Netflix Pick of the Week #9: Short Term 12

This blog has been running for months and I'm on Week 9 of Netflix picks.  Nice job Ryan.  I'm going to try to make these more weekly rather than couple-of-monthsly.

Short Term 12 (2013)

Starring: That Girl I've seen in things, That guy who's in The Newsroom, That guy who looks familiar, a bunch of kids
Premise: A group of 20-something year olds work at a residential treatment facility and help you realize that you don't want to have kids yet.
Quote: "Yeah, I see that he's wearing an American Flag cape, but does no one else notice how tiny his nipples are?" - Grace (Brie Larson)
One Sentence Review: You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll have a sudden craving for cupcakes.

In All Seriousness:

I'm really happy that this movie was put on Netflix, because it was my third favorite film from last year, and no one has seen it.  Now that it's readily available to every Netflix user (and anyone who uses their friend's account), I hope that more people will watch it.  Brie Larson, who you probably recognize from movies like 21 Jump Street and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, shows that she's got some really solid dramatic acting chops.  Expect to see her name a lot in the future.  And if you watch HBO's The Newsroom (which you should if you don't already), you know that John Gallagher Jr. can act.  And he proves that even further here.  Short Term 12 touches on a few serious subjects, but still keeps it light enough so that the audience can laugh, and not go into an immediate deep depression.  That being said, there are parts that will pull on those heart strings of yours, so much so that I got a little choked up a few times during this film.  So in conclusion, if you're looking for a movie to watch this weekend, here it is.  And if you watch it, please let me know what you think.

~Ryan Moncrief

Top 20 Albums of All-Time

I do a lot of film things on this here blog, so I figured it was time to sit down and figure out my Top 20 albums of all-time.  It was a lot harder than I was expecting.  There were some albums that I wish I listened to more so I could include them.  There were some albums that I love and struggled to leave off.  There is also lack of many rap albums, which makes me realize how white my taste in music is, and that I need to start listening to some more rap.  Feel free to make fun of me, and tell me what albums you like from my list.  But mainly make fun of me.

In All Seriousness:

20. 'Is This It' (2001) by The Strokes

Favorite Song: The Modern Age

I discovered this album back during my freshman year of high school.  During winter break of this year was the first year that I actually escaped my comfort zone and started listening to albums instead of random singles that were on the radio.  This was the first entire album that I actually owned, and I loved it.  I listened to it on repeat that winter break.

19. 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver' (2011) by Bon Iver

Favorite Song: Minnesota, WI

In my senior year I was given this album on a CD and I listened to it in my car all throughout that summer.  I thought it was so perfect and that all of the songs flowed so well together.  Justin Vernon is one of my favorite singers right now.

18. 'OK Computer' (1997) by Radiohead

Favorite Song: Paranoid Android

Radiohead recently became one of my favorite bands of all-time.  I wasn't really big into them when I first started getting into alternative/indie music, but I gave them another chance and became such a huge fan.  This won't be the last time you see them on this list.

17. 'Audioslave' (2002) - Audioslave

Favorite Song: I Am the Highway

This was the 2nd album I ever listened to in it's entirety when I first started getting into music.  I always really liked the sound of singers like Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, Scott Weiland, etc.  This mixed with Tom Morello's cool guitar riffs was exactly what the doctor ordered back then, and the album has held up for me since then.

16. 'The Blue Album' (1994) by Weezer

My Favorite Song: My Name Is Jonas

I really enjoy Weezer, but I don't think they'll ever make an album as good as this one.  Pinkerton was close, but it's not as consistently good in my opinion.  The Blue Album has so many great songs, it could be a Weezer Greatest Hits album. I love singing along to this album in the car.

15. 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' (1991) by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Favorite Song: Under the Bridge

Another album that could double as a greatest hits album.  This is far and away my favorite Chili Peppers album.  It has my 2 favorite songs by them, and as a whole is just really great.  It seems crazy to me that his album came out before I was born.

