Trailer Feedback: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (Trailer 2)

This Week, Anaheim, California’s Star Wars Celebration gave us the reveal of the official second trailer for “The Force Awakens” and it destroys any skepticism critics once had.

Within the first 30 seconds, we hear Mark Hamill’s voice reprising his rightful role as Luke Skywalker, with visuals of a new lightsaber, the new hovercraft racing past a fallen Imperial ship, and the remains of Darth Vader’s iconic helmet.

Wow.

We then get establishing shots of the characters from the previous trailer, only this time revealing the clear-cut villain, our new heroes (and heroin), the new Storm Trooper fleet, and possibly a new bounty hunter.

But only the best is yet to come.

First is an X-Wing and Tie Fighter battle taking place over a gorgeous landscape. Next is the Millennium Falcon in an epic chase inside the hull of a ship.

And then the goosebumps emerge as Harrison Ford utters the words “Chewie, we’re home.”

And indeed we are as Han Solo and Chewbacca appear before our very eyes.

The Force has indeed awakened and this Christmas, J.J. Abrams is going to hit it out of the park.

Throwback Thursday: Digitech’s Death Metal Distortion Pedal

Death metal front medium

If you ever needed to sound like Slayer on a budget, then DigiTech had exactly what you need with their Death Metal Distortion pedal.

Designed to boost your mids and cut the bass, this stomp box had some nice features as it had two inputs for going directly into a mixer or your amp to give you more control over your recording and live sound. Turn the level knob all the way up, and you not only got the full power of the Death Metal Distortion, you also challenged the windows of the building you were in. This thing was loud. However; the lows were too low at times even with the setting all the way up, making this not ideal for Stoner/Doom metal.

If you were into playing aggressive music like Thrash, Black or Death Metal, you were in luck as an extreme tone was waiting for you. Several settings that came with the manual were designed to help you get the most out of the angry box, but as always, they weren’t necessary for the player to use. The Death Metal Distortion ran on a 9-volt battery or a PS200R power supply.

As great as the smooth bite and overall sound of the pedal were, there were a few issues with the Death Metal Distortion. For one, while DigiTech claimed the battery would last up to 18 hours of continuous use, one would often lose power at around 8-12. A power supply was almost necessary out of fear of your sound going out in the middle of a gig or rehearsal. Also the pedal did not last very long. A little after a year or so, it would eventually not sound as beefy as it used to and if you didn’t have a soldering iron, it was time to take it down to your local music store to sell it for whatever you can get.

While it had its flaws, the Death Metal Distortion was the most extreme effect pedal you could get on a budget. The pedal would sell new (and still does) for around $50. A used one will go for about $20. While the pedal is no longer as popular as it once was, you can download the module on your Istomp if you have one, which may be the best way to go as the physical pedal is pretty hard to come by.

Trailer Feedback: Entourage

It seems that this summer we will be getting the definitive ending to one of HBO’s best original series with the Entourage movie.

Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and crew are back to their usual shenanigans with agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) offering Chase his latest film, but this time Chase wants to direct. Although Gold is hesitant to grant yet another Chase wish, he does and according to the trailer; that’s where it begins to hit the fan.

Warner Brothers are pulling out all the stops getting nearly every A, B and C list celebrity that has appeared on the show with new additions Rhonda Rousey, Haley Joel Osment, and Russell Wilson contributing their talents.

Even the show’s executive producer Mark Wahlberg will be gracing the screen with his presence.

This looks to be blockbuster ending we all wanted this series to have.

Bonesaw Podcast – Episode 7: Midnite Hellion’s Drew Rizzo

Episode 7 features Heavy Metal maniac Drew Rizzo who plays drums in New Jersey’s Midnite Hellion. We chat about crowdfunding, Midnite Hellion’s history in preparation for the recording of their debut album, and some high points in their career – such as opening for the legendary Overkill at the Starland Ballroom. Goings on in the metal community is also discussed in vivid detail so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Check out Midnite Hellion: www.facebook.com/midnitehellion?fref=ts

Donate to Thrash Bash BBQ IV:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/206782…ash-bash-bbq-iv

Throwback Thursday: The Pet Rock

The Pet Rock was a fad in 1975 that was so ridiculous it worked.

These smooth stones imported from Mexico’s Rosario Beach came with not only their own hay “bed,” but they were also presented in a cardboard “pet carrier” box that included a 32-page booklet on how to take care of your “new” pet.

Gary Dahl, the Pet Rock’s “inventor” got this idea (not surprisingly) from a night at a bar with his friends where the conversational topic was complaining about their actual living pets.

Dahl made millions in the short lived success of his “creation.” He ironically purchased the bar that sparked the idea, although several months later that ship too had sailed.

In 2013 the Pet Rock would become available again at small toy stores and the occasional 7-11 when Rosebud Entertainment would buy the rights of the bizarre novelty.

Trailer Feedback: Straight Outta Compton

You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge on the big screen.

Universal Studios and Legendary Pictures are bringing us the story of possibly the most aggressive and celebrated rap group in history, N.W.A.

Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s introduction immediately legitimizes the film in every way, giving us a clear idea of how hard the studios worked on this and how extensive the production will be.

Although certain aspects may be dolled up by Hollywood (founding member Arabian Prince is not featured at all), this biopic should be one of the best. The casting seems to be dead on accurate as Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr.,  Corey Hawkins (Non-Stop, Iron Man 3) and Jason Mitchell (Contraband) look and even sound like young versions of Cube, Dre and Eazy-E. Paul Giamatti (12 Years A Slave) is great in everything he is cast in and should be no different as he takes on the role of N.W.A’s manager Jerry Heller.

