The Expendables = Pure Awesomeness

I don't want to get carried away here, but I think it's pretty obvious that The Expendables is going to be the greatest movie in the history of movies. Why? Well how about Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger for starters. Only the great assemblage of acting chops in the history of the universe. And if you disagree they might just smash your face. Collectively they've kicked more ass on film than all the other movies without them, ever, added together. This is like the absolute polar opposite of a chick flick.

So what's it about? Who really gives a crap. Watch the pretty explosions on this trailer and zip it:

A Slow Tuesday

Not a slow Tuesday for me, I'm packing and getting all things in order to get out of town for 4 days, but for new releases. Only a few things that caught my eye on the release list at all and the only one I'll pick up is the comedy/horror flick I've heard so much about. I conveniently put a trailer for that one for you below.

* Sherlock Holmes DVD (action/adventure with Robert Downey Jr.)

* Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel DVD (animated family film)

* Joe Rogan ~ "Talking Monkeys In Space" CD (comedy)

* I Sell The Dead DVD (horror/comedy)

No-Hitter At Last

I've been to hundreds of minor and major league baseball games through the years, and you can even throw in lots of college games, and last night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock I witnessed something I've never seen. Ryan Brasier threw a 9-inning no-hitter. The first in the new park ever and the first in the Texas League since 2002. What a night! It was "Bark At the Park" night so lots of people brought their dogs, which was sort of entertaining in itself, and a full moon hovered over the stadium as he threw his gem. Awesome night.

It looks like that's my last game of the weekend as the forecast calls for storms the entire time, but at least 2 new films hit the theaters and 1 of them really makes me want to break my month long theaterless streak. Here's more on both:

Furry Vengeance

The Plot: A real estate developer (Brendan Fraser) looking to turn a forest into new homes faces some unusually tough competition: the local woodland creatures.
My Thoughts: Looks like a family/comedy flick that relies on slapstick humor... and from what I've seen it looks like it's going to suck. Take the kids though I guess, they might get a kick out of it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Plot: Disfigured serial killer Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) stalks a group of young people in their dreams, forcing them to remain awake as the only alternative to death.
My Thoughts: Seriously, this looks awesome. I've been following the progress for over a year and it's FINALLY in theaters so I'm going to definitely get out to see it. I watched all of the 8 films in the original series in the last month just to prepare. Jackie Earle Haley looks like a perfect pick for the new Freddy and from what I've seen, they're going more with real horror than the ridiculous comedy front-man that Freddy became in the series. Great news.

Post Christmas Spending

I'm still trying to get out to the theater to see Avatar, but have tried twice only to find it sold out both times. I could see it on a regular screen or even just 3D but the problem is that I've been wanting to catch it on an IMAX screen and it's just too hot still and I don't like to buy tickets in advance. Oh well, maybe this week it will cool off.

I'm also really wanting to check out Sherlock Holmes and The Blind Side before I make my end of year lists, so wish me luck for this week and weekend. The problem with seeing all of these films is that I got a new sweet 47" high-def at the house and it's all I can do to pull myself away from the blu-rays right now. I've only got a dozen or so, but it just looks so darn good I'm watching stuff over and over. I've got some UFC blu-rays, The Hangover, District 9, Coraline, Up, Traitor and Igor plus a Metallica live DVD, "Francais Por Une Nuit" (French For One Night) so I'm glued to those.

So if you care... expect my 2009 Top 10s over the weekend or early next week.

As for today's new releases, it's not a bad crop of DVDs considering everybody is spent from Christmas. Nothing interesting to me in the CD or video game list (which is good, because I'm playing Christmas gifts Guitar Hero: Metallica and Assassin's Creed at the moment).

