The Must List: June 4, 2010 - June 10

The Must List: June 4, 2010 - June 10

By our guest blogger, Spencer Morton

Movie

“Splice” – Vincenzo Natali has gone on too long as one of the most publicly unrecognized directors in the movie business. He’s helmed independent diamonds-in-rough, “Cube” and “Nothing.” “Splice,” released on Friday (6/5), will be his first wide release.

The film has been completed for a while, but finally found a distributor after a superb showing at Sundance. The film looks reminiscent of “Species,” but will most likely blow that lethargic film out of the water. The film is an account of two upstart scientists who, going against all ethical and legal confines, splice together human and animal DNA. This controversial experiment unleashes a horrific, savage species upon the world.

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley star as the two scientists, Clive and Elsa. Brody has been silent for the past couple years, but obviously has what it takes to star in a horror film. The trailer for “Splice” looks tense, well-acted and thoroughly scary. This one should please horror buffs everywhere.

View WeekinRewind.com's preview of "Splice" (as well as "Killers") below:




*Runner-up: “Get Him to the Greek” - This raunchy comedy has the makes of being one of the funniest films of the year. The two absurd leads, Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, have the ability to take any material to the next level. P. Diddy apparently shines as record producer, Sergio Roma. The trailer looks absolutely obnoxious and is delightfully unforgettable. Check out “Get Him to the Greek” for a good laugh when it hits theaters on Friday (6/5).


DVD/Blu-ray

“Shutter Island” – Martin Scorsese is in complete form with his 2010 thriller, “Shutter Island.” Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo absolutely shine in their lead roles.

The film is tense, smart, beautifully shot and acted, and completely enthralling. The pacing may be a little slow for some, but the tension and questions will have most viewers engaged. The film surrounds the events and happenings of Shutter Island, the location of a hospital for the criminally insane.

“Shutter Island” is a twisted, devious adventure. It boasts beautiful cinematography and a dazzling score. Check out Scorsese and Co. at their best when “Shutter Island” hits shelves on Tuesday (6/8).

*Runner-up: “The Illusionist” (Blu-ray) – When “The Illusionist” was released, many people overlooked it while gawking at the wonderful “The Prestige.” “The Illusionist” is an equally beautiful, magical, well-acted film. Its Blu-ray release is highly anticipated and will be a visual and aural pleasure.


Television

The Entire AMC Network on Sunday (6/6) – After scouring the Internet to find the perfect movie marathon for this week, I stumbled upon a gem from AMC. Tune in to AMC this Sunday 1 a.m.-12 p.m. to find out what it’s all about. Here’s what you can look forward to: martial arts, John Wayne, Moe, Larry, Curly, Star Trek, Kurt Russell and Stephen Seagal…in the same film, a good Cuba Gooding Jr. movie…go figure, Uma Thurman with a samurai sword, and a crazy teacher turned drug-lord.

If you have literally nothing else to do this Sunday, check out this eclectic, satisfying marathon of awesomeness. The full line-up is below:

1:00 a.m. - “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”
3:30 a.m. - “Flying Leathernecks”
6:00 a.m. – 8:30am – “The Three Stooges”
8:30 a.m. – “Star Trek: First Contact”
11:00 a.m. – “Executive Decision”
2:00 p.m. – “Outbreak”
5:00 p.m. – “Virus”
7:00 p.m. – “Kill Bill: Vol. 2”
10:00 p.m.-midnight – “Breaking Bad”

*Runner-up: “Drop Dead Diva” (Season Premiere) – It’s always tough to recommend anything on Lifetime, but this show looks like it could provide a few laughs. It also seems to have redeemable themes, too. The show surrounds a vain dead girl who gets one more chance at life. Her soul and spirit are brought back to life via a shy, overweight, recently deceased lawyer. This complete change of character is a treat to watch. Check out the second season of “Drop Dead Diva,” which premieres 9/8c Sunday (6/6) on Lifetime.


CD

Ratatat – “LP4”: Ratatat is becoming one of the biggest names in electronic community. They combine some great musical elements in order to make some of the most funky, foot-stomping music in the genre today. Their fourth studio album, “LP4” hits shelves on Tuesday (6/8).

You know a band is solid when they can incorporate wildcat sound effects so effortlessly into their music--listen to “Wildcat.” They’ve been so successful in their scene that other genre superstars have started to solicit their musical genius more frequently. They’ve worked with “Kid Cudi” and “MGMT” in the past year. The forthcoming album is shaping up to be their most commercially successful yet.
Early reviews on the album have been extremely positive. It’s been hard to deny the rhythm and groove that this New York duo posses on their first three albums. Who’s to say they’ll stop with the quality music making now? Check out their new album, “LP4,” Tuesday.

Songs to download:
Can’t really say; only heard on track, “Bob Gandhi,” and it rocked.

*Runner-up: Lil Jon – “Crunk Rock”: Going from quality music to music of questionable merit. Lil Jon is, however, undeniably listenable. This is his first solo project apart from the East Side Boyz. See what kind of lyrical genius Lil Jon brings to the table when his album “Crunk Rock” hits stores on Tuesday (6/8).

Music Video

3OH!3 feat. Ke$ha – “My First Kiss”

3OH!3 and Ke$sha, two artists that are famous for completely different reasons. 3OH!3 makes really cool, catchy, fun music. Ke$ha was found vomitting all over Paris Hilton’s closet, someone gave her a mic and is actually paying her to make music. The artists somehow come together to make an enjoyable, bumping track, “My First Kiss.”

The intro to the song is admittedly pretty cheesy. The rest of the track is really cool though. The verses are slow and methodical and they crescendo into a steady, thumping sing-a-long chorus. Ke$ha only sings about two lines which is enough for her. The video is pretty standard. It features some pretty fun imagery, but nothing too amazing. It’s worth a view though, if just to hear the song. Enjoy!



Viral Video

What You Talking ‘Bout Willis? – In commemoration of the late Gary Coleman, here is a video in honor of the only memorable line he said in “Diff’rent Strokes.” I watched it twice and laughed pretty hard. Give it a shot! The man turned in to quite the character late in life, but his performance as Arnold Jackson won’t soon be forgotten.