"Sophie's choice just got a whole lot easier."
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monster Movie of the Week: Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1995)
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Genre: Daikaiju eiga (Japanese giant monster movie)
THE MOVIE:
Poor Gamera. For years he was viciously mocked on MST3K and for good reason. Gamera was created to capitalize on the kaiju craze in the mid 60’s. He starred in a bunch of Godzilla ripoff movies that were cheaply made and designed to appeal to children.
You brought this on yourself, Gamera.
Even for a giant monster, Gamera is ridiculous: He is an 80 meter tall bipedal turtle who is a “friend to all children,” with the ability to retract his extremities into his shell and replace them with jets which allow him to fly around like a pin-wheeling UFO. Makes Mothra seem downright plausible, doesn’t it?
So when Daiei studios resurrected the character in the mid 90’s to compete with the revitalized Godzilla series nobody expected much. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was a pleasant surprise in that was at least as good as any of the contemporary Godzilla movies (in fact, it was released the same year as Godzilla vs. Destroyah). The movie even garnered a positive review from none other than Roger Ebert (who relishes its sense of fun while failing to contextualize it as an important giant monster movie).
The movie itself is standard kaiju stuff. Gamera awakens from a long slumber to defend
The bad thing about being Gamera, is that when you smile you run the risk of poking your eye out.
THE MONSTER/EFFECTS:
The special effects certainly are not up to
The Gyaos effects in particular are bad. Some shots are very clearly puppets and the wings don’t to seem to beat fast enough to keep the animal in flight (a disorder I call Rodanitis.) The Gyaos design is also a little too retro for my tastes.
Gamera is well-realized and nicely updated from his Showa roots. The suit is a little bulky here but improves throughout the series.
Kowabunga dude!
MONSTERS FEATURED:
Gamera and Gyaos.
MOST MEMORABLE SEQUENCE:
There is a wonderful shot of Gyaos in silhouette, perched on the remains of
The noble kaiju in its natural habitat (the ruins of a Japanese building).
HOME VIDEO AVAILABILITY:
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was released on DVD in the
The movie is also available in a cheapo Bluray set with Gamera 2. Still, it's kind of cool to be able to watch Gamera on Bluray, even if it isn't a loving restoration packed with extras.
Actually it's rather understated for a Japanese movie poster.
SEQUELS:
Gamera 2: The Attack of Legion, Gamera 3: The Revenge of Irys.
SEE ALSO:
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidora: Giant Monsters All Out Attack.
TRAILER:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
2009: The Musical That Was.
2009 is about to be up and out of here in a minute kids and here's a quick look back at the musica that gave me that crunch up my face, Gaahd Damn, who the hell is this feeling. WARNING! ACHTUNG! FIJATE! Not all of these songs were released in 2009. Don't consider that a cheat, consider more that these are the songs that made me clutch my chest, that made me smile, that made me think of someone special, that made me have my solo dance parties, that I'm gonna play at my next house party (soon people), that made me sing out loud, that made me ignore you on the train, that made me think everything is alright if you got your music with you.
"Zero" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from the album It's Blitz: Go ahead, ask me how I feel about Karen O. I wish you would. I am a fan and if you ever meet her you do me a favor and let her know my name is Ricky. This is the album that makes the convincing argument that dancing with a girl in a blue cape is something we should all strive for.
"Talking 'Bout My Baby" by Fatboy Slim from the album Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars: Here's what you do. On a nice summer day, when you wake up next to your wonderful woman and she says, "What are we gonna do today baby?". You play this song for her and you just belt out those vocals to her. "Under the big bright yellow sun!". Thass right.
"Gettin' Up" by Q-Tip from the album The Renaissance: "Ahhhh! Here's my Q-Tip!" That was the reaction a lot of us had when we heard "Gettin' Up" after we were all a little disappointed with his first album Amplified. The Renaissance made us realize again that "what good is a ear if a Q-Tip isn't in it.". And for the record I would wear every outfit that Tip rocks in the video. Red military blazer, fox hat, shorts, big rimmed glasses. I'll rock that no doubt.
"Show You The Way To Go" by The Jacksons from the album The Jacksons: I never would have known of this song had it not been for the Michael Jackson Tribute mix made by DJ Premier shortly after Michael died. The mix is hot. Talk to that. This cut is one reason why. Young Michael in full dance floor R&B smooth swagger mode.
