Hard Boiled Disc 2 Screencaps

Hard Boiled Disc 1 Screencaps

Disc 2 will follow later. Click on the image for a full size one. I'm testing out using photobuckets code generator to help speed up posting screencaps.

Last Hurrah For Chivalry Screencaps

Hard Boiled should follow in a couple of hours with the rare of the day. Reviews should also be up tonight or tomorrow.

One-Armed Swordsman Screencaps

Last Hurrah for Chivalry and Hard Boiled Screencaps should be up later today along with a new rare of the day.

My Young Auntie Screencaps.

Rare of the Day: "The Best and The Worst"

Check out this awesome fight from the super rare film: The Best and The Worst. Some great stick fighting at hand.

Ebola Syndrome DVD Screencaps

Well reseting the router seemed to work :)

Hard Boiled and Last Hurrah for Chivalry have arrived!

Just got these two discs in. Expect reviews tonight or tomorrow. Screencaps will still come for My Young Auntie and One-Armed Swordsman, along with Ebola Syndrome. Unfortunately my Internet connection is running slow today making the uploading of screencaps a bit of a chore. I should still get them up tonight though.

The Rare of the Day: Iron Neck Li (1981) Widescreen Trailer

A new feature at HKCFN will be the youtube "Rare of the Day" featuring a rare trailer, clip, or fight from some of the classics and not-so classics of kung fu from my own personal archives of DVDs and trailer comps. Starting off today will be Iron Neck Li a film that is not available in a widescreen form. However, today we present this rare widescreen trailer for Iron Neck Li.

Ebola Syndrome DVD Review

Screencaps will follow later on.

Video: Discotek has created a new HD-based master for the restoration of this wonderful film. Herman Yau along with his DP Puccini (yep that’s his name) intentionally filled the film with bright colors and it really shows on the screen. There are no transfer problems present and the picture is nearly mint (there is some very minor print damage at a couple of points during the film). Still this is quite minor and limited. This disc looks better than the newer Universe disc and the old Dutch disc.

Audio: The Cantonese Mono track sounds fine and is accompanied by TWO subtitle tracks. One is a newly re-mastered and re-translated version that is leaps and bounds of the older versions. Still the older one is retained as a sort-of extra feature listed on the cover as the “craptacularly funny original subtitles”. Great job on the part of Discotek!

Extras: This is one of the best DVDs I have ever seen for a cult Hong Kong film. First off is the legendary deleted footage from the film. Basically three to four minutes of violence, rape, forced sodomy, gore, and human flesh grinding. No plot extensions or anything, which I’m sure no one will mind. I think Herman Yau himself decided not to restore this to the main film (he doesn’t say it directly, but he hints that he’s happy with the current version of the film in the interviews). As indicated there is about a 15-20 minute with Herman Yau and Anthony Wong (who occasional says something, you’ll see when you watch it). The interview is in English. Great interview, and that’s not just because they used one of my questions. Selby from Discotek kindly asked for suggestions at asiandvdguide.com’s forums for questions to ask Herman and Anthony and it's nice to see he used some of the fan's suggestions. Also find out the mysterious role of Wong Jing in the film lol. Rounding out this great disc is a subtitled commentary with both Anthony Wong and Herman Yau. Discotek smartly included names next to the subtitles of who is speaking (granted once you get to know Anthony Wong’s voice it's pretty easy). Really informative track featuring a great line by Anthony Wong asking “why do Europeans like this movie?”

Overall: Buy this disc! Really if you’re a fan what are you waiting for? If you have never seen this wonderful feel-good movie than this is the perfectly time to curl up with a loved one and enjoy the magic of The Ebola Syndrome. Great job by Discotek.

One-Armed Swordsman and My Young Auntie Dragon Dynasty DVD Reviews

Screencaps will follow late tonight or tomorrow.

Video: Dragon Dynasty continues the excellent transfers for their line of Shaw Brothers films with these two releases. Both One-Armed Swordsman and My Young Auntie have been transferred to Region 1 DVD perfectly and look great. There are no signs of a poor transfer such as motion blurs, jerky movement, etc. In short these DVDs are gorgeous and a joy to watch. The colors are also natural and do not look oversaturated. Both films are anamorphically enhanced for widescreen tvs.

Audio for One-Armed Swordsman: OAS sounds great and is a pleasure to listen to. The Mandarin Mono track is exactly that and free of any and all sound “enhancements” that can often be found on Celestial created re-mixes. It is free of hiss and any noise. The same can be said of the English track, which previous to this release was only available (and all bootlegs derive their copies from this) an old Dutch VHS tape. The sound difference is light years better. These dubs are being remastered and may actually sound better than anyone has ever heard them.

