Record Time:Outlandos d'Amour

The Police are a favorite band of mine and this is their first album.this band was much akin to The Beatles or Nirvana,in the fact that they had put out a great,disperse amount of material in a short period of time before breaking up.This album was released in 1978,and they were over by '84.

This record is the roadmap musically to the style they would always be assosciated with,pop punk mixed with an ample reggae sound.Every track is good,from the overplayed"Roxanne",to the tightly grooved"So Lonely",right down to the bizarre love song to a sex doll,"Be My Girl-Sally".The sound and production are raw,as the budget was low,but this record is so good it doesn't detract from the experience.This is a true power trio and they have a big sound,which helps defy the poor quality in some spots.

If your looking for something new thats old,give this album a listen.

Rewatch:Transformers:Revenge Of The Fallen

I had only seen this in the theatre when it came out,and I left utterly dissapointed.The first film was a movie based on a toy line and cartoon and was a huge suprise,being as good as it was.It had a nice little story surrounding a boy and his first car,with a huge backdrop of first contact with warring alien clans.The action was laid out in just the right doses,and the characters felt genuine.

My initial complaint with part 2 was it seemed to forsake characterization for constant mindnumbing action.After rewatching it I have concluded that it is not as bad as I remember,it is just paced funnily.The plot jumps right into it,but then it takes long sidetours as in the scene where Sam goes to college,which takes forever.The ending battle scene in Egypt could have been edited down a bit as well and the whole film would have felt tighter.

I mainly watched this again because I want to see part 3,and at least I can say that it wasn't as much of a turd as I thought initially,although it pales in comparison to the first.

30 Second Movie Review:Green Lantern

So much better than word of mouth portrays,yet not as good as it could have been,Green Lantern is a winning film in many aspects,but is cursed by the exposition of being an origin story.

Ryan Reynolds was a good choice to play Hal Jordan,but the Hal we have here is not the Hal we read in four colors.The screenwriters took a page from the Iron Man films and added a heavy dose of snarkiness to the character that is devoid in the book.Fortunatley Reynold's is strong with the humor,and manages to give us an interpretation that works.In fact the strongest thing that this mega million dollar CG fest has going for it is a good cast.The standout was Mark Strong who played the eventual villain Sinestro to a tee.When he goes bad in the books it is because he feels that the Guardians could do a better job using the GL Corps,and you are sold on his commitment in this film.Even when he is willing to use a horrible weapon to fight evil,he is in his mind doing it for the greater good.If a sequel gets made,I hope we get Sinestro as the big bad.Peter Saarsgard is also really good as the alien infected Hector Hammond,a puppet of the films main antagonist,the CGI Parallax.The FX were good in the film,but I was hard pressed to believe that they cost as much as they did,there is nothing ground breaking.

In conclusion Green Lantern will probably be forgotten and rebooted in 8 years,and thats a shame,because I enjoyed it enough to hope for a better sequel.3.5 stars.

The Goon Hates Twilight Too

Eric Powell's The Goon is one of those books I wish I read,and someday will start to pick it up in trade.The cover for this issue speaks to me and is just funny.Vampires are killers,and even if they are the gentler kind(Angel from the Buffyverse,Louis from Interview),they don't sparkle in the sun.They fucking blow up!

The(Actual)Death Of(Ultimate)Spiderman

In 2000,Marvel introduced the Ultimate line of books,a new,start from scratch  point for fans to jump onto.You would'nt have to worry about 50 plus years of continuity,you could read characters you love such as Spidey,X Men,etc,and get a new origin,and the promise of different stories.

The Ultimate U came out hot,focusing on few titles,as to not overflow the readers with too much at once.The best book of the bunch,since day one has been the Spidey title,following 15 year old Peter Parker as he goes through his teen years with the normal array of problems(girls,school.family).Oh and he has the powers of a spider,a government agency is watching over his every move and he has a ton of enemies,such as the totally unhinged Green Goblin.Over the last 11 years we have grown with Pete,and felt him develop as a character fully,despite only a few years passing in book time.Brian Bendis wrote all 160 issues,and I think that is the key to the books success, one voice guiding us through,because no matter the book or character,it is the writer that dictates it all.

