Unfaithful Wives
Another quality pulp novel from Prologue Books. This one is filled with at least half a dozen cheating spouses and/or lovers with a dash of murder for good measure.
Author: Robert Gomez
Lil’ Beethoven by Sparks - CD
After a decade and a half of creating dance floor music, Sparks decided to ditch the beats and try something completely new (to drive the point home, the album opens up with “The Rhythm Thief.” Get it?). The result is one of, if not the best Sparks album of their long career. They turn pop convention on its head with a mix of symphonic arrangements, vocal layering and non-conventional song structures. Songs just flow from one lush arrangement to the next. Occasionally they reach levels of frantic (drum-free) energy in tracks like “What Are all these Bands So Angry About?” and “Ride ’em Cowboy.” The record finally explodes into a full-on rock epic with “Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls” and closes with the cheery “Suburban Homeboy.” An amazing album from beginning to end.
Balls by Sparks - CD
Although still a dance music record, Balls feels a little more like a rock than Gratuitous Sax ever did. I don’t think I like it nearly as much either. The songs just aren’t as interesting. This record has its moments. “Calm Before the Storm” is especially good. Buried in here are also hints of what was to come next from Sparks. Balls marks the first instance of the f-bomb being dropped on a Sparks record. I always forget about that when my daughter is in the room and I am playing this CD.
Beyond the Door
This film is an Italian Exorcist rip-off that takes forever to get to the puking, cursing demon action. The first two thirds of this are filled with painful child acting and not much more. There is a moment when the possessed woman eats a banana peel off of the ground but, other than that there is not much reason to watch this.
The Lone Wolf #1: Night Raider
This is essentially a Death Wish style vigilante story about a cop who really, really doesn’t like the drug trade. There is absolutely zero character development and the plot goes nowhere but there are a few exciting moments when the anti-hero is taking out the scum.
A Doppia Faccia
(a.k.a. Double Face) Mediocre giallo featuring Klaus Kinski in search of his estranged wife’s killer. Noteworthy moments: super fake model train vs. car collision and naked hippy motorcycle party.
Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins by Sparks - CD
After Interior Design, Sparks wisely took a six year break to go back to their rooms and think about what they had done. Gratuitous Sax was a refreshing return to the lyrical wit of their earlier records with a new found commitment to pure euro-style dance music. These tracks really feel like they’re numbers from a forgotten Broadway musical. Not show tunes, but stories that are sung from a character’s perspective. Anyhow, this isn’t their finest work but it was a nice nudge back in the right direction. I remember buying this CD at a shopping mall record store and pony-tailed clerking being overly amused by the cover. I’m not going to say the cover is that funny, but I will say that it is awfully yellow.
A Boy and his Blob on Nintendo Wii
I’m not a huge fan of 2-D platform games. Even modern ones tend to be rather shallow when it comes to story. Rather, these games tend to lean a bit too heavy on item collection as a player goal. This can be a fun challenge, but its appeal is of a more casual, occasional pick-up-and-play type. A Boy and his Blob follows this formula, and more specifically uses the puzzle-platformer tropes laid out by earlier puzzlers like Oddworld or Braid. The focus here isn’t twitchy platforming skills, it’s finding the correct solution for getting from point A to point B. In your toolkit is Blob—a polymorphic alien whose transformations are controlled through the ingestion of various flavored jelly beans. Need to get up one level? Turn Blob into a ladder or a trampoline. Need a weight to hold down a button? Turn Blob into an anvil. You get the idea. There are about a dozen different objects he can become, but you only are allowed access to a few of these powers per level. Towards the end of the game this becomes a real challenge. Beyond that, what this game has going for it is its hand-drawn animation and art direction. Even the universe swallowing enemies are cute and squooshy. Also includes a “hug” button.
Hercules Unchained
Aside from the incredible Hercules starring Lou Ferrigno, I have not seen many of these Italian swords and sandals epics. This one, however, was on my checklist of Mario Bava projects that I need to watch as I have been making my way through Tim Lucas’s book, All the Colors of the Dark. Although only credited as the cinematographer, I think Bava actually directed much of this (haven’t gotten that far in the book yet). Even if he didn’t, his style is all over the place. The film is awash in beautiful colored lighting and filled with great sets and effects. I have not seen enough of these types of films to know if this is a better example of the genre, but I found myself a little bored by much of the story. A plan on watching more, so my opinion of this film may improve with time.
Ultraviolet
This not so much a movie as it is a seemingly endless collection of stylized hero shots. The dialogue is terrible, the story is terrible, the acting is bad (Milla Jovovich is only capable of a single facial expression) and the CGI effects are on par with those of an episode of Xena or Power Rangers. The action sequences are completely unbelievable and feel like they come straight from a video game, boring cut-scenes and all. The only thing this movie has going for it is an overabundance of colorful style. As a matter of fact, it’s drowning in style. If ever there was a movie that qualified as over directed, this is it.