The Social Music Revolution II

The previous Social Music Revolution post was based on my entire history with the website and the charts that were provided were for my overall play count. To achieve a better understanding of my music taste, I thought it would be helpful to include my charts from over the last 6 months, it is a much more accurate compilation of my current musical taste.

1.     The Black Dahlia Murder                    1427
2.     The White Stripes                                 870
3.     Queens Of The Stone Age                   728
4.     The Kills                                               675
5.     Them Crooked Vultures                       510
6.     Mos Def                                                464
7.     Trivium                                                 446
8.     Lykke Li                                               432
9.     T. Rex                                                   375
10.   Arch Enemy                                          371
11.   The Drab Doo-Riffs                              312
12.   Leeches                                                 292
13.   Marina & The Diamonds                      291
14.   The Distillers                                        289
15.   Street Chant                                          283
16.   The Dead Weather                                272
17.   Nightrage                                              253
18.   August Burns Red                                250
19.   Lamb Of God                                       246
20.   Kanye West                                          242
21.   BEASTWARS                                     232
22.   Bikini Kill                                            230
23.   Crystal Castles                                     210
24.   Karen Elson                                         196
25.   Sex Bob-Omb                                      161
26.   Liam Finn                                            144
27.   The Mint Chicks                                  142
28.   The Velvet Underground                     140
29.   Foo Fighters                                         137
30.   Hole                                                      125


Come Visit Me! http://www.last.fm/user/Harrison1630

Check out the original The Social Music Revolution

Top Ten - The Best Animated Movies

Once again, I'm not an expert or a critic so all the judgements and rankings I make in this post are completely my own personal opinion. I am however, an illustrator and a designer so it is no surprise that animated movies appeal to me so much. I would definitely say that I prefer animated films over their live action counterparts. There are just these elements of magic and impossibility in the movies, which is why I just love them so much. Having a vast and wandering imagination is a really great benefit when watching these movies too, it really helps you get lost in their worlds of make-believe and wonder. I didn't include any old school Disney movies on this list, there were just so many amazing films that I couldn't decide, I guess I will have to do another separate list of just Disney movies at some point. So without further stalling, I give you the Top Ten animated movies ever (according to Oscar The Third):

10.     Pokemon: The First Movie

This is one of the first movies I remember seeing, I believe my father reluctantly took me to the cinema to see it and he suffered through it with me (that's just good parenting). I got a shiny Zapdos playing card when I went to see it and that just made everything so much better. My love of Pokemon is eternal but the reason this movie only made it to number 10 is because of the horribly constructed ending, where Ash is turned to stone by Mewtwo and then Pikachu's tears bring Ash back to life. Seriously. That is the best they could come up with. It just makes the movie a little too cheesy and childish to continue re-watching in my 20's. But there were some kick-ass pokemon and battles in the movie, and I was so excited when I saw Donphan for the first time (back then, there as only 151 kinds of pokemon, so seeing Donphan blew my fucking mind!)

9.     The Nightmare Before Christmas

Now I am aware that this movie is technically Disney, but it doesn't really fall into the same category as all the classic Disney films. It is a Disney movie in the same way that Pirates of the Carribean is a Disney movie. However, it was still Disney enough to make it onto Kingdom Hearts and that is probably why my love for it is so strong. Anything that is associated with Kingdom Hearts is alright with me, and I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the gothic/horror side of animation and illustration. The design of this movie is so creepy, yet so lovable and the music is dark but somehow catchy. The idea of the movie is so original as well, but I've never really been a fan of everything Tim Burton does. This movie however, is exceptionally dark and wonderfully adorable.

8.     How To Train Your Dragon

This is the most recent movie on my list (and that is in terms of me viewing it, not release date), so maybe with more time and more viewings it will climb its way up the charts, but for now it stands strong at number 8. The main reason I love this movie is because of the outstanding design of all the different kinds of dragons. I remember the scene where Hiccup is flicking through the dragon book and looking at all the different kinds of dragons, and I was just blown away at how amazing all the different dragons were. I really hope we get to see a lot more different species of dragon in the sequel. However, I did find it kind of weird that hundreds of vikings and dragons must have died during that movie and they just sort of pretended nothing fatal was happening. I know that is a kids movie, but that was just a bit weird.