Audio for My Young Auntie: The same general comments can be said about the audio for My Young Auntie, except instead of a proper Cantonese soundtrack, a Mandarin soundtrack was used on this DVD release (it still sounds fine and is not re-mixed). The English dub is fine however (it was previously issued I think in the UK on VHS, but not re-mastered) and if you are a fan of the English Dubs as opposed to the Chinese tracks (which I myself am a lot of times), then this issue of no Cantonese track may not be a problem for you. Still, Dragon Dynasty should make every effort in the future to secure the right soundtrack. It’s a shame as it mars a disc that is perfectly fine otherwise.

Extras for One-Armed Swordsman and My Young Auntie: Both My Young Auntie and One Armed Swordsman receive some nice extras on these Dragon Dynasty special editions. A collection of trailers similar to what has been seen on other Shaw Dragon Dynasty DVDs features many original Shaw trailers (which are subtitled also). There is a also a nice interview with Jimmy Wang Yu on One Armed Swordsman, which talks about how Jimmy got started at the Shaws and what working there was like. It’s a short (around 12 minutes) interview, but it’s filled with some really nice details. A similar interview with Kara Hui is on My Young Auntie. Props to Mike Leeder (well I’m just guessing on it, but I would bet good odds on it) for the great interviews. On both discs there are some interviews with film critics who also appear on a commentary track. They talk about the more analytical side of the film, but I can’t help wishing that Bey Logan or Linn Haynes recorded a track (or Mike Leeder or Jude Poyer, or even the RZA). Both discs also have a stills gallery. The One Armed Swordsman disc also has the Celestial-produced “The Master” documentary about Chang Cheh. It runs about 17 minutes and is pretty nice as an introduction to Chang Cheh.

Overall: One-Armed Swordsman is a must-buy recommendation with no issues whatsoever with the disc (besides a lackluster commentary track). The great video and sound make it an easy recommendation. My Young Auntie is a different matter. It's hard to say that fans who want the Cantonese track should by the R3 as it has a nasty re-mix on it apparently. I would say get the Dragon Dynasty as it does have the superior video and the Mandarin dub is original and was made at the time of My Young Auntie’s original theatrical release in Hong Kong. If you only listen to English dubs then it's an easy recommendation without any issues (save once again for a poor commentary). Still Dragon Dynasty should in the future ensure that all of its audio tracks and subtitles are correct to prevent a similar issue.

Sorry for the ghost town vibe!

I've had a family emergency that had to be dealt with (and thankfully was resolved positively), hence the lack of updates. Thats over! We've got some great things up ahead. Today, we're going to have at least three new reviews. Expect the site to start launching some great new content soon and updates daily.

They need to remake HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND

I was watching the MST3K of HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND tonight and was surprised to rediscover how much fun this movie is. I think the bare minimum budget actually helps the movie's silly atmosphere by producing some of the weirder moments. The plane crash with the women screaming against the black background comes to mind. And somehow the makers were able to throw together a great spider design. Granted it's comes off as a cheap clay model, but there's something silly yet slightly creepy about the huge black orbs for eyes and the anthropomorphized hands. I can just picture the spider yelling, "You got some stones to mess with me!" It's not a Bert I. Gordon effect, and it's not a puppet. It's fresh. But of course, it has only a minute of screen time. And it's not the reason the movie was made.



THESE are the horrors of Spider Island!



It seems as if women in the 50s were built differently than the women of today. Thicker and sturdier like those huge Cadillacs and Thunderbirds. Bill Maher noted that even Marilyn Monroe weighted 200-250, and Twiggy changed everything. Now we've just got a bunch of stick-thin skanky white girls as our sex icons. And half of them are, inexplicably, ugly. Did anybody actually find those chicks in BLUE CRUSH attractive? Before you found out Michelle Rodriguez was a lesbian and dating Kristanna Loken, I mean. The women in this movie knew how to take no prisoners. They'd cut you with a broken bottle if the mood struck them. Babs alone could break you in two! But I go on. The point is that the movie was able to string together scenes of horny, half-naked women stuck on a tropical island getting into cat fights and dancing around with a very gossamer thread of a radioactive spider and spider-man. And it was perfectly paced, too, at 77 minutes. Though IMDB says there are 81 and 89-minute versions out there.

So I think it's the imagery overall that warrants the remake of this movie. Let's update it so that it's in color and to convince more women to strip down for a cheesy B-movie.

