Fantastic Four,,,,July 8 !

The next big Marvel Comics movie hits theaters on July 8. This time its Marvels' first family the Fantastic Four. FF has always been a big fan favorite and just like the X-Men movies, Marvel has pulled out the big guns to get this done right. So far none of the trailers have been disappointing and the costumes look great. Michael Chiklis, who plays the ever-lovin blue-eyed Thing looks cool, but we will have to see how the costume holds up for the whole movie and in the action sequences. Jessica Alba makes her 2nd comic movie appearance this year (starring in Sin City a few months back) and makes that FF uniform really fill out. This is going to be a big SFX/CGI driven movie, but hopefully they do take the time to develop the characters and not drown us all in special effects. One of the big drawing points of the comic was the interaction between the characters. The relation between Reed and Susan always seemed strained (especially when Namor was around, and Johnny and Ben where always at each others throats while always remaining the best friends. The best FF character has always been The Thing. Just his personality and his dilemma of a man being trapped in a mutated body, but still being the most "human" of the whole group. I can't wait to hear those 3 magic words' "It's Clobberin Time".

King Kong Trailer Online !

The new trailer for the Peter Jackson helmed King Kong is now online. It is truly amazing and makes this look like another blockbuster for Jackson. Whats nice is that unlike other trailers that come out, Jackson pulls no punches with his first trailer and lets us see Kong right off the bat. I was a little surprised when the casting was announced, with Adrien Brody and Jack Black in starring rolls. Brody just didn't fit my view of a adventurer and I just can't see Black doing anything serious. But they both look good in the trailer. Naomi Watts is of coarse just gorgeous like she always is. Make sure to check the trailer out here.

New Release Tuesday and 1/2 !

I was looking through this weeks releases and there is not much worth covering, so I want to cover the good ones from last week that I didn't cover and 2 from this week.

Cursed Unrated Version : Kevin Williamson (the writer of Scream) and Director Wes Craven team up to bring us this modern teen-scene look at werewolves. Christina Ricci (who is very attractive in a way I just can't put my finger on) stars as a sister taking care of her younger brother after their parents die. A accident occurs (or is it) and they are both attacked by a werewolf and take on the curse. This is a interesting movie, and tries to scare you but also injects loads of humor and bloody eye-candy (created by SFX great Rick Baker). We even get to see Scott Baio play as himself. This is a definite see, but make sure you get the unrated version and not the PG-13 version. The disc contains 4 very entertaining featurettes.

Hostage : When you see Director Florent Siri's credits you see that his last job was directing the Splinter Cell video games. This might make you wonder about a feature film, and one that doesn't star a spy sneaking around. Rest assured, he does a good job with a great use of set design and lighting. Bruce Willis gives a solid performance as a retired hostage negotiator who is now a police chief in Ventura Co CA. He faces a major dilemma when a family is taken hostage in a house belonging to a accountant with ties to the mob, and then his own family is taken hostage by those same mob guys. This is a very good adaptation from the book by Robert Crais.

Also make sure to check out these other release:
The Jacket: Very moody film, but if you have seen Tim Robbins in Jacobs Ladder then you have seen this one already.
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Dangerous : Um Ok,,
OZ-Season 5 : One of the best shows on HBO comes back for another 3-disc set.

This week:

The Pacifier : Super tough guy Vin Diesel goes for his softer side in this PG kids-friendly Disney movie. Diesel is a Navy Seal who is sent to protect the family of a scientist, and of coarse then the mother must go out of town and leaves Vin to watch the kids all alone. Is this any way for Riddick to behave. It is a cute movie and Diesel has fun with it, even though it seems forced at points. The dvd has deleted scenes, bloopers and 3 featurettes.

Race With The Devil : This movie was released in 1975 and I remember being scared outa my pants watching this one night on late night TV as a kid. Peter Fonda stars in this tale of 2 couples out camping in their big RV and stumble across a satanic ritual in the woods. The rest of the movie is them running from these people, trying to get to safety. It also has one of the best surprise shock ending of its time.

Hello............I'm Baaaaaack!

After a week off I am finally back and at the computer. My wife and the girls went out of town on a church trip, so I took the opportunity to spend an entire week with my boy just doing guy stuff. So I took some time off work, packed away the lap-top and gave all my attention to him. And what a wonderful week it was, we traveled around to different places,had lunch twice at his new fav resturant Ruby Tuesday, built a 1969 Super-Bee car model, played video games and ate fattening sweets that Mom doesn't let us have and even went to see Batman Begins (review on that will be posted later). So I am sorry if anyone stopped by to look for a "New Release Tuesday" post and found a lot of nothing. I will have it posted tomorrow and also cover a few movies from last week. Also the new "Free DVD Giveaway" will be up this week for the month of July.

Happy Fathers Day.

I was sitting watching tv and it is funny how many commercials come on saying you should buy your dad this gift, or this gift, or even better this gift. I have learned over the years that the best gifts are those made with love from your family. Having 3 kids , I have a over-flowing box of home-made gifts from over the years. I never throw anything out that my kids give me, not even the smallest drawing. There have been times when I have pulled this box out and looked at things and remembered when the kids where small and how much each item means to me.

I can remember as a kid making things for my Dad. Little pictures or that "World's Greatest Dad" sign we always seemed to make at school. As a kid you don't really give much thought to where those items go after you give them. When my father passed away I was packing up some of his stuff in his workshop when I pulled open a drawer and was surprised to find it full of stuff I had made as a kid. In this drawer where the little pictures, the "Worlds Greatest Dad" signs and a little hand print in clay I had made when I was in kindergarten. I sat looking at these little gifts my father had received over the years and cried. Each little gift I had given him meant so much he had kept them safe all these years.

So, if you have kids and you are trying to think of a gift for Dad. Just sit them down and have them draw a picture, make that "Worlds Greatest Dad" sign or even a little hand print in clay. It will mean more to Dad then you will ever know.

Land Of The Dead...June 24th

A few months ago I posted about the upcoming release of George Romero's Land Of The Dead. Now we are only a week away from release and I can guarantee that every horror fan is chomping at the bit for Friday June 24th. It will be fun to see another Dead movie in the theaters. I saw Dawn and Day of the Dead in a packed and it is quite a experience. In fact Day of the Dead was one of the only movies I can remember where they actually checked peoples age before you entered the theater. The official website is up and active with some nice content. Movie-list.com has posted the new "uncensored" trailer in all its bloody glory and also a nice George Romero tribute video. Check them out and prepare yourself for what looks like one heck of a ride.

Duct Tape Voting Has Started !!!!

(06/28/2005 THE VOTING HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED AS OF MIDNIGHT. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED.)

I had to put this post in for my daughter. I was very skeptical when she told me that she was planning on making her dress and her dates tux out of duct tape for prom. But she dove right in and after 4 months of working on it produced an entire outfit from the tape. Not only did she create a beautiful dress,flowers and all (yes all those roses are red duct tape), she created the entire tux right down to the shoes, and even a duct tape pocket watch. Now I know I am being a proud father, but this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen done. The duct tape company hosts a contest and award scholarships to the top outfits. Also they just started a online contest where you can vote for your favorite and the winner wins a special prize. You can follow this link to the page and put in Indiana for the search by state box. My daughters picture is #3436 in the 2nd row. Please take some time to look and if you like her outfits as much as I do please vote for her, or any of the other wonderful outfits in the contest. You can tell that all the kids who entered worked hard.

Batman Begins.........Again.

Back in the 80's I was very excited to see the new Batman movie. Like everyone else I had my doubts about Michael Keaton, but he did a wonderful job and the movie was a monster hit. Batman Returns was just as good and the future looked bright for the franchise. Then suddenly everything started going down-hill. Between the Bat-nipples and Arnold the franchise died a quick and visually painful death. Now, with the impending release of the new movie Batman Begins, my hopes are once again lifted. Early reviews are praising this movie for its visuals and its story. Christain Bale is the perfect actor to fill the Bat-suit, being able to be the playboy Bruce Wayne and the brooding Bat. The previews I have seen look great, showing us action but also the building of the interesting backstory of Bruces' travels and struggles before becoming the Dark Knight. Katie Holmes is also added for eye-candy. I never really looked at her as much of a actress, so hopefully she is not the low point of the movie. I will be going to see the show this weekend at the IMAX theater in Indy with my son and will post some comments afterward.

"Off for another night chasing the Green Fairy!"

New Release Tuesday !

It always seems that the summer months run in spurts when it comes to the weekly releases. So this week is relatively small compared to what's coming next week.

Hitch : Will Smith stars as Alex "Hitch" Hitchens in this comedy/love story. Hitch is a dating consultant who seems to be able to help everyone but himself. Not much for content, but it does make a very enjoyable date movie.

Jaws 30 Anniversary Edition : Ok, I think that Jaws might have taken the lead for a single movie with the most edition. Here is another Anniversary edition. Once again there is no change to the movie itself, only the edition of 2 (that's right,,only 2) featurettes. The first is a new Making Of Jaws 2-hour documentary and the 2nd is a old featurette with a never-before-seen interview with Steven Spielberg interview. I love Jaws, it made me scared of the ocean for years as a kid, but come on,,,,,,,,enough is enough.

Man-Thing : Marvel Comics has had a great run with making some amazing comic book property movies with big hits like X-Men and Spider-Man,,,and that run ends here with the movie about the 3rd tier character Man-Thing. Now for any comic fan you know that Man-Thing was Marvels answer to DC Comics Swamp Thing (a much better character who also spawned 2 horrible movies). This movie was originally made for a theatrical release, but was considered a major flop and ended up on tv on the SCI-FI channel. The DVD is a R rated cut of the film. The film does have some cool visuals but nothing can really save this one.

