Movie Review: While She Was Out

Synopsis: An upper class housewife (Kim Basinger) with an abusive husband witnesses the murder of a security guard and then must run for her life as the group of thugs are trying to do away with the only witness to their crime.

** Here's a quick warning since I don't normally give away too much in my reviews, but this movie sucks so bad I'm going to have to pick it apart. So don't read any further if you don't want to know too much plot for this pile of dung.

If you like movies where characters behave totally illogical and ridiculous things happen at every turn, then by all means go rent this immediately. Kim Basinger's character behaves like an idiot from the first moments of the movie. She's also really annoying, which makes it impossible to root for her when the danger arrives. For some reason, she brings it all on herself because she has to leave a snotty note on a car that's parked over the line, despite the fact that she found a spot to park not 30 feet away. Then the driver and his 3 thug friends approach her angrily and she starts running her mouth and pushing them and such. Real smart.

But it doesn't stop there. When a security guard who tries to help her gets shot, she jumps in her vehicle and has a good 2 or 3 minute head start on them. Oh my, where do you go?!?! Nope, not home nor the police station or anywhere with help. How about a new subdivision being built that is away from where any people are. Then when she wrecks her SUV, in some of the worst driving you'll ever see (until a few minutes later where somehow the bad guys wreck for no reason), but as she's fleeing she doesn't grab her purse, choosing instead to grab a metal red toolbox from her SUV. Yes, she's running and trying to get away from pursuers with a toolbox full of tools banging around. I'm not kidding.

Stupidity abounds from here, with gems like her actually somehow running TOWARDS where the bad guys are instead of away, the bad guys smelling her perfume in some rainy woods and this instantly tells them which way she went (they were also able to tell exactly what brand of perfume it is) and somehow in these same wet woods they find a small bit of blood and determine it's hers and also which way she's heading.

To add to the fun, somehow suddenly this pathetic housewife, who can't even keep the kids toys picked up and cowers like a little kitten when her husband raises his voice the slightest, becomes a tough girl badass murderer. She could get away but decides it's better to kill her pursuers, who conveniently split up for her.

And then for whatever reason, in the last 10 minutes 2 of the stupidest things in the history of films happen, just to top it off. Also, she actually drives by the original murder scene but doesn't stop and tell the cops what all has went on. Using her super-intelligence, she decides to go home and commit more crimes with the original murder weapon. I won't ruin that, but let's just say she sets herself up with a lot of murder charges for what all has gone down in the movie. I'm guessing she'll either get the death penalty or spend her life in prison so the kids she loves so much through the film can live a crappy, parent less life. Genius.

This movie is just a great example of how not to make a thriller. There's just no logic to it at any point and it's about as stupid of a movie as I've seen in a long time. I only gave it any rating points at all because it's decently shot and some of the acting isn't too bad (not Kim's role), plus there's a little bit of gory stuff. This is so bad I wouldn't be surprised if the Academy actually tries to take back Basinger's Oscar. Rightfully so.

2/10

Sweet Christmas Lights

It's about that time when I'll pop in a Christmas CD and cruise around to look at lights once in a while, but I wish I could find a place like this one. It says it's the Cambridge, Ohio Guernsey County Courthouse. So yeah, I'm guessing that's a whole lot of work, but well worth it.

Sunday Funnies

Let It Roll

Here's the new video from rock n roll outlaws Divide The Day for the song "Let it Roll." Great song, rockin' video.

Produced By: Lighterside Productions Directed By: Tom Morris

Movie Review: Adventureland

Synopsis: A comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad (Jesse Eisenberg) who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.

I think the biggest problem with this film is right there in that synopsis above and also on the poster... "a comedy" and "from the directors of Superbad." These things led me to think it was going to be in the same vein as Superbad, and well, also that it was a comedy, which it's not. It's really a romantic drama. There are some quirky characters in it and some funny moments, but it's a coming of age movie really that's a pretty realistic depiction of teen romance.

The actors they have assembled are impressive and many small roles attempt to steal the show form the fantastic performances of Kristen Stewart (Twilight) and Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland), who both come across and very real and likeable people. Throw in great performances by Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds and many others and I tip my hat to the casting director.

