Muthagoose's Pick O' The Week

[muthagoose]

Here is a new weekly feature for ya... Muthagoose's Pick of The Week... will bring you only the finest in product reviews which will span the globe!

[muthagoose]

Halo 2

Halo® 2 is the sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo®: Combat Evolved. In Halo 2, the saga continues as Master Chief—a genetically enhanced super-soldier—is the only thing standing between the relentless Covenant and the destruction of all humankind.



Official Site: www.xbox.com/en-US/halo2/

Features:
Features:

* Covenant forces attack Earth, another Halo ring comes into play, and the Master Chief takes the battle to the Covenant

* New vehicles and weapons, destructible environments, low gravity, online play, Human vs. Covenant multiplayer battles, improved AI, and more

* Better control: sprint at twice normal speed, peek around corners, chain melee attacks into devastating combos

* Completely rewritten graphics engine allows previously unimaginable complexity and detail

* Multiplayer modes include Oddball, Race, Slayer, Capture the Flag, and exclusive modes only available for play over Xbox Live

Bonus!: The Special Edition Package also boasts a free 2 month trail of XBOX Live and a coupon for a buy one get one free 28 oz. Slurpee from 7-11! Now that is product placement!

[Stomper]

This game rocks. I will be buying a X-Box for this game alone. You should go pick this up.

[LotB]

From what Chuck says of playing the "World of Warcraft" beta, it looks to be pretty fucking cool as well. I very rarely ever play games, but I'm giving some thought to this one. It's one of those things that I probably shouldn't do though, as it could rapidly become all-consuming.

[muthagoose]

This week Muthagoose explores the thrill of hunting and killing live animals directly from the comfort of your own home, cubical, public library or tenement building!

LIVE-SHOT
A real time, online hunting and shooting experience.

Official Site: www.live-shot.com

What is it?: LIVE-SHOT is a new concept. You can challenge yourself and compare your skills to other members with our on-line target shooting. We have developed a system where you can control a pan/tilt/zoom camera and a firearm to shoot at real targets in real time.

While your membership is active, access the viewing cameras to see how others stack up to your abilities, control the pan/tilt/zoom camera to take a look around, and schedule a reservation for your on-line shooting experience.

Currently, shooters will be able to fire 10 (ten) .22 caliber rounds at paper and silhouette targets. You may also have a DVD recording and/or the paper target from the session shipped as an option. Look for additional, varied shooting systems along with competitions to come online soon.

Hunting/Available Species: We are currently working on a very comfortable, ADA compliant blind which will house the LIVE-SHOT shooting system. Once this and the perimeter fencing are completed, will we be able to offer a unique computer assisted hunting opportunity. Disabled and handicapped hunters, as well as others who would like to try this type of hunting, will be able to use our system. This is offered in addition to the traditional hunting methods that will be available at the ranch. For those interested in coming to Texas for a hunt, lodging and meals are available in nearby Rocksprings. Transportation is available to and from the ranch and pick up form San Antonio international airport can be provided. Listed are some of the species which will be available on a year round basis.
Aoudad (Barbary Sheep) Native to Northern Africa. These animals vary in coloration from a light tan to almost a dark brown. Both males and females have horns that grow up and back then curl in towards the neck and head. Long guard hairs grow as a mane and “chaps” that give these animals an impressive appearance. Many trophies are displayed in half body positions to show off this distinctive feature. Horn lengths typically run 26-32 inches for trophy class animals.
Blackbuck Antelope. Originally from India. Males grow V-shaped ringed horns which corkscrew out from the base. Horn length varies in adults from 13 to 23 inches. Look for trophy animals to have the beautiful black and white coloration with horn lengths from 16 to 20 inches. Blackbuck meat is delicious and ranked among the top three in exotic venison taste tests.
SHEEP. Corsican, Mouflon, and crosses. A wide variety of sheep species can be seen. Look for color and horn combinations that you prefer.
Wild Hog. Although trophy boars have been put on the ranch for hunting purposes, do not be surprised to see multiple hogs of varying sizes. These animals have become well established and will appear anywhere there is available food and cover. A large animal with protruding tusks will make for a trophy worthy of display. Large males will probably have a “gamey” flavor while average sized animals from 60 to 120 pounds are excellent table fare.

Other antlered species like axis, fallow, and red stag will be available on a limited basis. If you are interested in one of these or possibly another species not listed, contact us and we’ll be glad to assist you in providing the chance at the trophy of you dreams. Meat processing and taxidermy work are available from independent providers and shipping is available worldwide. Subject to the restrictions and regulations of the final destination. Links to these providers are coming soon.

