Tomorrow is... Hope your turkey doesn't suck like this one. (I guess he could smell the BUSH!!!) But in all seriousness (As much as we allow here, anyway!), hope ury'body and your families have a safe and satisfying Thanksgiving.
Before...
After.
And to any of you who are planning on braving the shops on "Black Friday", I wish you luck, and I want you to know that I will pray for you (So get me sumptin' good!).
And for those who didn't catch "Grindhouse" in the theaters a couple o' years ago (Shame on you!), check out Eli Roth's "fake" trailer for (The soon to be real movie?) "Thanksgiving". It is a hilarious, though very gory, homage to the holiday-themed slasher movies of the 80's. It captures the look and feel of those flicks to a tee. Plus it features Michael Biehn of "Terminator" and "The Rock" fame (He's also featured in Robert Rodriguez's "Grindhouse" zombie opus, "Planet Terror".). Honestly. If you haven't seen it, you need to. And I promise, you won't think of this holiday in the same way ever again.
"Light meat. Dark meat. All will be carved." Love it.
(THIS BE A WARNIN' - EXPLICIT MATERIAL!!!!)
And now, once again, because nobody demanded it, here is today's ...
Tales From The Shuffle:
1. "Pungee" - The Meters - This is a kick-ass 2 disc "Anthology" from a group widely considered to be the pioneers of funk music. I really can't say enough about this album. I first heard it about 15 years ago whilst workin' at The Wherehouse in Milpitas (Shout out to Mike Rice for puttin' me on to it.). I prefer the first disc as it contains mostly instrumentals, while the second disc's tracks all feature vocals. If you like to funk... funk this shit.
2. "Somtimes I Rhyme Slow" - Nice & Smooth - Ahh. 1991. The days.
3. "Strokin' The Grtis" - The Poets Of Rythm - More funk. This time, from Germany (?!). This album, "What Goes Around", I burned off my buddy, Carlos (Amongst other gems.). I really haven't got a chance to explore more from them, but I like what I hear. Perhaps one day, I'll remember to peep some more on iTunes.
4. "Cancer For The Cure" - Eels - Best known for their 1996 hit, "Novocaine For The Soul" (They also had tracks featured on "Shrek" - "My Beloved Monster" & "Hellboy II" - "Beautiful Freak"), this track is off of their second album, "Electro-Shock Blues". It features some killer surf rock-style drums and other "distorted" sounds. (I just found out that they dropped a new album back in June! I've been sleepin' on shit lately. Life and responsibility has a way of doing that to you, though.)
5. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" - Marvin Gaye - Classic. "Marvin-Marvin-Marvin. You were a friend of mine. You stood for something. Tupac. Biggie. Ohh-" (Ooops. Wrong song!)
Art Galley: This is "Bad-Ass B!#@%". Love her. But don't fuck with her.
Thazzit fo' this week. Have a great weekend and don't forget the punkin' pie!!!
Not much goin' on today. Just preppin' the ol' belly for TURKEY DAY '09. Wish me luck.
Tales From The Shuffle:
1. "Da Bomb" - Gravediggaz - After being unjustly mislabled as part of the extremely short "horrorcore" rap movement of the mid-90's, hip-hop "super group", Gravediggaz (Producer extraordinaire Prince Paul, Too Poetic, the late Frukwan of Stetsasonic & Wu-mastermind, RZA) dropped a lot of the hard, abrasive, piercing beats of their debut album, "6 Feet Deep", and came with a slightly more "polished" sound on this second album, but without losing any of the impact of the lyrical content that made the first cd a standout.
2. "Legendary Street Team" - Kool G. Rap feat. M.O.P. - This is off of the "Lyricist Lounge 2" album. Kool G. Rap is the original East Coast gangster. His flow is still one of the sickest today. Peep that old joint, "Fast Life" with him and Nas for proof of that. And M.O.P. are the ultimate confrontation rappers. Why are they yelling all of time?
3. "Hell On Earth" - Mobb Deep - Ahh. When they were hungry and had something to proove. What happened fellas?
4. "Yegelle Tezeta" - Mulatu Astatke - Awesome track from this Ethopian jazz composer. I discovered this on the "Broken Flowers" (A kick ass lil' flick from Indie god, Jim Jarmusch and starring the always brilliant Bill Murray, a frequent Jarmusch collaborator.) soundtrack. Like Tarantino, Guy Ritchie (Swept Away, excluded) & Wes Anderson, a soundtrack to a Jarmusch film is always going to be just as interesting an experience as the films themselves.
