CD Review: Rob Thomas - Cradlesong

It always seems that when one band hits it big, there is another similar band ready to challenge them for the top spot. Well, it is not so much that they are there to challenge, so much as fans will take sides and draw a line in the sand creating a feud where there is none. Well, even that may be overstating the case, but it is there. In the mid to late 1990's radio rock was making a comeback following the decline of the grunge era and amid the rise of nu-metal. These radio friendly rock acts featured Third Eye Blind and Matchbox 20 as their biggest poster children. Both acts had debut albums with a number of popular hits and were so similar that the line drawn in the sand was inevitable as fans began to take sides. I was more to the Third Eye Blind side of the coin but both had definite skills with song crafting. Nothing mind blowing, but very solid.

As that era died out, the bands soldiered on. However, Matchbox 20 front man Rob Thomas began to explore other outlets. In 1999 he as a guest performer on Carlos Santana's Supernatural album, singing on the smash Grammy winning tune "Smooth." That was in 1999, and appears to have been a good test for a possible solo run as his profile rose considerably with the Santana collaboration. His first solo album was released in 2005 an proved to be a hit. Now, here we are, four years later, face to face with a new solo album (with a new Matchbox 20 album in between).

If you know me, or have been reading me for an length of time, you likely know that I am a metal guy, a fan of all things heavy. Rob Thomas is decidedly not metal. Seriously, I have heard soft rock artists more metal than Rob Thomas. Still, I have decided to stretch out of my safe zone, if just a little, to give Cradlesong a shot. As I listen to it, I find it impossible to not be won over by the finely crafted radio rock as sung by someone who strikes me as very secure in his ability to turn a song and capture a crowd.

I passed over Thomas' 2005 solo debut, ...Something to Be. I just never had any interest. Perhaps I should go back and give it a spin? This new album is quite good and provides a positive vehicle for his assured voice and skilled songwriting hand. There is a distinct difference between these songs and his work with Matchbox 20 and is reminiscent of Chris Cornell's work with Soundgarden and Audioslave versus his solo work. These songs are finely focused on the voice and the songwriter. They do not have to worry about band concerns, and if you listen to Matchbox tunes and then solo tunes, listen to the bands, the approach is very different. Neither way is wrong, they are just tailored for a different purpose. For Rob Thomas, of you want pure Thomas, this is the album you will want.

Every song on Cradlesong is right around the same pace, thereby making this album ideal to play as background music to whatever else you may be doing without having to worry about having to make millions of volume adjustments. However, if you play it in the background you run the risk of getting caught up in a song and being completely and utterly distracted from what you were doing. Just think of songs like "Gasoline," "Give Me the Meltdown," and "Still Ain't Over You."

Rob Thomas may not have the greatest voice I have ever heard, but there is a great deal of sincerity in how he sings, which may be more important than the quality of the voice (not that he has a bad voice at all). He sings of love, life, emotion, and relationships from first hand experience, nothing sounds put on or insincere. His voice carries a lot of weight in the delivery. Just listen to the truths he delivers in "Someday," "Hard on You," and "Getting Late."

Bottomline. I doubt I will ever be able to be called a full-fledged Rob Thomas fan, but if he keeps generating material like this, I suspect it will be a long time before we stop hearing from him. That is not a bad thing. He knows how to write a song, sing a song, and enjoy doing it.

Recommended.

Working on the Future of D99 Media

My time has been tight and I have been unable to update this as much as I would like to. In the meantime, to help me share media I find and like, I will be making uick posts to my Tumblr. So, please visit/follow me there or on Twitter to keep up with what I find, along with other bits of randomness. Thank you.

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: G-Force, Orphan, The Ugly Truth

This weekend begins the slide back towards regular time in movie-land, culminating with Labor Day, which is historically one of the slower weekends of the year as kids are preparing to return to school. This is not to say there will be nothing to see between now and then, just nothing that is expected to blow the doors off the box office. To me this is where the writer's strike effects will be seen the most as the summer blockbusters stop coming a little early. That said, this weekend does see a couple of films that I am interested in seeing, spread across a trio with distinctly demographics.

G-Force. (2009, 90 minutes, PG, family) Here is a movie that I really cannot say I had much interest in seeing when I first heard of it. Of course, I was let down to find out this was a movie about talking guinea pig spies, I actually thought it was going to be a live action adaptation of Battle of the Planets (also known as G-Force). Granted, I am sure I would have heard about that in production a long time ago so I should have known better. As for this movie, it looks like it has a certain manic energy to it, not to say it is good, but the line up of talent here is hard to ignore, even in a lesser movie. The cast includes Zach Galifianakis (hot off of The Hangover), Will Arnett, Bill Nighy, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi, and Tracy Morgan. It is not first on my list, but I may catch it down the line.



Orphan. (2009, 123 minutes, R, horror) Wow, R-rated and over two hours long. Those are two facts I was not expecting to associate with this movie. I was completely expecting PG-13 and and runtime around 97-minutes. Now, this is not to say this is going to be a good movie by any stretch, but it does give me pause and perhaps a touch of hope for a quality film. The trailer brings to mind such films as The Omen, The Good Son, and Joshua, and this could turn into just another creepy kid movie, but there is always hope. It stars Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Running Scared) and Peter Sarsgaard (Rendition, Jarhead) as parents grieving the loss of a child who decide to adopt and are drawn to a young girl named Esther. Shortly after coming home, a series of bad things happen, could Esther be hiding something evil? The trailer is pretty creepy and I hope the movie pays off.



The Ugly Truth. (2009, 95 minutes, R, romantic comedy) A Katherine Heigl starring R-rated romantic comedy? Much like Orphan, I was shocked to see the R tagged to this movie. Again, I was certain this was going to be another PG-13 romcom from the Grey's Anatomy star. Also, I am not saying this will make the movie automatically better than a PG-13 film, but it is an intriguing turn of events. Heigl stars as a television producer on a news show and her new subject is a crass celebrity played by Gerard Butler. The two then proceed to trade theories on how to attract a mate. What makes me think they both are going to get more than they bargained for? I think this could be a little bit of fun.