Who directs? Well, let's just say not Michael Bay. If it were Michael Bay, we'd get horribly oversaturated images with the contrast and sharpness set too high, giving it too much of a "candy coating" like a CSI episode. And then it's questionable how much skin you'd actually see. The camera would be staggering and swooping and twirling about like Michael Vick on bottled water and X. The angles would be so awkward and the cuts would be so fast that you'd have no idea what was actually going on. "Was that a hooter?!" Who knows!? And then the plot would focus mostly on Shia Labeouf and Anthony Anderson trying to track down the spider-man, leaving only a scant few minutes for the scantily clad women. And that's my Transformers rant. Back to my actual thesis.

Why don't we give the job to Michael Mann? I really like his eye for photography, especially in MIAMI VICE, and the HD cameras he used in that movie captured the subtle pastels of the tropics really nicely. He'd do a good job of capitalizing on the island imagery, establishing atmosphere, and lending some eroticism to the movie. We just tell him to give the bug up his ass a small vacation. This is a cheesy, B-movie after all. He just needs a seemingly isolated island locale. He doesn't need to actually strand his crew in the middle of a gang war zone or on a deserted island.

Keep the spider design but give it some human mannerisms. Add some extra arms to the spider-man, and we're done with the special effects. Now on to the most important part: The girls!

First off, anyone who suggest Devon Aoki gets shot in the face. Her face really creeps me out. It's too round.

Overall, we want to get away from skinny, skanky, "GIRLS GONE WILD" fodder, white girls, and get a little more ethnically diverse cast with a healthier appetite. I'm gonna suggest the really cute chick from YOU GOT SERVED for one of them (Jennifer Freeman, I think). Maybe throw in Megan Fox as well. As for the rest, it's not falling quite so easily into place in my mind. Honestly, I think we should have a contest, in which we give away a prize, for the best set of suggestions. (Take a hint, Ian!)

Last Hurrah For Chivalry DVD Specs

LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY Synopsis
In one of his early films, acclaimed director John Woo crafts an action-packed tale of a
son who recruits two master swordsmen to help avenge his father’s murder.

LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY DVD Special Features:
• View The Film With Audio Commentary By Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey
Logan
• Pray For Death: An Interview With Fung Hak-On
• Deliver Us From Evil: An Interview With Lee Hoi-San
• Legendary Weapons Of China Featurette
• Original Theatrical Trailer & US Promotional Trailer

LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY BASICS
Price: $19.95
Street Date: July 24, 2007
MPAA Rating: NR
Languages: English 5.1 (dubbed), Cantonese 5.1 and Catonese Mono (original)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Running time: 107 minutes
Catalog Number: 80320
Closed Captioned

Japanese Pro-Wrestling Roundup from Will!

*WE ARE THE NEWS*************************

New Japan

July 6th saw NJPW return to a sellout Korakuen Hall for a stacked show that saw three title bouts. Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku retained their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles against Koji Kanemoto & Wataru Inoue. Ryusuke Taguchi became the 52nd IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion after downing Minoru with the Dodon. Finally, Yuji Nagata made his V2 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight title, pinning Togi Makabe with a backdrop suplex. Elsewhere on the card, after being out with various injuries, Masahiro Chono, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jado all made their returns. Show was said to be excellent.

Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko made a successful V3 defence of their IWGP tag title against Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto on July 8th in Gifu. Surprisingly, it was Tanahashi who dropped the fall, being pinned in 20:46 after a sit-down Last Ride from Bernard. Post-match, Bernard & Tomko were making noises about defending the belts in TNA. Is there a company in Japan not working with TNA right now?

Shinjiro Otani looks to be making a return of sorts to New Japan. The Z1 MAX man will appear on Yuji Nagata’s 15th anniversary show in Chiba on 9/9, probably tagging with Nagata. Otani left New Japan in 2001 to join Shinya Hashimoto’s Zero One promotion, and last appeared in a New Japan ring some 18 months ago for their 2006 Tokyo Dome show. Kazunari Murakami is also likely to appear on the show.

All Japan

Kensuke Sasaki seems a dead cert to face Triple Crown champ Minoru Suzuki on the final night of AJPW’s Summer Action Series (poster) on August 26th at the Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall). Seeing as Suzuki has beaten pretty much everyone else in the company, you’d think Kensuke is going over here. Scott Steiner will also work the show, this week apparently aligning himself with the dastardly Voodoo Murderers.

Speaking of Voodoo Murderers, “brother” YASSHI will be making his first foray into cage fighting next month, on HEAT’s August 11 show. He’ll be facing the also-debuting Osamu Takahashi.

Wrestler-turned-politician Hiroshi Hase will replace Stan Hansen as PWF commissioner as of this Sunday. The Pacific Wrestling Federation is the pretend governing body responsible for making title matches official, so it shouldn’t cut into Hase’s schedule too badly.