Check out the trailer...
5. "Gratis" - Prefuse 73 - A quick lil' beat off of beatmaker, Prefuse 73 (aka Scott Herren) collabo album, "Surrounded By Silence". Most of the track features guest vocalists (including Wu-Tangers GZA & Masta Killah, and Ghostface with El-P, Aesop Rock and others.), but others are straight up sick beats, what the man is best known for. If you like the beats of DJ's Shadow, Krush or Lucian, you'll definitely dig this shit.
Art Gallery: "A Magic Trick". Just more effin' around from the sketchbook.
"Flick Pick" Of The Week -"The Brothers Bloom"- Written and Directed by Rian Johnson.
I finally caught "The Brothers Bloom" this passed weekend (After missing it in the theaters. Boo-hoo.) and I'll tell you, it is one heckuva fun lil' movie. I'm a big fan of Johnson's first flick (This is only his second.), "Brick", a classic film noir, bet with a high school setting, and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for something truly unique. But this isn't about that. This is about "The Brothers Bloom". And it is a film that thematically and tonally, couldn't be more different from "Brick". But make no mistake. It is every bit as fresh and original as Johnson's knockout debut.
Mark Ruffalo (Always solid.) plays Stephen and Adrien Brody (Always ugly, but just as good here.) plays Bloom (No first name is ever mentioned.), the titular "brothers" of our tale. They have lived their entire lives for the con. Stephen, the older one, is the mastermind of their "games", always inventing the elaborated ruses that the brothers, along with their, mostly silent, Japanese accomplice, Bang Bang ("Babel"'s adorable Rinku Kikuchi.), an explosives expert (She's kind of like the Japanese female Silent Bob. If Silent Bob liked to blow shit up.), use to lure their "marks" or targets into their web.
Growing increasingly tired of the con game, and feeling like his older brother has "written" most of his life foe him, Bloom, who has never had any true emotional attachments or relationships, had decided that he is finally going to live up to his constant threats to leave Stephen and Bang Bang and the con game behind him. And he thinks that he has; retreating to a life of solitude in Montenegro. But of course, it wouldn't be a true con flick if Stephen didn't return to recruit Bloom for one last con.
The mark this time around? A lonely, eccentric billion-heiress named Penelope, played by Rachel Weisz (Ooh la la!!!) who has spent most of her life as a shut in (Due to an incorrect allergy diagnosis!) and like Bloom, longs for something more in her life. Penelope "collects hobbies". Instead of interacting with other people, if she sees someone doing something she deems "interesting", she makes it a point/obsession to learn that particular thing.
When Stephen asks Bloom to help him this one last time, he reluctantly does so, finding himself strangely drawn to the unpredictable Penelope and her many eccentricities. They convince her that they are smugglers, and enamored by the excitement of being "Penelope The Smuggler", recruit her help in retrieving a rare book from a heavily guarded museum in Prague. Up to this point, Johnson has already shown his strength in creating original and engaging characters, and the actors all seem to be having a lot of fun (The cast is rounded out by "Harry Potter's" Robbie Coltrane and the legendary Maximillian Schell ["Black Hole" baby!!!!]). But once the game is afoot and the stakes set, the film really takes off, taking you to unexpected places. And believe me, you'll really want to take this ride with them.
As always, I don't want to say too much. If your interest has at all been piqued, then you'll have to discover the film for yourself.
What I really like about this flick, is that despite it being set in the world of confidence men, Johnson has decided to go against the gritty grain, and for the most part, made this film a sweet lil' comedy. It's "breezy", for lack of a better term. It rarely delves into the darker pits of "con" that other films have dragged us into. Films such as "Confidence" (Also with Rachel Weisz.), Ridley Scott's "Matchstick Men" or the excellent "The Grifters". There are some dark moments in "The Brothers Bloom" to be sure, but for the most part it is light and enjoyable film that'll have you grinning from ear to ear in some spots and holding back tears in others.
Check out the trailer...
At the moment, it's only available for rent. (I got mines at Blockbuster. Not sure if it's on Netflix yet.) According to Amazon, it will released for purchase on January 12, 2010. (I'ma definitely gonna cop one of those shits!!!!)
So, Chex It Out!!!!
And now...
