Ethereal Collapse - "As the Mighty Fall"

Never heard of these guys before, but the song is pretty cool and the video is seriously goofy. The music is well performed and they display some nice technical skills. As an added bonus Ethereal Collapse have their new 3 track EP streaming on their MySpace page. It is called Categories ans is a mini-concept release based on philosophy.

DVD Review: Invisible Target

Over the years I have grown quite an affinity for Asian cinema; in particular, films within the action and horror genres. Of course, those genres are the most readily available too me. Yes, I have watched a decent number, but this by no means gives me any special knowledge of them, but there are some distinct differences between American and Asian films. For one, the budgets are considerably lower (Invisible Target has been reported at $8 million), this is not a big concern, as money does not mean a good movie. The acting styles are different, I have noticed that acting tends to be more over the top and exaggerated, not in all cases, but in many cases and this is adds an interesting feel to the projects. Then, specifically related to action films, there is always a lot of energy, the actors always seem to be really into their roles in a way not always seen in American films. Finally, I have seen many films that have a broad blending of genres, usually action, drama, and comedy, and Invisible Target is no different.

At its core, Invisible Target is a big action film. From start to finish, you are never that far away from an action sequence, whether is be a fist fight, a shootout, or a chase, there is always another adrenalized jolt just around the corner. Seriously, within the first half hour you have two big fistfights and a foot chase. The plot is rather simple, although it is told in a rather convoluted way. Despite the fact that I lost my connection with the plot on a few occasions, I still felt satisfied at its conclusion. Overall, the movie feels a little like a combination of Infernal Affairs and one of Jackie Chan's Police Story films, although the comedy is much more subdued.

The plot concerns a group of criminals who call themselves the Ronin Gang and a robbery, which opens the film. These villains, led by Wu Jing as Tien Yeng Seng, are pursuing the stolen riches that were in turn stolen from them. However, their pursuit of wealth is secondary to the good guys that are looking to bring them down. On the side of good you have three men, Detective Chan Chun (Nicholas Tse), Officer Wai King Ho (Jaycee Chan, Jackie's son), and Inspector Carson Fong Sik Wei (Shawn Yue), with each man having a different reason for bringing down this gang.

Chan is driven to bring the gang down because they were responsible for the death of his fiancee, something he is unable to get over. Ho is a by the book street cop whose brother went undercover years before and has not been heard of since, Ho believes he may be involved with this gang. Finally, Carson is an arrogant officer who is embarrassed by Seng and must bring him down to regain his credibility. This trio forms an unlikely team as they move forward towards revealing the truth of the situation and the ultimate take down.

Now, Invisible Target is not a great film by any stretch, but it is one that milks its story for all its worth and doing so with a lively flair that keeps you watching even when you lose track of where the players are.

Benny Chan helmed the film, and continues to show that he can put together a strong action film. He previously directed Gen-X Cops, New Police Story, and Heroic Duo. While his directing is good, with decent pacing and nicely developed action, the screenplay, which he co-wrote with Chi-Man Ling and Melody Lui, leaves a little to be desired. There is rather poor dialogue throughout.

On a side note, just for fun, count how many panes of glass get broken. It is unbelievable the amount of glass that is shattered throughout.

Audio/Video. The technical side of the package is quite nice, although the colors seem a little flat. Still, there are no digital artifacts or other related issues that I was able to notice and the dialogue and effects always sounded good. Audio is presented in Cantonese (Dolby 5.1 and DTS, with English subtitles) and a decent sounding English dub in Dolby 5.1.

Extras. This two disk set includes plenty of bonus material on this two disk set. I have not viewed everything, but I have sampled everything. Believe me, there is a lot here to go through.

• Commentary. This track is moderated by Dragon Dynasty regular Bey Logan and includes Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, and Andy On. It is a decent track with a fair share of backslapping, but it is definitely worth a listen as Logan knows his stuff, and the others have their stories from the set.
• Orchestrated Mayhem: The Making of Invisible Target. This featurette contains interviews with Benny Chan and all of the primary players, plus set footage. Topics include what the core of the story is and the development of the central heroes. (25 minutes, Cantonese)
• Trailer Gallery. Both the original teaser and full trailers are included.
• Gen-X-Genius: An Exclusive Interview with Director Benny Chan. (22.5 minutes, Cantonese)
• Like Father, Like Son: An Exclusive Interview with Star Jaycee Chan. This interview talks about Chan and doing his own stunts and his set experiences and being the son of a legend. (19 minutes)
• Licensed to Kill: An Exclusive Interview with Star Shawn Yue. (19.5 minutes, Cantonese)
• Invincible Target: An Exclusive Interview with Leading Villain Wu Jing. (28 minutes, Cantonese)
• Young and Dangerous: An Exclusive Interview with Co-Star Philip Ng. (26 minutes)
• Carte Blance: An Exclusive Interview with Co-Star Vincent Sze. (15 minutes)
• The Ronin: An Exclusive Interview with Co-Star Andy On. (20 minutes)
• Deleted/Extended Scenes. This section is presented with commentary by Benny Chan. There are a total of six scenes. Interesting to see, but ultimately would not have added much to the film (14 minutes, Cantonese)
• Fight for the Glory: Constructing the Action Sequences for Invisible Target. This was interesting, a lot of planning and tests went into designing the sequences and this chronicles much of that. (19 minutes, Cantonese)
• Storyboard Comparison. They do not use the angle function for this, but they show the storyboard alongside a small video window to compare the two. If you are interested in how to go from concept to screen, these are always neat to watch. (19 minutes, Cantonese)
• The Gala Premiere. Footage from the premiere as the cast arrive under the flash of lights to the debut of their film. (10 minutes)

