrity perfume might simply bear their name - or its creation may have been carefully controlled by the individual. While I haven’t finished reading The Perfect Scent yet, I can heartily recommend it as a glimpse into a world that’s vastly different from what advertising suggests it is.

Filed under: Books, Media | Entertainment — Max @ 9:14 pm

By now everyone and their mother has seen Iron Man and probably told you how cool it was. Well, just in case you are neither someone nor someone’s mother nor any permutation of the two, here it is: Iron Man is cool. It’s kick-ass fighting robot suit on robot suit action for the whole family (Unless someone in your family has epilepsy. Leave them at home, it’s for their own good). I’ve always been an Iron Man fan; I used to watch the mid 90’s cartoon religiously. I had serious fears that this film would ruin that (like Hollywood’s last try at the Hulk) but this movie is faithful and entertaining. It’s packed with references that only the true fan will recognize (did anyone else catch that the terrorist organization is called the Ten Rings?) but is still fun for the uninitiated. And make sure you stay through the credits. I won’t spoil it but I’ll give you two words: Sam Jackson.

Filed under: Movies — Roy @ 8:14 pm

Full album, it’s available from their website here:
http://dl.nin.com/theslip/signup

The process was notably smoother than the Radiohead’s In Rainbows download process, and NIN is making the download available in tons of formats:
high-quality MP3s (87 mb)
FLAC lossless (259 mb)
M4A apple lossless (263 mb)
high definition WAVE 24/96 (1.2 gb) — That’s right, HD uncompressed!!! freakkin’ awesome of them to do that!!!!

I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet, but from what I’ve heard so far I like it. Maybe one of the other Velvetroneers will post up a nice review!

Filed under: Gadgets | Technology, Media | Entertainment, Music — Santi @ 3:24 pm

With all the recent album reviews going on here, I figure I’d let you in on my latest purchase, the latest album from bass player Victor Wooten. If you’re interested in some uniquely happy music that mixes elements of jazz, funk, fusion, gospel, and African music while showcasing one of the best bass players of all time, read on!

Continue reading Palmystery: Absurdly happy music from Bassist Victor Wooten

Filed under: Media | Entertainment, Music — Santi @ 8:16 pm

Max is dead-on about the Justice CD; I’ve been bumping it since last July and it still makes it into my morning commute on a regular basis. My favorites are Genesis, Phantom Pt. I & Pt. II. You might recognize Genesis from one of those Cadillac commercials (hopefully that doesn’t ruin the song for you).

If you’re into to Justice, you’d probably enjoy Ratatat as well: They’ve got two LP’s, both of them awesome, and two remix mixtapes, the most recent of which is available on their website for approximately $0. Plus tax. I really want to give you the highlights, but it’s all hot. If you really want a starting point, Wildcat is as good as any other but you should really be listening to the whole thing. Take my word for it.

Filed under: Music — Roy @ 1:22 am