Movie Review: Up

They have done it again. That's right, Pixar has created another slice of brilliance to the cinema. I have to say that I am amazed at the run this artistically driven company has had. Ever since they arrived with 1995's Toy Story, they have consistently turned out classic or near-classic films. All of their movies are the sort you can pick at random and have your spirit lifted. Up is no different. Up is a movie that is an instant classic, it brings together high adventure, action, heart, and emotion together in a story that will have your attention right from the start.

Much like earlier Pixar outings, the trailers for Up have been decidedly less than compelling. Sure, they did spark a little interest, but cannot say that I felt an overriding desire to go and see it because of what I saw, I was more interested in the fact that it is a Pixar film. On the other hand, it is great to see movies that are not advertised in a way that the entire story is given in a 90 to 120-second chunk like trailers so often do these days. Better too little than too much any day.

I guess it is becoming predictable by now, we may begin taking Pixar's greatness for granted. Year in and year out, Pixar's films tickle the imagination and bring a level of intelligence rarely seen in animation, much less cinema at large. For Up, Pixar has turned to Pete Docter, director of Monster's Inc., and writer on the Toy Story films and Wall-E (of which he was the original director before moving on to focus on Up). With that pedigree, he has to be considered one of the leaders of the animation revolution alongside John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Brad Bird.

Up begins in the past with a young boy who longs to be an adventurer, watching newsreels of a famous explorer named Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). Muntz explores a hidden plateau in the Venezuelan rain forest, bringing back artifacts of his escapades, but when his findings are accused of being fraudulent, he takes off in his giant airship with his countless canine sidekicks to capture proof of his discoveries.

Meanwhile, the young boy, named Carl, does not lose his adventurous spirit. He comes across a like-minded young girl named Ellie and the two become fast friends. What follows is a montage of life as Carl and Ellie grow up, get married, buy the ramshackle home they used to play in, begin to save for their dream journey to Venezuela, and deal with all of life's unforeseen difficulties. Life always intervenes when they begin to get on a roll. As old age sets in, life intervenes one last time and Carl finds himself alone. He becomes something of a hermit, an old curmudgeon who seems to live to keep people off his yard.

This entire sequence is told with such care and heart that I found it difficult to not be affected. It is a romance handled with genuine emotion and definite realism that it hit home more than than many live-action romances. It tells a beautiful story of two people together that you almost forget about everything else, but before you know it Carl is alone and the next stage of his life, and the primary story, begins.

Carl worked with balloons during his working years (learned during the opening montage), and this gives him the idea to pay tribute to Ellie and realize the dream of traveling to the mysterious plateau in Venezuela. He blows up thousands of balloons, attaches them to the house and lifts it right off of its foundation, off he goes, heading on the adventure of a lifetime.

Tagging along is young Wilderness Scout Russell, seeking his "Aiding the Elderly" badge. Why is he there? Well, stop looking under the porch for fake birds sounds like a good reason, no?

Before long, they are at the mysterious plateau and it is here that the real adventure truly begins. No, I am not going to tell you what happens, but it is magical, and real at the same time. The tale walks the fine line of realism and believability. The characters are so genuine and fully formed that it is easy to forget they are animated, although their adventure rarely lets you forget. It is a wonderful balance.

Up is tremendously affecting. The screenplay from Bob Peterson, whose prior credits include Finding Nemo and Ratatouille, is magical. It treats its characters as real people, allowing the story to develop in a secondary state to the characters. These people have likes and dislikes, they have their routines, and their arguments. It is a genuine joy to watch, a glimpse inside these people's lives.

Another reason for the success of the film is the voice casting. Who other than Ed Asner can you count on to be curmudgeonly and have a heart of gold? His work as Carl is absolute genius. He is simultaneously that grumpy old guy you want nothing to do with and a vulnerable man dealing with loss. Then you have Jordan Nagai who brings an earnest pluckiness to Russell, a role that easily could have been annoying, but instead is endearing. Finally, Christopher Plummer as our villain is unquestionably bad, and quite possibly insane. Oh yes, writer/co-director Bob Peterson provides the voice of Dug the dog, and is downright hilarious: "Squirrel!"

