Concerts and Films #76, 77

I hadn't been able to watch movies every night this week because I was very busy living life, which for me ultimately means I went to concerts and I worked a lot.

Thursday night I saw one of my favorite bands: Coheed and Cambria (at the House of Blues in Boston, a venue I've traveled to many times over the years). This was one of the most energy-fueled shows (of theirs) that I've been to. Claudio Sanchez (lead singer/guitarist) was jumping around, flailing his massive amounts of hair everywhere. Hell, he even played the guitar with his teeth at one point near the end of the show. I've seen them 3 times now. The first time I saw them, they played the small venue here in Portland, Port City Music Hall, and prior to the show I was lucky enough to see them perform an acoustic set at Bull Moose Music in Scarborough and then I met them, got their autographs, and had enough time to tell them I thought they were one of the best, most inventive bands. They were touring for the album "Year of the Black Rainbow" which is the prequel to the sci-fi story that involves many complicated and intricate story-lines which would be hard to explain in full here in this blog, but basically Claudio has quite an elaborate story involving several characters and their story plays out over the length of each album. And their newest double-album is even a pre-prequel to the entire story. There is an entire novel that accompanies "Year of the Black Rainbow" that details the story even more, and each previous album has a graphic novel/comic book that presents the story for even clearer understanding. I have everything of theirs. And what's more, they even played their first four albums in sequential order a few years ago in New York City and released it as a box set. I need to get my hands on that, because the second time I saw them (last year), they were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their first album "Second Stage Turbine Blade" by playing it in its entirety, in sequential order, they even played a short acoustic set prior to the actual show (yet again). I mean, these guys are amazing and seem like genuinely nice guys (at least to their fans).

This past Thursday was an incredible show. Please do yourself a favor and check out this amazing, creative band. Once you get into their music or the story itself, I guarantee you will end up loving them. Here is the setlist:

1: Pretelethal
2. Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant
3. Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked
4. A Favor House Atlantic
5. Delirium Trigger
6. No World for Tomorrow
7. Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher
8. Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful
9. The Afterman
10. Here We Are Juggernaut
11: Dark Side of Me
12: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
13. Wake Up
14. Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destroyer
15. Welcome Home

http://youtu.be/ZXSyatjWo1E

And then Saturday night, I saw another one of my favorite bands (which I like to consider one of my own, you know, one of those bands you discover before people and you feel like they belong to you). This band is Circa Survive. They played with Minus the Bear, and I have to say, it was one of the best pairings for a show that I've seen since going to the Middle East in Boston for Thursday and Sparta.
There is no setlist posted yet for last night's show, but I also saw them back on September 15 at the House of Blues (told you I go there a lot) and here is that night's setlist (another high-energy show):

1. Sharp Practice
2. Through the Desert Alone
3. The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is the Dose
4. Birth of the Economic Hit Man
5. Suitcase
6. The Great Golden Baby
7. Strange Terrain
8. Blood from a Stone
9. In the Morning and Amazing
10. Semi-Constructive Criticism
11. Phantasmagoria
12. In Fear and Faith
13. The Lottery
14. I'll Find a Way
15. Act Appalled
16. Get Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhLm4JgXd5Q&feature=share&list=AL94UKMTqg-9DsydhAOU8MDvU1iIkQ8rp7

Now, I've been thinking about how lucky I've been throughout my life. I've never been irresponsible with my money, at least I think I've spent it wisely. I spend my money on ways that entertain me, in ways that will create memories for myself when I am old and sitting around recounting stories of my life to anyone who will listen. What are some of those stories, so far? Well, I've driven cross-country alone and couch-surfed along the way, meeting lots of great, interesting people (so of which I consider dear friends even to this day). I'm looking at you Kansas City, MO and Iowa City! Some of the best memories of that trip happened with you guys! Thanks! I've traveled on a bus with a great group of people on 5 different accounts as we made our way to many different ballparks around the country- and all for college credit. Again, I met some amazing people on each of those trips and consider so of them my dear friends as well. I've been fortunate to see a New England Patriots home game once per year with my father since 2001. I've gone to many great theatre plays (but have yet to see one on Broadway, even though I've also taken a trip to New York City, during my February break last year). I've spent a week in Washington D.C. alone during an April vacation back in 2002 and visited all the free museums and art galleries, memorials, etc. that you could possibly want to see. I have absolutely no regrets on all the choices I've made and can honestly and genuinely say that I've never hurt myself or anyone else in the process of living my life. I don't believe I've ever made "bad choices." I think I've put so much good karma out in the world that I've been fortunate to get a lot back, in return. I do hope to one day travel to Europe. That's something I need to cross off my list. I only wish I'd taken more pictures of all the things I've seen and experienced. As far as concerts go, though, I've always kept the ticket stubs as memorabilia and I've looked through them every now and then to recount the memories.
I will post separately a list of all the shows I've been to over the years (I'll try hard to remember ones I don't have the ticket stubs for).
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"Shades of Ray"
Starring Zachary Levi (from the TV show "Chuck") Bonnie Somerville (whom I remember from her guest role on "Friends") and Sarah Shahi (from "Fairly Legal" and "The L Word") and Brian George (who is ultimately known for playing Pakistani characters on TV shows "Seinfeld" and "The Big Bang Theory")

