Dude, you’ve heard of assbreath? You got asschest.
Dude, you’ve heard of assbreath? You got asschest.
1. First of all: Spider-Man movie news. Spider-Man 1 and 2 were fantastic, 3 not so much. But Raimi will return for the fourth film, which will begin shooting in March 2010. The script is being developed with Gary Ross, who we’ve heard will also direct a Venom film at some unspecified date in the future. I’m a little disappointed—the Venom talent being involved suggests that this will be another symbiote story. Carnage is just like a red Venom and I was hoping for The Sinister Six. But with Raimi on board, there’s at least a strong reason to hope that the movie will live up the promise of numbers 1 and 2. But maybe it won’t be Carnage, anyway. Raimi said this, on MTV:”[Peter Parker] has to grow in a way to overcome the villain, because there always seem to be stories of coming of age, of a young man growing up and learning things about life, so once we are identifying the exact movement that Peter has to grow to. I think the villain—and we’re trying this right now; we’re trying to choose a villain based on who would be the proper counter to that growth, so we really have dramatic conflict.” A villain that is counter to coming-of-age growth? Seems like that was done already—Sandman had to face his responsibilities, but chose the wrong path. Maybe it’ll be Vulture. He “came of age” thirty years ago, being that he’s an old man . . .
2. “New Ultimates.” I was a huge fan of the Millar “Ultimates” books, and the Bendis Ultimate Spider-Man was great, even if it got a little stale at the end, and Ultimate X-Men was great at the beginning but showed steady decline over the years. Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum? Not a huge fan. I didn’t hate them as much as everyone else seems to have, but it’s undeniable that they lacked the spark and quality of the rest of the Ultimates lineup. I’m waiting for the trades to catch up on the relaunch—my pocketbook only goes so deep, and Marvel doesn’t send me press copies—but after the Baltimore Comic Con, Marvel announced another series: “New Ultimates” by Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho. Yeah, Jeph was behind Ultimatum, but he has done some great work as well (such as his “color” series, including Hulk: Gray and Daredevil: Yellow). And as for Frank Cho, the man is amazing. The team will fight cosmic, world-threatening enemies, and it looks like we’ll be seeing Valkyrie, Iron Man, Cap, and a brunette with a large axe. Marvel will also be publishing “Ultimate X,” which will have something to do with the few mutants who survived Ultimatum.
3. The Avengers. Iron Man’s Jon Favreau won’t direct The Avengers movie. I for one am happy about that. I liked Iron Man, but most for its “human” scenes. I found the action sequences hard to follow, and the “big boss battle” at the end was too dark to see. Avengers needs someone who knows how to pull back and show spectacle.
4. An “it’s about time” moment: This November, D.C. will feature an all-Chinese team of heroes called “Great Ten” in a 10-issue miniseries. Created by Grant Morrison in the weekly series 52, the Great Ten were introduced as a team operating under the auspices of China ’s government. There are more Chinese people than any other nationality on the planet. They should at least have 10 heroes.
5. Deadpool is the new Wolverine. In the next few months, Deadpool will celebrate issue #900, complete his two miniseries (both of middling quality, and neither as good as his regular series), will be featured in the Black Panther DoomWar series, and will be a part of several other Marvel “events.” Calling his latest issue #900 is an obvious nod to his overexposure, and being self-conscious is a trademark of the character, so, yeah, it’s funny. But writing Deadpool—and writing him well—is difficult. The recent “Suicide Kings” miniseries, for example, was far too dark to be good Deadpool. I am afraid that Marvel isn’t protecting this property—it requires a lot more care and nurturing than Wolverine, whose character can be drawn in fairly simplistic terms (say “bub;” pop claws when angry; be a grouch; and say he’s the best at blah blah blah) and still be effective. Deadpool is a more complex character, and when he is oversimplified he is, quite frankly, boring. He’s no better than Punisher or Terminator or a host of other gun-totin’ antiheroes. Even Foolkiller. So, Marvel, I hope you reign him in.
6. Brian Singer recently said he wants to do another X-Movie, but he’s committed for several years to other projects. In other news, there’s apparently a Magneto script complete, but it’s about him as a kid so they won’t be using Ian McLellen. Is anyone really interested in a Magneto: Origins film? I’m not.
7. Apparently, Geoff Johns (of Green Lantern Rebirth and Darkest Night), will be writing a story for the Smallville TV show that will feature the Justice Society. Smallville has suffered this season—it’s become too dark and the stories are choppy, even if S-boy is finally rocking the black “S” T-Shirt. But the series always was pretty hit-and-miss. With Geoff, signs point to “hit.” The ep should air on 1/29/10. Mark your calendar.
8. And finally, speaking of Baltimore Comic-Con (as I was in point 2, above), I want to give special thanks to Rob Liefeld. The line to meet the man behind Deadpool was over an hour long, but he allowed my ten-year-old son, who was sporting a home-made Deadpool T-Shirt, to come behind the table and share a few words. Tremendously nice guy. And Rob, I hope someone passes this along to you: You made a huge impact on my little boy’s life. He was smiling for days afterwards, and kept talking about how he’ll never forget that day. Jeez I wish I’d had a camera. From one dad to another, Rob: Thank you for creating that memory.