Road Warriors-Life & Death : Ah,, wrestling. The soap opera for men.My wife picks on me every week when I watch WWE, but I tell her if I miss a week I won't know whats going on in the storylines. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. This dvd collects over 30 matches from one of the greatest tag teams of all time, the Road Warrior (also know as the Legion Of Doom). The is 2-disc set has matches form the AWA,NMA and WWF. The matches cover the early years right up to their last WWF matches before the death of Hawk. It is nice to see some of these early matches, some of which have never been seen before. Now that the WWE holds the rights to just about all the old wrestling films we should start seeing some interesting collections.

Highlander-The Raven : This Highlander off-shoot starred the uber-hot Amanda Derieux as the main character. it was a pretty good tv show, and followed closely the mythology put into play by all the past Highlander movies and series. This 9 disc set has all 22 episodes of the show.

I wanted to take a moment and apologize for the lack of a June Give-Away. The last 2 give-aways went great, but this month has just been too busy and it fell to the wayside. Also money has been a little tight after paying my daughters college tuition. The give-away will be back in July.

Halo Movie Gets A Studio,,,Or 2 !

The latest rumors around the long talked about Halo movie have reached fever pitch last week with the announcement that 2 of Hollywoods biggest studios would be joining forces for the Halo movie. It is rumored that Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox will split the production costs and distribution, with Universal covering North American release and Fox covering the overseas release. This could be great news, because the cash inflow from these studios could ensure that the movie is done right. Part of the proposed contract also states that the studios must adhere to the strict guidelines set by the game developers. this news came out just days after the script penned by "28 Days Later" scribe Alex Garland was delivered to studios. And of coarse Microsoft wouldn't do things the normal way, they had people dress up in full Master Chief armor to deliver the scripts to the studio. I would have loved to see the look on the face of the security guard at the front gate when they showed up that day. No director has been connected to the project yet, but it is said that Ridley Scott, who has already turned it down once, is looking at the project again.

Sin City DVD Announced.

The DVD of the hit movie Sin City has been slated for a Aug. 16th release. Robert Rodriguez has always been a big fan of DVD media and in the past has produced some of the best DVD content out there. The Sin City DVD sounds like it will not disappoint. Rodriguez has said that the 2-disc set will feature the theatrical release of the movie on 1 disc and the 2nd disc will contain a cut of the movie split into its individual stories. Since Sin City was made from the graphic novels written by Frank Miller, the 3 main stories where interwoven to make the released movie. Rodriguez says that this new cut will allow views to watch the individual stories in their entirety. So if you wanted to only watch the "That Yellow Bastard" story (which alone is 45 minutes) you could. Basically allowing the viewer to watch his own cut of the film in any order. Also additional scenes cut from the theatrical release will be added into the stories. This one will defiantly be on the top of my buy list come August.

Nintendo says "NOT TRUE" !

For the past few weeks the net and gamers have been buzzing with rumors that all of the past Nintendo game catalog would be free for download with the new Revolution game console. Well today Nintendo officially stated that this was false, and that the games would be available for a "as yet undetermined" fee. Which goes to show us once again that nothing is ever free. Still this is a good idea and is pretty cool to be able to play some of those classic games. I personally own about every game console from the 2600 Atari to XBOX all in working order, so I still have some of those games to play. But most people are not as big of a techno-geek like me so the Revolution should appeal to a lot of gamers, including those who in the past have ignored Nintendo as the "kids" console.

New Release Tuesday !

Sorry this is coming a little late today. Managed to get myself a raging case of poison ivy that I am trying to get rid of. Some good movies managed to be released today, which makes up for the slow last couple of Tuesdays.

Be Cool : I liked Get Shorty, so I was really looking forward to this sequel starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, The Rock, Andre 300o, Harvey Keitel and Vince Vaughn. Once again are main character is Chili Palmer (Travolta) who wants to get out of the movie business and try his hand at the music biz. The whole cast is great, with The Rock and Andre 3000 getting most of the laughs and helps show that The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) can be more than just a action star. Also it is great to see Travolta and Thurman out on the dance floor again like in the now classic Pulp Fiction. The dvd has a documentary, several featurettes, a gag reel and deleted scenes. Definitely one to go out and pick up.

Seed Of Chucky : After a few delays the 5th movie in the Chucky series finally hits dvd in what is being called a "unrated and fully extended" cut. It's nice to see that this series has finally done what it should have from the start, and that is to not take itself too seriously. Like the last move, Bride Of Chucky, this one injects more comedy into the mix. Chucky now has a slightly gender confused son who Chucky wants to follow in his footsteps. John Waters even makes a appearance just adding to the camp. This is just a guilty pleasure movie and makes a good weekend viewing.

Rescue Me-Season 1 : Always gruff Dennis Leary stars in one of FX channels best tv shows. The stories take place in post 9/11 NewYork around a crew of the local fire house. Leary is like the heart of the firehouse, but still must deal with the death of his friend, his affair with that friends wife, his drinking problem and eventually his own mortality. I never thought FX could produce another hit show, but Rescue me is right up there pushing the boundaries of cable tv, just likeNip/Tuck and The Shield.

Stripes-Extended Cut : Those who have read my posts in the past know that I do not always support re-releases of existing dvds into so-called special editions. Usually they are just repackaged with some new features and that's it. That is not the case with Stripes. Made in 1981, this was Bill Murry in his prime and was one of several movies made with director Ivan Reitman(Ghostbusters). This is a true Special Edition with over 18 minutes of new footage added to the film. And this is not just throw-away cuts, these are really cool and funy. Also featured are new interviews with the cast and a 1 hr documentary.

The Machinist : This film flew into and out of theatres under the radar due to other heavy-hitters that came out during the same time. Christain Bale stars in the very moody and dark drama. Bale is Trevor Reznik, a factory worker who hasn't slept in over a year. At one point the fatigue from his insomnia causes a accident which causes a fellow worker to loose a hand. The whole movie is filmed in shades of blue and gray, and Bale lost over 63 pounds for the main role. Great acting, layed over a mesmerising script makes this a definite must see dvd.

The Trailer Park !

A few new interesting trailer for this week. So lets dive right in............................

The Island : Ewan McGregor,Scarlett Johansson,Steve Buscemi,and Michael Clarke Duncan star in this new Michael Bay action/drama due out on July 22nd. Ewan plays a resident of a utopian contained facility during the late 21st century. Turns out that he and the other residents are actually clones and are waiting to be used for replacement parts for their real counterparts, and when they are picked to go to the Island(which is supposed to be a paradise) they are being sent to their deaths. The trailer looks very interesting and it looks to be a very promising summer movie.

A History Of Violence : I viewed this trailer for the first time the other day, and after reading the quick synopsis on the site this looks like a very interesting movie. Add in the acting talents of Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris and this could be a top movie of the year. Mortensen plays Tom Stall who lives his normal life in a small Indiana town until he foils a robbery attempt at his diner and in the process is forced to kill the robbers in order to protect his friends and customers. Tom is heralded as a hero and is thrust into the spotlight. Harris' character arrives in town after seeing Tom on TV and believes him to be a man who had wronged him in the past and seeks revenge.

Sky High : Disney sticks to the old adage,,if it's not broke, don't fix it. the new movie Sky High is like watching the Incredibles but as a live-action show. Kurt Russell,Lynda Carter,Bruce Campbell and Dave Foley star in this kid friendly movie. The children of super-heroes are sent to a school to teach them about how to use their powers and be heroes. The trailer is very funny and show much promise. Bruce Campbell (finally in a non-Sam Rami movie) plays the typical gym teacher/coach role and has a funny part in the trailer. This can be another super-hero hit for Disney and I am sure they will take advantage of as many tie-ins as possible. We can always use more Kurt Russell and Bruce Campbell action figures.

Attack Of The Show.

Does anyone else enjoy this show as much as I do? I was a big fan of the Screen Savers, but its new and improved incarnation as Attack Of The Show is wonderful. They have changed the look of the show and now it is even more of a laid-back atmosphere which really lets you sit back and enjoy the show. Kevin Pereira and Kevin Rose are a riot as co-hosts and Sarah Lane (as hot as always) brings us everything from a Damn Good Download to The Feed. Also this past week Adam Sessler from X-play has been co-hosting with Kevin. (anyone else hear that Adam got married recently,???, poor Morgan Webb) They still bring us great tech news, downloads and loads of inside info. If your a gamer, modder or gadget freak, then this is the show for you. Make sure to check them out on G4-TechTV or at http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/index.html

May DVD Give-Away Winner !!!

I had a total of 47 entries this month, not as good as last month but still a good showing. The winner this month is R5McMichael and your DVD will be in the mail ASAP. Thanks to all who entered and watch for a new give-away starting soon.

A Blast From The Past ! Knightriders

George A. Romero's name is associated with some of the scariest movies ever made. With the likes of Night Of The Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead and Martin, Romero had cemented himself as a master of horror. But in 1981 he surprised fans by Knighriders to the big screen. Unlike is other films, this one had no monsters or zombies, really no horror aspects at all. It centered around a traveling troupe of performers who replicated the time of King Arthur and his Knights. All done from the back of a motorcycle. This was a leap for Romero who pulled it off with flying colors. One of the main reasons was the casting of Ed Harris as Billy, the leader of the troupe and King. Ed Harris, in my opinion is one of the greatest actors of our time, and his moody, conflicted portrayal of Billy just proves it. Billy is set on his ideals and the life he has chosen and fully believes in the Aurthurian ideals. But the lure of more money and a constant butting of heads with the Black Knight Morgan (Tom Savini) starts to tear the troupe apart.