Bottomline. Good but not great film that should satisfy the action itch. It is not a terribly deep film, but it is one that makes you pay attention if you want to get the whole plot, but even if you just want the action, there is plenty of that to hold your attention.

Recommended.

The Tale of Despereaux - Stills, Trailer

This animated adventure is based on the award winning novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo. It centers on a young mouse with over-sized ears named Despereaux who refuses to live life afraid, cowering in the walls. He dreams of adventure and eventually befriends a human, thus beginning his bigger than life adventure. I have to say that the trailer makes this film look rather cute, hopefully it will translate to a good film. The Tale of Despereaux has some star power in the voice cast including Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Tony Hale, Kevin Kline, Tracy Ullman, Emma Watson, Siourney Weaver, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, and Stanley Tucci.

CD Review: Black Tide - Light From Above

Is it me or are these bands getting younger? Not only that, they are demonstrating an amazing amount of musical skill and songwriting maturity. Whether it be Trivium (despite the decent misstep of The Crusade) or Bushwhack, or whoever else you may want to add, these young acts are turning out some really good music. All of the members of Black Tide clock in under 20 years of age, and there debut release is something to behold. It doesn't hurt that their young careers got a big lift before they even released an album, opening the Ozzfest main stage in 2007. Nope, doesn't hurt one bit, and with the still developing musical prowess displayed on their debut must have really wowed the crowds on that tour. Touring aside, we are here to discuss Light From Above.

Prior to receiving a copy of the album, I had not heard a single cut from them, although I have read much praise regarding their music spawned from old school influences. I came into my initial listen clean, without any real expectations, I have heard praised bands fall flat on my ears in the past and all I really hoped was that these guys would not let me down. The opening track, "Shockwave," proved any worries or doubt to be groundless. I was instantly hooked by the riffs and the energy.

Energy is a good word to use when discussing Black Tide. This young quartet attacks their music with energy and aggression that is downright infectious and goes a long way in covering up their shortcomings. You can almost see these guys ripping into tunes during a stage show. If you like metal, there is no way you cannot enjoy these guys.

Culling influential reference points from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden, Black Tide charge through 14 tracks of heavy metal. There is nary a drop of metalcore, hardcore, or screamo to be found here. Just when you might be thinking that classic 80's style heavy metal was lost to the sands of time, replaced by the ever growing list of -core styles, with only thrash receiving any sort of revival (Warbringer, Municipal Waste), do not be discouraged. Black Tide delivers that classic style with catchy riffs, great melodies, better than average songwriting, speedy solos, driving drums, and all the other elements that helped make metal great back in their early days.

While Black Tide's music offers a great throwback sound, they are not a throwback band. They have taken their influences and mixed them with their own experiences, thus delivering a sound that is fresh with a healthy respect for their predecessors. To make sure you know where they are coming from, they include a cover of Metallica's classic cut "Hit the Lights." Now, their version comes nowhere near the original, but they do put themselves out there in the attempt, and I respect them for that. They bring a little of their own spin to it, which works out well.

I must admit to really being taken with Back Tide. I would not go so far as to call the album great, but their youth combined with what they put together here shows a lot of promise for their future. I feel that they have the potential to be a great band. It will definitely be interesting to watch them develop and what they may be able to put out with some more experience under their belts.

When you pop this in your CD player, be sure to focus on: "Warriors of Time" with its classic in the making feel, the power ballad feel of "Give Me a Chance," the thrashy tones of "Let Me," the Iron Maiden-esque "Enterprise," and the Motley Cure modeled "Live Fast Die Young." Of course, don't forget to give the "Hit the Lights" cover a shot!

Bottomline. With hope for the future, Black Tide delivers one of the stronger metal albums of the 2008 music season. This four piece have the basis for strong songwriting with skills to back it up. Once you start listening you probably won't be able to stop.