There is a guide fee of $150.00 per hunt in addition to the harvest fee. Each species will vary in price and a price list will be posted when hunting becomes available. When an animal is harvested, a deposit is required for taxidermy and meat processing. The taxidermy deposit is $175.00, $25.00 is retained by us for preparation and $150.00 is given to the taxidermist to start the mounting process. An additional $60.00 is charged for meat processing. If you elect to keep the meat for your consumption, then this deposit is passed on to the meat processor. If you are unable to use the meat for yourself, a donation can be made to either The Hunters for the Hungry program or to the Wild Animal Orphanage. The $60.00 charge is then used to pay for carrying out these donations. Please contact us at [e-mail] if you are interested in making a reservation for hunting with us.

[muthagoose]

Nas - Streets Disciple

Official Site: www.iamnas.com/



Disc: 1
1. Intro
2. A Message To The Feds, Sincerely, We The People
3. Nazareth Savage
4. American Way
5. These Are Our Heroes
6. Disciple
7. Sekou Story
8. Live Now
9. Rest Of My Life
10. Just A Moment

Disc: 2
1. Suicide Bounce
2. Streets Disciple
3. U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography Of Rakim)
4. Virgo
5. Remember The Times (Intro)
6. Remember The Times
7. The Makings Of A Perfect Bitch
8. Getting Married
9. No One Else In The Room
10. Bridging The Gap

Review:
What are we to make of the fact that Nas felt no need to change the release date at the last minute for his latest album, "Street's Disciple"?

Record companies always say early releases are meant to curtail Internet leaks and piracy, but make no mistake, it also generates the kind of priceless publicity that implies: "People want this album so badly; they're willing to break the law to get it!" This month alone, Eminem's "Encore," Snoop Dogg's "R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece," and "Destiny Fulfilled" by Destiny's Child all hit stores before their planned drop dates.
So, does this mean the streets aren't buzzing and clamoring for "Street's Disciple," due out today? Don't get it twisted -- with an effort this astounding, Nas doesn't need tinny, manufactured hyperbole to promote one of the year's best albums.

Just when it seems it's time to proclaim Jay-Z as the undisputed king of New York hip-hop, Nas comes back and makes an undeniable case for the crown. Even better than 2002's jolting "God's Son," this dazzling two-disc collection is all the more remarkable coming a decade after "Illmatic," widely regarded as one of the greatest albums in rap history.

At times, it's seemed as if Nas has spent a good part of the past 10 years trying to live up to that album's promise, which only seemed to loom larger with such scattershot efforts as 1996's "It Was Written" and 1999's "Nastradamus." Then, just as it appeared the rapper might be a one-album wonder, flawed but worthwhile releases like "Stillmatic" in 2001 and "God's Son" gave people reason to believe that Nasty Nas had gotten himself back on track.

Which brings us to "Street's Disciple." Devoted hip-hop heads might find that, song for song, this isn't an instant classic like "Illmatic," but Nas sure comes closer than anyone eight albums deep into his career should. Unlike some of his fat-and-happy contemporaries who are content to coast on reputations, Nas is still a feral rapper, with a level of righteous indignation absent in a lot of contemporary hip-hop. His evolution as a lyricist reveals more than the familiar path of poverty in the projects to the posh life of fast cars and even faster women.

Certainly, Nas could fill an album with such songs (and essentially did with "It Was Written"), but he's far too savvy to sound like every other rapper preoccupied with shiny diamonds and shinier rims for their luxury cars.

On the dazzling "These Are Our Heroes," he sounds positively Cosby-ian, ripping into black actors who accept demeaning TV roles then forget their cultural legacy once they get some money and swap caviar for ox tail stew.

Yet he saves his most savage critique for Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, whose reputation was tarnished after a brief fling with a young woman who later accused him of rape:

Yo, you can't do better than that
The hotel clerk who adjusts the bathroom mat?
Now you lose sponsorships you thought had your back
You beat the rap, jigaboo, fake [expletive] you

Whereas most rappers would run to Bryant's defense, Nas goes for the disappointment and anger directed at Bryant for allowing himself to be ridiculed and disgraced, forever besmirching his well-constructed image as a clean-living role model. Nas also tackles several other topics, displaying his maturity as a man and a songwriter. He considers his upcoming nuptials with singer Kelis on "Getting Married," and he somehow manages to make recollections of his sexual conquests on "Remember the Times" endearing instead of merely vile.

Another standout is the blues-inflected "Bridging the Gap," the album's first single. With a big assist from his father, avant-garde jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas playfully but forcefully connects hip-hop with the African-American musical styles that preceded and influenced it.

For a double album, there's surprisingly little fat here. "Street's Disciple" shows that Nas's talents have not diminished in the past decade. This album almost seems the proper and worthy follow-up to "Illmatic," even if it took Nas 10 years to get his step back. If there were still lingering doubts about his legacy, this collection should silence them. While his longtime nemesis Jay-Z claims he's retiring, Nas sounds like he's just getting started again with music both ferocious and eloquent, that makes other rappers -- to borrow a line from his 2002 hit "Made You Look" -- seem like slaves to the pages in his rhyme book.

