Movies: Zombieland/(500) Days of Summer/Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I am here to review and eclectic mix of films here. This should be fun.

ZOMBIELAND | STARRING WOODY HARRELSON AND JESSE EISENBERG

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, Adventureland) is one of the few remaining survivors of a zombifying epidemic. He has developed a list of rules in order to stay alive and lives rigorously by them. They include: #1 Cardio, #2 Double tap (shoot a zombie twice to make sure he’s dead) and #31 Check the back seat. He lives just by these rules and is still around, so we assume they’re good. He is searching for his family until he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson, recently Academy Award-nominated for his role in The Messenger), who lives by the moment, “enjoys the little things” and is desperately searching for a Twinkie. Tallahassee makes fun of the kid’s rules constantly until they meet up with a couple of trickster sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin, Definitely, Maybe) who are headed for Pacific Playland, a theme park in California where it is supposed there are no zombies.

I loved pretty much everything about this movie. It is safe to say that Harrelson probably could have been nominated for his Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for this film instead of The Messenger (which I haven’t seen but am sure that it is outstanding). He is genuinely funny but shows the dramatic emotion when necessary and keeps it from being cheesy. Eisenberg and Stone make perfect teenagers at the “end of the world.” Breslin, whom I adored in Definitely, Maybe as Ryan Reynolds’ daughter Maya, was not given enough screen time or lines in my opinion. Yet the best thing about this film was the extremely clever script, littered with pop-culture references and the Rules, which would occasionally pop up out of nowhere behind the characters when they applied. Director Ruben Fleischer and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick craft the first zombie film I’ve loved (I haven’t seen Dawn of the Dead or Shaun of the Dead) and make me want to see it again and again and again. I think that may be the ultimate compliment any film can be given.

Yes, some of the lines were cheesy and they didn’t give Breslin enough to do. Those seem to be the only two drawbacks. But when you have a hilarious Bill Murray cameo, those kind of fade away.

Grade: A-

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER | STARRING JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT AND ZOOEY DESCHANEL

Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Lookout) believes in true love. And when he first sees Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel, Yes Man), a girl who just started working as a receptionist at the greeting card company at which Tom works, true love becomes even more real. It progresses from there as a story about what “true love” would. Tom dances in the streets with passersby and holds an animated bird. But there is one catch: Summer does not believe in true love. And when she breaks his heart, he is determined to get her to believe, to get her to come back to him.

I have not put up my Prince nominations on this blog yet, but once I do you all will see how highly I thought of this movie. I nominated it for Best Picture in my expanded list of 10 nominees, Gordon-Levitt for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Marc Webb for Best Director. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel click unlike any dysfunctional couple have ever clicked. It is a beautiful pairing that keeps their chemistry throughout the movie, even through the bad times. Webb crafts a beautiful tale of love unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Since I want to make some romances that are not exactly formulaic when I get to Hollywood or wherever, I took in this movie as an instructional course in how to make a romance that nobody expects.

By the way, Gordon-Levitt is one of those rare leading men. He may not be the best looking of the bunch, but that quality allows him to play characters that we all sympathize with in the end.

Grade: A

 

The 2009 Princes: Shortlists for Major Awards

I still haven’t seen The Blind Side. I still haven’t seen Invictus. I still haven’t seen Up in the Air. I still haven’t seen Sherlock Holmes. I still haven’t seen Avatar. I still haven’t seen The Lovely Bones. I still haven’t seen The Informant!

Besides those seven movies, I think I’ve seen everything I want to this year. I might check out Public Enemies and the 6th Harry Potter on Redbox if I get a chance. Add those to this list:

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (B-)

New in Town (C+)

Taken (B+)

He’s Just Not That Into You (B)

The Pink Panther 2 (B-)

Race to Witch Mountain (B-)

Duplicity (B)

Knowing (C-)

Monsters vs. Aliens (A-)

17 Again (B)

State of Play (B)

Obsessed (B)

The Soloist (B-)

Star Trek (A-)

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (B+)

Up (A-)

The Proposal (B-)

G-Force (C-)

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (B-)

Julie & Julia (A)

District 9 (A)

The Time Traveler’s Wife (C)

I Can Do Bad All By Myself (B-)

The Stepfather (C+)

Where the Wild Things Are (B+)

Planet 51 (C)

2012 (B-)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (A-)

Coraline (B)

Angels & Demons (B+)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (C)

Terminator Salvation (B-)

Those are the movies I’ve seen so far this year and the grades I have given them, whether I’ve blogged about them or not. So, therefore, I will now rank my top choices for the major Princes: Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Actress (Supporting or Lead), Best Actor in a Leading Role and, of course, Best Picture. Note 1: Anything under the underline of the #5 candidate (#10 for Best Picture) are the dark horses right now for a candidacy. Note 2: The (N/A) is for a movie that I haven’t seen yet the candidates still have a good chance. They are automatically slotted at the end of the list.

Best Supporting Actor

This is the category where I’ve had an abundance to choose from. One movie even has two possible nominees (both of which are heavy favorites). This is my shortlist for Best Supporting Actor:

1. Thomas Lennon – 17 Again
2. Zachary Quinto – Star Trek
3. Stanley Tucci – Julie & Julia
4. Hank Azaria – Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
5. Eric Bana – Star Trek
6. Sam Worthington – Terminator Salvation
7. Paul Giamatti – Duplicity
8. Jamie Foxx – The Soloist
9. Jude Law - Sherlock Holmes (N/A)
10. Matt Damon – Invictus (N/A)
11. Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones (N/A)

Best Director

I haven’t really noticed directors as much this year, but there are some that have stood out. Here are my favorites for Best Director:

1. Neill Blomkamp – District 9
2. Pierre Morel – Taken
3. J.J. Abrams – Star Trek
4. Nora Ephron – Julie & Julia
5. Spike Jonze – Where the Wild Things Are
6. Peter Jackson – The Lovely Bones (N/A)
7. Clint Eastwood – Invictus (N/A)
8. Jason Reitman – Up in the Air (N/A)
9. James Cameron – Avatar (N/A)
10. Steven Soderbergh (my favorite!) – The Informant! (N/A)

Best Actress (supporting or lead)

I admit that my current list will seem a bit weak. But add the supposedly stellar performances of the (N/A)s and this race will get interesting. Here is the shortlist for Best Actress (supporting or lead):

1. Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia
2. Amy Adams – Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
3. Ginnifer Goodwin – He’s Just Not That Into You
4. Rachel McAdams – State of Play
5. Betty White – The Proposal
6. Beyonce Knowles – Obsessed
7. Julia Roberts – Duplicity (Surprise Globes nomination here)
8. Sandra Bullock – The Proposal
9. Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air (N/A)
10. Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air (N/A) (her brief appearance in New Moon gave me hope for this)
11. Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side (N/A)
12. Marion Cotillard – Public Enemies (N/A)
13. Saorise Ronan – The Lovely Bones (N/A)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

A lot of good choices here. Here they are:

1. Sharlto Copley – District 9
2. Liam Neeson – Taken
3. Max Records – Where the Wild Things Are
4. Tom Hanks – Angels & Demons
5. Zac Efron – 17 Again (Yes, the Zac Efron. If I get a chance to see Me and Orson Welles I’ll jump on it.)
6. Chris Pine – Star Trek
7. Clive Owen – Duplicity
8. Idris Elba – Obsessed
9. Robert Downey Jr. – The Soloist
10. Johnny Depp – Public Enemies (N/A)
11. George Clooney – Up in the Air (N/A)
12. Morgan Freeman – Invictus (N/A)
13. Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes (N/A)
14. Matt Damon – The Informant! (N/A)

Best Picture

Note here: all of the bottom 7 (11-17) will probably jump into the top 10. The shortlist consists of:

1. Julie & Julia
2. District 9
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Star Trek
5. UP
6. Monsters vs. Aliens
7. Taken
8. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
9. Angels & Demons
10. Where the Wild Things Are
11. Up in the Air (N/A)
12. Sherlock Holmes (N/A)
13. The Lovely Bones (N/A)
14. Public Enemies (N/A)
15. Invictus (N/A)
16. Avatar (N/A)
17. The Informant! (N/A)

So those are my shortlists. Please comment! I’d like to know your opinions.

