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04.08.08 by Widge @ 11:50 pm An ongoing attempt to make sense of the onslaught of new swag that people want you to buy. Should you? I'll try and help.
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04.08.08 by Widge @ 8:02 pm  Disney has announced the ten animated feature films that make up their new release schedule through 2012. Plus some Tinker Bell direct to video bits. And you really don't want the hoobah of the press release talking about how great it is and ooh aren't we lovely. No, let's cut straight to the list. Oh, wait. You do want to know this bit, though: Starting later this year with the release of Disney's "Bolt," all Disney and Pixar animated features will be presented in state-of-the-art Disney Digital 3-D(TM). Additionally, newly converted 3-D versions of the beloved classics, "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," are set to debut in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Films are not presently scheduled past 2012 due to the impending singularity, or as John Hodgman would call it: Ragnarok. That last part we had mentioned previously. And I'll go ahead and tell you: Incredibles 2 is not on the list. Damn you, Disney. Damn you for breaking my heart. Again. Oh, one last thing--where is Chazzie-award winning director Brad Bird? Making a live action co-produced film for Warner Brothers and Disney/Pixar, apparently, so he's not on the list. Come back, Brad! Bring me my Incredibles sequel! Please! Okay, list. What follows is trimmed from their press release. Our additions and comments are in italics. Categorized as: Headsup
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04.07.08 by ScottC @ 10:31 pm Again Threadless presents a couple of gems that please us no end. Here's one that will appeal to that master of the turntables, DJ B-Naut. For it truly takes the power of a god to handle the mind-shredding madness that is "The Cow Song" from Sesame Street.  [[ Another shirt down here... ]] Categorized as: Headsup
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04.06.08 by Cosette @ 11:41 pm An ongoing attempt to make sense of the onslaught of new swag that people want you to buy. Should you? I'll try and help.
My main problem with Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd is that I want to know what he's got against the chorus. I mean, honestly, he stripped all the chorus parts out of the musical. And I'll just say this for the cast: if Depp and Carter were singers as good as they are actors, then the movie would have been amazing. Let's just leave it at that. Actually, no, I'll just say one more thing: standout of the "known" players? Sacha Baron Cohen. Hands down. This two-disc set, out from DreamWorks, is reasonably outfitted, although there's no commentary. You get a behind-the-scenes bit, a historical featurette, a featurette on London, a featurette on the original musical, and more. Not bad, but I would love a commentary, if not from Burton, then at least from Colleen Atwood and Dante Ferretti, the costume and production designers. Because Burton's films are never, ever hard to look at. As long as you're good with pale people wearing lots of black. But that's Burton. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.) Cloverfield is headed for DVD and it's good to see a new giant monster movie set in the U.S., shakycam or not. But then again, the shakycam from Blair Witch didn't bother me, so maybe I'm not a good judge of such things. That's right, shakycam is fine, but if I try to read in the car? Oh man, just kill me. Anyway, Abrams' movie monster. While some have been unhappy with the handling of the monster I just think conceptually it's fascinating enough to warrant at least a rental. And I do agree that we could have done with a bit less talking and more splode. But hey, at least this monster didn't magically change sizes! I'm looking at you, Sony Godzilla. This Paramount release comes with deleted scenes, alternate endings, outtakes, a making-of bit, featurettes and a commentary from director Matt Reeves, plus more. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.) Categorized as: Headsup
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04.05.08 by Widge @ 11:56 pm An ongoing attempt to make sense of the onslaught of new swag that people want you to buy. Should you? I'll try and help.