Overall this is a very well written and acted out movie. Ed Harris is a anchor for a wonderful supporting cast which includes some Romero regulars like Tom Savini and Ken Foree. There are some impressive motorcycle stunts throughout the move as the troupe acts out jousting and sword play on bikes and hacks (a side-car type motorcycle). There are 3 main stunt/tournament sections in the movie, the last being the most involved and lasting a good 15 minutes. The movie runs just over 145 minutes, There are a few sections that could have been cut for time, but the overall movie would have suffered from any deletion.

If I had to give this movie a rating I would say 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. It is well worth the 2 hrs plus you would give up to watch it, and it is one of those movies you can sit and watch multiply times. It is a little difficult to find at some movie rental stores, but can be found online at netflix.com and Blockbuster.com.

New Release Tuesday !

There where a lot of titles released this week, but most are older movies finally getting their DVD releases. Here are a few items of interest:

Boogeyman : This movie started with a good idea, but somehow got lost along the way. A very atmospheric and moody film has some very nice cinematography and use of color. The story revolves around the main character who as a boy witnessed his father pulled into his closet by a unknown monster. From her the movie has some of the biggest plot holes I have seen in a movie. Some ideas are presented and never followed up, characters make a appearance and then are gone. It's like they had all kinds of ideas for the story and nobody could agree on what to use, so they just threw pieces of all of them in. It is a interesting film to watch, but it could have been so much better. This SE edition has several featurettes, deleted scenes and a alternate ending.

Bullitt SE : One of Steve McQueens' best movie come to DVD in a 2-Disc Special Edition. Made in 1968 by Peter Yates, this movie alone changed the way crime movies would for years to come. Bullitt also features on the the best car chase scenes ever put on film, which held the top car chase title until RONIN was released. The chase even spawned a Trival Pursuit question. "How many hubcaps did Steve McQeens' car lose during the chase scene", the answer is 5. (let's hear it for editing mistakes!)

Moonlighting Season 1-2 : Bruce Willis made a name for himself on this mid-season replacement on ABC. Willis and Cybill Sheperd played two private investigators who where involved in the greatest love/hate relationship ever put on TV. The show had some big name guest-stars each week who included Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Robbins, Richard Belzer and even Orsen Wells (his last film appearance). This 6 disc set contains all 14 episodes of season 1 and 2 along with featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag/blooper reel.

The Tomorrow People-Set 1 : In 1973 The Tomorrow People premiered on BBC and was a instant hit. the story revolves around a group of teenagers who have special powers that they must use to protect the Earth. The special effects are very dated when compared to todays standards, but he stories are some of the best sci-fi based stories on TV, very reminiscent of the early years of Doctor Who. The show ran an amazing 6 years (1973-1979), and most recently had a short run on Nickelodan. This 4 disc set contains 26 episodes and cast commentary for 1 episode.

Don't forget that this is the last day to enter the DVD Give-Away for the month of May. Don't miss your chance to own the original assault On Precinct 13 DVD, totally FREE. Entries will be taken until 6am on June 1st.

New Release Tuesday !

There are a lot of releases this week, (over 80) but only 1 really stands out. Here are a few of interest.

First off I want to comment of 3 "rehashes" that came out this week. Day After Tomorrow, Man On Fire and I, Robot where all released this week as Collector's Editions. Now I don't disagree too much when a CE comes out and it is loaded with new material, but these titles are not. Each only has 1 or 2 things added. The strange thing is that all the titles come with a free movie ticket for Fantastic Four. Really not a good reason to buy the movie again. The original releases are just as good.

Are We There Yet : I was very leary of this movie when it was first announced. How do you take a hard-mouthed rapper Ice Cube and put him into a PG kids movie. Well, I am happy to say that he pulled it off and this is a very enjoyable and funny family safe movie. The dvd has 2 featurettes, a blooper reel and deleted scenes. This one receives 2 thumbs up from my kids.

MASH Season 8 : Now you can never go wrong with MASH. One of the most loved TV shows is back for its 8th season on DVD. Season 8 consists of 25 episodes on 3 discs. 2 episodes that stand out on this set are "Life Time" one of the real-time episodes, and my favorite "Dreams" which was written and directed by Alan Alda and looks at the nightmares of sleep-deprived doctors.

The Aviator : This is the main stand-out this week. This wonderful movie was directed by Martin Scorsese and once again shows his love of true storytelling and film-making. He teams up again with Leonardo DeCaprio (Gangs of New York) who also turns in one of the best performances of his career. The movie covers a 20 yr span in the life of Howard Hughes and centers of his obsession with flight. There are also some impressive CGI effects used for the flying and crash sequences. The cast also includes Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn, Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner, Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow and Jude Law as Errol Flynn. The 2 disc set includes 13 featurettes and 1 deleted scene. This is just a wonderful movie which should not be missed.

Just a quick reminder to remember to enter the DVD Give-Away. All entries must be in by the morning of June 1st. It's completely free so jump right in.

Also posts for the rest of the week might be a little sparse. I am running around like crazy the rest of the week trying to get ready for my daughters high school graduation party this weekend. I just can't believe that my "little" girl is graduating high school, my how time flies.

The Trailer Park !

Not too many new trailers released this week, but still a few of interest.

The DeVinci Code : This is just a short voice-over teaser, but still piques your interest in the movie. This adaptation of the book by Dan Brown is directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Jean Reno. Filming is set to start on June 30th in Paris with a May 18 2006 release date.

Fantastic Four : This new trailer for the much anticipated FF movie gives us a lot more looks at the characters and their powers. The more I see of this movie the more it looks like it will give Spider-Man and X-Men and run for the comic movie crown. I think hearing Michael Chiklis as the Thing yell "It's Clobbering Time" will alone be worth the price of admission.

War Of The Worlds : This Steven Spielberg helmed adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic looks like it is going to be the big blockbuster movie of the summer. The new trailer finally gives us a little better view of the alien machines (which I am glad to see resemble the tripod ships of the original novel instead of the flyers from the old movie) and a very brief glimpse of the aliens themselves. The CGI effects so far look amazing, especially the scene of the freeway being torn up and the brief tripod scene where it rises out of the water. The movie is set for a June 29th release.

Stealth : This looks like a very cool movie and hopefully it will not get lost during the summer with the release of all the other big blockbusters fighting for our hard earned money. This thriller stars Jamie Fox, Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel (that's a extra point right there) as top military pilots who are involved in a program that is creating a totally robotic plane. During a freak accident the plane become sentinant and these 3 pilots must try to stop it. The trailers has some very impressive flight scenes and CGI. And did I mention it has Jessica Biel in it.

XBOX 360. Oh my aching wallet !

Well there it is. I already have my Christmas present picked out and it is the new XBOX 360. Microsoft premiered their next gen system on MTV last week and really showed it off during E3. The sleek new box has loads of improvements over the old system and lots of bells and whistles for all of us gaming geeks. Some of the highlights included wireless controllers, a removable 20GB hardrive and USB ports. There is even a main button on the controller that lets you turn the system on and off from the comfort of your lazy-boy. Now I won't even get that bit off exercise from walking back and forth to turn on the system. Also Microsoft announced during E3 that it will be backward compatible to play original XBOX games. They are even making the front plate removable, and customizable plates you can buy or make yourself. Finally a little nod to modders. The final price has not been announced yet but most believe it will be around $350.00. So that means I need to start stuffing my piggy bank now, and try to come up with a really good reason to tell my wife why I "really" need this new system.

Star Wars Ep III:Revenge Of The Sith

***Spoiler Free***

After submitting us to a lack-luster story and JarJar in Ep I and then to some horrid acting in EP II, george Lucas has finally redeemed himself with EP III:Revenge Of The Sith. What an amazing movie. This was the Star Wars movie that every fan has been waiting for. The movie starts out with action and some comediac elements to help offset the dark tones taken on later in the movie. Once again we are treated to grand space battles and the greatest assortment of saber duels from any of the episodes. The special effects are amazing and seamless, the best yet. Lucas did manage to tie up most of the loose ends and tie the movie directly into EP IV. I do not want to give away any spoilers because there are people who have not had the chance to see it yet, but I would like to make a few observations and comments.

-You really needed to watch the Clone Wars cartoons on Cartoon Network to really understand the set up to this movie. They did run all 25 episodes a few days before the release. In the cartoon it introduces Grievous and his encounters with the Jedi, it covers Anakin becoming a Knight and some of his adventures and presents the whole droid invasion of Corsecant and the abduction of Palpatine.

-Even after 2 movies the interactions between Anakin and Padme still seem stiff and forced. Hayden and Portman have given great performances in other movies. What happened here?

-This is a dark movie, well on par with Empire. Violence is present in 90% of the movie, but not overdone like a typical action movie. All actions are done for story progression and with consequence. Several scenes and setups are disturbing (a few made my 10 yr old son grab my arm at times) but really make you understand Anakins descent.

-General Grievous is a great new character created by Lucas, but is limited to probably under 10 minutes of total screen time. A shame for a very visual and imposing figure.

-Why is it that Yoda can hardly walk around and groans when hes trodding along with his little cane, but once he turns on that lightsaber he goes all ninja gaiden on us and is jumping around like toad on speed.