14. 'Sublime' (1996) - Sublime

Favorite Song: Wrong Way

Yeah, this list is definitely going to be very 90's heavy.  I love the 90's.  The 90's is my favorite era of music.  Sublime is the only ska/reggae band I've ever really gotten into.  But they make me want to venture out into the genre a little for sure.

13. 'Led Zeppelin II' (1969) by Led Zeppelin

Favorite Song: Heartbreaker

Led Zeppelin is by far my favorite classic rock band of all-time.  I've been a huge fan of them since I was a little kid, and this album has always been my favorite by them.  A close second was Led Zeppelin IV, but II has a heavier sound that I like a lot.  The riffs on Heartbreaker and Ramble On.  The intensity of Whole Lotta Love and What Is and What Never Should Be.  This album is just awesome.

12. 'Kill the Moonlight' (2002) by Spoon

Favorite Song: The Way We Get By

Spoon has been one of my favorite bands for a few years now.  The lyrics that Britt Daniel write are great.  And they have such a cool, unique sound.  Kill the Moonlight is a perfect album to start with if you're trying to get into Spoon.

11. 'Talon of the Hawk' (2013) by The Front Bottoms

Favorite Song: Santa Monica

Maybe I'm jumping the gun on this album considering I discovered The Front Bottoms a few weeks ago.  But I've given this album so many listens within the past few weeks and it's pretty much perfect.  Every song is filled with great writing and awesome rhythms.  So excited to see them live in June.

10. 'Deja Entendu' (2003) by Brand New

Favorite Song: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

I would love to see Brand New live.  I hadn't listened to them until this year.  But throughout the year this album has moved it's way up on my list.  I was torn between this and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, but in the end I decided that this album as a whole was better.  It's a perfect combination of their punkier stuff before it and their heavier stuff after it.

9. 'Consolers of the Lonely' (2008) by The Raconteurs

Favorite Song: Many Shades of Black

There was a time when Many Shades of Black was my favorite song.  It's not any more, but it's still one of my favorites for sure.  This sophomore album from The Raconteurs was miles better than their still very good debut album.  It's sad that we probably won't see another Raconteurs album, at least not anytime soon.

8. 'Because of the Times' (2007) by Kings of Leon

Favorite Song: Fans

Here is a band I've already seen in concert, and they were great.  Most of their best songs come from this album.  It's so consistently good, there is not a song I would think about skipping on this album.  Also Fans is another previous favorite song of mine.

7. 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' (1995) by Smashing Pumpkins

Favorite Song: Stumbleine

Smashing Pumpkins is my second favorite band of all-time.  I just love the range of their songs, especially on this album.  They can go intense with a song like Bullet with Butterfly Wings, or they can go softer with a song like Stumbleine.  This album is epic.  And I already hate myself for using the word epic in a way that wasn't ironic.

6. 'AM' (2013) by Arctic Monkeys

Favorite Song: Snap Out of It

Arctic Monkeys are one of my favorite bands for sure.  I liked them a lot before this album, but they really outdid their other work with AM.  It's incredible.  Not a single song is filler.  Great album to blast in the car.

5. 'Ten' (1991) by Pearl Jam

Favorite Song: Black

Not only is this one of my favorite albums, but I'd argue that it's one of the best albums ever made as well.  At least one of the best debut albums ever.  The writing is awesome, and I'd say at least 5 of my Top 10 Pearl Jam songs are on this album.

4. 'The Bends' (1995) by Radiohead

Favorite Song: Just

Radiohead's second album The Bends is pretty much what really got me into them.  I listened to this album and fell in love.  It made me want to listen to every other album they've made, and I did that same day.  After listening to them all several times, The Bends has gotten the most plays from me and it remains my favorite for sure.

3. 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' (2010) by Kanye West

Favorite Song: Blame Game

I'm even sad that this is my only rap album on this list.  I promise I like rap music guys, I just haven't listened to enough.  And I haven't like any other albums enough to give them a spot on my list.  That being said, it shows you how much I love this album due to the fact that it's the only rap album and it's this high on my list.  It's the perfect rap album in my opinion, and I don't see anything replacing it for a while.