7.     Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres

It is pretty hard to judge this movie because ATHF is such a fucked up franchise of randomness and awkward humour. The strange layout of the movie and the way nothing ever really happens and yet. things are kind of happening but the movie seems to just be going nowhere, and it is all that weirdness that makes me love the movie and especially the television show. I think the movie was brilliant if you compare it to the television show, but if you showed this movie to the Academy, they would probably throw up a little in their mouths. It is sort of like an origins movie but then it turns into an apocalypse film, and there is always that chicken running around on fire...good movie.

6.     Megamind

This is the best movie I have seen this year! Just like How To Train Your Dragon, it will continue to grow on me and I'm sure with a few more viewings that it will radically jump up this list. For now though, it lives at number 6 and it is thoroughly deserving of that spot. I love movies about the bad guy, I am constantly fascinated about who the villain is and why he is doing what he is doing, and this movie is the perfect story for people like me. We get to follow the villain and learn all about him and his history and personality. We even get to root for him during the fights and hope that he ends up with the girl, who is played by the miraculous Tina Fey. Everything that woman touches turns to gold and I physically found myself laughing so much it hurt, during some of her lines. Jonah Hill

5.     Hoodwinked

I really enjoyed this modern re-telling of a classic fairytale, sometimes they can destroy what made the original fairytale so great but this movie really embraced its heritage and was a great success. I especially liked how it was the same story told from many different perspectives, that really kept the storyline interesting. The characters were really compelling and worked really well with each other, they almost were acting as alternate dimension versions of the original fairytale characters. I really can;t wait to go see Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs Evil, but if it wasn't for this first movie then how would anybody know how stupid the name Keith makes a bad guy sound? Case closed.

4.     Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

TYPING! The idea behind this movie is probably one of the most original ideas ever. Imagine being the guy who pitched this idea to a board of directors..."it's a movie about a weather machine...that makes it rain food!" but despite how crazy it sounds, this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. They had such a great cast, including Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, Lauren Graham and Bruce Campbell. The main character, Flint, was so quirky and likable, and his love affair with Sam Sparks was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. This movie had some really witty humour as well, it is definitely a movie for all people, young and old.

3.     Monsters Inc.

One of the most classic Pixar films, this movie creates such an interesting world that brings logic and reality to the myths we create in real life. Child always live in such fear of the monster inside their closet, but this movie really makes you understand that monsters aren't that much different than people and that we shouldn't judge them based on how they look. At the beginning of the film, they were just as scared of us as we were of them, but thanks to Boo, all that changed. One of the best parts of this movie was the bloopers reel at the end. Not many animated movies would create their own bloopers reel, but it was so fucking funny when it rolled during the credits of the movie and I wish all animated films would attempt to do something like that. The musical was pretty legendary as well.

2.     Finding Nemo

A true classic of the modern generation. This movie is one of the defining features of our time, it really is one of the best ever made. It contains a lot of tragedy, especially at the beginning of the movie, but once you get past there, it really is one of the most magical movies. The thing that makes this movie better than all the others can be narrowed down to one simple word...Ellen. Ellen DeGeneres is absolutely amazing in this movie, she plays one of the greatest and funniest characters ever created. Dori is so lovable and endearing, she just lights up every single scene. She will never let us forget Dori either, every week on her television show she makes some sort of reference to her or Finding Nemo (usually it is in the form of  the 'just keep swimming' song). Allison Janney plays the starfish and I just love me a good West Wing reference.

1.     Despicable Me

Yes, this is my favourite animated movie of all time. It is fairly new, but it just had such an effect on me and I have watched it so many times and it just keeps getting better and better. Just like Megamind, it is told from the perspective of the super villain and that just fascinates me. I love getting to connect with a character who is evil because it gives you a chance to figure out why he does these things and what made him this way (Gru's relationship with his mother clarifies the situation a lot). His relationship with the girls is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen, and this movie is one of the few that actually made me cry at the end. The cast is amazing, with Jason Segal, Steve Carrell, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig and Russell Brand, whose voice acting skills are all so great that it is sometimes hard to tell which actor plays which character. The level of comedy in this movie is astounding and Pharrell's soundtrack is really the icing on the already great cake. The minions are adorable and one of them is played by Jemaine Clement, YEAH NEW ZEALAND!