Also opening this week, but not near me:

• The Answer Man
• In the Loop
• Shrink

Box Office Predictions
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince easily won its debut frame, and judging the looks of the new competition, I strongly suspect it will take a second weekend. This weeks offerings may pull decent number, but are doubtful to challenge for the top spot. Well, at least I do not think the two R-rated films will, the talking guinea pigs could make it interesting, but will ultimately fall short of the top spot goal. As for the returning films, the bottom trio will get bumped off as everything else begins to slide down into place.

Here is how I think it could play out.

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	$35 million
2	G-Force	$28 million
3	The Ugly Truth	$20 million
4	Orphan	$15 million
5	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$9 million
6	Transformers Revenge of the Fallen	$7 million
7	The Hangover	$5.5 million
8	The Proposal	$4.5 million
9	Public Enemies	$3 million
10	Bruno	$2 million

DVD Review: Alien Trespass

It may be an arguable fact, or even pure opinion, but the 1950's may have been the best era for science fiction. So many classic films came out of this decade to support this argument that it isn't even funny. Sometimes I sit and imagine what it must have been like to be a kid growing up in these years. What would it have been like to go and see Saturday matinees of movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still, War of the Worlds, Them!, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, Forbidden Planet, and The Blob. I suspect that the writers and director of this movie have often wondered the same thing, and that wonder has become manifest by the creation of Alien Trespass.

When you first see the promotional materials, see the trailer and posters, and read the description, it is likely that you will have serious questions as to what this thing is really about. At a glance, two thoughts came to mind. First up, this was going to be a send up of the 50's era films, completely tongue in cheek, almost mocking in tone. Secondly, I thought this was going to be a retro movie that played to the old formulas but updated them with modern sensibilities, you know how those things go. Both of those ideas turned out to be wrong, although the second one turned out to be partially right.

Alien Trespass is certainly a retro movie, however, it has not gone through any sort of updating, virtually nothing was done to make it appear modern. This is a movie that goes all out in replicating the look and feel of those old school science fiction movies. From the opening scratchy newsreels, to the over saturated colors (making it look a little like a Technicolor film), to the stiff performances and dialogue, it feels perfectly authentic. It is this authenticity that makes this movie so charming. Experiencing Alien Trespass is like stepping back in time, back to the days of youth when movies were things of wonder. This is not to say this movie is perfect, but it is just right.

The movie can be played with or without an introduction by the director. Of course, I chose to play it with and I am glad I did. It is set in the offices of an old movie studio with Eric McCormack and R.W. Goodwin. They talk about a movie made in 1957 that was never released, it starred McCormack's grandfather and was directed by Goodwin's grandfather. However, it was believed lost to the ages until a pristine negative was uncovered, buried beneath a part of the studio that has been torn down, and now we get to see it for the first time ever. It is a great little bit that adds to that authentic feeling, sure it is easy to get in on the joke, but it is the little things that go a long way to making this an entertaining project.

What is the film about? It is standard fare for the B-films of the period, and does not come anywhere near the best of the generation, but it does have the craft of those who obviously have a love for those films.

It begins with scratchy, black and white newsreels telling of the world at that time, much like what you may have seen at those Saturday matinees. We then cut to a small town in California, everyone is going about their business, all appears normal. Then a meteor shower lights up the night, culminating with a spectacular crash just outside town. This once quiet town is about to be upended by visitors from another world!

A local scientist named Ted Lewis (McCormack) goes to investigate, while a couple of kids from town also decide to check it out. Ted arrives and is immediately captured by a strange alien man in a silver suit, all while a tentacled, rubbery critter with one giant eye runs amok in town.

Soon enough, Ted shows up back at home to his worried wife, Lana (Jody Thompson), but something is different. Ted doesn't seem like Ted, he is acting very strangely and does not seem to know much of the common items around him. You see, the silvery alien needed a body to borrow, in order to blend in and recapture the rubbery critter, called a Ghorta.

What follows is a series of chases, misunderstandings, and alien attacks as the kids try to convince the police that they have seen a monster, the cops trying to retain some sort of order, Ted wandering around acting strange, and pretty much everything you would expect from a 1950's sci fi movie.

Director R.W. Goodwin has done a fine job of recreating the look and feel of the era with authentic costumes and set design. He has also chosen to use primarily practical effects, the creature is actually there, and while he is a bit goofy with that waggling tentacle, I like it. It is a much better choice than going with some sort of computer effect.

The performances are not great, nor are they supposed to be. They all have a certain stiff quality to them as they deliver dialogue that is not very natural in the least. Again, it is not supposed to. This team truly went all out in making it feel like an old movie.

Audio/Video. The video is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and it looks really good. Aside from the scratchy newsreels, the image is spotless. The colors are a bit over saturated, but it is most definitely on purpose. Everything is crisp and clear. It doesn't look like the latest Hollywood blockbuster, but it is not supposed to. This is a transfer meant to evoke a bygone era with a movie that doesn't need to be restored to look pretty. As for the audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and sounds fine. It gives us all the center driven dialogue and a nice presentation of Louis Febre's score (which opens with the sweet sounds of a theremin). It is not a very active surround track, but it does the job well.

Extras. This Image release has a few extras buy in and go along with the idea of this being a long lost movie.

• "Watch the Skies" Alien Trespass Featurette. This takes a look at the 1957 production, from its troubled shooting through to the supposed destruction of all prints. This includes interviews with the 1957 cast and their current descendants.
• "Meet the Person" with Edwin R. Burroughs (Full-Length Interviews with the Cast). Archival interviews with the stars of Alien Trespass, the 1957 movie. It is entirely in character and in glorious black and white.
• Breaking News. The first report of the uncovering of the long lost film, complete with an "impromptu" interview with Eric McCormack.
• Live News Update. This is a brief news report telling of the uncovering of the Alien Trespass print and leads into the film's trailer, which has been marked up a bit to make it appear older than it is. It is a pretty nice trailer.
• New Interviews with R.W. Goodwin and Eric McCormack. Pretty good interviews with discussion including love for the 50's sci fi movies and a desire to accurately emulate the look and feel of those movies, and playing an alien.
• Theatrical Trailer. Two versions of the trailer are included.

Bottomline. This movie is a lot of fun. The only thing it requires is that you have a love or at least an appreciation for this sort of film. This is a product of love and while it may not be a memorable classic, it is more than an entertaining diversion that I have a feeling I will enjoy returning to from time to time.

