Friday, June 28, 2013

New PACIFIC RIM clips without robots (video)

 
#pacificrim #rockfile #kaiju #jaegers
Check out two new clips from Pacific Rim with no special effects!! Zero robots or monsters in these but I am still psyched!! Pacific Rim opens July 12th!


from MTV







source: Pacific Rim





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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

First Trailer for Ridley Scott's new film 'The Counselor' (video)

#ridleyscott #rockfile #michaelfassbender #javierbardem #bradpitt
After his return to sci-fi with Prometheus, it seems Ridley Scott is now moving into Oliver Stone/Coen Brothers territory for his next project.  Great cast, looks interesting. Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and John Leguizamo.




From Fox:
This intense drug thriller tells the story of an attorney (Fassbender), a good man in need of money who decides to dabble in the cocaine trade. The story heats up when he teams up with a rich acquaintance (Bardem) for the new business that also brings in a shady type (Pitt). Of course, things don't go as planned. The Counselor is directed by the legendary English filmmaker Ridley Scott, of Prometheus, Alien, Gladiator, American Gangster and Kingdom of Heaven. The screenplay was written by author Cormac McCarthy, the writer behind No Country for Old Men and The Road. Fox will be releasing The Counselor in theaters everywhere starting October 25th.








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New PACIFIC RIM trailer and IMAX poster (video)

#PacificRim #rockfile #kaiju #jaegers #mecha #imax

I did mention there would be more posts about this flick, didn't I? So, here is the brand new trailer, a Minecraft edition trailer (don't worry, it's cool!) and links to my previous posts.  Cannot wait for July 12th! (You can get the poster above if you are one of the first to see Pacific Rim in IMAX opening day.)






For more, visit:













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Friday, June 21, 2013

My favorite albums of 2013, so far (video)


I have always lived for new music.  Yes, I still pull out my favorite classics from time to time but a steady diet of new tunes keeps me happy. Of the albums I have had a chance to spend some time with during the first half of 2013, these are the ones I have listened to most:

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
The Porcupine Tree leader's third solo album is his best solo work. period. Beautiful and strange, just like some of my all-time favorites.


Leprous - Coal
These technical musical pranksters seem to top themselves with each release, this is truly a masterwork. Dive in!



Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse - Wisdom Of Crowds
Not what you expect from the meeting of The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia but what a seductive listen! Mesmerizing.



Riverside - Shrine Of New Generation Slaves
Riverside continues to refine and expand their sound and songwriting, with truly enjoyable results. A solid listen from beginning to end.


  

TesseracT - Altered State
Hopefully this singer (Ashe O’Hara) can stick around because Altered State is their most cohesive work yet.



Jolly - The Audio Guide To Happiness Part 2
It took a while for part 2 but it was really worth the wait!



Sound Of Contact - Dimensionaut
A new "supergroup" and a great listen that gets better the deeper you get into it.




Byzantine - Byzantine
West Virginia metal masters take sharp turn into melodic territory and carved out their own progressive niche. Wow!




Queensryche - Queensryche
This sounds like the Queensryche that I have been missing.  And while I still miss Geoff, Todd is doing a fine job.




A Pale Horse Named Death - Lay My Soul To Waste
If Type O Negative and Alice In Chains had a child, this would be it.


Also on my list are these, I just ran out of time/space.

Aeon Zen - Enigma
Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)
Amplifier - Echo Street
Sevendust - Black Out The Sun
ASG - Blood Drive
Serenity - War Of Ages
Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside
AEtherfallen - Revelation's Eternal
Cardiant - Verge
Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part 2
Stick Men - DEEP


honorable mention:

Gemini Syndrome - ?
Based on the four songs I have and seeing them live twice, I am anxiously awaiting the September release of their debut album.


There are still several high profile albums I have not listened to all the way through, including Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Pop Evil and a few others. Also, I am really digging the sound of new tracks from The Winery Dogs and Fight Or Flight but the albums are not out yet. Look for updates soon and a big wrap up at year's end. 

These are my personal favorites, your mileage may vary.




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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

THE WINERY DOGS are coming (video)



The Winery Dogs is a new rock "super-group" formed by Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob, Avenged Sevenfold), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and was supposed to feature John Sykes (Whitesnake, Blue Murder). When that fell through, Richie Kotzen (Poison, Mr. Big) joined the fun. They have released three videos and the debut album is due July 23rd.













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Saturday, June 15, 2013

KARNIVOOL: I Love This Band (video)


I have been a Karnivool fan for a few years now, after discovering a whole bunch of Aussie bands in a fit of new music need.  I imported their 2001 EP, the 2005 Themata album and 2009's Sound Awake, which are still in regular rotation in my personal listening.  The band evolves their sound on each record and now that they are ready to release their third album, a new video has surfaced.  I predict big things are coming for Karnivool!




Check out this live show from 2009:





and they have made some very interesting videos:








from wikipedia:

Karnivool are an Australian progressive rock band formed in Perth in 1997. The group currently consists of Ian Kenny on vocals, Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking on guitar, Jon Stockman on bass guitar, and Steve Judd on drums. Karnivool emerged from a band Kenny and Goddard formed during high school. Their two extended plays, 1999's Karnivool and 2001's Persona, and their 2005 debut album Themata, possessed an alternative metal and nu metal sound; their 2009 follow-up Sound Awake developed a more progressive rock sound.


for more, visit: http://www.karnivool.com.au




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Friday, June 14, 2013

PACIFIC RIM looks geektastic! New Jaeger info (video)

Warning: This is not the first, or the last, blog I will post about Pacific Rim.  Just the planning and ideas behind the movie make me want to see it. The filmmakers want to bring back that feeling of 12-year-old awe is all of us.  I'm in! 

