NEW GUNS N' ROSES.

I did it. I bought the new GUNS N' ROSES album. I won't spend this entire post on a review, but the album is very good. Not to say there aren't some things that don't work, cause some stuff doesn't. Some of the songs feel a little too death metal, sorta LAMB OF GOD stuff, but luckily it doesn't show up alot. The album feels like a 'greatest hits that never came out', like its a retrospective album with music thats never been released. Because you can definitely hear the different musical styes present in the songs that were present 10, 7, and 4 years ago.

That said I want to comment on an article that I read in ROLLING STONE about the way BEST BUYs are handling the release of the album. Obviously this is a big album. The first GNR album in 14 years, tons of delays, album leaks, and an almost mystic frontman who nearly never speaks about it. And the only store to carry and sell the album is BEST BUY. With it being a big album you'd think it would be a big event, but it wasnt. The article reports on a new york best buy location where the album release was really just boring. No music, no midnight release, and no special promos. Which was the same here in Arizona. I was excited when I went to BEST BUY to pick up my copy. I was expecting to fight people for a copy, have loud music playing EVERYWHERE, and other cool shit, but there was not. All there was was a small standee in the front of the store advertising the album. And with a standee that says what it said, they should have made a way bigger deal about it than they did...



That sign got me super pumped, until I enterd the store. The most anticipated album EVER was purchased in less than 3 minutes. No lines. No crowds. No midnight release. Thank you BEST BUY for making a landmark day in music so insignificant.

COMING DISTRACTIONS

Sorry for the delay. I've had some Internet troubles... Anyway I didn't want anybody to think I had stopped posting, there will be TWO new posts coming on wednesday, and another Movies You Havent Seen article coming after that. Thanks for holding on. It's coming...

ALL WATCHMEN. ALL THE TIME.

I apologize for all the WATCHMEN news on the site. It seems more like a WATCHMEN fansite than a blog, but its not. Its just that, besides other things, WATCHMEN is prolly the biggest thing in my life right now. That being said the new trailer for WATCHMEN has been posted on yahoo movies, and its 10x better than the last one, check it out. Also, I was reading an interview with the film's director and he said that the ending in the book is different from the ending in the movie. While that is going to piss a lot of folks off, I agree with the decision. People need to understand that comic books and film are two very different story telling meduims. While some elements can work in one, they can't work in the other. WATCHMEN is a prime example. The ending to the novel, while outlandish at first, is very appropriate, it makes sense, it makes the story fit together like a watch (that was two references in one, if you can guess which two, I'll send you a t-shirt). But that ending will not work in movies. At least not right now. All the more reason to read the book. This is my one final push to get you all to read the book BEFORE the movie comes out, and then I'll stop. Also I wrote all this out on my iPhone. Solely so I could say that statement, and to show how hard I work for all of you. Because it was murderously hard without a goddamn mouse.

SOMETHING I READ, AND HOPEFULLY SOMEDAY WATCH.

SUPERMAN RETURNS came out a few years ago and the WARNER BROS. hoped that it would reignite the franchise and spawn sequels. But the film didn't make as much money as WB had hoped, and the reviews were mixed with critics and fan alike. Personally, I liked the film but not for what I saw, but for what I WANTED to see. The movie had potential that it didnt get to fully realize. The one main problem? The villian was Lex Luthor. Again. After 3 movies of Superman fighting Lex Luthor they needed a bigger, stronger, and more monstrous villain. If they wanted to keep Luthor as the villain they should have taken inspiration from the comics to mold him into something audiences and SUPERMAN hasn't seen yet. That being said, I think the next SUPERMAN movie should be...

