The galaxy shook Monday night as the third (and presumably final) trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was unveiled.
For starters, we finally have a trailer with plot elements (and how) in contrast to the cryptic nature of the previoustwo.
Han Solo and Princess Leia (reprised by Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher) look weary as the battle between good and evil will continue with the latest Sith leader Kylo Ren’s (Adam Driver) Dark Side army in honor of Darth Vader’s memory. Given these facts, it’s plausible that Ren either does not know or refuses to believe Vader’s final act was a redeeming one. Regardless, the galactic power couple of Solo and Leia will more likely serve as mentors to our main protagonists (and latest Jedi) Rey and Finn (Daisy Ridley and John Boyega).
However, there’s no trace of Luke Skywalker (who Mark Hamill is reprising), leading us to believe he may be returning in the form of flashbacks or voice work.
Excitement, breathtaking visuals and suspense permeate the trailer – letting our imaginations run wild. A nice touch of Stormtrooper combat, a neat inside shot of the X-Wing and the almighty lightsaber dual make your childhood memories fondly flow back to you. Despite their ages, it looks like Han and Chewie (reprised by Peter Mayhew) are back for one last hurrah this Christmas.
For the love of God, please don’t let this movie suck.
Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation are two bands I always make the effort to see when they come around. When a show was announced featuring both bands at a venue near me, I had no excuse not to go.
I went to pick up my buddy Jay (aka Keyboards) and we were off. After a ride that consisted of getting stuck in traffic and blasting Vomitory and early Samael, we arrived at “The Chance Theater” in Poughkeepsie, NY and bought our tickets from Will of Necroptic Engorgement. Many friends were at the show (including people I had no idea liked death metal) and Jason Keyser from Origin.
Necroptic Engorgement
First up were local favorites Necroptic Engorgment. I’ve seen these guys open for many bands including Macabre, Dying Fetus, the previous time seeing Cannibal Corpse as well as previous times seeing Cattle Decapitation. They’re always fun and this time was no exception. They played greats such as “Born in the Morgue” and “Blow Torch Castration” as well as a new song called “Sandpaper Masturbation” (which is now one of my new favorites).
Soreption
Out of the four bands, this was the only one I hadn’t seen before. I had never heard of this band before this tour was announced, but Jay’s friend Ralph told us they were “brutally good.”
Soreption is a Swedish technical death metal band. They were really heavy and had an awesome performance. Most modern tech-death bands tend to be forgettable song writers but this band was an exception as their songs tended to have more variety and didn’t sound too similar at all.
Cattle Decapitation
I had seen these death-grind legends at the buildings upper venue “The Loft” two months ago with tech-death greats Beyond Creation. I was worried of their set here not being as good as that one since they weren’t headlining. The band ended up topping that set due to better sound. As always, their set was very energetic mostly due to Travis Ryan’s incredible stage presence.
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse were the band that got me into death metal. Though I’ve explored the genre since then and found many hidden gems (such as Timeghoul), Cannibal is still a band I love.
What I noticed was their set was mostly later songs (except for “Stripped, Raped and Strangled”). I didn’t mind this as I enjoy all eras of the band, but there’s always the purists that only want the old material. Towards the end of the set they included more Chris Barnes era songs such as “I Cum Blood,” Skull Full of Maggots” and of course, “Hammer Smashed Face.”
The crowd was wild, the band had tons of energy with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher twirling every chance he got as well as singing in a Broadway-esque voice between songs (not making this up). After the show, Jay and I got pics with his friends Ralph and Candy and we headed home after yet another kick-ass Cannibal Corpse show. This is my third time seeing both Corpse and Cattle but I know it wont be my last.
Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means…everyone is in the mood for horror (you know something to watch while sipping your pumpkin spice coffee).
Here are some films that need to become staples of Halloween horror along with the classics (the ones that are public domain will have a link to watch instead of a trailer).
10. Avenged (2013)
The most recent film on this list is about a deaf mute woman who is killed by a gang of rednecks. Her boyfriend goes looking for her only to be kidnapped by the same group. Little do these onion-towners know that she has been brought back to life by Native American magic and is out for revenge.