[muthagoose]

The 23.5 oz. Can of Arizona Iced Tea

Another great thing I have discovered in my recent travels is The 23.5 oz. Can of Arizona Iced Tea in assorted flavors aka "The Fattie".

23.5 oz. is a ton of tea! It clearly isn't manufactured to take on road trips or any place that you can't frequently unrinate!

This is a true bargain coming in at an astonishing 99 cents per can!!! They are available at all fine arab owned gas stations!!!

[muthagoose]

Marvel 1602, Volume 1



Review:
Starred Review. The always inventive Gaiman has concocted an unlikely—but fantastically successful—superhero comic that transfers Marvel's classic characters to the Elizabethan period. Nick Fury is still a lethal government operative, but now he's an adviser to Queen Elizabeth. Her Majesty is equally reliant on magician and doctor Stephen Strange. X-Men mentor Charles Xavier still shepherds a band of mutant teens, only now he's called Carlos Javier, and the mutants are known, and mistrusted, as "witchbreed." Carlos's mysterious nemesis has taken on a new job: grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. Peter Parker (here "Parquah") is still a confused but well-meaning teenager who has yet to be bitten by a radioactive spider. Placed in a period landscape (rendered in rich, painterly panels by illustrator Kubert and digital painter Richard Isanove), these familiar characters must grapple with the issues of the day, chief among them the machinations of the evil King James of Scotland. And, in classic superhero style, they must save the world. The improbable combination works remarkably well, as the superheroes' strange abilities adapt to Elizabethan culture. This glorious adventure is peppered with Scott McKowen's gorgeous, moody cover-art woodcuts.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Description:
"1602 is a triumph. The Marvel universe hasn't been this engrossing in ages." - Entertainment Weekly Neil Gaiman's vision of the Marvel Universe in the year 1602! The year is 1602, and strange things are stirring in England. In the service of Queen Elizabeth, court magician Dr. Stephen Strange senses that the bizarre weather plaguing the skies above is not of natural origin. Her majesty's premier spy, Sir Nicholas Fury, fends off an assassination attempt on the Queen by winged warriors rumored to be in service to a mad despot named Doom. News is spreading of "witchbreed" sightings - young men bearing fantastic superhuman powers and abilities. And in the center of the rising chaos is Virginia Dare, a young girl newly arrived from the New World, guarded by a towering Indian warrior. Can Fury and his allies find a connection to these unusual happenings before the whole world ends? In Marvel 1602, award-winning writer Neil Gaiman presents a unique vision of the Marvel Universe set four hundred years in the past. Classic Marvel icons such as the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and Daredevil appear in this intriguing world of 17th- century science and sorcery, instantly familiar to readers, yet subtly different in this new time. Marvel 1602 combines classic Marvel action and adventure with the historically accurate setting of Queen Elizabeth's reign to create a unique series unlike any other published by Marvel Comics

[muthagoose]

It is almost the new year and I have been searching for a new project for the new year. That being said, I present you my most recent Ebay purchase and my pick of the week...

Item Description:

ROBOCOP ROBO 1 FORD TAURUS POLICE CAR MODEL!!!

heres a great model kit from amt ertl 2003!!its the robo 1 police car driven by robocop!!basically a ford taurus police car!!kit is 1/25 scale!!its very nice-lots of detail!!kit in MINT condition!!kit is new in factory sealed box!!

Link: cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5944028790&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOAB:US:6

[muthagoose]

BEEF II



Synopsis: Platinum-Selling Beef earned critical and popular success by exploring the history and evolution of verbal warfare in Hip Hop.

From Busy Bee and Kool Moe Dee to 50 Cent and Ja Rule, artists got more and more personal, and their attacks became less and less about the music. From the Wax to the Streets, Beef brought those underground and sometimes violent beefs to your living room.

Beef II continues that tradition of thoughtful, unbiased and entertaining Hip Hop journalism by bringing the new beefs in the game as artists call out the real gangstas in hip hop. From labels and lawyers to managers and media, Beef II captures the battles that often rage behind the scenes in the music business. The increasing popularity, profitability and commercialization of rap music have irrevocably changed the tradition of battling within Hip Hop culture.

The true Hip Hop battle is no longer a fight to prove one's skills, but a fight to survive in this Billion Dollar Hip Hop Industry. Beef II features interviews with 50 Cent, D12, Redman, Method Man, Canibus, Royce Da 5'9", KRS-One, Nelly, Ice Cube, Mack 10, Cypress Hill, DMX, K-Solo, Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr, Parrish Smith, Kool Moe Dee, Angie Martinez, DJ KaySlay, Big Daddy Kane, Davey D, Cold Crush BroTHERs, Marley Marl, Roxanne Shante, Kangol Kid, Kevin Powell, Afeni Shakur and exclusive archival footage of Eminem, LL Cool J, Westside Connection, Cypress Hill and others.