"Sooner Or Later" by N.E.R.D. from the album Seeing Sounds: "Sooner or later it all comes crashing down.". Well crashing never sounded so good. Enjoy the crash, and the cymbals, and the sick guitar solo, and "It's Over! Leave It!".
"It's Your's" by Jon Cutler Feat. E-Man (Tiefschwarz Vocal) from the album After The Playboy Mansion [Disc2]: You like housing it up? You like feeling good about yourself at the same time? Would you like to combine those two feelings? Then this song would like to talk to you for a minute.
"Make Her Say" by Kid Cudi Feat. Kanye West and Common from the album Man On The Moon: End Of Day: "Day N' Night" was Cudi's big hit and the obvious choice but as much as I loved it I gotta go with "Make Her Say". The old school drum beat, the scratches, and the guest vocals by Kanye and Common put this one on top. Especially Common's verse "They say you be on that conscious tip, get your head right and get up on this conscious dick."
"New Wu" by Raekwon from the album Built For Cuban Linx Pt.II: Throw your W's up. Don't fight that lip curl that happens while you listen to this. That is the natural Wu Tang reaction at work. Embrace it. Wu Tang International.
"Thank You" Jay-Z from the album The Blueprint 3: Thank you Hector for giving me this album. You're welcome to everybody who got a copy from me.
"JuJu" by Black Coffee feat. Zakes Bantwini from the album Home Brewed: I heard this song courtesy of Mario Romay from Groove Parlor and believe me when I tell you everyone in the spot turned and looked over at him like, "What is this?!?"
"I Don't Need It" by Jamie Foxx from the album Intuition: I heard this on the Mediterranean Sea. I danced to it in a palace in Istanbul. DJ Sadie and Madrid Perry. Thank you.
"Funky Kingston" by Toots & The Maytals: The first thing that's gonna happen is your leg is gonna start bouncing, then you're gonna put your fist up, then you're just gonna be magically stoned. Enjoy. Thank you James Fritz.
There was more, a lot more that I could have put on here but that's just a taste of what the musical good times were like this year. Thanks to everybody who gave me music this year: Groove Parlor, Paul, Angel, Fritz, Hector, Gusto, Becky, Evan, Zo, Josh, Michael, etc., You don't know how happy it makes me.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monster Movie of the Week: HOLIDAY EDITION Gremlins (1984)
GREMLINS (1984)
Director: Joe Dante
Genre: Horror/Comedy/Holiday
THE MOVIE
Joe Dante’s Gremlins created a good bit of controversy when it was released in 1984. It was advertised as a PG rated, Steven Spielberg-produced kids movie featuring a friendship between a teenager and his fuzzy little pet, Gizmo. The promotional materials made the movie seem like it would be the next E.T. When parents took their kids to see it, however, they found themselves in a sometimes violent, scary and black humored hybrid of horror and comedy and Christmas movie. Directly because of Gremlins and Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom the PG-13 rating was created. And of course, Joe Dante’s movie inspired a ton of movies in the 1980’s that featured mischievous pint sized monsters.
Holy shit, that's cute.
Looking back on it, I found the movie deeply satisfying as an eight-year old. Gremlins had everything my young mind wanted in a movie: a cute and exotic little pet, scares, plenty of gore, and an anarchic sense of humor. It was one of those times in your life the right movie hits your at the exact time when you are ready to appreciate it. So while, Gremlins is not exactly a kids movie, at the same time it really is a movie that is perfect for kids. It is scary but not too scary, it is smart but not too smart, gory but not too gory. Okay, maybe some parts of it are too gory. But at least it is gremlin gore and not human gore.
The reason why Gremlins is the best Christmas movie ever.
Gremlins is the story of Billy Peltzer, a teenager who receives a special pet from his father. The pet was bought in a mysterious shop in Chinatown and it is a little animal called a mogwai. Billy’s father names it Gizmo and relays three very important rules to his son: Keep it out of the light, sunlight will kill it. Don’t get it wet. Never ever feed it after midnight. Of course, each of these rules gets broken during the course of the movie. When some water is spilt on little Gizmo, he produces a number of little fluffballs that become new mogwai. Worse of all, while Gizmo is cute and sweet, the new mogwai are all little a-holes. When Billy accidentally feeds the new critters after midnight they molt into creepy cocoons like something out of Alien. The cocoons hatch into toothy and sharp-clawed gremlins who reproduce and wreak havoc in the town.
