Desert Island Top 5 - CD's

Once again, you know the rules!  You're stranded on a desert island, where you're going to remain for an indefinite amount of time, quite possibly until you die a slow, horrible death.  But the Gods have granted you the ability to take 5 CD's along with you, so at least your slow, horrible death will have a pleasant soundtrack.  Share your own Desert Island Top 5 CD's in the comments section below.  Here are mine:

1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless.  So much has been said about this record.  It's been endlessly pondered and philosophically opined ever since it's release in 1991.   Many critics have proclaimed it to be the greatest single piece of music EVER.  It's lush arrangements, murky guitars and whispered, ethereal lyrics practically envelop the listener in a dense soundscape like none other.  The record is responsible for creating an entire genre: shoegaze.  It's heroin for the ears.

2. Deftones - White Pony.  Having been lumped into the heap of nu-metal bands that flooded the record store shelves in the mid- and late-90's, Deftones took a hard left with their third record.  White Pony introduced a dynamic soundscape comprised of shifting moods and atmospheres, ranging from fiercely heavy to exquisitely sultry.  The record has been hypothesized by fans to be a concept album with each song representing a different form of kinky, drug-enhanced sex. "Digital Bath"depicts a lover murdered in the bathtub.  "Feiticeira" is named after a Brazilian model, television personality and dominatrix (read about her here).  "Knife Party" crescendos with both frontman Chino Moreno and an anonymous woman rapturously moaning.  The woman's moans soon turn into piercing screams and Moreno cries "Go get your knife!"  Each song is expertly crafted, musically dense and textured, with plenty of lyrical subtext to warrant multiple spins.

3. Alice in Chains - Dirt.  Easily my favorite band to emerge from the cold, rainy northwest in the early 90's.  Along with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana, Alice in Chains were at the forefront of what the media dubbed "Grunge" music.  While Alice in Chains didn't quite reach the heights of popularity as the aforementioned bands, their dark, foreboding and atmospheric music perfectly typified the term "Grunge".  Their second full length album, Dirt is a complex record full of beautifully bleak musical arrangements and stark lyrical realism.  Layne Staley's haunting and prophet vocals explore the vile depths of his heroin addiction, an addiction that eventually silenced him forever.  Album closer,"Would", is one of my all time favorite tunes.  The record is a sorrowful masterpiece.

4. Pantera - Far Beyond Driven.  Brash, aggressive and nihilistic describe Pantera's Far Beyond Driven, an album that kept heavy metal alive in the the early 90's when the airwaves were dominated by alternative music.  It was a tough call between this record and its predecessor, Vulgar Display of Power.  Both records are bludgeoning to say the least, with the late Dimebag Darrell's virtuoso guitar riffs melding perfectly with his brother, Vinnie Paul's, bone-crushing percussion.  Phil Anselmo's vocals shift from guttural growls to banshee-like wailing.  His anger is felt like a bully punching you repeatedly in the chest.  Both records are perfect therapy after a stressful day.  I chose Far Beyond Driven as it was the band's biggest selling effort, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard charts.  The record's success comes as an impressive feat considering its subject matter and having had very little radio or MTV airplay.  The fact that the record enjoyed such success in the middle of the alternative era is also a huge feather in its cap.

5.  The Cure - Disintegration.  Kyle from South Park said it best: "Disintegration is the best album ever." Nuff said.  I'll wither away on my lonely island lamenting the opportunities lost, while listening to such classics as "Lullaby", "Fascination Street", "Lovesong" and "Pictures of You".

Halloween 35th Anniversary Edition Extras Revealed

Not long ago, Anchor Bay released the official cover art for their upcoming 35th anniversary Blu-ray release of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN.  Today Anchor Bay and Trancas International give us this press release including the full list of extras for the disc:

“For this very special release, Anchor Bay and Trancas International went back to the vaults to present this legendary terror classic as never before, including creating an all-new HD transfer personally supervised by the film’s original cinematographer, Academy-Award nominee Dean Cundey, a new audio mix (as well as the original mono audio), a brand-new feature length audio commentary by writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis, an all-new bonus feature with Ms. Curtis, as well as selected legacy bonus features from previous ABE releases. Available in a collectible limited-edition book-style package (available only for the first printing) with 11 pages of archival photos, an essay by Halloween historian Stef Hutchinson and specially commissioned cover art by Jay Shaw.