The only concern is how much the film will center on N.W.A. as a group rather than its focal members. Hopefully MC Ren and DJ Yella will not be pushed into the background and become afterthoughts in the feature. It doesn’t look that way, but only time will tell.

We won’t know how the presentation will be until it hits the big screen but when it does, we had better get the whole story, all of the controversy and every piece of the N.W.A. puzzle without much (if any) compromise. If “Straight Outta Compton” holds any water, there’s a strong chance we could get a Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan or Public Enemy biopic in the future.

Bonesaw Podcast Episode 6: Chris and Frank Shoot on Wrestlemania 31

Episode 6 goes off with a bang as Chris Butera is joined by Frank Lucci once again to talk smack about the ‘wrasslin. Listen in as the boys go off on their favorite (and least favorite) Wrestlemania 31 and post-‘Mania Raw moments. New Jersey thrashers Condition Critical are featured.

Help Chris and friends out with their Thrash Metal Barbecue: www.kickstarter.com/projects/206782…ash-bash-bbq-iv

Like Condition Critical here: www.facebook.com/ConditionCriticalNJ

Throwback Thursday: Mallrats

In 1995, director Kevin Smith went from black and white convenience store to a fully colored mall and decorated it with some memorable hijinx.

“Mallrats” is the story of Brodie (Jason Lee) and TS (Jeremy London) taking a day to blow off some steam after being dumped by their girlfriends (Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani). To find solace, they go to the commonplace 90’s watering hole; the mall. Unfortunately, both of their exes are there as well. Brodie’s has already moved on to a department store manager (Ben Affleck) while TS’s is being forced to participate in her dad’s (Michael Rooker) horribly cheesy dating game. Upon this discovery the boys now have a new mission: get their girlfriends back.

Mallrats took 90’s culture and turned it into art. The struggles we see Brodie and TS go through are not unlike our own; albeit a little exaggerated. They run into all kinds of misfits and situations that we’ve all met and been through (with the exception of Jay and Silent Bob, a topless fortune-teller and Stan Lee). Although the acting resembles that of a High School play, Mallrats has charm, quick wit and enough sense to bring joy more than 20 years later.

On March 14, it was announced that Smith will be directing “Mallrats 2” and has been actively trying to reunite as much of the original cast as possible for the film as he did for “Clerks 2.”

With four original cast members to go, it looks like the kids are back the escalator.

Thoughts on Wrestlemania 31

Sunday we saw a plethora of a Wrestlemania moments including Triple H defeating Sting, The Undertaker’s redemption, and Seth Rollins make history by being the first Money in the Bank winner to not only cash in his contract at the show of shows, but during the championship match as well.

Long story short, pretty much all of the right people won with the exception of Sting. While the match itself was alright for two legendary competitors, there were too many theatrics involved with the finish (and the entrances to boot) and this tainted Sting vs. Triple H instead of it being the clinic it could have been. With all this buildup, Sting should have received the victory but it was not to be by way of the sledgehammer.

The Undertaker’s victory over Bray Wyatt was one of his better ‘Mania matches due to the innate psychology that the match was built around. The exorcist/sit up spot was something fans must have been dreaming about for some time as there were definitely chills up the spines of those watching.

Daniel Bryan is going to boost the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship and deserved the win. The headbutt war with Dolph Ziggler was questionable and probably looked better on paper, but overall it was a very good ladder match. All competitors did a great job especially Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose who put their bodies on the line.

Paige and AJ winning without any issues between the two was good but it was interesting that there was no animosity involved in the match.

Like Bryan with the Intercontinental Championship, John Cena is going to boost the United States Championship like never before. Cena’s “Rocky Balboa” got the story book ending against Rusev’s “Ivan Drago” which was much needed and doesn’t taint the Bulgarian Brute at all. We’ll just have to see how his character is handled from here on to see where he goes but the man can work. His omega-Russian entrance was one of the highlights of the night.

The Rock and Triple H’s segment started off well but dragged for far too long. After awhile it became obvious that they were waiting for Santa Clara to get darker for The Undertaker’s arrival. If you’re watching on the network it’s best to just skip to the end where Ronda Rousey gets involved. This should have been saved for Raw with a match or two being inserted in its place.

Who chooses Wrestlemania’s musical guests and why do they have them perform at all? It’s clear that WWE’s demographic does not care when there is minimal participation in the act and maximum participation at the concession stands and/or restrooms.

Big Show wining the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was surprising from a storyline standpoint but not from a logical one. Show is after all, a giant and it would have been a shame if he didn’t win one of these. Miz vs. Mizdow is still happening and that’s all anybody wanted out of this match anyway.

Randy Orton’s victory over Seth Rollins moves the feud nicely especially with the events that unfolded later on. WWE is striking this feud while the iron is still hot with greater stakes and kudos to them. Check the height on that RKO again, Rollin’s must be at least eight feet in the air before he hits the mat for the three count.

Last but not least Brock Lesnar looked as dominant as ever and Roman Reigns looked decent as well. This was the most believable match WWE could have had with the outcome being the only realistic scenario to get the title off the champion. Reign’s comeback was a nice touch and Lesnar’s bloodshed is proof that WWE needs more of it (but not too much) in there product. Save the non-PG stuff for the Pay-Per-Views and it’ll be all right. Rollins is already going to be one of the best heel champions ala Ric Flair’s weasel tactics.

We can’t wait for next year.

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 5 – Egokill’s Brian Schermicide

Episode 5 gets rude and crude with Egokill’s Brian Schermicide as we speak of 90’s cartoons, classic wrestling and metal in the most unapologetic way.

WARNING: This episode contains strong language.

Check out Egokill here.

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