Whenever I see movies I haven’t seen yet, I’ll update the lists on newer blog posts, always linking back to this one to compare.

 

Why I Love Movies and Why I Want to Make Them, Pt. 1

There comes a time in a person’s life where they eventually decide what they want to do. At least for most people.

I am one of those “most people.”

A few years ago, I realized my calling. It was a pretty powerful experience, to say the least. I felt God’s call, and I followed it.

Here I am on the precipice of entering a college to follow up on that calling.

- Part I: WHY I LOVE MOVIES –

I can’t remember the first movie I ever saw. I wish I could, because then I could trace my love back to a certain point. Maybe it was that Barney movie that came out a LONG TIME ago.

But that’s not the main point.

My love for movies developed in the past few years, especially my sophomore and junior years of high school. I saw several movies and loved several movies. I developed a particular love and adoration for films like Rob Reiner’s 1987 cult classic The Princess Bride, Jared Hess’ 2004 oddball of a movie Napoleon Dynamite,  John Hughes’ 1986 teen comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the Kendrick brothers’ 2008 Christian romance Fireproof and Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake Ocean’s Eleven. From those five movies, I find little pieces of myself and what I want to be as a filmmaker (but I’ll get into that later). There are certain things that I’ve learned to love from those films that really make a film appealing to me.

First, from The Princess Bride. I love this movie because of the dead-clever, absolutely hilarious screenplay and the great characters. William Goldman’s screenplay is frequently quoted in my family and by some of my friends who also love the movie. Just a few examples can be found in my review of the film. And, one of the greatest of all-time: “As you wish.” It is so hard for me to say something bad about this film. Maybe it is a bit predictable, but every movie is. The way you find greatness is in HOW the predictable is carried out. And the predictable is carried out cleverly and brilliantly (and humorously, if I might add) in The Princess Bride. I envy the screenwriting ability of William Goldman and the filmmaking of Rob Reiner in this film. There are not really any other films I can put in the same league as The Princess Bride as far as comedy and just pure film genius.

Second, from Napoleon Dynamite. The first thing I want to do when I hear this film mentioned is laugh. It is just too hilarious to not laugh. Now, some people are turned off by that kind of comedy, and I understand. I guess some people just don’t like the stupid humor on purpose. Some might say, “Napoleon Dynamite is so stupid.” I would agree with them; it is a rather dumb movie. But so is Dumb and Dumber. What Peter Farrelly (director of Dumb and Dumber) and Jared Hess do in these films is make the stupid relatable to people. While I don’t desire to make a film about silly people, I find them fun to watch because they make you laugh and think either, “Wow, my problems really aren’t that bad” or “Geez, some people just have it bad.” Or something like that. By the way, I’m not a Dumb or Dumber fan. But other Jared Hess movies like Nacho Libre (what I’ve seen of it) and the upcoming  Gentlemen Broncos are films I enjoy with that kind of humor.

Third, from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In my mind, Ferris Bueller (played wonderfully by Matthew Broderick) is one of the best movie characters ever invented. He is the quintessential main character. I recently did a film in which I based the characteristics of the main character off Ferris (I’ll write more about that later). His “swagger,” as my main character quoted in my film, is something that I love giving characters in my films. And it’s something that is a big plus for any movie I see; if the film has a strong central character that breaks the fourth wall, I usually enjoy it. Films that use that technique that I enjoy include my former favorite movie, Hitch. Then again, anything Will Smith does is classic.

Fourth, from Fireproof. Until I saw this film, I did not know how in the world anyone could ever get out the message of the Gospel in such a way. This was a great way to do it. Secondly, this film looked at romance from a Christian perspective, which is something I’ve been dying to see. Films like this and Facing the Giants are rare and wonderful to see. I can’t wait until another movie like this. There is one supposedly coming out in 2011. The Kendrick brothers will be announcing the news in a couple of weeks apparently.

Fifth, from Ocean’s Eleven. Due to this film and its two sequels, I have fallen in love with the direction of Steven Soderbergh. I haven’t seen any of his serious stuff such as Traffic and Sex, Lies and Videotape, but I love watching his comedies. I’ve wanted to see The Informant! but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’m going to Redbox it whenever it comes out. The offbeat camerawork and writing in all of the Ocean’s movies are things that attract me to the trilogy, and none of the films display it better than Ocean’s Eleven.

 

In Part II, I will explain why I want to make movies.

 

The Best and Worst, So Far…

I love movies, plain and simple. I love watching them, writing them, making them, etc. But this year has not been a spectacular one as far as films go. There have been a few great movies, but nothing spectacular.

The first movie I saw this year was Slumdog Millionaire when it finally made its way to Sanford, so I won’t count that since it’s already won something. The next film I saw was Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I loved Kevin James in Hitch, so this film was fun for me from the outset. Yes, it’s a bit of a cliche comedy, but what the heck, it was enjoyable. On from that goes hightlights like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and duds like The Soloist, animated masterpieces like UP  and kid film failures like G-Force. Here are the best and worst, SO FAR… (this is a sampling and does not include all categories that will be judged eventually).

Best Underrated Performance:  In this category, I recognize people who may not have been noticed for their performances but actually were very good. Stanley Tucci as Meryl Streep’s husband in Julie & Julia kept up with the acclaimed actress very well. Leslie Mann’s turn as Matthew Perry/Zac Efron’s wife in the age-changing comedy 17 Again was interesting to watch as she took a break from Judd Apatow films. Ali Larter was a tempting villain in the Idris Elba-lead thriller Obsessed and Dwayne Johnson solidly played a cabbie driving around two alien kids in Sin City in Race to Witch Mountain. And note the aforementioned James as well.

Best Screenplay: This goes to the best screenplay, obviously.  Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen wrote a beastly script for Liam Neeson in Taken. Thomas Lennon, who is noted somewhere else here, did an excellent job of working with Robert Ben Garant in scribing Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Nora Ephron penned excellent lines for Streep and Amy Adams in Julie & Julia. David Loughery did well in scribing the thrilling Obsessed. Jason Filardi wrote some excellent lines, including what I believe is the best of the year (“I think our hands just made a baby”) in 17 Again.

Best Actress: This goes to the actress in any role, lead or supporting, who is the best at what she does in a particular film. The aforementioned Streep is definitely worth giving attention to after Julie & Julia. Her co-star, Amy Adams, was good in Julie & Julia, but is getting picked here for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Rachel McAdams has another opportunity to impress me in Sherlock Holmes, but, as for now, her investigative reporter in State of Play is the best for her so far (even better than The Time Traveler’s Wife). Beyonce Knowles in Obsessed and Ginnifer Goodwin in He’s Just Not That Into You are also worthy of consideration.