“Anchor Bay Entertainment has been home to Halloween for almost 20 years,” noted Malek Akkad, President of Trancas International Films and son of Moustapha Akkad. “I’m so happy that we’re partnering with them to present the definitive edition of what is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal horror films of the 20th century.”

Bonus features on Halloween 35th Anniversary Blu-ray include:

All-new commentary track with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis;
“The Night She Came Home” new featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis (HD);
On Location;
Trailers;
TV & Radio Spots;
Additional Scenes from TV Version”

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The "book-style" packaging sounds cool and "The Night She Came Home" featurette, reportedly shot during Curtis' first convention appearance at HorrorHound Weekend, might be interesting, but this edition seems painfully lacking considering the pre-order price.  Well, there's always the 40th anniversary edition to look forward to.  Leave your thoughts on the 35th Anniversary Edition of HALLOWEEN in the comments below.

To pre-order HALLOWEEN: The 35th Anniversary Edition click here. 

The Walking Dead Season 4 Comic-Con Trailer

Check out the season 4 trailer for The Walking Dead that premiered at Comic-Con over the weekend.  I have to say, after feeling pretty ambivalent about the past two seasons of the show, this look at season 4 has got me interested.  It appears as if the old crew (along with the Woodbury refuges) are forced to move out beyond the walls of the prison in order to pillage for resources.  This is a big improvement over the past two seasons which felt claustrophobic to me.  The group hitting the road will also hopefully provide a lot more zombie action, which, let's face it, the show needs a serious injection of.  But, according to the trailer, the human drama will remain with new cast members and a sub-plot involving a potential threat from within. Let the hype machine begin!

What say you?  Leave your own thoughts about the season 4 trailer and what you hope to see when the show returns this October in the comments section below.

Desert Island Top 5 - DVDs/Blu-rays.

You know the rules.  You're stranded on a desert island.  You get to select five DVD's/Blu-rays to have with you during your lonesome stay.  These are the only DVD's/Blu-rays you will watch for the rest of your life, or at least until you starve to death, which ever comes first.  Of course, we're taking the liberty of assuming there's such things as televisions, DVD/Blu-ray players and electricity on this island, but I digress.  Feel free to share your own desert island top five DVD's/Blu-rays in the comments section below.


1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).  Yeah, I've talked about this movie endlessly on my pizowell and The Sausage Factory YouTube channels, but, for me, the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the ultimate horror movie and the precursor to the modern slasher film.  Not only do I consider it a landmark horror film, influencing an endless number of similarly themed knockoffs, but a landmark independent film.  Shot on a minuscule budget in the blistering Texas summer of 1973, the film has often been imitated but never duplicated.  The film sports an almost verite air of bewilderment, a raw ferocity and a complete and utter sense of impending doom around every corner. It's simple, stylish, cerebral, unsettling, totally intense and truly unforgettable.  Did I mention it's also quite humorous, a fact lost on many overwhelmed by the film's other, more startling, attributes?  The film also has the unwarranted reputation of being an unflinching bloodbath, a testament to its subliminal nature and suggestive title.  It's a film I've seen countless times and could easily sit through and not only enjoy, but appreciate countless more.

2. Heat (1995).  Heat is the ultimate cops and robbers movie.  A sleek, epic crime drama that pits a hard-nosed L.A. detective (played with a preternatural intensity by Al Pacino) against a meticulous and disciplined professional thief (a cold and brooding Robert DeNiro).  The film is a deep and challenging character study. Writer/director Michael Mann creates an atmosphere steeped in mood and stylish imagery.  The film boasts one of the greatest big screen shootouts in modern film history, as our heroes and villains hold court in the mid-day streets of downtown Los Angeles.  When the two men finally come face to face, seated across from one another in a diner and discuss their work, their lives, their dreams and fears, it is a breathtaking piece of filmmaking, not just in that you have two great actors sharing the screen together, but in that you see the two characters as they truly are, stripped of their defenses and, despite the dissimilar paths they've chosen in life, they are shockingly indivisible in their dedication to their chosen crafts and could have, under different circumstances, been brothers.  Maybe the greatest testament to the film is that it gives both cop and thief equal character development and depth and who you find yourself rooting for at the end may surprise you.