Tales From The Shuffle:
1. "Juicy/New York, New York" - Notorious B.I.G./Frank Sinatra - A offbeat blend served up by DJ Cappel & Smitty on this classic mixtape "Blue Eyes Meet Bed-Stuy". If anything, you gotta check it for the novelty of it all. Biggie was truly the real shit. It's too bad he got blasted. Not only would he still be kickin' ass, but a certain Roc-A-Fella would still be just lickin' his balls instead of playin' "King Of New York".
2. "Vizions" - Wu-Tang Clan - An Inspectah Deck beat!!!! A pretty sick one too!!!! The title of the album sayz it all.When hip-hop didn't suck...
3. "(Only Rasta Know The) Voice Of Jah" - Mikey Dread - This is only a partial version off of Madlib's, "Blunted In The Bomb Shelter", a mixtape featuring 45 classic roots reggae tracks (Including tracks by Gregory Issacs, Cornell Campbell, King Tubby & others.) blended into one phat blunt of a cd. If you like reggae, you could do worse than check out this cool ass album.
4. "In Bloom" - Nirvana - I started listening to Nirvana a lil' later in life (As I was in high school when they were big, and listened mostly to hip-hop and r&b...), but I gotta say that Kurt Cobain guy was on someth... I mean, on to something. Too bad. I guess that's always the way of the rock god though. Right?
5. "Moonchild" - Cibo Matto - This is my favorite track off this phenomenal album. The Japanese duo of Miho Hattori (Also later featured on tracks by Handsome Boy Modeling School, U.N.K.L.E. & Gorillaz) and Yuka Honds, with a lil' help from Sean Lennon crafted a unique album that combines many musical influnences and made something completely their own. I wish they still made records (Although, like I said, Miho Hattori does pop up every once and again.).
Art Gallery: "Fuck Oz". What it says, "Fuck Oz". Nah. Just playin'. This is a lil' darker take on the Oz mythos. I was just effin' around in one o' my big sketchbooks. It was fun. I really like The Scarecrow in this one. But it was also fun tearing lil' ol' Dorothy's dress up a bit. (That sounded a lil' rapist-ee, didn't it?) Oh, well. I hope you likes. But seriously... "Fuck Oz."
But howz 'bout this FULL MOON. (A straggler from Halloween!!!)
I did, however, just read Marvel Comic's "Dark Reign: The List - The Punisher" (One-shot) by Rick Remender with art by Marvel legend, John Romita, Jr. This book is pretty fuckin' cool. I've been really impressed with writer Rick Remender's output as of late. I started out checkin' out his "Fear Agent" stuff (First out on Image Comics, then Dark Horse.), mainly because of the art of Jerome Opeña (Another former classmate of mine who is currently kickin' much villain ass on Marvel's "Vengeance Of Moon Knight" book, and also worked with Remender on first arc of the new "Punisher" monthly book.), but have slowly started to develop a real liking towards Remender's writing. He gives his books an immediate sense of grandeur, throwing characters like Frank Castle, who usually works better in a more realistic setting (As is the case with the Marvel MAX Punisher books), into huge and hairy (Like my sack. Sorry. Uncalled for, I know.) big budget, Michael Bay-type action spectacles without sacrificing strong characters and dialogue . "Dark Reign: The List - The Punisher" is no exception. This is just one in a series of "one-shot" books chronicling the former Green Goblin, now Iron Patriot, Norman Osborne's attempt to cross off the items of his titular 'list' (Other things on the agenda? Immobilize the Hulk. Kill Daredevil. Kill Spider-Man. See a pattern?).
"Killer" page from 'Dark Reign: The List - The Punisher'. Art by John Romita, Jr.
This book pits The Punisher against Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R. forces and inevitably Daken, the son of Wolverine (And Wolverine on Osborn's [Dark] Avengers team). It is essentially one big ass action scene that plays out over the course of the entire issue. Frank and Daken really go at it, no holds-barred (And in the rain, no less! Again. Classic stuff.). It is brutal, violent stuff. And the ending? Surprising to be sure. Knocked my head right off. (I won't spoil it 'cause I know some of you are going to read it. Unless... I might have already... ?) This is one heck of a read. Peep it!
Tales From The Shuffle - (From 11/20/09):
1. "In Her Waist" - Gregory Issacs - Classic Roots Reggae!
2. "Goodbye Stranger" - Supertramp - "Goodbye Mary. Goodbye Jane. Will we ever meet again...". Mine is off of the "Magnolia" soundtrack. I remember this song from when I was lil'. I'm sure it's in my dad's record collection somewhere. Now it just reminds of "Quiz Kid" Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) from the flick.Good soundtrack, by the by. It's mostly Aimee Mann songs with this song, Gabrielle's "Dreams Do Come True" and "Magnolia", an instrumental piece from Jon Brion (Who would later do the fantastic score for P.T. Anderson's follow up to "Magnolia", "Punch Drunk Love".).