* Paranormal Activity DVD (see blog here)

* 9 DVD (animated post-apocalyptic fun)

* Jennifer's Body DVD (sexy thriller with Megan Fox)

* The Marine 2 DVD (action flick with the WWE's Ted DiBiase Jr)

Edge of Rome

Yucky weather here in the south, so it's a good thing I treated my weekdays more like a weekend because I may be stuck in the house all weekend, that is if I can get home from work today. I hit some hoops and caught the always awesome Paul Thorn in concert already this week as well as a nice dinner at one of my favorite spots for my Sis' birthday. Add in some beer tasting, working out and a couple of movies and I sort of need to relax a bit. Well, since I don't have a choice I guess. I'd rather be out doing something but I won't argue.

I might make it to the theater as I skipped last weekend. I still want to see Legion but at least 1 of the 2 new films out interest me as well. Here they are...

When in Rome

The Plot: Beth (Kristen Bell) is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, when she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love during a whirlwind trip to Rome, she finds herself aggressively pursued by a band of suitors.
My Thoughts: Nothing in that synopsis makes me even want to consider seeing this. Well, I do like Rome I guess. And Kristen Bell is cute. That's it. Everything else makes me want to slam my head in a door.

Edge of Darkness

The Plot: As homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.
My Thoughts: Mel Gibson looks like he's returning to more of his Mad Max/Lethal Weapon/Ransom type role, and that's a good thing. Leave the Jew-bashing, sugar-tit-calling, cross-hanging Mel at home I say. Bring on the violent revenge! The trailer looks pretty fun, albeit a little derivative possibly.

Potter's Almost Back

While the teen-goth population rejoices at the return of the Twlight series, the trailer for the beginning of the end of the Harry Potter saga has arrived. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, Harry, Hermione and Ron set out from Hogwarts to find and destroy the Horcruxes -- the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality. It arrives just in time for Thanksgiving on November 19. Part 2 drops next Summer.

And So It Begins...

I don't care what the "official" word is, Summer starts for me on Memorial Day weekend. The theaters are packed with new blockbusters and waiting on more, most of the TV shows are on hiatus so you'll get outside, the lakes are hopping and I'm working furiously to try to get in swimsuit shape. Ah Summer. How I've missed you. The beer is colder and the air is muggier it seems. Let's start it.

I'll be at Riverfest tonight for both the Gary Allan and Cross Canadian Ragweed sets and I might catch a little bit of The Little River Band while I'm there. Tomorrow we're off to the lake to kick the boat off, then back for the Trav's game and following that up with hopefully some Uncle Kracker, Lucero, Blake Shelton, Jimmy Wayne and The Black Crowes back at Riverfest. Back to the lake Sunday then home for a cook-out Sunday evening. The hot tub is clean and fresh, I'm mowing the yard after work today and the grill is clean and ready. It's on.

Oh yeah, there's also this:


The first game in the best rivalry in baseball is this afternoon, then afternoon games on Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully the Cards can build on a nice little offensive output last night and the end of Pujols' RBI and HR "slump". If he gets hot like he can... oh boy. The Cubs are throwing Wells, Carlos Silva and Dempster for the 3 games so that's a solid trio. Should be a blast.

And there's a UFC PPV tomorrow night! I'm going to have to skip it though, too much going on already.

Despite the fact that I'm way behind at the theaters (haven't been in nearly 2 months... unheard of for me) I'm still watching the new openings and hoping I can work something in. Here's what's out:

Sex and the City 2

The Plot: While wrestling with the pressures of life, love, and work in Manhattan, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte join Samantha for a trip to Morocco, where Samantha's ex is filming a new movie.
My Thoughts: I never saw the first one, never will, and this one sounds just as horrible for anyone with a penis to view.

Survival of the Dead

The Plot: National Guardsmen, thinking they have found refuge from a zombie army on an island off the coast of Delaware, soon realize they've wedged themselves between two warring families who differ on what should become of the undead.
My Thoughts: I love George Romero, but lately his films have been better suited as direct-to-video really. I'm going to treat this one as such too. It's great to see another "...Of The Dead" from him, but hardly something to get excited about (unless maybe it was near Halloween).