-I just don't think it is fair the Leia grew up all pampered and princessy and poor Luke had to grow up on a sand-ball being a moisture-farmer. Maybe if it was the other way around Luke wouldn't have been so whiney thru all of Ep IV.

-Star Wars fans are still the greatest. Seeing the movie at 12:01 on Thursday morning was a blast and everyone had a great time. It was like seeing the movie with a couple hundred close friends and family. It was also the first movie I had ever been too where the management had to ask people to turn off their lightsabers before the movie or they would be taken away.

It was a great experience from beginning to end and we left the theater totally satisfied and sad to see the end of a era. I have to admit that I am old enough to say that I have been to the first showing of every Star Wars film from the beginning, and its a sad thought to think that there isn't another to wait for now. Hopefully the proposed TV series mentioned at Celebration will be up to the standards of discriminating fans and satisfy our Star Wars jones.

Tonight's The Night !!!

It's finally here, tonight at 12:02 am I will be sitting in a theater watching Star Wars Ep III Revenge Of The Sith. The whole family is going and it should be a fun time. I know that the theater in Terre Haute has sold out 6 theatres so far for midnight shows. My boy has his lightsabre all ready to go. So it's home from work at 6am, take a quick nap and get up to do some work, take another nap in the evening and then off to the theater about 9pm. I know there are a lot of people all around the US going to, so I hope everyone has a great time.

"May The Force Be With You"

New Release Tuesday !

Wow,,Tuesday is here again. Another big release week, but one movie stands out among the crowd. Read below for a few stand-outs and my pick of the week.

Oh yea..........ONLY 2 MORE DAYS TO STAR WARS EP III !!!!!!

Batman-Return To The Batcave : Holy made for TV reunion movie Batman. This did appear on TV a few years ago and is in fact a reunion show, but with a little sub-plot thrown in. Adam West and Burt Ward play themselves as they visit a museum where the batmobile is on display. But Holy grand theft auto! Someone has stolen the batmobile,but who could be responsible for such a dasterdly deed. Thats for Adam and Burt to find out. The most enjoyable part of this dvd are the stories that Adam and Burt tell about the series and its effect on thier lives. As campy as the original and loads of fun, this is a must for any bat fan.

The Grudge-Director's Cut : Let me start this off by stating that it always peeves me off when a studio releases a Director's Cut just a few months after the first release. It's all about money, because they know that any videophile, (me included) will shell out the extra bucks to see the newly recut film. But to tell the truth, they fully delivered on this disc. The extras alone on this disc are worth the purchase price. Some new featurettes and 15 new deleted scenes are included, but the best is the 2 original "Ju-On" shorts by director Takashi Shimizu. The movie itself does contain added material, but the most noticible will be the ending which presents a more frightening and slightly more graphic ending.

Scrubs-Complete First Season : Take ER, remove all that serious doctor stuff and deep emotional stories, and you have the very enjoyable TV series Scrubs. This comediac look at hospital-life through an interns eyes is one of the funniest shows of TV. All 24 1st season episodes are included on this 3 disc set, along with several featurettes,deleted scenes and outtakes.

Team America World Police : From the mind of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone comes this story of an elite US counter-terrorism squad out to protect our free way of life. Oh yea,,the entire movie is done with marionettes a-la Thunderbirds. This is a good example of what happen when puppets go bad. This is a funny movie but in no way is it meant to be viewed by kids. this unrated and uncensored dvd includes a very raw naked marionette sex scene that was left out at the theaters. Like I said, there are some funny moments to this movie, but it will also be very offensive to some viewers. The dvd includes 8 featurettes, deleted scenes and outtakes.

White Noise : This is my pick of the week, even my pick of the month. This was an amazing movie that helped prove that you don't need a multi-million dollar budgat to turn out a incredible film. Michael Keaton gives one of the best performances of his life as a depressed husband who loses his wife and then gets involved in EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) to attempt to make contact with her from beyond. I have to admit that there are a few plot holes in the story, but the film makes up for this in its creepy and atmospheric presentation. This is a "bare-bones" dvd with only a few extras, so I expect to see a Director's Cut or Special Edition in the future. Still,,this is a must see. You do not have to be a horror fan to enjoy this movie. I give this my highest recommendation.

And did I mention that it is ONLY 2 MORE DAYS TILL STAR WARS EP III !!!

Not that I am excited or anything.

The Trailer Park !

Here is a new regular post that I am going to try to do about every week or so. In it I will take a look at the latest movie trailers to come out for upcoming releases. Each reviews has a link to the trailer so you can watch it yourself. Let me know what you think.

The Chronicles Of Narnia:The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe : It's about time this series of amazing books gets a high-profile movie adaptation. The new trailer is just amazing. It starts out slow with the introduction of the kids and just explodes with action once they pass through the wardrobe. The scenes included in the trailer are very Lord Of The Rings in nature and fit the tone of the battle scenes from the original book. The special effects are handled by Peter Jackson's WETA Workshop (who also did LOTR) and look incredible. Supposedly this is being filmed like LOTR, with 3 movies being filmed at once. I cannot wait for this release, and seeing Aslan the Lion roaring on the mountaintop is alone worth watching the trailer.

Dukes Of Hazzard : Another old TV series comes to the big screen, and this time it's those darn Duke boys. I just saw this trailer last week and it does have its strong points. The trailer has a great montage of General Lee action with the trademark jumps and police crashes and of coarse the ever popular, now iconic, "dixie" horn. The roles of Luke and Bo seem to have been changed from your good old boys to a "younger/hipper" version played by Johnnie Knoxville and Seann Williams. The role of Daisy Duke is played by Jessica Simpson, who couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, but sure does look good in a pair of "Daisy Duke shorts". Uncle Jessie is played by Willie Nelson and Boss Hog by a white suit wearing Burt Reynolds. It does look like the action could be great in this movie, but I do fear that the acting skills,(or lack of),of the cast will effect its overall appeal.

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire : This is the first teaser to be released for the next movie. It gives us a quick look at the progression over the years of the 3 main characters and then goes into some brief scenes of the new movie. I have read all the books and always look forward to the next movie adaptation and this one looks spot on. The new character glimpses are brief, but we do get a good look and some of the new CGI, including a very impressive dragon and water nymph. There should be a full length trailer soon.

The Longest Yard : There have been a few trailer out already for this movie, but this new one is the best yet. For those who have lived under a rock for abou the last 20 years, this is a remake of the old Burt Reynolds jail/football movie. Adam Sandler takes the lead this time with the assistance of Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds. The cast also includes Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bill Goldburg and a few other professional wrestlers. The movie looks to pretty much follow the original story, and the trailer even shows the new version of some classic scenes like the breaking of a players nose and Sandler fixing it for him. This looks to be another fun summer movie.

G.R.A.V.E. Grrrls:Destroyers Of The Dead #1

I am a zombie nut, that is I love the whole zombie genre. From the classic Night Of The Living Dead to every bad rip-off since then. So when a new zombie comic hits the stands you can bet that it will fall into my grubby little hands. There is nothing better than a good zombie comic, unless of coarse it involves zombies eating cats,now there is a great comic idea.

G.R.A.V.E. Grrrls: Destroyers Of The Dead #1 is a fresh edition to the ranks of horror comics. Written by Scott Licina and with art by Ken Wolak, Grrrls is definitely a tour-de-force in visceral carnage that runs cover to cover. The story hints at what's to come in this 3-part mini-series, introduces us to 2 of the 3 G.R.A.V.E. (which stands for Genetically Refined And Virally Enhanced) Grrrls by the names of Tara Nathan-Tate "Boom-Boom" and Susan Sweetwater "Suzi Sioux". We also get a brief description and background to the "Born Again Chip" which plays importantly into the storyline. As with all my reviews I do not want to delve too deeply into story plot so as not to give away any spoilers to new readers. We are also treated to a 5 page preview of the upcoming series Project:Born Again by Scott Licina and Ollie Nome. This initial release was solicitated originally under the Moonstone logo but just before press time the creative team parted ways with Moonstone and self-published under their own Midnight Show banner. Issue #1 was released with 3 covers. 2 by issue artist Ken Wolak and a special variant by Alex Ross.

I would like to take a moment now to look at the creative team behind this new comic. If anyone out there could write a good zombie comic it would be Scott Licina. Scott is an amazingly multi-faceted creator who has had his hands in many genres over the years. As a composer Scott has worked on many projects including Alex Ross's Earth X soundtrack and the comic soundtrack for Purgatory for the late Chaos Comics. Scott also produced the new soundtrack used in the 30th Anniversary Edition of the Night Of The Living Dead DVD in which he also acted in newly filmed footage as Rev. Hicks. Scott also had his hands in the musical parody The Slice Girls. Scott's writing on this book is more like a screenplay than a normal comic story and the action flows cleanly page to page. Even pages with large amounts of dialogue can be easily followed and don't let your interest waver(hint to Kevin Smith). G.R.A.V.E. Grrrls is a excellent edition to Scott's ever growing portfolio of accomplishments. (Oh wait, I almost forgot to mention the old Dark Theatre days. For some nostalgia check out this old pic of Vlad Licina.)

Ken Wolak takes up all the art chores on the new series and supplies 2 of the 3 covers for Issue #1. Ken has been in the business for many years and has his hands on many of the top titles in comics including Captain America, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Youngblood, Kolchak The Night Stalker and Robin Hood. Ken's art has progressed over the years and I have to say that this is the best and most polished art I have seen from him. His art is crisp and clean with great facial expressions and panel use. And when the body parts start to fly, Ken does not let us down with all the gore and blood you would expect from a good zombie tale. The full page shot on page 4 of issue #1 can't help but bring back memories of the old EC horror comics. (Also a note of personal thanks to Ken, last year at the Wizard Chicago he drew a beautiful rendition of Matt Wagner's Hunter Rose Grendel for me which now is a prized possession in my display case.)