The film feels like a throwback to movies such as “I Spit on Your Grave” and “Thriller: a Cruel Picture” but is nowhere near as explicit. “Avenged” is more like “Kill Bill” fused with supernatural horror and one of the more original recent horror films.
9. Anguish (1987)
The most bizarre film on this list is a Spanish film done in the style of Italian films. “Anguish” is about a man who is brainwashed to kill by his telepathic mother and is also actually a movie that two teenage girls are seeing in a theater. Events in the real world start mirroring whats going on in the movie. The film is full of symbolism and is very unpredictable in the best way.
8. I, Madman(1989)
Film critic Roger Ebert barely ever likes horror films but he loved this one. The movie is about a bookstore clerk who discovers a really good book called “I, Madman.” While she reads the book the murderer somehow comes into the real world. The film fuses slasher with weird Twilight Zone-ish horror and does it very well.
7. Mystics in Bali (1981)
Kathy travels to Indonesia in order to learn more about dark magic. She ends up meeting a witch who transforms her into a floating head that goes around drinking blood and eating unborn babies (not making this up).
This is just the tip of the iceberg as this film is one of a kind, managing to be weird and over the top yet pretty well made at the same time.
6. Vampyr (1932)
“Vampyr” is a French/German horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. A traveler who is obsessed with the occult goes to a town to later find out it is under the curse of a vampire. Being a mixture of silent films and early sound silents,the film has very little dialogue and uses cue cards to help tell the story. Atmosphere is where this gem shines and it’s one any fan of classic horror films should give a watch.
5. Messiah of Evil (1973)
A horror film found in many cheap horror packs, “Messiah of Evil” is one that’s worth the bargain.
A young woman goes searching for her father – a former artist. She ends up in a seaside town that is governed by a mysterious cult. Like “Vampyr,” this film is heavy on atmosphere. The visuals are really well done. After making this film, husband and wife team Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck would go on to write screen plays for classic films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
4. Martin (1977)
George A. Romero is mostly know for his zombie films, but has several others well worth checking out – including the vampire classic“Martin.”
The film is about a young man who thinks he’s a vampire who goes to live with his insane elderly cousin who believes he’s a result of a family curse.
The film plays on the old-world hysteria that created vampires, but sets them in modern day as well as showcases Romero’s love for social commentary.
3. In The Mouth Of Madness (1995)
You might have heard of this film as one of John Carpenter’s worst -you’ve heard wrong.
The film is about a horror writer who’s writing comes to life and is causing the apocalypse. With a good story, creepy special effects and tons of homage to H.P. Lovecraft this is actually one of Carpenter’s best.
2. LO (2009)
One of the many films Netflix seems to love recommending people, this is one that is well worth watching.
A man speaks to a demon named Lo in order to find the whereabouts of his girlfriend who was captured by demons. Unfortunately Lo has other plans.
The film is a low budget horror comedy – something that comes out a lot nowadays. Unlike the others it doesn’t fall into Troma worship territory and gets pretty emotional at times.
1. Spider Baby (1968)
We end this list with a film that’s not only underrated but also influential.
“Spider Baby” stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Bruno, the caretaker of three teenagers Virgin(Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) and Ralph (Sid Haig). These kids suffer from a disorder that makes them regress backwards, eventually devolving into cannibals.
“Spider Baby’s” style is a horror/black comedy fusion (a very rare thing at the time). It is also the first of its kind, inspiring many other crazy family horror films such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes.”
Haig would go on to become a horror icon and Hill would later direct other classics such as “Coffy.” This is not only one of the most underrated horror films of all time but one of the best.
Arguably one of music’s most unique personalities, Frank Zappa was an extremely talented soul who’s bizarre vision and insane work ethic still impacts people to this day.
Born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, MD, Zappa was the eldest of four children. His father Francis was a chemist and mathematician who worked at a chemical plant relatively close to the home. This led not only to exposure to mustard gas and gas masks being stored in the home, but Zappa developing a fear and fascination of germs – a subject that would constantly appear in his lyrics (among other strange things). Zappa was also sick throughout most of his childhood.
