Bowie and Albarn

My new favourite for the day.

mike

Second Chances

I went to see Raiders of the Lost Ark at a local theatre today and found it to be a near-biblical event as far as my cinematic experiences go. I'll probably post about it in the near future but, for now, and seeing as how I'm kind of in an Indy mood now, I thought I would post this video about sequels that should get a little more credit because of the number one movie included on the list, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The reviewer/commentator makes some interesting points throughout which I think many internet reviewer/commentators should maybe take to heart.



Now, I'm going to go read a bit, then hit the sack.

Take care!

mike

"Would it have changed some of the ways we looked at one another? "

As my previous post should have made clear, I am on a bit of an X-Files kick at the moment. While I was surfing the 'net earlier and listening to the 4 CD Mark SNow soundtrack collection, I ran across the track, "Dim Memories", and it reminded me of one of my favourite teasers from the whole nine seasons of the show. It's from an episode titled, "The Field Where I Died" and was directed, I think, by Rob Bowman, my a-number one X-Files director.

I liked revisiting it on YouTube so much, that I thought I would make a post out of it, so without further ado...



Later!

mike

"Stay Gold"

Very excited by the idea of a new Big Pink album coming out next week. Especially if the rest of the tracks are anywhere near as good as this one...



Stay gold, Pony Boy!

mike

Walk With the Dead...Again

I realized that the season two premiere of The Walking Dead was airing last Sunday and, although I missed the 'live' broadcast of the show, I did manage to catch an encore presentation that same night. The timing worked out really well, actually, with Jen and the kids all going to bed about ten minutes before it started, which was nice. There's sort of a spoken rule that I can't watch anything too gross or terrifying while there are people who may object to it in the house or conscious.

Anyway, I watched the first season, in its entirety, on Blu-ray so it was kind of a treat to see it 'as it happens', and have that anticipation for watching it again the next week. The episodes (they aired the first two as an hour-and-a-half event) were quite good, both having their share of tension and a few surprises. It felt very much like the comic book where you really don't know who is going to survive and who will not. [POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT] There's a scene early on where the group encounters a herd of walkers and have to hide from them and, honestly, I didn't know how it was going to play out. It's a long scene, too, and the whole time you just sit there, breathless, waiting for something to happen, but also hoping that nothing happens. It was really well executed.

I'm also a little surprised that I'm so into the show again because there was a time, there, where I very much considered giving up on it. I was a little shaky at the end of season one, and then when they re-released the season set on home video as a 3-disc set with new features and commentaries on every episode, I was pissed. I bought season one at a time when I didn't really have the means to do so, but I made an exception to have it, watch it, and support it, and remember lamenting at the time how few good features were on it. I figured they'd make up for it on season two, but lo and behold, they toss another one out there on the market just in time for Halloween and season two.

Yeah, I'm still a little bitter.

Needless to say, I didn't give up on the show, despite everything. I'm very glad that I stuck with it, though, and I'm looking forward to this Sunday's episode. I've even started reading the comic book again, polishing off four volumes yesterday in an effort to catch up. I think when I do manage to get up to speed, I may start buying the book monthly, too. We'll see. What I won't be doing, however, is buying the home video release until well after it hits store shelves in the event that they decide to pull another one of these ridiculous double-dips.

And, with that, I leave you with the season two premiere which is now streaming on the AMC website, which is all kinds of awesome.




Later!

mike

Counting Down to The Complete Saga on BD Pt. 2

Okay, continuing my video posts and the cautious anticipation of Star Wars on Blu-Ray, here is the second of three documentaries, Building Empire:



Cheers!

mike

Belated Anniversary Wishes

As I am wont to do, I forgot to commemorate the anniversary (18th, to be exact) of one of my absolute favourite television shows of all-time. On September 10th, 1993, a little show about aliens, ghosts and mutants came into our homes courtesy of the Fox network. Nobody expected it to last more than a season, if they were lucky. Some didn't think it would even go past the pilot stage (we're looking at you, Duchovny). But it ended up being the show that could, gaining many fans, lasting for nine years, and changing just about everything on television. More than that, it was the show that came into its own just as another cultural phenomenon was gaining ground with the masses. Fans would discuss the show online in chat rooms and message boards, and the creators would get instant feedback on what they produced, for good or ill. Fan-sites also started popping up, tracking episode titles, the show's mythology, and just connecting with other fans 'out there'.

