American Horror Story - Asylum: A Premiere Review

So the second season of American Horror Story premiered last Sunday but I didn't know about it until yesterday. I'm so not up-to-date on TV this year! But regardless, I got to watch the premiere and what a premiere it was!

I was a little bit skeptical of the second season, since the first one was fucking awesome! When they announced a cast switch-up after the season finale of season one, the fans were often dragged back and forth concerning the casting. Earlier reports stated the return of certain cast members and then they said the cast would return playing other characters, and finally only some of the cast came back in different roles.

The premiere was flawless. Although it was a bit tricky to follow the storylines at first, the slow reveal of certain mysteries helped to clarify any doubts I had early on. AHS has that talent of dragging you alongbrutally with your consent.
There are multiple storylines, once again, all unfolding in one location: a mental asylum.

We have the story of two twisted lovers (Jenna Dewan and Adam Levine) exploring the asylum in modern times. Teresa (Dewan) explains certain facts about the abandonned hospital and helps us establish the past of the asylum. She has a fetish for practising sexual activities in dark, horrifying places. Her boyfriend, Leo (Levine), follows her into the hospice and both get a taste of darkness.

Sometime in the 60's, shortly after JFK's inauguration, we follow the story of Sister Jude and Dr. Arthur Arden (Jessica Lange and James Cromwell) who both run the asylum although they do not seem to get along. Sister Jude (Lange) is a nun with a pious heart. She runs the asylum with an iron fist based on zealous religious beliefs. She's shown to be ruthless when she holds a journalist (Sarah Paulson) against her will when Sister Jude finds Lana (Paulson) wandering around the asylum.

 

And finally we have the story of Kit Walker (Evan Peters) who is also known as Bloody Face, since he was allegedly seen leaving the crime scene wearing a mask made of bloodied skin. He is brought to Briarcliff Asylum to be taken care of by Sister Jude until he goes to trial. He swears he did not kill his wife, Alma (Britne Oldford), and that he is not crazy. He believes (and we are shown) that in actuality, his homestead was attacked by an unseen creature that may or may not be aliens. Inside the asylum, he befriends a woman named Grace (Lizzie Brocheré), who is also accused of murdering people she loved and equally claims to be sane.

Behind all of these stories lies Monsignor Timothy Howard (Joseph Fiennes), the man whose vision inspired Sister Jude to turn the asylum into a pastry factory and who brought Dr. Arden (Cromwell) to the hospital so he can find a cure for tuberculosis. We see him briefly discussing with Sister Jude, who fantasizes of giving herself to him, and reassuring her that the mysterious and sometimes spooky Dr. Arden is not to be worried about.

 

The main plotlines all revolve around religion and mental illness, and how the ignorance of our past harms us more then we know. There is alot of sex/sexual references in this series and the creepy, edgy factor of season one was not lost in the change. I love that they inserted the music from the original Carrie into the season premiere - it really gave it that extra fear factor.

Here's a teaser for you to watch!

 

 

 

You can catch the show on FX, wednesdays at 10PM or do like me an watch it here. Hope you're not afraid of the dark!

Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink


 

Local Lyrical

I love township pastry shops and, in general, supporting local businesses. There's something oddly rewarding that comes out of helping a neighbour. It's not a reward that can be touched or felt, like gold. It's not a reward that can be seen or heard, like a thank you. It's the kind of reward that warms you, like a hug.

So to all the readers and supporters of this local blog, I ask that you open your ears, stretch those limbs and enjoy the marathon of videos that are provided courtesy of Chali.

I'm kinda sorta, okay really, addicted to his music. There's also a video on Vimeo that you can listen to by clicking here. It's a really good cover/remix/sample/take on F. Ocean's Dying for your Love. Enjoy and spread the word!!

Add Chali on twitter: @Chali819
Join the movement on facebook: facebook/chalimusic


Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink

Grave Encounters: A Movie Review

Wow, I haven't blogged in so long. I am busy with the move, with the new digs, the summer. It's so easy to lose track of time and what we enjoy doing the most. So with this in mind, I'm starting the week fresh with new blog posts!! Enjoy!