NOAH

NOAH’s current tour, Summer Navigation 07, will end this Sunday at the Nippon Budokan. Veteran Mitsuharu Misawa headlines, defending his GHC title against fellow vet Akira Taue. Credible NOAH main eventers are rarer than hen’s teeth right now.

HUSTLE

In the ‘only in Japan’ story of the week, Yinling is pregnant courtesy of The Great Muta, after taking a very special green mist attack at Hustle Aid a few weeks back. Medical experts anticipate November 25th – coincidentally the same day as Hustle Mania – as the likely time of birth. The Japanese press has been making comparisons between Yinling and the recent spate of pregnancies amongst pop starlets such as Tsuji Nozomi and Kaori Iida.

In other HUSTLE news, grumpy old man extraordinaire Genichiro Tenryu made good on his promise, and after losing his match to pretend-gay-comedian-turned-wrestler HG last week, has a brand new wardrobe.

Big Japan

Japan’s premier garbage group ran the Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium for their biggest show so far this year. Main was Takashi Sasaki vs. Ryuji Ito in a 300 Fluorescent Light tubes Death Match for the BJW Death Match Heavyweight Championship. Champ Sasaki retained in 22:24 after a light-tube assisted D-Geist (Emerald Frowsion). The show drew a very healthy 4,000 fans, up from last years numbers. It’s well deserved - Big Japan has been one of the highlights of 2007 so far.

TCM Digital Cable TIVO DVD Burner=Awesome!

TCM Digital Cable TIVO DVD Burner=Awesome!

CHFB Discussion Thread Link Above

Now, I've had all of the above for awhile with the exception of Digital Cable. I've been trying to use TIVO and my DVD Burner to create HQ backups of old movies. The problem was that the TIVO files took forever to transfer and transcoding the streams with Nerovision (after converting from TIVO file formats to MPEG) took nearly 3 to 6 hours per movie. It also often produced non-compliant DVD files (which mean the DVD-Rs would crap out). Plus, with regular cable I never felt the picture quality was up to snuff. Now, with Digital Cable the picture quality is dramatically better. However, I also got a new piece of software, Cucusoft Video Converter, which cut the transcoding time in half. Previously, if I was lucky I could record one movie a day. Now, I estimate I can transfer two movies from TIVO and throughout the day copy two to DVD-R. This allows me to test the movie out (via the FF at high speed). This, in turn, allows me to free up HD space on the TIVO and my computer allowing for quick and timely transferring of films. My first DVD-R was CHINA CLIPPER. I generally record genre movies in best quality and non-genre stuff in high quality. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to some good times as I think I've queued a couple dozen films. Plus, Hell Below Zero which I missed the credits for is on next month. Plus I got a rare MGM Mongram mystery last night (and a one reel Air Force Reserve recruiting ad from RKO that was attached to a movie!

Who Framed Boris Karloff the new murder mystery by Dwight Kemper!

We're going to be reviewing this amazing book about murder in the classic age of Hollywood and Universal horror. HKCFN will also have an interview with author Dwight Kemper in the near future. For now check out the info on how to get this great book.

PRESS RELEASE

Midnight Marquee Press, Inc. will be taking its second venture into the realm of fiction with WHO FRAMED BORIS KARLOFF? The novel takes real people and settings and places them in a wholly fictional murder of a real person. Dwight Christopher Kemper, the mastermind behind Murder for Hire, wrote the novel. Murder for Hire is Mr. Kemper’s mystery theater Production Company. The company motto: We Will Scare Anywhere!

ABOUT WHO FRAMED BORIS KARLOFF?

The time: November 1938. The story concerns the murder of a Universal Studios Executive on the set of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Well after production has wrapped, a Studio security guard discovers Boris Karloff in full Frankenstein Monster makeup on the Stage 7 Laboratory set. A body is lying on the operating table, the body of Martin F. Murphy, Head of Production. The executive has been burnt to a crisp by one of Kenneth Strickfaden’s high voltage monster making machines. Boris's fingerprints are found on the fatal lever. Karloff proclaims his innocence. The studio wants to cover up the scandalous crime, so Cliff Work calls in a favor and has M-G-M Vice President Eddie “The Bulldog” Mannix, the best “fixer” in Hollywood, come to Universal Studios to sweep the murder under the rug. Now a real murderer may go free. Who is the diabolically clever killer using Boris Karloff to commit the perfect crime? Who can beat this villain at his or her own game? Why, none other than Boris’s co-star Basil Rathbone, fresh from his performance as Sherlock Holmes for 20th Century Fox’s production of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. Can Rathbone use what he learned playing the Master Detective coupled with his experience as a World War I Intelligence Officer to discover WHO FRAMED BORIS KARLOFF?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dwight Kemper is an accomplished character actor with over 13 years stage experience including an engagement at Carnegie Hall in New York City as Sergei Diaghilev in Anna Pavlova, a biographical ballet he co-authored. He appeared six years on stage as Herr Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker, as well as Doctor Copellius in Copellia, and Catallebutte in Sleeping Beauty. He is also a stage illusionist and member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. As Murder for Hire’s Producer and host sleuth Detective Chief Inspector Kemper of Scotland Yard, Mr. Kemper presents original mystery plays for hotels and bed and breakfasts throughout the United States. His mystery shows frequently haunt The Sherwood Inn in Historic Greene, NY. Dwight Kemper is also a film critic for Phantom of the Movies VIDEOSCOPE Magazine where he applies his "critical chain saw" to really bad movies. Visit Mr. Kemper at Murder for Hire’s web site: www.murdermysteytheater.com.