Tags: Movies, Spider-Man, Superheroes, Television
“Hello, good morning, we’re tossing a coin to begin . . .” The first song of The Duckworth Lewis Method‘s self-titled debut is about, of all things, cricket. Not the magazine, the sport. “Go on and get your pads on,” Neil Hannon says later, “Start the age of revolution.” Okay, so it’s not totally about cricket. There’s some allegory going on here. But it is about the game as well. As is the rest of the entire album(!)
The band offers something different, to be sure. Both in lyrical content and sound: That first song, “The Coin Toss,” bounces around on a reggae beat but shuffles through many styles, vocal effects, swinging horns, and something that sounds like castnets.
Hannon is (was?) also the frontman for another modern psychedelic-weirdness band, The Divine Comedy, and he hasn’t changed a bit. Why do I like this record? It’s hard to say. It is a challenge to like it, because it challenges all assumptions, requires strict attention, and never, ever, asks for your approval. Nor does it pander. But the harmonies and musical lines are fascinating, like watching a flower grow on fast forward. It also reminds me of old, fun Kinks albums, like the vastly underrated Schoolboys In Disgrace, which told stories and had overall themes.
For fans of: Flaming Lips, old Beck, The Kinks.
From the “Rock Against the Rich” tour, this August 11, 1988, show is pure brilliance. But you’d expect no less from the Greatest Rock Performer Who Ever Lived. Terrific quality, great set list. A must have.
Joe Strummer and the Latino Rockabilly War
Joe Strummer: Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Zander Schloss – guitar
Roberto Pla – Percussion
Jim Donica – Bass
Willie McNeill : Drums
A Wee Poem
Shouting Street
Keys to Your Heart
Somebody Got Murdered
Oye Coma Va!
Spanish Bombs
Armagideon Time
The 15th Brigade
This is Scotland
Love of the Common People
Unknown Immortal
Sightsee MC
Nothin About Nothin
Police and Thieves
Ride Your Donkey
Straight to Hell
If I Should Fall from Grace
I Fought the Law
Trash City
Brand New Cadilac
Tropic of No Return
Dum Dum Club
Police on My Back
Love Kills
London Calling
ZIP FILE
Joel Plaskett‘s got balls. I get dozens of submissions a week, and this motherlover sends me a three-CD album? I’m already annoyed at the guy, since I honor my promise to artists that I will listen to everything that is sent to me.
But I’m one-and-a-half discs in before I realize how long I’ve been listening. And my kid is singing along, even though he’s never heard it before (and tends to be finicky).
Plaskett is (another) Canadian singer songwriter, who sounds in many ways like Jackson Browne—straight ahead, easy rock—but he throws curveballs sometimes. “Rewind” ends, literally and abruptly, with rewound audio, goes straight into “Precious, Precious, Precious,” which ends, fittingly, with the line, “I just wanna rewind.” The three-CD set is a composition. Yes, it’s pop songs, but there’s thematic content throughout. Lots of songs with titles (and choruses) consisting of one word, repeated three times. But it’s not gimmicky—he’s capable of jumping through styles, from indie pop to light rock to light country-pop, and several shades of grey between, showing a breadth of pop skill.
Bound for Honor explodes with its first track, “Only An Intro,” produced by Raydar Ellis, with Mic Daily’s rapid, hard delivery. It’s a hype track, designed to get your heads and fists nodding and bumping. It’s followed immediately by another, almost identical tune. Mic’s partner, Big John, has a similarly powerful style, making the duo a little difficult to distinguish. So, why am I reviewing it? Because despite some repetitiveness, Bound By Honor’s debut has a lot going for it. “Spanish Fly” does something that’s almost impossible for most rappers—it goes bilingual naturally, with flow and ease and without using Spanglish as a novelty. It’s good the way Cypress Hill used to be good. It also brings Chino XL to the table, and he’s always worth the price of admission. And when Mic Daily changes it up and slows it down, like on “Buried Alive,” he shows great talent and verbal ability.
Finally, there are quite a few great one liners (“I murk kids like SIDS,” e.g.), that make this album worth adding to your collection. These are two solo undergrounders with their own followings, and it’s cool to hear them show up and bring their pals, like Esoteric, Rugged Intellect, and Loptimist.
Character Assassination Bound By Honor with Chino XL
Chino’s Tupac Dis Freestyle (a must have!)
Tags: Hip Hop
You guys have such dirty minds.
A short, 6-song acoustic boot from Live’s Ed Kowalczyk. You remember him as the guy who sang songs one and five below. Good quality, lots of fun–he’s so melodramatic, it’s infectious. Dig it. Your commentary thanks, stumble thumbs, diggs, and hype machine hearts are always appreciated.
6.28.09-The Netherlands
I Alone
The Dolphin’s Cry
They Stood Up For Love
Heaven
Lightning Crashes
Overcome