Director: The Vicious Brothers
Starring: Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Mackenzie Grey, Juan Riedinger
The Plot: A cast and crew of a Paranormal Reality Television show lock themselves in a psychiatric hospital that is rumoured to be haunted. The message on the door warned them. Death Awaits.
Review: I have not been this scared in a very long time. Last time I jumped in my seat was during the midnight screening of What Lies Beneath. I love scary movies but paranormal ones tend to send jolts of fear running up my spine. Grave Encounters is no different! There is a sense of claustrophobia as the group is locked in and they cannot escape. Darkness settles in, corridors spring out of nowhere, stairs lead to nowhere. Hair is touched, people are shoved, and time has no meaning. They don't even believe in ghosts - the psychic is a fake, the host a douche, and the cameramen are there for the money. When night settles in, skeptics become believers, and believers become victims.
Rating: 7/10

I'm not too impressed with the trailer but take my word for it - this movie is really eerie. The complete movie can be found on Youtube in HQ with french subtitles. Enjoy... with lights open.

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

Snow White and the Hunstman: A Movie Review

So I've decided to ditch the daily format for blogging since I am not constantly home during the summer. It's a busy and fun time of year - who wants to spend it in front of a computer? Alas, I am here waiting for my service provider to come and fix my internet problems. What a perfect time to blog!
So yesterday I did two things i've never done before:

1. I ate awesome food at an awesome restaurant called Mongolian Village! It's at the Gloucester Center and it mixes buffet and "on the grill" quite well! You choose your ingredients for your stir fry, they weigh it, cook it, and serve it to ya. It's quite cheap as they charge you only for the weight of your ingredients. Rice is unlimited! GALORE!!
2. I actually enjoyed a post-panic room Kristen Stewart movie. Da hell?

Director: Rupert Sanders
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
What's it about: A darker, more modern retelling of the classic Snow White & The 7 Dwarfs
Review: Everything you thought you knew about the fairy tale is...well, accurate. There is nothing quite new about Snow White and the Huntsman, except for a few new characters and some minor plot devellopment. The main idea, that a wicked witch wants to kill Snow White (Kristen Stewart) so she can declare herself fairest of the land is still the driving point behind the movie. Where it begins to get interesting is the reasoning behind Ravena's (Charlize Theron) desire to pursue and destroy all of the kingdoms. There is a much more human side to the story and is less about "step-mothers being the root of all evil in a family". Sure, Charlize screams alot in the movies, does weird eye movements and shows early signs of schizophrenia but her impersonation of The Evil Queen is flawless and overshadows all of the other performances. Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman) does a so-so job of faking an accent but makes up for it in sheer awesomeness as he seeks and destroys everything in his path. To all who are worried they turned this into a horror franchise - fret no more, there are many scenes, mostly all involving the dwarfs, that will have you laughing out loud. Not a family flick, but definitely a movie to go watch in theatres! It carries everything that makes a blockbuster!
Rating: 6/10

Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink

LDR SAT: NEW AKA

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more Lana Del Rey in my life, I stumble upon an article about May Jailer's album Sirens. You see, before Lizzy Grant ever became Lana Del Rey she was chirruping as May Jailer. This most likely places the album Sirens before Lana Del Rey AKA Lizzy Grant, widely thought as her first official album.

To the people who aren't fans, this is probably nothing to get excited about, but to überfans like myself - this is fan-fucking-tastic!

We get to see an evolution of sorts: from her whispering bird-like singing in Sirens, to her more soul-searching, raspy vocals in Lana Del Rey AKA Lizzy Grant, and finishing it off with her more angry, sadcore-hip-hop blend of Born to Die.

What sold me was the song Aviation. It speaks for itself.

More songs from May Jailer's Sirens:

westbound

birds of a feather

out with a bang

my momma

Check out May Jailer on Youtube to listen to all of Lana's unreleased songs!

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

W/E: Summer Songs

Oh yay! It's that time of year where mega-produced songs come out to fill our ears with happy, joyful, and most importantly, festive music!! It's at that same time where we all suddenly forget what quality music sounds like and jump on the POP-SYNTH train that comes rolling in every week. 


Come for the ride, enjoy the music!

Flo Rida - Whistle

Nelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)

The Wanted - Glad You Came

Simple Plan - Summer Paradise

Rihanna feat. Chris Brown - Birthday Cake

These are just the songs that I can list off the top of my head, I'm sure there will be plenty more to come this summer! Rihanna and Flo Rida alone have twenty songs/ week.