Beef II is a must-own for any true fan or follower of Hip Hop!

---

: Royce Da 5'9 - Call Me Never

---

[muthagoose]

Handsome Boy Modeling School: White People



Website: www.atlanticrecords.com/handsomeboymodelingschool

Review:
After a five-year hiatus, superstar producers Prince Paul (De La Soul) and Dan the Automator (Gorillaz) join forces again, assembling an even more eclectic and arguably more rewarding sequel to 1999's So… How's Your Girl? Most producer-based albums suffer from guest overload, and certainly Handsome Boy has a challenge in juggling over 25 different cameos, ranging from Del Tha Funkee Homosapien to Barrington Levy to Pharrell Williams to Cat Power to John Oates to… you get the idea. Yet they thrown down with such creative aplomb that you're just thankful to have a ticket for the ride. The vibe jumps from the soulful slide of "Breakdown" (feat. Jack Johnson) to the high-powered hip-hop of "If It Wasn't for You" (feat. De La Soul and Starchild Excalibur) to the indescribably dense "Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2," which includes DJ Qbert, Lord Finesse, and Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda among other guests. There's so much to digest as Paul and Dan stock the album with a wide range of treats, and each listen reveals something new and delightful. --Oliver Wang

Album Description:
White People, the 2nd album from Handsome Boy Modeling School, follows where "So...How's Your Girl?" left off. Bringing together all corners of the musical spectrum: hip-hop, rock, roots, alternative and even jazz, HBMS have put together a seamless cast of players that include: Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), RZA, Jack Johnson, Alex Kapronos (Franz Ferdinand), Mars Volta, Pharell and more.

[muthagoose]

The Boondock Saints

Starring:
Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus



Plot Summary:
Irish brothers Connor & Murphy McManus live and work in Boston. Feeling that God's will to rid Earth from all human Evil was given to them as a mission, they set out to do their divine deed. A public outcry is never heard, and even FBI agent Paul Smecker, who follows their trace of bloodshed, admits that the boys are doing exactly what he secretly always has wished to happen. Risking their lives for their beliefs of Veritas (truth) and Aequitas (justice), the Boondock Saints are hyped by the public, for they are doing good, which only few dare to admit.

Official Site: www.theboondocksaints.com/

Trivia:
The word "fuck" and its derivatives are used a total of 246 times.

The Latin tattoos "Veritas" and "Aequitas" on the brothers' hands mean "truth" and "justice."

The sequel to the film is now in pre-production and is titled "Boondock II: All Saints Day"

[muthagoose]

The moment we have all be waiting for.... drumroll please....

The Karate Kid Collection



Starring The Powerhouse Cast of:

Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove, William Zabka, Chad McQueen, Hilary Swank, Michael Ironside, Walt Goggins and Sean Kanan as The Bad Boy of Karate: Mike Barnes

Rated: PG
Studio: Columbia Tristar Hom
DVD Release Date: February 1, 2005

DVD Features:
* Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Korean, Thai, Chinese (Simplified)
* Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French
* The Karate Kid
* Commentary by director John Avildsen, writer Robert Kamen, and actors Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita
* "The Way of the Karate Kid": multi-part making-of featurette
* "Beyond the Form" featurette
* "East Meets West: A Composer's Notebook"
* "Life of Bonsai" featurette
* The Karate Kid
* "The Sequel" featurette
* The Karate Kid Part III
* English 2.0 Surround, French, Portugese, Spanish
* The Next Karate Kid (Million Dollar Baby)
* Number of discs: 4

This is the only DVD release that matters this week, sweep the leg and pick it up!

[mavhimself]

GET HIM A BODYBAAAAAAAGGG!!! YEEEEAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

mav himself.

[muthagoose]

Kool Keith: Spankmaster



Spankmaster, a taut and filthy record, is a case in point. For the first time since 1997's Sex Style, Keith has returned to his trademarked perverted, outrageously naughty rhymes. The only difference is that the new protagonist, Spankmaster, "is a new kind of hero on the streets," as billed on the record jacket. The result is so audacious—"Girls Would U Fuck Tonight" is pure over-the-top, potty-mouthed joy—that it's comedically absurd. A return to form of sorts, the LP is a solid answer to 1999's First Come, First Served, the record that premiered the personality of Dr. Dooom, the thug murderer of Dr. Octagon. (If there is any doubt that the success of Dr. Octagon took a toll on Keith's self-image, witness the need for an entire record dedicated to the persona who killed him.) Easily one of Keith's artistic high points, First Come is a venture into deep satire, a mock of the thug-as-entrepreneur posings of Jay Z and his Roc-a-Fella posse.

