Infernal Affairs = good frickin’ movie, though I can’t decide if the title is clever or awful. Originally released in Hong Kong in 2002 where it sell all kinds of box office records, it’s finally gotten some kind of lame ass release over here – I just rented the DVD though. For those not in the know, it’s a cop film about two cops – one of whom is a police mole in the Triads, the other is a Triad mole in the police department. As their respective operations come into conflict, they’re each charged with uncovering the identity of the other resulting in a pretty intense game of cat and mouse. I won’t reveal too much as it’s really worth seeing, but as the plot thicks, their respective orbits become more and more intertwined and their loyalties more and more convoluted and suspect until they all (naturally) come to a head. My only complaint would be that for undercover cops, they don’t seem to know the slightest thing about staying out of sight. For example, tailing a gangster’s car in a huge marked SUV or trying to follow the suspect by walking maybe 10 metres behind him very loudly? Come on.

Massively successful in Hong Kong, it’s already spawned two sequels, though the second film is technically a prequel. I’ve taken a look at the synopses and reviews and don’t know if I really want to see either of them – The film does just fine as a standalone story. Apparently Martin Scorcese wants to do a remake, I would be intrigued to see how that turns out. There’s nothing inherently Asian about the film, so in the right hands – and I think Scorcese qualifies – it could be just as good as a Western film. By the by, the ‘alternate ending’ on the DVD sucked major ass. Why even bother? But do see the film, it’s good.

Coolfer declares the Arcade Fire the most over-blogged band of 2004. I can’t really argue with that, I’m as guilty as anyone, but over-blogged doesn’t really reflect on the quality of the music – just the extent of the media feeding frenzy. And while I’m also guilty for giving constant props to Ted Leo, I stopped being interested in Franz Ferdinand in early Summer, only got involved in the Ashlee Simpson SNL fiasco for a couple days and didn’t actually write about Death Cab that much at all, all things considered. No new album and no Toronto shows pretty much kept them off my radar. I’m surprised that Wilco didn’t make his list, however. I would think that I alone would have tipped the scales to over-saturation. But the basic premise of his post is a little silly – all I do is talk about what interests me, and I suspect other bloggers do the same. I have no control over what anyone else writes nor do I especially care. And I think I make up for it – come on, when’s the last time anyone did a big post for, say, Six By Seven? Never, that’s when. But blogging is inherently viral – when something is legitimately good or interesting, the snowball effect is unavoidable.

Metric’s show at the Mod Club has turned into a bit of a residency – with both the original January 21 date sold out and the added January 22 date following close behind, they’ve now added a third show for Sunday January 23.

Billboard previews The Decemberists’ Picaresque, out March 22.

Good news – Eisley is coming to town. Bad news – they’re playing the Kool Haus opening for New Found Glory and Reggie & The Full Effect (April 3, if you’re actually interested). This is actually exactly what I expected to happen – by signing to a major label this early in their career, they’ve pretty much eliminated the chance of a club tour of their own, and will spend all their time opening for other acts I have no interest in seeing ad nauseum. Alas.

The CMW schedule is up. As expected, it’s mainly the same bands we usually see playing around town. Tahiti 80 are confirmed for the Reverb on Friday, March 4 as part of the “French Music Export Showcase”, along with Sebastien Tellier, Ghinzu and Vegomatic – admission $10 at the door or by wristband. Also promising is the lineup at Healey’s on Saturday March 5 – Adrienne Pierce, Motion Soundtrack, The High Dials, Telepathic Butterflies and The Frontier Index. I also recognize BC’s Hinterland from some shoegaze message boards… they’re at Clintons on the 4th. I’ll try to find the time to surf through some of the artist bios before deciding on what to attend, if anything.

np – Wilco / A Ghost Is Born

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