Coming Soon: Brat Productions "Carrie"

This week, I'll be attending a performance of Brat Productions new show "Carrie" for Withersin Magazine.

Based upon the Stephen King novel (and the Brian DePalma film), the show is a twist on what you think you know about the prom queen soaked in pigs blood we've all come to know, love... and laugh at.

Brat Productions description of "Carrie":

In this adaptation, approved by Stephen King himself, Erik Ransom plays the telekinetic teen, alongside a cast of notable Philadelphia actors. Directed by BRAT's Producing Artistic Director Michael Alltop, and featuring some of Philly's leading designers (including a 3-person special FX team), Carrie delivers all of the thrills of the original bestselling novel with surprising and hilarious new twists. Save the date for a prom night you’ll never forget!

So, it should be an interesting evening. I'll be reviewing the show for Withersin, but my thoughts will also be posted here, on the trusty old (incredibly neglected) blog.

Until then, enjoy this...

Classic Trailer: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

With the Platinum Dunes remake having been released just a few weeks ago, I've heard a lot of people say that they either haven't seen the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" in a long time or, *gasp*, they have never seen it at all!

Scandal! Come on people... this one is worthy of at LEAST two viewing a year. Should be federally mandated, actually.

And while it wasn't quite sacrelige, I do think the remake lost a bit of the charm and gut-punch scares of the original. And sure-- perhaps the reason the original stands out so much for me is that I was just a kid when I saw it, but you know what-- I just bought the original on blu-ray and I'm happy announce it totally holds up and still made me poop my pants. Not sure why I'm happy to announce that last part... but I digress.

Check out the trailer for the original. It's truly a classic horror film and a cool trailer to boot.

P.S.-- I like Jackie Earle Haley and all, but who are we kidding? Robert Englund is Freddy. End of story.

Trailer: M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender"

The full length trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's latest film The Last Airbender was just released and it looks fantastic!

The film is based on incredibly popular anime Avatar: The Last Airbender. And, though the film dropped the word Avatar from the title (for obvious reasons), I think The Last Airbender is actually a better title.

Take a look at the trailer below (in glorious HD) and tell me you won't be there July 2nd!

I know I'll be there... but then again, I always go to the movies for my birthday, which happens to be July 1st.

And yes-- presents will be accepted.

Never thought I'd agree with this guy...

But, he does make a few rather salient points.

I have an iPhone, a MacBook and a Kindle. Why would I want an iPad? What use is it to me?

Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool. Very cool, in fact. I just don't foresee jumping on any bandwagons hastily.

I'll give it a few years and a few iterations so they can work out bugs, give it a real operating system and add in several other much needed features.

Song of the Week: Air "Sing Sang Sung"

This week's song comes from Love 2, the latest album from the French band Air.

I've been listening to Air for quite some time now. In fact, this March will mark the fourth time I'll see them in concert-- their live show really is that good.

They have a sort of mellow, electronica sound. You can put on just about any of their albums and just let it play through to the end-- something that can't be said for a lot of bands.

Anyhow, I believe "Sing, Sang, Sung" is the first single released form the new album, and it's quite good.

I'd say that I've had the song on loop, but really it's been the entire album. Give it listen.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

My gift to all of you is the hilarious Carol of the Bells segment from the California Raisins Holiday Special.

Enjoy!

Song of the Week: "Metamorphosis (Parts 1-5)" by Philip Glass

As I've mentioned before, I usually listen to music that has little or no lyrics when I write. It's something that I've learned works for me through a lot of trial and error. Whether it's jazz or classical, bluegrass or a soundtrack-- instrumental music is just what I prefer when I sit down to do some work.

Lately, almost all of my writing time has been accompanied by the trademark musical stylings of Philip Glass.

I first came to know of Philip Glass through his score to Godfrey Reggio's now-famous "Quatsi" trilogy. I especially enjoy the score to Koyaanisqatsi, but he has tons of other work that is equally impressive. Last week I came across his album "Solo Piano", which is comprised of five variations of his piece Metamorphosis, as well as two shorter pieces.

