Nick Cave kind of day

I'm feeling a little bit Nick Cave today.  Who's with me?



The Arctic Monkeys are with me.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy

Sure, the movies sucked, but nothing can take away how cool this game was when it first appeared.  I specifically bought a Sega Genesis so I could play Mortal Kombat II.

Now there seems to be a new spin on the central idea, and it's intriguing.  I remember seeing this a year or so ago, and I'm happy to see what once could have been a failed movie pitch is turning into a web series.

Here is the Trailer



and Part One.

Warren Ellis at Mulholland Books

Peanut butter, meet chocolate.

I've been a fan of Warren Ellis for the past decade or so, ever since I got back into reading comics.  His work on The Authority and Planetary was revolutionary, bringing about a new type of superhero, one that DC comics might not have been ready for.

These books led me to his masterwork, Transmetropolitan.  Published by the Vertigo imprint of DC comics, Transmet ran for 60 issues and was a glorious combination of Hunter S Thompson and Philip K Dick.  It presented a twisted, corrupt future world which frighteningly is starting to appear.  It's angry, smart, and an amazing work of fiction.

Since then, The Old Bastard (as he is affectionately known) has created the detective series Fell, the intelligence thrillers Global Frequency and Red, and countless other work for hire for Marvel that I'm not going to mention.

But when Warren Ellis's game is on, he's a true modern wordsmith.

His first novel, Crooked Little Vein was a modern update of the classic hard boiled noir, complete with sexual  fetishes, a secret Constitution, and every dirty little thing his mind could conjure.  While it follows the tropes of the traditional private eye novel, it quickly distinguishes itself from most anything you'll ever read.  It can be a bit over the top at times, but it never fails to entertain.

And now he's got a two book deal at Mulholland Books.

Chocolate, meet peanut butter.

Sidney Lumet

The first few times I saw a Sidney Lumet film, I didn't realize he had directed them.  At that time I was still a young pup of 17 and raiding the library of the local small town video store.  I was only allowed to rent them because my mother had given the okay for me to rent the very grown up Rated R films.   But Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon blew my pre-adult mind, and soon enough I knew his name.

He might not have been the greatest director, but he was damn good, and for those two films alone he deserves to be celebrated.

Check out a wonderful piece the New York Times did on his career here.

Cover of the Week

Wild At Heart by Rich Kelly

Bang Bang

Those of you who know me accept me, for the most part, as the radical-pinko-commie-bleeding heart-hippie-leftist-liberal that I am.  I believe in things like free speech, choice, abolition of the death penalty, socialized medicine for all, better funding for the arts, and a hand up for those in need.  All of these qualities immediately identify me and move me to my seat on the left, where I rightly belong.  But guess what?  I also love guns.

I feel everyone, with the exception of the mentally unbalance, the criminally convicted, and men named Myron, should own a gun.  (Should I mention that I don't currently own one?)  It's an important right, and as my friend Joe often says, it's the only thing that keeps us from being subjects instead of citizens.  He's not screaming to the mountains calling for armed revolution and stapling tea bags to his hat, but I understand what he means.  If the government should one day become far too powerful (and yes I hear you Far Right Wing People, but fuck off, they are not that powerful) a gun is the only thing that might keep you free.  That and a well stocked bomb shelter.

So despite not owning a gun, I thoroughly enjoy shooting them with my friends.  My lack of firearms is forgiven, and my chums allow me to fire their vast collection of weapons.  Seriously, should there ever be a Zombie Uprising, I know exactly whose house to run to.

Today, I am going to pop off a few rounds at a local sand pit/deserted piece of woods.  This is Maine.  I'm sure there are indoor ranges and gun clubs, but here, we shoot in nature.  Don't worry.  We don't shoot at small woodland animals, and as of yet, no people.  Okay, we shoot at cardboard standees of people.  A few years back a Matt Damon/Jason Bourne and Lindsay Lohan/Mean Girls display saw the business ends of a few rounds.  And Joe has a mean-on for quarters.

But anything breathing is safe.

Pictures will come soon.

Hobo with a Shotgun

It's not in theaters yet, but you can watch it now on Amazon instant video.  At $9.99 it's not that bad of a deal.  If it makes some cash that way I'd love to see smaller budget films attempt the same distribution.