This gives you some details about the Jaegers (robots):



See you in the cinema July 12th, kids!!









Source: Pacific Rim





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Sigur Rós is coming to the U.S.! (video)

I became a fan of Sigur Rós while living outside the US.  Not something I listen to all the time but when the mood strikes, nothing else satisfies quite like Sigur Rós. While their music is minimal and ethereal, their live show is amazingly epic. Catch them on a rare tour of the States in the Fall.


for a complete list of dates, visit: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/tour

from the band:

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical, experimental, and minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound and lead singer Jónsi’s falsetto voice. Sigur Rós means Victory Rose, named after Jonsi's little sister.











source: Sigur Rós





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Thursday, June 13, 2013

ELYSIUM new trailer (video)

As a big fan of District 9, I am been looking forward to Neil Blomkamp's next film. Looks like the wait will be worth it!

Elysium is an upcoming science fiction action film written, co-produced and directed by Neill Blomkamp. The film stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, with Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura and Alice Braga appearing in supporting roles. It is scheduled to be released on August 9, 2013 in both conventional and IMAX Digital theaters. Elysium is a co-production of Media Rights Capital and Sony's TriStar Pictures. The film takes place on both a ravaged Earth and a luxurious space habitat called Elysium. The film will explore political themes such as "immigration, health care and class issues".







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KEANU REEVES directing debut: MAN OF TAI CHI trailer (video)



As a fan of martial arts films, I have been hoping a mainstream film could do the genre justice. (I did enjoy Ninja Assassin as a guilty pleasure.)  I must admit, this doesn't look bad. Here's hoping Keanu brings something interesting to the director's chair.



from wikipedia:

Man of Tai Chi is a 2013 Chinese-American martial arts film directed by and starring Keanu Reeves. The film is Reeve's first in a directing role. Man of Tai Chi is a multilingual narrative, partly inspired by the life of Reeve's friend, stuntman Tiger Chen.

Pre-production began in 2008 with years-long script refinements. During Man of Tai Chi's five years of scripting and production, Reeves acted in several B movies with lead roles as Henry in 2010's Henry's Crime and John in 2012's Generation Um.... When the project eventually moved into the production phase, filming occurred on mainland China and Hong Kong. The film premiered in 2013 with showings at the Beijing Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. The work was awarded in Beijing and praised by recognized director of Hong Kong genre films, John Woo.





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ROCKSMITH 2014 with JERRY CANTRELL (video)

As a gamer, I have played Guitar Hero and Rock Band and had a blast with them. But, I did not try Rocksmith. This new version looks awesome!! Of course, it doesn't hurt when Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) is playing along. Check this out:




from NOISECREEP:

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell stopped by the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) on Tuesday (June 11) to give a few music lessons via Ubisoft's new 'Rocksmith 2014' edition. Debuting in October, the new version enables players to plug a guitar and bass into various consoles, including the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as they attempt to reach new rock horizons.

'Rocksmith 2014' features over 50 songs, including the Alice in Chains track 'Stone,' 'Don't Look Back In Anger' by Oasis, and 'The Chimera' by Smashing Pumpkins. The Rocksmith franchise, according to a study conducted by the Toluna Group, reported that 95 percent of the players have improved their guitar experience thanks to playing the game. An estimated 1.4 million gamers have learned to play the guitar through past editions of the Rocksmith tutorial.

Fans who pre-order 'Rocksmith 2014' edition will receive the free bonus song 'Cherub Rock' by Smashing Pumpkins available for download. To pre-order a copy, go here.







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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

PACIFIC RIM New TV Spots (video)

July 12th cannot come soon enough.  Guillermo del Toro is one of my very favorite directors who adds depth to everything he touches.  That the studio has already green-lighted a sequel before Pacific Rim is even out does not hurt either.  It's On!






I kinda feel sorry for Michael Bay.  Nah.






source: Pacific Rim





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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG trailer (video)

 
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

 Holy Hobbit, check out the first trailer for Part 2!!





Source: The Hobbit





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Monday, June 10, 2013

THE CURE - in Orange (video)

I discovered THE CURE in high school just after Pornography was released but did not become a hug fan until college, with the release of 1985's The Head On The Door.  The year after that album was released, The Cure unleashed their singles collection, Standing On A Beach, and it seemed they had reached a peak...we were wrong!

  While on tour in 1986, the band recorded and released The Cure in Orange, a VHS concert video of their show at a French castle...which instantly became required watching for anyone visiting my house. 1987 would see the band release Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me making the band even more popular, followed in 1989 by their watershed album, Disintegration.

But, in regular rotation on my VHS machine until it died was that classic concert, The Cure in Orange. This was a very special concert performance for many reasons.  Most people did not consider The Cure a rock band and this concert did a lot to show that the band comes alive in a concert setting.  I won't spoil any surprises, just watch and become a bigger fan.  (Thanks to my buddy Kyle for finding this nearly lost gem!!) 

This is my favorite thing the band has done, including the exceptional Trilogy concerts on Blu-ray!



(Note: Director of the concert video, Tim Pope, who also directed fourteen Cure videos, went on to direct The Crow: City Of Angels. He also began work on The Last King Of Scotland, but left that film and has returned to videos.)







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