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The Plot: Set in medieval Persia, a rogue prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) joins a mysterious princess (Gemma Arterton) in an effort to prevent a dark force from obtaining an ancient dagger that allows its handler to rule the world.
My Thoughts: This all seems pretty much like deja vu from about 10 other "swords and sandals" films. I'll probably wait and just rent this one.

The Last Exorcism

Here's a cool new trailer that popped up online at Yahoo Movies for the upcoming (looks like August) film The Last Exorcism. Daniel Stamm directed this, but it's produced by Eli Roth (director of Cabin Fever and Hostel). It looks like the same cinema-verite style of horror as seen in "The Blair Witch Project," "[rec]," and "Paranomal Activity."

Synopsis: Exorcisms are still very common around the world today. According to the Archdiocese of New York, there were over 300 performed during the late '90s in the U.S. alone. Evangelical minister Marcus Cotton, who performed religious rites he did not believe in for years, is about to quit the business. But before he does, he agrees to let a documentary crew film his last exorcism. Things don't go as planned.

Frozen Trailer Is Out

The trailer from the guy who brought us Hatchet, Adam Green's, new movie Frozen is out and it looks pretty cool I think. I believe it's debuting at Sundance next year and who knows if it'll pop up in theaters or DVD after that. Where ever it is, I'll be looking forward to seeing it. I loved Hatchet and he also directed a decent little film called Spiral that you should look up sometime. He's working on Hatchet 2 from what I hear so maybe we'll get to see that in 2010 along with Frozen.

Here's the synopsis for Frozen:

A typical day on the slopes turns into a chilling nightmare for three snowboarders when they get stranded on the chairlift before their last run. As the ski patrol switches off the night lights, they realize with growing panic that theyve been left behind dangling high off the ground with no way down. With the resort closed until the following weekend and frostbite and hypothermia already setting in, the trio is forced to take desperate measures to escape off the mountain before they freeze to death. Once they make theirmove, they discover with horror that they have much more to fear than just the frigid cold. As they combat unexpected obstacles, they start to question if their will to survive is strong enough to overcome the worst ways to die.

Check out the trailer for yourself below:

Cops vs Crazies

I'll be damned if it's still isn't cold here. I keep thinking every weekend that Spring will start poking it head out but no chance. So... more inside activities for me! A couple of movies and such, a pub or 2... etc and so forth. Possibly a road trip tomorrow up north but I haven't decided, since I've already got trips coming the next 2 weekends. If you're wanting to stay indoors but get out of the house 2 new movies hit the googleplexes... 1 buddy comedy and 1 horror remake:

Cop Out

Synopsis: A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop (Bruce Willis) whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner (Tracy Morgan) to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.

My Thoughts: I think this actually looks pretty funny in sort of a classic 48 Hours way. Rplace Nick Nolte with Bruce Willis and Eddie Murphy with Tracy Morgan and presto. Morgan is a pretty funny guy and Sean William Scott seems to have a pretty big role so I'm sure the laughs will be there. Also, the tagline for this is "Rock out with your Glock out"... I mean, seriously? Brilliant.



The Crazies

Synopsis: A husband and wife in a small Midwestern town find themselves battling for survival as their friends and family descend into madness in The Crazies. A mysterious toxin in the water supply turns everyone exposed to it into mindless killers and the authorities leave the uninfected to their certain doom in this terrifying reinvention of the George Romero horror classic.

My Thoughts: I never was a huge fan of the Romero original, but I like it alright. From what I've read about this and seen on the trailers and clips it looks like a great horror film. I'll find out this weekend for sure. I love the scene with the guy walking onto the little league field with a shotgun (about the 20 second mark). Creepy.

Saw VI Comes Home

Good week ahead, except for the predicted Winter storm. That better not mess up my week! Quickly, get the bread and milk! Um, anyway... UALR hoops tomorrow night (ladies) and Thursday night (men) and Paul Thorn live at the Rev Room after tomorrow night's game. If you know me very well, you know how much I love Paul. This will be about the 10th time I've seen him and he's always great. And women's hoops you say? Well, yes actually. Our women's team is VERY good and have reeled off 10 in a row while Chastity Reed averages 24.3 per game and is one of the best players in the country. You bet I'll be there.