WHO FRAMED BORIS KARLOFF? will be released during the summer, 2007, and features a foreword by Sara Jane Karloff, daughter of the titular Mr. Karloff and is available at Amazon.com, murdermysterytheater,com and midmar.com.

Specs for THE FILM CREW: HOLLYWOOD AFTER DARK

THE FILM CREW: HOLLYWOOD AFTER DARK
Release Date: July 10, 2007
Pre-Order Date: June 12, 2007
Catalog #: SF10364
Genre: Comedy/Cult Films
SLP: $19.99
Rating Not Rated
Running Time: +/- 90 minutes
Format: DVD Single

Description:
Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett—three of the brilliantly insane minds behind the cult classic TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000—finally reunite to unleash their warped sense of humor on the cinema of yesteryear as The Film Crew. Charged with the task of giving all movies their own commentary tracks, the Film Crew valiantly steps forward to tackle the best of the worst, starting with Hollywood After Dark, which was chosen as the first release by MST fans in an online contest.

Rue McClanahan (Golden Girls) stars in this drama from 1968 as a young actress attempting to make her Hollywood debut. However she falls into the seedy underworld of stripping when she's exploited by her unsavory producers. We’re sorry to say that there’s no nudity on this one. Includes a collectible Film Crew patch (while supplies last).

Hollywood After Dark trailer
Rue McClanahan dancing (!) clip
Additional Hollywood After Dark clip

PREORDER HERE

How to get great free classic Sci-Fi and Horror films on DVD!

Wow I never thought this was a way to get free DVDs...

Just click on the link above and I will show you the power of Public Domain, MPEG2, and DVD-Rs (with a little broadband on the side).

Enjoy!

And Your Wallet Will Know Terror! Upcoming Classic Horror and Sci-Fi on DVD

Upcoming Classic Horror and Science Fiction DVD’s

Today we’re going to take a look at some of the upcoming DVD releases that the major studios have planned for the near future, in the hope of making sure fans know what to save up for. The source of this information comes from the wonderful denizens of Classic Horror Film Board, and also George Reis of DVD-Drive In and Jim Clatterbaugh of Monsters From the Vault.

Universal
Notes: Both sets are planned to be Best Buy exclusives.
Release Date: Not known.
Retail Price: Not confirmed, but thought to be twenty dollars.

Sci-Fi Collection:

• - Deadly Mantis
• - Leech Woman
• - Land Unknown
• - Cult of the Cobra
• - Dr. Cyclops
  

Horror Collection:

• - Horror Island
• - Man-Made Monster
• - Night Monster
• - Captive Wild Woman
• - Black Cat (1941)

Fox and MGM (distributed by Fox)

The Fly Classic Collection
Release Date: September 11th
Retail Price: No known.

• -The Fly
• -Return of the Fly
• -Curse of the Fly
• -A fourth disc with unknown extras will also be present.
  

Fox Horror Collection
Release Date: Halloween
Retail Price: Unknown

• -Chandu The Magician
• -The Undying Monster
• -The Lodger
• -Hangover Sqaure
• -Man Hunt
  

Vincent Price Gift Set Volume One
Release Date: September 11th
Retail Price: $39.98

• -The Abominable Dr. Phibes
• -Dr. Phibes Rises Again
• -Tales Of Terror
• -Twice-Told Tales
• -Theater Of Blood
• -Madhouse
• -Witchfinder General
• -An extras disc on Vincent Price
  
  

Roger Corman Collection
Release Date: September 18th
Retail Price: $39.98

• -The Premature Burial
• -X--The Man with X-Ray Eyes
• -The Young Racers
• -The Trip
• -Bloody Mama
• -Gas-s-s-s
• -A Bucket of Blood
• -The Wild Angels
  
  

Midnite Movies
Release Date: September 11th
Retail Price: $14.98

• -The Conquer Worm (Special Edition)
• -Food of the Gods
  

Release Date: Unknown, but thought to be October
Retail Price: Not known, but suspected to be 14.99.