A few months ago they started the Death of Spidey storyarc,and it seemed trite to an extent,as most comic deaths can.Except the Ultimate U has proven that it doesn't matter who you may be in the main Marvel U,in the Ultimateverse,you can be toast tomorrow.Guess what?They killed him off.His death was honorable and written well,the result of injuries sustained during a battle with the recently escaped Sinister Six.Peter died saving Aunt May,and was glad to do so,even coming full circle with his reasoning for becoming Spidey...because he could'nt save Uncle Ben.His death felt like a form of redemption,although as readers we never blamed him,it was his drive.The book starts over with a new #1 in a few months and I'm torn.The series and Peter went out on a high note,and I am not against a new character taking over the Spiderman identity,but I will miss reading this version of Peter's adventures.Either way I'm in.

Tom Cruise is an alien,but this looks good

I have enjoyed the Mission:Impossible films thus far,each had their merits and issues.The second was by far the closest to going completly batshit off the rails,but it had it's moments.This is the first live action feature from Director Brad Bird(The Iron Giant,The Incredibles),and the trailer is good.Plotwise it seems reminiscent of the first film,when the IF team had to go rogue to prove their innocence,but it looks a tad actioner(yeah it's a word).Something to maybe check out around Xmas time.I do fear franchise overexposure for Jeremy Renner though,who is now playing Hawkeye in Marvel films,taking over for Matt Damon in the Bourne franchise and is supposedly taking over as the lead in the Mission films after this.

30 Second Movie Review:The Mechanic

I never saw the original.I like Jason Statham,despite his doing the same role over and over he has charisma.Ben Foster is an explosive actor,great in "Alpha Dog"and "3:10 To Yuma".I always have high hopes for movies with actors I like.

...And I get burnt over and over.Statham plays a hitman tricked into killing his mentor.He feels guilt so he takes the son(Foster)of his victim and teaches him to direct his anger in the most natural way..by becoming a hitman himself.They form a team and go after the man who forced Bishop(Statham) to kill his teacher,the whole time the understudy not knowing who actually pulled the trigger.You can see where this is heading,but what you don't see is an ending that makes just about no sense and feels like a cop out.You are not supposed to like Bishop because he is a bad person,even if he is the protaganist,and the ending tries to make you side with him.Meanwhile Foster's character is given a terrible resolution based on the way he was written.2 stars.

Rob Halford is gay?Say it ain't so

I know Halford came out of the closet years ago,but it still amazes me at how upset and surprised legions of metal heads were.Priest is a really good band and Halford has some pipes and thats all that matters,but Christ look at this video from 1980!If his outfit,dance moves or even song lyrics were any gayer he would be Little Richard.Just sayin.Great song.

Cover To Cover

Matt Wagner on Ollie.Looking disheveled because he just came back from the dead,this is a truly great take on an iconic Green Arrow pose.

John

Yeah I liked the original name better,so even though other people can still write on it,I want the John again.

Pure Energy

Great live version of a fantastic song.True boundless enthusiasm and energy in this performance.Talking Heads were one of those bands way ahead of the curve.

30 Second Movie Review:Rampage

Uwe Boll is known amongst film aficiandos as being considerd one of the ,if not THE worst working director out there.I have never seen one of his films so I couldn't comment.I resisted the call of the Jason Statham vehicle"In The Name Of The King",or the vampire flick "Bloodrayne".So as I was flipping through my Netflix instant watch I stopped on "Rampage",was intrigued by the cover and gave it a shot.

I liked it.Not great mind you,but if this is the work of the worst,than either my standards are at an all time low,or he shaped up for this one.Bill(Brendan Fletcher)is a 23 year old living with his parents,who want him out.He has a hard time dealing with people,and is always listening to various talk radio programs spewing on about terrorism,money problems,population control,etc.You can see that Bill seems impressionable and as seen in flash forwards you can tell he is planning something terrible.Bill arms himself heavily,gets on a homemade suit of kevlar and goes through his town on a massacre.He kills anyone he comes in contact with,and does so in a pretty horrifying and realistic manner.There is one scene in a bingo hall that does not work as it takes a comic sidestep in the middle of what amounts to watching a school shooter at work.