The song I've included here is Metamorphosis #2, which happens to be my favorite. It's a haunting piece that I've been able to listen to on repeat for the past few days.

Give it a listen. Even if Philip Glass is not necessarily your bag, it's hard to argue that this isn't a beautiful piece of music.

P.S.-- I've included his piece Pruit Igoe as well. Originally written for Koyaanisqatsi, you may also recognize it from the extended trailer for last year's Watchmen.

Song of the Week: "What?" by Rob Zombie

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to catch the penultimate stop in Rob Zombie's tour for his upcoming album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2. I went to the show by myself and, well... you may think that's kind of odd. Perhaps-- but I couldn't give a damn because it was one hell of a show.

Zombie's live performances are a throwback to the theatrical rock shows of the 1970's. And he certainly isn't not shy about wearing his influences on his sleeve-- specifically Alice Cooper. The two of them share a similar gruff singing style and I'm actually surprised Zombie's never covered any of Cooper's hits.

But I digress...

This song (What?) is the first single off of his oft postponed new album which is set to finally be released on February 2. There is no official video, so I've posted a live version that is very similar to what I saw the other night at the Electric Factory.

Enjoy the song.

And if you ever get the chance to see Rob Zombie live, by all means go.

You'll have a great time. And if you've got nobody to go with, hell-- drop me a line. Lord knows I've been there.

P.S.-- If you like the song, you can also hear the regular album version here, or download it on iTunes.

New York City...

So, I went to New York yesterday to catch up with a friend. I got into town rather early, so I decided to walk around and perhaps do some shopping.

Then I found this guy.

Now, the two of us are best friends.

And yes, his catchy jingle was in my head all day.

P.S.-- This was the first time I was able to really try out my Kodak Zi-8. I have to say, it's pretty incredible considering the price and size. Certainly recommended for bloggers/vloggers.

Evil Dead is back

In the age of the crappy horror remake, it's nice to get some news about a true classic being sent back to theaters-- in its original form. Grindhouse releasing seems to have secured the rights to mount a nationwide re-release of Sam Raimi's seminal 1981 horror flick Evil Dead.

Perhaps Raimi is testing the waters for another Evil Dead sequel? It's possible, considering the success of his recent throwback hit Drag Me To Hell. While I'm not totally convinced that this would be a true barometer of how another evil dead film would play, I'm certainly not complaining.

Also-- I seem to be in the minority among Evil Dead fans in that I prefer the first film to the pseudo-sequel, Evil Dead 2.

So far there is no screening planned for the Philadelphia area, but I'm confident that will change very soon. If not I may just have to embark on another road trip to catch this on the big screen.

The scheduled screenings are available here.

What do you think-- any of you screwheads out there going to check it out?

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

Within minutes of his passing, the keyboards of bloggers worldwide were clacking away with attempts at witty, kitschy ways to deliver this news-- Patrick Swayze has succumbed to pancreatic cancer.

Never quite an A-lister, Swayze made some decent movies (Roadhouse, Red Dawn, Ghost) and his fair share of junk (To Wong Foo, anyone?)

Of course his most famous role was that of Johny Castle in the classic 80's film Dirty Dancing. While not exactly my cup of tea, the film was an undeniable pop culture phenomenon.

However, all things considered, I think his most memorable piece of work came when he was the guest host of Saturday Night Live. The genius sketch is embedded below and, sadly features two guys that have now both passed on before their time.

Enjoy, in memoriam, the terrific Chippendales sketch.

Patrick Swayze - Chippendale
by tressage

DVD Review: The Funhouse

As a kid there were some VHS cover boxes on the shelf at the video store that just always really creeped me out. One of those creatively marketed titles was Tobe Hooper’s 1981 thriller The Funhouse.

