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Zoom -MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK- AT THE DRIVE-IN Acrobatic Tenement There’s no doubting the musical legacy left behind by post-hardcore heroes At The Drive-In. The El Paso, Texas five-piece, who formed in 1993 and then broke up abruptly in 2001, were highly influenced by outfits like Bad Brains and Heroin, bands who utilized the spirit of punk— fast rhythms and pummeling grooves—with the harsher elements of the hardcore scene, such as screamed/barked vocals and jack jammer guitar riffs. READ FULL REVIEW HERE

-MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK-

AT THE DRIVE-IN

Acrobatic Tenement

There’s no doubting the musical legacy left behind by post-hardcore heroes At The Drive-In. The El Paso, Texas five-piece, who formed in 1993 and then broke up abruptly in 2001, were highly influenced by outfits like Bad Brains and Heroin, bands who utilized the spirit of punk— fast rhythms and pummeling grooves—with the harsher elements of the hardcore scene, such as screamed/barked vocals and jack jammer guitar riffs.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.18.12 ♥ 0
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Zoom -FILM PICK OF THE WEEK- CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS Looking at the poster and trailer for Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, one could conclude that this is yet another Pixar knockoff, full of pop culture references and wise-talking animal sidekicks. Instead, this underappreciated 2009 gem from Sony Pictures Animation is really an absurdist comedy, with eye-popping visuals and a wittily inventive script that refuses to cater to the post-Pixar school of lazy animated children’s fare, ala Madagascar and Ice Age.  READ FULL REVIEW HERE


-FILM PICK OF THE WEEK-

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

Looking at the poster and trailer for Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, one could conclude that this is yet another Pixar knockoff, full of pop culture references and wise-talking animal sidekicks. Instead, this underappreciated 2009 gem from Sony Pictures Animation is really an absurdist comedy, with eye-popping visuals and a wittily inventive script that refuses to cater to the post-Pixar school of lazy animated children’s fare, ala Madagascar and Ice Age. 

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.17.12 ♥ 0
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Zoom DEATH GRIPS The Money Store 10 out of 10 Death Grips are the real deal. Pure and simple. Any doubts about the Sacramento, Ca trio’s legitimacy after 2011’s polarizing mix tape Ex-Military will be eradicated by their latest release, The Money Store. Everything that was great about that last album; fractured electro beats, demonized ranting, hostile lyrics, and a vibe of bursting-at-the-seams insanity, is ratcheted it up to near ecstatic levels here. Not in terms of volume or carnage-spewing vitriol, per se. In fact, some may even claim that they’ve hemmed in some of their more belligerent tendencies. This isn’t simply a record turned up to level 11. It’s a record in which level 11 doesn’t even exist because it’s taking everything one thinks they know about hip hop and gleefully snapping its neck and then disemboweling it. READ FULL REVIEW HERE


DEATH GRIPS

The Money Store

10 out of 10

Death Grips are the real deal. Pure and simple. Any doubts about the Sacramento, Ca trio’s legitimacy after 2011’s polarizing mix tape Ex-Military will be eradicated by their latest release, The Money Store. Everything that was great about that last album; fractured electro beats, demonized ranting, hostile lyrics, and a vibe of bursting-at-the-seams insanity, is ratcheted it up to near ecstatic levels here. Not in terms of volume or carnage-spewing vitriol, per se. In fact, some may even claim that they’ve hemmed in some of their more belligerent tendencies. This isn’t simply a record turned up to level 11. It’s a record in which level 11 doesn’t even exist because it’s taking everything one thinks they know about hip hop and gleefully snapping its neck and then disemboweling it.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.16.12 ♥ 1
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Zoom TIM & ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE 3 stars out of 4 Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim deserve some major props for even attempting to bring their wacked out style of meta-comedy to the big screen. Fans of Adult Swim’s TV series Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! will either see the prospect of a feature length film as a celebratory event or a red flag that they’ve sold out to the Hollywood machine. Within minutes of Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, however, the latter fear is obliterated as Jeff Goldblum (or “Chef” Goldblum) starts things off in true Tim & Eric fashion with a 1980’s-style PSA video introducing a bizarre movie theater chair device from the Schlaang Corporation. This effectively sets up the level of in-joke surrealism the two deliriously mime for the film’s entire running time. READ FULL REVIEW HERE