Recommended.

Iced Earth - "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)"

The below footage was shot on June 28, 2008 during a show in Belgium. Iced Earth is a great metal act that everyone needs to check out. This song is one of the best from their Something Wicked This Way Comes album.

The Dark Knight - Poster

Another week and more promos for The Dark Knight. What is it? Another awesome poster.

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, Meet Dave

This week seems to be a bit of a lull between blockbusters. Last week had Will Smith in Hancock and next week delivers the highly anticipated The Dark Knight. This week brings a trio of films that will likely see some success, but are hardly guaranteed smashes like those other two movies. Of those three, I am only really excited by one of them, a sequel to a modest 2004 hit. In any case, this could be a good week to go catch up on anything you've missed, such as the amazing Wall*E, I cannot recommend that one highly enough.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army. (2008, 110 minutes, PG-13, science fiction, trailer) A couple of years ago Guillermo Del Toro officially arrived with Pan's Labyrinth. Yes, he made other films, good films, before but it was this one that got everyone's attention. He has returned to a more mainstream film with this sequel to his comic book adaptation, and it looks bigger and better than before. It actually looks like he has a considerably larger budget this time around, in turn the film looks bigger and more epic (if the trailer is anything to judge by). Ron Perlman returns in the title role, a role he was born to play, spitting one liners and kicking butt. I am looking forward to this one.

Journey to the Center of the Earth: 3D. (2008, 92 minutes, PG, adventure, trailer) This new take on the adventure tale looks sort of fun. It is targeted squarely at the family audience and also takes advantage of the new emerging 3D formats. Brendan Fraser (who also has the third Mummy film coming), Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia), and Anita Briem star as the trio who take the journey deep into the Earth, only to discover they need to get out fast. The movie is being distributed in both 3D and flat formats, considering how much they are pushing the 3D version, I have decided that is the only way I will see it.

Meet Dave. (2008, 90 minutes, PG, comedy, trailer) This was originally going to be called Starship Dave, not sure why they changed it. This is a story of an alien race making first contact with Earth. The kicker is that they come in a craft that looks like Eddie Murphy (aka Dave). The aliens are tiny people who are inside operating Dave. I cannot say it looks all that good, but his encounter with a cat in the trailer cracked me up. Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, and Scott Caan co-star.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

• August
• Death Defying Acts
• Garden Party

Box Office Predictions
For some reason, I look at this week's releases and I am having a hard time getting a read on how this week will play out. Yes, that could be said about many weeks, but unlike last week where Hancock was guaranteed the top spot and next week has the monster that will be The Dark Knight, this week is top lined by Hellboy II, a sequel to a film that made less than $60 million at the US box. This new film has bigger expectations, stemming from director Guillermo Del Toro's critical success with Pan's Labyrinth. I hope it does well, and I think it looks pretty dang good. As for the Murphy film and the Fraser film? Tougher to get a read. What you see below is a flat out guess. We shall see.

Here is how I think the top ten field will play out:

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Hellboy II: The Golden Army	$33 million
2	Hancock	$28 million
3	Meet Dave	$20 million
4	Wall*E	$19 million
5	Journey to the Center of the Earth	$16 million
6	Wanted	$10 million
7	Get Smart	$6 million
8	Kung Fu Panda	$5 million
9	The Incredible Hulk	$3.5 million
10	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	$3 million

Opiate for the Masses - "Burn You Down"

Never been much of a fan of Opiate for the Masses. Of course, aside from seeing them live once a few years back, I've never really listened to them. However, I like this video, even if the song is terribly mediocre, the video is cool. It reminds me of The Dresden Dolls.

DVD Review: On the Doll

I know this film is meant to stir up something inside of me. On the Doll's central characters are involved in/exploited by the sex trade, and we are supposed to be disgusted by what we see, feel sorry for what they have to do, or something. I don't know. After watching the movie, I found it difficult to really feel anything about them. The underlying concepts do have a place within cinema, and they could be used to great effect, but here it just falls flat. By the same token, On the Doll is not a bad movie, but it fails to reach as far as it tries so hard to. It suffers from a slight air of self-importance while never digging as deep as it would need to genuinely affect me as the viewer.

The plot is built from three primary threads woven together. The main thread concerns Jaron (Josh Janowicz), who works as, I guess, a copywriter, of sorts, for a porn magazine, which is just one of many seedy businesses run by a man named Jimmy. He takes ads from people, rewrites them so the make sense, much to the chagrin of his boss who just wants the ads out the door to the printers. The young man was the victim of sexual abuse (it is his story that spawned the title) who also feels an obligation to a young woman named Tara, who is forced to work at a peep show run by, you guessed it, Jimmy. He has a deal worked out to eventually buy her freedom.