I'm about to catch up on movie watching too, and some new ones will hit Red Box today that I'll be watching for. Here's the release list as I see it:

* Saw VI (horror) DVD

* Surrogates (Bruce Willis thriller) DVD

* Michael Jackson: This is It DVD

* Pontypool DVD (horror)

* Day of Fire – "Losing All" CD

* Living Sacrifice – "The Infinite Order" CD

* Taking Dawn – "Time to Burn" CD

* 7DayBinge – "7DayBinge" CD (this came out in digital format a few weeks ago... it rocks)

* MAG video game (PS3)

* Mass Effect 2 video game (X360)

How To Train Your Hot Tub

It's fantastic not just because it's Friday, but lots of cool stuff today. Myself, well I've been watching the weather to decide if I'm driving up to Fayetteville tomorrow for a couple of college baseball games and various beer/NCAA tourney activities over the weekend. They're calling for t-storms and rain/wind etc for most of the weekend up there so no worries... I'll just stay around here and have plenty to do. Of course there's what I consider the best weekend of the NCAA tourney with all the podunk teams out of the way and not so many games on that you can't keep up. Last night's Kansas St/Xavier double-OT game last night was one of the best games I've ever seen for the record.

Tonight on Showtime is Strikeforce Challengers VII: Johnson vs. Mahe live from Fresno, Calif. There's not a lot of names I know on the card, but these shows almost always end up being a lot of fun and by the end of the show I have some new favorite fighters. Here's the main televised card:

* Lavar Johnson vs. Lolohea Mahe
* George Bush III vs. Ron "Abongo" Humphrey
* Andre Galvao vs. Luke Stewart
* Zoila Frausto vs. Miesha Tate
* Justin Wilcox vs. Shamar Bailey

And it's a good night for the DVR tonight as over on Turner Classic Movies they've declared it Ray Harryhausen night and are showing 3 of the special effects wizard's films, all of which I don't own on DVD, so that's pretty cool. They're showing Jason and the Argonauts (1963), the original Clash of the Titans (1981) and a favorite of mine growing up, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973). This would only be better if they added Mighty Joe Young, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Mystery Island but hey I'll take what I can get.

Tomorrow night is UFC 111 of course.

If all that wasn't enough, 2 huge movies open in the theaters today as well and here's a quick peek at those:

Hot Tub Time Machine

Plot: Four guy friends, all of them bored with their adult lives, travel back to their respective 80s heydays thanks to a time-bending hot tub.
My Thoughts: I'm so happy this is finally in theaters. Not so I can go see it, but so they won't run the freakin' commercials over-and-over all night long! I get it, it's a "hot tub time machine" so shut the hell up already! What was the advertising budget on this? A billion dollars? Seriously, it looks pretty funny though and love both John Cusack and Craig Robinson (Darrell on The Office) so I'll check it out on video I'm sure. More good news.... Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language. Hell yeah.

How To Train Your Dragon

Plot: Young Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third (voice of Jay Baruchel) is sent to the Isle of Berk in the North Sea, where he is to subdue a dragon as a rite of passage.
My Thoughts: No way this can miss. Dreamworks Animation completely rules and 3-D is the latest movie going fad. I'm a bit torn though, because as much as I'd like to see it, the average price of a 3-D ticket is being raised 26% starting this weekend nationwide. As if the prices aren't high enough? The only way to make a stand would be if everybody boycotted this. Hell it's up to around $15 now and I can just wait and grab the DVD for probably that price or the Blu-ray for just a little more. It's not the same as the jumbo screen, but damn the prices are just out of hand. But back to the point... the film looks great.

