Ninja Assassin Director James McTeigue

Ninja Assassin director James McTeigue gives ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino an exclusive look at what he’s spinning in this playlist feature…

A Taste:

Nick Cave, MC Rock Star

James McTeigue knows what it takes to be a good ninja.

About maintaining the kinetic energy on the set of his phenomenal new action flick Ninja Assassin, the director explains, “Obviously doing complicated martial arts takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. I think if the people at the core are really into it and want to do great martial arts, they keep the energy up. It was great in this case!”

Ninja Assassin is everything that a ninja movie should be—artful, nonstop and brilliantly bloody. There’s also an underlying sense of perpetual rhythm that fuels each and every action sequence. The film flows more like a record than a movie with each choptastic moment screeching like a guitar.

McTeigue laughs, “If Ninja Assassin were an album it would be some sort of rap crossed with Nevermind the Bollocks by The Sex Pistols—that kind of crazy energy [Laughs].”

In order to go deeper into the musical nature of the film, McTeigue sat down with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino for this exclusive interview about the music in Ninja Assassin and what he’s listening to.
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Jennifer Connelly of “9″

Actress Jennifer Connelly shares her playlist with ARTISTdirect.com for this exclusive 9 feature…

A Taste:

Paul Weller, Arctic Monkeys, Nick Cave

9 is quite beautiful for a tale about the end of the world.

“The film really looks like a painting,” says 9 star Jennifer Connelly. “The use of light is extraordinary. It’s simply stunning.”

The movie remains visually breathtaking, and there’s a certain pronounced rhythm to the narrative. Given that cinematic musicality, we talked to Jennifer about what’s on her playlist right now.

Check out Jennifer’s playlist below and in the video! Don’t miss 9 when it hits theaters September 9, 2009 either!

Jennifer Connelly’s Playlist:

1. Arctic Monkeys

2. Paul Weller

3. John Lennon

4. Nick Cave

“It’s a pretty eccentric list! My kids are kind of obsessed with Arctic Monkeys and Paul Weller. So there’s a lot of Arctic Monkeys, Paul Weller, John Lennon and Nick Cave on my playlist. I’m all over the place!”
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