Power Animals, French Karaoke, and getting Keanu off the drugs

I guess I haven't posted yet on Thumbsucker and I totally have to. So I went to see the premiere at the opening night of Resfest at the Metreon. If you haven't seen this movie yet I highly recommend it. This is the first feature by graphic designer turned music video director Mike Mills. He really does an excellent job of capturing suburbia and adolescence, but not in your typical coming of age story kind of way. The film rests heavily on newcomer Lou Pucci who plays the teenage lead and is fantastic , some are saying the next Johnny Depp. I also have to admit I loved Keanu Reeves as the new age ,wolf painting loving orthodontist. I usually hate him in movies but he was actually really great and his comic delivery was hilarious, he stole many of the scenes he was in.

Ok so here's the good stuff. After the screening they had a Q and A with Mike Mills and he was super cute and excited about the film. So this one chick in the front row raises her hand and begins to ask her question, but she is not really miked so we can't really make out what she is saying. Then we begin to piece it together apparently she is asking Mike Mills if he has Keanu Reeves' contact information or email because she is trying to get in contact with him and urge him off drugs and alcohol. She goes on a crazy ass tirade about how she has been sober for 4 years and how her parents went to some temple in Mexico where they claim to see the Virgin Mary. Ok, so Mike Mills in kinda nodding and everyone in the audience is whispering "what the fuck is this girl talking about?". Then she goes off and starts yelling about how Mike Mills should be ashamed of the movie as it glorifies drug use of teenagers. Then people start to boo her and she is asked to leave. It was quite bizarre, I actually thought ok maybe they planned this like this is part of act. This may have been possible in a Spike Jonze Q and A, but sadly Mike Mills and the Resfest staff was pretty taken a back by her and it def was not planned.

Anyways, onto music. Lately, I have not been able to get the following songs out of my head:

1. Stellastar* "Sweet Troubled Soul"- I just love his voice so much I could listen to it all day, I also love the line " I want to see your reflection in my bedroom stereo" I don't really know why but I love it all. It's no "My Coco" but great in its own right.

2. Natasha Bedingfield " These Words" - Ok so I know this is technically really poppy but I love this song. I guess I just love that she name checks Keates and dances with Boomboxes in the video. She totally reminds me of Sophie Ellis Baxter and there was definitely an entire summer in Europe when me and my friends were obsessed with "Murder on the Dance Floor".

3. Tralala "The Girls Say" they kinda sounds like a mix between Dance Hall Crashers and a 60s girl group and this song is damn catchy.

4. Franz Ferdinand- "Do You Want To" so yes this song was recently featured in the carnival episode of the OC but come on that just just can't ruin a track that contains the line " Your famous friend yeah I blew him before you" as sung by a stylish young Scottish lad.

5. Eagles of Death Metal- " Speak in Tongues" I hear thay have a new CD coming out soon which is great news. This song makes me want to be a go go dancer just so I could shake my ass in fringe to it.

Also I caught Nouvelle Vague at Bimbo's on Saturday and it was a great show. In addition to the tracks on their CD they covered The Cramps "Human Fly", Bauhaus' "Bella Lugosi's Dead", and The Buzzcocks. Some highlights included "Just Can't Get Enough" complete with cheesey hand moves, PIL's "This is Not a Love Song", and The Sex Pistols' "Too Drunk to Fuck".