3. The Thin Red Line (1998). The late 90's and early 2000's saw a war movie renaissance.  Of all the war movies released during this time, Terrence Mallick's The Thin Red Line is surprisingly the least war-related. Yeah, the film is centered around the conflict at Guadalcanal during WW2, but the movie is really about the wars waged within the heart of man and the thin red line that separates good from evil.  The film sports an all-star cast (most notably are the performances of Nick Nolte, Sean Penn and Jim Caviezel), the writing is non-linear, loosely plotted and full of some of the most strikingly poetic voice-overs in film history, along with hauntingly beautiful cinematography and a moving musical score.  Detractors of the film call it unfocused, meandering, even boring.  It is one of the few films that actually moved me to tears and is still the singularly most powerful movie-going experience of my life.

4. True Romance (1993).  Quentin Tarantino's first produced screenplay finds loner and comic book nerd Clarence (played by Christian Slater?) hooked up with a hooker with a heart of gold named Alabama and a suitcase full of cocaine.  The two embark upon a journey to Hollywood to sell their ill-gotten blow while evading cops and gangsters!  After that rough plot synopsis there should be no question as to why I LOVE this movie.  It's over-the-top, violent as all get out, strangely romantic and, at times, side-splitting.  And get this cast: Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, an Oscar-worthy Gary Oldman, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson, a pre-fame Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer as "Mentor", a vision of Elvis Presley who offers Clarence praise and guidance and only appears when Clarence is alone in the bathroom.  The brief interchange that occurs between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken is pure cinematic gold.  The writing from Tarantino is explosive and hilarious and the visuals from late director Tony Scott are slick and frenetic.  It's a wild ride and one that I could easily take again and again for the rest of my life.

5. The Big Lebowski (1998).  A series of absurd misunderstandings finds an aging stoner and bowling enthusiast hired by a wealthy man to courier ransom money to the kidnappers of his young trophy wife.  Herein lies what little plot there is to be had in The Big Lebowski, a film comprised of peculiar characters, absurd situations and an overall aura of outlandishness that makes this film deserving of multiple viewings.  Writers and directors The Coen Brothers based their titular character on a film producer and distributor that helped guide their first film, Blood Simple, into theaters.  Jeff Bridges' portrayal of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is worthy of iconic status, as is the performance of John Goodman who plays Walter, a Vietnam vet with such an intense personality he holds a fellow bowler at gun point over a foot fault and takes a crowbar to a brand new Corvette simply to prove a point in one of the most side-splitting movie moments I've ever witnessed.  Lebowski runs afoul of crooked cops, pornographers and eccentric artists on his hilarious journey.

Expect more lists in the future and submit your own in the comments section below.  Got any Desert Island Top 5's of your own?  Let me know.

My Guts Hurt - How Cola Has Destroyed My Insides: A Shocking PSA

So I understand that it should come as no surprise that drinking soda, cola or pop (if you're from the south) isn't exactly healthy.  Soda is loaded with sugar, empty calories, sodium, caffeine, Aspartame (particularly in diet soda) and all sorts of other artificial sweeteners and preservatives, many containing known cancer-causing agents.  (For fun look up the ingredients in High Fructose Corn Syrup, a commonly used preservative that's used in just about everything, particularly soda).  As a matter of fact, diet cola, which contains no calories, is far worse for you than drinking the regular stuff.   Aspartame, an artificial sweetener used primarily in diet sodas, is known to be addictive, actually increasing hunger and can be very bad for you if consumed in larger quantities.  Ever heard that cola can be used as a household cleaner?  Look it up.  Dirty toilet?  Clogged drain?  Grab that can of soda and get to work.  Now drink up!

