Taken (2008)

As Liam Neeson says in Taken, he has a very particular set of skills. Primary among those skills is an uncanny ability to punch a dude in the throat. It was all I could do not to run and grab a turtle neck after watching this movie. If I ever meet Liam Neeson I'm definitely going to try to protect my throat.
Taken is breathtakingly outlandish. Liam Neeson goes on what can only be described as a rampage through France. Roughly two thirds of the characters in the movie are punched in the throat, killed or punched in the throat and killed.

The '59 Sound

If your musical tastes align at all with mine you really, really need to check out The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem. Putting aside the fact that "The Gaslight Anthem" is a great name for a rock band, and that "The '59 Sound" is a great title for a rock album, the album is great. No song is less-than-decent, and more than half are genuinely good songs, two of which are excellent and at least one of which is transcendent.


"Here's Looking at You, Kid" reminds me a bit of Morphine's "In Spite of Me," albeit with a more traditional instrumentation.

Then there's "The '59 Sound." This is The Song right now, the kind of song that makes my blood vibrate.

Several the songs from The '59 Sound are on the YouTube. Go listen to them. Then listen to the songs from their first album, Sink or Swim, which has a slightly stronger punk influence. I like it almost as much as I like The '59 Sound.