Another fun bit, for me at least, is the whole nostalgia of the late 80s. Lots of great songs by bands like Judas Priest, Falco, Whitesnake, The Outfield, The Cure and Crowded House kept me smiling and remembering my own experiences, although not spent working in an amusement park, which were just as awkward at times. I think I knew somebody like a lot of the characters here too, as did everybody probably, and that's part of the appeal. I kept thinking I was watching a modern-day John Hughes movie.

It's as sweet as Superbad is raunchy, so don't be expecting as much slapstick and toilet humor, although there is a bit (hey, I said it's a realistic teen movie). It's a good little touching and honest feeling film with it's share of laughs. Sure the story is a bit cliche and worn, but it's the way it's delivered that makes it worth a watch.

7.5/10

Wolfmother on Kimmel

Wolfmother performs "White Feather" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Is it just me is does lead singer Andrew Stockdale look a lot like Carrot Top lately? Regardless, I'd love to catch these guys live sometime.

Zakk Wylde... Movie Star

My favorite guitar player of all-time, Zakk Wylde (Ozzy, Black Label Society), apparently has a role in an upcoming indie film called Bones from Broken, Beat & Scarred Productions. Can he act? Who cares! It's Zakk f'n Wylde! He was in the classic film Rock Star with Marky Mark and Jennifer Anniston back in 2001. I say classic, well, because I loved it! I think I'm alone in that though, critics and fans pretty much hated it. What do they know? Izzy Cole and Steel Dragon owned. Zakk also played a gang leader in Chasing 3000 last year, a baseball film. My man can do it all.

Here's more on Bones:

Written and directed by Frank Pestarino, "Bones" stars James "Jimmy" Bennett, the American child actor who is perhaps best known for his roles in the films "Star Trek", "Daddy Day Care", "Hostage", "Firewall", "Poseidon" and "Evan Almighty".

Zakk plays the role of Jed in the movie, which is described as a "heartbreaking coming-of-age story of four teens growing up in 1989 blue-collar New York, and the bond that would tie them together for life."

A 2010 release is expected.

Here's the official IMDB entry for it.

Homemade food + Bruisin’ beer = Happy Thanksgiving

I found another great article for your Thanksgiving cooking and beer consumption, this one from the great blog at Bruisin' Ales. These people know their beer, and they're called Bruisin' Ale because they know their big bruisin' brews (aka high gravity stuff). They're based in Asheville, NC, and their site claims to be for "a renowned beer-only store, which boasts over 800 brews from around the world (and around the corner)". No doubt, from what I've read and seen it's one of the best beer stores in America. I think I may road trip out there someday. I might as well, I read their blog all the time and love it.

Anyway, this goes well with my Turkey and Beer: You Betcha post from a few days ago. So clickity click right after the intro below and read while your turkey is getting all thawed out, then invite me over if you need some sampling done.

"Every year, we make a few suggestions about serving beer at the Thanksgiving table. While wine always still seems to be in the forefront of a fancy sit-down, lovers of beer know that the complex flavors of our favorite beverage are much better at complimenting/contrasting the tastes of the holiday season. (Let’s not forget that beer is also a wonderful burst of flavor in the cooking process, too.) Here are a few recommendations. (read full article below)"

Homemade food + Bruisin’ beer = Happy Thanksgiving

Movie Review: Ice Age 3

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Synopsis: When Sid's attempt to adopt three dinosaur eggs gets him abducted by their real mother to an underground lost world, his friends attempt to rescue him.

If you're familiar with this series, you'll probably be happy to hear the same great voice talents like Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah are all back as some of the great characters from the first 2 movies. Scrat and the possums are back for the comic relief when Sid isn't on the screen to keep some laughs coming. There are a few new characters added to the mix too, like Scrat's new love interest, some dinosaurs (including 3 fun, cute babies) and the wacky Buck (voiced by Simon Pegg... think Richard Shaw as Quint from Jaws after about 20 Red Bulls). There is peril, action and cuteness like this series is known for and it's a good heartwarming film for the whole family.

To compare it to the first 2? I'm not sure, but I think the more established characters sort of took a back seat to the new blood, which is OK to keep the series from getting too stale, and the biggest difference was that even though I didn't get to see the 3-D version in theaters, the animation in this one was awesome, and I love great animation. The others were good, but this is a step up. It just looked fantastic, especially the dinos. Hard to believe I was blown away by Jurassic Park years ago and now the freakin' cartoons are up to and past that level in many ways. The action sequences in this one are great as well, thanks to mainly to the look of it.

