You can have Michael Shannon and eat your birthday cake too

Been a couple weeks since my last post but I'm back. You get what you get here. You know how it goes.

Last Saturday was my birthday. I had a pretty great time. I like to keep birthdays fairly chill but there was actually a lot that went on throughout the week that I was stoked about.

The good times began on Wednesday night as the new season of of Survivor started. We're big fans in this house. I've been watching since the first season and have been tuned in ever since. We had some fried rice and sushi and Tillamook ice cream to celebrate. Now we're two episodes in and this season seems to be more promising than much of the last 10.

Not trying to get ahead of myself or anything but last episode some big dude chopped off a bit of their thumb and another guy tried to vote himself out which is against the rules lol. We're already playing with fire here and that usually makes for a good season.

My family and I have been doing a fantasy draft of players the last couple of seasons too. I briefly scan some of their intro interview answers and draft by vibes on who I think will perform well. So far I feel fairly confident in my squad. I'm currently in second place but the big points come later on. I'm playing the long game here. Maybe I'll do an episode recap down the line and expand on the team situation.

Then Thursday was a pretty sick deal. Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy came to my hometown to perform R.E.M.'s Life's Rich Pageant at my aunt and uncle's barn. Yes, that Michael Shannon. "Knives Out." "The Shape of Water." "Kangaroo Jack." You know the guy.

My parents and their friends are huge R.E.M. fans, as am I, so this was a really fun experience for the entire crew. We've been lucky enough to see Mike Mills and Peter Buck play with The Baseball Project here a few times now which never stops being crazy. Two actual members of R.E.M in the flesh!!! So seeing a guy who I've watched in many movies over the years get out on stage and rock out to some of the music I hold dearest to my heart was really trippy.

The thing is he wasn't being Michael Shannon. The man was now Michael Stipe, beloved lead singer of R.E.M. He's clearly studied tape. Shannon was moving the same way Stipe would–channeling his mannerisms and dance moves as if the spirit of Stipe somehow flew down into the barn and entered Shannon's body. The man was in character. Not in a cheap imitation way. You can tell he truly appreciates the music. And Shannon has some serious pipes on him. He and the band took over the barn for more than two hours.

Not only did they run through Life's Rich Pageant but they dove even deeper into the catalog. Playing the hits like "Great Beyond," "Lotus," "Radio Free Europe" and soooo much more. The show ripped from start to finish. Easily one of my all time favorite concert experiences in one of my favorite places on the planet. My mom was crying. My aunt was crying. It was beautiful.

They're gonna tour Document next year as well, so catch a show if they pop up in your area. Also just for fun let me be clear: R.E.M. is the greatest American rock band of all time. Thank you.

On Friday and Saturday we made sure to pack in some good movies at the theater which is another one of my favorite places to be. We saw "Primetime" and "Resident Evil." Not a traditional back to back double feature but a weekend spent at the cinema is great for me.

Let's get into those movies a little bit:

Primetime

Robert Pattinson is on a heater this year folks. He has this innate ability to completely transform himself into the characters he plays. It's like in my head I know this is the guy from "Twilight" on my screen going in but he makes me forget it every damn time. Pattinson as Chris Hansen is remarkable. I think he'll get an Oscar nom. I also think Skyler Gisondo will come in and potentially nab a supporting actor nom. Gisondo seriously blew me away. Other than the acting, which was pretty great from everyone, the lighting/coloring in "Primetime" was so well done. As the editing in general. Good shit. It was stressful but I enjoyed every second.

Resident Evil

Zach Cregger has a way with movies. His directing is so fun and well thought out. His writing is always punchy and clever. I've played a few "Resident Evil" games and he really did the series justice. In my opinion anyway. I'm not a die hard fan of the games or anything but like... for a video game movie? This was reallllly cool. It felt like a game and looked like a game and still played like a fun horror movie with an actually entertaining plot. Austin Abrams knocks it out of the park as the lead. It felt like this was really happening to some normal dude who had stumbled into the bullshit. I had a blast watching it.

If you've seen the movie already I recommend checking out this video where Cregger breaks down scenes from "Resident Evil," "Weapons," and "Barbarian." He provides some really cool insight into how shit works and how he pulls a particularly wild scene from "Resident Evil" off:

Also, Lacey made me an incredible cake to celebrate. It was a lambington but in full cake form. A lambington is this popular Australian dessert I love. Look it up and go find one to eat. Please give your compliments to the baker:

Wait...

Do you guys hear that?

It couldn't be.

Could it?

I think it is...

Maybe.

It sounds like...

Some Good Songs!

That's right. Here are some good tunes I've been listening to lately:

"Sensational" - Wishy

This is one of the singles off Wishy's new album Nature's Pill that dropped this past week. I'm very into it. "Sensational" plays like some bright nineties rock that makes you feel free and light. It's definitely one of those volume up windows down situations. Nature's Pill as a whole has a ton of great guitar moments that are running fast and loose. It's a fun listen.

"Look Like My Mama" - AZ Chike featuring Tyler, The Creator

Big biiiiig fan of the back and forth between Tyler and Chike here. Both of these guys are killing it over this beat produced by Tyler and just talking their shit for three minutes with no hook in sight. The 50 Cent sample is a nice touch. The video is also super fun as the two LA rappers pay homage to a few iconic movies. This makes me want to watch "Men In Black" again. Chike just put out a new album on September 24th called No Rest For The Wicked.

"When We First Met" - Twisted Teens

If I was a betting man I'd say that I probably have listened to Twisted Teens more than any other artist this year. So far they've put out two albums already with a third on the way. It's crazy. They're crazy. The music is crazy! They're one of the more exciting rock bands to come to light in recent years. "When We First Met" reminisces on a relationship that one can assume ended up not going so well but that doesn't mean things weren't fun at one point in time. Let it rip.