There is a pretty interesting twist to Bill's rampage that enhanced the film for me and makes you look at the character in a different light than you did earlier.Brendan Fletcher is a mostly unknown young Canadian actor who really owns this movie,portraying Bill as a maladjusted young man,who is much smarter than anyone thinks.I will probably never watch another Uwe Boll film again,so I can say I was one for one.3.5 stars.

30 Second Movie Review:Super 8

Super 8 is a Steven Spielberg produced film,directed by JJ Abrams.If you didn't know Abrams was involved,you would think this was a Spielberg directed film.It carries alot of his nuances,from focusing on children,to the emotional distance parents can have,right down to the involvement of the surreal happenings in a small town.

Joe is a 12 year old kid who hangs out with a bunch of friends making horror movies to pass the time in his small town in Ohio,circa 1979.The story follows Joe as the protaganist as he tries to get over the death of his mother,connect with his father and starts feeling that special weirdness towards Alice,a girl from school with some baggage.Oh and an Air Force train derails and releases something into town that steals engines from cars,abducts the citizens and causes all the dogs to run away.Joe and his friends film the accident and start to investigate.What they find is strange,yet it helps Joe find strength in his new friendship with Alice,get through to his shut off Dad,and say goodbye to his Mom.

I could have watched this film if it had nothing to do with the train crash.Joe's story and his friends were all written well and interesting.The mystery isn't much of a mystery if you really think hard,but when what was in the train is revealed,despite not being a surprise,it advances the story to it's conclusion with simplicity.Super 8 is not going to win any awards for true originality,but it is an example of good,old fashioned story telling.4 stars.

WTF Marvel

I just read Fear Itself 3.I'm mad.I normally don't get mad at comic book deaths,mainly because unless the character is Uncle Ben they don't last.A few months ago Johnny Storm was killed off in the Fantastic Four book and it was ultimatley portrayed as a brave sacrifice by a long standing character,and it redefined the book.Do I think he will never come back?Of course he will,but the death was done well and advanced the story.

So what am I mad about?Spoiler alert-they went and actually killed Bucky(not again,because he didn't die the first time he went missing).Sure he can come back,and just may,but they could have chosen another character that was less important and still had some impact.Ed Brubaker did a great job of reinserting Bucky into the Marvel U,and giving him a great history covering the many years he was thought  to be dead.Over the last few years we have seen him graduate from mindwiped Soviet assassin,to the new Captain America,with some excellent character development.I feel like we are having what was amounting to a great new character ripped away,mainly because Marvel has to get Steve Rogers back into his Captain America costume for the movie coming out soon.I get that they want to get moviegoers to pick up a brand new #1 issue featuring the same character that was in the film,but Bucky could have been used somehow else.It also stings that his death was pretty much a onesided beating at the hands of Sin(with some ancient powers help).

In the end this goes to show that when it comes to characters passing on their legacies,DC has always been better than Marvel.Bucky could have been THE Capt.for a whole new generation,instead he went out in a pretty lame manner.Oh well.

Mitch Hedberg

Great stand up stuff from Mitch Hedberg.A truly original comedian,unfortunatley he was also a drug addict and he died a few years ago.Don't do the drugs or you'll die.

Tales From The Longbox

Wolverine-This title started a bit rough for me,but Jason Aaron has righted the course and is doing his usual good stuff.In the first arc,Logan's soul was sent to Hell by a mysterious group called the Red Right Hand.As he was trapped in Hell,a demon was in control of his body,wreaking havoc on Earth.The first bit in Hell dragged on a few issues too long,but the pace tightened up as the X Men had to figure out how to stop their friend,without having to kill him.At the point the book is at now,Wolvie is back and of course looking for revenge,the latest issue was a back story on exactly who the Red Right Hand is,and after reading it's no surprise that it's a band of people wronged by Wolverine during his long life.Aaron has done good work with the character in the past  and I look forward to this storyline continuing.

