Hey all,

So in honor of my absolute favorite holiday ever, I’ve compiled a list of the best movies to watch around Halloween (in no particular order) that you’ve probably not seen. If you have seen them, major props!

-G

Number 1

Title: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Director: Scott Glosserman

Genre: Comedy/Horror

Synopsis: This film tells the tale of the serial killer Leslie Vernon, as told by the film crew following him around on his murders to make a documentary. This movie puts an interesting twist on the way we perceive the scary movie villain and hero, and rolls it up nicely in a package that is both hilarious and scary. Oh and did I mention that the serial killer hunter in this move is none other than the original Freddy Crugar himself, Robert Englund?

Number 2

Title: Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter (2001)

Director: Lee Demarbre

Genre: Comedy

Synopsis: Readers who are uber evangelical or easily offended beware: This movie will scare the hell out of you. This over the top musical kung-fu masterpiece takes place in Ottawa, Canada, where Jesus Christ, along with the help of a Mexican wrestler, must save a group or lesbians from vampires with a lust for their blood. A fast cult classic, JCVH is so bad it will have you laughing so hard you cry.

Number 3

Title: Evil Dead (1981)

Director: Sam Raimi

Genre: Gore/Comedy

Synopsis: This movie is an odd combination of gore and comedy in the same way that Shawn of the Dead is, but the writing and acting is so much worse. There are times when the blood and guts are pretty graphic, but the cheesy special effects are so hilarious that this movie is a B-rated gem. Follow a group of friends to an abandoned cabin to party, and then enjoy as they battle evil demons who are after their souls. And the hero’s arm gets chopped off, so clearly he is forced to attach a chainsaw to his nubbin and hack his way to safety… its cliché awesomeness to the max. IF YOU LIKE THIS, SEE ALSO: Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness

Number 4

Title: Motel Hell

Director: Kevin Connor

Genre: Horror/Gore/Spoof

Synopsis: A farmer kidnaps unsuspecting travelers and then buries them in chambers underground, until he fattens them up to be served as burgers in his restaurant. While this movie is a spoof, is quite gory and actually a bit creepy. Maybe what scared me more than anything was the fact that I love burgers, and this movie had a severely adverse affect on my burger love for a little while, but it’s worth a watch in the spirit of the season.

Number 5

Title: The Innocents (1961)

Director: Jack Clayton

Genre: Suspense/Horror

Synopsis: When a governess comes to a lonely mansion to watch over what seems to be two young, well adjusted children, she soon finds herself questioning her sanity as the children seem to be overtaken by the souls of the former governess and groundskeeper of the property. Also known as “The Turn of the Screw,” this movie appears to be the basis for the idea of the move “The Others,” but is much more cinematically satisfying and well written as the lack of technology forced this black and white to create artful suspense through dramatic lighting and optical illusions.

A brilliant singer-songwriter with a pension for child-like veracity fused with soviet piano chord undertones, Regina Spektor’s music is unlike anything else out there. She uses her voice as instrument, and makes percussion sounds with her tongue as she stretches the notes to give her music a branded style that is solely Spektor.

This Russian-American songstress performed Wed., Oct. 14 at the historic Radio City Music hall in New York to a sold out crowd, and wowed the audience with impeccable vocal candor. Only Spektor could sing about subject matter ranging from sunbathing, Jesus and God, to exaggerated drug use, sexual promiscuity and the Holocaust all with the same toe-tapping cheer that makes her music a quizzical combination of enlightening and innocent.

The show had a minimal light display that basically just changed color with the mood of the songs or refracted off a disco ball to give the hall a starry night feel, but it fit perfectly as Spektor’s presence alone was enough to light up the stage.

The opening band, Jupiter One, was actually pretty enjoyable. They were like a Vampire Weekend/David Bowie/Brian Wilson amalgamation that I didn’t hate. And I was not able to confirm this as I could find no documentation of who was in Spektor’s band, but I’m maybe 80 percent confident that the lead singer of Jupiter One is also a violinist in Spektor’s band.