This is a book that any horror comic fan should not pass up. I know it won't be every readers cup of tea, but ya never know, ya might like it. Overall a very well done book and doesn't stumble at all like most 1st time self-published books seem to do. A well drawn and thought out story which is guaranteed to pull you back for issue #2. Scott and Ken have created a great new story and if they keep it up we could see them take over the modern shock/horror comic spot left vacant by Chaos Comics.

Hopefully next week I will get to have a interview with the creative team and I will post it here along with some artwork from the upcoming issue. Take some time to check out the official website at www.gravegrrrls.com where they have some great info and a contest to win a piece of original Alex Ross artwork.

G.R.A.V.E. Grrrls:Destroyers Of The Dead #1 Midnight Show 2005

Only 1 Week Left To Wait !

Well, I was sitting here working on a new post for tomorrow when I realized that at this exact time next week I will be standing out in line for Star Wars Episode lll. We bought tickets for the midnight show, so me and the family will be there nice and early to get some good seats. I can't even express how excited I am to see the end of the saga. Many have compared this movie to Empire Strikes Back, which was the best of the original trilogy. Hopefully the weather will be dry and warm, so we can just sit outside and watch Ep ll on my laptop.

New comic review coming very very soon, and don't forget to enter the new DVD give-away.

New Release Tuesday !

Wow,,what a huge release week we have for DVD's. There are tons of new movies, some oldies finally showing up, and some so-called special editions that could have stayed home. Here is a short look at some release for today.

12 Monkeys : This is a Special Edition of one of the more "understandable" movies by Monty Python alumni Terry Gilliam. Starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, both who give one of the best performances of their career and gained Pitt a Best Supporting Actor nominee. This time travel/post-apocalitic/love story is just fun to watch, and watch you must. Leave the room at the wrong time and you will come back completely lost. You have been warned!

Alone In The Dark : Well, I watched this movie. Let me think of something to say about it......................................................Oh yeah, Tara Reid is in it. NEXT!

Appleseed : One of the best manga/anime movies ever made. (along with Akira of course.) This 2004 release is a reworking of the original 1988 release with some more story-line worked in and the addition of some of the coolest animation/cg motion-capture to date. The widescreen presentation is encoded directly from the HD master. If you have a HD setup this is a must for your collection.

Assault On Precinct 13 : Please just watch the original John Carpenter version from 1976, it's a much better movie. NEXT!

In Good Company : Dennis Quaid, Scarlett Johanssen and Tropler Grace star in this fun down to earth quasi-comedy about a middle -aged man who must come to terms with his new boss, who just happens to be half his age. The characters in this movie feel real and you come to really care about them by the end. There are some great interactions between the characters played by Quaid and Grace.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou-Criterion Collection : What??? Did I just type that write,,,there are hundreds of classics out there that deserve the Criterian treatment and this movie gets it right out of the gates. Ok, fine. it is a good movie, but that is about it. Bill Murry gives another low-key but funny performance and there is a amazing supporting cast in place, but none of them ever get to develop into true characters. Its like gathering the greatest painters in the world into one room,,,,,and then making them sit on their hands. As with any CC treatment this 2-disc set has more special features than you will ever want to watch. But a CC on this movie,,,AHHHHHHH,,head...going...to...explode.....NEXT!

Nang Nak : Ok,here is my pick of the week. Yes it may seem like a strange one, but bear with me. This Thia war/love/ghost story is set in the 1860's and tells the tale of a young man named Mak, who must leave is pregnant wife Nak to go to war. Upon returning home he finds his wife has given birth to a baby boy, but something doesn't seem right. That's about as far as I will go so as to not give away any spoilers. This beautifully filmed movie takes full advantage of Thialands lush jungles and is based on a existing Thai Folk Lore that many believe is true. This might be a hard one to locate at your local video store. You will probably have to try Suncoast or possibly NetFlix.

that's it for this Tuesday. Some movies just didn't sit well this week. (I'm talking to you Mr. Zissou.) It must be the last few days of being sick have made me grumpy. Happy viewing and don't forget to enter the DVD give-away above.

"I came here to chew bubble-gum and kick a$$, and I'm all out of bubble-gum."

New Post Coming Soon.

Sorry for the lack of any new posts. I have been fighting a 102 degree fever and feeling generally crappy for the past few days. Tomorrow I will have the new give-away posted for the month of May. So check back. And hopefully I will get some new posts started also.

The Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy review.

Last week on Friday I trudged out in the rain to see the first showing of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. As I stated before I went into this movie with a open mind, torn between my love of the original story and some of the negative reviews that had come out from screenings. Well, needless to say all my fears disappeared within the first 2 minutes of the movie. The opening credit song "So Long and Thanks For All The Fish", song by dolphins, was like watching a Monty Python rerun, it was hilarious. I could tell at this point that the theatre was split up into two groups. Those that had read the books and got it, and those who had never heard of it before and were wondering what they had just spent their $7.50 on.

Fans of the books will not be disappointed. Garth Jennings direction of the script originally started by Douglas Adams himself follows all the points given in the book. A slight mash of the several books, a lot is covered in this screenplay. Some slight changes come in the form of a character created by Adams for the movie to act as the quasi-villain, Humma Kavula played by John Malkovich. The other change is the character of Trillion, who is escalated from a side character to a main love interest torn between Arthur and Zaphod. Shot entirely in the UK and with a cast that fits every role to a tee, this couldn't have been made any better. the re-creation of scenes from the book are spot-on and sometimes even better than you could have imagined. And I wasn't the only one in the theatre able to recite lines as they played across the screen. The chemistry between Arthur (Martin Freeman) and Ford (Mos Def) is great, and their interaction on screen makes you believe that these guys are old friends. Zaphod is played to the extreme by Sam Rockwell, sometimes over the top, but never more than you would expect from the President of the Universe. The Vogons (created by Jim Henson Studios) are huge and have great expression and some of the funniest moments in the movie, especially when during a battle Ford chases them away with a towel and when they chase him back he closes a small wooden gate at which point they sigh and state they must go back and go around. Even the use of the Improbability Drive is shown in great scenes with the Heart Of Gold changing shape and how it effects those inside.( Used to great effect in a scene completely played out with all the characters as yarn dolls).

The only negative thing I would say, and this is my point of view, I would have liked to see more use of the guide throughout the movie. What we saw of it only made you want more and more entries shown on screen. And the movie ends with a bang, as the Heart Of Gold jumps it takes several shapes, the last being the image of Douglas Adam's face for a fleeting moment on the screen. A fitting tribute to the man who died too young, and never got to see his work finally on the silver screen. I am sure he would have been very proud. "Don't Panic!"

New Release Tuesday !

Another 40 plus DVD release week, so here are some stand-outs from the crowd.

National Treasure : Nicolas cage stars in this fun action-adventure that owes a lot of its kick to Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The DaVinci Code. Cage's character is in search of the long lost treasure of the Knights Templar which was secreted away by the Freemasons. Along the way he must steal the Declaration Of Independence which has secret clues to the treasures where-abouts on the back. This is a outlandish, far-fetched adventure, but is very enjoyable and Nicolas Cage once again shows that his characters enthusiasm can carry a movie along. The disc contains 3 featurettes, deleted scenes and a alternate ending.

SpaceBalls SE : Spaceballs finally gets the SE treatment (and right before the new Star Wars, hmmm). this 2 disc sets features a nice new transfer of the movie that mel Brooks made back in 1987 to parody Star Wars. Starring Bill Pullman as Lone Star, John Candy as Barf and Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet. This movie is just down right funny from beginning to end. From Dark Helmet's order to go to "ludicrous speed" to Yogart's teachings of "the Schwartz". the 2nd disc has several featurettes, 2 galleries and a great documentary. And beware of Pizza The Hut.

Star Trek Enterprise Complete 1st Season : Another great TV series falls to the network chopping block. This prequel to to the original Star Trek chronicles the adventures of the very first Enterprise crew 150 years before the 1st TV series. Led by Captain Archer (Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap fame) this show presented the most "human" crew evr in the history of the show. This crew wasn't long time Starfleet grads or space-farers, these where men and women exposed to space for the first time, and on several occasions with equipment that just doesn't seem to want to work correctly. And of coarse lets not forget T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) who proved that Vulcans can look hot when squeezed into a silver catsuit. This multi-disc set features several featurettes, deleted scenes and outakes.

Phantom Of The Opera SE : This 2 disc sets brings the big screen version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's award winning stage musical right into your living room. This is a wonderful looking movie with gorgeous sets and a amazing use of color and mood. If you enjoyed the stage version you will like this version, which makes the transition quite painless and doesn't fall into the dirt like Chicago did in its translation. The main reason to see this movie is Emmy Rossum. her portrayal of Christine Daae is spot-on and her singing "Wishing You Were here Somehow" is well worth the price of purchase or rental.

The Partridge Family Complete 1st Season : Come on,,,it's David Cassidy singing and everyone else acting like they can sing. What more can you ask for? This four disc set contains the whole 1st season. See Keith sing, see Lori get mad at Keith, see Danny get in trouble and watch everyone else stand around like a deer blinded by headlights. And that's just the 1st episode.

"So,I see your Schwartz is as big as mine." -Dark Helmet

1st Official DVD Give-Away WINNER !!