Jaron's tale is crossed with that of Balorie (Brittany Snow), a call girl and dancer who wishes to place an ad seeking help in ripping off a cheap client. Jaron is taken with her and agrees to help himself, in exchange for money that will get him closer to freeing Tara.

The second tale focuses on Chantal, a budding artist and door to door prostitute who is blinded by her love for self-centered "musician" Wes, who is most interested on his own "career." Finally, there is Courtney and Melody, a couple of high school students, who are lured into a "modeling agency" by their health teacher, again run by Jimmy.

On the Doll plays a bit like a cross between Hard Candy and Pulp Fiction, while not coming anywhere near the quality of either of those films. In deals with sexual victims and predators like Hard Candy, and it plays with the timeline and uses multiple threads ala Pulp Fiction. Unlike those two films, this one is let down by a script that barely scratches the surface. Any one of these stories would have been a fine film on its own, but the screenplay by writer/director Thomas Mignone is watered down. It is too intent on its attempt to shock that it forgets to involve.

As for the performances? They are mediocre at best. All of the players dive into their roles with such a deadly serious earnestness that they become overly melodramatic, thus robbing them of the realism that is so sorely sought. It doesn't help that the script forces them through all sorts of hoops to arrive at the climax that wraps everything up.

Audio/Video. The technical specifications of the DVD are fine. The washed out color palette is captured nicely and the audio is always front and center. Nothing to complain about here. The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and the audio is in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0.

Extras.

• Behind the Scenes Clips. Nothing special here, just some set footage at a couple of the locations, including Andy's apartment and the sex shop. (10 minutes)
• Deleted & Extended Scenes with Director's Commentary. Again, nothing special here, at least nothing that would have changed the film. Four or five scenes with an explanation from Thomas Mignone. (8 minutes)
• Alternate Ending with Director's Commentary. Essentially, this is a shortened version of the actual ending with a little less wrap-up.(2.33 minutes)
• Cast & Crew Interviews. I admit to not really watching these, but it is one long clip with interviews with the director and the primary cast members about the topic of the film and their characters. (10 minutes)
• Making of the Bird Sequence. This was pretty interesting. It looks at the creation of the fake bird and the adding of the maggots, including miking the bird for the sounds.
• Music Video by OTEP. I like this song, OTEP is an interesting artist who always takes it to the limit. I have seen them live and it is an intense experience. The song is called "Crooked Spoons."
• Music Video by Feersum Ennjin. This cut did not do much for me at all. Eh. To each their own.
• Original Trailer.

Bottomline. They tried, I will give them that. While it did not get to me as I am sure they would have hoped it would, it is at least worth giving a quick look see.

Mildly Recommended.

Necrophagist - "Ignominious and Pale"

Here is a band that has been recommended to me on a few occasions, but I never got around to checking them out. That makes this DVD preview my first official introduction to Necrophagist. Let me tell you, these guys are wild. Sure, they employ your standard death metal growl, but the music is technically superb. I need to go pick me up a disk or two. Anyway, this is a sample from their forth coming Summer Slaughter 2007 DVD release:

L.A. Guns (Tracii Guns version) - "Ballad of Jayne (live)"

I admit to not keeping up on any L.A. Guns drama, but it looks like they are having drama similar to what went down with Ratt. There are two versions of the Guns out there, one version with Phil Lewis and Steven Riley, and another with Tracii Guns. The Tracii Guns version has a new vocalist, in the form of former Rock Star: INXS contestant Marty Casey. Below is fan-shot footage of "Ballad of Jayne" and while Casey is no Lewis, it doesn't sound all that bad.

Slipknot - All Hope is Gone Art, Track List

This August will see the first new release from Slipknot in years. The album is called All Hope is Gone and all I hope is that it is good. If it is anywhere near Vol. 3 it will be good, as I love that release. The band is streaming the title track on their MySpace page, I cannot say I love it, but it isn't all that bad. See below for the track list and cover art.



01. .execute.
02. Gematria (The Killing Name)
03. Sulfur
04. Psychosocial
05. Dead Memories
06. Vendetta
07. Butcher's Hook
08. Gehenna
09. The Cold Black
10. Wherein Lies Continue
11. Snuff
12. All Hope is Gone

Special Edition Tracks:

13. Child of Burning Time (Bonus Track)
14. Vermillion Pt. 2 (Bloodstone Mix) (Bonus Track)
15. Til We Die (Bonus Track)
16. iTunes Exclusive Track [Pre-Order Only]

Music DVD Review: Decapitated - Human's Dust

My first exposure to Decapitated came this past Fall. I was making my web rounds and came across a story about an accident the band had been involved in. Being the occasionally morbidly curious guy that I am, I clicked on the story. It told of a tragic car accident that occurred in Russia while the band was on tour. The accident was bad, claiming the life of drummer Vitek (real name: Witold Kieltyka) and seriously injured vocalist Covan (Adrian Kowanek), who is still recovering. This was a terrible way to stumble across the band, but I am glad I did, as the music is absolutely insane. This, their first DVD release chronicles the earlier years, through 2004 just prior to original vocalist, Sauron, quitting the band. While not directly stating it, this DVD is a nice tribute to the talent that Vitek possessed, taken from the world too soon.