Overall it was a memorable night, and as always Spektor was more than sincerely gracious to her crowd, stating her amazement at having the opportunity to perform at Radio City Music Hall. Check out the set list below, and please, please check out Regina Spektor, because anyone who can make the phrase “someone next door is fucking to one of my songs” sound innocent, deserves some recognition.

Set List

The Calculation

Eet

Folding Chair

Ode To Divorce

Machine

Laughing With

One More Time With Feeling

Two Birds

Blue Lips

-November Rain Solo-

On The Radio

The Call

Dance Anthem Of The 80s

Silly Eye-Colour Generalizations

Bobbing For Apples

That Time

Apres Moi

Poor Little Rich Boy

Ink Stains

Human Of The Year

Man Of A Thousand Faces

-Encore-

Samson

Us

Fidelity

Hotel Song

Love, You’re A Whore

Regina Spektor’s newest album, “Far,” is in stores now waiting for you to buy it. Here is the video of “Laughing With,” from the album.

I also have this less-than-great video footage, but if you are a fan, you may appreciate it. My seats were far away so I found someone’s footage of the show on Youtube and the sound isn’t bad.

View of the New York City Skyline by Giselle Mazur

By Giselle Mazur

Friday, 07/31/09

The rain poured down as the masses trudged through ankle-deep muck toward the entrance of Liberty State Park in Jersey City for the All Points West Music and Arts Festival.

After a 24 hour car ride, two flat tires and a press credentials mix up (unfortunately our photo pass did not come through, so please excuse the lack of close-ups), we finally found ourselves rushing toward the Blue Comet stage just in time to hear the opening phrases of “Mansard Roof” by Vampire Weekend. I was swelling with excitement because after an hour of dealing with a disorganized press registration tent, I got in the park just in time to see what is at this moment, my favorite band of the month. Vampire Weekend offered up an excellent performance with album clarity and all the energy one could want from a cleverly lyrical dance-rock band, despite hard rain and muddy fans.

Vampire Weekend performs at All Points West photo by Lex Hubbard

Following Vampire Weekend, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs rocked out with a trippy stage design that included floating eyeballs soaring ominously in front of a horizon that featured the Statue of Liberty. As much as I love this band, and as amazing as they sounded, I can not attest for singer Karen O’s ridiculous taste in wardrobe. I mean, Karen, we all know you are an indie goddess with a pension for the unusual, but a sack-like mask that seemed to be inspired by a combination of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre guy and a burka? But hey, her pillow case hat didn’t affect her music, so I still say thumbs up for an awesome performance.

Unfortunately, the Beastie Boys were forced to cancel due to Adam Yauch’s recent announcement that he is suffering from throat cancer. Our hearts and prayers go out to Yauch. Jay-Z honorably picked up the torch, opening with “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” in honor of the iconic threesome.

Saturday, 08/01/09

Because of the less-than-optimal weather, ticket holders with single-day passes for Friday were allowed to come back Saturday at no additional cost.

Saturday’s weather was much improved, and so was the attitude of concertgoers. With sunshine and a cool breeze, the day kicked off with a sidesplitting performance by comic Judah Friedlander, who you may recognize from “30 Rock.” From jokes about shitting on golf courses, to being the world champion of everything (except cricket of course, because that’s not a real sport), Friedlander’s performance was the perfect combination of crowd work and material. He conducted his entire set while walking among the audience, singling out audience members as he saw fit.

The Arctic Monkeys delivered a good performance, though concert attendees weren’t rushing to stand in the glop to see them. There were awkward holes in the crowd where fans had avoided the worst of the mucky pits.