Best Picture: The five best movies so far. Zac Efron stops singing and becomes a father (sort of) in 17 Again. Aliens are corralled in South Africa and one man tries to make things right in District 9. Two leading ladies show us that cooking isn’t that easy in Julie & Julia. Beyonce puts down the mike and The Office guest star Idris Elba becomes stalked in Obsessed. Liam Neeson becomes grade-A bad while hunting for his daughter in Taken.

Read it, rate it, comment on it, Have fun!!!

 

NHL Season Preview: Ranking the Teams and Predicting the Winners

So the NHL season is upon us again. I’m excited. I hope you are. This is my first post in a while and I’m excited to be back doing this. I want to be your Hurricanes correspondent for the year. I hope you’ll join me as I struggle with my senior year and the ups and downs of the Hurricanes’ season.

To start off the season I will preview the entire league, both conferences, and rank them in their conferences. Then I will predict the winners of the awards and the Stanley Cup.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

15. Phoenix Coyotes – I didn’t want to do this, but adjusting to a new coach with all the young players that the Coyotes have is going to be difficult. Veterans Shane Doan and Ed Jovanoski will help, but it won’t be enough. Young guys like Mikkel Boedeker, Martin Hanzal and Viktor Tikhanov will have to step up if the Yotes want a whiff of the postseason.

14. Colorado Avalanche – With Paul Statsny back and healthy and #3 overall pick Matt Duchene joining the team, things may be looking up in Denver. Up at the rafters, where the number of franchise face Joe Sakic will hang for all of eternity for the team to wish he was still there to help them. BTW: Craig Anderson is a solid goalie.

13. Edmonton Oilers – Although the additions of Stanley Cup winner Nikolai Khabibulin and well-respected coach Pat Quinn might bring hope to Oil Country, the team isn’t fully developed. RFA prize Dustin Penner has busted, Andrew Cogliano had a disappointing sophomore year and where is the scoring coming from? Patrick O’Sullivan? Gilbert Brule?

12. Minnesota Wild - The loss of franchise face Marian Gaborik, despite all the injuries, will not be replenished by Kyle Brodziak and Martin Havlat. While goaltender Niklas Backstrom should be in the running to the Vezina again, new coach Todd Richards’ offensive system contrasts with the defense-first approach of ex-coach Jaques Lemaire. It will be difficult at the beginning for Minnesota to score goals enough to win games for Backstrom.

11. Dallas Stars – The fate of the Dallas Stars rests in the hands of Marty Turco, who appeared on the cover of a video game a few years ago yet now is drawing criticism for his inconsistent play. While having a star-filled roster (Mike Modano, Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro), the defense and goaltending are two big question marks you can’t ignore.

10. Nashville Predators – The Predators did nothing big in the offseason to improve their roster. Competing in that tough Central Division is something that will hinder their playoff possibilities. After Steve Sullivan, Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont, it is tough to see where consistent offense will come from.

9. Columbus Blue Jackets – I love what they have going on in Columbus, with Steve Mason and Rick Nash and Ken Hitchcock, but this is not their year. The emergence of the #8 team in the West will be the Jackets’ downfall and no fault of their own.

8. Los Angeles Kings – The Kings made some great additions at the trade deadline and in the offseason, bringing in ex-’Cane Justin Williams (the most underrated move of all-time), ex-Av ”Captain Canada” Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi, the now-multimillionaire after a spectacular playoff with the champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The one problem is the untested goaltending trio of Jonathan Quick-Erik Ersberg-Jonathan Bernier.

7. St. Louis Blues – The Blues now have a healthy Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson. Look for more scoring and not a zero goal differential like they had last year.  The solid goatending duo of Chris Mason and two-time Stanley Cup final backup Ty Conklin will hold up well.

6. Detroit Red Wings – Say what? Yes the Detroit Red Wings will finish this low. The loss of 88 goals from guys like Marian Hossa and Mikkel Sanuelsson will not be replenished by Darren Helm, Ville Leino, Todd Bertuzzi, Justin Abdelkader and Patrick Eaves. Mark my words.

5. Calgary Flames – The addition of Jay Bouwmeester gives Calgary a solid puck-moving defenseman, something that Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regher can’t do. Follow that up with two of the best players in the NHL (Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla) and you have a team with a solid chance at a long playoff run. Oh, and there’s a guy named Miika Kiprusoff too who’s done some good things.

4. Anaheim Ducks – What? This is more surprising than the Detroit pick, I know. But Anaheim has too much good stuff coming off of that top line with Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan for other teams to handle. Yes, they lost Chris Pronger, but the offense will make up for it with the additions of Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul. The only question is who will start in goal: Hiller or Giguere?

3. Vancouver Canucks – Along with taking some of the offense away from the Red Wings by signing Mikael Samuelsson, the Canucks shored up their suspect defense by adding veterans Mathieu Schneider, Christian Erhoff and Brad Lukowich. Superstar Roberto Luongo is fresh off a huge contract extension and looks to lead Vancouver to another Northwest Division title with scoring help from the re-signed Sedin twins, Alexandre Burrows and training camp revelation Sergei Shirokov.

2. Chicago Blackhawks – Despite the first scandal of the young guys’ careers (Patrick Kane’s  cabby-punching incident in Chicago) and a mixup in RFA contracts eventually leading to GM Dave Tallon’s firing, the Blackhawks had a relatively successful off-season, signing more offense away from the Red Wings in the form of Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky. They also added veteran penalty-kill man John Madden to the already potent forward list including former Calder winner Kane, Jonathan Toews, Calder candidate Kris Versteeg and the underrated ex-Hurricane Andrew Ladd.

1. San Jose Sharks – With the acquisition of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton may now have someone who he can fully rely on for consistent scoring. Jonathan Cheechoo, now in Ottawa with the Heatley trade, had one good year and now is gone. The defensive corps is set with veterans Rob Blake and Danny Boyle working with the underrated Marc-Eduoard Vlasic and Douglas Murray. This year will be the year that goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is going to have to step up and make a major difference. The Sharks’ struggles in the playoffs have been well-documented, and they need to show they can win in the playoffs if they have any chance of proving themselves.

Playoffs

Quarterfinals: 1 San Jose def. 8 Los Angeles, 2 Chicago def. 7 St. Louis, 6 Detroit def. 3 Vancouver, 4 Anaheim def. 5 Calgary

Semifinals: 1 San Jose def. 6 Detroit, 4 Anaheim def. 2 Chicago

Conf. Finals: 1 San Jose def. 4 Anaheim

 

EASTERN CONFERENCE

15. New York Islanders – New York, I want you to be like Pittsburgh. You’ve already completed step 1: you drafted John Tavares. Now, next year, get the #1 or #2 pick and get the next Evgeni Malkin. Then, pick up a couple more players and you’re set to make a run. Now, not so much. FYI: Defenseman Mark Streit is the most underrated defenseman in the Eastern Conference.

14. Atlanta Thrashers – The Thrashers did add more offense by picking up Nik Antropov and Maxim Afinogenov (I’m still curious as why Buffalo let him go). While Pavel Kubina provides a steady power-play quarterback, there’s just not enough offense past superstar Ilya Kovalchuk, emerging Bryan Little and the aforementioned Antropov and Afinogenov. Also, the goaltending situation is too suspect.