First off I want to say thank you to all the readers who entered my give-away. By yesterday I had a total of 127 enteries, which just blew me away. This was my first go at this and I am amazed with the response. So now the winner is (place drum roll here) Dave Walker aka Lockjaw The Ogre. Dave will be recieving his DVD this week.

Again thanks to all for entering and keep checking back. A new give-away will be posted next week. This month will be another DVD, and just as a small hint, it's one of John Carpenter's best movies (no it's not Halloween).

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

Today is the day when I finally get to see the new movie The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I am excited to see Douglas Adams classic story put on the big screen. I know there have been some early negative reviews, but I will not let that dampen my spirits. I am a big fan of all 5 books of the Hitchhikers Trilogy (a fan will know the meaning behind that) and have reread them many times over the years. So tonight I get to make my own decision, If it is bad I will admit it but still look upon the story fondly. If it is good then "Boo YA" to all you so-called professional movie critics. I will let you know the verdict after I see it.

"Don't Panic !"

Also you only have 2 more days to enter for the free dvd giveaway. Winner will be drawn on May 1st. Good luck to all.

Buckaroo Banzai : Part 2

Last week I looked at the original Buckaroo Banzai movie and its effect on pop-culture and movie history. This week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with Joe Gentile, Editor In Chief of Moonstone, who at this time is working on a new Buckaroo Banzai comic series. Joe was also kind enough to forward the above image which is a page of new art from the new series, seen for the first time here.

1)BB was a bomb as far as a theatrical money maker, but has gained a incredible cult following since its release onto video/dvd. Why do you think this occurred and where you a fan from the theatrical or subsequent video release?

Yes, I went to see it upon its theatrical release. I dug it right away. It was basically a comic book on film, with a dose of pulp magazine thrown in for good measure!

I grew up reading The Shadow, Doc Savage and The Avenger novels, so BB played out like an updated version of those.

2)Why do you think it is still so popular?

Well, it certainly does appeal to a certain kind of sense of humor, for I laughed out loud many time, but some folks just don't get it.

Its got elements of SCi-Fi, comics, pulps, comedy, drama, and the kitchen sink!
Really everything one can possibly want.

It also starred some pretty big names that weren't very big at the time, so the casting was good: John Lithgow, Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, etc! Think of what a movie like that would cost today!

I guess its just a fun movie!


3) What prompted you to seek out the rights to produce a new BB comic and was it a difficult process?

Seeking rights to anything can be quite the pain. BB was on my list when we started tracking down properties, but we couldn't make sense out of who owned what. We had many fans request that we look into it, and eventually one fan took it into his own hands to get us in touch with the right people.

It took a couple years (!), but out of the blue I got a phone call from director WD Richter, and off we went!

With almost any movie or TV project, the rights are a convoluted mess.

4) Will your stories follow the film premise or will you be adding new and original material?

Well, our story was written by BB's creator (Mac Rauch). It was originally intended for a TV movie in the late 1990s, but nothing ever came of it.

We took that story, and gave it some of our own Moonstone Magic, and voila! A cool NEW BB story, written by BB's creator, that remains VERY true to the original integrity of the film!

5) Who will be working on this new title?

Who wont be might be the question! NO, really, lets see.

Max Rauch, WD Richter, and myself are handling the writing aspect.
David Tischman (of DC/Vertigo American Century fame) will be editing.
The pencils will be handled by Stefan Thompson (of Dark Horse's Star Wars), with the inks by Keith Williams (Who inked Marvels adaptation of the filme many moons ago!)
Cover will be by: Matt Haley, Michael Stribling, David Michael Beck, and maybe more.
Colors are TBA.

6) Will this be a ongoing series or a mini-series?

This will start out as a 3 issue mini series.

7) When is the new issue slated for release?

The schedule is not set in stone yet, but we hope for Fall.

8) Moonstone has gathered quite a stable of cult figures including Kolchak and The Phantom, are there any new properties you are aquiring that you can tell us about?

We are nibbling on a few other licenses, but its too early to tell
I CAN tell you that we have quiet a FEW other cool things coming out soon:

The BIG Kolchak/Sherlock Holmes mini series!
The Kolchak prose short story collection!
Chuck Dixon gives us a Wyatt Earp vs The Cisco Kid face off!
A fully painted Phantom GN by Doug Klauba!
New titles: Lai Wan, Mummy, Revisionary, etc!

I can't wait for the release of this new comic. It has been many years since Buckaroo's last comic appearence in the Marvel movie adaptaion, and a new original story is long overdue. If you would like to know more about this title or any of the other cool books put out by Moonstone, make sure to check out thier website at www.moonstonebooks.com . Also look for the Moonstone crowd live at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con and at Wizard World Chicago in August.

I would like to thank Mr. Gentile for giving up some of his time for this article and for the piece of exclusive new art seen above.

New Release Tuesday !

It's Tuesday once again and time for some new DVD releases. With over 60 DVD titles being released this week, I have just picked a few to showcase.

Blade Trinity:The 3rd installment in the Blade series and supposedly the last Blade movie. This time we have Blade going up against the grand-daddy of all Vampires. But this time he has help from The Nightstalker played by Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds. This movie was written and directed by David Goyer who has also written the new Batman Begins movie. This 2-disc unrated edition adds 11 minutes of additional footage and has several featurettes, a blooper reel and a much darker alternate ending.

Darkness:This movie hung in limbo for a few years before finally being released in 2004. It is a Spanish produced film that was made in 2002 but couldn't get distributed at the time. Film stars Anna Paquin (X-Men) in a twist on the haunted house story. No spoilers given here. It is not a groundbreaking story and the acting seems forced at time, but it is one of the most beautifully filmed movies in a long time. Very moody with amazing use of color and texture.

Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events:I have to start off by saying I am a big fan of the books that this film springs from and was a little weary when it was announced that Jim Carrey would be starring as the villain Count Olaf, but all my fears where unfounded and it is a wonderful movie. It squeezes the first 3 books into 1 movie and doesn't drop the ball and stays true to the original material. The costumes and sets have a "Tim Burton" feel to them and the actors chosen to portray the Baudelaire orphan nail the roles, especially Emily Browning as Violet. The 2-Disc SE includes tons of featurettes and 11 deleted scenes. This is a great movie for adults and kids alike.

ER-Season 3:Not much needs to be said about one of the greatest TV series of all time. You get 22 episodes on 6 discs. My only pet peeve about this show is that I have been to Cook County Hospital ER and it does not look anything like the set used for the show. :)

Quartermass:This might not be as well known as some high-budget sci-fi films around, but it is a must see for any true buff. Made in 1975, it is a true testament to British TV film-making by making a truly amzing movie on a very low budget. This time we find Prof. Quartermass coming out of retirement to investigate a strange Alien force threatening the Earth. It is set in the not so distant future where England is in ruin from war and ecological disaster. This DVD features all 4 parts of the original TV mini-series and also includes the very rare, slightly edited, theatrical release version which was called The Quartermass Conclusion. Also included is a episode of the History Channel In Search Of show "Enduring Mystery of Stonehenge. If you get a chance also take the time to check out Quartermass and The Pit and Quartermass 2.

Now I must turn off my computer and once again become comatose in front of my TV while playing the newly released maps on HALO 2.

"Have A Nice Day !"

DVD Give-away update and HALO 2 Maps.

Only 6 more days to get your entry in for the DVD give-away of Caddyshack. So far I have 36 entries and the winner will be posted on May 1st, so keep watching this site. I am working on a new give-away prize for May.

On a gaming note, the first 4 of the new HALO 2 multi-player maps will be released today starting about 9am. They will start branching out to all servers, so everyone should be able to get them before the end of the day. Downloads may run slow so be patient. 2 of the maps will be free, with 2 more costing $5.99. The new maps will only be available for custom play until next Monday when the new playlist update comes out. After that the 2 free maps will be in the playlist. If you are the patient type (which I am not) you can wait until June 28th when all the new maps will be free on XBOX live.

No new post yet,,,sorry.

Hello to all and I hope you are all having a good start to your weekend. No big post today. I am working on some new ideas for the coming week so keep checking back. Also I recieved my new Dell laptop in the mail yesterday so I have been working on getting it uploaded with firefox and all the other programs I use.

"We came,we saw,we kicked its a$$"

Web Sites to check out !

Just a quick post today. I am dead tired after trying to work 12 hrs and then try to finish the porch I'm building onto my house. These are 2 very interesting web-sites, they are not new, but they pack a lot of content and you can spend hours just cruising through them.

ifilm.com This is a great site for any videophile. It offers thousands upon thousands of video and movie clips as well as assorted info on the same. They offer different categories to choose from and always have feature videos on the main home page that change by the hour. This is also one of the only places to see tons of fan-made films featuring comic heroes, Star Wars, Matrix and more. My favorite spot on this site is the Viral Videos section. This offers a always changing assortment of video shorts on just about every topic you can think of. From news bloopers to chase scenes to homemade funnies. There are a sections dedicated to movies, music videos, fan-made and even an adults section. Site supports WMP,REAL and QT, and will self set itself to your computers settings. You can really lose track of time while surfing this site, so set your watch and have fun.

Movie-List.com This site is one thing only, movie trailers. They offer movie trailers for new movies and a well stock library of classic trailers. Most are hosted and can be downloaded to your computer, while others are streamed or linked directly to the official movie page. I have never had a problem with this site and it is a daily stop for me while surfing. If you are a movie buff, or just want to check out a movie trailer for something you thought about going to see, this is the site for you.