Decapitated formed in Poland way back in 1996, the band members were teens and pre-teens at the time (Vitek was 12!). It was apparent to those around them that they had the skills that could take them far. They developed their style (which I will guess and call extreme tech death metal, when you hear their music, that will make sense), wrote original songs, and released their first full-length LP, Winds of Creation, in 2000 via Earache Records. They went on to release three more albums before the tragic accident in October of 2007.

The centerpiece of Human's Dust is a 2002 performance in Krakow.The 35-minute set is brutal, heavy, and extreme. Knowing that they were teenagers at the time of this recording is simply mindblowing. I am no judge of this genre, so I cannot say just where in the pantheon of tech death bands they fall, but with the skills on display in this concert footage, they were (are) destined for greatness.

Decapitated does not have that great of a stage presence for this concert, primarily standing in place, banging their heads. However, this lack of presence is made up for by the intense way they attack their music. They are incredibly tight and the performance is pitch perfect. They absolutely killed with songs such as 'Nihility," "Spheres of Madness," and" Suffer the Children."

The audio quality is fantastic, the video is the same way. My biggest technical problem with this concert's presentation has nothing to do with its transfer, but the way it was shot. There are all sorts of rapid in/out zooms that are just incredibly annoying. I would have preferred that they just back off and let the music do the talking.

In addition to the Krakow show, there is more live footage to dive into.

First up is a three song, 15-minute sample of their 2002 Ozzfest appearance in Katowice, just months prior to the Krakow show. This footage is shot better, at lease more stable, than the Krakow show, and has some cool lighting as the band bangs their hair around. Again, the performance is brutal, intense, and very tight. No one can accuse these guys of not trying!

The third selection of concert footage was shot in 2004 Metalmania Festival (this is a great festival that releases its on collection of footage each year), in Katowice. This set runs 26-minutes and features songs that were not in the earlier shows, mainly coming from the new at the time The Negation. You can tell that the two years that passed between the earlier footage and this did not go to waste. Beyond having a vastly improved light show and footage quality, the band seems better able to control the stage. There presence has improved, mainly through the effort of frontman, Sauron (sporting a shaved head). Their sound is bigger and better here, and the newer material is fantastic, particularly "Mother War," "Sensual Sickness," and "The Negation."

Now, if live footage is not enough for you, there is about 40-minutes worth of interview footage spanning the three concerts presented. They offer up plenty of information on the formation of the band, development of their sound, hopes for the future, and the concert at hand. The first interview with Vitek and Vogg (guitars) runs nearly 20-minutes by itself and contains the most information about the bands roots. I found their discussion of touring to be most interesting, how they have had to schedule dates around school and having to work hard there in order to go on tour. It must be strange to have this kind of success while still going to school!

Finally, there is one music video. It is for the title track of their debut album, Winds of Creation. The video is comprised primarily of live footage, and the song is excellent, hinting at what was to come.

Beyond the live and interview footage, there is also a discography section, a text band biography, a few photo galleries, wallpapers, weblinks, and a band logo page. Plenty of stuff to explore!

Bottomline. If you are into death metal and do not know these guys, definitely check this disk out and go pick up some of the albums (I need to do this). They are an incredibly talented group of individuals who knew how to throw down from a very young age. This DVD pays tribute to those skills. My thoughts go out to Vitek and Covan's families in their time of loss and recovery.

Highly Recommended.

All Shall Perish - Awaken the Dreamers Art and Tracks Streamed

All Shall Perish is readying the release of teir next album, Awaken the Dreamers. Two tracks are up on their MySpace page. The songs are called "Never Again" and "Awaken the Dreamers." I like what I hear, it is heavy and brutal. Before these two tracks I had never heard them before, but now I am looking forward to this album's release. Below are the cover art and track list, also be sure to check their MySpace page for a taste of the new material.