• -The Beast Within/The Bat People
• -Blueprint For Murder/Man In The Attic
• -Chosen Survivors/The Earth Dies Screaming
• -Devils Of Darkness/Witchcraft
• -Gorilla At Large/Mystery At Monster Island
• -The House On Skull Mountain/The Mephisto Waltz
• -Tales From The Crypt/Vault Of Horror
• -Yongary, Monster From The Deep/Konga
• -Pharaoh's Curse/Curse Of The Faceless Man
• -The Vampire/The Return Of Dracula
• -Phanton From 10,000 Leagues/Beast With A Million Eyes
  

Columbia (Sony)

Sam Katzman Boxset
Release Date: Halloween (?).
Retail Price: $24.95

• -The Werewolf
• -Creature With The Atom Brain
• -Zombies Of Mora Tau
• -The Giant Claw
• -One Chapter of the serial Mysterious Island
  

Warner Brothers

Unknown Title or Size (Possibly Cult Camp Classics)
Release Date: ???
Retail Price: Not Known.

• -Frankenstein 1970
• -POSSIBLY The Walking Dead

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection - Vol. 10 For Sale on Ebay!

Sorry, just a minor shill :) It's my own personal copy.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Mystery-Science-Theater-3000-Collection-Vol-10_W0QQitemZ300128397970QQihZ020QQcategoryZ617QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

UFC 73 Stacked Preview and Predictions

UFC 73 Stacked Preview and Predictions:

Hard core fans have been calling for it forever. They wanted a fight card with a bunch of headlining fights in the UFC. UFC President Dana White has finally granted the request. Saturday night fight fans will be entertained with 4 fights that could easily be a main event on most fight cards.
“Stacked” is a great name for the card. Two titles will be on the line. Middleweight Champion Anderson “the Spider” Silva will face former King of Pancrase Nate “the Great” Marquardt, and Lightweight Champion “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk will defend his title against Hermes Franca. Also on the card is a grudge match between former UFC Poster boy Tito Ortiz vs. the undefeated reality show star Rashad “Sugar” Evans, and the UFC debut of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against his long time rival Heath Herring. Let’s get into the card.

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira vs. “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring

Hardcore fans have waited a long time to see former Pride Heavyweight Champion Nogueira fight in the octagon. What most didn’t expect to see is him face the man he has beaten twice before. If you haven’t seen Nogueira before then you are in for a treat. He is a submission master with great boxing skills and possible the biggest heart in the game. Nogueira has been widely regarded as one of the top Heavyweight fighters for some time. Nogueira has beaten a who’s who list of fighters including Mark Coleman, Mirko Filipovic, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, Ricco Rodriguez, Dan Henderson, Gary Goodridge, Bob Sapp, Pawel Nastula, Semmy Schilt, Sergei Kharitnov, Enson Inoue, and Jeremy Horn. He has only 1 thorn in his side which is the number 1 fighter in the world named Fedor Emelianenko.
Herring has been a big disappointment since entering the UFC. In his first UFC fight, Herring was taken down at ease by wrestler Jake O’Brien and held down for a decision lost. In his second fight, Herring won a lackluster decision against reality show competitor Brad Imes. Herring does have an impressive resume for himself with wins of top fighters including, Mark Kerr, Igor Vovchanchyn, Evan Tanner, Gary Goodridge, Enson Inoue, Gan Mcgee, and Tom Erikson. Herring has heavy hands and a great ground and pound game but has had a questionable gas tank and his best weapon knees on the ground are not allowed in the UFC.
I really don’t understand why the UFC decided to put this fight together. I am assuming they are trying to guarantee a win for Nogueira considering he has already beaten Herring. Yet, if Nogueira beats Herring then Herring is probable done in the UFC and his acquisition was a waste, yet in the same time if Nogueira loses to Herring then another top Pride fighter doesn’t live up to expectation. It really seems like a no win situation. Anyways as for a prediction, I have Nogueira winning easily. Nogueira is just better in every area of the game. He has better standup, way better BJJ, and a better cardio game. Expect to see Nogueira catch Herring in a submission in the third period.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad “Sugar” Evans