Recommended.

Blu-ray Review: 300 - The Complete Experience

In case you were wondering if you have had the complete 300 experience, you haven't. At least not until know with Warner Brothers proclaiming this new release to be "The Complete Experience." This comes on the heels of the single disk DVD, two-disk special edition DVD, three-disk box set, the HD-DVD, and the original Blu-ray release. Wow. That certainly is a lot of different releases in a pretty short period of time. I feel fairly certain will get another release of some sort before they are done with this film. In a way it sort of feels like Anchor Bay and their perpetual Army of Darkness releases (how many is it now? I've lost count). I will not believe we have reached the end until we get a release that includes Frank Miller's graphic novel, which is not included here (perhaps a motion comic version like what they did with Watchmen?).

The movie is definitely something special, although it is certainly not for everyone's taste. In the few years since its release it has garnered its fair share of supporters and detractors, but no matter who you ask, everyone has an opinion. Personally, I love the film, evidenced by its sixth place finish on my Top Ten list for 2007. It is big, exciting, emotional, filled with adrenaline, violent, bloody, and very, very stylized.

300 could very well be the next step in cinema style, the gorgeous union of live action and computer generated surroundings. It is not the first of this style, but it is the first one to be an unabashed popular success. Zack Snyder has delivered a visionary film that will grab you by the eye sockets and demand your full attention for two hours. On the flip side, it will also not be the last. Film makers have mastered the art of the narrative story, others have mastered the art of showing a story in a visually inventive way, however it is very rare that they come together in one nicely wrapped up package. This is the first step in that direction, and it is my belief the future will move away from the standard dramas and such that litter the landscape (as good as they are) and we will see the merging of technology and story.

This story is what myth and legend is made of. It is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel which is not, nor was it meant to be, a historical document. If you think you will be seeing a true historical epic, you will be disappointed, and possibly even offended by the oft times cartoonish portrayals. There may be some elements of fact blended into the fiction, but it is not the other way around.

300 plays out a grand tragedy, a tale of heroism, fighting in the face of insurmountable odds for what you believe in. It never falters, it never wavers, it knows what it wants to do and it runs headlong into the breach. It was a fight to defend their way of life. This is the way legend begins, it is exaggerated storytelling used for dramatic effect, both for the audience in the theater and in the home, as well as for those who are listening to the story unfold within the film.

Gerard Butler stars as our lead Spartan warrior, King Leonidas. He is the top warrior and a cunning strategist, but he is also a family man and a fierce defender of his people from threats inside and out. In this case, it is a little of each, but primarily from without. The mighty Persian army is marching on Sparta. The council and the oracle say that Sparta must not go to war, but Leonidas will have none of it. He will not stand idly by and have his people murdered and enslaved. So, off he goes with 300 brave souls on a mission to repel the oncoming forces.

This is a movie that is filled with macho posturing, sword swinging action, and is not afraid of letting a little blood fly. Everything takes place in a wonderfully realized alternate world, where every element is highly stylized. Snyder and his director of photography, Larry Fong, have created a fully realized world that is as convincing as it is unreal. Add to that the larger than life performances of the leads, in particular Gerard Butler. Butler takes the role of Leonidas in his teeth and never lets go. He brings depth to the overblown character. There is a lot going on behind the eyes of the warrior king, and Butler doesn't let you forget it.

In the end, this is quite simply, an amazing film. It has style, energy, violence, emotion, it is hard to tear your eyes away from the screen. It is this magical blend of visual style and deceptive emotional depth.

Audio/Video. The 1080p high definition video, in its original 2.4:1 is, simply put, beautiful. The film has a limited color palette, with lots of muted blue, steel grey, gold, with some vivid red, all of it finely reflected here. Crisp, clear, and often mesmerizing, Zack Snyder's heavily digital creation is very striking, watch the blades flash, the clash of bodies, the falling snow and drifting sparks, spectacular. The one criticism I have read is the grain. Personally, I like the grain. It gives everything a more real feel, the film grain gives helps pull all of the elements together, remove too much and the digital portions may begin to stand out, or the people may begin to look too smooth. This transfer strikes a strong balance with just the right amount of grain.

Likewise, the audio is solid. The audio is represented by two tracks: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. It is an active track as you are enveloped in battle sounds as the Spartans clash with the Persian army. The dialogue is crisp, loud, and right from the center. My favorite part of the audio track is the Tyler Yates score, it is beautifully rendered here. It is as experimental as the film is and it sounds great here.

Extras. This release features both new features and many carried over from the two-disk DVD version.

New Extras:

• Blu-ray Book Packaging. This package has been used for a few other titles I have seenm including Dirty Harry and Falling Down. The package is literally a book. The pages contain a map of the Complete Experience as well as some text information for the various experiences and background of the principal players. All of it is accompanied by some great photographs.
• Digital Copy. Attached to the back in a cardboard envelope is a second disk with a digital copy of the film for your PC or portable device. I know some people don't like these, but I kind of do.
• Blue Screen Picture in Picture Version. Now this is very cool. This allows you to watch the film with the blue screen in a window where you can compare what it looked like on the set to the finished product. It really is a fascinating look. Frankly, I am not sure how they were able to pull this off without feeling completely ridiculous. This view also comes with a new commentary from Zack Snyder talking about the differences and how shots were obtained.
• The Complete 300: The Immersive Experience. This is where the real meat and potatoes of this set is. Complete with an introduction from Zack Snyder, this section offers three different paths to follow with the movie. On top of that, after you choose one, you can still get to the other tracks via animated icons representing the red/blue/yellow remote buttons, each color corresponding to a different track. Also, after selecting a track, you can go back to the selection page and choose each of the points individually, so you can go through them without having to watch the movie. Still, it is very cool either way.
• Each path features trivia pop ups, behind the scenes footage, and interviews with all the major players, and there is a lot of stuff to go through. If you are so inclined, you will be busy or hours going through all of this material.
• Red Track: Creating a Legend. This path centers on Frank Miller's growth from child to cartoonist while tracking his interest in Sparta as well as discussion of what went in to creating the story.
• Blue Track: Bringing the Legend to Life. This path gets into the nitty gritty of the film making and how the shots were achieved.
• Yellow Track: The History Behind the Myth. Finally, this path gives a historical perspective. Since the story is a fantasy telling of an actual event, it is interesting to put into perspective.