Up hits on so many levels, it continues the tradition of Pixar greatness, possibly even improving on Ratatouille and Wall-E. From the story, to the voice work, to the impeccable animation, Pixar continues to lead the pack with their seemingly limitless pool of A-list talent.

Bottomline. Up is a must see, whether you see 3D or not, you will not be disappointed. For the record, I saw it in 3D and it was beautifully rendered, adding a great deal of depth to the field. The film will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will amaze you, and it will capture your imagination. What are you waiting for?

Highly Recommended.

New Movies & Box Office Predictions: Up, Drag Me to Hell

Week five of the blockbuster season is upon us. So far it has been a rather middling season that has seen a couple of good movies, and a couple very mediocre movies. The strength is just not there. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but the movies have just not hit as hoped. This week features a pair that have the potential of making me a very happy cinema patron. So, what are you planning on watching this final weekend of May?

Drag Me to Hell. (2009, 99 minutes, PG-13, horror) Here is a movie I have been waiting a long time for. Well, not this specifically, but a Sam Raimi helmed horror movie. It is the genre that gave Raimi his start and the one that he will forever be associated with no matter how many Spider-Man movies he makes, the title I will forever associate with Sam Raimi is The Evil Dead. Period. I am looking forward to seeing if the seventeen year gap between horror related titles has dulled his sensibilities. The trailers look good and the early word of mouth is very positive. Alison Lohman (who signed on after Ellen Page dropped off) stars as a loan agent who is cursed by an old woman. Will the demons succeed in dragging her to hell? Raimi co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Ivan and has Justin Long, David Paymer, Adriana Baraza, and hopefully a Bruce Campbell cameo joining Lohman.



Up. (2009, 96 minutes, PG, animated comedy) Pixar's track record has been unbelievable. Have they made a bad film yet? I don't think so. While their trailers never seem to be all that inspiring, the films never cease to amaze. I am hoping this will be no different. This is Pixar's first 3D release, and the buzz has been building. It is the story of an old man who outfits his house with an enormous amount of helium balloons and takes his house right off the foundation and into the sky. Joining him on his adventure is a young, eager boy scout. I cannot wait to see this.



Also opening this week, but not near me:

• Departures
• The Lonely Maiden
• Pontypool
• What Goes Up

Box Office Predictions
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian easily won the Memorial Day weekend. What will happen this weekend? I suspect that Pixar will continue its strong showing at the box office and will take this weekend. It will not likely be its strongest opening, but it will certainly not be a slouch. As for Drag Me to Hell? I am hoping for a good showing but it will not be a challenger for the top spot, my biggest hope is that it opens well and shows some legs.

Here is how I think it could play out.

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Up	$82 million
2	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	$68 million
3	Terminator: Salvation	$24 million
4	Drag Me to Hell	$22 million
5	Star Trek	$15 million
6	Angels & Demons	$7.5 million
7	X-Men Origins: Wolverine	$3.5 million
8	Dance Flick	$2.75 million
9	Ghosts of Girlfriends Past	$2 million
10	Obsessed	$1.5 million

Movie Review: Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian

In 2006, Ben Stiller took to the big screen as Larry Daley, a down on his luck, divorced father of one with no real prospects. In an effort to right his sinking ship, he takes a job as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History. Little does he know exactly what he is getting himself into. At night all of the exhibits come to life, caused by a mystical Egyptian tablet. This becomes the centerpiece of the effects and helps Stiller's Daley along his path of redemption. We now return to Larry Daley's world, three years later, and find that he is no longer at the museum and has new impediments in his life, although he does not see this as clearly as he did in the earlier film.

As Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian begins, we catch up with Larry, whose inventor career has taken off. We find Larry hawking his latest gadget infomercial style. Following his pitch, he heads off to the Museum to visit with his old friends as night draws near. However, upon his arrival, he discovers something disturbing, a large portion of the exhibits are being packed up for storage, making way for new technological exhibits. Larry is not happy, and despite constant business interruptions from his Blackberry, vows to do something about it.

