Top Five: Colin Firth

Colin Firth can arguably be called one of Britain's finest actors. With his newly won (and well deserved) Oscar for his role as King George VI in The King's Speech, I thought it would be only fair to list, in my opinion, his five best performances. He has become one of my favorite actors and I believe after the last few years, he is finally gaining worldwide popularity. His next role will be a spy by the name of Bill Haydon in the remake of the novel "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."  Here are the Top Five of Colin Firth:

5. Bridget Jones's Diary

4. The Girl with the Pearl Earring

3. The King's Speech

2. Shakespeare in Love

1. A Single Man (His finest and most daring role to date)

Artist Spotlight: Kissy Sell Out

For over half a decade Kissy Sell Out (alias for Thomas Bisdee) has flown under the radar of the American audience. However in his homeland of the UK he is a DJ icon. Funny how incredible artists sometimes never get the recognition they deserve in the States. Some artists only thrive in across the Atlantic. Bisdee is only 26 years old and he has managed to create critically acclaimed remixes for the likes of Gwen Stefani and Dragonette, has his own BBC Radio 1 program that showcases his work and also many unsigned DJ's that hope for success like he once had, and Thomas has just released his sophmore EP Wild Romance. An impressive resume for someone who has only had a few years to show his talent. Major artists such as Simian Mobile Disco and Tommy Sunshine helped Kissy Sell Out in his earliest years of preforming. I really have high hopes for his long future ahead and after listening to Wild Romance, I think he will finally get the respect he deserves in America.

The New Lisbeth Salander





It's finally here! It may be a Camera copy but low and behold the new (red band) trailer for David Fincher's US version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. From what can be seen in the trailer it seems Fincher will do the book justice. I am interested to see if he will not tone down the hard-to-read rape scenes because this movie will be directed toward the somewhat conservative American audience. The other stand out from the trailer is of course the music! Trent Reznor and Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's have re-created one of Led Zeppelin's finest tracks, Immigrant Song. The soundtrack is going to be more of what I'm looking forward to since I already know the plot and how things pan out, but a soundtrack from Trent Reznor (who beautifully crafted The Social Network's score) will draw my attention in. Another major thing I will be looking for is if the new Lisbeth Salander will work out. For us few who have seen the excelent swedish film version will agree that we really cannot see anyone else play Lisbeth than Noomi Rapace. However now that I have seen Rooney Mara fill her heavy shoes, I will give her a chance. She seems like she will do the character justice. The film is slated for a December 21 release date.

Here is the red band trailer, NSFW.

Criterion Sundays

With every Sunday I plan on spotlighting a movie found in the Criterion Collection as well as any movie I see fit from Sony Pictures Classics, these being my two favorite independent labels. It is only fitting to start this collection on the weekend The Tree of Life is released to American theaters. The new Terrence Malick movie has been one of my followed movies on IMDb for quite sometime and I hope to spotlight it soon on His Private Literature.

So to start this collection I bring to you one of Wes Anderson's best works. The Royal Tenenbaums has become the movie to launch Anderson's fame in my eyes. I think that Rushmore made a ripple in the world of entertainment, Tenenbaums solidified Wes Anderson's reputation in the artistic community. With his famous long pans and stage like setup's at times, this movie shows what Anderson is best at. Also, this is the movie that began his long range of reoccuring cast members, ranging from Angelica Huston to Owen Wilson to the great Bill Murray. This movie recieved some negative reviews because of its dry humor, but I think that the humor is what also helped make this movie great. From the montage of Margot growing up, showing how she developed as a teenager to a sad woman in her 20's. With grade A preformances, the dry and witty humor, as well as Anderson's classic camera shots this has to be among one of my favorites. I would highly recommend all of Wes Anderson's works but if you have not seen one film by him, I would recommend to watch this one first. Trust me, it will hook you in.

Moby's New Album

Moby has released Destroyed that hit stores everywhere May 17. Though I am not through the entire album, it has already grabbed me. For awhile I lost interest in Moby because I was not impressed by Late Night his 2008 homage to the disco days. His next album Wait for Me followed and it was good. Just good. Not as great as 18 & it didnt even compare to Play. With the release of Destroyed, Moby has finally gone back to his roots. His use of strings and repetitive sampling make up his art form and for some time I thought he had lost it. I have to listen to the whole album five, six, hell even seven more times before I can really voice my opinion, but from what I've heard I think it's amazing.

For new listeners to Moby I would suggest starting with his 1999 album Play. This in my opinion is Moby at his best. However his follow up album 18 is also among his finest works. So start listening and enjoy!

Currently Reading...

I am currently reading Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk. The plot centers our protagonist Hazie, who acts as a maid or an au pair (but does not bare any title) to Katherine Keaton. "Miss Katherine" is a aging Betty Davis type actress who tries her best to keep her image alive. The novel builds its plot when antagonist Webster Carlton Westward III woes the heart of Miss Katherine and plans to write a "tell all" memoir with one ending Hazie will try and re-write. For those who are new to reading a Palahniuk novel, let me warn you that it is at times difficult to follow but it's one of his finest works. The novel acts as an homage to the actresses and actors of the Golden Age in Hollywood. If you are new to reading Chuck Palahniuk, I wouldnt suggest this as your first. Try reading some of his earlier novels such as "Lullaby" & "Survivor." However for veteran readers to his style of jumbled up prose, I would highly recommend this book.

UPDATE - Finished the novel and I must say the last 40 pages brings the reader a whirlwind of shock and awe. The ending ties in every little crazy detail from the rest of the novel together. Palahniuk really does have true artistic blood running through his veins.

His First Post (The Promise)

Literature has always been a real passion of mine. The same goes for music and film. I have constantly tried to create a blog that would chronicle my random everyday findings, but it never seemed to work out. However, I have now found a vessel to express my creative criticisms. In modern times it seems that anyone with a YouTube account and a mediocre voice can land a record contract and go on six months later to write their "memoirs." One of my purposes for writing this journal is to bring some normalcy back into the minds of the readers. Society, as a whole, have blurred the lines between what is artistic talent and what sells for a quick buck. With this journal, I will utilize my every day findings in the world of entertainment and post things that I believe still exert true artistic form. So let me end my rant on the mundane and effortless world of pop culture, and begin voicing my opinions and criticsms of the Arts.

"Every man's memory is his private literature."

                                            -Aldous Huxley