01. When Life Meant More...
02. Black Gold Reign
03. Never...Again
04. The Ones We Left Behind
05. Awaken The Dreamers
06. Memories Of A Glass Sanctuary
07. Stabbing To Purge Dissimulation
08. Gagged, Bound, Shelved And Forgotten
09. Until The End
10. From So Far Away
11. Misery's Introduction
12. Songs For The Damned

The Mutant Chronicles - Poster,Trailer

In the future, a soldier leads the fight against the necromutants. Sounds interesting, and I like the poster. The trailer reminds me a little of Starship Troopers. The stars include Thomas Jane and Ron Perlman.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Trailer

Interesting. Not sure what I think about this yet. The original Robert Wise helmed film is an undeniable classic. As I have said in the past, I am not automatically against remakes, but when it is a classic I think it is all right to be a little bit leery. As far as Keanu Reeves casting, I like it. Of course, I am a Keanu fan/apologist. His "style" of acting seems to be right for the role of Gort. I do look forward to seeing how this turns out.

DVD Pick of the Week: Jet Li's Fearless - Unrated Director's Cut

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

This week brings an strong selection of films that includes some comedy, a little drama, some indie flavor, a splash of blood, some extreme music, a bunch of television, and more. I know there are a few here that I am looking forward to checking out, as well as some that I am eager to see for the first time. Read on and see if any strike your fancy.

Jet Li's Fearless: Unrated Director's Cut. Billed as Jet Li's last martial arts epic, this was a good film, but not nearly what I had hoped for. Now, this is the original version that was screened in Hong Kong prior to its editing for American theaters. It runs more than a half hour longer and is considered to be the definitive cut. I have not seen this version yet, but I am eagerly looking forward to it. Jet Li is an amazing performer and this film provides one of his finest acting efforts, although he will never be called a great actor. If you like martial arts, this is one that you will want to make sure you get your hands on. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fourth Season. You know, when this series first started, I was sure I wasn't going to care for it. As that first season went on, I discovered it wasn't that bad, but the characters were not all that well defined. As the seasons have wore on, the characters have gotten better and the series has proved itself to be well worth checking out. I have only picked up one season so far, but I am sure I will be picking up the others at some point. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Monk: Season Six. This show is addictive. Once I start watching, I find I cannot stop. Tony Shalhoub is perfectas Adrian Monk, the defective detective. I remember thinking the show would slip somewhat following the exit of Bitty Schram, but Traylor Howard has done a great job bringing another flavor to the show. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Batman: Gotham Knight. Produced by those behind the Christopher Nolan films, this release is a series of six short stories that interlock and tack place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It is an Animatrix like project with a variety of American and Japanese talent teaming up to tell the tales. Looks good to me! This will be available in single disk and two disk editions. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Psych: The Complete Second Season. Here is a show that is a heckuva lot of fun. It is like Monk but with a lead character who is more willing to bend the rules. The two shows are a perfect match on the USA Network. If you haven't seen it, you definitely need to give it a shot. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

WWE: Nature Boy Ric Flair - The Definitive Collection. My wrestling interest has died out over the past few years, but Flair is one of those guys who always puts on a good show. I have seen some debate over the match selection for this three disk set, but like I said, this guy is always entertaining. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

The X-Files: Revelations. Just in time for the new movie. This set includes a number of episodes, personally selected by Chris Carter, that are considered essential to the mythology of the series. As an added bonus, it comes with movie cash to see the film and is quite reasonably priced. I do not have much of the show in my collection, so I am looking to pick this up. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Stop-Loss. This focuses on a soldier just returned from Iraq and some of his unit-mates. Problems start shortly after coming home when he learns he is being sent back. The film is mediocre at best, but is worth checking out as a rental. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

The Ruins. This has nudity, blood, guts, gore, laughs, terror, suspense, and killer vines — what else do you need? Sure, the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more and some rough dialogue patches smoothed a little better, but that takes nothing away from what was accomplished here. It is one of the best horror film so far this year and definitely worth taking a look at. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Superhero Movie. If you know Spider-Man, you know Superhero Movie. It is a goofy, stupid take on that film with side steps into X-Men, Batman, and Fantastic Four. It is light entertainment, to be certain, but it has plenty of laughs and certainly hit the right notes for me. It certainly helps if you are familiar with the superhero genre, and have a high tolerance for stupidity. It seems that my highly refined sense of taste (yes, that's a joke) fed right into what they were attempting to accomplish. Yes, I was surprised I liked it. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

The Tracey Fragments. This movie looks like it could be fascinating. At least I hope it is once I get the chance to see the DVD. It stars Ellen Page as the Tracey of the title, a teenager on the back of a city bus looking for her brother. The movie traces the events that led her to that point. I read that the film uses split screens to tell story, which I guess is similar to what is seen in the trailer. Could be very interesting indeed. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

The Mummy 2-Disk Deluxe Edition. Just in time for the third entry in the series, a new two disk release to replace the one that is out of print. It comes complete with a few new extras in addition to the carryover from the last release. Not sure I feel the need to upgrade, but it if you don't have it, it may be worth it. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