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

Robyn: Show me French Love - Cobrastyle

When I talk about Robyn, most people have one of two reactions: they ask me what the fuck Robyn is and what that eats during winter OR they reference her chart-topping US hit Show me Love. Neither of those reactions seem suitable to me because Robyn should be known by the world AND should be known for her recent efforts which kick Show me Love out of the park.

When Robyn dissapeared from North American radios, so did she from my mind. I never even thought twice about her. Sometimes when an artist just vanishes, i'm left wanting more or finding it a pity that they stopped making music. Yeah, didn't happen back in 1996.

Several years later A decade and several years later while watching an episode of So You Think You Can Dance, I noticed that one of the featured songs - Cobrastyle - was a musical effort taken from Robyn.

Robyn is a common name but in the music world, one can't just take the name of another and so I knew that the odd electro funk song was genuinely from the same Robyn who gave us the god-awful 90's powerhouse pop ballad Show me Love.

And so in 2008 - twelve years after I last heard her music - I was able to renew that musical relationship with the blonde girl from Sweden. With immense zeal I share with you Robyn's timeline.







 Marie-Mai, a Quebec singer who was discovered thanks to Star Académie (a very succesful francophone singing competition) translated the song into french for her upcoming fourth studio album. She has yet to give a name to the album or a release date. She covered the song and released it as Sans Cri ni Haine (Without Screaming nor Hatred). She kept the meaning of the song (tell your ex to move on but do it nicely because he/she still has feelings for you). Anyhow, here's the lyrics video - which seem to be popular nowadays.



So yeah, that sums it up quite nicely. And that SNL performance is off the charts!

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink



LDR SAT: POL RMX

*I know it's Sunday, but I was uber busy yesterday and couldn't wait another day to post this vid!!

I found a really good cover of Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey on Youtube the other day. It's from Anna Paryło, a polish interior designer with a genuine talent in singing! She radiates off the screen, that's how hot she is. Her accent and the way she pronounces "hip-hup" is so cute. It's one of my favourite covers this year and I really hope this woman gets a break!

And seriously, the wallpaper in the back is kick-ass!

Covers are awesome. It makes you rediscover the song or catch it in a different angle.

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

LDR SAT: USA IDL

So Lana Del Rey was on American Idol the other night and because of the same BBQ that prevented me from posting Thursday, I missed her performance.

Luckily we have Youtube! For eveyone else who missed it, here it is:

So simple yet so visually stricking. The sound doesn't hurt the ears either and frankly, I prefer an artist that falses from time to time then an "artist" that lip sync's. It feels more genuine, like there's a connection between the listener and the artist.

You know how Rihanna has released like a gazillion albums in seven years and is everywhere on the charts every single one of those years? I hope Lana Del Rey does that. :)

If you are living on the east coast like I am, it's worth noting that Lana Del Rey will be in New-York City on June 8-9-10th. I SO WANT TO GO!

Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink

Black Friday

This day is reserved for light-hearted fun only. NO KONY 2012 dialogue here!!

Everyone needs a day off, right? We can't always be serious and catch up on the latest tragedy across the globe. I'm pretty sure that's why He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named invented Fridays. And it's impossible to use that word in any shape, way, or form since Rebecca Black.

And yet the word Friday has appeared in countless songs. And some just as terrible as Black's unanimously loathed "Friday". I discovered she isn't the only, nor the first, one who sang about every single day of the week being lame BUT Friday. What's up with that?

Lily Allen - Friday Night

Bowling for Soup - Friday

The Easybeats - Friday on my Mind

Aqua - Freaky Friday

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

It's Friday, Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday!

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink



Best of 2011: Youtube Covers

I'm a huge fan of normal people doing excellent covers of popular songs. Often times, I end up preferring the cover to the original song. To share with you, here is a few covers that have excited me this year!

Adele's Someone Like You - @Charlievlogs

Lady Gaga's Born This Way - @Rojuanearagon

Bruno Mars' The Lazy Song - @Gootmusic



Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts - @Maddijanemusic

Nicki Minaj's Superbass - @Karminmusic

Foster the People's Pumped up Kicks - @Jaymedee333

Adele's Rolling in the Deep - @Connietalbotofficial

The Band Perry's If I Die Young - @Justinrobinett

Michael Jackson's Billie Jean - @Thecivilwars



Do you like covers as much as I do? What was your fave of the year?