Stickers, trading cards, gum. What more can you ask for?
THE MONSTER/EFFECTS
There are few movie characters who can go toe to toe with Gizmo in absolute cuteness. And it is not an annoying cuteness like an Ewok or Minya. Gizno is just genuinely adorable and he has been known to reduce grown men into cooing Japanese school girls. He’s just that damn cute.
A lot of people don't know this, but Gizmo was the original composer of Axel's theme from Beverly Hills Cop. It's true.
The cool thing about the movie is that the gremlins are as nasty as Gizmo is cute. They look like anorexic evil Yodas. They dance, shoot each other, eat candy, bite, scratch and raise hell. They are what every little kid really would do without parental supervision, which is why the movie was so popular with kids when it came out.
Both Gizmo and the gremlins are realized through different kinds of puppets and animatronics and even some stop motion with various degrees of success. Some shots look really good, some not so good. Give ‘em a break, it was the early ‘80’s.
DVD AVAILABILITY
A couple of different versions are available. Neither one has too much in terms of extras. I would like to see a superduper deluxe version.
A bluray was just released but I don't think it includes any other features than what were on the Deluxe DVD. Kinda sad since 2009 was the 25th anniversary.
Cutegasm.
MOST MEMORABLE SEQUENCE
There are really quite a few. Seeing it again, I love the sequence where Billy’s mom single-handedly fights off three gremlins that have infested her kitchen. You would think she would just turn around and get the hell out but instead she pulls a Sigourney Weaver and dispatches them with various utensils and appliances, concluding with a sequence where she fights one into a microwave and nukes him.
As a kid, the medicine cabinet scene scared the crap out of me.
SEQUELS
Gremlins 2: The New Batch was released in 1990 and took the series into a wildly comedic
direction. If you liked the bar and movie theater scenes in the original you will love the sequel.
SEE ALSO
Small Soldiers 1998
Gizmo, ka-ka!
MINORITY REPORT
The verdict:
The Black Guy Dies First. Billy’s science professor, who is apparently the only black guy in town is the first to die at the hands of the gremlins.
Also, on a related note, there were charges at the time of the movie's release that the gremlins behaved in what some would consider very stereotypically “black,” ways, particularly in the bar scene.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Ebert, Mookie, And Me.
Roger Ebert loves Spike Lee. I love Spike Lee. Roger Ebert is my boy. Not just because we feel the same way about Spike Lee (it don't hurt though) but because Ebert really knows how to explain a Spike Lee movie. Where I might just let my emotions override what I'm actually trying to say and I just turn into sound effects with the word "Mookie" sprinkled in throughout, Ebert respects the work and effort that Spike Lee puts into his movies and knows how to get that point across. He can explain to you what's happening inside the frame of a Spike Lee shot and he can give solid insight as to what's happening behind the camera. Ebert's been leading the Lee charge from the time "She's Gotta Have It" was released and his opinion/review to watching "Do The Right Thing" when it was first released in Cannes is legend, that is if movie reviewers can have legends.Head over to Roger Ebert's site right now and check out his blog called Great Movies where he discusses great films past and present. Ebert just revisited Spike Lee's "The 25th Hour" starring Edward Norton. If you haven't seen the movie do not read the blog. Actually if you haven't seen "The 25th Hour" go handle that right now then check out Ebert's solid look back on it.
Hey Have You Seen That New The Karate Kid Trailer?
If this movie is about Jaden Smith getting hit with a stick in different scenic backgrounds I will buy it on Bluray.So in Hollywood's ongoing attempt to piss on my childhood they are remaking The Karate Kid. When I say "they" I mean Will Smith so that his son can star in it. You might remember Jaden Smith from his other remake, The Day the Earth Stood Still, in which he played That Kid That You Wanted To Punch In The Face.
"If someone doesn't shut this kid up I will blow the hell out this planet."So now he is playing the old Ralph Machio part in the new movie, only this time it is set in China. And the mentor character is played by Jackie Chan, who teaches him Kung Fu. I don't know at what point Karate comes into it.
You know, I have to say, it actually doesn't look that bad. This could actually be a good English-language role for Jackie Chan as well. You'll remember that Pat Morita earned an Academy Award nomination for playing Mr. Miyagi back in 1984, so maybe Jackie Chan can finally get to show off his acting chops to an American audience.