Larry's efforts are for naught and the exhibits, including such characters as Jedediah (Owen Wilson), Octavius (Steve Coogan), Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck), and Dexter the monkey to the national archives at the Smithsonian. Larry then goes about his life, saddened, but seemingly content to move forward with his business. He then receives a frantic call from Jedediah at the Smithsonian. So, off Larry goes to Washington to find out what is going on.

What Larry finds are a host of newly awakened characters, some that are not so friendly, and one that is intent on reclaiming the mystical tablet that brought them to life in the first place. The two factions go head to head in a battle all over the National Mall, leaving a path of destruction in their wake as we speed towards the inevitable conclusion.

I wanted to like this movie. The first film was a lot of fun, it had charm, character, and just wanted to provide an enjoyable time for all. This time around I get the impression that a bunch of men wearing suits sitting around a conference table decided they knew the best way to make a sequel. I can almost here them saying that everything needs to be "bigger" or "more." So, as writers Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (who appear as the Wright Brothers) went about writing the film, everything got bigger and there was more of it.

There is a large influx of characters, relegating our original heroes primarily to the sidelines and the resulting story loses much of the heart and light-hearted fun of its predecessor. That is not to say there was nothing to enjoy, it just doesn't induce the same feelings of good will. The sense of wonder that the first had was gone here as they try to compensate with more historical figures.

Ben Stiller's performance does nothing to help matters much. His work here lacks life, for much of the film he looks tired, perhaps even bored. His sleepwalking through the museum does little to give me anything to hang onto. Larry is supposed to be our ticket in, and if he doesn't feel like being there, why should I?

The supporting cast is generally fine as they go through the motions for their roles. Amy Adams is the brightest part of the secondary characters, she is funny, charismatic and throws herself right into the performance. Hank Azaria is a close second as he apes Boris Karloff's performance as Im Ho Tep in The Mummy (1932), what with the accent and lisp. Not to mention Bill Hader, a man who always seems to deliver the goods and has a bright future. However, we also have Owen Wilson's Jedediah who may be even more bored than Stiller and Robin Williams who seems to have squeezed in his work on an off-day or two.

Aside from the performances, the story fails to deliver. It gives us all the necessary pieces, but fails to give us a pleasing picture upon assembly. The first film had consequences for what happened when the exhibits were awake, for the messes they made, and what could happen if caught outside, this film does not bring any of this into play, there is no real peril.

Bottomline. This must go down as a missed opportunity. No, not a complete disappointment, but one that fails to really take off. The finished film strikes me as being hastily put together, despite the three years between films. Perhaps the third will be a rebound. (Yes, I do believe a third is in the offing)

Mildly Recommended.

CD Review: Bury Your Dead - Bury Your Dead

2006 saw me introduced to hardcore kids Bury Your Dead with their album Beauty and the Breakdown. At the time I gave the album a positive review, all while noting that hardcore was not really my scene. Bury Your Dead proved to be one of the exceptions, and in those intervening months and years I have found my affection for the band and this album growing considerably. No, it is not the most original of music, but it was tight, heavy, and the band sounded like they were having all kinds of fun, especially with all of the fairytale-inspired song titles. So, it was with a decent amount of anticipation that I picked up their latest release, simply titled Bury Your Dead. I have had the album for awhile know and have really come to like it, although there are some significant differences between this record and its predecessor. Don't worry, it is still recognizable as a Bury Your Dead release.

My first issue with Bury Your Dead is rather insignificant when looking at the big picture, but in the small one, it bugs me. It is the cover art, I really do not like it. At a glance it is way too reminiscent of Escape the Fate's cover for Dying is Your Latest Fashion, an album that I hold no affection for. I just think the band could have come up with a better representation for this collection of songs. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

In the years between Beauty and the Breakdown and this self-titled album, the band underwent some internal turmoil, which seems to have defined them over their career. Singer Mat Bruso, their longest tenured vocalist left the band. He was temporarily replaced by Michael Crafter (ex-Carpathian). He did not remain long and was replaced, permanently, by Myke Terry. Plus, after recording was completed, guitarist Eric Ellis left the band to be replaced by Chris Towning. It does appear, now, that the lineup is set as they move into the future.