While it goes well beyond cliché to say that clowns are generally creepy, the clown on the cover of this title cannot and should not be described in any other way—he’s scary as hell. So you can imagine my surprise when, some twenty years after this film first caught my eye, I finally sat down to watch the thing and there wasn’t a single damn clown in the entire movie! What I found instead was a slow burn thriller that actually pays off quite nicely—if you’re able to stick it out for the nearly 50 minutes it takes before the movie’s first kill.

Capitalizing off of the success of his underground hit The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director Tobe Hooper crafted this film’s story very much in the same mold. Where it differed greatly was in the film’s execution (pardon the pun), which undoubtedly left fans of Massacre wondering when the other bloody shoe was going to drop.

The set-up is a simple yet effective genre staple: four pot-smoking teens looking for some excitement at a traveling carnival that stopped in their town. One of the incorrigibly horny guys has the great idea that they should hide in the funhouse and stay over when all the carnies have called it a night. Amazingly, the others agree and, just like that, we have a horror movie.

Once inside, the teens witness a murder at the hands of one especially demented Carnie (who is essentially a carbon-copy of Chainsaw’s Leatherface.) The rest of the night (and the film) is spent with the teens, as they attempt to escape the creepy killer and his equaly deranged father. The teens are, of course, picked off one by one before the break of dawn.

There is no denying that The Funhouse is a slow film, even compared to other 80’s horror. You can tell that Tobe Hooper really took his time with this one. If you look closely, you can tell that he did put great care into the film—the cinematography is tight, the creature effects are solid and there are a few legitimately impressive long-take crane shots. He even managed to slip in an homage to both Halloween and Psycho, as well as some gratuitous nudity—all in the opening 5 minutes!

And, for what it’s worth, Tobe Hooper turned down a film that was offered to him by Steven Spielberg in order to make The Funhouse. The film he turned down? E.T.

Ouch.

Overall, the film was a satisfying little thriller, with some decent scares and is definitely worth a look if you enjoy 80’s horror.

Score: 3 out of 5

(ALSO: Word on the street is that Eli Roth has been tapped for a remake. Could be interesting...)

End of an Era: Sadly, Reading Rainbow is No More

It is with deep regret that I am writing this post to commemorate the cancellation of one of the most important and influential television shows of my generation: Reading Rainbow. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that, in today's society, there would eventually be no place for such an uplifting and educational program. But you know what, personally I'm not willing to accept that.

I'm not so presumtuous that I would say this show meant any more to me than any of the millions of people also mourning the loss, but it did mean a hell of a lot to me. It sparked more childhood interest in reading and trips to the library than any other program ever produced. And I don't doubt that the show had a part in me eventually discovering that what I wanted to do with my life was to write stories.

In one respect, it's more unfortunate for my own children, because they will be raised never having known the show. But I'd like to think that my own interest in reading, and ensuring that my kids have a healthy and active imagination will carry them through-- certainly due in some small part to my own exposure to the show as a child.

When I heard that the show was cancelled, I immediately looked up the introduction on YouTube and, upon hearing just the first few synthesized flute notes, nearly got choked up. I'm not exaggerating.

So, I present to you the intro to the show in it's entirety.

Godspeed to the kids of this generation who will only be exposed to the inane, ADHD inducing tripe that passes as children's entertainment these days.

Song of the Week: Manic Street Preachers "If you Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next"

No joke-- this song holds the Guinness Book record for longest song title that doesn't use brackets. But thats neither her nor there.

Fact is: this song is fantastic. Brit-pop at it's best.

Give it a spin already.

Enjoy.

Band of the Week: Owl City

I couldn't pick just one of the songs from Owl City's new album Ocean Eyes, so I just put them forth as the band of the week.

If you consider yourself a fan of the quirky, poppy sound of bands like The Postal Service, you'll gravitate toward Owl City immediately.

In fact, I was convinced that this was a side project of TPS lead singer Ben Gibbard.

Alas, it is not. But it damn well could be-- and that's quite a compliment.