G.I. Joe #26,27-Old school alert!I have been digging old books out of my parent's basement and found this two parter,the origin of Snake Eyes.I reread them and found the retelling of the origin from his days in Vietnam to the accident that took his face and voice quite good.All of this aspect of the story is told in flashback as Duke,Stalker and Scarlett recall to each other.The framing portion of the story,set in the present feels a bit goofy,as several Joes are spying on Destro,Cobra Commander and Baroness in a swamp.Much of the action revolves around the Joe's dog,Junkyard leading these tactical masterminds into a quicksand pit,and the Cobra's inability to do anything right.That being said,there is some good depth and background given to Snake,fleshing out a character mostly known for being a badass mute ninja.

Savage Dragon-Here is a title I collected for a brief run,and really am not sure why I stopped.I had heard Erik Larsen had made some more big changes in the status quo of this book(namely the title character died and has been replaced by his son)and figured it was a good jumping point to get back on.I also read the origin issue,which came out a few years ago and explained that the Dragon was actually a alien Emperor,looking for a new home for his people.His idea-take Earth at force,but his nearest advisors had a different plan,and turned on him,wiping his mind and stranding him on Earth.The character of Malcolm,the 16 year old son has transitioned well into the focus,as he deals with his Dad's death,and the ramifications of his father's recent actions(reverting to his old Emperor self and trying to take Earth).Erik Larsen continues to write and draw every issue,nearing 175,which in any matter is impressive.I look forward to going back and filling in the gaps in trade of what I've missed.

30 Second Movie Review:X Men:First Class

I enjoyed the first X film,loved the second.The third was painful as was the Wolverine spinoff.I had next to no expectations for this and was pleasently surprised.Do they screw with continuity?Yes they do.Is there room for soem more character development?Yes again.

The biggest issue I have is that this movie's biggest asset was Michael Fassbender as Magneto,and whenever he isn't in the film,it suffers a bit.The newly recruited X Men are barely given backstories,and Charles is played as being as concerned with picking up girls as he is in helping mutantkind.Fassbender's Magneto is the only character given a complete arc,from his childhood spent in a Nazi camp,to his eventual hunting of the same men who ripped him from his family,right on through his meeting Xavier and breaking off on his own.He plays him with just the right amounts of rage towards the Nazis who persucuted him for being different,and the hipocrisy as he shows the same feelings towards humans.

The action scenes are good,and Kevin Bacon adds some weight as head of the Hellfire Club Sebastian Shaw.James Mcavoy is good as Xavier,and the climax involving Shaw's scheme behind the Cuban Missile Crisis was quite well done.3.5 of 5 stars.

Cover To Cover

I have been in the process of rescuing my childhood comics from the mess of cardboard boxes they have festered in,down in my parents basement for the last thirty years.I wish all were in good shape,some are,some are destroyed.As I dig through I am reminded of some faves,as this one always has been.This is the first appearance of the Hobgoblin,tearing the Spidey suit into shreds on the cover,an early work of John Romita Jr.This issue is actually in good shape and I look forward to rereading it soon.And no,the Lakeside Skin Tattoos are not inside anymore.

Mike Patton...

Mike Patton is a true musical innovator and this is one of his bands called Peeping Tom.It is mainly just him as a solo act,with many guests,and the concept is him doing what he considers "Pop"music,according to his sensibilities.This song in particular is called "Mojo".

Graphic Language:The Sixth Gun

I was gazing through the trades a few weeks ago at Borders looking for something to jump out and scream read me!I have been looking for some of the later Savage Dragon trades,and also looking to finish my Sandman collection so I can finally read that,but nothing in stock.After perusing the same 12 shelves over and over I finally caught glimpse of...

The Sixth Gun Vol. 1.Oni Press is an indie label and I honestly don't know if I have ever read anything they have done before,but the cover and the art jumped out right at me.Essentially a post Civil War story,told with plenty of supernatural elements.General Hume was a notoriously wicked Confederate General,known for his murderous and torturous ways.The posse he traveled with were the worst of the worst,led by his four right hand men.Hume gave all of his men, his evil wife and himself 1of 6 revolvers,each with a unknown origin and great and terrible power.Finally Hume was  killed by a holy man who knew his treachery would never end,and buried deep in the Earth.

The story follows gunslinger Drake Sinclair as he contends with the fact that Hume has escaped his grave and is looking for his gun,which could signal the end of the world.Drake is not a man without his secrets,and we are never quite sure of his motives as he teams with Becky,stepdaughter of Hume's killer,and current wielder of the titular Sixth Gun.