The album opens in classic Bury Your Dead fashion with "Sympathy Orchestra," a cut that displays the band's signature crushing riffs, growled vocals, and precision drumming. This carries over into the second track, "Hands to Hide the Shame"; however, new pieces begin to enter the picture.

All of the songs are rather punishing, but some melodic elements seem to be creeping into their sound. The vocals are not always growled, some actual singing is being entered into the mix. Not only that, the guitars occasionally soften to join the melodic influences. There is even a single on the song "Year One," provided by Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge. I am not sure what to think of that, Alter Bridge is not an act that comes to mind when I think of Bury Your Dead.

If I didn't know better, and I really don't, I'd say the band may actually be maturing. Youthful excesses of their prior albums slipping away as they move into the future? No, I don't think it is that extreme, but does seem apparent they are experimenting more with their songwriting and orchestrations. There is nothing wrong with that.

Do not be afraid, the music is still heavy and punishing, it is just a little more rounded. This may sound a little odd, but I read the band described as Sevendust on steroids; a comment that is somewhat accurate. That can be read as a negative, depending on your views of Sevendust, but it still works here, as strange as it sounds.

Bottomline. This is a good album, featuring solid musical performances, and great production quality. If you like heavy music, you should give these guys a shot. They will not redefine your world, but you just may find yourself getting into the catchy hardcore grooves.

Recommended.

Transforminators - Trailer

This movie needs no introduction. I want to see this.

Box Office Update 5/22-5/24: Museum Outlasts Terminator

The holiday weekend proved to be a strong one for Ben Stiller and company as Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian dominated the holiday weekend. Whether you look at the three or four day numbers, the comedy/fantasy film comes out on top and a healthy amount ahead of number two finisher, Terminator: Salvation.

I have not yet seen the new Museum, but it does look like fun. I enjoyed the original film, which was a big hit over the Christmas holiday a few years ago. It was nothing particularly special, but it was the sort of movie you could have a good time with your entire family at. It only makes sense that an attempt to capitalize on its popularity would be made in the form of a sequel and then open that sequel on a holiday weekend. The film does sport a large ensemble cast of familiar faces, all of whom appear to be having fun. I am not expecting much, but I am looking forward to checking it out.

I expected Terminator: Salvation to perform better over the weekend. It did take in a lot of money, but one has to wonder if this is the end of the franchise? I guess it will depend on if it displays any legs and how well it does overseas. For what its worth, the action is spectacular, and there are seeds of a good story, but it feels terribly choppy. Not to mention, the stories of more than 30 minutes of cut footage and on-the-set rewrites all worked against the success of the story.

Star Trek continues to perform well in its third weekend of release. It is steaming towards $200 million and some believe it could make its way to the triple-century mark. Its success makes me so very happy. The movie is an absolute blast, filled with action, humor, familiar characters, all in a movie that does not require knowledge of the series and sets up a fresh alternate universe. If you haven't seen it, make sure you do, if you already have, see it again.

Angels & Demons slipped to fourth place in its second weekend. It is a dip that does not surprise me. Even as I was mildly entertained, it is not a good movie. There is too much talking with no point and not much of a mystery. The pseudo-intellectual thriller is on rails, meaning it goes from point A to point B and so on with no real outside influence or jeopardy. I suspect it will continue to fall with regularity and be forgotten shortly thereafter.

Fifth place is held by the new spoof Dance Flick. It is a movie I have not seen and have absolutely no intentions to. The trailer was more than enough intelligence sapping footage for me. It looked terrible, I am sure it is terrible, and I am sorry for anyone who spends money on it. I like dumb movies as much as the next guy, but a line needs to be drawn somewhere between funny-stupid and stupid-stupid.

The rest of the top ten are essentially last week's holdovers slid down a few spots. The most notable of these fading titles is X-Men Origins: Wolverine which is making a chunk of change to be sure, but did not have quite the reception that the studio had hoped for. Now, if only they had made a better movie.

