The Soundtrack for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"

Happy 2012, everybody. We're back for another year, and I hope you all had a great time during the holidays.

As I'm sure most of you know, the U.S. film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's immensely popular novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," part of the "Millenium" series, was released last month -- er, or at the end of last year (!). I went to see it the day it came out, and I absolutely loved it. Purists will say that A) there was no need to remake it since the Swedes already adapted the book in 2009 and/or B) there were changes between the book and the film. Well, I've been pretty bad about keeping up with actually reading, and completing, books outside of my studies in school, so I didn't go in with any knowledge about what the story was really about or what was the original storyline in the book. I also hadn't seen the Swedish version of the film. So I was a clean slate.

Shabazz Palaces Score "Tough Bond" Documentary

Experimental hip hop group Shabazz Palaces have provided the score for the upcoming Village Beat documentary Tough Bond. The film is about children sniffing glue to survive street life in Kenya’s disappearing villages and exploding urban slums. Below is the trailer, which features Shabazz Palaces' "Blast It."

Learn more about the film and cause 

Village Beat Facebook

www.villagebeat.org

Shabazz Palaces is shrouded in mystery. The only recognized member of the group is Digable Planets member and Cherrywine frontman Palaceer Lazaro (aka Ishmael Butler). Back in March, we featured a track from the group's forthcoming album, Black Up. The effort was originally scheduled for release on May 31st, but it is now set to arrive on June 28th in the US and June 27th worldwide via Sub Pop. For those that missed it, check out the featured song below.

How Did I Spend My Christmas Eve?

My birthday was a few weeks back...okay, last week. A week beforehand, a good friend of mine gave me an early birthday present. I guess at some point in the past I had professed my love for the film High Fidelity. To my surprise, my friend remembered all of this and presented me with a copy of it on DVD for my birthday. How awesome!

There is so much to say about this film. It connects with me on a certain level -- the whole music/relationship/love connection and all. I placed it in my top five favorite films of all-time after seeing it for the second time (the same viewing that inspired this post). After receiving it for my birthday, I started to feel as though it might be the number one in my top five. Having just watched it again, I going to have to go with my gut on this one and put it at number one. (Haha...top 5s and going with your gut. So very Rob Gordon and not so very Rob Gordon)

I'm not even going to try and be all hip and witty, writing something for the film. I'm just going to type this: JUST WATCH IT.

What's that...you haven't seen it?
Oh, you really need to see it then.

What's that...you've already seen it?
Oh, you really need to see it again.

Merry (insert your holiday here).

In the next few days (before 2009, I swear):
-a review of The Golden Hands Before God...'s extended-player Here
-my top 10 albums and songs of 2008

Thanks, Asa.