Knowing that the film stars all these TV personalities and that it is ultimately a familiar story, in the same vein as "The Namesake" (another movie with a similar story which was adapted from a book by Jhumpa Lahiri, I wasn't really expecting too much. I think the fact that it's an indie film with low expectations actually saves it. As well as its humorous take on the subject of interracial relationships/marriage and the Pakistani culture of arranged marriages.

Zachary Levi plays Ray Rehem, a guy who is struggling to come to terms with his overbearing Pakistani father and white mother, while finding his own place in the world. Throw in the fact that he is in a relationship with a white girl of his own, whom he proposes to at the very beginning of the film and who doesn't accept right away because her parents have mixed feelings about her marrying someone outside her ethnicity (really, have we not moved past this yet?). She goes on a vacation/trip with her family in the hopes of winning their approval, which leaves Ray wondering where they stand. In the meantime, he ends up meeting a Pakistani girl struggling with the same family issues. They hit it off. He exposes the truth about his other relationship and the movie falters into the typical romantic comedy expectations of boy-meets-girl high-jinx.
Not one for ruining endings, you'll have to watch to find out what happens. Will he stay with his white girlfriend or has he finally come to terms with himself and his family history enough to make a decision? It seems like ultimately he really just needs to follow his heart. Isn't that what we all strive to do, anyway.
The film works well because Zachary Levi carries the film with his acting and chemistry with everyone he comes in contact with on the screen. The script plays carefully and humorously with tough themes like race, religion, culture, and ultimately love. It's touching, and notsomuch in a cliche way. Find it if you can.

"Chuck" was an extremely underrated show, by the way. Check it out.
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"The Princess Diaries"
Starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews (with Mandy Moore, when she was still in the bubblegum pop phase of her life/career, unfortunately).
Directed by: Garry Marshall (who seems to be making romantic comedies these days after spending time in the 70s and 80s on TV shows-- too bad, because he's the one responsible for films like this one and "Valentine's Day" and "New Year's Eve" and "Runaway Bride"

Poor Anne Hathaway. Although, I guess everyone starts somewhere. And look where she is now. An Oscar winner. And Catwoman in one of the best film trilogies of all time (in my opinion). I cannot even begin to describe the film. It's so typical. It follows the story of Mia, an ugly duckling turned overnight Princess because of some family lineage. It's drivel. It's cliche. The acting is terrible. Hello, Julie Andrews, what the hell were you thinking?

And I was really struck by the film's undertone of basically if you look "normal" and not completely "made up" people will think you are ugly and that you are less of a person. She's not even given the typical "brains" to go with her lack of looks. And then, it teaches girls that if you change how you look, you will be happier, except she doesn't change to satiate her own desire, it's for the desire of her grandmother who thinks she doesn't look the part of a "Princess." What the hell does that mean? What a terrible message to send to girls, Disney! Mia (Anne Hathaway) starts with long, curly hair and glasses and straightens her hair and ditches the glasses for contacts and suddenly she is transformed to throne-material. I call "Bullshit!" on you Disney. And wag my finger and say "Shame on you!" for sending this message, when you could've sent a different more positive message. I mean, Anne Hathaway reminds me of actresses like Daphne Zuniga (from those 80s films) and Tracey Gold (from "Growing Pains"). Why mess with classic beauty? These are the girls-next-door that guys like me fall for!

Here's what I'm thinking...Roger Ebert says it best, so I want to quote him:
"a march through the swamp of recycled ugly duckling stories, with occasional pauses in the marsh of sitcom cliches and the bog of Idiot Plots. That's the plot that would be solved in an instant if anyone on the screen said what was obvious to the audience. A movie like this isn't entertainment. It's more like a party game where you lose if you say the secret word.



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