So it's another really good, amusing, entertaining family film in this series for my money. Some of the jokes fall flat, some made me groan and several made me laugh. It's got great characters and sort of a warm-and-fuzzy family togetherness thing going on. Well worth a watch.

8/10

Lifehouse is Halfway Gone

Here's the new Lifehouse video for the song "Halfway Gone." Good tune, although the video is a bit odd. Seems more like a commercial for a new car or something.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Movie Review: Orphan

Synopsis: A husband and wife who recently lost their baby adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be.

I thought this movie looked a bit too much like it's brethren The Good Son, The Bad Seed and even The Omen so I passed on it in the theaters and only recently checked it out on DVD. I'll admit I was wrong as it's actually got a fairly original twist, some good shocks and scares and is even pretty disturbing and gory at times. It can stand alone easily.

The main reason it works is the actress who plays Esther, Isabelle Fuhrman. She is simply outstanding as a creepy, oddball kid who has a few screws loose. She's not just trying to blame the other kids for knocking over a lamp or something either, she's evil and set on kill. She's not just a bad kid, she's a nasty little bitch.

The rest of the cast works well too, giving it a surprisingly emotional story about a Mom with some problems of her own and battling her own demons from all sides. This made me feel like the whole movie really took itself very seriously and never delved into just another silly horror movie. The plot within the plot is good. Also, Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga have very nice chemistry as the couple and it helped me get invested in them as a family.

By the end things get wild, the twist is revealed (one which I hadn't guessed) and I was still satisfied with my 2 hours of entertainment. And that's really all I'm asking. It's a decent little thriller.

7.5/10

Movie Review: Lake City

Synopsis: In this searing Southern drama, a mother (Sissy Spacek) and son reunite under desperate circumstances years after a family tragedy drove them far apart, when the son returns home with some bad people hot on his trail.

In a word... predicatable. They assembled a solid cast for this film and it's got it's touching moments and a great setting, but ultimately it's just soooo predicatable. I pretty much had the next 90 minutes figured out 15 minutes into the movie. It deals a lot with pain of loss, suffering and family secrets. It's just they're not so subtle about this, with the classic closed door and "we don't go in that room" approach. As they slowly reveal the family tragedy don't expect any surprises.

I'd liked to have seen bigger roles from Rebecca Romijn and Keith Carradine's characters and felt they were a little bit wasted and under-used. Spacek obviously carries the film along with her son, played by Troy Garity, and I thought Collin Ford, who plays the kid, was really good. The thing that this movie might end up being known best for is that rocker Dave Matthews plays a role as a drug dealer. He's actually pretty good I thought too.

There's a good payoff for all the set-up as it ends satisfyingly with a short but exciting action sequence.

It's a decent story and the low budget film is nicely done with a solid cast. It's worth a watch.

6/10

Thanksgiving's Getting Close

I've been neglecting the upcoming holiday so I'm surfing around looking for some Turkey-Day fun. I found this one on a site I used to frequent but ceased to publish new material a while back, TopFive.com.

The Top 15 Upcoming Thanksgiving-Themed Movies

15. To Kill A Walking Bird

14. My Best Friend's Dressing

13. Thighs Wide Shut

12. The Texas Coleslaw Massacre

11. Casserolablanca

10. The Fabulous Baster Boys

9. 12 Hungry Men

8. Silence of the Yams

7. For Love of The Game Hen

6. I Know What You Ate Last Winter

5. All the President's Menu

4. White Meat Can't Jump

3. When Harry Met Salad

2. The Story of U.S.

and the Number 1 Upcoming Thanksgiving-Themed Movie...

1. The Wing and I

and an old David Letterman Top 10 from 2001:

Top Ten Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Tips

10. To get turkey golden brown, use a high-grade shellac

9. Buy a wreath at K-Mart and tell everyone you made it yourself

8. Bite the head off of a live turkey

7. So nobody gets drowsy after dinner, liven up the stuffing with half a can of Folgers Crystals

6. Don't call the Butterball talk-line tonight, you may get a moron

5. Tired of turkey? Roast a raccoon

4. No time to bake homemade pies? Well then, you're a horrible, horrible person

3. Decorate your turkey with pinecones -- how do I come up with this crap?

2. Get the family as drunk as possible, as early as possible

1. To spice things up in the bedroom, dress up like pilgrims

and here's last year's Macy's Thanksgiving commercial with Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro that's pretty cute:

Sunday Funnies

Turkey and Beer? You Betcha!