Agnes: It's so fluffy, I'm gonna *die*!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

 

Tangled

Kung Fu Panda

Wall.E

Toy Story 1,2 & 3

The first 4 Dragonball Z movies

Card Captor Sakura 1 & 2:The Sealed Card

The first 3 Inuyasha movies

Hellboy: Sword of Storms & Blood and Iron

Check out Top Ten - The Best Live Action Movies

Top Five - The Best Video Games

This is my list of the greatest video games I have ever played. They are the games that have taken up hundreds of hours of my childhood and a lot of them I still play obsessively now. When I was compiling this list, I decided that it would be extremely unfair if I included the Nintendo/Gameboy Pokemon series because if I factored in my love for the Pokemon franchise, then I would just have a list of 5 Pokemon games. Therefore I decided to create this list without the inclusion of any Pokemon games, instead I choose to view the Pokemon franchise as a God-like entity that is on a completely different level than all other games and cannot be compared to this mortal list.

 So with that all cleared up (hopefully), these are my favourite video games of all time:

5.   Spyro 2: Gateway To Glimmer   (PS1)

One of the first games I ever owned. It was a great advancement from the highly successful first game and in my opinion, it is the best game in the entire series. Gliding between levels from the three main home worlds, Summer Forest, Autumn Plains, and Winter Tundra, there was just so much more to do, with added characters, abilities and power-ups. Ripto and his evil henchmen never stood a chance against the mighty Spyro!

4.   Crash 3: Warped   (PS1)

The greatest game in the single-player Crash Bandicoot series, Crash 3 picks up directly after its predecessor. Dr. Neo Cortex's space station has crash landed on Earth and Uka Uka has escaped and is working with the forces of evil to take over the world. Crash and Coco must travel through time and collect all of the crystals before the villains can enslave the Earth. The general game play of Warped was so great and there was also the added features of motorcycle racing, jet-ski courses, Tiger riding and those fucking intense levels where you get chased by the dinosaur (always got my heart racing). Some of the best boss battles ever in this game.

3.   Worms World Party   (PC)

The simplicity of this game was the key. It can be a fairly complex strategy game but really, it is a game about blowing shit up with crazy weapons and goofy sound effects. This game was so zaney and fucked up but those are things that made it so unique and fun. Great single-player game but it was also really fun to play with a few other people. I could spend hours creating armies of wickedly named worms and having massive wars against myself where no worm is safe. Mastering the basic weapons, like bazooka, grenades and ninja rope always made for good game play, but the real fun started when you activate the air strike or unleash a holy hand grenade. This game was meant for 2 dimensions and should always stay that way.

2.   Crash Team Racing   (PS1)

One of the most bad ass games ever created. The only racing game I will ever play and that is because nothing else could ever compare to this. CTR was a revolution in my life and nothing has been the same ever since. The adventure aspect of the game was so compelling and fun to complete, with many hidden challenges and extra features to keep it interesting. The Cup challenge is great for multi-player but is also fun to dominate by yourself. One of the best features this game has though, is the Battle! The Battle part of the game involves an enclosed level where you just get to drive around and try and blow up your opponent, so simple that it's genius.

1.   Kingdom Hearts   (PS2)

The first game I ever got with my PS2. and no game has ever lived up to it since. There was a lot of hype about it before the Playstation 2 came out, but it surpassed all my expectations with how amazing it is. Getting to be Sora and travelling through worlds defeating Heartless with your keyblade. Unlocking different kinds of magic and new battle techniques, this game never gets boring. The storyline is so well put together and the two worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy are perfectly merged together. The sequels have all been really good but this is the standout achievement of video game technology in the modern era.

Riku: Once we set through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!

Maleficent: Beware the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey upon it.

Sora: Kairi! Remember what you said before? I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you... I promise!
Kairi: I know you will!

BONUS LEVEL: The Best Multi-Player Video Game

1.   Crash Bash   (PS1)

This game is best played with 4 people, it is such a brilliant concept and it really lives up to the hype. All the crazy levels that you get to compete in, like polar panic, crash ball, space bash, desert fox, pogo-a-gogo, dragon drop, dante's dash, ring ding, mallet mash and keg kaboom! The greatest advancement in social gaming ever.