This is a great book,and I look forward to future trades as this is an ongoing series.It has a very Mike Mignola feel to it,as written by Cullen Bunn,with art by Brian Hurtt.If you are looking for something different and unique to read,check this book out.

RHCP and George Clinton

Here is a great video of George Clinton,producing the Chili's second album,"Freaky Styley".This is in particular one of my favorite songs of theirs,"American Ghost Dance".Sounds very close to album version,except for the absence of the chorus,enjoy!

The Losers: Megan McCain

So it's taken me a long time to come up with what I want to blog. John was kind enough to invite me on and I feel bad for taking my sweet ass time to come up with something. Honestly, as I write this, I still have no idea what I'm gonna post. I'm hoping if I keep typing I'll come up with something...hmmm...almost...i can feel it brewing...maybe that's the taco bell...did I leave the oven on....

GOT IT!

Nope.

WAIT! GOT IT NOW!

Since we already have people covering movies, music, and comics, I'm just gonna tackle the obscure and random. Stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else. The Losers of internet pop culture. So let's begin, shall we?

Tonight I begin with Twitter. I tweet a lot. Well, used to anyway. Work and other things have hindered my tweet time, so now my tweets are far and few. So tonight I got a chance to crack my knuckles, sit back, and crank out a few pointless tweets (find them at twitter.com/marvelfanx). Anywho, Twitter has this fun little side bar that shows you people you may know or verified accounts. Verified means better than you and me. Tonight one of the verified accounts that showed up in my sidebar was for McCainBlogette, completely verified. Now normaly I wouldn't give an account like this the time of day but the small square profile picture that accompanied it showed a rather attractive blond. "Well that sure as hell's not John McCain" I thought to myself. I clicked and found that apparently Mr. McCain has a younger daughter, Megan McCain, and boy is she hot. It makes you wonder sometimes how people who look like him produce offspring that look like her. I digress. So I started to read through her tweets and found myself bored to tears. No suprise there. I'm not political in any sence of the word. I did see a link to her blog though, and since I made it this far, and I'm a glutton for punishment, I clicked it. Apparently this chick wrote a book called "Dirty Sexy Politics". The cover photo is her sitting on an elephant trunk. I'm saying this now, if I saw this in a book store, I would pick it up in a heartbeat. I wouldn't even read the jacket. I would just buy it because, lets face it, sex sells. Beyond that though, I did read a description for the book. I guess she's some sort of role model who speaks her mind, not unlike Hannah Montanna. The book claims to be witty, candid, and boisterous. Apparently she tells stories about stealing campaign signs, going clubbing, and having strange encounters with the Bush twins. I will never read this book. It seems to me like someone decided the idiot child of some idiot would make a good selling point and let her write a book. I firmly believe that the only people who write books should be people with compelling stories to tell. Personally, I believe that if you try and write and your book is the same calibur as that train wreck Snookie put out, you should be dragged into an alley and have your hands chopped off so you can never put word to paper again. Chances are I will skim this book the next time I go to Borders but until then I think the whole point of this rant is, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

So that's that. I guess I'll just find random crap from the interweb and rave it or ream it on this here blog space. If I can find time.

Steve-O
Signing off

Top 10 Hair Metal Songs That Stand The Test Of Time

Wiiiiiinger Rulez!

I have been listening to Pandora radio on my phone lately and it offers a 80's Hair Metal station.You know,where the Wingers and Ratts of the musical graveyard go to die.Back in 7th and 8th grade this was my music of choice,so of course I will listen due to a nostalgia factor.I find myself hitting the skip button ALOT,but occasionally they play something that sounds as good to me today as it did to my 14 year old self.Here in no particular order are some truly great songs.

1.Motley Crue,"Looks That Kill"-Early Crue,this song is just a heavy guitar riff and Vince Neil telling the audience to "LISTEN UP!".Motley was never a fave of mine,but this song rocks.Oh and what is probably their most popular song from way back-"Home Sweet Home",I hate that song.

2.Poison,"Something To Believe In"-Oh yeah,Bret may have had his biggest hit with "Rose",but this is the best ballad Poison ever did.Sure the lyrics come from the stock Vietnam vet story template,but it works.

