Reviewing A Classic: The Killing

I've had a day or two to reflect on Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. Within this time period I've seen about four or five other movies, some better than others. The Killing was far and away the best of them. Stanley Kubrick's early work challenges even many modern films in it's impact and ability to make the viewer feel some emotion. Now, I must say that spoilers are a pet peeve of mine, and it is for this reason that I won't divulge any myself. I must say, however that The Killing is not only a great heist movie, it is the perfect heist movie. If you know me well, then you know I have aspirations to be a film director. I recognize how difficult it is to pull off this genre, much less pull it off well. If I were to make a heist movie, I would either not because it would not live up to the standards of The Killing or directly rip it off. The Killing, however is what I like to call a travesty movie, as it is a travesty that more people do not know about it. It also deals with the travesties that befall normal men and what the must go through to make their given situation better. The Killing also proves that voiceovers in film do not have to be lazy writing, but just be informative. I also doubt that Stanley Kubrick was a lazy writer. I highly recommend The Killing to anyone and everyone, as it is a caper film that seems to be the basis for even Tarantino's work. The acting in the film is quite good, filled with bit parts that prove interesting. I don't want to sound like a cheerleader for the film so I must say that the pacing at the beginning just did not feel good. The movie messes with its sequence of storytelling, which eventually gets the viewer to relate to the character, but proves to be initially somewhat confusing. If you enjoy a good crime thriller, then please check out The Killing.

Emerson

Symposyum Presents: Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning

Ah, Toronto. Home of the CN Tower and the Toronto Maple Leafs, but more importantly, home to the indie supergroup, Broken Social Scene. If you know me personally, you will know that I am a huge fan of BSS. Founded by Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew, the band is composed of several members of bands signed to the prestigious Canadian indie label, Arts & Crafts. Some people who have lended their musical talent to BSS include Leslie Feist (aka Feist), Amy Millan and Evan Cranley from Stars, Emily Haines and James Shaw from Metric. Needless to say, this culmination of minds never ceases to produce mystical musical magic.
BSS have released 4 albums as a group, including a collection of B-sides; but more recently, the two founding members have produced respective solo albums with the band backing them up. These albums include Kevin Drew's Spirit If..., released in 2007, and Brendan Canning's Something for All of Us, released last year. I'd like to bring the focus to the latter album.
Throughout the entire album, Canning channels the BSS feel, with the uptempo songs like the title track Something for All of Us, Hit the Wall, and Churches Under the Stairs (which feels very Fire Eye'd Boy-ish). After Churches Under the Stairs is the track Love is New, which starts to bring the tempo of the album down a notch. The song carries a 70's disco feel, while still being reminiscent of Hotel off BSS' title album. From there, the songs dive into pool of mellowness, with the synth and brass-driven All The Best Wooden Toys Come From Germany, and the lite collaboration of voices on Been At It So Long. Canning's solo album has me salivating for a new BSS album. Till then, you can always catch Broken Social Scene on tour, since they seem to be touring 365 days a year.

Jordan

Broken Promises and Bon Iver

Hey everybody! So I know I promised everyone a CES update, but I never actually got around to it. I'm really sorry about that. This blogging thing's a lot harder than I imagined (go figure!).
But do I have a treat for you all:

http://www.scjag.com/mp3/jag/bloodbank.mp3

That, my friends, is the link to where you can listen to Bon Iver's latest track off his upcoming EP.

For those unfamiliar with Bon Iver, allow me to shed a little light. Bon Iver is actually a guy named Justin Vernon. He released his debut album, For Emma Forever Ago, with Jagjaguwar Records on February 19, 2008. I first discovered Bon Iver from a recommendation from my older sister. After listening to Skinny Love one time, I was absolutely enthralled by his voice. There's a certain appeal to the mix of folk guitar and falsetto singing. A perfect album for the bitter cold, it almost feels as though he's singing through the malaise of winter. Could it possibly be that the album was recorded in a cabin in the woods of northern Wisconsin? Or maybe the fact that "bon hiver" means "good winter"? I'm not sure. All I know is that For Emma Forever Ago was one, if not the best, album of 2008 for me. I'm expecting to hear some great stuff in the future from this upcoming artist.

Jordan

Resident Movie Addict

Hey, this is Emerson here, the local movie reviewer. I am a bit of a film nerd/buff/junkie. I'll be posting reviews of the classics and honestly anything I see. My reviews will cover films from different perspectives, as a horror movie, a comedy, and a drama must all be taken differently, at least to preserve each director's intended message or lack thereof. And if you disagree with me, be neither daunted nor dismayed to confront me head on to discuss or argue or flame me. Things about me to know as a movie lover: I don't like The Godfather, I have about 100 favorite movies (all of which will recieve a review), the Coen brothers comedys are not funny, my pet peeves are having a movies spoilers revealed prematurely as well as when people don't pay attention to a movie but say they don't like it, and the greatest travesty of all time is that all people are not forced to watch Citizen Kane. Whether you agree with me or disagree with me, I hope you enjoy reading and find insight in what I have to offer.

Emerson

CES 2009

It seems as though the Consumer Electronics Show has creeped upon me once again. What I know currently is that there's been a decent amount of information from the Macworld Keynote about Apple's lineup for 2009. A full report will be posted here shortly. As for other company conferences, I will try to keep up with them to the best of my ability and report back what I hear. I also realized I failed to add our contact info in case any readers wish to make requests on reviews or have a question to ask us.
So, any requests/questions can be sent via e-mail to Symposyum@gmail.com

Jordan

Welcome to Symposyum!

If somehow, you've stumbled upon this blog in it's premature state, welcome to Symposyum. What we here at Symposyum are about is geek-culture media and news. What that means is that here at Symposyum, we're devoted to bringing you reviews of top movies/video games/comics/music as well as sharing opinions on matters of the tech/media industry. Currently, we are a bit short on writers, so it will be a few days until the first review is posted.
A quick word of warning. The reviews written on Symposyum will be from mostly teens. The reason for this is because more often than not, teens make up a huge percentage of the target market for media. Thus, what better review can you get than that of the target customer? Additionally, I hope Symposyum will help more teens (as well as any other reader) make a judgement on what to seek out media-wise.
Concluding this short introductory post, I hope you continue to follow up with Symposyum. I feel as though great stuff is gonna happen here. Happy reading!

Jordan

The Entertainment Industry in a Slump

The recent economic problems within the United States have caused people to become more frugal. It is apparent that cutting back on entertainment will be necessary to make it out alive. Will the entertainment industries adapt to suit the needs of the people, or will the people need to stick it through. With so many medias at everyones disposal people will more than likely resort to illegal behavior. Watching movies on the internet will probably become more popular, as will downloading music illegaly. But what can the industries do to prevent this? Should they publish more amature media or tighten budgets. Can movie studios even afford to produce or distribute bad movies. Could this economy be the death of horror remakes and sequels? Video game developers are closing like crazy or at least suffering layoffs. Video games are an expensive media and the industry is supposedly recession-proof, but can it truly stand strong? Movies are getting more expensive. I payed $9.75 the other day to see a movie. I considered leaving my friends and watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from the comfort of my own home, but decided $10 was not that much, at least for now. People are making sacrifices. I did not have enough cash for a consession. Where does the line get drawn? It is up to you to decide if cheap thrills suddenly are not cheap anymore, but please, before you go out and buy a new entertainment center, mind the economy.

Emerson