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

November 19th: A French Revolution!!

I'm french-canadian. Maybe some francophone readers have not noticed it because of my main use of the english language, but I am certain anglophones have caught on that I don't master Shakespeares language.

Quebec, the province I live in, is the only francophone province in Canada. We have our own television networks and radio stations that cater to our linguistic preferences and every year, a slew of movies from La Belle Province are applauded across the world.

If you speak french, you should check out these 19 Produits du Québec.


Grande Ourse
A rare gem in Quebec television. The only hard sci-fi show and ohmygod did it ever kick ass! Because there is so little funding for arts and entertainment in Canada, big shows like these only air for one maybe two seasons with only 6-8 episodes each. More of a mini-series, really. They eventually made a movie several years later but it lacked the depth of the series' storyline. Stars my favourite Quebec actress Fanny Malette as Gastonne.

Aveux

I blogged about this show before here. Once again, this is more of a mini-series since it's only one season long. The casting is flawless, the acting is amazing, and some scenes will seriously leave you crying. So good!

Bon Cop, Bad Cop
Probably one of the most famous Quebec movie out there. It is bilingual and is a satire/dark comedy about the stupid fight between anglophones and francophones in Canada. It is kind of funny but you have to be in a particular kind of mood to laugh.

Elles Étaient Cinq
This is a really sad movie about the reality of criminal rights. Five girls host a party at one of the girls parent's cottage. Manon and Sophie decide to head to town to get more alcohol. When they return, a guy in a jeep stops when Sophie sticks her thumb out. What happens next changes the lives of all five girls and shines a light on how tolerent we are at parole hearings.

Babine
The very first Quebec fairytale. It leans more towards Grimm then Disney though. But all in all, it's still very much a family film and it contains everything and anything that makes this type of movie magical.

La Guerre des Tuques
Oh a classic! Every Quebecker has seen this movie in their lifetime. It's a staple during the christmas holidays and it still has its place in 2011. Kids will be kids!

Nos Étés
This one is still too fresh to be a classic but it will hold that title in the future. An epic tale of family ties, families at war, and all set in different time periods that marked our nation. Stunning series!



Les Chevaliers d'Émeraude
A very popular children's book series about knights defending their country against the humanoid insects that come from across the sea. It has been rumoured that it would be made into a television series but that has yet to happen. A spin-off book series set after the events of the twelfth and final book of Chevalier d'Émeraudes was released a couple of years ago but I lost interest.

NRJ 104.1

The most popular french-speaking radio channel in Quebec. Many celebrities have hosted shows on this dial that has been refashioned from Energie to NRJ, the international chain of francophone music. Thanks to it we get french remixes of popular songs. Unfortunately we also get this:

Lance et Compte

This series has been around for 25 years, spawned 7 seasons, 6 TV movies and a big screen adaptation two years ago. It launched the career of Marina Orsini, who has become Quebec's sweetheart. It included real NHL hockeys teams into the drama and is the most sucessful francophone show in Quebec.



C.R.A.Z.Y.

This film travelled the world and won numerous prestigious awards such as the City Award at TiFF, the Jury's Prize at the Morocco Film Festival, the Genie award for Best Motion Picture, and won the Audience Award at the American Film Insitute Fest in Los Angeles. C.R.A.Z.Y. uses classic rock music - mostly Pink Floyd - as a backdrop to the movie. It tells the struggle of a homosexual boy growing up in the 70's with four macho brothers and a very strict conservative dad.

Les Boys

Oh another classic movie. It was a major sucessful movie that was followed by three sequels and an equally sucessful tv show which is in its fourth season. It got a lot of critisicsm for having similar plotlines and ideas as Lance et Compte and even have some of the same actors. The theme song for the movie has become Eric Lapointe's most requested song. Let's listen to it.





Roméo et Juliette

Almost every country - or nation with enough ressources to finance a film - has remade Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lover. In the Quebec version, the story has been modernized and depicts a harsh-reality of our social classes and how we've grown to accept it as is. One of the better versions of Romeo & Juliet.