The Social Music Revolution

Last.FM is a social networking site that focuses on peoples addiction to music. In my opinion, it is the greatest social networking site out there, because it allows you to communicate and befriend people with similar musical interests as you. The most addictive quality of this website though, is the fact that it 'scrobbles' all the music you listen to on your computer/iPod and displays your music habits in the form of charts. It is a pretty rad feature that can get anyone really addicted to this site and even slightly obsessed with perfecting their music charts so that they accurately reflect how you rank your favourite bands. The scrobbling can be slightly inaccurate though, my Last.FM charts never match my iTunes play count, but that is just something you have to overcome, otherwise the obsession to perfect your charts will slowly consume your soul. I have been a member since the 16th of February, 2010 and I have never looked back since. In that time, I have scrobbled over 50,000 plays and this is how my Top Artists chart looks overall:

1.     The White Stripes                     3906
2.     T. Rex                                       3484
3.     The Black Dahlia Murder         2408
4.     Lamb Of God                            2377
5.     The Dead Weather                    2261
6.     Robert Johnson                         1961
7.     Led Zeppelin                             1865
8.     Queens Of The Stone Age        1758
9.     The Velvet Underground          1743
10.   Them Crooked Vultures           1597
11.   Marina & The Diamonds          1595
12.   The Kills                                   1482
13.   Trivium                                     1312
14.   A Tribe Called Quest                1185
15.   August Burns Red                    1146
16.   Nightrage                                  1128
17.   The Distillers                            1123
18.   The Mars Volta                        1072
19.   Alter Bridge                               994
20.   John Mayer                                936
21.   Arch Enemy                               885
22.   Yeah Yeah Yeahs                      862
23.   Street Chant                               848
24.   Karen Elson                               795
25.   Popstrangers                              792
26.   Lou Reed                                   702
27.   The Raconteurs                          671
28.   Foo Fighters                              654
29.   The Drab Doo-Riffs                   628
30.   Maximum The Hormone           609

Come vist me! http://www.last.fm/user/Harrison1630

Check Out The Social Music Revolution II

Anything's Possible

University of Auckland - Anything's Possible

I was approached by a friend of mine, Nick, about helping with a video he was making to enter in the 2011 Student Video Competition. The point was to make a video about why you like studying at The University of Auckland (although Nick was the only one of us actually studying there). It was filmed in the style of a musical and is entirely satirical, although we feel it is a pretty accurate view of what student life is really like. This video actually went on to win the entire competition and gained Nick the recognition he deserved (see the competiton website here).



Cast & Crew

Adam: University Guide, Lead Vocals
Kapil: University Hopeful
Harrison: Unsuspecting Student
Laura: Disinterested Fairy
Nick: Director, Script Writer, Cameraman, Composer, Producer and pretty much everything else...

Top Ten - The Best Live Action Movies

I'm definitely not a critic or a film expert, so hopefully nobody will take this list too seriously. I'm just a (semi) normal human being who is ranking his favourite live action movies for the amusement of a couple of strangers on the Internet. This list is my own creation and is based solely on my own opinion and personal enjoyment of the movie. You will probably notice that pretty much all the movies on this list fall into the genre of Comedy, that just sort of happened. Some of the biggest factors in judging a movie (for me) is how easy it is to watch and how re-watchable it is. I guess those factors are why I tend to lean towards Comedies, rather than Drama or Action (as good as movies like Inception are, they are nearly impossible to re-watch because you already know all the twists and mysteries, which is what the entire movie is based around). So yeah, this is my Top Ten, I hope you enjoy it.

10. GET HIM TO THE GREEK

Jason Segal, Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis were amazing in Forgetting Sarah Marshall but I have always found myself more attracted to the spin-off movie, maybe it is the weak spot I seem to have for Jonah Hill. The rock n roll lifestyle is something that has always fascinated me and Jonah's impersonation of The Mars Volta was the best moment of the movie. I loved getting to see Elizabeth Moss (a member of the brilliant West Wing cast) and I was introduced to Rose Byrne, who I just saw in Bridesmaids and now I cant wait to see what she does next. The movie would've been a lot better without the weird threesome scene. Epic Tom Felton cameo.

9. ZOMBIELAND

The best zombie movie I have ever seen. The light hearted and comedic approach to the apocalypse is reminiscent of the greatest television show ever created, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin make kick-ass zombie hunters and those rules could really come in handy one day. This movie could be the most helpful tool to survival when the zombies rise up.

8. THE HANGOVER

This movie has delivered some of the best comedic script writing in the 21st century, and the premise of the movie is so simple, it's genius. A group of guys get drugged in Las Vegas at a bachelor party and their world spirals into a vortex of strippers, tigers and lost babies. Alan is pretty much one of the funniest characters ever created, he has so many good lines that I couldn't pick just one to put up here. I really enjoyed the sequel aswell, it was true to itself and is a really good alternative, but the original will always reign supreme.