Do you honestly think the pilgrims had wine or milk or soda with their turkey? Chances are pretty strong that they matched it with ales. As for me, I've got my turkey, dressing and all the fixins just waiting on me and I'll be pairing it with a brown ale. Seems that the hoppier beers or the lighter, wheat stuff doesn't pair as well as say an Amber ale or brown ale. There are also some beers with cranberries that might mix in quite well or if you're having some chocolate dessert try a wonderful Lindeman's Framboise (raspberry) with it. Or of course, just replace dessert with a chocolate stout altogether.

So this site can help with recommendations: BeerAndTurkey.com

Here's a great Beer Advocate article with some ideas: Celebrating Beer With Thanksgiving

Here's another from the late, great Beer Hunter himself: Beer Hunter Thanksgiving

This one's from The Beer Site: Beer For Thanksgiving

Lastly, this one if from Blog About Beer: Don't Forget The Beer This Thanksgiving

If you don't feel like reading through those great and fun articles, there here are some suggestions courtesy of the Brewers Association:

* Traditional Turkey – Amber ale or a lager like Oktoberfest, brown ale or a strong golden ale like triple

* Smoked Turkey – a hoppy brown ale, Scotch ale or porter

* Ham – Weizen, wiezenbock, dubbel or dark lager

* Pumpkin pie – Spiced ale, winter warmer or old ale

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 Tomorrow

Another weekend, another round of fights and I love it. Tonight is Strikeforce Challengers on Showtime (highlighted by Kim Couture vs. Kerry Vera) and tomorrow night is the UFC back on PPV with UFC 106: Ortiz vs Griffin.

Here's some videos and info for the UFC 106 show:

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II
Date: Nov 21, 2009

MAIN CARD (Pay Per View)

* Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz
* Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck
* Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah
* Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders
* Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

Hello Friday!

Man, what an exhausting run it's been lately. I've recovered from the vacation and ensuing stack of work upon my return, at home and the office, and am a regular member of society again I feel. Good weekend coming up too, with tickets in hand for the Razorback game against Mississippi State tomorrow here in town. If you've never been to an SEC tailgating event, you ain't lived. Throw that in there with some deck partyin' and getting prepared for the Thanksgiving weekend coming up and it'll be another busy one.

I've been trying to catch up on some of this year's movies lately if you haven't noticed the reviews for Up, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead. I honestly think Up is one of the best movies of the year. But there are still some big releases left, like The Lovely Bones, The Road, Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. There are also still some films from this year I've yet to catch so I'll try to stay on it for the remainder of the year. I'll be passing on the new Twilight movie and leave that one to the 15-year-old girls. I'm not a fan of the books and I thought the first film blew.

There's a lot of good music out right now too and I've been swamped trying to take in all the new stuff I've gotten lately. I'm seeing Machine Head with Metallica in a few weeks so I've been trying take in a lot of their older stuff that I wasn't familiar with, plus plenty of Metallica, plus new CDs from Destrophy, Soil, Throwdown and Wolfmother to name but just a few. There are still new CDs from Nonpoint, Mudvayne, Lifehouse and Puddle of Mudd left to come this year as well. Great year for tunes.

I made it out to another beer dinner last night, this one at The Flying Saucer and brought to us by the fine folks at Merchant duVin Distributing (beer importers). It was another really good one. The speaker was their regional manager Robert Watts and the guy not only knew his beer very well but he knew the back stories and had been to Europe and all the locations to go along with the stories. When you've hung out with the monks who make Orval, you've got my undivided attention. Well, I say undivided, but I was sort of concentrating on the excellent meal of salad, soup, smoked salmon and a delicious chocolate dessert as well. All fantastic... but of course I'm there for the beer and they delivered on that promise too. Here's what we had:

* Samuel Smith Premium Lager (floral, all natural)
* Ayinger Brau-Weiss (classic Bavarian wheat)
* Orval Trappist Ale (complex Belgium)
* Samuel Smith Imperial Stout (opaque and excellent stout)
* Lindeman's Framboise Lambic (raspberry seasoned masterpiece)
* Lindeman's Gueuze Cuvee Rene (sort of a green apple sourness... not a fan)

Oh baby that's how you do a beer dinner right there! Seriously. It was very well organized and informative as they had some excellent handouts and we got a Samuel Smith take-home glass even. I'm looking forward to the next one already.

