Harry liked the Nightmare On Elm Street remake?

Wow. Harry Knowles is raving about the Nightmare On Elm Street reboot. Guess I will see it in the theater after all.

HEROMAN, Marvel Cinematic Universe

Just began watching fansubs of a TV anime that Stan Lee created for the new season of japanese television...preeeeeeetty damn good. It is at once cheesey (in all the right ways) yet extremely refined in execution, just like all of his Ditko/Kirby era work. The main premise is something like an highly americanized version of Gigantor vs. a War Of The Worlds style alien invasion. Still, it retains all of the fun of a child's cartoon (which it is).

People are going apeshit over the early screenings of Iron Man 2. I will be getting my first paycheck from the Census Bureau JUST IN TIME. IT'S ON BITCHES. Apparantly Sam Jackson as Nick Fury is an integral part of the plot, which also includes an appearance by Captain America's famous indestructible shield, display monitor footage of a HULK rampage, and post-credits footage of Thor's hammer...all leading up to the blue-ball inducing path to Joss Whedon(YESSSSSS!!!!!!)'s Avengers movie. FUCK YEAH. And apparantly Sam Rockwell steals every scene he is in, the F1 racing sequence is something to behold, that talent-less hooker Scar-Jo looks incredible walking up stairs, the third act redeems that of the first film, Tony edges ever closer to the Demon In A Bottle story (IM3?), and my man Mickey Rourke is a real bad motherfucker as Whiplash. I WANT TO SEE IT RIGHT NOW GOD DAMMIT.

the end

Predators, Hobo With A Shotgun!

Man, the Predators trailer looks sweet as shit. That weird alien-animal-with-horns thing that I believe is supposed to be their "hunting dog" is cool as shit looking. That specific scene is the most awesome looking thing in the trailer, with the weird, dark, deserted planetary atmosphere. Can't fucking wait. Can I buy my ticket now? Robert Rodriguez is on a career-making tear right now off of Planet Terror, Predators, and then Machete will be coming next. Fucking awesome.

But before Machete, Grindhouse will be releasing another movie beforehand and it looks incredible. Rutger Hauer (The Hitcher) stars as the titular Hobo With A Shotgun. The trailer on Youtube looks whack-ly executed, but have no fear: this was a no-budget faux trailer created a while ago for Grindhouse's trailer contest. The actual feature will be professionally made (hence Rutger Hauer instead of whoever that other guy was.) I will buy anything put out under this brand. For obvious reasons.

Started playing Uncharted 1 for PS3 for the first time. Highly addictive.

I don't care what the anime fanboys say or how good the special effects look, The Last Airbender trailer sucks a Ron Jeremy-sized donkey dick. What happened to M. Night? His first 2 were so promising, and then... terrible movie after terrible movie. Having a bunch of little kids as your main cast, however, is a new low.

Ridley Scott is producing 2 ALIEN prequels! Fucking awesome. The second one, at least, will be in digital 3-D. Fucking awesome. Hopefully he will redeem A4 and Resurrection, not to mention the highly anti-climactic releases of AVP and AVP:Requiem. What garbage. No respect for the fans. He has already said that the Xenomorph design is played out and they will be introducing new alien designs, and will be picking up minutae of continuity from the original ALIEN, so he's definitely headed in the right direction. Early prediction: these movies will be my favorite 3-D releases until the release of the built-from-the-ground-up DUNE (which I'm assuming will take forever to construct). But you never know, I am a big Toy Story fan. I still have yet to see a converted 3-D film, but I hear that Alice In Wonderland was done very well. Apparantly it is easier to convert already-computerized effects as apposed to live acting. Still, as Avatar showed us, built-from-the-ground-up is the future of blockbuster film.

I guess that's what's on my mind. Except MAN THE BOSOX FUCKIN SUCK THIS YEAR. I hope they are pondering that far-off trade deadline as much as I am. I hope they keep Lackey though, I think he will eventually warm up. Same with Lester. and Dice-K needs to hurry up back...the pitching staff is not looking good, but I don't think it's the people, I think it's just a bad alignment of slumps and Dice-K not being in the rotation. People are hitting more off of Papelbon lately, but I think that comes with the territory...hitters have had a couple of seasons now to pick up on his style. He is still reasonably good. Considering his now 2-year decline I don't have the same faith in Papi. But hey, you can't win all the time.

OUT!

Recognize I'm BAAAAACK

That's right, bitches. After a long delay due to not having internet or cable services in my home after losing my job, I am now re-wired and rejuvenated. So let's get to the fucken NITTY GRITTY.

Iron Man 2 trailer! You can view it at a full and glorious 1080p at APPLE.COM/TRAILERS. I read somewhere that Mickey Rourke spent time studying prisoners in Russian prisons for this role. The gold teeth are a nice touch. His character, Whiplash, is supposed to be the son of the original Crimson Dynamo--Professor Vanko. First Jeff Bridges and now Mickey Rourke. Favreau and I seem to have similar taste in actors. I do slightly prefer Terrance Howard to Don Cheadle, but if you have to replace Mr. Hustle And Flow then I can't think of anyone better. Also, random recommendation...check out Red Belt by David Mamet and starring Don Cheadle from a couple years ago. It's a combination art/action/drama that is a lot more potent of a blend that it sounds. Very impressive low budget work.

