Matador Life » Weekly Entertainment Picks

Matador Picks: Cambodian Surf Rock, An Orchestra From Georgia, Galactica Redux and an Orgy Of DS Games

Tom Gates — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:37:48 +0000

101-in-1 Explosive Megamix For DS

It seems like a foolproof monotony-buster from where we sit. $20 bucks will nab you this new DS title, which features 101 ways to kill an hour. The games are wireless multi-player, for those of you who are looking to be social. In your own, dorky way.

Dengue Fever: Sleepwalking Through the Mekong DVD

A Cambodian singer returns to her country after a five-year absense, with her America-based band in tow. A very interesting documentary concept, given that the Pol Pot did everything possible to destroy this kind of music, which sounds a bit like surf tunes on acid.

Manchester Orchestra

Hailing from Georgia, Manchester Orchestra has built their following like REM did; by touring nonstop. Mean Everything To Nothing may be their first stab at the bigtime but that won’t matter to the legion of fans who turn up at shows, screaming along to lyrics as fast as singer Andy Hull can sing them.

Caprica

We’re very nervous about this one. Battlestar Galactica finished so brilliantly that nobody wants to see the sci-fi equivalent of “Joey”, which is what some online chatter is predicting. Releasing the pilot almost a year before the first episode makes for an interesting marketing campaign. Eric Holtz is praying to The Gods that this one puts him back on the map.

Matador Picks: The Best Ever Metal Documentary, Doves, Paul Rudd In A Planetary Costume and The World’s Dullest Travel Host?

Tom Gates — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:06:10 +0000

Anvil! The Story Of Anvil

The buzz out of Sundance is that it might be the best Rock Doc ever made. We’re salivating. Do yourself a huge favor and watch the trailer. Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (note: band name twice, one exclamation point) opens on the 10th.

Sesame Street: Being Green DVD

Paul Rudd goes for an Emmy as Mr. Earth, a planet-shaped character who teaches Sesame Street the values of being Green. We are running to Borders as you read this.

Simon Reeve (Dull Travel Guy)

Who is this dude? The BBC2 travel host has dogged us on current trips, always on the screen in a hotel or airport. While somewhat gorgeous, Reeve is a fascinating study in just how boring one person can make the world appear to be. “Just around the corner is a lake.” Ohhhhhh. “This is just nature showing off.” Mmmmm. We’re not kidding. Watch him even take all of the fun out of weed.

Doves

This wildly talented and under-appreciated band from the UK release Kingdom Of Rust, their first album in four years. Known for rather spacey live shows, this album was recorded over 18 months in a “farmhouse-come-studio”. The CD/DVD version of the album features a documentary with live footage and a making-of.

This Week’s Picks: Slumdog DVD, PJ Harvey, Yoga Dorkage and…Reptilian Humanoids.

Tom Gates — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:36:57 +0000

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire makes its way to DVD this week. It will be curious to see if the Oscar hype has legs, or if bread-and-butter America would rather slap their money down on Adam Sandler’s Bedtime Stories. While the ending still makes us trickle a tear, this take on the final dance makes us figgle a giggle.

PJ Harvey/John Parrish

The new album from PJ Harvey and John Parrish, A Woman A Man Walked By, marks their second collaboration together. Out Tuesday, it satisfies our Polly Jean itch but keeps us scratching for a new PJ solo record (it’s been nine years!).

A Wolf At The Table

Augusten Burroughs leaves his mommy issues for his daddy issues in A Wolf At The Table, out this week on paperback. Reviews of the hardcover were pretty harsh but we think that’s just because he is a light-to-carry, airport-book kinda guy. Long distance drivers take note: the Audiobook release contains music from Patti Smith, Ingrid Michelson, Tegan Quin and Sea Wolf.

Attention Yoga Lovers!

Enlighten Up is a documentary out to prove that yoga can transform anyone, even the film’s subject (a skeptical New York Journalist). The movie opens in NYC this week and goes semi-wide later in the month.

Coast To Coast AM

Just another week at Coast To Coast AM: Reptilian humanoids, haunted funeral parlors, 2012, near-death experiences, telepathy and time travel. If you’re into crazy shit and have never heard this radio show, catch the live stream or catch and old podcast here coasttocoastam.com.

Matador Picks: Pearl Jam, Hitchcock, Foie Gras and…Yngwie?

Tom Gates — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:26:25 +0000

Photo: fiskfisk

Editor’s note: in the first of a ’soon-to-be-famous’ new series, Matador explains whatever we’re feeling to be ‘culturally relevant’ for us at the moment.

Ten

It’s difficult to believe that Pearl Jam’s Ten is almost twenty. This week’s re-issue will contain a re-mastered version of the original release, as well as new version re-mixed by Brendan O’Brien. We can’t tell if the later is a good idea or a bad one. Do we really want the guy who mixed Limp Bizkit records toying with “Alive”?

The Decemberist’s

Also out this week is The Decemberist’s The Hazards Of Love, which they played live in its entirety at last week’s SXSW Music Festival. Catch the playback on NPR. There’s so much buzz about this “folk opera” that it had better be damned good, because we’re already over the record label’s hype.

Guitar Hero Metallica

Guitar Hero Metallica becomes available this week for Wii, Xbox and PS3. We’re playing this one for the old tunes, as well as the brilliant Mercyful Fate medley that’s been slipped in. It’s also pretty badass that “Whiplash” was included.

Speaking of the bass parts, Jason Newsted definitely has his Lars Ulrich voodoo doll out again – Robert Trujillo is ‘performing’ his parts. His nephews are so bummed.

Bond vs. Hitchcock

This may be a big week for the James Bond Series but our money’s on the restored release of Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

Yngwie Malmsteen

There are also two, count ‘em, two Yngwie Malmsteen live DVD’s out this week – we want pictures of the guy who pre-ordered them both. Those aren’t mayo stains on his sweatpants.

Foie Graz

It’s hard to imagine people fighting about duck liver but that’s exactly what is covered in a recently-released book called The Foie Gras Wars: How A 5,000 Year Old Delicacy Inspired The World’s Fiercest Food Fight. This one is crying out for some foodie-nerd (noodie?) love.