13. Florida Panthers – The Southeast Division will have three teams in the playoffs for the first time in a while, and Florida won’t be one of them. The loss of Jay Bouwmeester will not be conunterbalanced by Jordan Leopold and Scott Clemmensen will be the starting goalie by the end of the year, which is not good. Bryan McCabe and Keith Ballard will do alright leading the defense. Look out for David Booth though; some teams will definitely be inquiring about him if Florida falters because he is a talent too good to be stuck on the Panthers (like two guys named Jokinen and Luongo, you know them…?).

12. Ottawa Senators – I like what the Sens got in the Dany Heatley deal; Jonathan Cheechoo has scored 50 goals before and Milan Michalek showed he could play with the big boys by staying on Joe Thornton’s line a great deal of his time in San Jose. Pascal Leclaire should finally give the Senators a consistent #1 goalie. The problem is that the other teams are too good and it’s hard to see someone who can put up 50 goals like Heatley did. Daniel Alfreddson? No. Jason Spezza? No, he’s a playmaker. Maybe Alexei Kovalev. If he does, expect these guys a bit higher.

11. Montreal Canadiens – Any Canadiens fan reading this will kill me. “We got all these good players.” Yes you did. Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Hal Gill, Paul Mara and Jaroslav Spacek are all good players. But chemistry is key. How much do the Candiens have? And will Carey Price really be the goalie of the future? And if not, are Jaroslav Halak and Curtis Sanford the answer? And who is Max Pacioretty?

10. Buffalo Sabres – I’ve always liked the Buffalo Sabres. As a Hurricanes’ fan that may seem wrong, but I like the team, not their fans. Some people have but Buffalo in the playoffs. I just don’t see it. Ryan Miller is still a great goaltender. There are still some solid players. But guys like Derek Roy and Jason Pominville are going to have to respond from off years.

9. New York Rangers – I’ve seen people put these guys lower. You just can’t ignore the talent of Marian Gaborik. I will literally be worried when the Blueshirts play the ‘Canes because of the potential havoc that Gaborik, Vaclav Prospal, Christopher Higgins, Ales Hemsky and Chris Drury can put on teams. Plus, Henrik Lundqvist is a straight up beast. But, the problem is with Gaborik’s body and the questionable defensive corps. Yes, I like Marc Staal, but beyond him, Wade Redden and Michal Rozsvial struggled last year. Sean Avery is a straight-up pest, and if he causes trouble this year, it might be the last straw for him.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning – They’re doing what Pittsburgh’s doing!! Getting Steven Stamkos, then Victor Hedman, then adding good veteran pieces!! The signing of Mattias Ohlund is going to be the best thing that has ever happened to this team since winning the Stanley Cup in ‘04. The only questions: Can Mike Smith come back strong from an injury-plagued season, and can Steve Downie really be a top-line winger? Oh, this team has Vincent Lecavlier and Martin St. Louis too. Probably should’ve mentioned that.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs – Probably the biggest surprise here. This one will have Canadiens fans cursing at me. Oh well. The toughness that the Leafs added is something that’s going to be difficult to ignore. Jonas Gustavsson is a monster in goal and provides a reliable backup to the shaky Vesa Toskala. Mike Komisarek, Garnet Exelby (who always got on my nerves when he played for the Thrashers) and Colton Orr are going to be tough to face. And if training camp surprise Viktor Stalberg can have a great NHL campaign and if Phil Kessel can have another good season, look out for the Blue & White to challenge whoever they play in the playoffs.

6. New Jersey Devils – The switch to a new coach, the loss of John Madden and the early injury to Patrik Elias might worry some. But when Martin Brodeur is your goalie, why worry? Nice pickup of Rob Niedermayer, by the way.

5. Washington Capitals – Why, some might say? This might be as surprising as me putting Detroit as 6. Well, the deal is: the Hurricanes are a lot better than people give them credit. And the Capitals have goaltending issues. Even if Alexander Ovechkin scores 100 goals, if the goaltending stinks, the Capitals aren’t going to get anywhere. Just look at Ilya Kovalchuk. The secondary pieces that the Capitals have on their roster need to back up Ovechkin and Mike Green. 

4. Philadelphia Flyers – The Hockey News has the Flyers winning the Stanley Cup from this exact position on their standings. It’s interesting. The addition of Chris Pronger was probably the best move this offseason. We just have to wait and see if Philadelphia really is the place for him, like Edmonton and Anaheim were. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are two of the best young players in the game.

3. Carolina Hurricanes – The additions of Tom Kostopolous, Andrew Alberts, Aaron Ward and Stephane Yelle were all what the Hurricanes needed to do this offseason. Locking up Cam Ward was a good move as well. I’m not saying this because I’m biased. I’m saying it because I don’t think that the Capitals have the right goaltending situation to keep up. Eric Staal should have another monster season and having call up options like Brandon Sutter and Zach Boychuk don’t hurt. The question: will Rod Brind’Amour rebound from his worst season as a ‘Cane?

2. Pittsburgh Penguins – Two underrated signings this offseason were former Hurricanes Ryan Bayda and Craig Adams going to Pittsburgh, Adams coming back after being picked up on waivers last year and winning his second Stanley Cup. Those two are true workhorses, Pens fans. Sid the Kid, Geno (Malkin), Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin will lead this team to the Atlantic Division title for sure. 

1. Boston Bruins – They lost Phil Kessel. Boo-hoo…NOT!! This team is too good to suffer from the loss of Phil Kessel. Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Marco Sturm, Patrice Bergeron, Michael Ryder, Mark Recchi, David Krejci and Milan Lucic are providing a solid core that has Vezina winner Tim Thomas in net. Kind of hard to compete with that.

Playoffs

Quarterfinals: 1 Boston def. 8 Tampa Bay, 2 Pittsburgh def. 7 Toronto, 3 Carolina def. 6 New Jersey, 4 Philadelphia def. 5 Washington

Semifinals: 1 Boston def. 4 Philadelphia, 2 Pittsburgh def. 3 Carolina

Conf. Finals: 1 Boston def. 2 Pittsburgh

Stanley Cup Finals: 1 Boston def. 1 San Jose

 

Trophy Winners

Hart: Pittsburgh F Evgeni Malkin

Vezina: Vancouver G Roberto Luongo

Norris: Philadelphia D Chris Pronger

Calder: Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman

Coach: Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay

 

Have fun commenting!!

 

Album Review: “House of Heroes Meets the Beatles EP” by House of Heroes

I have never been a huge fan of the Beatles. The only songs that I associate with them are “Twist and Shout,” most notably in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and “Here Comes the Sun,” which I saw on a commercial that they used to show during hockey games a while ago. Boy, they showed that commercial a lot. Anyways, when I saw that House of Heroes, a Christian rock band that I had a liking for based on three free songs they posted online a while ago, was covering three of them, I was a bit skeptical. After all, I’m more of a Monkees fan than a Beatles lover. I’m just a “Daydream Believer” who is not your “Stepping Stone” (both Monkees songs). But I bought the EP off iTunes, and was surprised.