The Arctic Monkeys at All Points West, Photo by Giselle Mazur

By far the most satisfying performance of the weekend was by Gypsy punk outfit Gogol Bordello. The band’s Eastern-European sound and theatrical stage performance excited the crowd enough to close the gaps and dance happily in the filth. A spectacular display of musicianship and high-energy stage presence, the band got one of the festival’s only pits going, and everyone was so enthralled by the eclectic show that audience members didn’t even shy away from flying clumps of muddy sod hailed by exuberant moshers. If you have not checked out this band, you need to do so immediately. It will change your life; even if the singer does sound eerily similar to a Transylvanian count.

Gogol Bordello at All Points West, photo by Lex Hubbard

I caught snippets of performances by Chairlift and the Tokyo Police Club, and ended the evening with a Tool laser light show. Tool’s performance was as impressive as they were at the 2007 Bonnaroo, but I could have sacrificed the artsy video show they blasted on the big screen for live footage of the show. It was impossible to see anything on stage if you weren’t right up front, and I wasn’t about to throw some ‘bows in all my 5 foot glory to push past rowdy Tool fans.

Sunday, 08/02/09

And the rain returns.

The Sunday schedule was completely messed up by the terrible weather. With severe thunder and lightening storms, the festival gates remained locked until 4:30 pm, four hours late. Many attendees lost hope and turned back, forfeiting the final day of music. According to a festival security guard I talked to, at 6 pm only about 6,000 attendees had entered the park. His opinion was that in all, the festival weekend only brought out about half as many guests as the previous year.

Even so, no band went without at least some stage time. Everyone was given a two-song set wherever there was room, and in some instances, the delays meant more intimate settings. Steel Train, for example, did an acoustic set at the Toyota Free Yr Radio tent, and there were maybe 40 people crowded around to see them.

In the comedy tent, Christian Finnegan had the audience in stitches, but Janeane Garofalo was absolutely dreadful. She barely told any jokes, was openly pissed about having to be there, and kept asking if her ten minutes was up until she finally got off stage. Seriously Janeane, just quit. You were worse that most amateurs I’ve seen.

The Silversun Pickups picked up my spirit, but it was quickly dropped again when the terrible sound mixing at the Bullet Stage completely ruined what would have been a great We Are Scientists performance. The weather had everyone in a tussle, and you could hear the sound technicians’ desperate attempts to fix the feedback and muffled vocals throughout the performance. I don’t blame the band though. This was a constant problem throughout the day on the Bullet Stage. Next year All Points West needs to hire better sound guys. I mean, I can forgive messing up one band as you figure things out, but The Black Keys and MGMT seemed to have the same troubles, and that was hours later.

We Are Scientists at All Points West, photo by Giselle Mazur

Coldplay saved the day though, and delivered nothing less than greatness. The stage performance was thrilling, with balloons and confetti and a tribute to the Beastie Boys via a piano ballad version of “Fight for Your Right.” They praised the fans for braving the muck and the mire, and even trudged through the grime themselves to play a few songs out among us common folk. They tipped their hats to MJ with an acoustic “Billy Jean,” and then returned to the stage to finish their set.

Coldplay at All Points West, photo by Giselle Mazur

Overall, I’d give the festival a 6 out of 10. I understand that weather problems can bring down the general atmosphere of a fest, but I still think a lot could have been done to improve the situation. It had its highlights, but I look forward to watching All Points West grow.

Dallas.  The show was the one on every band’s list as having been the best thus far into the Warped Tour.  Why?  All the kids had high energy.  All 16,000 of them really got into the show, and were fun and supportive.  Hm, I wondered where Hartford would rank in 2009 Warped Tour history.  All the bands I got to interview spoke to the press before their sets, so all said something along the lines of “I don’t know, but there’s a real good vibe here… the weather is great, the kids seem cool…the setup is excellent.”  I would have to agree.  Armed with my notebook, lots of water, and photo assistants (big thanks to Nora and Sofia who I could not have done it without!), I set out to experience Warped in Hartford CT. Read the rest of this entry »