I recently saw Disney's traditionally-animated throwback The Princess And The Frog and loved every minute of it. The animation is gorgeous, and the writing is on a par with early 90's classics Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. A must see for anyone with kids or anyone with a significant inner child.

I kept hearing that B.O.B. song on the radio with that white dude singing the chorus and wasn't very impressed. Sounded like a Lupe wannabe to me at first. Boy, was I wrong. He just happened to pick a terrible lead-off single. His newest song "Bet I Bust [Ft. T.I., Playboy Tre]" has no indie tendency what-s0-ever and proves B.O.B. is poised to swag his way into the game with the best of the hustlers. His flow is deep and succinct and his swag is completely individual to any other major rapper I've heard, he's got "it". I suspect he'll be a big name in 2010. Also, in the world of rap, Young Money head Lil Wayne made a quiet acquisition before going to prison back in February. He signed upcoming New York MC Cory Gunz to Young Money. No tracks have been released as a result of this yet, but Cory Gunz' freestyle on A Millie which can be seen on Youtube, or his mixtape with DJ Drama show an extremely young rapper with unprecedented talent. His flow is even sicker than Wayne's was at that age. Wait till this kid gets about 23 years old. Cory should prove to be as big a cash cow for Wayne in the long run as Wayne has been for Baby.

Don't pay to see Hot Tub Time Machine in a theater.

I have been playing the shit out of God Of War III for PS3. The opening sequence of the Titans climbing Mt. Olympus leading into a battle with Poseidon is the single most enthralling thing I've ever seen in a video game. And the action gameplay mechanics are as refined as any action game I can remember playing. I give it a 9. The writing could be better. Still, the writing is mostly the least important thing in a video game.

Baseball season is here. I have nothing to elaborate on that with, I'm just saying I have to stop blogging to go watch the Red Sox game which is about to start at 1:00.

Carry on, my wayward children.

Correction from yesterday: Invented Sex (Remix) is not the best thing on the radio, but it is pretty close. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart still has that honor. What a great song.

I was late on the ball seeing Avatar in 3D iMAX but I finally did and it deserves all the praise and money. James Cameron is a long-proven pop genius. I would give him this title based off Aliens and Terminator 2 alone, but here he is all these years later still making movies that define the science fiction of the current time and technology. Apparantly the dude who directed Taken is directing a built-for-3D-from-the-ground-up adaptation of Frank Herbert's glorious Dune. Can't fucking wait.

Found out Robert Rodriguez is not directing Predators. Boooooo. But, he is writing it. So I will pay for a theater ticket. I'm more excited about Machete anyway, I think. It's a close call.

Read that the Farrelly Bros. Three Stooges movie is still not going anywhere. Please MAKE THIS MOVIE WITH THE ORIGINAL CAST YOU ANNOUNCED MOTHER FUCKERS. SEAN PENN, BENICIO DEL TORO, JIM CARREY. NOW. And redeem the last portion of your careers god dammit. Because who is even making good comedies any more? It is not a good time for comedy... I guess the times have gotten too serious. There was The Hangover, and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard recently. What was really good before that? Borat is the last actually classic comedy that I can remember before Hangover. Someone please tell me I'm wrong. I'd hate to think the country is forgetting how to laugh. Or maybe reality TV is already making us laugh enough. Jersey Shore Season 2 FTW. Also, though, I think comedy is probably the hardest genre to make a classic movie in. Getting somebody to laugh the first time they watch a movie is fairly simple, but comedies are difficult to build for scrutiny.

Toy Story 3 trailer looks really great. Glad to see Pixar getting back to the same ballpark as classic Disney traditional animation. There has been no torch-bearer for traditional American family animation as Pixar has been edging further towards animation that might end up in the Special Interest section next to Triplets Of Belleville and whatever else film festival garbage. They're better than that. Don't get me wrong, Wall-E is some kind of adult-animation masterpiece I suppose, but that is not what these guys are supposed to be doing. They are the only interesting thing happening at Disney animation-wise and if they cannot deliver classic pop family animation then the artform is truly dead.

GF home. Y'all come back now ya hear?

R. KELLY IS PUBLISHING 15 NEW CHAPTERS OF R&B SOAP OPERA 'TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET'.

So in honor of R. Kellz here is a rundown of the good tracks on the R&B chart at the moment:

Mariah Carey - Up Out My Face [Ft. Nicki Minaj]... it's kind of like Obsessed (Remix) how Gucci and the beat were the whole reason I am listening. Nicki has got whatever it is that makes a new rapper interesting. Who gives a fuck about Mariah Carey, not even The-Dream can make me want to listen to her album. Everybody was blaming Dream when it's really Mariah's fault Mariah can't sell an album. It's cause she's fucking boring. Eminem - The Warning made me real, real happy.