The first track is “Can’t Buy Me Love.” In comparing it to the original, it is very similar, but updated. It makes for a nice track that stays faithful to the original, which I just listened to on YouTube. In truth, all of the songs are very much like the original tracks. Lead singer Tim Skipper’s voice is eerily like John Lennon’s, which is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. Well, not really a bad thing at all. It makes it sound like a real cover. This is probably the best cover of a song I have ever heard. It’s updated very well and sounds like something that would have come out in the 60s.

Second is “It Won’t Be Long.” This is another faithful rendition. Same with the third track “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” I might upset some people here, but House of Heroes’ take on it is much better than the Beatles’ version. Just in my opinion.

I’m sitting here trying to write a four paragraph review of a three-song EP. Really, just buy this. It’s great music and a great choice by this band. I need to get their most recent full-length that has garnered rave reviews, The End is Not The End. In summation, HoH covers these tracks faithfully and has gained another serious fan.

Grade: A+

 

Best of 2009 (So Far) in Music

This year has been an interesting one in music. As far as I know, there haven’t been any outrageously successful albums that I would be interested in. But there have been 4 or 5 that I know that were great. I’m psyched for the second half of 2009 as far as music goes, but let’s examine the first half.

BEST SONGWRITING

• “When She’s Near” – Fiction Family – Fiction Family - Jon Foreman, Sean Watkins: A great love song that I would never have expected from the lead singer of Switchfoot, “When She’s Near” was the first great song of 2009 that I heard. It’s still a great song lyrically.
• “Why” – Rascal Flatts – Unstoppable - Rob Mathes, Allen Shamblin: A sad song about a teenager’s (I think) suicide, “Why” is a heart-wrenching tale of regret and sorrow.
• “Never Be the Same” – RED – Innocence & Instinct - Bob Graves, C. Todd Nielson, Mike Seminari, Jason McArthur, Jasen Rauch: This is the most worshipful song that RED has ever done, and maybe their best. It’s kinda hard to tell, but, nevertheless, it is an amazing song that makes you want to “never be the same.”

BEST ALBUM (My album review is linked)

• Dear Diary – FM Static
• Innocence & Instinct – RED 
• Unstoppable – Rascal Flatts

BEST SONG

• “Then” – Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night: I will probably buy this yet-to-be-released album when it comes out. This song is a great country song that is just full of dedication and greatness (I know that’s real eloquent).
• “The Unavoidable Battle of Feeling on the Outside” – FM Static – Dear Diary: Lead singer Trevor McNevan seems to put together some pretty amazing songs. This is just another example of that.
• “Ghostride the Whip” – Family Force 5 – Dance or Die with a Vengeance: Probably the most surprising inclusion on this list, this song is about just cruisin’. The 5 end up going into gangsta rap and do a pretty good job.

BEST ARTIST

• RED: A great album coupled with guitarist Jasen Rauch’s awesome rock remix of FF5’s “Radiator” on DODWAV means RED belongs here.
• FM Static/Thousand Foot Krutch: Since they’re basically the same people, I’m going to count them both as the same. “Dear Diary” was amazing and the first single off TFK’s new album, “Bring Me to Life,” is awesome too.
• Family Force 5: An amazing remix album that I have yet to write about should be coupled with a Christmas album by the end of the year.

 

Top 100 Songs IMO

After days of debate, I have finally gotten my Top 100 songs of all-time. I invite you to spend time listening to and reading my explanations for these songs.

100)  “Baby Got Book” – Dan Smith – The Caucasian Invasion: This is probably thought of by some as the most questionable inclusion on this list (that’s why it’s #100). But it is included on it’s lyrical merits. Parodying “Baby Got Back” by the ever so perverted Sir Mix-a-lot, Smith does well in changing it into an anthem for Christian guys everywhere, much like #24 on this list. The Napoleony Dynamite nod at the end is hilarious.

99) “Another Day in Paradise” – Phil Collins – But Seriously: My dad introduced me to this song, and, seriously, it’s probably Collins’ best work, maybe “In the Air Tonight” is there too. But this song is here because of its clear message that makes you think about the person that you pass by as you walk on the street that seems less fortunate than you. It was a #1 hit around the world and won the 1991 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

98) “When Love Takes You In” – Steven Curtis Chapman – Declaration: This heartfelt number to Chapman’s adopted children is one of my favorite piano-driven songs and the first of three songs by this CCM legend on this list. The music video, of which I have seen the first 45 seconds or so, seems to clarify the song a little bit and the title just hits home.

97) “A Beautiful Collision” – David Crowder*Band – A Collision: Probably one of the lesser known songs on this album leads DCB into this list as the first of 8 (wow!), tied with Relient K for first as far as numbers on this list go. This one is the weakest of the bunch but is still a great track (duh, otherwise it wouldn’t be on this list). It talks about the beautiful collision that occurs when we run into God.

96) “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” – Chris Tomlin – See The Morning: Tomlin, the American modern worship expert, takes the classic hymn and adds a little something to it that makes it a little more metaphorical.

95) “You Are My Joy” – David Crowder*Band – A Collision: Track number two on the list from DCB, “You Are My Joy” is a guitar-driven bit that is an exclamation of the joy that God brings the singer.

94) “Just What I Neeeded” – The Cars – The Cars: The song used in the Circuit City commercial a  long time ago, “Just What I Needed” should be on this list because it’s just a fun song, one that reminds me of, well, makes me think of a school dance in the 70s.

93) “Surfin’ Safari” – The Beach Boys -  Surfin’ Safari: I can’t remember exactly where I heard this song first, but it was not by The Boys of the Beach (which is ironic, because Brian Wilson never surfed). It was on some kinda of Disney thing with Mickey Mouse and Co. Anyways, this is just a fun song.

92) “Thief in the Night” – Leeland – Opposite Way: This song won Best Songwriting of last year in my opinion, so it obviously belongs on this list somewhere. The thoughtful lyrics penetrate every Leeland song are so wonderful here it’s worth it to check it out.

91) “The Disease & The Cure” – Kutless – To Know That You’re Alive: One of my favorite things about Christian music is when artists compare God to a “disease” (check out #14 on the list). This is similar, but it’s talking about God as a “cure for this disease/to save me from all of my self-deprication.” Jon Micah Sumrall has a way with words and music (#28 also) and leads Kutless to two spots on this list.

90) “All Because of Jesus” – Casting Crowns – The Altar and The Door: Originally recorded by Steve Fee, this song really explains why we are here on the Earth, in my opinion. Casting Crowns’ version is kinda futuristic and snazzy, which makes it a nice rendition compared to the original. Mark Hall’s voice seems made for this track, which is the first of 4 on this list from the wildly successful CCM group.

89) “I Ran (So Far Away)” – A Flock of Seagulls – A Flock of Seagulls: I first heard this song in Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s. It is so epic and just amazingly awesome. The lyrics don’t make too much sense, but its sick guitar makes it a must-have on this list.

88) “Take Me As I Am” – FM Static – Dear Diary: One of the most recent songs on this list is a piano-driven and lyrically strong song that sings out a message of being one’s self. Lead singer Trevor McNevan drives one of the many tracks featuring him on this list.

87) “I’m A Believer” – The Monkees – More of the Monkees: This song is probably more well-known for its inclusion in the popular Dreanworks’ film Shrek as performed by Smash Mouth, but Micky Dolenz’s smooth vocals and classic guitar make it a song worth remembering.

