Posts by Chloe Nguyen

Isn't the Republic of Canada, by its very design, supposed to be a federal democratic republic?🤷

Despite the myriad of shortcomings—ranging from the rather mediocre sound quality to that absolutely nonsensical lineup schedule—the performances I actually caught more than made up for everything, and I suppose I can't say I regret being at Coachella even one bit.

redheron13 said:Lately, I seem to be running into these prejudices and judgments from people regarding those who listen to country music quite frequently. Honestly, I don't see any logical reason for this, and I simply cannot fathom why someone enjoying a little country music would necessarily have to be some sort of unrefined hillbilly or a complete primitive. It strikes me as rather odd that people who prefer other genres tend to hold such inflated opinions of themselves, as if they are somehow more sophisticated or "urban" than the "country crowd." And then there is the tired stereotype that venues playing country music are just hubs for drugs and crime, which isn't true at all. In fact, based on my own experiences, I know those places—at least the ones I occasionally frequent—are where relatively normal folks go just to grab a drink and have a good time.

For the most part, country music is, well, terribly bad music. And, I suppose, the crowd that frequents those types of establishments is generally quite unpleasant as well. I can't say that applies to everyone, of course, since many people head out to hear country for various reasons without actually caring deeply about the music (or perhaps they just choose to tolerate it), but there is simply too much low-class riffraff present to ignore that reality.

And no, listening to country doesn't make a person a bad human being. It doesn't really say anything about someone's character, other than perhaps suggesting they lack a particularly refined musical palate. I personally know plenty of people who enjoy country music whom I wouldn't dream of criticizing as individuals. That crude element that makes up a significant portion of the country scene would still be just as crude regardless of whatever other music they happened to be listening to.

silentdriver12 said:And then Arctic Monkeys announce two shows in Germany—what an absolute shocker, right? June 20th and 22nd.
Bravo, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Go screw yourselves.

It’s hardly a tragedy, I suppose, since they haven't even played in Miami since before 2009.🙂

Arthur Garcia59 said:It started out incredibly strong with AF, G, and TV on the Radio, but then there was this slow, agonizing slide starting with The Streets, eventually hitting rock bottom once they booked Jamiroquai, Cypress Hill, and—Gentleman? wtf is Gentleman

I honestly went into this thinking it would be a massive, top-tier festival this year, perhaps as a way to make up for last year's lineup. What a complete waste of time.

Calling The Streets a decline...

as if anyone needs to apologize for a festival that featured Alice in Chains, Morcheeba, LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Caribou, The Flaming Lips, Flogging Molly, and Massive Attack...

I really need to stop reading this forum; it’s genuinely starting to get under my skin.🙄

Rebecca Lee said:Please, don't take offense, but I suppose I am speaking from the perspective of someone sitting in the audience who simply cannot seem to wrap their head around the indie scene.
I suppose I should be happy for everyone who finds this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to their liking, but as for me, I think I’ll just stay far away from it for the time being. 🙂

I suppose I don’t quite grasp the logic here; Lana Del Rey seems to be the very first stereotypical indie act at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, yet I find myself baffled by all this intense disapproval. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't exactly thrilled myself. I hadn't actually heard of them before today, so I spent some time listening to a few tracks on YouTube, and I must say, they strike me as being somewhat irritating. Still, I am curious—which other indie bands would you consider to be just as difficult to stomach?

Arcade Fire? Sure, they definitely fall under that indie umbrella, but I suppose you could just as easily listen to them as a straight-up rock act. On this latest album, one can hear quite a significant amount of classic Springsteen and The Rolling Stones influences woven throughout the tracks.

If we’re talking about TV on the Radio, they definitely fall under that indie umbrella, though I suppose you could argue they possess a much more rock-oriented edge than even Arcade Fire does. On top of that, they seem to drift quite frequently into soul, funk, and even certain electro territories as well.

As for Jamiroquai, Grinderman, Streetse, Cypress Hill, or Mastodon, I suppose I really shouldn't even bother commenting, since one could argue they don't truly fit under the indie umbrella or any other specific category—though perhaps Streetse might qualify, if you consider that Streets are significantly more aligned with that scene.