The movie is listed as Pusshîkyatto daisakusen on the IMDB, otherwise known as Pussycat Great Mission! (which honestly sounds like something on the Cartoon Network about stray cats piloting giant mecha felines to fight crime or...something). But here MVD has it on DVD as Operation: Pussycat. A short film (43 minutes), it goes for a retro feel and seems to be trying to summon up the spirit of Russ Meyer...check out the DVD cover, check out the poster for Faster, Pussycat!......see what I mean? Three girls decide to take the money of the richest guy in town in a plot that involves killing his female servant. If you have been wanting to see what Japan would do with forty-minutes of sexploitation homage, then now's your chance. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.) Region 2 gets a two-disc special edition, but Universal has given us here in Region1sville a bare bones release of Lost Highway. From what I can tell, this is the film's debut DVD release. Is this possible? Eleven years after its initial release a David Lynch film finally hits DVD? Crazy. And indeed, this is Lynch at his purest and Lynchiest. He gives us two protagonists who share (?) a woman, a mysterious interloper (an excellently creepy Robert Blake), and a nefarious villain (an excellently and comically malevolent Robert Loggia). What does it all mean? It's Lynch. It means anything you want it to mean. So no worries. I actually enjoyed the hell out of this film, so it's bare bones release is a bit of a mystery to me. But for those who have been awaiting it on DVD, here you go. Let's hope we get a better version somewhere down the line. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.) Categorized as: Headsup
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04.04.08 by Widge @ 10:04 pm  Okay, so here's something interesting: Red Bull is known for their energy drink. And for being what Uncle Warren has running through his veins. But now they're branching out: they're introducing a cola. But not just any cola. A natural cola. According to the bit on their website, the cola will have nary a bit of phosphoric acid, preservatives or artificial flavors. 100% natural, they say, with flavors "derived from both the Kola nut and Coca leaf, ingredients in the original colas." It gets its caffeine from coffee beans. Fascinating. I'll get my hands on one and let you know about it as soon as I can. Unfortunately, we have received confirmation that the cans do not have a bluish glow around them as pictured. Too bad. Categorized as: Headsup
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04.01.08 by Widge @ 11:46 pm An ongoing attempt to make sense of the onslaught of new swag that people want you to buy. Should you? I'll try and help.
I first began to have hope for Bee Movie after seeing the series of live action commercials/trailers in which the "decision" to go with a CG-animated movie was reached. It became apparent that with Jerry Seinfeld on board, the laughs would be above par. And apparently, Dreamworks raised their game to meet it. Their animation style is improving somewhat too. But it's still not Pixar--but I won't beat them up too much for that. They get an E for Effort and manage for a decent rental in the process. (I wasn't going for the easy B joke.) And it's available in a two-disc set. There's a commentary with Seinfeld, some TV bits he did for the film, alternate endings and deleted scenes, featurettes and more. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.) Categorized as: Headsup
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04.01.08 by Widge @ 5:08 am It's April. And you know what that means. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Thomas Stearns Eliot has the floor. Categorized as: Headsup
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04.01.08 by Widge @ 3:13 am  The good news is that the press release is dated yesterday, so I don't think they're pulling our legs. Starting March 31st and running through August 2nd, a new limited edition flavor is hitting Chick-Fil-A milkshakes: coffee caramel. From said release: "Starting and stopping a product offer can be a tricky art, but if you do it right, you'll enjoy long-term benefits from creating demand for a product that's only available for a short time by bringing added attention to a particular category of your menu," said Woody Faulk, Chick-fil-A's vice president of brand development. "Our first limited flavor [Mint Cookies and Cream] milkshake was a tremendous success in terms of generating overall awareness of our line of milkshakes, and we anticipate our Coffee Caramel Milkshake will be equally successful."
As with its standard line of flavors, the Coffee Caramel Milkshake is hand-spun with Chick-fil-A's popular "home-style" Icedream(R) and topped with light whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. The Coffee Caramel Milkshake will be offered in a 20 oz. cup and is priced at $2.89 each (at most locations). There's a Chick-Fil-A location around the corner from here. This will give me an excuse to use the best movie tie-in swag I will probably see all year. More on that in a bit. Categorized as: Headsup
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03.30.08 by Widge @ 9:56 pm  It's happening again. 2 Skinnee has released a trailer on their website for a reunion gig. It's August 8, 2008 at Irving Plaza in New York City. Tickets go on sale 10am on April 3rd. If you have any chance in hell of being there, I say go for it. A 2 Skinnee performance is like a cross between an evangelist's tent, a fandom convention and the consumption of way too many Pixy Stix. And sadly, since their untimely break-up, about as rare as an issue of The Ultimates shipping on time. Shower them with ticket sales, so maybe they will come back to us full-time. After all, did we not have the Pluto Crisis in their absence? Has not the world become an insidiously more unstable place without them? 2 Skinnee is the truth. Accept no substitutes. Unless they disappear again, then substitutes will simply be a necessity. Categorized as: Headsup
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