86) “God Only Knows” – The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds: One of The Beach Boys’ great songs (I know that’s kind of an understatement considering there’s 5 songs by them on this list, “God Only Knows” is just another love song that makes an impact, especially on me. Because for me, God only knows what I’d be “without you.”

85) “You and Me” – Lifehouse – Lifehouse: This modern day slow-dance song is something that many dance to at their weddings recently, enough that the band has released a special “Wedding Cut” on iTunes.

84) “Making Memories of Us” – Keith Urban – Be Here: One of the few country inclusions on this list used to mean a whole lot to me, but not as much anymore. It’s a solid love song, many of which are on this list.

83) “The Way You Look Tonight” – Frank Sinatra: This song has been covered by so many artists that it would take a long time to type it all out. It’s another one of those great love songs.

82) “Here is Our King” – David Crowder*Band – A Collision: Another praise song from DCB hits the chart here at #82. It’s another classic that stays on my iPod for a while.

81) “How Great is Our God” – Chris Tomlin – Arriving: If you’ve been to a somewhat contemporary church, you’ve heard this song. I’ll let it speak for itself.

80) “Who Am I” – Casting Crowns – Casting Crowns: The orchestra, lyrics, and Mark Hall’s voice all come together to create another CC masterpiece, of which there are many.

79) “Never Alone” – BarlowGirl – BarlowGirl: Some might be shocked of the inclusion of this song on this list, especially those who know that I skipped the BarlowGirl portion of a concert I went to. But this song is so powerful and well-put-together that it’s hard to not include it.

78) “Don’t Give Up” – Sanctus Real – The Face of Love: On probably their dreariest record, CCM group Sanctus Real tells us to always believe in love and to not give up on it.

77) “Sadie Hawkins Dance” – Relient K – The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek: Whenever I hear the soft guitar riff to begin this song, I get a chill up my spine. This is the second song from RK that I had ever heard and one of the best. I’ve always dreamed of having some girl come up and say, “You’re smooth and good with talking. Will you go with me to the Sadie Hawkins?”

76) “Praise You in This Storm” – Casting Crowns – Lifesong: This song is just about making it through a bunch of troubles by focusing on God.

75) “Surfin’ U.S.A.” – The Beach Boys – Surfin’ Safari/Surfin’ U.S.A.: Another great beach song. That’s about all you can say.

74) “Here I Am to Worship” – Plus One – Exodus: Originally written by Tim Hughes, this worship song is just moving and sings about laying yourself down before God just to worship.

73) “My Girl” – The Temptations: So many different albums, so many different covers, but the original is the best on this classic love song.

72) “Dear God” – FM Static – Dear Diary: Another recent song on this list, “Dear God” is a letter to God from a teenager that just kinda hits home for me. McNevan comes in again with another hit in my book.”

71) “Blessed Be Your Name” – Tree63 – The Answer to the Question: Something like every other worship song on this list.

70) “ Supernatural” – DC Talk – Supernatural: One of this revolutionary Christian group’s greatest hits comes in here at #70. It’s a nice mix of guitars and lyrics that just works.

69) “No Longer” – Decyfer Down – End of Grey: I interviewed the drummer of this band and got a real sense of what this whole album is about, and this song embodies it perfectly. Combined with some great instrumentals, “No Longer” is this hard rock band’s best song.

68) “Ignition” – tobyMac – Portable Sounds: Featuring guitar by Trevor McNevan, this is probably Toby McKeehan’s best song, save one (#49), solo. “Ignition” has been featured in NASCAR commercials on ESPN, and rightly so.

67) “Everything Glorious” – David Crowder*Band – Remedy: DC*B’s next appearance on the list is another praise song. His songs gets better as we go on through this list, like this next one…

66) “Foreverandever Etc…” – David Crowder*Band – A Collision: Maybe Crowder’s best song here has one of the funniest music videos I have ever seen, with animated squirrels (Heehee).

65) “Dare You to Move” – Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown: What would a Top 100 songs of all-time of a Christian music fan be without Switchfoot and this song? Non-existent. This song in concert was amazing.

64) “Pressing On” – Relient K – The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek: The song that introduced me to this band has to be on this list. If it’s not, then I don’t have any business doing this.

63) “Consume Me” – DC Talk – Supernatural: DC Talk makes another appearance here. They have a way of mixing metaphorical and hip-hop praise with just straight up praise. This is one of the best examples of that.

62) “Devastation and Reform” – Relient K – Five Score and Seven Years Ago: Starting off with a slick guitar solo, “Devastation and Reform” is Relient K at its hardest. Matt Thiessen, whose vocals fit well on songs such as “When I Go Down” from Mmhmm and “I Am Understood?” from Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right, But Three Do…, does well with this hard song. If they ever let Relient K on Rock Band, this would be it.

61) “Wholly Yours” – David Crowder*Band – A Collision: DC*B’s greatest praise song, IMO. Whenever I hear this song, I want to sing out, except when we’re doing nothing in AP US History and I’m listening to it on my iPod.

60) “Holy is the Lord” – Chris Tomlin: This song has been done by so many different artists because of its worshipful approach both musically and lyrically. This song is amazing in concert. I really felt God in that place.

59) “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been” – Relient K – Mmhmm: One of Relient K’s most popular songs mainstream-wise, “WIAHWIB” (haha) is a great combination of the lyrical and musical facets that this band has down-pat.

58) “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds: The theme song for every couple that is not married but wants to be. This is probably my favorite Beach Boys song but not their best (#36).

57) “Revelation” – Third Day – Revelation: Another band here that should belong on a Christian music fan’s top 100 list, but maybe a different song. But this is the first Third Day album I’ve gotten, and this song is epic.

56) “Feel Good Drag” – Anberlin – New Surrender: This song has always affected me because it kinda hits home. Plus, the guitar is pretty sick. Anberlin’s not my favorite, but this song is definitely awesome.

55) “Hotel California” – Eagles – Hotel California: What is a Top 100 song list without this? Not for real. ‘Nuff said.

54) “So Long Self” – MercyMe – Coming Up to Breathe: This song is the rockiest MercyMe song I know, and it’s pretty good. It’s what we should all be saying.

53) “Take You Back” – Jeremy Camp – Restored: A song that explains the beauty of grace and what it is exactly. Camp is a master of lyrics and music and belongs on any Top 100 Christian music list.

52) “Carry On Wayward Son” – Kansas – Leftoverture: So, this is one of the most epochal song I have ever heard. The air guitar possibilities on this song are endless. Sick guitars abound. Plus, that opening line: “Carry on my wayward son, there’ll be peace when you are done…”

51) “Luv is a Verb” – DC Talk – Free at Last: This is for all those peeps out there who think that love is a noun. Being “in love” is not for real, I think. You need to feel love, believe love, and just straight up love. They say, “L-O-V-E isn’t all that stuff you see on TV.”

50) “Meant to Live” – Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown: Whenever I hear this song, I think of the concert where they played this song and it was the best song I had ever heard live until I heard Casting Crowns do #… wait, I can’t say yet.

49) “Lose My Soul” – tobyMac feat. Mandisa & Kirk Franklin – Portable Sounds: When tobyMac does praise, he does well. This is a great example of that. He mixes in lyrical elements of his other songs and incorporates a former American Idol and one of gospel’s greatest stars.

48) “In Christ Alone” – Various Artists: Because I am a huge fan of contemporary praise music, this definitely belongs here. It really helps me realize who I should rely on.

