Film Review
In viewing Kill List recently I couldn’t help but have high expectations going in. After seeing the snazzy trailer, and being subjected to a bit of the hype machine that is currently surrounding it I thought I was in for a real rare bird – a film that somehow transcended the pitfalls of genre-bending and muddled narrative. But despite what you might hear from many other sources, this one does not live up to the hype. I found fleeting glimpses of quality throughout this murky, slowly paced misfire. →

An Insider’s Guide to the SBIFF 2012 Sponsored by UGG Australia)
“The Arlington Theater is one of the most beautiful movie theaters in the entire world”. This statement was uttered, not only from the mouth of one of the guest moderators at the Virtuosos Awards Event, but from audience members and festival volunteers alike. The Arlington Theater is nothing short of breathtaking – quite simply a film lover’s dream come true and the main hub of events for the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

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On August 8th 2011, Ray Anderson, ‘radical industrialist’ and chairman and founder of Interface Inc. passed away without the world noticing. Barely two months later, the death of Steve Jobs became an inescapable subject of discussion. Canonized by the mass media, Jobs is referenced as the doyen of visionary leadership and Apple products as the utmost examples of purity and perfection. In truth, Jobs’ legacy represents everything that’s wrong with design, manufacturing, and the global economy. Like the soap in Fight Club, our ignorance is being sold back to us; reconstituted hyperbole elaborately packaged under the auspices of good design. →

Interview with DJ Vidis
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The Dance music aficionado, DJ Vidis created a unique partnership in the sphere of the burgeoning Lithuanian dance music scene.  He teamed up with seasoned producer, Mario Basanov in 2007 to form what is cited as a highly influential production duo whose delivery is a fresh approach to electronic music and the art of video making, with a distantly Baltic vibe.  After dropping their debut album, Changed, to critical acclaim across the blogosphere, EM takes some time out to chat with Vidis about their current and upcoming projects. →

MELANCHOLIA, Lars Von Trier’s new film, is a complex work from a controversial director with a lot on his mind. It’s a genre-bending, allegorical narrative about the end of the world rooted in melodrama and shrouded in mystery at every turn.

If you are familiar with Von Trier’s past work and especially his major works like Dogville, Antichrist and Breaking the Waves you already know that with each successive film he intends to provoke some sort of extreme reaction from the viewer and Melancholia is no exception. If you are new to Von Trier this film may be one of his most accessible. It’s certainly is one of the most visually ravishing and multi-layered of his career. →

Communion

“I’m a-I’m a Filipino til I die, til I die,” the “bad” voice repeats as Genius Ears of Paro Paro Beats steps away from the controls and stomps hard at the front of the stage. He dangles his arms and head at the lull of the beat and flexes his neck at the snare in a krump gesture. Children unclasp tiny grips on mothers to commence dance floor bouncing. →

Interview with Orchestre Poly-Rythmo
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The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo can best be described as musical godfathers of the West African nation of Benin, where successive generations of musicians have been inspired by the sounds of funk and vodoun (voodoo) music which first emerged from the homes of young men living in 1960s Cotonou, the economic capital of the country. →

It was 1964. Lagos, Nigeria was a densely populated metropolis, giving birth to a wide range of African music. This was before the civil war, when the city was experiencing an influx of new residents who introduced music that differed in style and purpose. As various cultural groups gathered, an environment marked by new instruments, patterns of movement and cadences melded together. Externally, African music varies in ideological and social perspective, as well as in harmony and instrumentation. →

An interview with John O’Connor
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John Blek and the Rats are brought up on a healthy dose of country ballads and American folk roots mixed with the deep Irish countryside.  The Irish four piece is showing Europe that not all new bands have to be skinny jeans, ray-bans and haircuts. With tracks that sound way past their years and arrangements far more interesting than a lot of what’s currently on offer in Europe, it will be exciting to see how the future unfolds for them.  →

An interview with Jiji Panda
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In China, the national symbol is not a dragon, a Ming dynasty urn, or a red star, but a cute animal- the giant panda. Infamous worldwide for their generally docile nature and overwhelming cuteness, pandas have even been sent to other countries from China as big greeting cards of peace, a practice the media termed “Panda Diplomacy.” As of this article, they are still listed as an endangered species. However, a new species of panda is breeding successfully, in fashion and cute goods sites all over the world, and he doesn’t eat bamboo and loaf around, smiling. →