"Chinese people in Japan love Kool Keith's music," Keith says, without explaining the Asian connection, in another display of his questionable mental stability. "It's so easy to make good records for me, my shit's like a Rolex watch, it will never deteriorate. Shit, that shit you listening to now will sound like Fat Boys in ten years. You listen to Fat Boys recently? Holy shit. You just won't be listening to it again. I guarantee for you that. Maria Carey, Whitney Houston, Gerard Levert—a lot of those albums are like disposable razors. You shave once, and you throw those shits in the garbage. My shit's like a Rolex or a GMC. Forever."

While his music may stand the test of time, Kool Keith may never be able to shake the rumors surrounding his mental state. For his part, Keith denies the stories about Bellevue. "Nah, that wasn't me," he says about the myth. "But maybe it's a story that will help me in court when I kill somebody. Maybe that's what will happen, that I'll say I was in Bellevue. That would be a mad excuse."

Interesting Fact: The track title and lyric "Smack My Bitch Up" by Prodigy was taken from a Kool Keith line in The Ultramagnetic MC's cut, "Give The Drummer Some".

Tracklisting:

01. concert intro
02. i wanna play
03. i'm a tell-u
04. mack trucks
05. drugs
06. yes yes y'all
07. haters
08. n.b.a
09. jewelry shine
10. eldaradoe's
11. maxin in the shade
12. big frank
13. jealous
14. girls would u fuck tonight
15. stoney jackson
16. girls in jail
17. blackula
18. dark vadar
19. captain save em
20. spank-master (take off your clothes)

---

: Kool Keith: Blackula

---

[muthagoose]

Donnie Darko: Director's Cut

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Drew Barrymore

Director: Richard Kelly
Rated: R
DVD Release Date: February 15, 2005
Run Time: 133

DVD Features:
* Available subtitles: English, Spanish
* Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
* Commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and director Kevin Smith
* Production diary with optional commentary by director of photography Steven Poster
* "They Made Me Do It Too: The Cult of Donnie Darko"
* Storyboard-to-screen featurette
* #I Fan: A Darkomentary
* Director's cut theatrical trailer
* Number of discs: 2



Features:
Commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and director Kevin Smith,Production diary with optional commentary by director of photography Steven Poster, "They Made Me Do It Too: The Cult of Donnie Darko", Storyboard-to-screen featurette, #I Fan: A Darkomentary, Director's cut theatrical trailer.

Note: None of the extra features from the first release by Fox Home Entertainment is on the new DVD. The new DVD is not meant to replace the original; it’s meant to be an addition to.

With an additional 20 minutes of material added to the original theatrical edition (including scenes not included in the augmented version previously released on DVD), Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut has a slower, more reflective pace than its first edit, and many more moments of emotional and tonal complexity. The film also has a fuller soundtrack (INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart" is featured prominently in writer-director Richard Kelly's mysterious opening) and new, startling special effects that underscore Donnie's ambiguous experience of time travel and cross-dimensional encounters with Frank, the 6-foot provocateur in a terrifying bunny costume. (Of course, new f/x or not, Donnie could still be a paranoid schizophrenic immersed in violent delusions.) Purists might find some of these changes to Kelly's 2001 cult hit about a troubled teen (Jake Gyllenhaal) trapped in alternative, apocalyptic destinies troubling. But overall the film is an even more haunting experience, impossible to shake.



An audio commentary track features a conversation between Kelly and Kevin Smith (Clerks) outlining the former's reasons for making a director's cut. Kelly says his intention was to amplify a science fiction and comic book element in Donnie Darko, re-design the sound (actually, Kelly claims, there never was a sound design for the original release), and purchase rights to various songs (including Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart") that were lost between the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and the film's theatrical release. Kelly says he also wanted to give something new to the film's fans as thanks for their crucial, early support. Other features in this two-disc set include a highly entertaining production diary (including video of pre-production locations research) as well as a short film about the meaning of "Donnie Darko" as understood by some of the movie's British fans.

Review:
When I first opened my widescreen DVD of the incredible, the amazing, the superb Donnie Darko: Director’s Cut (review), I was at first pissed off. None of the extra features from the first release by Fox Home Entertainment is on the new DVD. But after I thought about it a bit and checked out the packaging for the DVDs it all made sense. The new DVD is not meant to replace the original; it’s meant to be an addition to. Also, what would be the point of having ‘The Philosophy of Time Travel Book’ as an extra feature if it has been added to the movie itself?

The director’s cut version of the movie alone warrants a perfect score for this DVD release and all the extra features are just added bonuses. Not only is there a new commentary track with Writer/Director Richard Kelly, but Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats) is also on it!!

Kelly finally opens up a bit on this commentary revealing what the movie is about- and I think he told Kevin first because I refuse to believe Kevin understood the movie that well. It is a nice combination, like the Saw DVD, there’s a mesh of seriousness and then humor. I really enjoyed their conversation about how it was as ‘Donnie’ was structured around a soundtrack, which is similar to how Tarantino does a movie.