47) “O Praise Him (All This For a King)” – David Crowder*Band – Illuminate: Another great DC*B song that definitely goes here because of the great lyrics. David Crowder is a master lyricist.

46) “Love is Not a Fight” – Warren Barfield – Worth Fighting For: This song made an impression on me with its appearance in the film Fireproof, one of my all-time favorite movies. My favorite line is “love is not a fight/ but it’s something worth fighting for.”

45) “Angels Wish” – Steven Curtis Chapman – All Things New: This is a song that ponders what “angels only wish they knew.” SCC makes another appearance on this list. He should definitely have at least 3 appearances on a Top 100 Christian music song list.

44) “Chasing Cars” – Snow Patrol – Eyes Open: This is a beautiful love song that I really like and feel good every time I hear this. I hope to one day sing this to a special girl.

43) “Homesick” – MercyMe – Undone: You could consider this a sequel to “I Can Only Imagine” by the same band. MercyMe makes 4 appearances on this list, one appearance already at #54.

42) “Unashamed” – Lecrae feat. Tedashii – After the Music Stops: Lecrae is the best rapper I have ever heard. With great lyrics and a nice beat, this song is the first of 4 from Christian rap’s greatest artist (IMO).

41) “I Need You” – Relient K – Five Score and Seven Years Ago: Another great hard rock song from Relient K. Just listen to it. That’s really all you should do. Instead of having me try to convince you, you just need to listen.

40) “Jesus is Just Alright” – DC Talk – Free At Last: A fun song. A great song. One that you can dance to. And the song that introduced the moniker “tobyMac” for the group’s rapper, Toby MacKeehan.

39) “Represent” – Lecrae feat. Tedashii – Real Talk: This is the song that introduced me to Christian rap. “Represent, get crunk, represent, get crunk, if you know you’re reppin’ Jesus, go ahead and THROW IT UP!”

38) “I Saw The Light” – David Crowder*Band – A Collision: I know they didn’t do the original one, but Crowder’s voice is great for this song. And with this band’s ability to do many different types of music, the bluegrass sounds like DC*B.

37) “The First Time” – Family Force 5 – Dance or Die: This is just a fun song. Any FF5 song from Dance or Die could go here. But this one is so well-written. Who would have thought that these crunk rockers could go electronic and lovelorn and still be amazing?

36) “Good Vibrations” – The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile/Wild Honey: One of the greatest songs of all-time, some do say. It is a great song. Without a doubt.

35) “Flood” – Jars of Clay – Jars of Clay: Considered one of the greatest songs in the Christian world. Jars of Clay was a young band at this point, and this song just hit it big time.

34) “Never Far Away” – Rush of Fools – Wonder of the World: Another one of the more recent songs on this list, “Never Far Away” is a beautiful love song that I did not expect from ROF. I bought the album even after hearing it was nothing real special, but it really is.

33) “Never Let Me Go” – Family Force 5 – Business Up Front/Party in the Back (Diamond Edition): This song has a crazy music video. It is a great song in that it has a spiritual message and it rocks out. Anybody who thinks that Christians can’t have a good time needs to listen to these guys.

32) “Must Have Done Something Right” – Relient K – Five Score and Seven Years Ago: Relient K is so diverse in their lyrics. This song is a love song that makes total since and changes a common pickup line: “We should get jerseys, ‘cause we’d make a good team. But yours would look better than mine, ‘cause you’re out of my league.” I’ve always wanted to use that.

31) “Tonight” – FM Static – Critically Ashamed: Written by Trevor McNevan about his brother, this song is beautifully written and instrumentalized. I absolutely love this song.

30) “Mighty to Save” – Various Artists: Done by many artists, “Mighty to Save” is another unabashed contemporary praise song that has stolen the hearts of many Christians across the world.

29) “Jesus Muzik” – Lecrae feat. Trip Lee – After the Music Stops: Another great rap song that I love. “Jesus Muzik” is a song about not being ashamed about playing “Jesus music” loud and proud while “ridin’ with my top down.”s

28) “Strong Tower” – Kutless – Strong Tower: I mentioned earlier in the list (#91) that Kutless has a way with words and music. This song is another example of that.

27) “Identity” – Lecrae feat. Da Truth, Jr – Rebel: Off of Lecrae’s newest album, “Identity” is a great song that mixes rap and R&B and has a solid message behind it too: Don’t let other people determine your identity for you, let God be your identity.

26) “What If I Stumble” – DC Talk – Jesus Freak: Also in CCM’s Top 100 Christian Songs of All-Time, this song is DC Talk’s third best. I can’t say enough about how this song works.

25) “Give Me Your Eyes” – Brandon Heath – What If We: Another modern day worshipful song that imagines a man coming into an airport terminal and seeing people around him, wishing that God would give him His eyes to see what these people are going through.

24) “Every Little Thing” – Hawk Nelson – Letters to the President: What I want in a wife. I mean, seriously. Once I heard it, I thought this song was perfect for me. Great songwriting by Jason Dunn here.

23) “Love Never Fails – Brandon Heath – What If We: Heath takes Scripture and translates it into a song about the beauty of love and what it means to truly love, not the love you see on TV, but a brotherly love.

22) “In the Light” – DC Talk – Jesus Freak: Cracking the top 25 is maybe a surprise, but “In the Light” has lyrics that just blow me over.

21) “Definitely Maybe” – FM Static – What Are You Waiting?: I once wrote a movie that kinda incorporated this song’s story into the plot because it’s a great story. McNevan crafts a great track here.

20) “Jesus Freak” – DC Talk – Jesus Freak: One of the greatest Christian songs of all time. #2 on CCM’s list. ‘Nuff said. It changed Christian music forever because of its approach lyrically and musically and coined a new phrase for believers everywhere. “What will people think when they hear that I’m a Jesus Freak? What will people do when they find that it’s true?”

19) “From the Inside Out” – Various Artists: It’s kinda hard to explain exactly why this song is so great. You just need to hear it.

18) “God With Us” – MercyMc – All That Is Within Me: Another MercyMe song on this list that “I Can Only Imagine” is slightly better than. We’re getting close to the top 10 and this could be up there, but there are some that beat it.

17) “Kountry Gentleman” – Family Force 5 – Business Up Front/Party in the Back: One of my absolute theme songs. Except I don’t have a mullet, or eat collared greens, or eat KFC very often. Wow, I’m really hungry now. Anyways, this song is great (duh).

16) “Moment of Truth” – FM Static – Critically Ashamed: The best FM Static song out there. McNevan, who shows up twice more on this list, wrote this to propose to his wife. If only I could write something that good.

15) “Pieces” – RED – End of Silence: Contemporary praise at its finest by a hard rock band. “Never Be The Same” from Innocence & Instinct is good too, but this one just kills it.

14) “Favorite Disease” – Thousand Foot Krutch – The Flame in All of Us: “Sometimes I feel like a monster and times I feel like a saint, I’m on my knees, you’re my favorite disease.” God is a disease that some catch, and its Trevor McNevan’s favorite apparently. A great song lyrically and musically and it really hits home.

13) “London” – Brandon Heath – What If We: Beautiful piano, great lyrics, and Heath’s stunning voice mix well in this song. It’s… you just have to listen to it.

12) “Replace Me” – Family Force 5 – Business Up Front/Party in the Back: This song is like “Never Let Me Go” (#33): a contemporary praise song that is rocked up and stylized quite a bit. You wouldn’t think that it would work as a praise song, but if it’s made acoustic, it would work.