Jaden Smith, in animated form.Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Hey Have You Seen The New Iron Man 2 Trailer?
Hey it's The Larry Sanders Show starring Iron Man! Actually it's the trailer for Iron Man 2 but that is Mr. Sanders, Garry Shandling himself, starting the trailer off before being joined by Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle as Terrance Howard. Everything regarding Iron Man 2 up to and including this trailer has the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" vibe to it and that's a very good thing. Unless your Terrance Howard. I'll never understand why he's not in this movie but seeing Buck Swope as War Machine is pretty bad ass in my opinion. Enjoy the goodness that is the Iron Man 2 trailer peoples. It arrives in theaters on May 7th, 2010.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monster Movie of the Week: Aliens (1986)
ALIENS (1986)
Director: James Cameron
Genre: Sci Fi/Action
THE MOVIE
It is widely thought that Aliens is one of the rare sequels that is actually better than its predecessor. I love both movies and find it very hard to compare the two. Whereas Alien is a chilling horror film with a distinct British pedigree, Aliens is a rock-em-sock-em ‘80’s American action flick. It is certainly one of director James Cameron’s finest films and it is a seminal piece of action filmmaking. Along with Robocop and Cameron’s earlier film, The Terminator, Aliens helped to launch the hard-core action sub-genre of science fiction films. Cameron’s movie was critically acclaimed for its intensity and the overall quality of its filmmaking. Lead actress Sigourney Weaver received an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Ellen Ripley which something virtually unheard of for a science fiction or action movie.
Which one is Sigourney Weaver, again? I kid!Aliens tells the wholly improbable story of Ripley’s second confrontation with the xenomorphic species first encountered by the Nostromo crew. After having survived her previous encounter with the Alien, Ripley put herself in suspended animation and drifted through space only to be discovered by a salvage craft almost 60 years later. After being reanimated she is held into account by the Weyland Yutani Corporation for the destruction of the Nostromo freighter. Her story about the Alien is ridiculed and she is stripped of her pilot’s license.
When contact is lost with the colony on the world originally investigated by the Nostromo crew, the military enlist Ripley (whose entire life and career have been destroyed by the Alien and her subsequent half century drifting in space) to serve as an adviser with a squadron of Space Marines. Once at the colony, the only survivor they can find is a small girl named Newt who has been living in the air vents. The marines use the computers to track the settlers to an atmosphere processor where they all appear to be gathered. Searching for the colonists, the marines stumble into an Alien nest and are ambushed by the creatures and barely manage to escape. Despite her civilian status, Ripley emerges as the natural leader of this group. The rest of the movie deals with Ripley and the survivors trying to hold off the Aliens in a fortified compound while trying to find a way off world before the reactor explodes.
Deleted scene from Aliens. The marines have set up automated gun turrets to keep the xenomorphs away from the doors. Incidentally, this can also be used at awards shows to keep Kanye West off stage.
While fast paced and action-packed, the movie also takes the time to develop characters and relationships. Aliens explores one of James Cameron’s most recurring themes: the survival of the family unit threatened by extreme circumstances. Ripley almost immediately adopts Newt as a surrogate daughter and risks her own life through out the movie to protect her. Corporal Hicks and Ripley, also develop a gentle affection for one another and these three characters and the family unit they represent are the heart of the movie. The marines as a group, despite their initially annoying macho banter also emerge as a sympathetic family unit.
Interestingly, while the movie is very different in tone from Ridley Scott’s film, it follows a plot structure that is almost identical. Instead of a small group of unarmed humans we have a squadron of galactic marines. Instead of being trapped on a ship, the humans are trapped in a terraforming facility. Instead of escaping from an exploding freighter in an escape pod while the timer counts down, Ripley escapes in a drop ship from an exploding power generator. Instead of an alien drone stowing away on the escape pod, the alien queen stows away (somehow) on the drop ship. Instead of blasting the drone out of the airlock of the escape pod, Ripley blasts the queen out of the airlock of the Sulaco. And so on. I point this out because I think it is interesting how the movie can be so derivative of the original and yet so strikingly different at the same time.
THE MOSTER/EFFECTS
Aliens features the Alien drone slightly redesigned from the creature in the original movie. Overall, they are smaller and less spindly. Gone is the smooth, dome-like head. Instead it is replaced with a smaller ridged head. These have become known as “Cameron Aliens.” Nerdier people than me have speculated that the Cameron Aliens are older than any of the other Aliens featured in the series and that the smooth dome is something that is lost when physical maturity is reached.