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all those who have been reading my site and invite all those BlogExplosion readers to stick around for more than 30 seconds and just maybe you will find something interesting. Also don't' forget to enter my free give-away for the Caddyshack DVD. Drawing will take place on May 1.

New Release Tuesday !

Well, it's Tuesday again and time for another round of new releases. There are many good releases this week and a few gaming tidbits.

Birth : Nicole Kidman stars in this somewhat slow but entertaining reincarnation story.

House Of Flying Daggers : My #1 pick of the week. Director Zhang Yimou, who gave us the visually stunning Hero does it again with this movie. This is more of a moving oil painting than a movie. The use of setting and color is just amazing, and add in the outrageously beautiful Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon and Hero) and this is a must-see movie experience.

Meet The Fockers : The mis-adventures of Gaylord Focker continue. This time we are introduced to his parents who are played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand. The DVD contains 2 versions of the movie (theatrical and extended) with 65 Bloopers and over 20 Deleted scenes. A very entertaining sequel to Meet The Parents.

Primer : Here is my #2 pick of the week. This movie was the Grand Jury Winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Shane Carruth on a whopping buget of $7,000.00. Shane shows us that a amazing movie does not have to cost millions. This is a thinking-mans time-travel movie and will cause many a discussion between viewers after its done, much like the original Donnie Darko.

XXX Uncensored Unrated Director's Cut : Well, if that isn't a mouth full. This is more of a promotional tool for the release of the new XXX:State of the Union movie than a new look at this movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved the first movie, call it a guilty pleasure. But this 2-disc set only adds 8 minutes of additional scenes and over half the special features are about the new movie. There is a short on disc 2 entitled "The Death of Xander" which bridges the story gap between the two movies. You have Vin playing a bad-boy James bond and Asia Argento attempting to act,,come on, how can you go wrong.

Miracles-The Complete Series : This TV series aired during the 2002-2003 season and was cancelled after 6 episodes. It was almost a carbon copy of the X-Files with more a a slant toward spiritually oriented stories. The main character worked for the Catholic Church and investigated miracles. The 4-disc dvd collections features the 6 original episodes plus the remaining 7 that where never broadcast.

Riding The Bullet : Another Stephen King made for tv movie comes to dvd. This adaptation of King's first ebook was directed by Mick Garris who helmed the great adaptation of the Stand. This was a good book, but sure didn't make a good movie.

On the gaming front the major news this week was the release of the long awaited HALO 2 auto-update for XBOX live. This update corrects glitches and cheats that where present in the initial release. Also the new map downloads have been slated for a Monday April 25 release.

Unreal Championship 2:The Liandri Conflict : This XBOX release finally gives us a sequel to the first Unreal. With updated graphics and a new melee system this looks to be a great game and will be a monster on XBOX Live.

Buckaroo Banzai : Part 1

Attention all Blue Blaze Irregulars, Dr Banzai needs your help in locating the dastardly Red Lectroids !

If you followed that last sentence then you are part of a very large following for one of the biggest cult movies to hit the silver screen in the last 20 years. In 1984 a movie with the extremely long title of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eight Dimension premiered to so-so reviews and a somewhat decent box office take. It starred a whos-who of great acting talent with Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Lloyd. But even with all this talent the critics still couldn't agree, was it a Sci-Fi adventure, was it a comedy, was it a documentary? im actuality it was all of those and more rolled up into one amazingly fun and enjoyable movie. We thrilled to watch Buckaroo Banzia (adventurer,musician and brain surgeon) and his group of Hong Kong Cavaliers which included
reno, New Jersey, Perfect Tommy and Rawhide. We hissed and booed at the evil Red Lectoids with their inconspicuous human names of John Bigbooty (that's BUUTAE) and John Smallbottom. And lets not forget the ever impressive Banzai Institute and the band of reserves named The Blue Blaze Irregulars. You have to look at this movie from the stance that nothing is ever as it seems. Buckaroo drives his rocket car into the side of a mountain and enters the 8th demension and comes out the other side alive, but in doing so brings back something with him and our wild story begins. John Lithgow as the evil Dr. Lizardo gives the best campy villain performance ever and wants to steal Buckaroos Overthruster and help the Red Lectoids take over the earth. As with my other movie rants I hate to give away too much story so that those who have never seen it can enjoy it without spoilers, so lets look at other aspects of the movie.

So what happened? It didn't last long in theatres or gain the sales to make it a blockbuster hit, in fact it was considered a box-office bomb and Sherwood Studios went bankrupt shortly after its release, and put the movie and sequel rights into a legal limbo which still lingers today. The movie hit its true stride when it hit the home video market and became a cult favorite much like 1979s Mad Max and The 5th Element. In 2001 MGM fought through mountains of red tape to release a Special Edition DVD to expose a new generation to Buckaroo. The DVD was loaded with tons of extras including scenes of Jamie lee Curtis playing Buckaroo's mother from a flashback sequence that was cut from the original release as well as several other deleted scenes.

This was a movie that has firmly planted itself into pop-culture. There are still active web-sites that update weekly about Buckaroo Banzai, with the main official site www.banzai-institute.com . You can go to any Sci-Fi or Comic Convention and still find patches and other Buckaroo merchandise. In 1987 the prop for the "oscillation overthruster" was used as a "spectral analyzer" in a episode of Star Trek:TNG. Nods to Buckaroo have been given in shows as recent as Fox Networks hit show 24. Recently Moonstone Comics has announced an all new comic series based on the characters from the movie and should be very sought after by all Buckaroo Banzai fans. Take the time to sit one Saturday night and watch this move, watch it twice, even three times. You will see and hear something new every time. It's just plain outright fun and can be seen by all ages.

Coming Soon : "Buckaroo Banzai vs The World Crime League". Just kidding, but keep an eye out for Part 2 of the post. I will have the opportunity soon to speak with Joe Gentile, the owner of Moonstone Comics and writer of the new Buckaroo Banzai comic series and ask some questions and gather some info on the new series. I also have a piece of new art from the series that has never been posted anywhere else.

Future Theatrical Release : Land Of The Dead

In 1968 a movie was released that would change the face of horror movies forever. It was a low budget black and white film from Pittsburgh called Night Of The Living Dead. Now, almost 37 years later George Romero is finally release the 4th movie in his Dead series.

The new movie is titled Land Of The Dead and takes place after events of 1985s Day Of The Dead. In this bleak future the Zombie hordes have pretty much taken over the earth and the un-infected survivors live within a walled city. The rich and influential citizens live in sealed skyscrapers and the rest are forced to live it out down below. The city is protected by a giant tank-like vehicle named Dead Reckoning, that has the firepower of a small army and is able to venture out into the Zombie infested lands. Also the Zombie are starting to evolve, as hinted at in Day Of The Dead, instead of just wandering husks as seen in the 1st 2 movies.

The movie has a planned release date of June 24th (originally slated for Oct 23) and is Written and Directed by George Romero and stars Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento (daughter of Dario Argento), Tom Savini (the coolest man alive) and Simon Pegg (yes the same guy from Shaun Of The Dead). The makeup FX will be handled by Greg Nicotero and KNB FX.

If you haven't seen the other movies yet, make a trip to your local movie store or online at NetFlix and check them out. Also don't forget the 2 remakes from 1990 and 2004.

Night Of The Living Dead 1968
Night Of The Living Dead 1990 (remake)
Night Of The Living Dead 30th Ann. Edition 1998 (newly filmed scenes added)
Dawn Of The Dead 1978
Dawn Of The Dead 2004 (remake)
Day Of The Dead 1985

"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."

New Release Tuesday !

Just a short list of some notable DVD releases for this week.

Hotel Rwanda : I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Don Cheadle is just amazing and should have received the Academy Award for it. It's not a fun movie, it won't make you laugh, but it will make you sit and think.

Oceans Twelve : The sequel to Oceans 11 is good, not as good as the first movie, but well worth the rental price.

Suspect Zero : A very dark and somewhat suspensful serial killer movie starring Ben Kingsley and Directed by E. Elias Merhige (Shadow Of The Vampire).

Seed Of Chucky was supposed to be released today but its release date has been changed.

If you are reading this and have a few extra minutes, please take the time to email me with feedback and thoughts about my site. I have received some emails about movies (see Battle Royale) and also some comics people would like to see.

Battle Royale DVD

Battle Royale DVD and Novel.

In 2000 a movie was released in Japan that would quickly become a worldwide phenomenon and gather a huge fan-base in America, even though it has never even been released here in the theatre or on DVD. The movie was Battle Royale, based on the book by Koushun Takami and directed by Fukasaku Kinji.

I saw this movie for the first time in 2002 when a friend gave me a official 2-Disc VCD copy of the film. This VCD was produced over-seas by Universal Laser and was a very nice copy with nice bright sub-titles, even though the translation was slightly off. I was glued the TV for the entire 114 minutes of the movie. Here presented for our viewing was a total blood-bath of a movie with some of the most potent political overtones I had ever seen. The movie revolves around the story of a group of 9th grade students who are chosen to participate in the battle Royale program which is a battle in which they must fight each other until there is only 1 survivor. This is a State sponsored and run program that even gathers media support. the students are gassed while on their bus and transported to a deserted island and fitted with collars that monitor there where-abouts and also are set to explode if tampered with. Each student is given a bag containing a random weapon, ranging from guns and knives to binoculars and pot lids. After that each kid is set out on the island to battle to the end. The tag line for this movie was "Could you kill your best friend?", and the story plays heavily on this line. We watch friends attempt to stay together and other students doing anything they can to be the last standing. I don't want to give any more of the movie away to anyone who has not seen it yet, but it is a amazing tour-de-force beginning to end.

