Half the Perfect World - Madeleine Peyroux

In "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night" Madeleine tells us that "the night will be like you've never seen." Unfortunately we don't believe her. We cannot.

This is generally what most of this barely audible album is like. Someone whispering lies in our ears and not really fooling us. I guess it would make pretty good dinner music specially if your dinner is good.

Eric Clapton at Madison Sq. Garden

What could've been a really fantastic show turned out to be a somewhat disappointing mediocre assault on your eardrums. The songs were good and the music was of course Calpton's but that if you could hear any of it. I had lost most of my hearing somewhere around the end of first hour.

There were some pretty talented members in his group though playing fairly complicated tunes with aplomb. I just wish the sound system did them more justice.

The Garden is a giant venue and folks seemed almost singularly focused on beer. Who would blame them though? As the music got louder and louder it became more and more indistinguishable. It needn't have been Clapton -- it could have been anyone. As I go to more and more events I am beginning to get this. These are about the spirit of rock and not about rock itself.

Apres Vous

This tiny French film is another interesting take on two individual who, after a chance meeting, end up interchanging their lives in some sense. A similar but probably darker French film called 'Man on the train' had almost the same theme. Anyway, Apres Vous (After You) is the kind of film Hollywood would never make. It is simple, subtle and yet not dark. It is entertaining in a lazy Sunday afternoon kind of way that makes it so much more palatable.

Fun with Dick and Jane

Going by Jim Carrey's movies, this film sucked much less than 'Bruce Almighty' and hence is actually watchable though with some courage. One can even say that the first hour or so is actually funny in a very Jim Carrey way. It is best to switch it off after that.

BTW, apparently 'Bruce Almighty' sucked so much that they are making a sequel. Hats off Hollywood.

Friends with Money

What's with divorced actresses and wanting to redo their careers with small arty films?

This tedious film with absolutely nothing to offer tries to be a vehicle to relaunch Jennifer Aniston's rather boring career as a serious actress. Unfortunately this unoriginal insipid tale has no wheels. Not a single scene that you've not seen before. Aniston just stares mostly making simple comments about unhappy all her rich friends are as well -- as if we didn't know that going in.

Revelations - Audioslave

Another album that is generally disappointing. Audioslave continue their failure to recreate the brilliance of their self-titled first album that came out a few years ago. While the 2nd one was a complete let down, "Revelations" isn't that all that bad but not that good either.

Chris Cornell with his booming voice seems to desire an Adult-contemporary audience rather than a rocking audience and that seems to be the problem. Stop with your whining already. We need to kick some ass.

National Treasure

An entertaining, corny story that borrows from the recent Templar fad and builds a rather ridiculous plot around their treasure. Nicholas Cage is probably the worst ever to play a bounty man (maybe 2nd worst only to Matthew McConaughey in Sahara.) His wide-eyed face resembles a man who just lost his job and worries about retirement. There is the geek sidekick who can log into any system in the world using a laptop. What more can one say? Yes, there is the treasure to be hunted down and there are cryptic clues. The problem is not this is innocuous but just overly stale.

Inside Man

The film starts with gothic faces from New York City buildings with "Chhaiya Chhaiya" pounding in the background. Now that sort of purposeful incongruity suits Spike Lee really well. He is all about the melting pot. "Inside Man" is what Hollywood movies are all about or were at least supposed to be. Tight plot, stylized and popcorn fun. It doesn't matter how many plot holes it has. It is about speed and thrill. A fantastic 60s style thriller that keeps to entertained thoroughly.