What's New This Week?

MUSIC:
Riceboy Sleeps - Riceboy Sleeps[XL / Parlophone]
+ The new project from Jonsi (of Sigur Ros) and his partner Alex Somers is an ambient wonderland. Yes, it is reminiscent of Sigur Ros. But it's also so much more.

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine[Secretly Canadian]
+ Magnolia Electric Co. steps back into the studio after a bit of a lull. Their new album deals with death close to the band, and the album is as dark as the subject matter, but incredibly beautiful.

The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away[Thrill Jockey]
+ This might just be personal bias, but I can't remember the last time I didn't like a Fiery Furnaces album. I feel rightfully excited about this one (especially after previewing the entire album in live form here).

MOVIES:
Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra) [Warner]
+ Have you seen the posters for this film? Damn scary.

In the Loop (Armando Iannucci) [BBC Films]
+ This satire of modern government and warfare looks hilarious. This has been done frequently in the last year with films like War Inc., but this looks as though it might exceed the expectations.

DVD:
Repulsion(Roman Polanski) [Criterion]
+ This film is long overdue for the Criterion treatment. One of Polanski's few films he made before coming to America, this is a slow-burner - you can feel the madness the main character is sinking into sinking into you too.

Watchmen (Director's Cut)(Zak Snyder) [Warner]
+ Only in hopes that the Director's Cut will be a little more faithful to the book and elicit a little more than an "eh" from viewers.

What's New This Week?

BOOKS:Near Death in the Desertby Cecil Kuhne [Random House]
+ Kuhne edits a collections of stories from early explorers to modern journalists who battle the most punishing landscapes on earth. Near Death is 13 true stories from the desert by people who survived insane situations.


MUSIC:
Dead Weather - Horehound[WEA/Reprise]
+ The new supergroup from Jack White (The White Stripes) and Allison Mosshart (The Kills) shares a lot with the other supergroup White started, The Raconteurs, but Dead Weather carries more energy and urgency than the Raconteurs could ever muster.

David Bowie - VH1 Storytellers[Virgin/EMI]
+ Bowie talkin' about Bowie. There aren't really any ways this could go too terribly.

Hercules and Love Affair - Sidetracked[Renaissance]
+ Hercules and Love Affair in nearly name only here. This is the same album you fell in love with last year. This is a chance for Butler and co. to show what kind of dance party they can throw. But, if the previews are any indication, they can throw a damn fun one.


DVD:
For All Mankind(Al Reinert) [Criterion]
+ Al Reinert, who co-wrote Apollo 13, created a documentary in 1989 about all the men who have placed their feet on the moon and all of those who died in the effort. It's a visual masterpiece (and it's a documentary, gasp). See the trailer here.

12(Nikita Mikhalkov)[Sony Pictures]
+ 12 is Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov's re-imagining of 12 Angry Men for modern day Russia. Affected by all of the racism, the wars, the changing government, the jury is forced to determine the fate of a young Chechen boy who is accused of killing his adoptive Russian father. (read a review)

The Edge of Love(John Mayberry) [Image Entertainment]
+ The Edge of Love follows Dylan Thomas and the two women fighting for his love in what would be the last moments of his life. No. Really. It's a film about a poet.


THEATERS:
(500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb) [Fox Searchlight]
+ This film is sure to be one of the quirky "indie-ish" films of the summer. Early reviews are positive.

In the Loop (Armando Iannucci) [IFC]
+ Hilarious Brittish satire of government and the great machines of war. Another odd role for James Gandolfini as well who continues to prove that he's far more versatile than The Sopranos would have you believe.

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince (David Yates) [Warner]
+ Fuck it. I'm excited.