The Mummy Returns: 2-Disk Deluxe Edition. See above. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Decapitated: Human's Dust. Recorded a few years back, this DVD captures some absolutely electric performances from this tech-death metal act. If you like your music to the extreme, this is a disk you will not want to miss. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Blood Brothers. John Woo presents this film from first time director Alexi Tan. The film stars Andy Lau, Edison Chen, Nicholas Tse, and Shu Qi. It is set in the 1930's and centers on three brothers who go to work for gangsters in Shanghai, a new life which threatens to tear them apart. Looks good to me. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)

Box Office Update 7/4-7/7: Will Smith Takes Hancock to the Top

Will Smith returned to the top of the box office. Hancock opened with a potent $103 million over its first five days of release. Despite the movie not receiving terribly strong reviews, Will Smith once again proved how big of a box office draw he is. Hancock is the eighth Will Smith film in a row to cross the century mark (a string that began with Men in Black II), besting the record seven that he had shared with Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. In addition to that, Smith now has twelve $100 million plus earners. There is absolutely no denying his ability to appeal to all demographics. I do not think he is a particularly great actor, but he definitely has skills and is a very charismatic presence on the big screen.

For the three day weekend, Hancock easily beat all comers, although it did not climb as high as I was expecting. Of course, my estimation was way, way too high to begin with, not sure what I was thinking there. Anyway, The film pulled down $62 million over the three day holiday frame. As for the film itself, it introduced some interesting ideas to the mix but failed to pull them all together.

There was one other film to enter the top ten this week. In its first week of wide release, and third overall, the Abigail Breslin starring Kit Kittredge: An American Girl entered the list in eighth place. I had thought that this would do better in its wide release, but I am sure it will find an audience, although that may not be until DVD. The movie is a delightful little slice of life from another era from a young point of view. It is a fun film and you should give it a shot.

As for the rest of the list, most of the returning films fared well with better than average drops, likely buoyed by the holiday weekend. As far as small drops go, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull led the way with a drop of less than 24%. On the dollar front, Wall*E did well as it took in more than $33 million, with a drop of 47% in its second weekend.

Next week will see Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Journey to the Center of the Earth (with 3D presentations where available), and Meet Dave entering the fray. All of them hoping to get a piece of the pie before The Dark Knight arrives.

Two movies dropped off the top ten this week: The Love Guru (11) and The Happening (13).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	Hancock	$62,603,879	$103,877,446	1
2	1	Wall*E	$32,509,203	$127,196,028	2
3	2	Wanted	$20,050,070	$90,186,395	2
4	3	Get Smart	$11,109,408	$98,100,652	3
5	4	Kung Fu Panda	$7,318,635	$193,221,867	5
6	5	The Incredible Hulk	$4,899,280	$124,841,395	4
7	7	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	$3,774,807	$306,428,521	7
8	23	Kit Kittredge: An American Girl	$3,296,929	$5,822,544	3
9	9	Sex and the City	$2,382,438	$144,891,325	6
10	10	You Don't Mess with the Zohan	$1,981,251	$94,773,156	5

Box Office Predictions Recap
This weekend has to be tagged with the label: "What was I thinking?" Well, I guess many of these guesstimation tables could be tagged like that. For some reason I thought the Will Smith fueled Hancock would be much stronger through the weekend than it ended up being. I guess the mediocre reviews and the fact that its screenings began Tuesday evening allowed those who were interested plenty of time to catch it. As for Kit Kittredge? It is a good movie. I figured it would open stronger than it did, but I guess Wall*E did a lot to soak up the family dollar.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
1	1	Hancock	$62,603,879	$96 million
2	2	Wall*E	$32,509,203	$48 million
3	3	Wanted	$20,050,070	$24 million
8	4	Kit Kittredge: An American Girl	$3,296,929	$13 million
4	5	Get Smart	$11,109,408	$12 million
5	6	Kung Fu Panda	$7,318,635	$7 million
6	7	The Incredible Hulk	$4,899,280	$5 million
7	8	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	$3,774,807	$4.5 million
11	9	The Love Guru	$1,806,545	$4 million
9\13	10	The Happening	$1,438,889	$3.5 million

Transporter 3 - Teaser Trailer

The French teaser for Transporter 3 is here and it looks good! It looks to continue the over the top action that the first two delivered. Plenty of fisticuffs and car chasing excitemet! At least I hope that what it will be and not just be a tease. Robert Knepper (T Bag on Prison Break) is along for the ride this time, playing the bad guy next to Jason Statham's hero. Olivier Megaton (great name for an action director) takes over the helm fron Louis Leterrier, who left to make The Incredible Hulk. Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson teamed up on the script.

Saw V - Teaser Poster

"If it's Halloween, it must be Saw." That's what they say, right? Well, the first teaser is out and it made me do a doubletake the first time I saw it. I seriously cannot believe this series has that much steam left, but I feel I will be there until the end.