Boy Finds Own Real-Life E.T.

Boy Finds Own Real-Life E.T.

Movie Review: Wrong Turn 3

Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead

Synopsis: Another group of people find themselves trapped in the backwoods of West Virginia, fighting for their lives against a group of vicious and horribly disfigured inbred cannibals.

I actually rather liked the first 2 Wrong Turn films. Although they were straight-to-DVD, I thought they were pretty well made, had lots of gore and were a lot of fun. It didn't take long to see that the 3rd film in the series took a "wrong turn." See what I did there!?!? Ha! Quite a few things that bring this one down, compared to it's previous inbred brethren.

First among them, it just looks so much cheaper. All the special effects pretty much suck. Even the gore scenes look like a SyFy original movie or something, with silly CGI blood mists and such. Bad. There's a scene where they're driving and the road outside the window even looks fake.

Next, the acting blows. There are a few exceptions but for the most part everybody is pretty bad. I like Louise Cliffe and Janet Montgomery, but that's about it and they don't get enough screen time. All the characters are a bit cardboard and over-the-top, but still the acting doesn't help anything. None of the characters they play are very likable anyway.

And there's not enough baddies in the woods. It's pretty much just one mutated freak this time out. Against a group of cons with guns? Sort of silly.

Lastly, there's not much of a story at all. I mean I realize it's just a silly horror film, but this bus get's overturned out in the hills and a dude tries to kill them. There ya go. Take The Hills Have Eyes and add Deliverance and start shooting your film.

OK, there is one more thing. The little ending after the ending has 2 major characters completely going against everything they've established about their characters for the last 90s minutes, and that sort of pissed me off. Exclamation point for a bad script I guess.

Oh well, it's got it's moments I guess and I laughed and cheered a couple of times but after the first 2 entries of this series I hoped for a lot more I guess. Don't make that mistake.

3.5/10

Switchfoot on Kimmel

Here's Switchfoot performing their song "Mess of Me" on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week. It's their latest single off of their new CD Hello Hurricane, which was just released. These guys have said they're actually working on or have worked on 4 albums worth of material and are releasing them one right after another. The next CD, Vice Verses, will be out next year.

And is it just me or does their drummer look like Keith Urban?

Movie Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Synopsis: When a shopping mall is overtaken by a gang of organized crooks, it's up to the a mild-mannered, chubby security guard (Kevin James) to save the day and finally prove to everyone he's not just a loser.

I always liked the show King of Queens and think Kevin James plays a great, likable doofus, but I was a little disappointed that this film didn't deliver more laughs. It brings the funny occasionally, but a lot of it attempts for slapstick type humor and it's tough to sustain the laughs with that all the way through. Also, it's extremely predictable.

That's the bad, but is there any good? Well like I said it does have some funny moments, and kids will probably laugh a lot more at the silliness of it all than adults. And speaking of kids, they can actually watch this comedy because it's all good-natured type humor and never relies on filthiness like a lot more newer comedies do. James is good as usual, although I think he could have used some help and they didn't really surround him with anyone to play off of.

Sure it's dumb but it knows that and never really tries to be more than that. I never found it boring and although I'll probably forget it rather quickly, it sustained my interest for 90 minutes just fine. Don't expect too much and this goofy, action-comedy might be alright for you. I didn't roll in the floor laughing but I did stay awake the whole time.

* Bonus... for fellow KISS fans, Blart rocks out to Detroit Rock City while playing a Guitar Hero game of sorts. I added 1/2 a point to my rating for this.

5.5/10

WEC 44: Brown vs Aldo Is Tonight!

I'm always geeked for MMA fights that aren't on pay-per-view, but tonight's WEC card has me a bit extra geeked. Or super geeked? Ultra geeked? Whatever. I'm ready.