Next weekend sees competition coming in the form of a new Pixar release, Up, a movie I am really looking forward to. Also offering some competition, but probably not as much, is Drag Me to Hell, the new horror offering from Sam Raimi, his first since the Evil Dead films, featuring Alison Lohman and Justin Long (side note: this was originally set to star Juno's Ellen Page, but she backed out).

Three movies dropped off the top ten this week: The Soloist (11), Next Day Air (12), and earth (13).

3-Day Estimates

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	$53,500,000	$53,500,000	1
2	N	Terminator: Salvation	$43,010,000	$56,382,000	1
3	2	Star Trek	$22,783,000	$184,417,000	3
4	1	Angels & Demons	$21,800,000	$81,911,000	2
5	N	Dance Flick	$10,734,000	$10,734,000	1
6	3	X-Men Origins: Wolverine	$7,950,000	$163,204,000	4
7	4	Ghosts of Girlfriends Past	$3,810,000	$45,948,000	4
8	5	Obsessed	$1,975,000	$65,883,000	5
9	7	Monsters vs. Aliens	$1,417,000	$193,063,000	9
10	6	17 Again	$1,010,000	$60,319,000	6

Box Office Predictions Recap
Mark your calendars, boys and girls. I followed up my best week ever with a very mediocre one. I knew this weekend would be tough with the two main releases both having the potential to be big blockbusters. I had the two reversed and both of their predicted grosses pretty far off. I had a feeling I was going in the wrong direction. By now I should know to always bet on the family film, especially on a holiday weekend. The rest of the movies were in the general ballpark, but still not all that great. Next week? Well, let's not think about that just yet.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
2	1	Terminator: Salvation	$43,010,000	$82 million
1	2	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	$53,500,000	$68 million
3	3	Star Trek	$22,783,000	$24 million
4	4	Angels & Demons	$21,800,000	$22 million
5	5	Dance Flick	$10,734,000	$15 million
6	6	X-Men Origins: Wolverine	$7,950,000	$7.5 million
7	7	Ghosts of Girlfriends Past	$3,810,000	$3.5 million
9	8	Monsters vs. Aliens	$1,417,000	$2.75 million
10	9	17 Again	$1,010,000	$2 million
8	10	Obsessed	$1,975,000	$1.5 million

Movie Review: Terminator - Salvation

Let me begin by saying that Terminator: Salvation is not as bad as you may have been led to believe, nor is it nearly as good as it could have been. The film sports some of the best big screen action of the year but suffers from a screenplay that fails to take off and seems to have had large chunks removed from it to keep the action moving. If you take it as just an action film, it plays quite well; however, should you look at it as a Terminator sequel, things begin to get a little dicey. Still, I would be lying if I said I was not entertained.

Terminator: Salvation takes us to that future time that fans of the series have been waiting ever since Arnold first asked that fateful question: "Are you Sarah Connor?" This is the war waged between Skynet and the human Resistance in the time immediately following Judgment Day. However, before we get there, there is a very important cog that needs to be put in place from the past, so, we begin in the past, 2003 to be exact.

We meet a convicted murderer just before he is to be put to death. His name is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) and he is not a nice man. Prior to execution, he is convinced to donate his body to science by Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter). Jump forward fifteen years and the story picks up with John Connor (Christian Bale) heading a team into Terminator territory in search of crucial information needed for their war.

Of course, this mission goes bad and the movie is underway. Skynet sends its Terminators out to, well, terminate. John listens to the tapes his mother made incessantly, searching for clues as to how to defeat Skynet, and Marcus climbs out of the bombed out hole resulting from that initial disastrous meeting.

What follows is a two forked story. One side has John, knowing bits and pieces of what is to come, attempting to locate Kyle Reese, who we know to be John's father from the original Terminator. The other has Marcus trying to figure out what happened, who he is, where he is, and how he fits into this world that has left him behind. All of this is going on while Skynet continues its path of destruction of the human race as the artificial intelligence seeks out John Connor.

As portrayed in the movie, the story is that simple. As I sat there, awed by the explosive action that came with stunning regularity, I waited for the story to take off. It never did. The action never stopped and was, for the most part, stunning and is the reason to see the movie. The story had potential, there are plenty of ideas strewn throughout with which we can build our own story, not enough to make a good movie.

