kontraband
New On Netflix: King Kong
A bigger monkey and a hotter babe doth not a better movie make in this clunky disaster starring Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange and Charles Grodin.
The Toxic Avenger
This is the story of Melvin, the Tromaville Health Club mop boy, who naively trusts the contemptuous and vain health club members to the point of accidentally ending up in a vat of toxic waste. The devastating effects cause his alter ego to emerge, and the Toxic Avenger is born.
New On Netflix: The Disappearance of Alice Creed
Gemma Arterton turns the tables on her abductors in this taut and sometimes unbearably intense three-character chamber drama.
What’s New In Games This Week
Yet another big week for releases, as two heavy hitters go for another round, and a brand new IP is born.
What’s New In Music This Week
This Week: DJ Shadow pulls from endless sources; Brooklyn's Exitmusic is dreamy but lacking substance; We Were Promised Jet Packs' sophomore effort is fun; Zola Jesus just might cross over; Feist is back after four years with Metals.
New On Netflix: Ironclad
This bloody, lusty account of King John's 1215 siege of Rochester Castle makes for a rousing piece of entertainment thanks to a go-to cast that includes Paul Giamatti, James Purefoy, Brian Cox and Kate Mara.
Best Of Netflix: Grindhouse Delights
Sometimes, the sex and violence just needs to be as over-the-top as possible. Here are a few exploitation films available for your lurid pleasure on Netflix that will have you wishing for the days of drive-in movie theaters.
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection Review
Find out if the beast that is Colossus stacks up on the PS3 to its PS2 predecessor.
50 / 50 Movie Review
The year's trickiest cinematic tightrope act is also one of the funniest and most satisfying films of the year, featuring a career-best performance by the always-excellent Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
New On Netflix: Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
The former host of The Tonight Show gets to rant and rave about the jackasses at NBC and reminds us that he's a great talent no matter what the particular gig might be in this win-win comedy film.
New On Netflix: Last Night
Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington are a married couple in crisis in this moody look at the concept and potential practice of infidelity.
Spotlight: Super-Collabs
Is there something in between a supergroup and a one-time celebrity jam? Maybe. But sometimes it can be a bit...much (Chickenfoot anyone?) Let's take a look at some recent collaborations, all of them pleasing.
New On Netflix: The Enforcer
Dirty Harry Callahan returns in the third and arguably weakest entry in the series that gets a big boost from Tyne Daly's performance as Harry's lady cop partner.
Domo Genesis: Under The Influence
Another member of the Odd Future clique is getting his turn: Domo Genesis. Mellow compared to anything else under the OFWGKTA umbrella, perhaps Domo's laid-back style is connected to his love for weed, which he mentions at every possible opportunity.
Heavy Metal Parking Lot
Epic! This short documentary shows metal fans tailgating in the parking lot outside the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland on May 31, 1986, before a Judas Priest concert.
New On Netflix: It’s All About Love
Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes and Sean Penn star in Thomas Vinterberg's troubled yet curious piece of apocalyptic science fiction.
What’s New In Games This Week
This week has a bunch of returning faces getting an update and an unexpected take on a popular book / premium cable franchise.
What’s New In Music This Week
This Week: Wilco fans will rejoice; Twin Sister trumps all the buzz; Gem Club's beautiful tragedy; blog-star Youth Lagoon's much-awaited debut; Mastodon brings heavy riffs and a sense of loss.
R.E.M.: The Early Videos
Announcing their breakup last week, R.E.M. released 15 studio albums in their 31 years together. Here's a look at the early videos they released in the 80s, on their way to becoming superstars.
New On Netflix: Sukiyaki Western Django
Takashi Miike's stylish gonzo western pays homage to the works of Sergio Leone in its tale of two warring gangs and the mysterious gunman who tears them apart.
Best Of Netflix: Movies About Movies
Like any other kind of artist, filmmakers often struggle to come to terms with just what in the hell it is they're doing. A life of creating fantasies (and, some might argue, of telling lies) can be a strange and unsettling one that sometimes inspires a session of cinematic self-examination. Here are a few accounts of what happens when Hollywood gazes into its own abyss.
Nevermind: The Videos
20 years ago today a little band from Seattle called Nirvana debuted their album Nevermind. It did pretty well. Wanna look at the videos?
Moneyball Movie Review
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill make a great team in both senses of the term in this behind the scenes sports drama that almost hits it out of the park.
New On Netflix: Leap of Faith
Steve Martin plays a God-fearing con man who tries to sell a miracle or two to the people of a small Kansas town in this underrated dark comedy.
New On Netflix: Saw: The Final Chapter
Jigsaw's legacy comes to an end not so much with a roar but a sputtering whimper with this cheap-looking and poorly written final installment.
Spotlight: The Art of Live Footage
A couple weeks ago we looked at videos made of found footage collages. Now, let's look at videos where the band is live; front and center, and the videographers are producing so much more than the grainy concert footage you occasionally screen, wincing all the while.
Pygmalion Music Festival 2011 Lineup
Now in its seventh year, the line up for this week / weekend's Pygmalion Festival is looking pretty spectacular. Taking place in Champaign-Urbana, IL, it's an indie superstar extravaganza featuring: Explosions In The Sky, Cut Copy, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, The Dodos, The Hood Internet, Japandroids, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Bass Drum Of Death, Gardens & Villa and about a hundred others.
New On Netflix: Southland Tales
This no-holds-barred look inside the fevered brain of writer-director Richard Kelly gets really old really, really fast.
James Blake: BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix
James Blake spins a fantastically eclectic mix for BBC's Radio 1 Essential Mix, blending dubstep, R&B and hip-hop with some classical favorites and even debuting some new tunes of his own. Two hours of awesome.
Alive Feature Film
Based on a true story, a team of rugby players survive a plane crash deep in the Andes. Stranded there, they must overcome incredible odds to stay alive. Watch the entire film.
