Playlist of the Week #4: Beginning of Summer Edition

Summer break has started for most colleges, it is starting up for high school soon, and what else is there to do during the summer other than read my blog and listen to music.  So here is a playlist for anyone bored this summer looking to listen to a few summer jams.  This playlist is not for adults that aren't going to be on any sort of break.  Go to your jobs so the rest of us can have fun, you don't get to listen to music!


1. 'Change Your Life' by Iggy Azalea feat. T.I.

You should listen to it because: You're thinking about how the biggest name in rap at the moment is a white girl from Australia.

2. 'Heroes' by David Bowie

You should listen to it because: You're driving around alone on a summer night with your windows down and self-esteem also very down.

3. 'Skeleton' by The Front Bottoms

You should listen to it because: You're skating on roller blades down the boardwalk with a jukebox on your shoulder.  Don't ask me why that's what this song makes me think of, it just does.

4. 'Forever' by HAIM

You should listen to it because: You're at the beach.  This is gonna be y'alls beach song this summer.  Unless you live in the middle of the US, then I don't know?  A river?  Move to a coast.

5. 'Walk of Life' by Dire Straits

You should listen to it because: You need a song to put in your end of the summer photo montage or flipagram if people are still doing those.

6. 'Ain't It Fun' by Paramore

You should listen to it because: It's one of the few songs that's popular on the radio right now that you don't have to be embarrassed about.  Unless you're a dude.  But I don't care I love it.

7. 'America The Beautiful' by Ray Charles

You should listen to it because: In America you can go watch people hit balls with big pieces of wood while you're eating a meat stick that's covered in cheese, sauerkraut, relish, mustard, ketchup, onions, and chili.  So be proud of that (if you live in America, otherwise skip ahead).

8. 'Crimson and Clover' by Tommy James and the Shondells

You should listen to it because: It'll make you feel like you're at a beach party in a 1960's movie.

9. 'Freedom' by Rage Against the Machine

You should listen to it because: You're so happy about being free from school work that it makes you just really angry and intense.  Go ahead, punch some things.

10. 'Grown Up' by Danny Brown

You should listen to it because: You're winding down with your friends at the end of a party and you're doing all of your drugs that you have.

In All Seriousness:

1. 'Change Your Life'

2. 'Heroes'

3. 'Skeleton'

4. 'Forever'

5. 'Walk of Life'

6. 'Ain't It Fun'

7. 'America the Beautiful'

8. 'Crimson and Clover'

9. 'Freedom'

10. 'Grown Up'

~Ryan Moncrief

Review: HBO's 'The Normal Heart'

An HBO Executive: Okay here's our next great movie.  We're gonna take The Hulk, but we'll make him a writer instead of a scientist.  He's gonna be gay and dating that hot guy from White Collar.  He's going to be just as angry and loud as The Hulk, but he never actually turns into him or smashes anything.  And it's gonna be sad.  It'll be great!

In All Seriousness:

Directed by: Ryan Murphy
Written by: Larry Kramer
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Julia Roberts, Joe Mantello, Alfred Molina

Ryan Murphy, who is known for creating the extremely successful and not at all similar shows Glee and American Horror Story, returns with another television creation in the form of a TV movie for HBO.  The Normal Heart is adapted by Larry Kramer, from the play also written by Larry Kramer.  Two of the film's stars (Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons) have recently come out as gay.  This is an important story about homosexuality and AIDS awareness, told by important members of the gay community.

Now I'm not going to use this review to talk about any sort of politics, or try to persuade people to lean towards either direction of any sort of political issues.  I am going to be approaching this film strictly as a form of entertainment.  So if you were hoping for some kind of political rant, *Tyrion Lannister voice* "You've come to the wrong place."  Since I doubt most of you were hoping for that, enjoy the review.

The Normal Heart is a based-on-a-true-story tale of a group of gay men who attempt to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s.  Mark Ruffalo leads the cast as the initiator of this movement, and he does some of the best work here that I've seen from him.  Which says a lot, because I have been a big Ruffalo fan for a few years now.  Matt Bomer is great as well, and nearly unrecognizable at parts having lost 40 pounds for the role.  It's good to see the sometimes on and sometimes off Taylor Kitsch in a good role that allows him to show off his acting chops.  Film veteran Julia Roberts and stage veteran Joe Mantello each get moments to shine in a film that gives it's entire cast plenty of on-screen time.  Jim Parsons does well in the first non-comedic work film or show that I've seen him in, and Alfred Molina is great and welcome on my TV screen as always.  Expect a good amount of nominations from this group at the the various awards shows this year, and maybe a couple of wins too.

You can feel the sense of how important this story is to Larry Kramer, especially knowing that Mark Ruffalo's character is based on himself.  The themes he is going for here are loud and clear, but at times they are a little too loud and a little too clear.  He probably could have benefitted from being a little more subtle.  This way the film would have felt less down-your-throat with it's message, although that might have been what him and Ryan Murphy were going for.

The film has a lot to say, and it doesn't say it in a short amount of time.  The 2-hour-and-ten minute long movie drags on at times.  Some of the many long monologues go on a little too long.  Overall, The Normal Heart is very similar but inferior to the 2008 film Milk, which I am a big fan of.  I did enjoy it enough to be glad that I watched it, but I'm not sure I'll be dying to watch it again anytime soon.  I do, however, hope that a lot of people give it a chance.

Rating: 7/10

~Ryan Moncrief