The cast is entirely made up of 15-16 year old students, except for a few key rolls and the appearance of "Beat" Takeshi as the classes teacher. The movie also features Chiaki Kuriyama as Takako Chigusa/Girl #13 who is a menacing character. American movie fans will recognize her as Go-Go-Yubari from the movie Kill Bill Vol 1. Quentin Tarintino has stated in many interviews that this was the movie that brought her to his attention for the role of Go-Go.

Many people think this film was banned in the USA, which would explain why it was never released here. The truth is that the owners of the film rights have refused to sell them to a US distributor. Also I don't think the premise of the movie would go over well with most movie goers, yes we have a lot of violent movies out, but here is a movie about 15 yr old students being killed by other 15 yr old students. With the recent tradigies in our school systems this would greatly effect the view of this film. But we have to remember that this is only a film, and a work of fiction. It is an amazingly well done film, with superb acting and insightful directing.

There are several different releases of the film out today. The original theatrical release and a "Director's Cut Special Edition". The Special Edition actually has scenes that were filmed after the theatrical release and added for the DVD. The picture above shows the 2-Disc StarMax edition which was released in 2003, also pictured is the American Release of the original novel published by VIZ. The 2-Disc set features the complete special edition movie and a 2nd disc with extras. Movie is in Japanese with English subtitles. The book can be purchased at almost any bookstore and online. The book presents a slightly different story , but the movie is still true to its source material.

This is one DVD worth searching out and I hope some who read this do take the time to watch it.
There are several fan sites online that can give tons of info on the movie and production.

Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru) 2000 114 min/122 min Director's Cut.

Astonishing X-Men : Gifted TPB

Now available at your local comic shop.

Back in the early 90s I stopped reading the X-Men titles that littered the shelves. Before that I was a avid reader of the series and still look upon the Claremont/Byrne issues as some of the greatest comic stories ever written. But by the mid 90s the stories started going to pot. To many different titles that never connected in continuity, everyone kept dieing only to come back a few issues later, and stories that you would read and then 5 minutes later scratch your head and still have no idea what it was about.

With the release of the newest X-series Astonishing X-Men my faith and interest in the franchise has been renewed. Written by Joss Whedon, the creator behind TVs Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the short lived FireFly, it has a "real feel" behind it. In that I mean the characters connect with the reader, the dialogue sounds it could come from the mouth of the person standing next to you and every sentence gives off emotion. The book also features stunning art by John Cassaday, who is one of the hottest artist in the field today. Cassaday's art jumps from the pages and conveys the same sense of action that was found when he did Planetary.

In this series Whedon finally put the X-Men back into costume, no more of the leather biker outfits made popular from the movies. These remind us more of the X-Men of old. The base team consists of Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde (ShadowCat, Sprite, etc,etc,etc).

This trade paperback covers the first 6 issues of the series. The story revolves around Cyclops reforming the team at Xaviers School and the emergence of a possible "cure" for mutations and a new foe in the alien Ord. The story really lays on the tensions and feeling between the group members. From Kitty's distrust of Emma to Wolverine confronting Cyclops from the foot of his bed and getting blasted out the window by a optic blast. Just 2 issues later we see a knock-down brawl between Wolverine and Beast over the Mutant "cure".

Issue #3 ended in a cliff-hanger with Scott saying "Jean". This was Whedons attempt to mislead the readers away from the rumors of another characters return. Cassady even went as far as to make a fake mock-up art showing a Pheonix effect, but marvel ruined the surprise by releasing info too early.

Now issue #4 is the issue that really dragged me back. The return of one of the best, most human characters ever created in the X-verse, Peter Rasputin, Colossus. Peter gave his life many many issues ago to cure the Legacy virus that threatened the world. Now he returns after being held captive all these years by the alien Ord. What a return it is, the look on Kitty's face is utter surprise and disbelief, and Peter's of relief and sadness. In the next issue we learn from Peter what has been happening, then a few pages later we get to see something that has only happened a few times before, we see Wolverine caught by surprise, the look on his face and those of Emma and Beast are priceless. Then in the finally issue we see the return of the best team move in history, the fastball special.

If you haven't read it yet, go out and grab a copy. Don't miss this new starting point in X-Men history.

"I don't need have to watch you Miss Frost, I can smell you". Kitty Pryde issue #2

New Release Tuesday. Better late than never!

I have to apoligize first for this post being late. Like I stated a few days ago I am now out of town at a convention and posting has been difficult. A few notable DVDs for this week include:

Elektra: Jennifer Gardner returns as Elektra in this quasi-sequel to Daredevil. This film picks up with the events of Elektras life after her "appearent" death at the hands of Bullseye. I don't agree with the casting of the Typhoid Mary character, this character has always been a favotite of mine and the movie version does not do the comic one justice. Its a good movie to spend some time on, but one on par with Spider-Man or X-Men 2.

Spanglish: A love/comedy starring Adam Sandler. this is a very good movie and once again Adam Sandler shows another side of his acting abilities. This is a major sleeper hit.

Also a correction from last week. Wrestlemania 21 was supposed to ship out last week before the pay-per-view event on Sunday, but it was pushed back until April 14th.

Looking ahead to next we we see several good movies being released, including one of my top picks, Hotel Rwanda. Don Cheadle is a amazing actor and is overlooked in Hollywood. This man needs more leading roles.

If anyone has any thing they would like mentioned on this site please let me know. I have recieved a few requests for older movies which I am tracking down now. I am also looking for new comic projects to post info about.

DOOM 3 for XBOX .

Well, after a long wait and many delays, the XBOX post of DOOM 3 has finally been released. The PC version of this game was a monster, chewing up even the most updated machines. I know that many people had trouble meeting the high requirements for this game to play correctly. The XBOX port is dead on. Sure some of the backgrounds are not as sharp , and some levels have been changed to accomidate console play, but it is still a amazing game. If you have 5.1 sound hooked up to your XBOX you need to turn off all the lights when you play . You will become fully emersed into this digital world and time will fly by. One of my only gripes is that the darn marine still hasn't learned how to hold a flashlight and a gun at the same time. I picked up the Limited Collector's Edition which comes in a fancy metal case like the HALO 2 Collector's Edition. This is only a single disc collection and includes a behind the scenes DOOM 3 feature, interviews with the ID team and concept/production art. But the main biggy on this extra material is the inclusion of the original Ultimate DOOM and DOOM II. Both games are complete and you can play throught the whole campaign mode, it also supports split-screen co-op and deathmatch with up to 4 players.

DOOM 3 also supports XBOX LIVE play. I havn't dived into the online play yet but I do know it does support a 2 player co-op mode to play through the campaign mode.

I will post more info once I get a few days of play under my belt.

"So many games,so little time"

Boy what a HECTIC week !

Hello to all. This coming week will be a little up in the air post wise. I will be out of town on business from Tuesday till Friday. There will be a post tomorrow and the New Releases on Tuesday morning, but after that it will be hit-or-miss till Friday night.

Make sure to keep checking in. I have some fun stuff coming up, including a look back at Buckaroo Banzai and a first hand interview with the writer on the new comic series coming out this year.

"Don't touch that monkey-boy"

The Horrible Addiction Of HALO 2 !!

Some people are addicted to drugs, others to drink, my horrible addiction is to Halo 2. Recently this darn game has been taking up way too much of my time. Yes, I won't deny that it is outrageously fun to play and watch, but when I can start playing at about 7pm and then look at my watch again and it is suddenly 1am,I know I am in deep trouble. I do have to give Bungie and Microsoft credit for creating a game that has taken the world by storm. I am sure by now everyone has at least heard of the Halo games, if not played them. Halo 2 is the much awaited sequel to HALO Combat Evolved that was a original XBOX launch title and is probably the biggest reason for the XBOXs original success. Halo 2 was released in Nov 2004 and was greeted with lines of fans waiting to purchase a copy, some waiting all night. Halo 2 is in short a masterpiece of gaming technology. The single player campaign may have been short and many where very upset with the cliff-hanger ending, but it is just beautiful to see.

The big draw though, and the reason this game will be around for years to come is the multiplayer game play via XBOX live. This online content is the heart and soul of this game. Bungie has outdone themselves with creating a user friendly interface for all gamers. Gamers gain ranking the more they play and the system matches players up by this rating so that all players are evenly matched for games. The collection of maps that came with the game range from wide open huge areas like Waterworks to close-quarter shoot-fests like Lockout. Game types are varied and all are customizable including Slayer, CTF, Oddball and Assault. Bungie has also just released news that they will be making 9 new maps available STARTING in April. 2 maps will be distributed free on XBOX live to begin with, 2 more will be released that same day for a fee. The remaining maps will be free on LIVE in late summer. They also state that a game disc will be released in store containing all the maps plus extras for $19.95. This disc is being produced so that players who do not have XBOX live and for those who don't want to wait for the rest to come free on the LIVE system. A lot of people have posted on the message boards showing anger at the fact that Bungie is charging for these new maps at first, but they need to understand that it does cost money to produce new content, and in the end they only need to be patient and it will all be free by late summer.

So, as I sit is my chair and zone out on the carnage taking place on the tv screen, time flies by, my wife rolls her eyes, my kids wonder why dad doesn't seem to answer them and my fingers cramp in horrible pain. Ahhh, the joy of playing Halo 2.

You can check out all the great HALO and HALO 2 info and goodies at www.bungie.net

"Time keeps on slipping into the future