Overcast Signs with Metal Blade

This is a pretty cool bit of news. Before joining Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage, singer Brian Fair and bassist Mike D'Antonio were bandmates in a group called Overcast. They worked the Boston circuit from 1991-1998 before calling it quits and moving onto their more successful projects. Now, Overcast has reunited and have signed a deal with Metal Blade Records. Fair and D'Antonio reunite with Pete Cortese (guitar), Steve McCooe (guitar) and Jay Fitzgerald (drums), and will be releasing Reborn to Kill Again in August. The album will be comprised of re-recorded versions of their old cuts. Below is a clip from a reunion show at Club Hypnotiq in 2006.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Stills

Looking forward to the sixth Potter flick? I cannot claim to be a huge fan of the series, but they definitely are entertaining films, with my personal favorite being the Alfonso Cuaron helmed Prisoner of Azkaban. In preparation for the new film a number of stills have been made available. Take a look:

Movie Review: Hancock

The past decade has seen the cinematic landscape littered with superhero films. Among those many films have been classics and the requisite bad ones. However, what we do not get all that often are superhero films that have not been sourced from comic books. Off the top of my head, the only ones I can recall are My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Unbreakable and The Incredibles. I am sure there may be others, but I cannot recall any other titles. Now I can add another title to that list, Hancock.

As the release approached and reviews began to trickle out, the consensus did not appear to be all that good. Of course, I did not read any of the reviews (didn't want to be spoiled). So, off I went, hoping for the best, but honestly not expecting too much. What did I see? A movie that was ultimately entertaining and worth checking out , however felt overly edited and almost like two movies smashed into one. It is like they had two films worth of material but only one film in which to use it.

As the film opens, we are introduced to Hancock the same way we were introduced in the trailer, a sleeping, drunken Will Smith on a street bench. This is not the same Smith we saw this past December in I Am Legend, this is not a scientist searching desperately for a cure to save humanity while battling these changed people to survive. Oh no, this Will Smith is a drunken "superhero" who staggers into action with little regard for public safety, causes more damage than the bad guys were, and hangs around afterward to listen to the jeers from witnesses. In other words, he is an @$$hole.

Enter Ray (Jason Bateman). Ray is in Public Relations and his desire to make a change in the world doesn't go over well with potential clients when they here that they would need to give product away for free. While a deflated Ray heads home to have dinner with his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), and son, Aaron (Jae Head), he is "rescued" by Hancock. This meeting would prove to be a life changing one for the two of them. Ray sees something in Hancock, a sadness, a desire to be accepted, plus a way that he can help his own career. Do you see where this is going?

Ahh, I see that you do. Ray takes on the role of changing people's perception of Hancock. Things like being respectful to others property, being a little smarter in the approach to saving lives, and telling police and others they are doing a good job. This is a task that Ray loves and Hancock is a little more leery of.

As public perceptions change, something else changes in the story. I dare not tell you what it is, as it is a pretty big turning point for a few of those involved and to tell you would give away just too much.

Hancock is a good movie, definitely flawed and incomplete, but it still offers something a little different to the genre. We finally get a superhero whose actions have repercussions. How often have you watched a hero destroy buildings, cars, and other property on his way to "saving" the day?

The character of Hancock is portrayed in a considerably different manner than how other heroes have been portrayed. Will Smith does a fine job of making Hancock a contemptible character and then developing that into someone we can feel sympathy for. Despite the drinking and destructive nature, there is something beneath that is crying for help. This is a facet seen by Jason Bateman's Ray, a guy who seems to have blinders on to a lot around him, but sees the Hancock beneath the surface. To that end, Bateman does a good job of playing the straight man. His full talents are not completely utilized, but he does a fine job in the role. Finishing our trio of leads is the lovely Charlize Theron as Mary. She adds a whole different dimension to the story, although the charged glances between her and Hancock did get to be a bit much.

As interesting as the story was in the first half, and as different a take on superheroes as this is, it is far from perfect and comes nowhere near the heights that it could have reached. The film has two distinct halves that do not mesh all that well and ultimately drag the overall quality down. The first half has interesting character study aspects mixed with over the top violence, while the second half tries to explain a lot more than it really needs to and not doing a very good job of it. The narrative flow dissolves into a nearly incomprehensible mess by the time the credits role. I know it left me wondering just what happened. Perhaps an extended cut will fill in the holes? It certainly seemed to be missing enough footage.

Bottomline. I liked Hancock. Even with all of its flaws and shortcomings I found myself enjoying it. It is a decidedly different take on superheroes and opens up the possibilities for future outings. The film is held back by a confusion of what it wants to be, dragging the film from possible excellence into the merely entertaining and occasionally mediocre.

Recommended.