On the second disc we get all the extra goodness. Not only is the DVD packaged beautifully, but the interactive menus are creepily amazing. They morph and transform even while you’re selecting your extra. The menus are based around the human body and have charts and graphs all over.

The first extra feature on the DVD is an astounding 52 minute “Production Diary,” which also has an optional commentary track with DP Steven Poster. This featurette takes us on location in Virginia and Long Beach, California where we get to watch the film being made- from start to finish! We get to watch Richard Kelly in action and see the actors prepare for shots. One segment is Poster and Kelly tracing their steps through the school and talking about the shot they will probably do, which did end up being the final version of the film. There are sections where we can watch Noah Wylde and Drew Barrymore practice their scene before the shoot and even check out Sparklemotion dancing on stage without any music. This is the ULTIMATE on set experience for the mega Darko fans out there like me.

As promised the DVD also features the winning video from the “Donnie Darko #1 Fan” contest. I figured it would be a piece of annoying crap, but let me tell you the winner of this video is hilarious! It begins a bit serious until we see that the #1 fan has 20 copies of Donnie Darko on DVD. The joke never gets old as he hums along to the Darko score on his way to the San Diego Comic Con to meet Director Richard Kelly. While there he asks Kelly if he can whisper something in his ear and instead kisses him and runs away. What a fantastic addition to the extras.



It only gets better! There’s a 25 minute featurette called “They Made Me Do It Too- the Cult of Donnie Darko.” This feature interviews fans, critics and everyone else in the industry that was blown away by the experience they had with ‘Donnie Darko.’ The directing on this featurette is very artistic and makes for a more interesting tale- it was a nice addition having Frank the Bunny interview people.

To round out the DVD we get seven minutes worth of storyboard to screen comparisons, which are always a blast to watch,

What makes this DVD collection great is nothing is recycled and you get a brand spanking new version of the film. If you haven’t seen ‘Donnie Darko’ yet, I suggest picking this DVD up and if you like it grab the original DVD as well. Fans of ‘Darko’ who’ve been putting off buying the DVD for this new version, buy them both.[/i] Richard Kelly has created a cult classic that deserves 40 versions of the film and DVD- let’s just hope they don’t take it as far as ‘Evil Dead’ went.

[muthagoose]

Spider-Babe: Two Disc Special Edition

EI Independent Cinema has made its reputation with a slew of softcore lesbian exploitation videos, usually featuring vampires or spoofing mainstream theatrical releases. The Johnny Crash-directed SPIDER-BABE (2004) is one of the latter, a Mad Magazine-styled parody of Sam Raimi's first SPIDER-MAN feature, but with a gender twist and tons of gratuitous nudity and simulated sex.

This feature-length parody, released under EI's Seduction Cinema label, stars EI starlet Misty Mundae as Patricia Porker, high school science nerd-turned horny super-heroine. The cast is rounded out (pun intended) with most of the studio's stable of silicone-enhanced sirens: Julian Wells, Darian Caine, and Kelli Summers, among others. There are some guys in there, too, but who cares, really? The story follows that of the movie it's spoofing faithfully, and some of the jokes are pretty funny. It does get a little tedious as it goes on, however.



The two-disc Special Edition includes both R-and-Unrated cuts of the movie, interviews with the stars, a music video, outtakes and a still gallery. There are also deleted sex scenes, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, and trailers for dozens of other Seduction Cinema releases.

Mundae possesses a genuine charisma, and it's no wonder that she's become the company's biggest star (ironically, she's probably the EI starlet with the smallest… ah, endowments). With decent material, she can actually be pretty good. For example, she also stars in one of the company's first Shock-O-Rama horror movie releases, THE SCREAMING DEAD (2004).

Directed by Brett Piper, a Vermont-based filmmaker and FX artist who's been writing and directing small genre films for over a decade (including the Ron Jeremy-starring fish creature flick, THEY BITE, and Tromas' infamous NYMPHOID BARBARIAN IN DINOSAUR HELL), THE SCREAMING DEAD is actually an entertaining and occasionally creepy homage to ‘60s Euro-horror flicks. The script is witty and smart, the direction solid, and the performances are better than average for a film of this budget and breeding.

An arrogant photographer, who specializes in art photos of women being tortured and degraded, hires three young models – including Mundae – for a photo shoot in an abandoned insane asylum. Of course, it's one of those abandoned asylums – you know, one with a history of sadism and abuse and torture, and the requisite lingering evil presence – and before long, the hidden passage to the secret dungeon is uncovered, and all hell breaks loose.

[muthagoose]

The Wu-Tang Manual



About the Author
The RZA is "the Abbott" The Wu-Tang Clan, the platinum-selling hip-hop group whose nine members have also released a number of platinum-selling solo albums. RZA is famous as a producer, rapper, and lyricist, and also for his recent working scoring movies-notably Kill Bill.