First if this was a battle between nicknames then Tito wins. Anyways it isn’t. Tito Ortiz knows how to sell a fight. Usually if Tito’s match isn’t in the main event, it is still the most intriguing and talked about fight. This one isn’t any different. Tito has had many grudge matches with fighters including Guy Mezger, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell, and even UFC President Dana White. Rashad Evans is just the newest foe. Tito doesn’t just talk. He has been a great fighter for a long time. During the UFC “dark ages”, it was Tito that was the poster boy and kept the organization a float. In the ring Tito has many skills. He has a great clinch game, and one of the best ground and pound games in all of MMA. His elbows from the guard has stopped many opponents. Tito has an underrated striking and BJJ game but his best weapons is probable his strength and cardio. Tito usually overpowers his smaller opponent and uses his cardio game to wear down his foes throughout the rounds. A classic example is his win over Vitor Belfort at UFC 51.
Rashad fighting style is very similar to Tito. He has a great wrestling game (NCAA wrestler at Michigan St.) and a stellar ground and pound. Rashad made his name known to MMA fans while on the second season of the reality TV show the Ultimate Fighter. Rashad would end up winning the Heavyweight contract by winning an absolute war against the much bigger Brad Imes. Rashad would make the transition from heavyweight to light heavyweight with two decisions over former reality stars Sam Hoger and Stephan Bonnar. These wins would label Rashad as a boring fighter who couldn’t end fights. Rashad proved those critics wrong in his last two fights. Rashad would get the biggest win of his career by pounding light heavyweight contender Jason Lambert by vicious ground and pound in their first round match. Rashad would then display his much improved stand up game with a highlight reel high kick KO over Sean Salmon.
These two guys really don’t like each other. The have already had a battle of words over the internet, and even got into a shoving match at a prior UFC event. Tito has to use these emotions to his advantage. Tito has been in these kinds of matches before and needs to keep getting under Rashad’s skin to try and take Rashad off his game plan. It will be difficult because Rashad trains with Greg Jackson’s submission fighting team, which is one of the best camps in all MMA, so he should have a good game plan. Tito is going to be the bigger fighter in this fight and needs to overpower Rashad. Get into clinch, press Rashad against the fence, and take Rashad down. If Tito can get there, elbows will be huge, and even a possible submission if the inexperience Rashad panics. It will be tough though because Rashad might be the better wrestler of the two. He also is more explosive fighter with better hands and he should be able to match Tito’s gas tank. As for a prediction, expect a war. I see Tito passing the torch to Rashad and setting the undefeated fighter up for a title shot. Evans wins by split decision.

Sean “the Muscle Shark” Sherk vs. Hermes Franca

Since the UFC brought back the lightweight division, it has pleased the crowds with amazing fights (Fisher/Stout 1, Griffin/Edgar, and Griffin/Guida are a few examples). This fight should be no exception. Both fighters bring high intensity and a fast pace to fights. Sherk has been in the fight game a very long time. He is a well rounded fighter, with a great wrestling background, short straight boxing skills, and freakish strength. He originally fought as a welterweight and had a ton of success but when he lost 2 marquee matches to much bigger fighters (Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre), Sherk decided to move down to the lightweight division. The decision proved to be a good one for Sherk, as he used his strength advantage over Kenny Florian to win the vacant UFC lightweight belt. Sherk is known for his strength. His physique is not matched by anybody in the lightweight division. He looks like the Nintendo character Mega Man. Sherk has good standup technique and awesome double leg takedown slams followed by devastating ground and pound. He has tons of experience and his cardio is second to none. His work out routine is just insane, I challenge everybody to watch his “UFC All Access” episode.
Hermes Franca is known for his wild looping punches and submission game. Hermes Franca has also been around for a long time. He first boosted onto the UFC scene with a bang in 2004. He first beat Rich Crunkilton by unanimous decision and then followed it up with a first round knockout over the then favorite Caol Uno. Franca would then fall short in back to back matches losing two razor shaper decisions in a row to Josh Thomson and Yves Edwards. The UFC would then drop the lightweight division and things would get worse for Franca, when dropped three fights in a row in 2005. Hermes would then go on to win 8 fights in a row, including three in the UFC, when the division returned. First he beat Joe Jordan by third round submission. Next, he would get a come from behind armbar submission win against Jamie Varner. Hermes would then get his most impressive victory in the UFC this past January with a second round TKO win over Spencer Fisher.
The key to victory for Sherk is to over power Franca and uses his ground and pound while avoiding the submission from Franca while in Franca’s guard. The key for Franca is to try to avoid Sherk’s takedown and land one of his bombs on his feet for a KO. Franca is a BJJ black belt but Sherk will be tough to submit because of his short arms and giant neck. I expect this fight to be not as close as people think. I just think Sherk is going to be a monster in the lightweight division. He should be too strong for Franca and his pace will be too hard for Franca to handle. Sherk wins by decision. If the rumors that BJ Penn is moving back up to the welterweight division, then I expect Sherk to be the UFC lightweight champion for a very long time.