Okay, that was a lie. That’s actually my theory.
Aliens also created a life cycle for the creatures that somewhat contradicts the original movie by creating an Alien Queen that lays the eggs which we first saw in Ridley Scott’s movie. Deleted from the theatrical cut of Alien was a scene towards the end of the movie in which Ripley comes across the Alien nest where she finds her crew members being cocooned and being TURNED INO EGGS. So the original idea was that all those eggs in the derelict ship from Alien were actually the crew of that ship. Does this contradict Aliens? Possibly. But I like to think that in the absence of a Queen a drone can produce an egg from a host body.
*adjusts glasses*
The Queen herself was designed by James Cameron for this movie and is a larger more terrifying version of the Alien. She rather looks like a cross between the original Alien, a dinosaur skeleton and Joan Rivers. When we first see her she is disgustingly perched on her bloated, slime-filled egg sack (paging Mr. Lovecraft, your table is ready). Her crowd-pleasing battle with Ripley at the end of the movie is one of science fiction’s most iconic scenes.
The effects in Aliens are clever and largely done in-camera. Cameron uses all of the tools and tricks available to him in 1985 such as extensive miniatures, reverse photography, forced perspective and suitmation. The Aliens here are not designed for long lingering shots but for quick impressions and movement. Cameron tries to make the Aliens move more like living creatures than in the previous movie and he provides us with a variety of movement styles that recall different types of animals. My personal favorite is the quick shot of the Aliens crawling roach-like through an air vent.
Ripley impresses Hicks and Hudson with her pinball prowess.Now, of course, there are some wince-worthy effects moments. We’re talking the mid 1980’s here. The moment I hate the most occurs in the Alien hive while the marines are making there initial exploration. There is a moment when one of the first Aliens we see seems to zip down from the ceiling and rubberly grabs on to a marine and somehow zips back up. Perhaps for the 25th anniversary in 2011 Cameron will give us a Special Edition with some revamped effects.
MONSTERS FEATURED
Dozens of Alien drones, several face huggers, a chest-burster, a queen, and a partridge in a pear tree.
HOME VIDEO AVAILABILITY
Widely available on its own or in a couple of boxed sets with the first three Alien movies or all four.
Sarah Palin takes Bristol on a particularly dangerous moose hunt.I have the Aliens Collectors Edition which is a two DVD set (and I think identical to the one in the Alien Legacy and Alien Quadrilogy sets.) This version contains both the theatrical cut of the movie and the longer, but far superior Director’s Cut, which contains several interesting scenes that were edited from the original cut of the movie, one of which is of vital dramatic importance. This is the scene early in the movie in which Ripley learns that her daughter has recently died while she was frozen in hypersleep. This scene is pivotal as it gives depth to Ripley’s relationship with Newt and helps to explain more clearly why she goes back into the Alien nest looking for her at the end of the movie. This is the version of the movie (or one very like it) that was shown on CBS in the 1990’s and subsequently put onto an exhaustive Laserdisc set. It’s definitely worth checking out even if you are familiar with the theatrical cut of the movie.
Can we tawk?Absent is the infamous scene in which Ripley encounters a cocooned Paul Reiser at the end of the movie. I don’t believe this scene has ever appeared in any broadcast or home video version of the movie.
The Alien Anthology Bluray set is truly beautiful thing, with all of the above features and plenty of Bluray exclusive content, and it offers a customizable way to watch the bonus features according to what you are interested in seeing.
Good thing he didn't have that cornbread, after all.MOST MEMORABLE SEQUENCE
Six words: "Get away from her, you bitch!"
Five words: "Game over, man! Game over!"
SEQUELS:
Followed by Alien 3 (1992) Alien Resurrection (1997) and Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2008) although the two AVP movies are technically prequels.
SEE ALSO:
Starship Troopers (1997)
"Get away from that bitch, you whore!" Or something like that. Whatever.THE TRAILER:
TRIVIA
The scene in which the marines are making their initial survey of the Alien nest in the atmosphere processor is a great example of suspense-building editing. In about a minute of screen time there something like 67 cuts. The resulting scene is an unsettling montage of the marines nervously poking around this unexpectedly creepy environment, grainy first-person video feed from the helmet cams, Burke and Ripley bathed in blue light from the monitors as they observe, and the handheld motion sensor with its eerie beep. You jump from one shot to the next in under a second and you never get a chance to get your bearings before the attack.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monster Movie of the Week: Prophecy (1979)
PROPHECY (1979)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Genre: Eco Horror/Mutation
Ecological horror was all the rage in the 1970’s with a series of well publicized disasters like Three Mile Island and
If you liked Jaws, then you are going to love Paws.