Honestly, the term "indie" has become such an impossibly broad umbrella that it covers an absurdly vast spectrum of different bands. I suppose saying "I don't like indie" is perhaps just as nonsensical as claiming you don't like music played on guitars.

uuu Mastodon, how delightful. Finally, something catered toward the true heavy metal connoisseurs 🙂
if I were actually forced to select a single heavy band—excluding Motörhead, of course—to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, I suppose my choice would most likely land on Mastodon

Lisa Cook8 said:It’s honestly pretty pathetic if Elemental and The Streets are the absolute best hip-hop acts we can manage to book.

Calling The Streets "pathetic"... I suppose people will read just about anything these days... 🙄
Coming from someone who seemingly doesn't care much for rap in general, I guess you could argue The Streets are actually one of the few genuinely brilliant hip-hop groups we could bring in. On the other hand, if we're talking about Cypress Hill...

boldbadger18 said:right now, my absolute top wish would be for them to book Crystal Castles😳

Goodness, tell me about it.
I caught their set at Lollapalooza last year, and I suppose they really were something quite extraordinary. I am crossing my fingers that they might show up at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this year so I can experience that spectacle all over again.🙂

When it comes to that entire series of cinematic vomit, much like Meet the Spartans, I suppose one could argue the blame lies squarely with the Friedberg/Seltzer duo. It seems to me that this particular team possesses a unique talent for ruining just about any genre they touch, let alone parody.

That being said, if we look at the last few years, a handful of actually decent films have managed to surface—though I should clarify, it’s really only a tiny handful, which I guess is still better than absolutely nothing—specifically Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Tropic Thunder.

Personally, I think I’d much prefer if Arcade Fire just performed right in my own living room—and exclusively, if we're being honest.
If they happen to play in Los Angeles, then wonderful. If they don't, I suppose it isn't really a catastrophe for someone who actually intends to see them; after all, neither Austin nor Denver are exactly halfway across the world.

placidjackal36 said:Why do American directors have this damn obsession with remaking movies?

I suppose you’ve actually answered your own question there.
Unfortunately, it seems the broad American audience just doesn't possess much interest in cinema produced outside of English-speaking territories.

As for these endless remakes of modern films that were perfectly fine exactly as they were—well, I am firmly against them, mostly because these versions invariably turn out to be significantly worse than the originals. Now, I don't inherently have an issue with a different interpretation of the same story; after all, theater has been doing that for millennia. My grievance lies solely with the poor interpretations.
In this specific instance, however, the remake isn't bad at all. If anything, it is an exceptionally good film that somehow completely flopped in American theaters. But then again, that’s just the nature of the American public, I guess.

Christian Taylor3 said:Let's be real here, we aren't going to pretend otherwise—the script for The Social Network has been out for ages, and honestly, it’s not even remotely close to the old Fincher vibe. Then you have this new hype job, which makes me wonder, good grief, what are we actually doing? A movie about little brat Zuckerberg feat. a newly enlightened Hollywood sweetheart version of Fincher, backed with Kanye West's new single, 'Power." 😕

I could go on forever about Benjamin Button, but if you ask me, there is absolutely nothing
Fincher-esque about it, IMHO. To paraphrase briskfalcon45 (just so there's no confusion): 'Well, he's finally sold out.' Or if you listen to xavierkat talking about Nolan: 'It's as if he's lost his sense of direction and his compass, just surrendering to the masses and simplifying himself so everyone can digest him and love him.' The last time Fincher truly felt like himself was with Zodiac, and since then, he's basically gone off the radar. Instead of maturing as a director, it feels like he's just started to rot.

As for this remake of an already mediocre film, everything has already been said, so I don't see why he even bothered. 🤷

And what about this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46GZa...eature=related
I suppose this trailer is significantly better, featuring a Radiohead cover instead of Kanye West (honestly, I can't imagine why on earth they even needed Kanye West) 🙂

It appears that Guillermo Del Toro might take the director's chair, while James Cameron steps in to produce an adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's classic tale, At the Mountains of Madness.

http://www.screenjunkies.com/moviene...ntains-madness

http://www.collider.com/2010/07/28/j...h-p-lovecraft/

http://incontention.com/?p=26906

I suppose this counts as good news. 🙂

It appears that Mortal Kombat is finally being given the gritty reboot treatment we've all been waiting for. 🙂

To be clear, that video isn't actually a trailer, nor is a movie currently in production. It’s more of a short proof-of-concept clip where director Kevin Tancharoen presented his specific vision for an R-rated Mortal Kombat film to Warner Bros., essentially using it as a blueprint for what he'd like to achieve. As of today, the project hasn't officially been greenlit, so there's no guarantee we'll ever see it, but I suppose it would be quite something if they actually went through with it.