The movie had so much potential. The opportunity was there to take this franchise to the next level. Unfortunately, this movie fell prey to rewrites and severe editing. It is clear that a lot of footage was left on the cutting room floor. The editing is horrendous as scenes end and begin with a certain lack of flow, as if conversations were cut out. This lack of character content is explained, somewhat, by director McG's claim of over 30 minutes of cut footage. Hopefully we will get some form of an extended cut down the line.

What really stole the movie, aside from the action, are the performances of Sam Worthington and Anon Yelchin. These two really saved the narrative side of the film and I would have been happy if the entire film had centered on them. Worthington, in particular, brought some definite emotion to his performance. He has a lot going on behind his eyes that add much to the story. As for Yelchin, he brings a grounded humanity to Kyle Reese. He has moments, such as hearing John Connor on the radio that point to a bigger picture, one that helps to paint the legendary John Connor spoken of in earlier entries of the franchise

Terminator: Salvation is a terribly frustrating movie. The action lifts it up just as the story drags it down. It is almost like they rewrote the movie as they went along. Combine the cut footage with the novelization writer having to rewrite the book due to all the rewrites the script underwent. It certainly sounds like a messy project.

I have read that Christian Bale was originally being lined up for the role of Marcus, but that Bale wanted to play Connor. The problem is that, originally, Connor was only in the film during the final act. This necessitated the beefing up of the Connor role, which in turn made the structure a bit messy. Much has been written about an earlier version of the script and the changes made, including Bales involvement over at CHUD.com, it is a must read to understand what changes were made and what pieces can still be seen in the finished film.

Technically, the film looks spectacular. It may have editing issues, but when it comes to the framing, the action, and the effects, it is hard to find fault. The movie is downright explosive. Director McG may lack the big vision that a James Cameron has, he makes up for in knowing how to stage solid action. He is like a lesser Michael Bay in that respect. As for screenwriters John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris, it is hard to judge based on the choppy product here, but I have to believe that better work could have been turned in.

Bottomline. I like the movie, it is a fun action film, but it still plays like a Mad Lib. There are holes and half baked ideas that are just enough to give you something to work with, but do not always make sense within the context of the film. Worth checking out for the action and the ideas, just do not expect the greatness we all wanted.

Recommended.

DVD Pick of the Week: The Ramen Girl

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.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

The Ramen Girl. Before seeing this title on the new release list, I had never heard of the movie. Since I am so unfamiliar with the title, it seems an unlikely choice to put on the top of my list. It is a movie that looks like it could be quite good, and features a plot that reminds me of the excellent 1985 film Tampopo. Supposedly, this actually is a remake of that film, only with some slight modifications to have a bit more of a Western slant for American audiences. I know, I know, no modifications should be needed, but it is there and will not necessarily translate to a bad movie. In any case, the story concerns an American girl, Brittany Murphy, stranded in Japan after breaking up with her boyfriend becomes a student to a ramen master and in turn learns about herself and love. I really want to see this. Can anyone attest to its quality, or lack thereof?

New in Town (also Blu-ray). This is one of those generic looking romantic comedies that has helped me keep my movie going total down. I had no interest in this when it first arrived on the big screen, and I still don't. The movie features Renee Zellweger as a big city city girl sent to a cold, snowy town to try and turn around a failing plant. Here she is a fish out of water who becomes enamored with a local played by Harry Connick, Jr. I don't know, it may have a moment in it, but overall it looks rather weak.

Killshot. This film, based on a novel by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown) was in theaters for a very brief and very limited run earlier this year. It is the story of a couple (Diane Lane and Thomas Jane) in the Witness Protection Program who are targeted by a hit man and an upstart killer (Mickey Rourke and Joseph Gordon-Levitt). I have read some good things about and would like to give this one a shot. The cast also includes Hal Holbrook and Rosario Dawson.