Product Description:
Long awaited and much anticipated, The Wu-Tang Manual is The RZA's first written introduction to the philosophy and history of Hip-Hop's original Dynasty, the Wu-Tang Clan.

Since the release of the revolutionary Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - over the course of four seminal group albums and a multitude of ambitious side projects - the Wu-Tang Clan has constantly redefined what hip-hop can do and where hip-hop can go. Now, after a decade of dark beats and mysterious lyrics hinting at a larger whole, the RZA, the abbot of the legendary Staten Island hip-hop collective, fully reveals, for the first time, the complex, multilayered Wu-Tang Universe in The Wu-Tang Manual.

Written in a style that is at once personal and philosophical, The Wu-Tang Manual unravels the intricate web of personalities (and alter egos), warrior codes, numerological systems, and Eastern spiritual ethics that define the Wu-Tang dynasty. Packed with information that reflects the breadth and depth of the RZA's - and rest of the Clan's - intellectual interests and passions, The Wu-Tang Manual is divided into four books of nine chambers each, for a total of 36 chambers. All together, the book provides the breakdown of essential Wu-Tang components, from basic information about each of the nine core members of Wu-Tang Clan to deeper explorations of the key themes of the Wu-Tang universe, a dictionary-like Wu-Slang lexicon, and an entire section of lyrics with densely annotated explanations of what they mean.

Elegantly laid-out and richly printed, the book is designed to reflect the Asian influence on the Wu-Tang universe, which, as the book explains, began with a fascination with kung-fu movies but quickly led to serious study of martial arts and Eastern philosophy and spirituality. The Book also includes a map of Shaolin; a trove of never-before-seen photos of the Wu-Tang Clan, including shots of RZA's trip to China with Sifu Shi Yan-Ming, live shots, and portraits-by Michael Lavine, Craig Wetherby, Sophia Chang, and Frank151; and original illustrations of many of the guiding lights of the Wu-Tang universe.

For the hardcore Wu-Tang disciple and the recent initiate alike, The Wu-Tang Manual is the definitive guide to the essence of Wu, one of the most innovative hip-hop groups of all time.

[muthagoose]

NEAR DARK



Directed By: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and othersSynopsis: The word "vampire" is never mentioned in Near Dark, but that doesn't stop this 1987 cult favorite from being one of the best modern-era vampire films. It put then-unknown director Kathryn Bigelow on Hollywood's radar and gave choice roles to Aliens costars favored by Bigelow's ex-husband James Cameron: Lance Henriksen is the leader of a makeshift family of renegade bloodsuckers, nocturnally seeking victims in rural Oklahoma; his immortal gal pal is Aliens and Terminator 2 alumnus Jenette Goldstein; and Bill Paxton is the group's deadliest leather-clad ass kicker. Fellow traveler Jenny Wright lures Okie farm boy Adrian Pasdar into the group with a love bite, and he's soon turning toward vampirism with a combination of frightened revulsion and relentless desire. With Joshua Miller (River's Edge) as the youngest vampire, Near Dark is Bigelow's masterpiece of low-budget ingenuity--a truck-stop thriller that begins well, gets better and better (aided by a fine Tangerine Dream score), and goes out in a blaze of glory

DVD Features:

* Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
* Commentary by director Kathryn Bigelow
* Living in Darkness: a new 47 minute documentary on the making of the film
* Deleted scene with director's commentary
* Storyboards
* Poster & still gallery
* Behind the scenes gallery
* DVD-ROM: Screenplay and screen savers
* Number of discs: 2

[muthagoose]

THE TOOLBOX MURDERS



Starring:
Angela Bettis, Brent Roam, Juliet Landau, Greg Travis, Marco Rodriguez, Sara Downing, Adam Gierasch, Sheri Moon, Adam Weisman, Rance Howard

Official SIte: www.toolboxmurders.co.uk/

Description:
Every year thousands of people move to Hollywood to pursue their dreams. Some succeed. Some go home. Others just… disappear. There are bad apartments – rats, bad plumbing, crazy landlords - and then there’s the Lusman building. Something evil lives deep in the building itself, something linked to the architecture itself… something that needs to keep killing to stay alive.



The Ambassador Hotel an L.A. landmark takes center stage in Tobe Hooper's re-envisioning of the THE TOOLBOX MURDERS. Sharing the leading role with the Hotel is scream queen in the making Angela Bettis. Here she is cast as a more down to earth character than her two star making roles in CARRIE, and MAY and it is nice to see she is capable of great range. The rest of the ensemble cast fares well also, most notably Rance Howard (Ron and Clint's father). The first half of the film is mostly buildup with a couple of effective jolt type scares, while the later half lets the blood spill and harkens back to directors more classic work in being just genuinely frightening.