That's right. Superman is Communist. This is a 'What if?' story. The story of what the world would be like if Superman had crash landed in Soviet Russia, instead of Smallville USA. And it serves for a great story. Though Superman is not a villain, her is percieved as one by the other nations of the world. He is seen as a threat, and the other nations work to protect themselves. Superman becomes the ruler of Russia and thats when the story takes off. As Superman struggles to run Russia, save the people of his country and the world from peril, and spread his ideals to other nations, Lex Luthor is hard at work trying to bring his empire down. But this is a differnent Lex. He is now a top scientist, and probably the smartest in the world, working for the US government developing creatures and weapons to destroy Superman before he can invade and take over America. The story is about Lex Luthor as much as it is about Superman (you'll find out in the end), and its just as much a psychological battle as it is a physical one between the two. As long as people can be open minded and accept this as a 'What if' story instead of a 'we're going to throw out the traditional origin' story, it could be quite the film to see on the big screen. Its a fresh story that people arent familiar yet, so the twists and turns will wont be expected. It keeps enough of the main Superman mythos so that people wont feel distanced from the Superman they know. Check out the graphic novel yourselves and see if the story doesn't instantly compell you all the way until the end.

THIS IS PROBABLY OLD NEWS NOW.

FIRST. It was reported that Ridley Scott will be directing a film based on the popular board game MONOPOLY. Yup, MONOPOLY. It's going to be a sci-fi version. The question is why would a person choose to direct a MONOPOLY movie after he's already made ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER, and GLADIATOR? Hopefully he's got another groundbreaking sci-fi movie in him, or else this could be JUMANJ times two. Ridley Scott is a very talented director but his last couple of movies haven't piqued my interest, because of the stories, not because of the directing style. So even if the story is about a rogue iron battling a totalitarian sportscar over the mining rights of Baltic Avenue, it'll at least LOOK amazing. If you're unfamiliar with the story, the game is about people trying to buy up property and piss everybody off to the brink of murder. Don't pretend YOUR monopoly sessions ended in hugs and hot chocolate, they ended in horror.


SECOND. Cheech & Chong reunited this year, and they went on the road with a brand new comedy tour. I didnt get to see them when they came around but I just might get my chance. THE WEINSTEIN CO., which is starting to become my new favorite movie company, has decided to film and release the show as a concert movie. It hasn't been announced if it will be released in theaters or straight to BLURAY/DVD yet, but either way I'll be there with a beanie and suspenders. Keep your red eyes open for it soon...

FEATURES

Thank you to everybody who reads and contributes. Like I said before, I'll keep posting if you keep reading. That being said, remember ANYONE can comment to any posts, you dont have to sign up or register for anything, just leave a name with the comment. Also I added a thing in the top right sidebar where you guys can add yourself to the list of people who follow my blog. Just a way for me to see who my audience is, and you all can see each other. So check them out. Oh, and i made a new banner, insipred by the game BIOSHOCK, which is currently entertaining me and scaring me to a premature death.

This was a short informative post. A new post with actual news will be coming shortly.

THE BEST MOVIES YOU HAVENT SEEN, VOL. 1

This is a new feature on the blog that, if receives enough attention and positive feedback, will become a recurring article.  This feature is meant to discuss movies that have come out, old and new, that were overlooked by many but deserve to be viewed.  So tell me what you think, if you agree or not, and hopefully this feature will motivate you to watch the movies discussed.  Read on.

CONTROL

Released 2007

Directed by Anton Corbijn

One of my favorite films of all time is THE DOORS.  Musicians and music were vastly different than it is today.  And it's always interesting to me to see how the bands before our generation pushed the envelope and created original music and all new genres; and the stories of the  musicians who spiraled into self-depravation, depression, and slowly lost control.  This is one of those stories. This is the story of Joy Division and its musicians.  This is an astonishing film.  If you are a fan of the band Joy Division, you'll enjoy this movie.  If you're not a fan of Joy Division, you will be.  CONTROL is the story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division.  Curtis' life of a schoolboy in England grows into a young married man playing gigs with his newly formed band all too quickly for himself to catch up.  With a surprise illness, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and new temptations from being on the road, Curtis' life slips out of his own hands while he struggles to regain a hold on it.