3. "Empty" - The Cranberries - Haunting-ass track. I wanted to end it all (j/k) as soon as I heard it.From their second album, "No Need To Argue".
4. "Come To Me" (Live) - Björk - This is one of my absolute favorite (and one of the most overlooked) off of her first album, "Debut". This awsome live version is off of the "Live Box" set. This boxed set is cool because it takes Björk's first four albums and presents live versions of the tracks from those albums. Sometimes the discs tend to mix it up a lil' bit (as "Come To Me" is from "Debut" but is featured on the "Homogenic" disc of the boxed set.). Either way, this version is bad-ass. With it's heavy use of strings, it offers a great alternative version to the original. I recommend checking it out both.
5. "Cowboys" (Live) - Portishead - These kick ass. I love me some 'P'. This is from the "Live From The Roseland, NYC" album (Which features tracks from there first two albums, "Dummy" &"Portishead". This song is from the latter.). They are backed by a full effin' orchestra. Live albums arent' usually all they're cracked up to be. This (Along with the previously mentioned Björk "Live Box") is one of the exceptions.
Art Gallery: "The Tracker". Another ballpoint pen piece. I likey. One day, I'd like to color all of the ballpoint series digitally. I like the texture and values you can get with the ballpoint. (Wish you could see the original. The lil' nuances of the lines are more visible.) And it was just fun putting this 'ol' school' dude in an urban setting.
Actually, I haven't seen (or plan to) "New Moon". I did, however, see the first one. And I tell you, no matter if I go out and find Doc Brown to borrow his goddamned blender-powered Delorean, that is time that I will never be able to get back. I like vampires (Well. Vampire stories, anyhow. Never met any vampires. So I don't if I like 'em.). Always have. So despite how bad this whole endeavor looked to me, I gave it a chance because how can you Shiny Hot Topic vamps who play baseball (!) when it rains?! I'm sorry, but I don't get it. So, it's basically Romeo & Juliet with fangs. Whatever. The shit is boring. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you have to be 100% original. That's just impossible. Especially when playing in a genre whose teets have already been creatively mined and explored (and sucked on) since Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897 (1897 for fucks sake! And it is a great read. If you haven't read it, it's actually presented as mostly a series of journal entries and letters written by the various characters in the book.). Do what you gotta do. But just don't bore me. (It doesn't help that all these played out, uninteresting "hook ups" from all the "actors" [that you can't go a day, a minute even, without hearing about] turn the whole experience into a circus freak show.)
Maybe the novels are different. Maybe something is getting lost in the adaptation. Maybe they're something there buried deep within the pages of Stepanie Meyers' "literary epic". But... I doubt it. This might sound sexist of me (I'm not sexist. I love sex.) "Twilight" has become a cultural phenomenon due it's popularity among women, and not just teenage girls. It appeals to a lot of older ones as well. It makes sense. These stories seem like nothing more than your average, corny-ass five and dime news stand romance novels, but with vamps (and now werewolves) thrown into the mix (This also smells a lil' of "Underworld" to me.). It's this same demographic that has turned the films into such worldwide moneymakers.
Maybe I'll be proven wrong. Perhaps I will catch "New Moon" on dvd (What am I saying? I know my wife'll make me! Love ya, hon.), and my mind will be blown away. And I'll take back every bad thing I've ever said about "Twilight" and start my own fan site. But again... I doubt it.
So...
"Twilight" sucks.
But "Near Dark" definitely doesn't.
Released in 1987 Katheryn Bigelow's "Near Dark" is what a real "revisionist" vampire flick looks like. Combining, the vampire film with the all of the conventions of the classic Westerns of yore. It is a highly intense, sometimes claustrophobic experience. It's ranks up there with some of the best vampire films of all time. But vampire genre aside, it is also just a smart well-written, and one directed with much gusto by Bigelow (Also responsible for the action classic "Point Break", the underrated "Strange Days" & the more recent "The Hurt Locker", which I have heard nothing but good things about.).
It stars Adrian Pasdar (More recently of "Heroes" fame & Misses "One-of-the-Dixie-Chicks) as the human Caleb who gets involved with vamp, Jenny Wright ("Young Guns II", the great horror gem "I, Madman") and the rest of her "family" (Including "Aliens" vets Lance Henriksen, Jeanette Goldstein & Bill Paxton, all turning in standout performances).