When I tell you that I drank a lot of pop in my day, I mean I drank A LOT OF POP in my day.  There was no substitute for that sweet infusion of sugar and water.  Friends actually commented, with an air of astonishment, at the sheer volume of soda in my home: 12 and 24 pack cases stacked high along the wall, 2 liter bottles arranged in rows like soldiers eager for battle.  I consumed it morning, noon and night for nearly 30 years.  But in that time I seemed immune to the common health hazards associated with heavy consumption of soda such as: rotten teeth, kidney stones, ADHD, hyperglycemia, diabetes, hypertension, etc.  Yeah, I've always been big, and obesity and soda consumption go hand-in-flabby hand, as its packed with sugar and metabolism-busting preservatives, but I had always been an active big guy, playing my fair share of sports throughout high school and college.  I had settled into a sedentary lifestyle following graduation, a desk job, fast food every day for lunch and a constant intake of sugary beverages.  The first signs that my consumption of soda had finally caught up to me happened during a routine dental check-up.  I had cavities.  For the first time in my life, I had cavities!  I actually laughed when my dentist informed me, thinking he was joking.  What? Me? Cavities!?  I had several in fact.  The years of drinking soda had finally worn the enamel off of my teeth, leaving them exposed and vulnerable despite my being someone who brushed daily and took great pride in my dental hygiene.  This led to drilling, fillings and needles.  I barely avoided a root canal.  The next sign occurred a couple years later and in a most painful way, in the form of a kidney stone.  What a morning that was!  First I was confounded by the fact that I couldn't pee.  Yeah, that simple, rote gesture that defies functional explanation.  I couldn't do it, and I desperately needed to.  I tried to force it.  I strained.  Nothing.  Then came the pain in my back.  I'd never felt anything like it, and it only grew worse.  I arrived at the E.R. via ambulance and was rushed back and immediately given an injection of some wonderful drug that instantaneously washed the pain away and replaced it with an indescribably comfortable numb.  I met with a urologist in the days following my release from the E.R. and right away he laid blame for my kidney stone squarely at the feet of my lifestyle: too much soda, too much bad food, too little exercise.  I'd been a bad boy, and I was paying for it.  I now had a mission.  Eating right and exercising came surprisingly easy.  But quitting pop, now that was tough.  Believe me, I gave up smoking so much easier.  I kicked a pack-a-day habit that I'd had for years cold turkey and never looked back.  Giving up soda was far more difficult.  Food tasted different.  I was sluggish without the constant infusion of caffeine.  And water just didn't hit the spot.  Yeah, I was hydrated, but I wasn't satiated.  I longed for that cold, thick drink of sugary water with its addictive additives and carcinogenic sweeteners and preservatives.  It became a process of simply drinking so much water that I would eventually get used to it, trick my system into actually preferring it, craving it.  Matter over mind.  For the first time in my life I was using...will power?!  And eventually it worked.  Now I won't lie and say I haven't fallen off the wagon from time to time and indulged in a sugary beverage here and there, because I have, but my intake of water to soda today is easily 100 to 1.  So I stuck to my diet for several months, lost a bunch of weight and felt pretty good about myself.  I continue to try and eat healthy to this day and exercise regularly, though I'm not quite as rigid as I had been.  Beginning sometime earlier this year I began to have re-occurring pain in my side, around my rib cage, occurring only at night.  It was a stabbing pain that made it difficult to breathe and sleep was out of the question.  I thought it was just gas.  I'd take over-the-counter medications and walk it off.  Eventually the pain would subside.  A couple weeks ago the pain was unbearable, sharp, stabbing, throbbing, radiating, awful.  This wasn't just gas, I concluded and presumed there were far more devious forces at work.  I scheduled an appointment with my family physician and the first words she uttered upon hearing my symptoms were "gall bladder".  I underwent an ultrasound, a test that typically determines a baby's sex while in the womb.  Imagine eager parents-to-be gathered round the display monitor gazing upon an amorphous shape on the screen that is their offspring with wonderment and pride in their eyes.  The test revealed that I, too, was pregnant...albeit with gall stones.

I blame my years of immense soda consumption on all of it.  The pop slowly wore away at my teeth and had turned both my kidneys and gall bladder into a rocky martian landscape.  And now I ready myself for my first ever surgical procedure to remove the infected gall bladder, which, dear reader, I do not look forward to.  I've been assured that it's a very simple and safe out-patient procedure, but surgery is surgery.  They're going to cut me open and take my insides out.  That's scary.  Now, here's the thing.  I don't really consider this to be an indictment of the cola companies or people who drink soda.  I look at it like I do smokers and the tobacco companies or the fast food chains and their chemically altered fast food and the billions served daily.  We know it's bad for us, but it feels good to eat that greasy Big Mac with all that yummy pink slime meat filler and wash it down with those 72 ounces of sugary sweet and acidic Mountain Dew and then follow that by lighting up a Marlboro and taking a smooth trip through flavor country while choking your lungs out with every poison and carcinogen known to man.  Enjoy it while it lasts, I say.  This is America!  Hey, I'm liberal.  To each their own.  If it feels good do it.  Whatever floats your boat.  Just know, sooner or later, in one form or another, your body will rebel in a very painful way.  Rest assured, dear reader, it will catch up to you.  Knowledge is power and pop is poison.