Carried Over Extras:

• Commentary with Director Zack Snyder, DP Larry Fong, and writer Kurt Johnstad. The track is very interesting with lots of anecdotes about shooting, where the effects start and the real stuff ends, the reuse of props, and more. This is a very listenable track with Snyder doing most of the talking.
• The 300 - Fact or Fiction? Interesting featurette with interviews with Miller, Snyder, and historians comparing what is presented with factual history. There is actually a good amount of truth to the film, blended with a healthy dose of exaggeration. It is a look at how this is the growth of myth and legend. (24:00)
• Who Were the Spartans?: The Warriors of 300. More information on Miller's adaptation of the historical tale, and how this was likely the version filmed because it was the simplest take. It tells of how Spartans were different from other Greeks and their culture of being soldiers. The original badasses. (4:30)
• Frank Miller Tapes. Conversations with and about Frank Miller, his inspirations, his ideas, and just how much he means to the medium. It is rather interesting look into his creative process. It ends with Miller asking Snyder: "I'm wondering how the hell you're going to do Watchmen?" That is another Miller creation that Snyder is also adapting.(14:30)
• Preparing for Battle: The Original Test Footage. This originally appeared as an Easter Egg on the special edition DVD. It is a brief bit on the adaptation and the proposal, how Frank Miller didn't want his work filmed, how they animated the graphic novel pages with voice over by Scott Glenn. It is actually pretty cool. There is some cool pre-viz work shown, showing what they hoped to make. (7 minutes)
• The Making of 300. This is slightly fluffy, but still worth watching. I still cannot believe this was all on a blue screen. Seeing the film and then seeing the performers in front of the blue screen with little else around them. (6:00)
• Making 300 in Images. A series of stills and some video of the different permutations of the set, and everyone going about their job. Kind of a neat extra. (3:30)
• Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Director Zack Snyder. Three scenes, the first two focusing on Ethialtes, and the third introducing the never scene midget archers on the backs of giants. (3:20)
• Webisodes. 12 Episodes (Including: Production Design, Wardrobe, Stunt Work, Lena Headey, Adapting the Novel, Gerard Butler). These are all pretty interesting giving a look into the production during the production. (38:00)

Bottomline. If you love this movie and are Blu-ray capable, you will want to add this to your collection. The movie is great (you know that already), the transfer is beautiful, and the extras are overflowing. It is a little daunting at first and not necessarily the easiest to navigate, but when you get the hang of it, a world of extras open up in front of you.

Highly Recommended.

CD Review: November's Doom - Into Night's Requiem Infernal

Forming in 1989, this doom/death metal hybrid has taken the long route to reaching my ears. As so many bands in recent years, this group of immensely talented musicians are brand new to me. The frequency with which this happens has made me question my fandom of metal. Still, I guess we all have to start somewhere and late is better than never. It may even help me bring a new perspective to the table, without the years of baggage a life steeped in the genre would grow. In any case, November's Doom is a strong group with a strong focus on what they want to create. You also may not want to listen to this if you are depressed, as it would likely push you over the brink into despair before yanking you into a state of awe over the solid musicianship, creating an emotional yo-yo that would threaten anyone's grip.

As I listen to the eight tracks that comprise Into Night's Requiem Infernal Night, I could not help but have a strange sense of deja vu. I know I had not heard them before, but there are moments throughout that reminded me of something. I wracked my brain as the quintet burned with a dark fire through tracks like "A Eulogy for the Living Lost" and "Lazarus Regret." Then it hit me, I was getting flashes of Opeth and Solitude Aeturnus blended with a little Tiamat and Pink Floyd. All of these bands swirled in my head while the band played on with great intensity somehow retaining a fresh sound.

The crossing over of doom and death metal seems like a natural combination, and while there are a number of bands practicing it, it is not a genre that has ever or will likely ever burn up the charts. Despite that, I am thankful for the tastes I have gotten and have a growing desire to investigate more. It is an intriguing blend of in your face heaviness and darkly delicate melody. Attempted by a lesser band and the result would likely be disastrous. In the capable hands of November's Doom, the result is captivating and just a little depressing.

The album opens with the title track, an explosive blast of heavy death metal complete with brutal riffs, driving drums, and some growled lyrics that deliver a different perspective on the child king born two-thousand years ago. I cannot claim to have heard all of the lyrics, but the subject certainly is a little to the dark side. That is followed by a faster, slightly more up beat riff filled "A Eulogy for the Living Lost." This track begins to mix things up by introducing some clean melody and and singing, while retaining the dark lyrical content.

As good as the opening three tracks are, it is the third one that really opened my eyes to their talent and versatility. The song is called "The Fifth Day of March" and it is almost as if Pink Floyd took a trip to the dark metal side. The song is not fast, brutal, nor in your face. This track slows everything down to a crawl, turns off the distortion, tones down the drums, and is sung in a clean melodious voice, all this while still sounding like the band that had just burned through "Empathy's Greed." A truly beautiful track.

And so it goes, November's Doom delivers a strong collection of songs that work as a great example of what a doom/death metal act can do. The album features strong production values and has a timeless quality that makes this a keeper.

Recommended.

Misguided Aggression - Behind the Scenes of the Kingdom Come video

From the press release: "Our Kingdom Come" comes off Misguided Aggression's debut album "Hatchala", which was recently released by Year of the Sun Records. The album was recorded at Icehouse Studios by producer Thomas Ireland and mixes bone crushing brutality with head-banging grooves to create the soundtrack to a drunken bar brawl between Lamb of God and Meshuggah. Sputnik Music hailed the album as, "One of the neatest records of extreme metal from an upcoming band I've heard in quite a while."

Streets of Blood - Red Band Trailer

This looks kind of fun, but also kind of goofy. It is set in New Orleans and follows the war on drugs. It stars Val Kilmer with a bad accent, 50 Cent, Sharon Stone, and Michael Biehn.