Powder Blue (also Blu-ray). This tells the overlapping stories of four people in Los Angeles, a mortician, an ex-con, a suicidal ex-priest, and a stripper, whose lives cross paths. That is about all I know about this title. I saw a clip of Jessica Biel as the stripper that just struck me as sad. The cast also includes Ray Liotta, Forrest Whitaker, Lisa Kudrow, Patrick Swayze, and Kris Kristofferson.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. How can you go wrong with a title like this? I almost made this my pick of the week.

The Sky Crawlers. The trailer for this looks rather impressive. It is the latest from Ghost in the Shell creator Mamoru Oshii. It is the story of an endless war where fighter pilots are all children and only know flying and fighting, that is until one youngster starts asking questions.

Children of Men (Blu-ray). I absolutely adore this movie. This is, for me, one of the best movies of all time. It is one of those rare movies that is firing on all cylinders from the creative, to the technical, and everything in between. I am sure it looks stunning on Blu-ray and look forward to getting my hands on it.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960s Vol. 1. This two disk collection of classic toons includes such titles as Top Cat, Magilla Gorilla, Atom Ant, The Jetsons, and The Flintstones, among others. Looks like fun!

True Romance (Blu-ray). This Tony Scott/Quentin Tarantino collaboration is one for the ages. I have not seen it in some time, but should look pretty in high definition.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 1. Just like the collection above, but includes titles as: Speed Buggy, Batman, Hong Kong Phooey, and Josie and the Pussycats.

Field of Dreams (Blu-ray). One of the greatest of all baseball movies. This is a movie that everyone should have in their collections. I wonder how it looks in high definition and if it is worth the upgrade.

Falling Down (Blu-ray book). One of the few good Joel Schumacher films. This movie is a blast as a man snaps in LA traffic and just wants to go home. This is a movie about going over the edge and Michael Douglas does a great job of it.

The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk. The next Dragon Dynasty release is a good one. Originally released chopped and dubbed as The Legend, we now get it in its original version and language. This film stars Jet Li and is a must have for any fan.

Mark of the Witch / Devil Times Five. This exploitation twosome looks like a lot of fun. The former has been restored to its original R-rated cut and is the story of a woman who takes a class on the occult who becomes possessed by a 17th century witch. The latter has five children (including Leif Garrett) surviving a crash in a snowy canyon, who seek shelter where strange things happen and people die.

Beneath the Flesh. I could not find any information on this title, but I like the cover. It could turn out to be just another low-budget horror flick, but those can be fun, right?

Concert Review: Static-X w/ Bury Your Dead, Seventh Void (Poughkeepsie, NY 5/21/09)

It must have been about a month ago that I was perusing the upcoming show list for The Chance Theater. It had been awhile since I took a look and there were a number of new shows on the schedule, one of them stood out from the rest, Static-X. Yes, the world's leading provider of evil disco was coming back to Pough-town. They had spent an evening here just over two years ago with OTEP in tow. As soon as I saw the listing I knew I wanted to go, then something else caught my eye. One of the opening acts was called Seventh Void and right next to that it said (Members of Type O Negative). Those words pricked up my ears. Instead of knowing I wanted to go, I knew I had to go.

I arrived at the club right around 7:30. I walked up the door, produced my license and was properly wrist-banded to allow for some party-time drinking, and headed inside. It was apparent that I missed an act, I believe it was Dirge. This is regrettable, but with the way door open times shift and get confused with show start times, it happens from time to time. That said, I was all set for some live music.

The first band I saw was called Judgment Day, I believe. The few times they said there name I found it hard to hear. So, I apologize if I got the name wrong and I suspect I have, I cannot find any reference to a band called Judgment Day. In any case, the band was solid and the small, but growing, crowd was definitely getting behind them.

They are a metalcore band, but not one that was terribly original. No, they do not stand out from a crowd, but that is also a good thing. They are solid and brought a lot of energy to the stage. If I had to describe them, I would say they are like Killswitch Engage if Corey Taylor was their singer and they collectively had less talent. Judgment Day (if that actually is their name) may be derivative, but they are worth taking a peek. Their debut album is set to be released come September.