[muthagoose]

Official Site: www.djztrip.com/

REVIEW:
DJ Z-Trip was remixing classic rock into hip-hop when Danger Mouse was still a cartoon character. He made his name in 2002 with his influential mix CD Uneasy Listening Vol. 1, which married everything from Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" to Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" with inventive breakbeats. The buzz got him signed, but his new label's lawyers couldn't get sample clearances for Listening. Suddenly Z needed a Plan B.

Fortunately, Shifting Gears doesn't sound like anyone's second choice. These fifteen original tracks deploy sharp sampling, jazzy scratches and the sheer joy of old-school hip-hop. The album starts as a nostalgic re-creation of early-Eighties Bronx hip-hop, chock-full of big beats and party jams, and featuring a standout rap from Whipper Whip, an original member of the Fantastic 5. As the album progresses, it "shifts gears" to the present; Chuck D's screed about war is a real stormer; and the moody, electronic "Walking Dead," featuring Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, is already a hit on modern-rock stations. Shifting Gears doesn't have the novelty of Z-Trip's earlier work, but it points to a bright future for the DJ.


Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Listen to the DJ
3. All About the Music
4. Get Down
5. About Face
6. Furious
7. Take Two Copies - Busdriver
8. For My People
9. Bury Me Standing
10. Breakfast Club
11. 3rd Gear
12. Everything Changes - Aceyalone
13. Walking Dead - Chester Bennington
14. Shock and Awe
15. Revolution (STR Pts. 1&2)
16. Grandmaster [CD-ROM Track] - Grandmaster Caz

Buy It:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007ZEP1S/qid=1114651084/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-8014855-3979149

[muthagoose]

This week's Pick O' The Week...

Shivaree - Rough Dreams



Shivaree's quaintly titled debut, I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump, offered a respectable run through self-deprecating Americana. But on her sophomore disc, singer-songwriter Ambrosia Parsley takes a seismic leap forward. Embracing distorted electronic breakbeats, quietly tuned gothic ornaments, and heavy-lidded torch songs, she carries out a metamorphosis similar to the one that produced Radiohead's, OK Computer. She comes on like Billie Holiday on the rustic techno-folk of "Wagers," blooms into Joni Mitchell on the soulful "After the Prince and the Showgirl," and mixes sugary doo-wop harmonies with a grim sonic landscape on "John, 2/14." This is a weird and languidly addictive record.

Album Description and Notes
A laidback mixture of lo-fi blues songs in the same vein as Tom Waits & Sparklehorse. Special guests include Blue Note legend Don Byron & Scott Minor from Sparklehorse.

[muthagoose]

RESCUE ME: SEASON ONE



Official Site: www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/rescueme/main.html

Editorial Review - Amazon.com:
Dennis Leary snarls as naturally as most actors smile. Leary's trademark ferocity and fearlessness drive Rescue Me, a series about a team of firemen struggling with their wives and lovers in post-9/11 New York City. Tommy Gavin (Leary, No Cure for Cancer, The Ref) is the guy everyone confides in, the heart of the firehouse--but he's also an active alcoholic who rages about his wife Janet (Andrea Roth) leaving him, a man guilt-ridden and literally haunted by all the people he blames himself for failing to save. Surrounding him are a crew of vivid characters, played by a little-known but outstanding cast: Handsome lothario Franco Rivera (Daniel Sunjata) discovers he's fathered a daughter with a psychotic ex-girlfriend; Ken Shea (John Scurti) struggles to resolve his post-traumatic stress by writing poetry; Mike Siletti (Mike Lombardi), the newest guy on the team, finds love with a partner the rest of the crew finds unacceptable; Chief Jerry Reilly (Jack McGee) risks his career when he beats a gay firefighter in a bar; and several others, all multi-faceted and sharply written. Rescue Me's first season launches with a full head of steam, tackling divorce, homophobia, and male bonding in a pellmell rush. The core theme of the show, however, is how men react to stress--how anger, bragging, competition, sex, and booze pacify their jagged emotions, pulling the firefighters together and isolating them at the same time. The first eight or so episodes rip along, spiced with high-energy scenes of fires and obscene, scatological banter. The second half of the series grows a little repetitive (beatings and steamy sex lose their vigor after a while) and some storylines stretch credulity, but the characters never lose their engaging complexity. Leary, who co-created the show and co-wrote many of the episodes, barrels through each hour like a force of nature, even as Tommy's increasingly erratic behavior threatens to alienate his family and his team. This bilious fusion of vices and virtues guarantees compelling television. --Bret Fetzer

SEASON TWO BEGINS ON FX: Tuesday, June 21st, 2005 at 10 PM.

Buy It At Amazon.com: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0008JIJ1A/104-8014855-3979149?v=glance

[muthagoose]

Official Site: www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/rescueme/main.html

[muthagoose]

I have been waiting to see this for a while. So long in fact that I had basically forgotten about it. Solid review!

Check out the trailer at:
www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_classics/the_machinist.html