Behemoth - preview of the Evangelion Digipak

Behemoth unleash preview of “Evangelion” DVD bonus footageBehemoth's Evangelion will be released in North America as a digi-pak containing the record as well as a bonus DVD that follows Behemoth throughout the recording process. The footage was shot while the band forged Evangelion between January and May of 2009. Fans can view a sneak preview of this footage right now on TheGauntlet.com! Evangelion was recorded in the band's hometown at Radio Gdansk studio with longtime sound engineer Malta, the Wieslawscy Brothers, and Daniel Bergstrand (drum engineering) in the producers' chairs. Evangelion was mixed in Miloco Studios by Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Slipknot, Carcass, Napalm Death) and will be unleashed in the US on August 11th via Metal Blade Records.

DVD Pick of the Week: Pushing Daisies - The Complete Second Season

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope 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 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.

Where last week was rather weak, this week is stacked with a number of titles that I need to get my hands on. It is definitely a case of feast or famine. This week had four contenders for the top spot.

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season (also Blu-ray). ABC recently burned off the remaining episodes of this series late on Saturday night (then did the same thing for the very good but little watched Kings). It is cases like that makes me angry at anyone who tells me there is nothing good on television. If there isn't anything good on, you aren't looking. While shows like this languish and are ultimately canceled is just sad. Meanwhile shows like Two and a Half Men and American Idol are allowed to thrive. It boggles my mind. Pushing Daisies is a brilliant show cut down well before its time. It stars a wonderful ensemble led by Lee Pace and Anna Freel. It can be summed up by this line delivered by Pace: "My name is Ned, I make Pies and wake the dead." Sure, it sounds rather morbid, but the show has life and vibrancy, it was magical and funny, thrilling, and romantic. It is one of the most original shows to reach the small screen in some time and now we will not get any more of it. Do yourself a favor, buy it, rent it, find it ABC.com, just watch it.

Coraline (also Blu-ray). Writer/director Henry Selick has crafted a film that transcends what might traditionally be called a kids' film. It is a movie that offers up a dark fantasy nightmare for children that tempers its threat with an empowering heroine. It is a story that anyone who was ever a child can identify with, and is dealt with using an intelligence that does not pander to children nor does it talk down to them. It deals with the material with a maturity that belies the mainstream view of it as a kids' film. This is a story about a young girl living in a new home, ignored by her parents and looking for adventure. She gets more than she can handle when she discovers an alternate world where things are, shall we say, off. This is a beautiful and delightful movie that everyone should watch.

Watchmen (also Blu-ray). Based on the graphic novel, which was said to be unfilmable,Watchmen arrived amid great hype earlier this year. When you look at it on paper, the plot seems to be a little conventional. Fortunately, the story is much more layered and complex than I am willing to do justice here. This is a film that eschews standards of action and character development in favor of developing a world that exists in the gray area between good and evil, where motives and methods play both sides of the fence in the service of what may or may not be the greater good. There are many layers to peel through on the narrative side, but it is also an absolute visual feast. Definitely going to look good on Blu-ray. The question is whether to get it now or wait for the inevitable mega-set (which I believe is set to arrive in the Fall). It is available in Blu-ray, two-disk DVD, and single disk DVD and feature a new Director's Cut, which is 24 minutes longer, as well as single disk widescreen and single disk widescreen theatrical cut. Too many choices!

Prison Break: The Final Break (also Blu-ray). This is essentially two episodes strung together that cover the the events leading up to Michael's death at the end of the series finale. I have not seen this, so I am not sure how good it is. I cannot imagine it being that great, as the last season was not all that strong.

Monk: Season Seven. I was sad to see this series end, but it is and we will just have to live with the DVD's. Tony Shalhoub is perfectly cast as the defective detective. For seven years he, along with his assistant, played in the latter seasons by Traylor Howard, worked alongside the police to uncover criminals while he also deals with the loss of his wife (which happened before the season started). The show is funny, sad, and satisfying, definitely worth the time.

Psych: The Complete Third Season. This show was perfectly paired with Monk for its first couple of seasons. This show is very easy to watch, it is none too serious, yet is still involving and has likable characters. It centers on a guy who has great skills of deduction and memory, he uses these skills to make people believe he is a psychic and works alongside the police to solve crimes.
Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods. Recut, remastered, with new effects work and new scenes, this is the premiere episode of the long running science fiction series inspired by the Kurt Russell film. It ran for five seasons on Showtime before jumping to the SciFi Channel for another five seasons. Whether or not the change makes in any better, I cannot say yet. I do look forward to checking it out.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars - Episode II. The first installment of this themed clip show was hilarious. I can only hope that the second one is as good. I do not watch this show with any regularity, but when I do, their skewering of pop culture with action figures is pretty darn funny.

300: The Complete Experience (Blu-ray). iThe 300 is already getting the Blu-ray double dip, and from what I understand it is worthy of it. I have read that the initial disk did not look all that good. This new release is in Blu-ray book format with a nicely bound book with interviews and information about the film, while the dis itself has a couple of new features and a new in movie experience. The movie itself is a fantastic one, telling a mythical version of the battle of the Hot Gates. It seems appropriate that this is released the same day as Zack Snyder's latest film, Watchmen.

Echelon Conspiracy (also Blu-ray). This is a movie I know very little about and did not open that wide in theaters. The science fiction thriller is being released through After Dark Films, more known for their low budget horror offerings. The story centers on a young engineer and a one of a kind cell phone that seems to offer up everything the young man desires, and also makes him a target. Shane West (ER) stars alongside Ving Rhames, Ed Burns, Jonathan Pryce, and Martin Sheen. It should also be said that the trailer is awfully reminiscent of Eagle Eye.

Box Office Update 7/17-7/19: Harry Potter Casts His Spell on the Box

The final blockbuster of the summer season got off to a roaring start, taking in $58 million when it opened on Wednesday. I wonder how much higher it would have been had the IMAX theaters been able to open as was originally planned. In any case, it rolled to a decisive victory over the third Ice Age film, of course, it was also the only choice for the weekend on the national scale. It had no competition from any other new releases.

The sixth film in the boy wizard franchise rolled to a take north of $77 million on its way to a five day take of $158 million. Now that is nothing to sneeze at. The movie has received generally positive reviews, and while I did like it, I do not think it was near the best the series has to offer. It slumped due to some weak acting and a screenplay that did not really "nail" it. Still the series has a lot to offer and is definitely worth experiencing on the big screen.