Dr. Verne is sent on an assignment by the EPA to report on a logging operation in rural
Either Maggie is hiding from the Katahdin, or Adrian is seeking refuge from Clubber Lang. Either way I feel bad for her.
The heart of Prophecy is Talia Shire as Dr. Verne’s wife, Maggie as this is a movie that is preoccupied with pregnancy, monstrous birth, mutation and abortion. In a conversation with a female friend, early in the movie, Maggie is told that it is her right “to choose” and that her husband can’t make her have an abortion. Among all of the other things going on in the late ‘70’s, this movie is set in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade. Maggie’s pregnancy is used as an unsettling subplot throughout the movie. There is a great scene later in the movie, well after the two have consumed the some freakishly large river trout where her husband (who is still unaware of her pregnancy) describes to her the effects of consuming mercury-
contaminated food on a fetus. Later in the movie, they discover the pathetic mewling offspring of the monster and it falls to Maggie to take care of the horrible little creature. This imagery is the primary visual on the poster art, which features a monstrous infant in a placental sac. Interestingly, we are left to wonder about the fate of Maggie’s baby. Is it healthy? Does she keep it? Is it perhaps the embryo monster from the poster? Does it become a sort of ecological Rosemary’s Baby?
Manbearpig; it's totally cereal.
THE MONSTER/EFFECTS
Unfortunately, the monster is not quite as cool as the more memorable poster art (which I remember vividly from the Beta Video box at my local video store as a child). As it appears in the moive, it looks somewhat like the offspring of a Grizzly bear and a pig that got burnt in a bad fire. Worse yet is the very unscary way that it waddles around in an unnaturally upright way. It looks as though you could tip it over with a good push.
There are two “cubs” in the movie, one living and one dead. They achieve a certain level of creepiness in that you simultaneously pity and are repulsed by them, not unlike the unfortunate and misshapen infant from David Lynch’s Eraserhead.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
Most people seem to remember the scene in which camper in a sleeping bag is awakened, hops around like an anthropomorphic banana and then is violently swatted against some boulders where he explodes in a pristine ball of white feathers.
DVD AVAILABILITY
It’s on Netflix. Put it in your queue.
Smokey warned us that only we could prevent forest fires but we didn't listen. Now he's going to have to kick some ass.
SEQUELS
None. Too bad. This movie could have had a really cool sequel.
TRAILER
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Talk To This.
This is one of the many reasons I love the CHUD website. If you don't know the site check them out. They write about movies, toys, television, etc.. Here in particular is a great revisit to the movie Rocky. Good reading for you to enjoy.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Jacksons...Are They Your Boys?
I have been on a Jacksons kick lately. Not a Michael Jackson kick. I've heard practically every Michael song there is. No I'm talking about The Jacksons. I know their hits but like every group there's always a song that comes out of the woodwork that makes me go "Who's this?" Then I put on my Indiana Jones outfit and I'm on the quest for the next great cut. This cut here is one of them. This is "Show You The Way To Go" performed in London circa 1979 on the Destiny Tour. I heard this song as part of the DJ Premier Michael Jackson tribute mix that Premier put out not long after Michael passed. The great thing about the mix is that it's predominantly Jackson 5/Jacksons material with some Michael solo cuts sprinkled throughout. If you can get your hands on that mix it will do you no harm. For now enjoy some of this right here. And hey give it up for the Jacksons for them space outfits. Those outfits are proof once again that every musician during the '70's was from Outta Space.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Jay-Z...Is That Your Boy?
Shaun Carter was born December 4th weighing in at 10 pounds 8oz. He was the last of my four children the only one who didn't give me any pain when I gave birth to him and that's how I knew he that he was a special child.And so begins the cut "December 4th" by Jay-Z off the hip hop classic The Black Album which I am bumping right now on this very December 4th 2009. Clearly the album title is a nod to The Beatles The White Album and even more clear is the fact that like The White Album has its status as one of the great rock n' roll albums of all time, The Black Album is one of the best hip hop albums of all time.