Spreading Yuletide Fear

Every Christmas season as I'm going through my holiday movies, I probably have a few that most people don't exactly consider classics. One such movie is Santa's Slay. But I'm pretty sure I know why it's not on everyone's holiday viewing list, although I love it. You get your money's worth if you only watch it for the opening 5 minutes when James Caan, Chris Kattan, Rebecca Gayheart and Fran Drescher are sitting around the family dinner table bickering before Santa (former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg) comes down the chimney, kicks the family dog into the ceiling fan, roasts Fran and proceeds to destroy the entire family. This pretty much sets the tone and tempo for what you're in store for.

It's vile, vulgar and absolutely ludicrous... but it's a blast. If you like horror comedies and Christmas movies, this is a great mix. Actually it's pretty much the only Christmas horror comedy I can think of other than Gremlins I guess. So at least it's the 2nd best one.

According to "The Book of Klaus", Santa's actually Satan's only son, who loses a bet and has to spread Christmas cheer for 1000 years, which has just expired. So Santa's pissed off and now, evil and jacked, he's setting houses on fire, making out with "ho's," driving candy canes through people's eyes, impaling a guy with a Jewish Menorah, beheading gift-openers and generally causing Christmas havoc! Oh yeah, Santa's sleigh is pulled by a buffalo (hell-deer) and he runs old ladies off the road. In what other film does Santa have big guns and deliver quips such as "Aw, Grandpa got run over by a reindeer"? Looking for a film where Santa tries to run down people on a Zamboni machine? Look no further.

Honestly though, the cast is pretty good in addition to all the great cameos in the opening scene. Goldberg is perfect for his role as he doesn't say a lot, rarely emotes and smashes lots of stuff. Santa never looked so intimidating. Emilie de Ravin (Claire on "Lost") and Douglas Smith have major roles and both are likable. The gassy Grandpa who seems to know what's going on is played perfectly by veteran actor Robert Culp. Dave Thomas is also a great sleazy pastor.

I think the best part of the film is the way Santa kills people in various holiday-themed ways, usually followed by a snappy one-liner. You can catch a few nods to It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story and even the classic Rankin-Bass Christmas specials. There's pretty much something in this movie to offend everyone, so if you take it seriously you're sort of missing the point. It's a cheesy, b-movie and it knows it. You really don't have time to get sick of the schtict either, with a run time of just over 70 minutes.

So give it a shot. I think someday this will be required holiday viewing, possibly as a double-feature with Bad Santa.

Santa (reading "A Christmas Carol"): "Christmas can sure scare the Dickens out of people."

Piranha 3D Trailer

Piranha 3D... very rarely will 2 words go together so well in this world. Other than that why am I excited about this remake? Well, Alexandre Aja directed it for one. If you don't know who that is, he also happened to direct a few fine little films such as Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes (the remake) and Mirrors. Expect gore. Also Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) has a cameo and Jerry O'Connell plays a sort of "Girls Gone Wild" sleezeball, so yeah there should be lots of nudity. No rating yet, but expect a hard R. Due out August 20th.

The Green Hornet Trailer

Here's the new trailer for The Green Hornet, which is due to hit theaters Jan 14th 2011. It stars Cameron Diaz, Seth Rogen and Jay Chou and despite the fact that I had a feeling it was going to completely blow, I think this actually looks pretty fun. See for yourself...

After Dark Tuesday

This is finally the day once a year where After Dark Films releases their Horrorfest. All 8 films hit at once, so look for specials. The best deal I've found yet is Best Buy has them at 2/$25. That's not as good as the last 3 years when Best Buy did all 8 for $70. Not sure why they're not staying with that price again. If you wait a few months though, most of them drop to $9.99 pretty quickly and they should even be down to $5.99 at a lot of place by Halloween. Me, personally, I've got $55 in Best Buy coupons so I may just snag them all and waste my money by being impatient, but I've got an After Dark Festival planned so I gotta get right on it. Also, here's a quick recap/review of all the titles by the gang at Dread Central in case you're just wanting to buy a few and want to know which are they think are the best this year.