The rest of the box office was pretty steady with most movies holding strong carryover audiences from last week. That is with one major exception. Last week's winner, Bruno, slipped from first to fourth and lost nearly 73% of its revenue. That is just staggering and it makes me wonder if I may be right about Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy having an expiration date. By comparison, Borat took in $26 million its first weekend and $28 million its next and had a pretty regular percentage drop across its run, not being quite as precipitous as this. Still, Cohen should be commended for his brave pursuit of extreme comedy blended with social commentary.

Among the returning films I think the biggest story is The Hangover. It fell a mere 17% this weekend as it continues to distance itself from the double century mark. Would you believe, in unadjusted dollars, it is the third highest grossing R-rated movie of all time? I know, I didn't believe it either. It is the biggest R-rated comedy, having bypassed both Wedding Crashers and Beverly Hills Cop, and overall trails only The Matrix Reloaded and The Passion of the Christ. I do not believe it will reach either of those two, but it is still a phenomenal run for a film I did not believe had a chance of getting anywhere near this level of popularity. On top of it all, it is a funny movie.

Next week will see a few new movies enter the race. Disney's G-Force will poach 3D screens away from Ice Age and attempt to entertain the youngsters. The Gerard Butler/Katherine Heigl romantic comedy The Ugly Truth arrives, and it is R-rated, which surprised me as the trailers had PG-13 written all over them. Finally, The Orphan hits theaters and looks downright creepy. It does not feel terribly original, but I look forward to see what it has to offer.

One movie dropped off the top ten this week: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (11).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	Bruno	$30,619,130	$30,619,130	1
2	2	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$27,607,497	$119,680,193	2
3	1	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$24,213,875	$339,221,800	3
4	3	Public Enemies	$13,794,240	$66,221,110	2
5	4	The Proposal	$10,603,884	$113,861,076	4
6	5	The Hangover	$9,933,238	$222,444,906	6
7	N	I Love You, Beth Cooper	$4,919,433	$4,919,433	1
8	6	Up	$4,715,746	$273,834,761	7
9	7	My Sister's Keeper	$4,294,382	$35,915,782	3
10	8	The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3	$1,543,516	$61,437,955	5

Box Office Predictions Recap
As I review my picks for the week, I have an overriding feeling of "meh-ness". I know that isn't a real word, but it about sums up my feelings about this weekend's guesses versus the actuals. In most cases I was not all that far off, but I still do not feel all that great about the few wins that I had. I turned out to have seriously overestimated the three day take for Harry Potter, I got a little over-anxious on the heels of that $58 million opening day. Perhaps if they were able to open IMAX I would have been closer. My other big miss was with Bruno. I should have known, the movie is not nearly the phenomenon that Borat was and it looks like it is going to make a quick exit.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
1	1	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	$77,835,727	$101 million
2	2	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$17,561,406	$17 million
3	3	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$13,691,487	$16 million
4	4	Bruno	$8,318,385	$14 million
7	5	Public Enemies	$7,748,235	$8 million
5	6	The Proposal	$8,289,707	$6 million
6	7	The Hangover	$8,177,272	$5.5 million
8	8	Up	$3,172,014	$3 million
10	9	I Love You, Beth Cooper	$2,766,863	$2.5 million
9	10	My Sister's Keeper	$2,828,367	$2 million

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Six movies in and the popular franchise does not feel like it is losing any steam. It sort of makes me wonder what will happen once the final movie has played. I cannot believe the studio would let the lucrative franchise languish following such a great run. You know how studios think, milk it until it is dry. Will we see continuing adventures as adults? Perhaps a spin off featuring minor characters? Maybe in this remake/prequel driven market we will see the adventures of Harry's parents or the series restarted with a younger cast and a darker/edgier take on the material? Then again,perhaps not. Until something like that happens, I will choose to just enjoy the movies as they come. The Half-Blood Prince proves to be a good follow up to Order of the Phoenix, although not quite its equal.

I sat there enjoying the story as it played out in front of me, the spells and potions flashing, angsty, emotion filled youth struggling with the weight of reality and the onset of young adulthood, while the adults pondered weighty issues and that will have n effect on all of them. All things considered, it is rather melodramatic, but it plays well as a compelling and well-rounded story that adds much texture to the bigger picture of the film series at large.

However, as much as is packed into these stories, I wonder just how much more is in the book. This thought is buoyed by the faces of disappointed Potter-heads I witnessed on my way out of the theater. They were complaining about all the stuff that was in the book that failed to make it to the movie. You would think that with six movies down, they would realize by now that the movies are going to be different than the books. They will generally be accurate, but changes are inevitable. People really need to stop comparing the two mediums so strictly, different things work in different places and you will never see a complete, word for word adaptation of anything.

With that out of my system, let's take a look at the movie.

The movie begins with an attack by the Death Eaters on the muggle world. They take out a bridge filled with people on their out of town, which also features the kidnapping of, who I presume to be, a shop owner. It was the shop in that magic alley where Harry got his first wand in the The Sorceror's Stone. The scene then shifts to the London Underground where Harry is in a cafe reading a newspaper. His reading is interrupted by a little flirting with the cute waitress. Unfortunately, this fun is not to last or turn into anything more as Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) appears across the way on the train platform. Duty calls.

The movie has two primary threads. One concerns Harry and Dumbledore seeking to stop the return of Voldemort to power. Harry is the "Chosen One" after all, he needs to be there on the front line when he makes his ultimate move on Hogwarts. That is the serious underpinning of this film and the series as a whole. As this film builds towards its climax, it is easy to see that darker, more dire events are still to come in the two film conclusion.

The other thread is a bit more traditional and in line with teen coming of age dramas. One of the most interesting facets of this series is watching the characters grow up. Each successive film brings them to the next level. They began as wide-eyed kids, filled with wonder at the new magical world that was unfolding before them, reflected by the way Hogwarts was presented. Over the course of the series, the home away from home for student wizards has gradually become a more ominous place, possibly most prominent by the gothic halls of The Half-Blood Prince.