With a sound that often upbeat and lyrics that are usually deeper and more clever than your typical pop act, Owl City is a nicely invigorating addition to the proverbial stale iPod playlist.

Their first single, "Fireflies", was available for free on iTunes. After giving it a shot (and loving it) I immediately shut down iTunes altogether and downloaded a torrent of the complete album.

Sorry-- that's just how it is today.

But since then, this band has been in my ear at home, at the gym and, actually, as I'm typing this very blog post.

If you're into thoughtful indie pop, like the aforementioned Postal Service or Death Cab for Cutie, you'll certainly find something to like about this album.

It's 100% certified JWFTS "good."

Enjoy.

R.I.P. Gidget, The Taco Bell Dog

Gidget, the chihuahua responsible for the sale of millions of colon-cleansing Taco Bell tacos, has passed away. Though in recent years the ad campaign that made her famous had all but disappeared, the pup's ubiquitous catch-phrase "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" remains a part of the everyday pop culture lexicon.

Yo Quiero Gidget. Yo Quiero, indeed.

Rest in Peace.

Song of the Week: "Even in the Dark" by Company of Thieves

This week's song came to me from the one place I really rarely ever hear new, good music-- the radio! And I don't say that to sound like some pretentious, "I Hate Radio" type of guy. It's just, I never listen to music on he radio. When I'm in my car I listen to one of two things, my iPod or talk radio. 

It just so happened that I flipped to the one alternative station in Philly, and surprisingly liked what I heard. The song was "Oscar Wilde" by the featured band, Company of Thieves. It's a good song, but since downloading their self-titled album I've come to discover they have better songs to offer. Case in point, the video below-- "Even in the Dark."

The lead singer, Genevieve Schatz, has a cool style-- sort of a mixture of Fiona Apple and Bjork, two artists I thoroughly enjoy. And this is a band I'd definitely like to check out live sometime soon. If you're so inclined, check out the ret of their self-titled album, it'll be in my iPod loop for a while, I'm sure.

Enjoy.

Song of the Week: "Saviour" by Dredg

I came across indie-alt-rockers Dredg (not a misspelling) during one of my daisy chain iTunes hunts for new music. I start with a band I like, and then look at similar suggestions until I find something that catches my eye... or ear, actually.

Their sound is nothing particularly new, falling somewhere between Lydia and The Used. But the tonal shifts and genre crossing does just enough to differentiate them from much of the shit rock bands that are out there right now.

This album has 6 or 7 solid songs and the one below (Saviour) happens to be my favorite. Enjoy.

P.S.-- My iPod is officially broken and I am pissed.

R.I.P. Karl Malden 1912-2009

Karl Malden passed away today. He was an awesome actor, and with all of the B.S. reporting about some former pop star clogging up the "media," I thought I'd do my part in making sure he was remembered.

A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Patton AND Dario Argento's Cat O'Nine Tails!

Are you kidding me? He was a legend.

As was his nose.

Rest in peace.

Song of the Week: Steve Martin "Words Unspoken"

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I am a huge fan of the banjo. Yup-- the twangy, goofy cousin of the guitar just has some kind of charm that I've always enjoyed. 

And though I've known for quite a while now that Steve Martin played the banjo, but when I saw he'd now released his own album I had to give it a shot-- and I'm really glad I did.

If you aren't a fan of bluegrass, and aren't willing to give it a fair shake I'd say you can stop reading about right.... now.

But is you are open to checking out a terrific new album that may be outside of the traditionally popular genres, you've gotta give this one a listen. Beside the catchy, picky tunes that you may expect, Martin has a few that are contemplative, sometimes melancholy and always beautiful--such as the clip I've attached below entitled "Words Unspoken." And his undeniable humorous side also shows up on childhood-themed track "Late for School." Having already more than proved his mastery as both a comedian and a writer, Steve Martin has now shown that he's a damn fine musician as well. 

If you're looking for something different, or if you like the clip I've provided, do yourself a favor and check the rest of the album out. I guarantee your toes will be tapping before even the first song is done.