2. 'Modern Vampires of the City' (2013) by Vampire Weekend

Favorite Song: Step

Vampire Weekend is and has been since Contra, my favorite band.  Seeing them last year was amazing.  I'm biased, but it's the best concert I've been to.  I was so happy that this album exceeded my unrealistically high expectations when it came out.  Ezra Koenig wrote some of the most clever lyrics I've heard in a while.  Even after what has to be over a hundred listens, this album stays fresh and interesting each time.

1. 'Siamese Dream' (1993) by Smashing Pumpkins

Favorite Song: Mayonaise

If someone asked what I would pick as the perfect album, this would be my answer every time.  It holds up so well today, and will hold up in the future.  Another great representation of Billy Corgan and the band as a whole's range.  The softer Disarm and Spaceboy mix perfectly with the harder Geek U.S.A and Rocket.  I don't really know what to say about this album other than I love it, and listen to it if you haven't already.

~Ryan Moncrief

Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Warning: This is not a sequel to the movie "Hotel for Dogs".  A Grand Budapest is not a type of large, muscular dog.  Even though that would be such a cool dog name.  And this hotel is not filled with dogs.  Just people, for the most part.  I can not stress enough that this is not about a dog hotel.  Don't make this mistake.

In All Seriousness:

Directed by: Wes Anderson
Written by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Jude Law, F. Murray Abraham, Saiorse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, I'll stop here.  There are soooo many notable people in this movie.

In the few years since I became an avid viewer of films, Wes Anderson has been one of my go-to filmmakers whenever I'm asked to list a few of my favorites.  I look forward to each and every one of his films, and I love the style of filmmaking that Wes has created for himself.  The story book feel, the symmetrical shots, the large ensemble cast, the adult-like kids and kid-like adults; all of these things are Wes Anderson trademarks that are quite apparent in his newest film.

While The Grand Budapest Hotel does have a lot of these Wes Anderson quirks, it seemed to be the most different from the rest of his filmography.  First off, it felt the most R-rated of his R-rated films.  More cursing/nudity/violence than I was expecting, but it was a nice change of pace from Anderson's two previously most recent films, the PG-rated Fantastic Mr. Fox and the PG-13 rated Moonrise Kingdom.  

This film also felt like the most fast-paced of Anderson's films.  He is usually able to squeeze a lot into his hour-and-a-half-long films, but this film moved very quickly.  The characters all talked, and moved quickly, the camera moved quickly, the story moved quickly.  It felt like a Wes Anderson film on speed.  That being said, I liked how fast it was.  It forces you to give your complete attention to the film from the very beginning to the very end, or you'll miss something important.  There is not a wasted second of film here.

The cast of Grand Budapest kind of felt like the Wes Anderson All-Star team.  He has a good amount of newcomers, but many of the supporting roles are filled with actors he's used in previous films.  All of them did their part, no matter how small their role was.  Although, like with any film I've seen in my life, a little more Bill Murray wouldn't have hurt.

I've always loved the writing in Wes Anderson's films.  All of his scripts are so clever and funny.  I think this might be might favorite script of his though.  The dialogue is fast and every punch-line hits.  Anderson also does a great job of creating suspense and intensity at several points throughout the film, which is a bit unusual for one of his films.  He can create drama very well, but this is the first time during one of his films where my heart was actually racing with anticipation multiple times.

In conclusion, The Grand Budapest Hotel both fits perfectly with the rest of his filmography, and feels a little different from his previous works.  So if your a Wes Anderson fan I obviously recommend you see it.  If you're not a Wes Anderson fan, maybe you'll like the slightly different feel, so I recommend you see it.  If you have never seen a Wes Anderson film before, this is a good entry point to his work, so I recommend you see it.  Or if you're just looking for a well-made film with strong themes of friendship and fighting loneliness, than I would definitely recommend this.  Basically I just really like this film, and you should watch it.  Really soon.  Like this week.  Or today.

Rating: 9/10

~Ryan Moncrief