T-Pain - Reverse Cowgirl... I'm glad all the people jocking dude's style are out of business and nobody cares about T-Pain anymore, so I can begin my career as a cult follower of an another unfairly-cast-aside genius in the vein of my R. Kelly fandom. I would like to listen to this slow jam on some pills. Also the title and subject matter are an epic win.

Roscoe Dash - All The Way Turnt Up [Ft. Soulja Boy]... if you liked Turn My Swag On then this is up your alley.

Jay Sean - Do You Remember [Ft. Lil Jon, Sean Paul]... this has been popular for a minute but I still want to write about it and it's still on the charts anyway. Pure high fructose corn syrup sacharine. It's heavy on the sweet side, but the gruff grind of Lil Jon adds just the right contrast and I have a boner for Sean Paul ever since Youngbloodz.

Usher - Lots of shit cause he has an already-classic album that just dropped and like 5 of the songs are on the radio, most of them not even official singles... But in particular the Trey Songz - I Invented Sex (Remix) is the best goddam thing on the radio right now.

Lil Wayne - Drop The World [Ft. Eminem]... this would not be a good Lil Wayne song, but then... Eminem comes in... and it's glorious... and it's the entire reason any radio station would ever play this song. Em single-handledly propels this song to the charts with his mindblowing verse. He needs to hop on another GOOD non-Em song though, cause Forever left just about everybody drooling and even Jay-Z said he stole the song. And everybody was in tip-top, and Kanye put one of my favorite Yeezy verses since DJ Khaled - Go Hard [Ft. Kanye West] and Jeezy - Put On [Ft. Kanye West] way back before 808's. But Em still killed him somehow. Relapse 2 now please.

Gucci Mane - Lemonade... I thought State Vs. Radric Davis was pretty disappoinging, meaning mediocre. But this is a good, definitive of the times, southern-ass rap track. Too bad nothing else on the album approaches the glory of Wasted.

Yo Gotti - Women Lie, Men Lie... Good production work to get fucked up to. I could care less about Yo Gotti. After Juelz, Ricky Ross, and Jeezy, this dude sounds mad generic. Better than 5 Star Chick though IMO (again, all credit goes to the producer).

Lil Wayne - Steady Mobbin' [Ft. Gucci Mane]... People wanted this team-up so bad they are willing to play it on the radio despite it being the filthiest most amoral thing to hit the airwaves since Every Girl In The World. A hedonist's delight. Hard ass gangsta rap from two dudes who we have grown accustomed to being commercialized. Here they are in raw form again, sounding harder than N.W.A.

Plies - Medicine... I just like everything plies does. I think his impeccible choice of candy-coated southern rap beats taylored for radio play combined with Porn-rap lyrics so extreme they could draw comparisons to 2 Live Crew and bar-none the thickest southern accent on rap radio (even in the era of southern rap on rap radio) make him the most interesting rapper in the game at the moment. Even as he turns out hit after hit he remains basically underrated in rap discussions. As far as I'm concerned he now has a track record of 3 classic rap albums in the 2000's.

Okay, that's it, I digress. I promise the next post will not be about rap. Probably about movies. Peeeeeeeeeeace.

Getting Back In Touch With Rock

Man, I have not posted to this thing in a minute. I spent the afternoon listening exclusively to rock, which is weird for me because I usually listen to r&b, rap, and pop exclusively, but for the record I do like rock music, I have just gotten really tired of it over the years because I listened to so much rock as a teenager and young twenty-something. So what have I pulled out for my nostalgiac rockfest? I'm glad you asked...

Them Crooked Vultures - Eponymous debut LP from a supergroup of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin... WTF. You pretty much know what you're getting based off of the Grohl/Homme combo as Grohl drummed briefly for Queens Of The Stone Age and appeared on their first LP. This is solid as shit though, really well executed and engineered rock album.

Killing Joke - Been listening to multiple records as this is one of my fave rock groups but it was the LP that Grohl drummed on that triggered this miniature revolution on my laptop.

Les Claypool & Buckethead - A tripped out ass collabo LP called Monsters & Robots that came out I don't know when. I like well-engineered weirdness and this is up there with Zappa. I love these dudes, separately or together.

Zappa - Apostrophe' and Hot Rats. Zappa is still underappreciated. The lyrics/vocals are whatever, but the complexity of the musical compositions and skill of the performers leaves me in awe every single time. One of the true geniuses of rock.

Mastodon - Crack The Skye. This is getting into hipster territory, which I try to avoid, but this is an undeniable accomplishment in heavy music. A masterpiece of technique and aesthetic.

/rock

Started watching the old Vincent Price film version of Poe's Pit And The Pendulum last night, and everything about this type of classic is delicious. I'll take this type of movie over a b&w Universal monster movie any day of the week.

GF is home, later folks