I joined the show in its second season. I remember hearing some of my father's workmates, who were visiting one day, talking about how they had to get home to see if Scully would return after being abducted. We asked what they were talking about and they replied, "You mean you've never seen The X-Files?" I brushed it off (not trusting them to have overly discerning tastes in their television viewing) and didn't start watching the show until I stumbled across the pilot being broadcast out of its timeslot as a special presentation and it blew me away. I was totally bowled over by it. After that it was a short trip to becoming a full-on X-Phile, collecting the VHS tapes, recording the show on my own, reading the books, getting the soundtracks, and watching out for black helicopters.

It was also the first show to be released on DVD as complete season sets, which I think is pretty cool, particularly since I remember hitting my local Future Shop to grab the first one. I think I paid $105-$110 for each of the nine seasons. Yeah, do the math on that one.

Anyway, I'm posting a clip of one of my favourite moments from the series. It's the tail end of a Duchovny written and directed episode called "The Unnatural". I was going to post a clip from season 3 episode 17 entitled "Pusher" where Scully asks Mulder to explain the scientific principle of the whammy, but I couldn't find it online and didn't feel like pulling out the DVDs and doing the video stuff myself. So, without further ado:



I may take another trip through the X-Files time machine if I can find the materials for it. I did a special issue of Meanwhile... back in the summer of 1998, I believe, to tie-in with the release of The X-Files: Fight the Future. I had a couple of interviews which might be cool to unearth. Stay tuned, I guess, if that's your thing.

Keep watching the skies and, most importantly, trust no one!

mike

Counting Down to The Complete Saga on BD

I know I've been doing a lot of video posts lately, but I think this one (and the two to follow) are pretty cool and feed into my current Star Wars kick. Anticipation for the Blu-Ray release is high in the Jozic household, despite the rumored, and confirmed, changes that have been made. I plan to reserve judgment until I'm sitting there and watching them with my own peepers. The problem with the changes is that some of them make sense and are done well, and some of them...are not.

Anyway, this is the first of three in a series of fan documentaries that run like an expanded audio/video commentary for the original trilogy. It's good stuff. The Star Wars on is well worth it for the behind-the-scenes stuff. I have yet to watch the second, but I may change that this evening. We'll see how things go.



Enjoy. Building Empire will be tomorrow's link.

Mike

Unkind

I haven't talked much about Sloan on the blog despite their new album. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I have yet to buy their new album (which I feel like crap about, by the way). Anyway, while I was buzzing around online looking for something else I ran across this music video for Unkind which is a bit dull, but the song is pretty sweet, so I don't care.



Later!

mike

Vive le musique!

And, just so it's not all reflective first person narration here today, I give you a video I had meant to post about 2 years ago but, for some reason, never did. It's a video of some length where the band members of Phoenix go on to talk (in French with subtitles, I warn you) about all the music that influenced them in the creation of their own unique brand of pop. I loved it. I hope you will, too.

MUSICVISION PHOENIX from Guillaume Delaperriere on Vimeo.

Later!

mike

You Gotta Take Your Medicine Where You Can Find It

Kinda rediscovered a little band by the name of Medicine not too long ago. They're probably most widely known for contributing a song, "Time Baby 3", to the soundtrack album for The Crow. It is, in fact, the first place I ever heard of the band. Their stuff is a pain-in-the-ass to find but I did run across these videos which give you a taste for what they sounded like (and looked like, I guess).


Medicine - The Pink (1993)

Medicine | MySpace Music Videos


Medicine - Never Click (1993)

Medicine | MySpace Music Videos

It was always difficult to listen to an album all the way through without getting a headache, but when the mood struck it was brilliant chaos blasting through the speakers. Still is, really.

Anyway, I'm so freakin' tired I'm falling asleep in my computer chair so I'm gonna sign off.

Cheers!

mike

There is a CD, Burn, Burn, Burn

I've been in a bit of an Our Lady Peace mood and I decided to pick up their new album, Burn, Burn, Burn. I heard some good pre-release press and was interested in seeing where exactly the band had landed after several years of spinning their wheels and producing yawn-worthy power pop.

Well, I can't say as it is a terrible album, but they certainly haven't left their current comfort zone. The first single, "All You Did Was Save My Life", is catchy, driving, and gets under your skin after a few listens but, so far, none of the other songs on the album have managed to equal that. I like some of them just fine, but I will find myself humming the new track from time to time. It does require a few more sit downs and listens before I give it my final verdict, but I'm not holding out hope for it making its way into the same category as their first four efforts which defined their sound and writing so expertly that anything since has seemed trite.

One of my favourite songs from the band, and one of my all-time favourite videos, is a track called "Thief".



Later!

mike

The Night Starts Here

I'm not sure if this video really fits the song, but I applaud and support Stars in all their endeavours, so...



Regardless of how weak the video may be, the song still rocks.

Later!

mike