I came in late on the Jay-Z fandom. When Jay-Z hit the scene I was not interested. I was so stuck in my time of early '90s hip hop like Tribe, De La, and Pharcyde that anything that even threatened the pedestal that I placed those bands on I would look at with a crooked eye. That's a bad habit I had. Too many people tell me to listen something and I immediately look for the problems with it. "Man screw Jay-Z. You like rappers who use Annie samples huh? Must be how you was raised." Finally someone gave me a copy of The Black Album and I wasn't hearing Jimi, I was listening to Jimi.
I didn't go crazy and buy every Jay-Z album. I just couldn't stop listening to The Black Album. I played "Encore" so much I would mime the opening horns in my terrible Miles Davis impression (it's really bad) no matter where I was listening to it, the shower, the club, the train. Any song on that album causes a reaction. You get that Jay-Z swagger when you hear "What More Can I Say", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "99 Problems" and the track list goes on and on. I have to mention "My 1st Song". That's how you end an album. That song has Rolling Stones status when it comes to ending an album. Listen to the album Exile On Main St. by the Stones and when you get to the final track "Soul Survivor" you feel like you've taken a musical trip with them. The same goes for "My 1st Song".
Then Jay-Z retired and he lost me again. I thought "Who retires from hip hop?". Policemen retire, boxers retire, Carlitos Brigante retired. Rappers don't retire, they just stop rapping until something else comes along. So I bid my adieu to Jay-Z for awhile yet again. And what does Jay-Z do? He comes out of retirement and drops this on me:
To everyone who was around me when "Show Me What You Got" dropped I apologize for playing it to death...PSYCH! You must be out'cho mind if that song don't get you to moving. Play it at a house party the next time you can and see what the reaction is. Shoulders bouncing and heads bobbing. That's what it do.
Now I'm on the lookout for what Jay-Z is gonna do next. What's he gonna do? How will he follow up that monster cut (Kingdom Come as an album is a'ight but "Show Me What You Got" on its own is ridiggilous.)? He makes the soundtrack to Denzel's American Gangster. Yeah that was the sound of my brain exploding.
"I Know" is the best song on that album. You can make your arguments but you'll be making them to a cardboard cut out of me cause ain't nothing you can say that will convince me.So what then? Time goes by. Then I get a gift in an email a little while back that said The Blueprint 3. Download here. What did I do? I do what any intelligent music loving person would do, I downloaded it and this comes banging out my speakers:
That's what Jay was talking about and that's what I been talking about ever since. Think back to the exact moment when you first heard that opening beat drop on "What We Talkin' About". What happened? My neck dropped back right away followed by a "Daaaaaaamn!" How many of you got the album? How many times have you sung "Empire State Of Mind" in your own Alicia Keys impression (it's probably better than my Miles Davis impression)? How many of you said Thank You Jay-Z for The Blueprint 3? You should today. It's Jay-Z's birthday. It's December 4th.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
My Ongoing Mission to Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation
So, I never watched Star Trek: The Next Generation when it was on TV. This odd for several reasons. First, I was a sci-fi geek preteen when it came on in 1987. When I was in high-school most of my friends watched it and quoted it all the time but I stubbornly refused to get into it. I started watching Star Trek: Enterprise a few years ago on DVD and have seen various episodes of different shows and on a whim I have just recently embarked on a mission to watch the whole series of The Next Generation from start to finish.
So far I've learned that Dianna Troi is great at reading basic body language and facial expressions and that, when all else fails, separate the saucer section.
I just watched the episode "Symbiosis" in which the Enterprise and crew stumble upon a ship full of hypes and their dealers. Watching Picard react to the ship's clearly baked captain and crew was hilarious.
In fact, they should do a new show based around a medical marijuana ship which boldly goes, you know, wherever. Maybe nowhere.
"Number 1, what warp factor are we in?"
"Captain, we're not moving."
The episode was a Trek meditation on addiction and promped Tasha Yar to give the following speech:
Um, all I got out of that speech was that "Drugs can make you feel good." In fact, she kind of makes me want to start doing drugs. (I may not be young anymore but I am still impressionable.) And is it just me, or does, she really seem like she knows what she's talking about? Data was looking at her like, "Tasha, shut up." I thought she was going to start rolling up a joint for Wesley Crusher.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)