The World's Fastest Indian

This is not by any means the world's fastest movie. Nor, however, is it the slowest. I got it in on Netflix for two reasons: one, it deals with New Zealand, and I am feeding my obsession with a place I'm going to be living for 4 and a half months. Two, it's about motorcycles, and my parents are into motorcycles. This is a moving and heartwarming movie based on the true story of Burt Munro, a man from Invercargill whose dream is to break a speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He's not by any means wealthy, and the movie details his struggle to get to the US, and how nearly no one believed this old man would come back alive, let alone break the record. He catches a lot of lucky breaks once he gets to the States, even though his Kiwi friendliness is met with alarm by many. I was quite nervous while watching it that he was going to be nice to the wrong person, and something bad would happen, but it never did. He made it, he set the record, and he even got back home. At the end some on-screen text tells you he went back 9 times - this is amazing, since he's portrayed as nearly on his death bed in the movie. It's pretty inspiring, and nice to watch, and I enjoyed hearing the Kiwi accents.

Grade: B

Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs

Andrew Bird is probably the best male vocalist I've heard in a while. I've been really caught up on female vocalists but here is a man who has a voice that is just as exquisite as other artists I've been loving like Feist and Leona Naess. This is an excellent album. Bird's lyrics are so great, it is a beautiful listening experience. The style is somewhere between Iron & Wine and The Honorary Title. It's as heartfelt as Damien Rice or Bright Eyes, but with a smoother and more compelling voice. I loved pretty much the entire album, I guess if I have to pick three I'd say "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left," "The Naming of Things," and "Masterfade."

Grade: A(+)

Live It Out; Grow Up and Blow Away

Decided to do both of these Metric albums in the same post - mostly because I listened to them in a row and so can't fully distinguish between the two. Apparently, Grow Up and Blow Away was the first album that Metric recorded (in 2001) but due to label issues it was just released this year. I love the song "Raw Sugar", and "Soft Rock Star" is pretty great. Overall, it's good. Live It Out was released in 2005 and overall I liked it better than Grow Up and Blow Away. It is quite good, notable songs include "Empty", "Monster Hospital", and "The Police and The Private". All in all I really like Metric. They are good female-vocalist indie rock.

Grades:
-Live It Out: A-
-Grow Up and Blow Away: B

Make Some Time For Wasting

I first heard about Katie Todd Band from some internet source - probably Hype Machine, but I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, this is a breathtaking album full of beautiful songwriting, beautiful music, and a beautiful voice. "This Time" is still my favorite, with excellent piano. I highly recommend this, it is soft but refreshing.

Grade: A