TIM & ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE

3 stars out of 4

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim deserve some major props for even attempting to bring their wacked out style of meta-comedy to the big screen. Fans of Adult Swim’s TV series Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! will either see the prospect of a feature length film as a celebratory event or a red flag that they’ve sold out to the Hollywood machine. Within minutes of Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, however, the latter fear is obliterated as Jeff Goldblum (or “Chef” Goldblum) starts things off in true Tim & Eric fashion with a 1980’s-style PSA video introducing a bizarre movie theater chair device from the Schlaang Corporation. This effectively sets up the level of in-joke surrealism the two deliriously mime for the film’s entire running time.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.11.12 ♥ 1
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Zoom THE AVENGERS 3 stars out of 4 Let’s say a few things about expectations, shall we? Everyone has them, whether they choose to admit it or not. Sometimes they are fever-pitched, drooling at the mouth, giddy with anticipation expectations. Sometimes they are cavalier, shoulder shrugging, lowered expectations. They may even be expectations cloaked in ignorance that doesn’t feel like expectations at all, something that seems to have happened to many unsuspecting patrons that went to see the recent horror flick Cabin in The Woods. This parallel feels especially apt in the case of one of the most highly anticipated movies in recent years, The Avengers. Both films come from Joss Whedon, who seems to be the hailing savor for the geek culture at the moment; a culture, by the way, that’s become increasingly mainstream. READ FULL REVIEW HERE


THE AVENGERS

3 stars out of 4

Let’s say a few things about expectations, shall we? Everyone has them, whether they choose to admit it or not. Sometimes they are fever-pitched, drooling at the mouth, giddy with anticipation expectations. Sometimes they are cavalier, shoulder shrugging, lowered expectations. They may even be expectations cloaked in ignorance that doesn’t feel like expectations at all, something that seems to have happened to many unsuspecting patrons that went to see the recent horror flick Cabin in The Woods. This parallel feels especially apt in the case of one of the most highly anticipated movies in recent years, The Avengers. Both films come from Joss Whedon, who seems to be the hailing savor for the geek culture at the moment; a culture, by the way, that’s become increasingly mainstream.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.09.12 ♥ 2
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Zoom -SYMBIOTIC RECOMMENDS: 10 ALBUMS MAY, 2012- New month, new album recommendations. 10 songs that can be streamed or downloaded as a mix. Enjoy! CHECK OUT ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS HERE


-SYMBIOTIC RECOMMENDS: 10 ALBUMS MAY, 2012-

New month, new album recommendations. 10 songs that can be streamed or downloaded as a mix. Enjoy!

CHECK OUT ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS HERE

05.05.12 ♥ 1
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Zoom CABIN IN THE WOODS 3 stars out of 4 There will always be a solid argument between those who crave all the latest information regarding a film and diehard cinephiles going into a theater completely cold. It’s not that one method is better than the other, or more preferable, per se. Honestly, it’s next to impossible to know virtually nothing about a movie these days, what with online marketing and the incessant buzz of the blogosphere, but this doesn’t always hold true when it comes to indie films. Certain movies, though, are tailor-made specifically to this second group of people; ones that shun spoilerish advance reviews and the endless stream of Internet chatter. Certain movies demand to be seen through virgin eyes at a time where nearly every single plot point is telegraphed in studio-approved trailers, which all leads to this new movie called Cabin in The Woods. READ FULL REVIEW HERE