7. BRING IT ON

This just reminds me of my childhood. I will admit the one of the reasons it is so high on my list is the nostalgia factor. Though the number one reason it is so high is because of the beautiful and talented Eliza Dushku, who is best known for playing the badass, back-up slayer, Faith,  from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The Classic cheerleader movie that will forever be a thousand times greater than any of the sequels that came after it. Lets not forget how fucking catchy all those cheers and songs were.

6. 17 AGAIN

This is the biggest surprise on my list, with all the hype around the High School Musical franchise and the media's obsession with the Disney kids, I was unsure about how Zac Efron would do in an actual movie. But after watching it, I was really surprised with just how good Zac Efron is in this movie. He is really funny and has great comic timing, he really needs to do more movies like this. Part of the reason for his great performance could've been the due to the guidence of the great Matthew Perry though (It's such a shame that Mr. Sunshine got cancelled, I loved seeing Allison Janney and Portia Doubleday working with Matthew). Also Michelle Trachtenberg is wonderful in it (another cast member from Buffy, surely you are seeing the pattern by now).

5. YES MAN

This is really one of the only films I enjoy Jim Carrey in, he is always so over the top and crazy that it is easy to overdose on his personality in a movie, but I really think he did a great job in this one. The real star of this movie though is the amazing Zooey Deschanel and her faux band Munchausen By Proxy (her real band She & Him is fantastic as well). As a New Zealander, I can't look past the fact that Rhys Darby (Flight Of The Conchords) is constantly stealing scenes away from the big name stars with his fucking awkward yet hilarious lameness. If you really want a laugh, make sure you look up Rhys Darby's stand up. Yeah New Zealand!

4. DATE NIGHT

I just love Tina Fey, so this movie was a no-brainer. From such greatness as 30 Rock and Megamind, Tina Fey was the absolute greatest thing to happen to this movie. She works really fluently with Steve Carell and her influence on this movie really shows. The appearence by Mila Kunis and James Franco is one of the highlights of the movie, they are not in it for long but their charaters/performance really steals the spotlight in this movie.

3. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

The Scott Pilgrim comic books are the greatest thing to happen to literature in the 21st century, they speak directly to our modern generation and relate to actual people better than any story. Even though everyone will tell you that the books are better than the movie (and I agree with that statement), the movie is still brilliantly done and is easily the best comic-to-movie adaption that I have ever seen. The movie retains all the quirks and gags that made the comic so unique and successful. With one of the best young casts around and some of the most addictive music you will hear (including the flawless, T. Rex), this movie is fucking genius. And I do still recommend that you read the comics, it is

worth it.

2. DRAG ME TO HELL

As you have probably already become familiar with, I quite like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, so it is no surprise that I am so attracted to this movie. A tale of demons and magic with a beautiful blonde protaganist who can really kick ass when she wants to. I love Black Comedies, and the way this movie manages to intertwine the elements of Horror and Comedy is just brilliant. I couldn't help but find myself getting a fright one minute, bursting out into laughter the next and in some scenes (like the kittens sacrifice and the gypsies funeral) I even experienced a weird combination of the 2. Although I think it is so unfair that all that happened to poor Christine Brown, simply because she denied an old lady an extension on her loan. I mean, it wasn't great what she did but to get dragged to Hell for it is a bit of an over-reaction. I guess the Devil is just petty like that.

1. IN BRUGES

This is easily my favourite movie of all time. The entire movie is brilliant, ever aspect of it. It starts as a pretty Black Comedy and has some of the funniest moments and lines I have ever seen. As the movie progresses, it is revealed that there is actually a lot more to the storyline than what was first let on. The depth of this movie is fantastic, it just keeps peeling away layers and continuing to surprise you with the intracacies of the story. By the end of the movie, it is a wonderfully dark and depressing tale of regret and remorse, it will rip your heart right out of your chest. The way it manages to balance Comedy and Drama is a near impossible achievement that I have only ever witnessed during this movie. It is great to see Colin Farrell speaking in his native tongue and it's that Irish accents that really adds something to the level of comedy in this movie. The greatest Film I have ever seen, it is a must watch for anyone.

Ray: Maybe that's what hell is, the entire rest of eternity spent in fucking Bruges.

Honourable Mentions:

Easy A

Mean Girls

Black Swan

Role Models

and probably a couple of others that I can't think of right now...

Check Out Top Ten - The Best Animated Movies