Late to the Party

The Cure

For a long time, I never understood the reference when Adam Sandler said “Okay, I just want to warn you that when I wrote this song I was listening to The Cure a lot” before singing “Somebody Kill Me” in The Wedding Singer. Now I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if I learned that The Cure albums used to come with a razorblade and a suicide note template. Robert Smith whines and whines and whines on every song. I think I just found myself a new coaster for my coffee table. Awful.

Personal Favourites

If I had to pick, I’d say “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Friday I’m In Love”

Music Video Hall of Fame

Sonseed - Jesus is a Friend of Mine


The funniest things about this video have nothing to do with Jesus. Zap!

Showdown

The Movie vs. The Book: Is the Book Always Better?

When someone is asked what they thought of a movie adapted from a book that they've read, how often do they say "The book was better"? For me, I hear it quite a bit (I even say it myself sometimes). I certainly hear it more frequently than "It was better than the book". Why is that? Is it because books are written to be books and will always lose something in translation to the big screen? Is it because those who have read the book first already have their own perfect film adaptation in their head, complete with their own perfect cast? In the cases where the movie actually is better than the book, why? Is it due to the screenwriter? The actors? The director? Was the book originally imagined as a film but written as a novel instead? A screenplay disguised as a novel? Of course, the better the book is, the harder it is to adapt.

Does it make a difference if you read the book after seeing the film? This is not as common due to most people's reasoning of "I've seen the movie, why read the book?". Does already having the film's actors and setting visualized as you read remove that personal imagining you would have had if you'd read the book first, thereby reducing the risk of disappointment?

Let's take a look at a few examples after the jump. Click "Read More" below.

Music Video Hall of Fame

The White Stripes - Fell in Love With a Girl


It's awesome because it's all Lego. And it probably took approximately a billion years to make.

Bloggity Blog

M&M Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day for Crohn's and Colitis

On Saturday, May 8th, visit your local M&M Meat Shop to support Crohn's and Colitis research. Volunteers will be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in exchange for a donation.

What you get: A hot dog or hamburger, a bag of chips and a drink for a minimum donation of $2.50.

Official site

All proceeds go to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.

What is Crohn's and Colitis?

Music Video Hall of Fame

Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At?

Nostalgia

Space Jam Soundtrack
Lightning Strikes, The Court Lights Get Dim

I was ten years old when Space Jam came out and like every other kid who liked basketball and movies at that age, I liked it. It wasn't my favorite movie ever, but it had Michael Jordan and it had Bugs Bunny. How could you go wrong? It even had Newman in it, but I didn't know or care about that in 1996.

I watched it again when I was fifteen. Throughout the whole movie, the only thing I could think was Why the hell didn't Michael Jordan win a frickin' Oscar for this? His performance is inspired! It's gritty, honest...okay, seriously, it's an abomination. A piece of plywood would have shown more acting ability than that. Here's the worst part: He was playing himself! He barely had to act at all! I'll throw him a small bone and say it probably wasn't easy talking to animated characters that aren't there. I guess he wasn't really there to act, just to be Michael Jordan. I'm sure if they ever make a sequel, they'll get Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role. He'd drink the Monstars' milkshakes.

Movie aside, the soundtrack has become an all-time favorite for me. Every few years I revisit it, expecting to like it less than before and every time it surprises me. Maybe it's just nostalgia. Maybe it's because it was one of the first CDs I ever bought. Maybe it's just one of those things that I like because it reminds me of my childhood. Or maybe, just maybe, it's actually a pretty good album. Of course, their are definitely some garbage songs but the good ones more than make up for it.

Click "Read More" to see a track-by-track review.