CABIN IN THE WOODS

3 stars out of 4

There will always be a solid argument between those who crave all the latest information regarding a film and diehard cinephiles going into a theater completely cold. It’s not that one method is better than the other, or more preferable, per se. Honestly, it’s next to impossible to know virtually nothing about a movie these days, what with online marketing and the incessant buzz of the blogosphere, but this doesn’t always hold true when it comes to indie films. Certain movies, though, are tailor-made specifically to this second group of people; ones that shun spoilerish advance reviews and the endless stream of Internet chatter. Certain movies demand to be seen through virgin eyes at a time where nearly every single plot point is telegraphed in studio-approved trailers, which all leads to this new movie called Cabin in The Woods.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.04.12 ♥ 2
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Zoom THE MARS VOLTA Noctourniquet 5 out of 10 When The Mars Volta first surfaced from the remains of post-punk/hardcore outfit At The Drive-In in the early 2000’s, their dizzying fusion of prog, math rock, Latin jazz, and post-punk seemed to herald something excitingly new. 2003’s debut De-Loused in the Comatorium, featuring former ADTI members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López, was a ferocious juggernaut, nearly flawless in both execution and vision. But with each passing release, from 2005’s stab at Pink Floyd psychedelia Frances The Mute, to 2008’s Ouija board-themed Bedlam in Goliath, it seems that the El Paso, Texas five-piece have been intent on distancing themselves from whatever latin/prog/funk label they may have unintentionally conjured.  READ FULL REVIEW HERE


THE MARS VOLTA

Noctourniquet

5 out of 10

When The Mars Volta first surfaced from the remains of post-punk/hardcore outfit At The Drive-In in the early 2000’s, their dizzying fusion of prog, math rock, Latin jazz, and post-punk seemed to herald something excitingly new. 2003’s debut De-Loused in the Comatorium, featuring former ADTI members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López, was a ferocious juggernaut, nearly flawless in both execution and vision. But with each passing release, from 2005’s stab at Pink Floyd psychedelia Frances The Mute, to 2008’s Ouija board-themed Bedlam in Goliath, it seems that the El Paso, Texas five-piece have been intent on distancing themselves from whatever latin/prog/funk label they may have unintentionally conjured. 

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

05.02.12 ♥ 1
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Zoom THE HUNGER GAMES 2 stars out of 4 When dealing with something like The Hunger Games, it’s important to note that in translating a wildly popular young adult series to the screen, certain things must be omitted or even added in order to make a compelling film. Director Gary Ross (who wrote the script with help from the book’s author Suzanne Collins and screenwriter Billy Ray) has a tough task in that he must not only appease the clamoring throng of fans hanging on every word of the novel, but also create a film that succeeds on its own terms. Whether or not this is a successful adaptation of the book is not really the focus of this review. The main point here is too highlight how different the act of reading a work of fiction is to watching a film where things must be represented visually. READ FULL REVIEW HERE


THE HUNGER GAMES

2 stars out of 4

When dealing with something like The Hunger Games, it’s important to note that in translating a wildly popular young adult series to the screen, certain things must be omitted or even added in order to make a compelling film. Director Gary Ross (who wrote the script with help from the book’s author Suzanne Collins and screenwriter Billy Ray) has a tough task in that he must not only appease the clamoring throng of fans hanging on every word of the novel, but also create a film that succeeds on its own terms. Whether or not this is a successful adaptation of the book is not really the focus of this review. The main point here is too highlight how different the act of reading a work of fiction is to watching a film where things must be represented visually.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

04.13.12 ♥ 4
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Zoom -FILM PICK OF THE WEEK- THE TURIN HORSE There are certain things in life that are extremely difficult to define. The Turin Horse, which won the 2011 Jury Grand Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, is one of these indefinable things; a patience testing two-and-a-half hour work of art that straddles the line between the sublime and the monotonous.  READ FULL REVIEW HERE

-FILM PICK OF THE WEEK-

THE TURIN HORSE

There are certain things in life that are extremely difficult to define. The Turin Horse, which won the 2011 Jury Grand Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, is one of these indefinable things; a patience testing two-and-a-half hour work of art that straddles the line between the sublime and the monotonous. 

READ FULL REVIEW HERE

04.12.12 ♥ 3
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