3.Europe,"The Final Countdown"-I loved this album as a kid,and this song still sounds epic today.That keyboard intro is still one of the most recognizable musical cues in the last 30 years of rock.

4.Skid Row,"I Remember You"-Great power ballad and no matter what you think of this band,Sebastian Bach could sing.That note he holds at the end that becomes a gutteral scream still hits me with goosebumps.

5.Slaughter,"Up All Night"-Mark Slaughter and his voice like my little sister really nailed it with a great anthemic song.Try to not sing along with the chorus on this one.

6.Whitesnake,"Still Of The Night"-Sure David Coverdale is Robert Plant lite,this song has a great groove and he sings the hell out of it.I wish radio played this nearly as much as the two popular Whitesnake songs of the era.

7.White Lion,"Wait"-Essentially a Van Halen clone band,right down to uber guitarist Vito Bratta.This song rocks,and they also do a better than the original version of "Radar Love"

8.Cinderella,"Don't Know What You Got(Til It's Gone)"-The best rock ballad of that period,and a song still regularly played on mainstream rock radio,which for bands of that era is not common.

9.Dokken,"Heaven Sent"-I love Dokken,and still think that their old stuff holds up.This song in particular,very moody with a dark riff throughout still sounds great.

10.Warrant,"Down Boys"-Yeah I said it,a great song from the band that hit us with "Cherry Pie".

Any that I missed or that you feel should be on here,let me know.

Cover To Cover

I started the Cover To Cover segment with an Iron Man cover,and here comes another.Iron Man 29,cover by Joe Quesada.This was right around the time I got back into collecting comics,around 2000.I would have to pull the issue out,but I remember this arc being about the newest armor gaining sentience and Tony having to figure out how to beat it.I always loved this armor with all of the trim that lights up,and it makes a pretty menacing cover with an older version's helmet in it's grasp,shadowed except the armor's glow.

30 second Movie Review:The Disappearence Of Alice Creed

This DVD has been clogging up my Netflix viewing for a while,I just didn't have time or true desire to pop it in,so I did so today.Good British thriller,with only 3 actors in the entire thing.

Alice Creed is a rich girl kidnapped by two ex cons,who are trying to squeeze ransom out of her millionaire father.The plot is basic,but the twists and machinations are not.The true extent of everyone's motives and relationships were all good surprises,and the three actors all do a good job.The film is full of tension and the constant threat of what could happen next.My only real complaint is the ending was a little slow and predictable,but nevertheless good.3.5 stars.

Walter White is back in July

This is some good news,especially in a summer with little to no new programming.Breaking Bad is easily one of the best shows on TV in the last few years,and each season gets better.High school Chemistry teacher Walt White is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and does what anyone would do in that situation,starts manufacturing and selling crystal meth to support his family when he is gone.Walt is a genius and his procuct is the most sought after by both users and the law.As the seasons go on Walt's cancer has gone into remission and he is stuck in a lifestyle that has gotten bigger and more dangerous than he could ever imagine.

Buy,rent,Netflix the first season and I think much like me you will be addicted to this incredible show.Brian Cranston who previously was best known as the dad on Malcolm in the Middle plays Walt and he absolutley brims with an anger and ferocity that is always just below his calm demeanor.I cannot recommend this enough.

30 Second Movie Review:The Hangover Part 2

The Hangover was a really good comedy,that was bolstered by a really good cast that worked well together.I also think it was a tad overrated,although I personally enjoyed it.On that note,here are my thoughts on the second film...

It's the same thing.Top to bottom.Don't take that as a bad thing though.This time the Wolfpack are in Thailand for Stu's(Ed Helms)wedding and get into more trouble.Again it's all manners of hijinks,and it works.The truly amazing part is the formatting is the same,from the opening phone call home declaring the mess they are in,to the flashbacks showing how they got there,to how they end up saving the day.Ed Helms,Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis do a great job of instilling the same plot with not only a sense of "how could this happen again"with a true feeling of freshness as well.I was expecting a typical bad comedy sequel and was surprised by a goo film in it's own right.3.5 stars,just don't make part 3 and we are cool.