I suppose it’s vital that the Law of Heaven doesn't align with anything else at all 😁

As for the most significant matchups, I think I will ultimately settle on these choices:

LCD Soundsystem vs. Rise Against
Now, Rise Against is certainly a fantastic group, but I think it has to be LCD Soundsystem all the way

Pendulum vs. Billy Idol
What a rush... though I am still somewhat uncertain regarding Billy Idol's current form. I suppose I'll give him the edge simply because I don't imagine I'll get another chance to see him, and if he fails to impress, it would be quite easy enough to just switch over to Pendulum.

The Flaming Lips vs. Skindred
I happened to hear Skindred back when they were opening for Gogol Bordell at The Fillmore. They are quite likable, I guess, but catching one or two of their songs should be sufficient. I'll give the advantage to The Flaming Lips.

Massive Attack vs. Flogging Molly
Oof, this is easily the toughest call. Flogging Molly are arguably the most upbeat band at the festival, and I was genuinely looking forward to them, but I just can't justify missing Massive Attack on their account...

The concept of the Magical Negro isn't inherently racist. I suppose one shouldn't view it as a direct insult or a way to disparage African Americans, per se; rather, it seems to be just one of those pervasive tropes that Hollywood persistently exploits, much like the "noble savage" or perhaps that predictable villain with a heavy foreign accent.

To illustrate just how broken this trope is, here is how Cracked.com defined the magical negro (one really has to admire Cracked's approach):
The Magic Negro is a simple, humble person. Perhaps he is a janitor, or a farmer, and he doesn't know anything about those fancy colleges or them modern sciences, but what he knows, he knows from the heart, and that makes it truer than any of your whitey statistics, facts or pie charts.

He can have actual magical powers (Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile) or simply possess an extraordinary level of earthly wisdom (Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption).

In all cases, the Magic Negro has zero ambitions of his own. His entire existence revolves around the lead white character, whom they help with their simple, rustic wisdom even if it costs them their lives. It's as if they have nothing better to do, which they don't, because the plot is about the white guy achieving his goals.

Since we find ourselves discussing Cracked, I might as well share their list of the most prevalent Hollywood stereotypes:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15989...ereotypes.html

Perhaps the most magical, if not the absolute quintessential, example of "The Magical Negro" is found in The Green Mile. It seems to me that Morgan Freeman has certainly played more roles like that than anyone else in the business.

Well, I suppose I see your point regarding how nonsensical it might seem for a band to perform twice in the same city within a single year.

However, we aren't exactly discussing some mediocre garage act here. If, for instance, Nickelback were to book them twice, I might agree there’s little point. But Massive Attack is arguably at the absolute pinnacle of the music scene today, and their live shows are nothing short of genius. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing them live, but I’ve been lucky enough to catch them twice—once in Vienna and more recently in Chicago—and I will most certainly be going again whenever they are back in the vicinity.

Furthermore, we have to consider that this is a festival setting. While the local Chicago crowd might feel a bit saturated, festivals are designed to draw people from a much wider geographic area. A huge portion of that audience likely hasn't had the opportunity to experience Massive Attack live, or perhaps they simply weren't willing to make the trek to Chicago solely for one show. For the vast majority of attendees, this will be a completely fresh experience.

Dennis Lee87 said:Well, obviously I’m feeling pretty disappointed; when I head out to a festival like Lollapalooza, I’m really expecting to see bands that haven't graced the stages here in the States for quite some time—or perhaps haven't toured at all in recent months. ☕

You’re absolutely losing it. Honestly, if they were playing shows in my city every single month, I don't think I'd ever get tired of it... maybe.
If a band of this caliber were to grace our shores twice a year, I suppose one could argue it might actually be nothing short of fantastic.