Anyway, here's all the interesting new releases today:

* After Dark Horrorfest 4 DVDs (Dread / The Final / The Graves / The Hidden / Kill Theory / Lake Mungo / The Reeds / Zombies of Mass Destruction)

* Scorpions ~ "Sting in the Tail" CD (rock legends say this is their final album)

* Disturbed ~ "The Sickness: 10th Anniversary Edition" CD (2000 album; remastered, with two bonus tracks, "Welcome Burden" and "God of the Mind")

* Saliva ~ "Moving Forward in Reverse: Greatest Hits" CD (13 tracks, plus a new song, "Time to Shine")

* Social Code ~ "Rock 'N' Roll" CD (see blog here)

* Seasons After ~ "Through the Summer" CD

* Joe Bonamassa ~ "Black Rock" CD

* The Blind Side DVD (sports drama with Sandra Bullock)

* Brothers DVD (drama with Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey McGuire and Natalie Portman)

* The Men Who Stare At Goats DVD (comedy with George Clooney and Ewan McGregor)

* Damage DVD (action film with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin)

The Loser Plan

The best thing about this weekend is that I'm not going anywhere. I need a good weekend at the Casa Cracker to just chill out and catch up on a few things. It's supposed to be rainy and stormy today and tomorrow too, so I see some good reading, game playing and movie watching in my immediate future in between laundry and such. Sounds perfect.

I love my Steelers pick in the 1st round of the draft, as they went with 6-foot-4, 305-pound center Maurkice (pronounced Mahr-KEECE) Pouncey from the University of Florida. I love the SEC kids and I love winners, and he's both. The Steelers have a great history of awesome, pro-bowl centers (Hall of Famer Mike Webster (9 pro bowls) and Dermontti Dawson (7 pro bowls) ring any bells?) but looks like he'll start at the guard position. Now if they can just grab a solid defensive back...

3 new movies launch for the weekend and it's a nice mix of rom-com, action and educational. Check 'em out:

The Back-Up Plan

The Plot: Single gal Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) meets potential husband Stan (Alex O'Loughlin) on the day of her artificial insemination. Despite the initial spark, the two lovers begin to wonder if they're taking the right steps to an enduring romance.
My Thoughts: Oh lord, Matthew McConaughey must have been busy. And no Dane Cook either? Bizarre. Ho hum, yet another chick flick. I'm guessing they fall in love at the end. Call it a hunch.

Oceans (opened 4/22)

The Plot: An ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.
My Thoughts: Disneynature's second big release, after huge success with The Cove last year. As hot as these type of shows are right now (see "Life" currently on TV) this might do OK in the long haul. I've read that this has some of the most amazing footage ever captured of the oceans that surround us. I'm sold.

The Losers

The Plot: After being betrayed and left for dead on a mission in the Bolivian jungle, the members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination.
My Thoughts: Another adaptation of a comic (this one by the awesome Andy Diggle) this looks to do better than Kick-Ass as it's got a PG-13 rating, and also has a bit more crossover appeal than say Watchmen I'd guess. Zoe Saldana is in it and I love her, so there's that. Judging from the trailer this looks like a whole lot of big, dumb fun.

The Power of Blu-Ray Compels You!

Well I'm not one for double-dipping my DVDs and Blu-Rays, which means once I buy it on DVD or Blu-Ray I'm probably not going to ever upgrade to an "extended version" or "director's cut" or just go from DVD to Blu-Ray. I've only done it a few times that I can remember. But holy hell when I saw the specs for the Blu-Ray version of The Exorcist, which is one of my favorite movies of all-time, my head almost spun in circles. It's definitely a vulgar a display of power (anybody else even get that?). This baby comes with everything except Captain Howdy himself. I hope.

The version of the movie I have is the Director's Cut now, and it's the best way to watch it. Director William Friedkin said they completed about 12 minutes and added it in, the way he originally meant for the film to be and could now be done with the technical advances. You get all that and more.

