[The following was written by Synthesis Weekly columnist Emilie Clark. She can be reached at emilie@synthesis.net.]

Coming Soon

It’s a well-known fact that people like to adapt movies from books. It’s also a well-known fact that most of these efforts suck. So it’s my job to warn you about upcoming adaptations so you have ample time to read the book. This gives you the chance to complain about inconsistencies and general “suckiness” while still in the theater, making you look learned and therefore more attractive. You can thank me later.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, July 4th: This is a documentary, so I guess it won’t really do to get mad about liberties taken with the adaptation. But it can’t hurt to read some of the famous Gonzo’s work if only for your own amusement. From the description it seems like the filmmakers are big fans, which can be bad in a documentary if you’re trying to eek out truth. The gist I get is that the point the film makes is that Thompson did what journalists are too afraid to do nowadays, namely get high and write caustic things about politicians. This may be true, but I easily tire of ‘60s and ‘70s nostalgia. Sure people were a bit crazier back then and I’m sure there are things to be learned from that era, but it’s over, so deal.

Journey To the Center of the Earth 3D, July 11th: Based on the classic Jules Verne novel about a rogue scientist who travels to, you guessed it, the center of the earth. According to Wikipedia, this novel didn’t age as well as some of Verne’s other works, because he was mostly wrong about what is contained in the center of the earth. However, none of that really matters because this movie is in 3D. And I will watch anything in 3D, even if it stars Brendan Fraser.

more upcoming adaptations after the jump.
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Today, Synthesis’ Band You’ve Never Heard of Band of the Day will stray a little bit into the electro side of the rock spectrum. And by “a little bit” I mean entirely. Boston electro-rock duo Matters & Dunaway meet at the mid-point where pleather-clad ravers chat Matrix post-apocalyptic fashion and The Faint still mattered. Their is the sound of a not to distant future that was realized in the last decade, with neon-lit tubes blurring by at chemically enhanced speeds. Their new EP, Feel The Future, is available now via iTunes and Amazon.

Matters and Dunaway - Feel The Future
Streetdate May 20, 2008

Matters & Dunaway were last heard in late 2004 fusing ambient electronic with intricate rock rhythms straddling a line between melancholy and euphoria. Since that time, the duo from Boston, MA have been honing their unique blend of tech-rock into a more compressed, aggressive sound. Feel the Future is saturated with bursting cymbals, darting bass lines and revving synthesizers.