I've really grown to like Mike Brown in his 4 WEC fights. I mean the dude knocked out Urijah Faber in the 1st round to take the belt, then subbed Leonard Garcia in the 1st round in his first title defense before beating Urijah via decision in their rematch. How's that for making a mark? The only thing people still seem to point to is that Urijah was injured early in the rematch and Mike didn't finish him. Jeez, what does this guy have to do to prove himself? Well, if he beats badass Jose Aldo that should do just fine I do believe, but that's easier said than done.

All Jose Aldo has done in his 5 WEC fights is TKO 5 different dudes. The total time of his last 2 fights is just 1:47, and that's versus Cub Swanson and Chris Mickle... no pushovers by any means. I can barely get my beer open in 1:47! Well, depending on what number I'm on.

So do yourself a favor and tune in for this war. And don't blink, it might not last long. There are some great fights on the undercard as well so tune in early. Here's a primer with some videos to get your blood pumping.

WEC 44: Brown vs Aldo
Location: Las Vegas @ Palms Casino Resort
Broadcast: Versus

Main Card:

* Champ Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo (for WEC featherweight title)
* Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia
* Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough
* Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller

Manny Gamburyan vs Leonard Garcia Pre Fight Interview


Rob McCullough vs. Karen Darabedyan Pre Fight Interview


Bring it on!

Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions

Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner

Take A Little Ride

Here's Puddle of Mudd's bizarre new video for their song "Spaceship." It's the lead single from their upcoming new album "Vol. 4: Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate," due out December 8th.

Movie Review: Up

Synopsis: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip. Danger and adventure await.

Occasionally, these animated Pixar films will get bashed for not having a good story or any depth beyond pop-culture humor and potty jokes. Up is one of their exceptions. There is still plenty for the kids to enjoy and laugh at, but it's also got a heart and a message. It's a great adventure tale, well told and beautifully animated.

Sure, it's a story about a guy tying enough helium balloons to his house to fly off to South America... but then again it's not that at all. It's about love, loss and sense of purpose. It's about chasing a dream. Be warned, the first 20 minutes or so are very touching and very sad at the same time. Little kids might need some explainin' when it's done. Remember when Bambi's momma died? Yeah, that.

But one of the great things about this film is that it doesn't get all bogged down with the sadness. Seconds later it's back to the laughs, then there's action, and then it's very touching again. It's a fun, exhausting ride. There are great characters as you would expect from a Pixar film, like Dug the dog that nobody could help but love, Kevin a wacky mama bird and a whole slew of misguided "talking" dogs. There's a lot of excitement and almost as much imagination as it has heart. This is how you tell stories... to all ages. One of my favorite movies of the year.

Squirrel!

9.5/10

Of Idols, Zombies and Vultures

If you like idols (Billy or American), killing zombies and vultures (the crooked kind) then this is your day for new releases. It's a small list, but it's got a nice variety. Check it out:

Kris Allen ~ s/t CD (American Idol season 8 winner)

Billy Idol ~ "In Super Overdrive: Billy Idol Live" DVD

Them Crooked Vultures ~ s/t CD (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones)


50 Cent ~ "Before I Self-Destruct" CD

Star Trek DVD (reviewed here)

Assassin's Creed II Video Game (X360)

Left 4 Dead 2 Video Game (X360)

This game completely makes me with I had an Xbox, the first one to do so. Check out the awesome trailer for this, with Clutch's song Electric Worry rockin' in the background:

Rolling On The Music City Highway

My Fall Tour 2009 kept on rolling this past week as I and a friend made a little jaunt across part of the state of Tennessee for some fun, sun, food, music and beer. It was an excellent time as usual. Next stop on the tour... Vegas. But let's have a looksee at this past week first shall we?

We got to Tunica, Mississippi on Tuesday night, and for those of you who don't know, it's a town just south of Memphis where there are about 10 rather large casinos now pretty much just sitting on some farmland. It's sort of like a redneck version of Vegas. And trust me on this, if you go on a Tuesday night, it's a very redneck version of Vegas. We went to Sam's Town on this evening because they had some cheap rooms and we were just stopping in for the night. Neither of us are big gamblers but we had fun playing a few slots (I always have to play Wheel of Fortune), video poker and drinking beer. The good news about not being big gamblers is I never lose a lot of money, but only seldom do I win much either. It was fun way to start. You do get free beer also so it can even out if you drink enough. The bad news is that it's mostly crappy beer. I still tried to get my money's worth.