Zappa was also very much pushed towards religion at an early age by his parents, another topic that Zappa would satirize in his musical career very often (for example, “Heavenly Bank Account”). Zappa was not a fan of any religion because he felt it promotes ignorance and anti-intellectualism.
It was during his High School years that Zappa would start to express interest in music. First playing drums before eventually learning guitar and a myriad of other instruments over the course of his life. By his senior year, Zappa would start composing and arranging avant-garde pieces for his school orchestra. He would attend college in 1959 but left after one semester and held a disdain for the public and higher education system to a degree where he would take his own children out of school at age 15 and refused to pay for college.
The 1960’s would be interesting years for Zappa as he would not only marry both of his wives (the brief Kathryn J. “Kay” Sherman and lifelong Adelaide Gail Sloatman), but also begin his music career writing and producing before fully launching it with The Mothers of Invention and their 1966 debut “Freak Out!” before disbanding The Mothers of Invention for the first time.
They would reunite the following year with Zappa dropping “of Invention” from their name.
The 70’s would bring Zappa more into his own as he dabbled in filmmaking with “200 Motels” and released several solo LP’s such as 1970’s “Weasels Ripped My Flesh,” 1974’s “Apostrophe” (which included the single “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”) and all three parts of “Joe’s Garage” – Zappa’s 1979 rock opera about an adolescent man that forms a rock band, gives all his money to religion, has sexual relations with machines and is driven to insanity when he wakes up from a coma to discover a world where the government has banned all music.
It should be noted that Zappa was notorious for never drinking or taking drugs.
Zappa would continue to raise eyebrows with his strange and humorous lyrics coupled with complex song arrangements in the 80’s and would discover a young guitarist by the name of Steve Vai. During this decade Zappa would reach the peak of his popularity, releasing some of his most famous works such as the “Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar” trilogy, “You Are What You Is” and the first three of his series of live albums “You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore.”
This is just scratching the surface of how much music the man released over his 30 year career.
Zappa would release music into the 90’s, creating classical arrangements of his works as well as composing new pieces with the German chamber ensemble, Ensemble Modern. They would perform his works at the 1992 Frankfurt Festival (Zappa was one of four composers whose works were chosen. The other three were John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Alexander Knaifel). Other performances were scheduled in Los Angeles, but Zappa was only able to appear at two due to health issues. On December 4, 1993, Zappa died of prostate cancer – a condition he was diagnosed with in 1990. He was 52 years old. In 1995, Zappa was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1997 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award.
Zappa is survived by his four children Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva, who are all employed within the music and entertainment industries. Dweezil is also an accomplished musician and honors his fathers legacy by playing his songs in concerts known as “Zappa Plays Zappa.”
Throughout his career, Zappa released over 60 albums. The amount of music Zappa recorded is unknown as albums continue to to be released to this day, the last being “Dance Me This” which was released on June 12. He is consistently ranked in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest” lists.
The Godfather of Gore is back with an offer we can’t refuse.
After six long years since 2009’s “The Uh-Oh Show,” director Herschell Gordon Lewis will be giving us what is being billed as “a new horror anthology” and we couldn’t be more excited.
BloodMania doesn’t give us many clues as to what the plot is other than it revolving around an all-girl rock band, murder (of course) and apparently “the worst day of Brewster Bricabrac’s life.”
Seeing as Bricabrac (who we can assume is the film’s main protagonist) gets run over by a steamroller and has one of his eyes gouged out it has to be.
Other than copious amounts of gore set to Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, there is some kind of demon/poltergeist lurking about and a disgusting old man who’s severed head winds up in an air vent. There’s also two women making out in a shower (which we can safely assume will die during the feature) and a pretty hilarious interaction between two homeless men (because why not?).
From the man who brought us such classics as “The Wizard of Gore,” “The Gore Girls” and “Blood Feast,” “BloodMania” looks to be a fit for every gore fan. While it won’t be up for an Oscar or mentioned in the same sentence as “Titanic” or “Good Will Hunting,” “BloodMania” will certainly cater to the niche audience that Lewis intended it for.