This isn't any pussy-ass vampire flick. These vampires are monsters. The kills are hard. The action, uncompromising. But with their dark sense of humor, there is also a lot of fun to be had with this clan of vampires.
The film is currently being re-released on dvd. And with what seems like a shameless attempt to capitalize on the "hotness" of vampires (Because of "Twilight" and shows like "True Blood" and "The Vampire Diaries", no doubt.), the box art has gotten a lil' bit of a familiar makeover. Check this shit out...
Sigh. Oh, well. If it can get some people to check it out, more power to it. But I like my ol' dvd just fine. (The one posted at the top of this particular rant.)
Anyways. "Near Dark" Check it!
Now onto...
Tales From The Shuffle:
This is entry is from yesterday. Didn't make it into to work today (Aww. Shucks. I know.) so there won't be a "Tales" from today...
1. "Parting Gift" - Fiona Apple - I know. I know. But you know what? She is a pretty gifted song writer. She has a great voice. She isn't like all the other cookie cutter "singers" out there nowadays who are all flash and no substance (I don't wanna name names, but... fuck it. I do. Beyonce. ["One of the best videos of all time"? Really?! Fucking really?! Oh well, look who's fool mouth that was coming out of. ] Fergie. That girl that kissed another girl. Taylor Swi... Fuck it. There's just too much shit out there right now. And obviously, most of you are buying it.) Oh, well. I digress.
2. "Queen Of The Minstrel" - Cornell Campbell - I'm not sure of the history of the track, but it shares the melody and pretty much all of the same lyrics as Campbell's "Girl Of My Dreams" (My favorite track of his.). The main difference is the chorus which (Duh!) the lyrics "Girl of my dreams" is replaced with "Queen of the minstrel". Bo! Bo! Bo!
3. " Adagio sustenuto from Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata)" - Ludwig van Beethoven (performed by Murray Perahia) - My favorite piece from "Lood-vig Van". Just haunting. Beautiful. This one is from the "Immortal Beloved" (With the awesome Gary Oldman as Beethoven.) soundtrack.
4. "What Do You Want To Be" - Oingo Boingo - Future film composer Danny Elfman's 80's rock band. "Best Of Boingo" is cool lil' album. The band is best known for "Dead Man's Party" (Featured and performed by Oingo in the "Back To School") and of course the title track from John Hughes' "Weird Science", but the Boingo are also responsible for some other kick ass songs.
5. "Things Can Only Get Better" - Howard Jones - Two back to back jams from the 80's. I remember having a 45" (That's vinyl, baby!) of this track. This and "No One Is To Blame" were his best known hits. Good shit, Howard!
Art Gallery: Two "burgundy" pieces from the sketchbook, "Ironic Cross" (To go with the vampire theme) and "Intravenous". No meanin'. Just havin' fun experimenting with that colored brush pen.
Before...
After.
1. "Pungee" - The Meters - This is a kick-ass 2 disc "Anthology" from a group widely considered to be the pioneers of funk music. I really can't say enough about this album. I first heard it about 15 years ago whilst workin' at The Wherehouse in Milpitas (Shout out to Mike Rice for puttin' me on to it.). I prefer the first disc as it contains mostly instrumentals, while the second disc's tracks all feature vocals. If you like to funk... funk this shit.
2. "Somtimes I Rhyme Slow" - Nice & Smooth - Ahh. 1991. The days.
3. "Strokin' The Grtis" - The Poets Of Rythm - More funk. This time, from Germany (?!). This album, "What Goes Around", I burned off my buddy, Carlos (Amongst other gems.). I really haven't got a chance to explore more from them, but I like what I hear. Perhaps one day, I'll remember to peep some more on iTunes.
4. "Cancer For The Cure" - Eels - Best known for their 1996 hit, "Novocaine For The Soul" (They also had tracks featured on "Shrek" - "My Beloved Monster" & "Hellboy II" - "Beautiful Freak"), this track is off of their second album, "Electro-Shock Blues". It features some killer surf rock-style drums and other "distorted" sounds. (I just found out that they dropped a new album back in June! I've been sleepin' on shit lately. Life and responsibility has a way of doing that to you, though.)
5. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" - Marvin Gaye - Classic. "Marvin-Marvin-Marvin. You were a friend of mine. You stood for something. Tupac. Biggie. Ohh-" (Ooops. Wrong song!)
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