If you are a regular rednoW reader, you are aware it has been a bit slow lately. (Boo) Rest assured that the pace will pick up soon, but as mentioned earlier on the site we are working on a new structure for rednoW (as a whole) which has forced time elsewhere in recent weeks. One of the sections we are attempting to integrate (into the site) is a result from receiving frequent requests for film suggestions for... you know... "that" type of film. Realizing that "that" is often a representation of particular interests on this site, we have begun working on a "help with my queue" section (for all you Blockbuster Online/Netflix user out there) in which we hope to point you to a few of.... well, you know... those kind of films.

The interest in "that" type of film intrigues me. Is it an interest in meaning? An interest in reflection? A transcendent experience? Something more than just "entertainment"? Something that has potential for change?

I'm moving to the suburbs of Chicago in less than a month. If you've never been there, the suburbs are nice. The towns are nice, the restaurants are nice, the people are nice, the cars are nice, the lawns are nice, and if the suburbs were a band they'd have released Augustana's Can't Love, Can't Hurt. The album is just flat out "nice," with its melodic piano and acoustic guitar riffs, its catchy harmonies and even catchier choruses.

 

But listen closer; lead singer/songwriter Dan Layus calls this "the real Augustana." The sound might be nice and catchy, but the message isn't. There's plenty of bitterness and cynicism in lines like "'Cause I believe in the Lord, but he don't show up anymore," "I said hell is so close and heaven's out of reach," or "If you can't love babe, then you can't hurt."

When life becomes simple, what do we long for?
When life becomes complex, what do we long for?

There is no question we all have a desire to be loved, to belong, and to be desired—I believe those are some of the most basic yearnings any of us have. But certainly that list is not exhaustive. There are other ingredients that go into the recipe of wholeness and worth.

When tragedy enters our life basic needs quickly move center stage. As I have walked along side people dealing with great pain, I have often heard them speak of the commitment to living just one day at a time—even one decision at a time.

Get up in the morning.
Take a shower.
Eat.
Go to work…

Weezer's "Buddy Holly" video brought together most of the elements of my childhood. The chunky guitars echoed seventies rock from bands like the Raspberries. Weezer embraced their inner geek by casting themselves within a homage to the sitcom, "Happy Days." For a kid who grew up on Richie, Potsie and The Fonz, it was the ultimate trip, a delicious embrace of disposable pop culture. It put director Spike Jonze on the map, winning MTV's 1995 Breakthrough Video award. "Buddy Holly" made music videos a respectable, cut-and-paste art form.

With their new video for "Pork and Beans," Weezer has buried the MTV era and embraced the network that matters most, YouTube. The first single on their red album is classic power pop: short, sweet, and anthemic. But the "Pork and Beans" video takes the song to another level by embracing the absurdity of instant Internet celebrities. It is a massive, viral video test. The humor will be completely lost upon those who ignore those forward emails with links to strange outtakes. But for people who can't get enough stupid human tricks, Weezer creates a wondrous chance to play name that meme.

If you have a Facebook account, there are two questions within your profile that you either spent significant time contemplating or little to no time bypassing all together: religious view? and political view? Two questions that inevitably communicate more than anyone would ever desire. If your political view reads "liberal" - you are a democrat that welcomes socialization and is "anti" anything religious/conservative. If you select "conservative" - you are pro-privatization, certainly a Christian, and likely drive an SUV with a pro-life bumper sticker. Similar perceptions and distinctions emerge when religious/faith-based words become attached. Think about it. The sheer mention of the following words birth an array of assumptions: evangelical, catholic, atheist, Muslim, Christian, Mormon (to name a few).

What intrigues me about the "labeling" conversation is not the intricacies of the language and identifiers we could debate ad nauseam, but the simple belief that different "views" (political or religious) are ultimately in opposition and therefore cannot coexist. Sure, we can agree that we can inhabit the same earth (can we?), but beyond this - high-emotion, conflict, and non-interaction is a common reality.

Attempting to describe the debut album from Bon Iver is not unlike describing the magnolia tree currently blooming in my back yard. I could write about the colors and smells and the way the lawn under the tree turns white when a storm disturbs its petals. But it’s still just a tree until you sit on my back porch and take it in.

For Emma, For Ever Ago is a gorgeous nine-track journey filled with raspy guitars and lilting falsettos. Whether Bon Iver, front man Justin Vernon’s moniker, is journeying towards a particular destination or escaping a troubling past is left up to the listener. For my money, it’s a little of each. The strange genesis of the album is part of the allure for Vernon’s fans. At the tail end of a break-up with his band and girlfriend and feeling the affects of a bout of pneumonia, Vernon packed up his recording equipment and drove to an isolated Wisconsin cabin. The result of the months spent in relative isolation is For Emma.

“It's a satire of not only New York, but of American consumerism and culture…” Those words came from Lazlow Jones , one of the creators of Grand Theft Auto IV, which hit stores yesterday.

Now, take that quote and lay it next to the fact that GTA IV is the most highly anticipated video game release ever. Early estimates say it will sell over $400 million this week alone—making GTA IV both a critique of American consumerism and one of its greatest benefactors.

Is that even possible? Can you be both of those things at once?

Our Starbucks in the game is called Bean Machine. Its slogan: All Beans Lovingly Picked by Children in Central America.