In a long-overdue return host Chris Butera sits down with The Unravelling’s Steve Moore to talk about his music, Moore’s battle with Cancer, and The Unravelling’s new album “Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision” (available at theunravelling.bandcamp.com).
Mr. Bonesaw and Spaceman Frank go over WWE Night of Champions.
Topics include, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker’s upcoming Hell in a Cell match, Charlotte’s Divas Championship victory, the Tag Team division, Sting’s injury, and their thoughts on Seth Rollins next opponent – Kane. Frank gives his account of WWE’s Rochester live event.
The WWE has managed to sneakily put together a pretty stacked card for Night of Champions, and on paper this pay-per-view has the potential to be one of the best of 2015. However, the key words in the previous sentence is “on paper,” and the company could ruin any of these exciting matchups faster than you can say exploding monitors (seriously, did we ever see that thing ever again?). Anyway, on to Spaceman Frank’s Night of Champions 2015 predictions.
Preshow match: The Lucha Dragons and Neville vs. Cosmic Wasteland (Stardust and the Ascension)
Can Stardust, Neville, R-Truth and King Barrett form a group called The Protectors of the Preshow and just be done with it? The WWE does not seem willing to push these wrestlers higher up the card despite the four doing the best with the scraps they are given. WIth Neville winning at Summerslam I see Stardust and his new henchmen getting the win in what can be a very exciting match. Hopefully then all those involved can find a more worthy spot on the card (Cosmic Wasteland harassing Rybak and Neville challenging for the US Championship with an actual storyline attached would be grand).
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev (with Summer Rae)
So Rusev is a heel because he dumped his girlfriend, shacked up with a new girl (who looks suspiciously like the old girl, least we know he has a type), and then acts like a pig. Ziggler on the other hand is clearly the face cause he…um…makes out with a dude’s ex in front of him and and dresses like a bully from any 80’s movie ever? Sure why not. With Lana hurt and a mixed tag match seemly not gonna happen, hopefully this feud between Eskimo brothers dies after this and everyone can move on. My prediction: Damien Sandow shows up, gets both girls, and struts out of the building like a boss. Real Prediction: Rusev wins and starts regaining some of the momentum he had as US Champ.
Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and TBA vs. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Braun Strowman)
The last of the matches at Night of Champions to not have a title involved, this match largely depends on the mystery man joining Ambrose and Reigns. With names such as Randy Orton, Jimmy Uso, and a returning Erik Rowan being thrown out along with surprises such as Chris Jericho and The Rock(!!!), this is the match that could be a dark horse or a flop. If the sixth man lives up to the hype and everyone does their part this could be a very good match. On the other hand, if the live crowd turns on the mystery man and the shenanigans that seem to follow Wyatt leak into this match this could be a major disappointment. Look for the Wyatt Family to sneak out a win after the Summerslam loss (barring a major surprise return) and perhaps a six man tag Hell in a Cell match?
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and/or Xavier Woods) vs. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) (WWE Tag Team Championship Match
The New Day simply are the best reason to watch WWE’s weekly programming, but the Dudley’s have been red hot since they returned the Raw after Summerslam. The champs deserve to retain based on their stellar work, and with Woods most likely waiting on the outside to cause a distraction or perhaps use the trombone as a foreign object to cause the DQ it is probable they will. That being said, the WWE might want to strike while the iron is hot with the boys from Dudleyville, and either outcome will be welcome to me. With all the talent involved this may sneak in as best match of the night.
P.S TRICEP MEAT YO
Ryback vs. Kevin Owens (Intercontinental Championship Match)
With the WWE giving the least amount of hype out of the four championship matches to this match, it is hard to feel as much excitement for Owen’s chase of the IC belt as the US belt. The sad part is that Ryback has been doing well as champ, and it will be interesting to see if Ryback can build upon his momentum with an opponent that will force him to step up as oppose to an opponent that is largely immobile and sweats gallons after five minutes (cough). Bet on Ryback retaining in a decent match that will most likely be the best match for Ryback as champ and Owen’s worst pay-per-view match since joining the main roster.
Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte (Divas Championship match)
With the DIva’s Revolution stalling, this match needs to deliver. Now that all the drama surrounding if Nikki Bella would become the longest reigning Divas Champ of all time is in the books, it seems likely the WWE legitimizes the revolution with Charlotte winning. However, despite the Bella’s not being able to retain via DQ Team Bad may interfere or a member of PCB (cough Paige cough) could cost Charlotte her chance at the title. At this point i would be happy to see the three teams disband to pursue the title individually to keep things fresh, as there is only so many times the teams can face each other with nothing on the line and keep things interesting.
Seth Rollins vs. John Cena (US Championship match)
Keeping with the theme of “this could be good unless the WWE writers screw this up” this match could be good…unless the WWE writers screw this up. With Jon Stewart out of the picture these two could have a stellar match with a much cleaner finish, especially if my pick to win John Cena walks away with the belt. WIth Rollins having to work two matches the quality could be down somewhat, but with Captain Crossfit and his bag of tricks nobody will notice if he saves some energy for later. Cena winning is almost guaranteed considering Rollins seemingly giving two shits about the secondary title and Cena being who he is, but the journey should be fun.
Seth Rollins vs. Sting (WWE World Heavyweight Championship match)
Will Sting become the oldest champ in WWE history? Will Sheamus cash in? If he does, who will be champ? Will Ric Flair betray Sting after hitting his head and waking up thinking it is 1995 again? Will Triple H slap Sting with a bill for the destroyed statue? All these questions could be answered Sunday night. Rollins winning seems likely, but if the WWE decided to either A) give Sting a win and put him in the history books as one of their champs or B) have Sheamus cash in and walk out champ to try and drum up interest in the product during football season could very well happen. The crowd will certainly be into this match to start, but if Sting shows his age or if Rollins is fatigued from working two matches this could be a Taker vs. Lesnar situation. Expect decent but underwhelming work with most of the interest with what happens post-match rather than what happens during the match.
Thrash legends Nuclear Assault have embarked on their final tour (dubbed as the “Final Assault” tour) which will commence with a one-off appearance at next year’s Maryland Death Fest where they will finally hang it up for good.
Last Saturday, the band played an awesome show to a packed hometown crowd with friends Murphy’s Law and Whiplash at New York City’s Gramercy Theater; which I was fortunate enough to have attended.
I had taken the day off from work for a local show in my area when the date of that show got moved. I figured I’d tag along with my friend Jay to go to this awesome looking show instead. We took the train to New York City, got slices of dollar pizza, then took the subway and walked to the Gramercy Theater. Once inside, I ran into some buddies of mine and we caught up until the show started.
Whiplash
Up first were thrash legends Whiplash. I was not too familiar with them outside of their 1986 debut “Power and Pain,” but my friends were excited to see them. The band was fucking killer. They had incredible incredible energy and sounded great.
Murphy’s Law
Next up was the hardcore punk band Murphy’s Law. While I am a big fan of 80’s hardcore, this band was never one I could get into. The band played a very long set and had a lot of energy. After watching them for a few minutes, I went down to the lower part of the venue to look at merch. Jay and I would then meet Tony Potaro, the vocalist and guitarist for Whiplash and get a picture.
Nuclear Assault
After Murphy’s Law finished it was time for Nuclear Assault.
I had seen them once four years ago at MDF 2011. While this fest had other greats like Voivod, Ghost, Acid Witch, Nunslaughter,and Exhumed; Nuclear Assault owned – and here they were no different. The band delivered classics such as “Brainwashed,” ”Hang the Pope” and “Critical Mass.”
Bassist Danny Liker is a legend. I’m also a fan of his other bands Brutal Truth, S.O.D and his time in Anthrax. S.O.D is scheduled to play the Black and Blue Bowl in Brooklyn next year and I will make sure I go.
Mr. Bonesaw and Spaceman Frank chat about the recent incidents regarding the Jimmy Snuka murder trial, Zahra Schreiber’s inappropriate photo, and the build to WWE Night of Champions so far in the second installment of this podcast.
The Bonesaw 