The acting is some of the best of the year.  Its a marvelous wonder that Sam Riley, who plays Ian Curtis, was not nominated for an academy award for his portrayal.  His acting range is exhausted in this role as Ian Curtis, showing the many highs and lows and voids of his life.  It has been said about THE GODFATHER that the acting was so good, you don't for a minute believe that what you're seeing isn't true.  The same can be said for CONTROL.  With movies based on factual events or people there are always exaggerations, changes, and even made up events that are meant to add entertainment value, and make the film more interesting.  But sometimes in doing so, the film becomes less believable, and more incredible.  But with CONTROL there is never any distrust that whats going on in the film is untrue.  And that is a powerful thing to have.  In addition to all this, the film has a severely haunting ending, that is sure to stay with you long after its over.  I had the chance to see this movie in the theater, and I purchased the DVD the same day it was released.  There are some movies that dont have the same power it does after its first viewing, but with its great acting, fantastic music, and impressive photography, CONTROL keeps its strength on multiple viewings. Rent it, and if it's for you; buy it.  

BIZZARO. A REVIEW.

When you watch a Martin Scorsese movie, you expect violence. When you watch a Francis Ford Coppola movie, you expect drama. When you watch a Steven Spielberg movie, you expect to be amazed. When you watch ZACH AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, you expect a Kevin Smith movie. Unfortunately thats not what you get.

There were people who didnt even know that this movie was made by Kevin Smith. I think I know why. It looks like a Judd Apatow movie. Half of the cast is from THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and the other half is from KNOCKED UP. In all its heart, and in its substance, this is a Kevin Smith movie. The dialogue and characters feel like they can be placed in any Kevin Smith movie, which he sometimes does. But the cast looks like a Judd Apatow production, and that was a juxtaposition that I could not get over during the movie. Im not sure if Kevin Smith CHOSE the cast or the studio chose it for him, because Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks' names on a movie poster are very marketable. So marketable, in fact, that thier names are more dominant on the theatrical poster than Smith's.

Don't get me wrong, its a funny movie, just not what I expected. In Kevin Smith's movies you get to learn EVERYTHING about each of his characters, no matter how intimate or vulgar (Dante from CLERKS tried to suck his own dick; Trisha from MALLRATS fucks a lot; Banky from CHASING AMY occasionally likes to see a chick and a horse, etc.) and that really makes you care about the characters. The characters in ZACH AND MIRI don't have as much backstory, or as many anecdotes as Smith's usual rogues gallery, and it really takes away from they way you feel about them.

Some characters were great. Craig Robinson was hilarious. Jeff Anderson is gold, as usual. Jason Mewes took a refreshing turn as playing someone other than 'Jay'. The only problem is that the best characters were underused. Jeff Anderson has about 4 lines in the movie, and they were the best ones as well. Jason Mewes only started to get funny near the end of the movie, when his character miraculously becomes less dumb.

Kevin Smith is one of my favorite directors. This was an extra long review because people are more critical to things that they are more passionate about. The only Kevin Smith movie I haven't seen is JERSEY GIRL, because it is PG-13, and thats like a REESES CUP without peanut butter. I was expecting more. The only way I can explain this movie is this; you have a Ford Mustang, but instead of the Mustang logo, you have an Impala logo. It feels, sounds, and drives like a Mustang, but the big Impala logo takes away from the experience of owning it, because its as if someone is trying to make it look like something its not. If you are expecting a FUNNY movie, you wont be let down; If you are expecting a KEVIN SMITH movie; you're expecting too much.

BONUS. After you watch the movie, read the next portion below. Its ways this funny movie could have been a Kevin Smith Movie.
[HIGHLIGHT]
1. Change The Cast.
2. Have a less ambiguous ending.
3. Make the movie take place in New Jersey. Like all Kevin Smith movies.
4. Shorten the sex scenes. It got awkward after a while.
5. Add in cameos. Even CLERKS 2 had Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Earthquake, and Wanda Sykes.