In short order the equipment on stage was swapped out for the first band that I was really interested in seeing. It was going on 8:30 and Seventh Void took the stage. I was excited to see these guys, probably more than any other band this evening. It's funny, as hyped as I was, the crowd took awhile to warm up to them. It is hard for anyone to start up a new band, regardless of your pedigree (half of the band is from Type O Negative), especially with what seems to be little label support and a brand new album.

Fortunately, after a couple of songs the crowd began to get into it. I must admit that the first song or two had me a little worried, not so much for the crowd participation so much as the band's sound. It sounded awfully weak and I could not make out much of front man Kenny Hickey's vocals, and the band had an overall lack of punch. What the problem was, I am not sure but I am reasonably sure there was some problem with the monitors, when the sound came up it brought a punch to the stage that had a ripple effect through he audience. I love it.

The band did not have a lot of space to move around on the stage, but it mattered not. Seventh Void is not about the stage antics (not that there is anything wrong with that), they are about delivering a slab of heavy rock, and that is what they did. They tore through such tracks as "Closing In," "Heaven is Gone," and "The End of All Time" before closing with"Broken Sky."

Kenny's voice sounded a little rough, but still strong. His guitars were solid and well complimented by Matt Brown's work, together they create a nice thick wall of guitar fuzz. Behind them, Johnny Kelly leads the rhythm section with his big drum sound. The back end is thickened by Hank Hell's bass playing. All things considered, they may not be the most original act, but they are rock solid and playing music worth listening too.

Next up was hardcore act Bury Your Dead, offering a decidedly different sound from the heavy hard rock of Seventh Void. I first saw these guys about two and a half years ago, they were opening for Hatebreed and Killswitch Engage, and it was one hell of a show. The time in between has seen the band release a new album with a new singer and replace one of their guitarists, so this is a different look than what I knew.

They came out, opened with "Harvester of Straw" from the Beauty and the Breakdown album and never looked back. They played with as much intensity as the small amount of stage they had would allow. It was great watching them play. It was a different experience than last time, they are a bit more melodic with their new stuff and singer Myke Terry sings a little more than Mat Buso did before him.

Bury Your Dead has a new album arriving on My 26th and they played a couple of tracks from that album, including "Inhuman" and "Hurting Not Helping." The new cuts sounded good, and no one can fault their energy! This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Static-X was the last band to take the stage, and were they ever welcomed by the eager crowd! There is nothing like a little evil disco to finish the night strong. No sooner did they start ripping it on stage did the crowd go berserk. It also only took a couple of songs for me to realize that I need to add more Static-X to my collection, the same thing I said when I saw them two years ago, something I have made a reality picking up Cult of Static. Prior to this I had not picked up an album since 2001's Machine. In any case, the albums are good, they are just as good live.

Wayne Static walked to the center of the stage, signature hair standing straight up, big smile on his face, crowd roaring, and it was off. There was no way they were going to disappoint, and they didn't. Now, Static-X may not be absolute instrumental wizards, their music may never be considered truly classic, but I can honestly say that I cannot think of another band that they sound like. They have a unique sound that is very easy to get behind.

They played a mix of tunes spanning their ten years in the public eye, covering six albums. Of course, there were only a few songs that I knew, including the pair played for the encore, but the rest were easy to get into. Their performance is tight, precise and filled with groove. I think it is impossible to not let these tunes in your head, they are insidious in their ability to get your body moving.

Every once in awhile the band would stop to toast the crowd and do a shot, delivered by the lovely Miss Static, who spent the show standing towards the rear of the stage dancing to every song and distracting every male in the place. Nice addition to the stage show, if I do say so myself.

In any case, this was a great show with strong performances all around. There is nothing like a night of live music, especially when they bands are good!

Static-X Set List, I found this on the web and it appears to at least close to what I saw:

1. Lunitic
2. Dirthouse
3. I'm With Stupid
4. Stem
5. Black & White
6. Stingwray
7. Destroyer
8. Cold
9. Bled for Days
10. Behemoth
11. Canabal
12. Love Dump
13. Sweat of the Bud
14. This is Not
15. Push It

As an added bonus, I snapped a few shots with my phone, many were not all that good, but here are a few worth checking out:

Seventh Void:



Bury Your Dead:



Static-X: