MOVIE : "THE PRESTiGE"

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When talking about this film, I can't help but to compare it to "The Illusionist" (a film with a similar theme) release earlier this fall. Unfortunately for "The Prestige", "The Illusionist" is a better film in my opinion. This one is more twisted and complicated and has fantastic cast including Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, etc. This film also felt longer (around the middle) even if it kept me guessing how it all was going to end. Very good... but not spectacular...

MOVIE : "A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 3D"

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This marks the third time this film is released since it's original release back in 1993, but the difference this time : 3D! I'm a big fan of Tim Burton's work and only saw this animated musical classic for the 1st time last year and loved it. The animation is just amazing and very creative. The 3D effect is good. Perfect time of year to see it... or see it again. (now playing at Paramount Montreal)

CD : "MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - Black Parade"

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This is MCR's third record following the hugely successfull "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" released back in 2004. When you listen to their new record, you can hear their "Queen" influence pretty clearly. At times, this record reminded me of Green Day's "American Idiot". This album is a concept album which follows the story of a young man dying in a hospital. Compared to the previous Cd... this one is more intense, dramatic and also over the top. It's also very enjoyable. Two Thumbs UP !

MOVIE : "MARIE ANTOINETTE"

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This is Sofia Coppola's third film, following "The Virgin Suicides" (which I enjoyed) and "Lost In Translation" (which I was a huge fan of!). Kirsten Dunst stars as Marie Antoinette, I usually am not a big fan of her, but she did okay in this one. This film, just like Coppola's previous ones is very slow-paced. But one thing is for sure, the cinematography is great and so are the costumes. Unfortunately, I would have cut out a good 20 min. of the film, it just never seems to end. Overall, pretty good, but nothing compared to "Translation".

MOVIE : "FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS"

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The last two Clint Eastwood films were extremely powerful and dramatic films, which really moved me. This time around, the cast lacks any major hollywood stars (it stars Ryan Philippe, Jesse Bradford and Canadian actor Adam Beach). The film tells the post-war story of 3 guys who must deal with celebrity when they become heroes for their country. In my opinion, the film was missing something, the acting is good but the film is very slow. Beach probably has the best performance in the film.

MOVIE : "SHORTBUS"

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I saw this movie and the "festival du nouveau cinema". You definitely must be open-minded when watching this movie. The film (both comedy and drama) follows a bunch of people that live in New York City, among them a sex therapist, a straight couple, a gay couple and a dominatrix. The cast is pretty much unknown except for Sook Yin Lee, ex much music VJ. The sex scenes of this film (about 10 min. in total) are extremely explicit (almost like watching porn) but are also, most of the time, extremely funny. The result could have been better, but I definitely enjoyed the animation and the soudtrack from "Yo La Tengo".

MOVIE : "THE DEPARTED"

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I was expecting to enjoy this film, but Wow! I was blown away! With a running time of approx. two and a half hours, I was never bored and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. What can I say, amazing script, amazing direction (Scorsese), amazing cast (Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Whalberg, Marting Sheen, Alec Baldwin, etc) !!! And never did the "cell phone" play such a big role and crucial role in a film. We better hear about this movie come Oscar time. Don't miss this one !

MOVIE : "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE : THE BEGINNING"

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You saw the grade I gave this film, well, I really did not enjoy it. I can say I like horror movies in general and I enjoyed the previous TCM movie released 3 years ago. This time around, they made a "bad" copy of the last flick. This film unfortunately follows the trend in horror movies these days that is all about gore instead of focussing on storyline and suspense. What a waste of time !

CD : "THE KILLERS - Sam's Town"

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2 years after their first and very popular record, The Las Vegas band is back with "Sam's Town". Personally, I was a big fan of "Hot Fuss" at first and eventually became very fed up by their "overplayed" music. When I heard the 1st single from "Sam's Town", it stuck in my head, as did the 2nd one "Bones". "Sam's Town" is a very good cd but lacks powerful and fresh tracks like "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside".

CD : "JET-Shine On"

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The Australian retro-rockers are back for a second record. It's pretty obvious when listening to this record that Jet are inspired by AC/DC as well as The Beatles. I would say this second CD is slighly weaker than their previous effort. Overall, Jet give us some very good rock songs and ballads. It takes a few listens to get into it, but I can say I was quite pleased overall.

MOVIE : "SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS"

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I wansn't too sure about this movie, I'm really not a big fan of Billy Bob "now Rubber-faced" Thornton. I wasn't too sure that John Heder would be able to carry a film on his shoulders (aside from "Napoleon Dynamite"). Heder and Thornton make a pretty good team. I was quite pleased with the result. The storyline if far-fetched, but a lot of the jokes work well. It was fun, light entertainment.

MOVIE : "THE ILLUSIONIST"

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At first, lots of people got confused between this film and the movie "The Prestige" due to their similar themes. Personally after seeing the two trailers, I thought "The Prestige" looked a lot better, until I saw this film. "The Illusionist" is one of the best movies of the year so far, it captivated me from beginning to end. The script is smart, the cast is great and must I mention that Jessica Biel is completely gorgeous. Go See it !

CD : "PANIC! AT THE DISCO - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out"

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Panic! at the Diso were 'discovered' by Pete Wentz of Fallout Boy, but their sound is totally different and also a lot better in my opinion. Their music is very fun and catchy "emo-pop-alternative". Their lyrics are awesome and loaded with irony and sarcasm. Pretty much every song on this record could be released as a single. If you like the songs you heard, go out and buy it. Can't stop listening to it...

CD : "EMILY HAINES & THE SOFT SKELETON - Knives Don't Have Your Back"

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If you buy this album expecting to hear something similar to Metric, you will be disappointed. Emily's voice and her music is very soothing... This album is dark and simple. Standout tracks are "Our Hell" and "Doctor Blind", the first two singles. Unfortunately for Miss Emily, her album also feels somewhat monotonous. Let's hope that with all her talent, the next time around, the result will be even better.

CD : "CHANTAL KREVIAZUK - Ghost Stories"

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It took Chantal four years to come out with a 4th record. During that break, she had two children with husband Raine Maida (who also produced the record), and also wrote songs for Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne. As usual, Chantal's songs are ballads (including the radio hit "All I Can Do") but she also evolved in a pretty big way. There will be many comparisons to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple on this melancholy album but it's interesting to see how she's changing.

CD : "HELP! - A Day In The Life"

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This soundtrack produced by Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace's lead singer) gathers a few international bands but mostly Canadian bands and artists. The cd was made to offer help to the "War Child" foundation which aims to engage with a gang of street children in Iraq, to take them away from the violence that dominates their lives and begin a process of education which will offer them hope for the future. The cd features songs by Coldplay, Gorillaz, Metric, Buck 65, Sam Roberts, Bedouin Soundclash, Bloc Party, Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida, City and Colour, Radiohead, etc. If you want some good music and your money to go to a good cause, here's your chance !

CD "THE MARS VOLTA - Amputechture"

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I am a huge fan of Volta's first two records. This time, they are back with a 3rd one entitled "Amputechture" once again filled with long psychadelic progressive-rock trips . The cd features guitar work from Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante. The cd features only 8 songs but runs over 1 hour and 15 minutes long. I would consider this album a little quieter than their previous effort. If you're a fan, you'll definitely love it just like I did. Some songs like "Viscera Eyes" will stick in your head and... it's a good thing.

MOVIE : "LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE"

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Who would have thought that little independant flick "Little Miss Sunshine" would make more at the box office than films like "Gridiron Gang" and "The Illusionist" or as much as "Invincible". This film has been a huge hit due to a great cast (including great Steve Carell in a calmer role) and due to its very funny but also dramatic and touching script and dialogue about a dysfunctional family. Go see it if you haven't yet (or rent it soon on DVD) !

MOVIE : "INVINCIBLE"

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Another sports movie based on a true story brought to us by Disney. But wait... this one is actually a very good and uplifting movie. Just like me, you'll be rooting for Mark Whalberg's character. Whalberg is very very convincing in the lead role. The movie, in my opinion, could have been longer. I rarely ever say that about a movie but I wanted more. Great football movie.

MOVIE : "STEP UP"

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I didn't really have much interest in seeing this film. The film is, as I expected completely predictable and incredibly cheezy at parts... the tough mom who softens up by the end of the film, the kisssing in the sunset, the rebel guy, the assertive girl who doesn't want anything to do with "rebel dude", but... you get the point. The only reason people are really enjoying this film is for the dancing and the music. The movie is very similar to other recent dance movies like "Center Stage", "Save The Last Dance", etc.

MOVIE : "BON COP, BAD COP"

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I was finally able to see the movie everyone has seen since it's release two and a half months ago... The movie itself, aside from the great idea of being bilingual, is not all that original. The plot about a serial killer tracked by two cops who don't really get along can remind you of better movies like "Lethal Weapon", "Seven", etc. The movie is fun and has its audience laughing throughout the whole film (especially the two scenes with Louis-Josée Houde). I'm curious to see what they'll have in store for us for the sequel.

CD "ALEXISONFIRE - Crisis"

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For a long time, I could not stand this band especially due to George Pettit's constant screaming. After quite a while, I was finally able to get use to his screaming but mostly start really appreciating the heavy guitars, the great drum beats and Dallas Green's awesome voice. I was excited to hear their 3rd record and was not disapointed. I am completely hooked on the first single "This Could Be Anywhere in the World" and another track on the cd called "Boiled Frogs". If you can get past Pettit's voice, you might be able to enjoy this quite a bit.

MOVIE : "SNAKES ON A PLANE"

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What's Samuel Jackson thinking playing in these ridiculous movies... ? The movie doesn't make any sense and is even stupider than I could have imagined... How many different ways can a snake get killed ? How many different ways can a snake bite someone to death ? What a complete waist of my time !

MUSIC : "MSTRKRFT - The Looks"

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I was pretty devastated when I heard "Death From Above 1979" broke up. It was a very sad day for me :( .. Here's Jesse F. Keeler's side project; a techno band. Their cd is alright, their music videos are entertaining but what they do best is to remix other's songs. Look up their remix of "Woman" by "Wolfmother".

MOVIE : "ACCEPTED"

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Justin Long had a funny supporting role in the not-so-great ''The Break-Up" this summer. This time around, he's in the lead. This film is smarter than your average "teen comedy". The film is light and fun. Don't overthink the storyline, it's very far-fetched but the film as a whole works very well. Good laughs !

MOVIE : "WORLD TRADE CENTER"

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I wasn't expecting to dislike this film so much, but I very clearly did. The beginning starts off interesting with some rough and intense scenes. As for the rest of the film, you have the two main characters talking to each other to stay alive and under a pile of rocks. Once in a while, you'll see their worried family members... The acting is good but it really did not get to me. Just plain boring !

CD : "BE YOUR OWN PET"

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This is a brand new band I had the chance to see at Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer. This debut album from the young Nashville band is fast and fun punk. The band is often compared to the "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" but sound harder and edgier. This is definitely a band with a promising future.

MOVIE : "TALLADEGA NIGHTS : The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"

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The more I saw the preview for this film, the more I wanted to see it... Will Ferrell is just hilarious. This movie is funny but unfortunately, nowhere near movies like "Anchorman", "Old School" and "Elf" in my opinion. Some of the funniest parts of the film come from Sasha Baron Cohen (from the upcoming film "Borat") who plays Jean Girard, a flamboyant French Formula One driver. The movie is still worth seeing if you're a Ferrell fan only.