11) “Fight Inside” – RED – Innocence & Instinct: RED is well-known for singing about internal conflict and using hard rock guitars and strings. This song embodies all of that and makes a great track on a spectacular album, one that might be the best this year.

10) “I Will Be Here” – Steven Curtis Chapman – More to This Life: Now we’re on to number 10. This song is on CCM’s Top 100, but it is the second highest of that list to get on here, ahead of “Jesus Freak” (#20), even though that DC Talk track is ahead of this classic love song on the list. This song is just straight up amazing. I want to sing this song to my wife at our wedding.

9) “Be My Escape” – Relient K – Mmhmm: The second best Relient K song ever, “Be My Escape” was this band’s highest charting song on the Billboard Top 200. It is the epitome of what Relient K is: the rock and piano, the hard and the soft mix. Just an amazing song like every other song on this list.

“Hey There Delilah” – Plain White T’s – All We Ever Needed: I know some people who despise this song and some people who love it. Judging by its placement on this list, I hope you realize that I love this song. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SONG. I have it memorized straight up and sing it in the shower sometimes. Wait, did I just say that?

7) “Don’t Stop Believin’” – Journey – Escape: “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world…” Enough said. The highest non-Christian song on this list.

6) “Undo” – Rush of Fools – Rush of Fools: The ultimate song of surrender to Christ and His will for your life. Rush of Fools is a relatively new contemporary worship band. I’m still surprised that, despite its “newness,” this song is not sung in churches across America, because it is so amazing.

5) “I Can Only Imagine” – MercyMe – Almost There: This song is the highest on this list on the CCM Top 100, but the Top 4, with the exception of #1, came out after the list was published, I believe. This is a benchmark to reach for a Christian song with it’s amazingness, awe, and lyrical greatness.

4) “East to West” – Casting Crowns – The Altar and the Door: “East to West” takes a Scripture passage that I can’t remember and don’t feel like looking up and makes it a song that just blows me away. I remember first hearing this song and being amazed. I remember falling on my knees and singing along with my iPod in times of trouble. This song has meant a lot in my life, but this is not a biased choice. “Undo” (#6) has meant more, but it’s not as good as this.

3) “Trust You” – Brandon Heath – What If We: The newest song here in the Top 10 is one of those songs of submission and such, but it just works so wonderfully with a chorus you can pick up easily and a fantastic music arrangement. Heath really has a talent for writing songs and putting the right type of music behind it. It results in a clear masterpiece.

2) “Getting Into You” – Relient K – Two Left’s Don’t Make a Right But Three Do…: When I first heard this song, it didn’t make any sense at all. But after listening to it for a while, I get goosebumps when I hear this song. Matt Thiessen’s lyrics just mesh with the acoustic guitar riffs and come together to make a fantastic track. It shows that Relient K can be really mature, even with songs such as “Gibberish” and “The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting on One” or whatever it’s called.

1) “Breathe You In” – Thousand Foot Krutch – The Art of Breaking: McNevan’s lyrics drive the song all the way. Not the soft musical arrangement featuring proper drumming by Steve Augustine, not the guitar. It is Trevor McNevan all the way. The lyrics. The vocals. Everything that has to do with Trevor McNevan makes this song what it is: the #1 song IMO.

So there it is, my Top 100 Songs. I invite you to comment. Argue. Agree. Accept. That’s all I ask: the three As.

 

The Ocean’s Series

My favorite film trilogy is the Ocean’s series, all directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring the same 11 guys: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Eddie Jemison, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Shaobo Qin and Bernie Mac. I watched the movies in a row a while ago, and compiled a list of the “Best …” coming from the series. Here they are:

Best Movie Partnership: George Clooney (Danny Ocean) and Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan) in Ocean’s Eleven

Geekiest Smile by a Boyfriend: Andy Garcia (Terry Benedict) to Julia Roberts (Tess Ocean) in O11

Best Movie Accent: Don Cheadle (Basher Tarr) in Ocean’s series

Best Movie Game of 20 Qs: Casey Affleck and Scott Caan (Virgil and Turk Malloy) in O11

Best Movie Interruption: Eddie Jemison (Livingston Dell) of Brad Pitt in O11

Biggest Gaffe: Scene begins at MGM Grand then moves to Bellagio in O11

Best Comedic Movie Laugh: Scott Caan in O11

Best Movie Music

Best Movie Twins That Look Nothing Alike: Casey Affleck and Scott Caan

Best Movie Power Outage: The “pinch” in O11

Best Stunt Man Who Can Also Act: Shaobo Qin in O11

Best Battery Moment in Film: Matt Damon (Linus Caldwell) and George Clooney outside of vault in O11

Best Random Movie Line: “That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen.”-Carl Reiner (Saul Bloom)

Sequel with the Most Changed Haircuts: O12

Best Mentor-Tutor Relationship: Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Matt Damon in O12

Best Fake Laugh in a Movie: Brad Pitt in O12 during meeting with Matsui

Best Movie Star Playing Themselves While Another Character Throughout the Rest of the Movie: Julia Roberts (Tess Ocean) in O12

Best First Time Seeing Them Impression in a Film: Al Pacino (Willy Bank) in O13

Best British Comedian in Film: Eddie Izzard (Roman Nagel) in O13

Best Bond-Like Character in a Supporting Role: Vincent Cassel (Francois Telluer) in O12

 

Movies: The Soloist

Once in a while a movie comes along that is not so great, but there is an acting performance that just makes it worth watching. Last year’s example was Seven Pounds, featuring an outstanding performance from Will Smith, who earned my Best Actor of 2008 for that film. He outshined Kirk Cameron from Fireproof, and the lead actor in this film for his performance in Iron Man.

            Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man) is a writer for The Los Angeles Times who is writing pieces that appeal to the masses. He suffers a bicycle accident and damages his face. While walking around a courtyard, he hears the beautiful sound of a violin. Lopez follows the sound and meets Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Jr. (Jamie Foxx, Ray), a homeless ex-Julliard school attendee who adores Beethoven. He is dressed in, well, I don’t know what you’d call it, but he pushes around a cart full of trash and is really good at the violin. Lopez writes a story about him and suddenly the columnist begins to bond with this homeless violinist/cellist with schizophrenia and a knack for music. Steve’s editor and ex-wife Mary (Catherine Keener, Into the Wild) makes Steve’s job even more stressful and complicated.

            The movie by itself was not very good. The script was unspectacular and the direction flawed. But the acting was stellar. I was not expecting a whole lot because Jamie Foxx has been all over the radio blaming it on the “ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, alcohol” and I had not seen him in a film before. He was stellar as Nathaniel Ayers, catching the spirit of the character, I believe. Robert Downey Jr. gives another great performance, apparently his third film in a row with rave reviews (following Iron Man and his Oscar-nominated turn in the comedy Tropic Thunder). I cannot wait until Sherlock Holmes later this year with Downey in the title role. The release date is Christmas. That’s too far away!

            But as I said before, this film was not that great to watch apart from the acting performances. Director Joe Wright (Atonement) did not seem fit to direct this film. Susannah Grant’s (Catch and Release) script was uninteresting and somewhat boring and unmoving at parts. I want to give this film a good grade because of the great acting performances, but it’s difficult.

 

Grade: B-