Besides the darker look the film sports, the kids themselves are having typical teen related issues. They are getting into the dating scene, becoming the elder class of the school, having changing relationships with the teaching staff, and are looked up to by the incoming students. We have literally watched them grow up over the course of six movies. I cannot think of any other series of films that have given us this unprecedented opportunity. Where else can you track the maturing of fictional characters through the eyes of the actors who are growing up with them? If nothing else, this is a reason to celebrate the series.

I am not even going to attempt to dig into the story, I will leave that to the true Potter fans. I will, however, say that the story is engrossing, buoyed by the relationships that have grown and changed over the series. The relationships are very good in this film, although they are occasionally let down by mediocre acting and script.

The acting of The Half-Blood Prince is a little odd in places. There are moments where the line delivery feels like an outtake, or at the very least, lines written for someone else. This is most evident with Dumbledore and Potter, they seem rather awkward. At other times, I am quite intrigued by the duo's interaction, the respected mentor/prized student relationship does pay off wonderfully in the end. As for the remaining cast members, Emma Watson's Hermione and Rupert Grint's Ron do decent jobs, steady as always. When it comes to the real star of the show, look no further than Alan Rickman. His performance of Severus Snape is fantastic. He has a way of turning a line, injecting such delicious character into each line. He is just great to watch.

David Yates, who also directed The Order of the Phoenix, will be at the helm for the remainder of the series. Yates may not be the best director to tackle the series (that would go to Alfonso Cuaron), but he does seem to have a grasp on how to approach the series and has done a good job through the two film so far. There is something to be said for consistency of vision as we steam towards the end and they could have done a lot worse than Yates in what has been the first real test of his skills as a big screen director.

Steve Kloves returns to the series as screenwriter after not working on Order of the Phoenix. It is decent screenplay, although some of the lines do not ring true. Perhaps he just needs to get back in the groove as his work has generally been solid. It gets the job done, but I cannot help but feel it could have had a more natural feel.

The Half-Blood Prince has some great visual moments, such as the Death Eater segment at the start of the film, Harry and Dumbledore in the cavern, Harry and Draco in the washroom, and Bellatrix in the Great Hall all stand out as being memorable.

Bottomline. Overall, the series has been solid, if not quite as spectacular as many would like them to be or believe them to be. It is a series to be celebrated for what it is doing and more often than not succeeding at. This entry probably falls somewhere in the middle in terms of quality, although all of them fall pretty close to the other. This definitely something to experience on the big screen, just keep your expectations in check.

Recommended.

Concert Review: Unearth w/ For the Fallen Dreams, Woe of Tyrants, Starring Janet Leigh (Poughkeepsie, NY 7/17/09)

Unearth is one of those bands that I was a little slow to discover. To be honest, I was caught a little behind the eight-ball as metalcore began its rise to prominence some years ago with the likes of Unearth, Killswitch Engage, and Shadows Fall. Still, once I discovered it, these upper echelon bands of the genre stood out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. Since my discovery I have had the pleasure of seeing Unearth a total of three times, twice back in 2007 and then this past Friday night. Each time has spawned a memorable performance filled with high energy and top notch performances.

This evening began earlier than the time stated at The Chance's website. This faux pas caused me to miss the first two bands. They were local acts selected to join the main touring party, and from what I heard, they both put on good performances, even acknowledged by the main acts. The two bands were Trapnote and Talionis. The former I have seen on a few occasions, but not in quite some time, but they were definitely on the rise the last time I saw them. Hopefully I will get a chance to see them at some point in the near future. The other, Talionis, is a name I have seen, but have not yet heard them. One of the band members was passing out samplers after the show, so I snagged one of them, but have not yet listened.

As I walked into the club, Starring Janet Leigh was getting ready for their set. They were in the process of finishing their sound check, so I headed straight for the bar and got myself a Heineken. You know, just a little something to get the evening going. I the proceeded down to the middle level of the small club, bordering the pit in front of the stage, so as to get a good view of the stage.

Almost like they were cued, no sooner had I taken up residence in the best spot I could find, the Canadian metal outfit tore into their set. I mean "tore" quite literally. For about 25-minutes, Starring Janet Leigh were a metallic force to be reckoned with. They are a fusion of death, extreme, progressive, grind, and even a little jazz, the end result being totally mesmerizing and considerably different than your normal metal experience. The vocals are of the typical growled variety, but what makes them standout are the musicians. In particular, the guitar and drums were spectacular. The drummer was blazing fast and was all over the kit playing odd riffs and time signatures, ripping through roles, slowing down to play soft jazz patterns before immediate acceleration back into the heavy stuff. Meanwhile, the guitars were all over the place, using a variety of different sounds within each song, it was like he was tap dancing over the foot pedals in addition to keeping his fingers flying over the right notes. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Next up was Woe of Tyrants, hailing from Ohio, this up and coming act has just begun its march across America. They debuted in 2007 with an independent release and made their national debut this year with Metal Blade records. Much like Starring Janet Leigh, they wasted no time getting out there and ripping up the stage. The five-piece brought heavy death/metalcore sounds to the crowd in relentlessly brutal fashion.

These guys new one speed, fast. At no point do they slow down, take a breath, nothing. As good as the were, I fear they may burn out fast. It has to do with vocalist Chris Catanzaro, he is going all out from the first word, the way he distorts his voice into these twisted growls, I fear he is going to destroy his vocal cords. Everything was at a high level, you could see his throat straining, the veins pulsing, and his face turning red. It is actually kind of scary. I hope that he finds a safer way of singing because this band is good and I would hate to see them get sidelined by blown vocal chords. It would not be the first time in recent years a singer has had to modify his style.

The final warm up act was For the Fallen Dreams. They arrived on stage with no less energy than the two bands prior, but there was something about them that I did not particularly care for. The music just did not hit me with any force. Maybe it was the mix, maybe they were off their game, perhaps I just genuinely didn't care about it. Whatever the truth is, despite the energy with which they attacked the stage and the love being given back by the crowd, I just did not connect. It did seem like I was on the outside looking in, considering the warm reception they received. Frankly, I do not have much to say about them, aside from knowing they will be back in town in a few weeks with the Thrash and Burn tour that is being headlined by Devildriver.