We were up fairly early and after cutting back through Memphis, we were on Music City Highway and headed towards Nashville. It's been a few years since I was in Nashville but it's a fun city with a lot of great music history and plenty of honky tonks and karaoke bars. Seems like every street corner has a wannabe country star, and there's a lot of talent there to be sure. We sat in a bar called Big Shotz watching some acoustic performers and everybody that played was at a high level of talent. I could probably wander around in the touristy section of town with all the pubs and watch people play for a week without getting bored with it. We hit the famous Wildhorse Saloon, Big River Brewery, Doc Holliday's, Buckwild Saloon, McFaddens Irish Pub and spent quite a bit of time in a joint called Beer Sellar, which has a killer selection of beer. Anyplace where I can get a Stone Arrogant Bastard on tap is a good place. Unfortunately, I perhaps had a few too many of this high gravity brew on the first night there.

On Wednesday night, we went to The Cannery to see Queensryche and Lita Ford. Queensryche started with a lot of tracks off the Rage For Order album and they sounded and looked really good. Geoff Tate can still wail and the band was very tight. Lita Ford came out and the QR guys backed here while she disappointingly played only 2 songs from her latest CD and then Geoff joined her for "Close My Eyes Forever," which was killer. Not sure why she's even on the bill with them if she's only playing 3 songs, but hell if that's all she's going to do how about "Kiss Me Deadly" or "Hungry" or "Gotta Let Go" or "Dressed To Kill"? Big letdown for me. But Queensryche didn't let me down and played a good bit of their catalog with all the hits. That's the first time I've seen them in over a decade and I'd see them again this weekend if they were around. Highly recommended.



On Thursday night we made our way to the legendary Ryman Auditorium and watched the Eli Young Band, Jack Ingram and Gary Allan. I was excited to see the Ryman finally. It's a beautiful old building and just oozing country music history. Being old though it's also got some obstructed views (our seats) and not enough restrooms our concession stands. Oh well, take the good with the bad. Eli Young and company was really good, Jack Ingram was awesome as usual (I've seen him perform many times) and Gary Allan was a guy who I only knew 4 or 5 songs by, but he was a fantastic performer. The place was packed and the crowd was really down with the show so it was a cool experience. Jack summed it up best when at the end of his set he jumped up on a speaker box and said to his band "We just played the Ryman ya'll!" and they started high fiving and hugging.

I highly recommend a great beer store just south of Nashville where I went and stocked up on great stuff, Stone River Total Beverages in Murfreesboro. They had a whole boatload of beer I can't get around here and I had to force myself to leave the store with just $100 worth in my cart. It could have gotten ugly in there. Too bad I didn't win big at Tunica.

Friday we made the trip down Music City Highway again back to Memphis and went straight to Graceland. I hadn't been there in a decade probably and it was great to see it all again. I'm not a huge fan of Elvis, but I do have my share of his movies and music and am very familiar with him. This just in... Graceland is still as tacky as it ever was. Hey I know it's preserved like it was back in the day but damned if the jungle room and all the shag carpet on the walls and floor etc are just too much. I love that place though. All the gold and platinum records, paraphernalia and everything from the phenomenal career that nobody will every duplicate is something everyone who loves music should see. From the excessive airplanes to all the automobiles from the movies to the gift shops... it's more Elvis than should allowed, and it's awesome. I really enjoyed getting back there and I guess I'll visit again in another decade.





We went from there to downtown Memphis and had a few beer at The Flying Saucer, Beale Street Tap Room and Bardog before having an excellent dinner at McEwens on Monroe. If you're looking for a great place to eat in downtown Memphis add this place to the list. We went back towards Beale Street and stopped in a for a brew at a sports bar but decided to shut it down from a long, but awesome, week of fun.

Next stop... Las Vegas.

Default is a Little Too Late

Here's Default's music video for "Little Too Late" from their latest album Comes And Goes. Pretty standard Default song... good vocals, a bit sappy but catchy... I like it.

Let's Go Down To Soulcreek

Here's the new video from Black Stone Cherry for their song "Soulcreek" and it reminds me how good these guys are live. I've seen them several times and they haven't disappointed me yet. I love this song too.

Sunday Funnies