Le Collectionneur

This movie is based on Chrystine Brouillet's bestseller of the same name. I absolutely loved the book about a detective trying to solve a string of murders happening in Montreal. The movie came out almost at the same time as The Bone Collector with Denzel Washington and it had audiences confused as the french translation for the Washington flick was similar to Le Collectionneur. Suffice to say, it's now become a cult classic.



Aurore

This is a story most Quebeckers wished they hadn't heard. The true story of Aurore Gagnon - a severely tortured child who eventually died at the hands of her step-mother - has been told numerous times but none more painfully accurate then the 2005 adaptation by Luc Dionne, a remake of the 1952 film Little Aurore: Child Martyr.



Un Souper Presque Parfait

I guess you can compare this show with The Food Network's Dinner Party Wars, in which people compete for a grand prize by trying to out-perform their fellow competitors in the fields of hosting and cooking. In the Quebec version, it is five guests and and they are featured from monday to friday with each day reserved for one of the competitors. It is oddly entertaining!!



Karmina

A vampire movie with Quebec slang. Ya, totally fucking hilarious!



Wariwulf

From the author of the Amos Daragon series, Bryan Perro branched off several years ago to devellop a story set in ancient Egypt about a boy with the mystical powers to transform into a wolf. There is ALOT of characters in this one, in the same vein as Chevalier D'émeraude but the story is weaven so much more intricately.

Fanny Malette

I love this actress so much she deserves her own showcase slot! I first saw her in the supernatural series Grande-Ourse and have been feverishly stalking her every moves since. She stole my heart in Continental: Un film sans fusils, and her portrayal of the conflicted mother in Les 7 Jours du Talion can take anyone's breath away and reduce them to tears. Hands down, one of our bests. Her portrayal of Gastonne in Grande Ourse is an example of how much quirkiness is tolerated in television. She was cast against producers wishes in the series Nos Étés as Nora but soon convinced TV execs when her character became a fan favourite. I hated her, but I loved hating her.

 

 

If you are away from home, I hope you enjoyed this! What's your favourite thing Made in Québec?

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

November 14th: 14 Memorable Commercials

We all have a favourite commercial. Sometimes it reminds us of someone we know, or someone we knew, of something past or present. Sometimes it just makes us laugh or cry or both. Sometimes we are awe-struck at how incredibly creative the commercial is. Sometimes it's just dumb. Here are 14 commercials that have stood out from the rest. In no particular order.

 This one still makes me laugh to this day! One of my favourites!

Technology has really gotten nifty. Deceased divas from the past return to support Dior

A harsh - yet funny - reality

Saw this one on a "world's best commercial" and boy is it ever hilarious!

Takes a lot for me to feel patriotic. This does the trick

I just like it for some reason. Celebrities who poke fun at themselves is rare. Let's take it

Classic Coca-Cola. Classic Commercial

So many other commercials have been inspired by this one. For Alia

This one really made people talk

This one passed around Facebook and had people guessing what the commercial was about before it ended

This one was suggested by a friend. It's effing hilarious!!

I had one of these!!! It shares it space with all other 90's toys commercial :)

Conan O'Brien. Period

Last but not least, the classic commercial:



Oh, those fuzzy blue thingys. What commercials have impacted you?

Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink

sidenote: I can't fucking wait for NaBloPoMo to end. Yes, I said it.



November 13th: Key of Awesome #13

There is this group, for lack of a better word, on Youtube that make hilarious parodies of Top40 songs. I will showcase the 13 most laugh-inducing ones. Seriously, prepare yourself to pee in your pants. Hopefully you are wearing pants...

13. The Key Parodies... Maroon 5

12. The Key Parodies... Pitbull

11. The Key Parodies... Adele & Angry Birds

10. The Key Parodies... Bruno Mars

9. The Key Parodies... Adam Lambert

8. The Key Parodies...Katy Perry (1)

7. The Key Parodies... Lady Gaga & Beyoncé

6. They Key Parodies... Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull

5. The Key Parodies... Eminem & Rihanna

4. The Key Parodies... Katy Perry (2)

3. The Key Parodies... Lady Gaga

2. The Key Parodies... Kanye West & Nicki Minaj...and Regis Philbin.

1. The Key Parodies... Foster the People



Hahahaha...these kids make me laugh. They have PLENTY more videos on their Youtube account Barelypolitical. They're so witty!!


Candles are out,

Eleven's Ink