Here's the specs for the 2-disc release which will hit Blu-ray on October 5, in a two-disc Digibook edition, packaged with a personal letter written by director William Friedkin inside a 40-page booklet:

Disc 1: - Extended Director's Cut (2000) plus Special Features

-Commentary by William Friedkin
-Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist – set footage produced and photographed by Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, and interviews with director William Friedkin, actress Linda Blair, author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and Owen Roizman (new; Blu-ray exclusive)
-The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now – Featuring a tour of the iconic locations where the film was shot (new; Blu-ray exclusive)
-Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist – with director William Friedkin and author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty discussing the different versions of the film and featuring outtakes from the film (new; Blu-ray exclusive)
-Trailers, TV spots & radio spots from the film's 2000 release

Disc 2 - Theatrical Cut (1973) plus Special Features

-Introduction by William Friedkin
-Commentaries:
-William Friedkin
-William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects Tests
-The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist [1998 BBC documentary]
-Additional interviews with William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty:
-The Original Cut
-Stairway to Heaven
-The Final Reckoning
-Original ending
-Sketches & storyboards
-Trailers & TV spots from the 1973 version

A Legion of Extraordinary Tooth Faries

Huge weekend ahead... blah blah blah. Why do I even say that stuff? It's the weekend = I'm going to have some fun. Hell I have fun during the week. So let's get to the new movies shall we? I think this could be the week that Avatar is knocked from the top of the mountain. By which movie? Well, quite honestly it could be any of these 3...

Tooth Fairy

The Plot: A bad deed on the part of a tough minor-league hockey player (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) results in an unusual sentence: He must serve one week as a real-life tooth fairy.
My Thoughts: I smell what the Rock is cooking, and it smells like fish. This once badass continues his Disney neutering, this time in a movie where Ashley Judd looks more masculine in the trailers. Tights and fairy wings? R.I.P. Rock. Enjoy the paychecks.

Extraordinary Measures

The Plot: A drama centered on the efforts of John and Aileen Crowley (Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell) to find a researcher (Harrison Ford) to develop a potential cure for their two children's rare genetic disorder.
My Thoughts: This looks like a really solid drama with an excellent cast, but potentially a little slow for my theater going tastes. I'll wait on the DVD to view it.

Legion

The Plot: God has lost his faith in humankind, causing him to send his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. A remote diner becomes the battleground, where the Archangel Michael bands together with a group of strangers, though Michael's true focus is to protect a pregnant waitress whose unborn child is humankind's hope for survival.
My Thoughts: Bring the noise baby! The trailers for this look like a blast and the effects are awesome from what I've seen. Oh yeah, it's rated R. I'm so there.

Hot Rockin' Summer Releases

We're on the 2nd day of Summer and it's already smokin' hot here down South. I can't grab the paper in the morning off the front steps without getting sweaty. By 7:00 AM it's in the mid-70s with the humidity and heat index in the 80s. Awesome! Well, it was awesome when I was off last week and didn't have to strap a tie around my neck every day. Only 8 more weeks until my next vacation!

Summer heats up today with some excellent musical offerings though from some of my favorite artists. Plenty of blog links and a couple of videos to check out. Check out the release list:

* Ozzy Osbourne ~ "Scream" CD (see blog here)

* Vince Neil ~ "Tattoos & Tequila" CD (Motley Crue's lead singer... see blog here)

* Danzig ~ "Deth Red Sabaoth" CD (their first studio album since 2004... see blog here and see more below)



* Paul Thorn ~ "Pimps and Preachers" CD (I already got my copy and it's excellent... see blog here)

* Eminem ~ "Recovery" CD

* (hed) p.e. ~ "Major Pain 2 Indee Freedom: The Best of (hed) p.e." CD (2 CDs, 34 tracks)

* Sister Sin ~ "True Sound of the Underground" CD (see blog here)

* Green Zone DVD (Matt Damon thriller)

* Transformers: War for Cybertron (Video Game for PS3, Xbox, WII, DS)



Wooo! That's a helluva day.