Finally, the band that everyone in the smallish crowd was waiting for, the mighty Massachusetts-bred Unearth! Which brings me to a point before going any further. Where was everybody? Sure, there were people there, but not enough. With Unearth playing that place should have been packed to the sky. It was embarrassing for the local metal fan community to have such a light turnout. Reminds me of not long ago when Shadows Fall sold a total of 17 tickets and had to cancel. I know the economy isn't the greatest and many (most) shows are not selling out, but I am sure we could have had a better showing than we had. Now, on with the show!

Unearth is an amazing act, their music perfectly blends the brutality of hardcore and the technical precision of metal. They mix until ready and serves as many as will have it or can stand it This performance was as good or better than the prior two times. They went at it with reckless abandon, brutal when they needed to be, precise when they needed to be, but always playing to the crowd.

It Buz McGrath is a wild man on stage, running around, ripping through riffs and leads, mooning the audience, jumping off his speaker cabinet, he will not be contained. Meanwhile, Trevor Phipps is a solid frontman, keeping everyone involved with the festivities while growling, screaming, and singing his lungs out.

When their set ended, the small but loud crowd would have none of it, imploring them to come back for "One-More-Song" (and repeat). This eventually got the lights flashing in time followed by the band's return to the stage for just that, one more song. They closed the night strong, performing perfectly and leaving the crowd thirsting for more.

The set list included such songs as "My Will Be Done," "Giles," "Sanctity of Brothers," "Endless," "This Time was Mine," "Crow Killer," "Zombie Autopilot," "We Are Not Anonymous," and "Black Hearts Now Reign."

Click HERE to see a photo gallery of pictures I took of Unearth.

DVD Review: Gas-s-s-s

If you look in different places you will find the title in two different formats. the DVD cover and the trailer list it as Gas-s-s-s, while the title card on the film says Gas! or It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It (clearly an homage to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb). Whichever way you choose to take the title, it is an odd one to be sure. As for the movie itself? I feel pretty confident in saying I have not seen a movie quite this trippy in a long time, and I have seen some pretty out there movies. It is the sort of movie you are either going to get behind and enjoy the heck out of it, or you going to turn it off in a matter of minutes, never to look at it again. To take that a step further, if you watch it while enhanced in some manner, it could very well become your new favorite movie of all time. (the author and this site in no way, shape, or form advocate becoming enhanced while watching movies.)

Released in 1971, Gas-s-s-s is one of the last films that Roger Corman ever directed. He had a couple of films released the same year, followed by a couple unofficially directed films in the next decade. The only other film he has directed since is 1990's Frankenstein Unbound with Raul Julia. Corman is a legend in the business, but sometimes you have to wonder just what in the world he was thinking. This movie is seriously out there, has only a gossamer thread of a plot to follow and there is virtually no flow from one sequence to the next. It is more like a loosely connected sketch show that relies on music to carry you from one place to the next.

This movie brings together all sorts of ideas into one big melting pot where the ingredients don't really want to place nice. It is the kind of film that probably graced many drive in and grindhouse screens. Think about the union of the hippie road movie, post-apocalyptic thriller, science fiction, comedy, and drama. Mind blowing, ain't it?

The film begins with a crudely drawn, yet highly effective opening sequence that has a military man (who talks like John Wayne) and a government official in Alaska giving an opening ceremony for some new chemical warfare plant to some Eskimos (are there Eskimos in Alaska?). Something goes wrong and a gas is released that causes the metabolism in people over the age of 25 to speed up, resulting in a quick death by old age. What happens after this is a subversion of the American way as society breaks down and people squabble over how to best run this new emerging world.

The story centers on an evolving group of hippies who choose to leave their Texas town, which has been carved up into smaller states with their own sets of rules. Their destination? A commune in New Mexico where people of like minds are gathering. Along the way the come across cowboy car thieves, football fascists who call themselves the Warriors and have the motto "Rape, Pillage, Loot," (perhaps an influence for The Warriors? perhaps), and a whole assortment of hippies and the like, even featuring an appearance by Country Joe & the Fish.

The movie almost defies explanation. It is put together in such a haphazard fashion that it is really hard to get into it. Still, there is no denying that Roger Corman and writer George Armitage (who would go on to direct films Grosse Point Blank and The Big Bounce) are attempting to make a statement on the country as the 1960's come to a close. The idea of using a post-apocalyptic type set up to tell the story is a rather ingenious one, it is rather effective in breaking up the young populace, throwing them into sudden turmoil where they must come face to face with the world's baser instincts.

With all of that said, the film is seriously goofy. For example, there is a shootout where they fire at each other by saying the names of Western film stars, or another where a flasher goes up to a few people in succession and gets no response until he comes across a cop, and don't even get me started on the love scene ("Arrowfeather!"). We also get dune buggy chases (with the football players) and a golf cart chase (with the Hell's Angels). This movie is all over the map. Then there is the rape sequence, it is not graphic, but it is rather bizarre with how matter-of-factly it is dealt with (I thought that was left to Euro-horror).

Roger Corman is a prolific film producer who works very often on a shoestring budget, and that is quite evident here. He also shows his eye for talent. Over the course of his career in the industry, he has had the opportunity to work with some recognizable names early in their career. This movie features Cindy Williams and Ben Vereen in early roles.

Audio/Video. The transfer is quite solid. The movie definitely shows its age and budget on its sleeve, but the transfer is clean, clear, and devoid of most blemishes. There is a good deal of grain present. I am quite pleased with the look of the film, it is considerably nicer than I was expecting. The same goes for the audio, which definitely shows its age, but still is quite clear and crisp, although you can see where some of the dubbing does no quite match up. Still, it is hard to complain about he quality, a good job was done on a film that probably does not deserve it.

Extras. The film has no extras aside from the original trailer. However, this is a part of the four disk Roger Corman Collection, featuring eight films. Gas-s-s-s shares a disk with the Peter Fonda starring The Trip. The box set pretty much makes up for the lack of extras on this movie.

Bottomline. Whether or not Corman and Armitage were actually trying to make a statement or if they were simply seeking to exploit the end of the era is up in the air. No matter how you want to slice it, the film is unique. I cannot say I have any great desire to watch it again, but it was mesmerizing to watch unfold in its decidedly non-traditional fashion. For the curious, it is definitely worth a peek.

Mildly Recommended.