Sultry Florida Groove - A Raving Playlist

It was 25 degrees here this morning (in Ohio, USA) and it's getting to be that time of year when we ask ourselves why the hell we don't live in Florida. Sure, Global Warming is making things hotter up here but it's still not the same (and it still gets pretty cold). So we will be thinking about Florida a lot over the next couple of months and we decided to craft a playlist that will help us conjure visions of beaches, palm trees and Sea Gulls - well, scratch the Sea Gulls - Pelicans work better. We actually hate Sea Gulls, but we can't escape them because now they're in Ohio too (what's up with that anyway?). But we digress, we love most things about Florida (not counting the Banana Republic nature of their voting practices) and someday we may live there again (but perhaps vote absentee in Ohio, which is only slightly above Banana Republic level in election management).

As usual this list is on Spotify as well. So sit back and drink a Margarita and try not to ask yourself why you ruined your life by moving North.

We wish we were in this picture - Winter sucks

Admit it - Miami Vice was the coolest show ever

Sultry Florida Groove

John Mellencamp – Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)
Various Artists – Miami Vice (Crockett's Theme)
Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
Jack Johnson – To The Sea
Maná – Rayando el sol
Bob Marley & The Wailers – One Love / People Get Ready
Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun
Weezer – Island In The Sun
John Mellencamp – Pink Houses
The Troggs – Wild Thing
Seals and Crofts – Summer Breeze
Jack Johnson – A Pirate Looks At Forty
The B-52's – Love Shack
John Travolta – Summer Nights - Soundtrack Version
Elton John – Tiny Dancer
The B-52's – Rock Lobster
Violent Femmes – Blister In The Sun
Bananarama – Cruel Summer
Jack Johnson – Constellations
Kings Of Leon – Beach Side
Jan Hammer – Miami Vice Theme - Miami Vice/Soundtrack Version
The Decemberists – Down By The Water
Keith Urban – Long Hot Summer
R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People
The Lovin' Spoonful – Summer In The City
The B-52's – Roam
Enya – Orinoco Flow
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
Dave Matthews Band – Ants Marching
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
Ben E King – Stand By Me
Bryan Adams – Summer Of '69
Dave Matthews Band – Don't Drink The Water
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Pump It Up
David Bowie – Young Americans - 1990 Digital Remaster
Don Henley – The Boys Of Summer
Dave Matthews Band – American Baby
Gloria Estefan – Turn The Beat Around
Death Cab for Cutie – Summer Skin
The Smiths – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
The Beach Boys – Fun, Fun, Fun - 2001 - Remaster
Counting Crows – Untitled (Love Song)
Sting – Love Is The Seventh Wave - 2011 Remix
Maná – Perdido en un barco
George Michael Duet with Elton John – Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Miami Sound Machine – Hot Summer Nights
A Rocket To The Moon – Like We Used To
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Three Little Birds
Toad The Wet Sprocket – Walk On The Ocean
Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun
The Black Crowes – And The Band Played Om
The Beach Boys – Kokomo
Wavves – King Of The Beach
Dire Straits – So Far Away
Counting Crows – Rain King
The Smithereens – Only A Memory
Billy Ocean – Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)
Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly
Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away
Owl City – Umbrella Beach
Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
The B-52's – Party Out Of Bounds
Gin Blossoms – Until I Fall Away
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Call Me The Breeze
Elton John – Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – American Girl
Katrina & The Waves – Walking On Sunshine
Soundgarden – My Wave
Paramore – The Only Exception
The Allman Brothers Band – Southbound
The Cars – Good Times Roll
Gloria Estefan – Cuts Both Ways
Phil Collins – Another Day In Paradise
John Mellencamp – Wild Night
The Barracudas – Summer Fun
Elton John – Island Girl
Eddie Money – Two Tickets To Paradise - Album Version
Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life
Cowboy Junkies – Southern Rain
Beck – Que' Onda Guero
David Bowie – China Girl (Single Version)
Maná – Rayando el sol
Jeff Zavac & the Craetts – Hit The Road Jack
The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations - 2001 - Remaster
Django Django – Life's A Beach
Blake Shelton – Some Beach
Katrina & The Waves – Walking On Sunshine
Against Me! – The Ocean
Barefoot Truth – The Ocean

Pick up a seashell and listen, right now...

John Cougar in Key West (we think)

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Unstoppable is High Speed Rail

Well, since we live in Ohio we had to mention our new idiot Governor, John "the Fox" Kasich gave away $400 million dollars which would have finally given us intercity rail again (since it was shut down in the 1950's) - so this movie is the closest we're ever going to get to High Speed Rail in our State.

And this movie was based on a real incident which happened in Ohio and it was filmed in in Ohio as well. We were wondering if either Chris Pine or Denzel were from Ohio as well but we were too lazy to look it up. Anyway, one thing is for sure - Tony Scott isn't from Ohio and he tends to put Denzel in his best movies (although he's worked with Tom Cruise, Will Smith and others). Tony Scott's brother, Ridley Scott who is our all time favorite director (see our Blade Runner review) and he likes action films - this one while relatively uncomplicated is built for high speed suspense.

The aged veteran versus the punky upstart, a timeless plot but it works

There is something to be said for uncomplicated plots - sometimes we just want to go to the theater and be transported to another state of mind - to the vicarious experience. This tends to work better at a physical level - where adrenaline starts pumping as we become part of the story without having to think too hard about the philosophical implications. In Unstoppable, the freight train is without a doubt the main character - we don't get too deep with the other characters - they are ordinary folks placed in an extraordinary situation. We'd like to think we would react the same way they do (at least the folks who are trying to rescue the town, not the morons who sent the train off without the brakes turned on).

The two stars represent action of today versus action of the last twenty years. Denzel Washington has wowed us since Glory (well, we like him on St. Elsewhere too, but the action films is where he really shines) and Chris Pine made quite the splash last year with the new J.J. Abrams version of Star Trek. Placing these two stars together as the crusty veteran and cocky punk was a good casting move. The rest of the cast was relatively unimportant and in some cases downright distracting (especially the scenes with Denzel's daughters working at Hooters). It's almost as if someone said - hey there's zero sex appeal in this movie so they threw in gratuitous scenes of Hooters girls (at least they were in the bar and not trying to stop the train, although that would have made for an interesting twist).

Saturday Night Live did an excellent spoof of the Trailer -
the Denzel impression is awesome...

Unstoppable is pretty easy to figure out - we sort of knew how it would end before it started - but in a movie like this, it really doesn't matter as long as you enjoy the ride - which we did.


Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

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