Anderson “the Spider” Silva vs. Nate “the Great” Marquardt

In the other title fight, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will defend his belt for the first time (because his last challenger didn’t make weight) against seven time King of Pancrase Champion Nate Marquardt, with the winner facing former middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin later this year. This fight pits the striking standout Anderson Silva against the technician Nate Marquardt.
Anderson Silva has entered the UFC with thunder and lightning. He is a Muay Thai kick boxer who originally made his name in Pride and Cage Rage with knockouts over game fighters like Carlos Newton, Alex Steibling, Jeremy Horn (in Gladiator FC), Jorge Rivera, Lee Murray, Curtis Stout and Tony Fryklund (One if the best KO’s ever). Silva would make a big splash in the UFC middleweight division in his UFC debut by giving a free Muay Thai clinic to Chris Leben. He knocked out Leben in just 49 seconds and immediately was granted a title shot against champion Rich Franklin. Silva was the underdog entering the fight but showed the world how dangerous a Muay Thai clinch can be. He blasted Franklin with countless knees to the body and the head until Franklin was knockout in the first round. In Silva’s last fight, he toke on Season 4 of the Ultimate Fighter reality show champion Travis Lutter. This was the first time in the UFC that Silva looked human. He was taken down by Lutter in the first period and was eventually mounted and was close to losing via TKO. In the second round Lutter toke Silva down again. This time Silva would show his BJJ black belt skills off by catching Lutter in a triangle choke and dropped vicious elbows to Lutter’s head, forcing the second round tap out.

Nate Marquardt is not a house hold name to average MMA fans though he sports a perfect 4-0 UFC record and is a seven time King of Pancrase Champion. He debuted in the UFC in the main event of the very first Ultimate Fight Night against Ivan Salaverry. Marquardt was victories in an uneventful match. Marquardt would return at UFC 58 in which he out pointed Joe Doerksen to a unanimous decision. He would then be subjected to unaired prelim fights for his last two fights. First, he scored a second round submission victory over late replacement Crafton Wallace and then won a unanimous decision over Dean Lister. Marquardt is a decent striker but excels in the ground game in which he has fourteen submission victories.
The keys to victory for Anderson Silva is to keep this fight on his feet and land his trademark punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. He also needs to use his clinch but avoid the takedown. The keys to Marquardt’s victory is to by all means take the fight to the ground as quick as possible and avoid any clinch. He needs to overpower Silva and do some damage from the top position on the ground and look for a submission.
I have changed my mind about a dozen times on who is going to win this fight. I am finally picking Marquardt in an upset. As easy as Lutter toke Silva down, I expect Marquardt to do the same and win a unanimous decision.

Other fights on the card predictions:
Kenny Florian vs Alvin Robinson – Florian by submission
Stephan Bonnar vs Mike Nickels – Bonnar by TKO
Chris Lytle vs Jason Gilliam – Lytle by TKO
Frank Edgar vs Matt Bocek – Edgar by decision
Jorge Gurgel vs Diego Saraveia – Gurgel by submission

Liner Notes for "MANOS", EEGAH!, and GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS Soundtracks

Many of the movies featured on MST3K were disposable, forgettable sci-fi and horror movies. The best, or at least my favorite, episodes usually featured movies with something that stuck in my head long after watching them. Many times they were bad things like DEVIL FISH's editing, and other times, they were intriguing ideas like a man being impregnated with shrimp babies in NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST. A fair amount of the movies, however, despite not being able to afford much else, had interesting musical scores. So I decided to make soundtracks for some of my favorite scores from the MSTed movies. And before you ask, yes, I am insane. If that is not clear by the end of this post, then let me reiterate. I am insane.

Using DVD Decrypter and AutoGK, I rip an MP3 copy of the film's audio track. Then I use a program such as SonicStage and Audacity (the latest one) to copy particular sound clips to separate files. It's very rudimentary, so dialogue and sound effects are still present. Help filtering the audio would be much appreciated. However, the movies selected are pretty light on dialogue and sound effects... and production values. In a way, that's what makes the music from these movies so memorable. They're what drive the film when it would otherwise be silent.

"MANOS" THE HANDS OF FATE
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=223OAJ1Q

This was the very first of the soundtracks I've compiled. And the second and the third, at which point I realized I needed to buy an external hard drive to back up my files. This movie always had a certain... draw for me. It wouldn't be half of what it is without Torgo, one of the greatest characters in cinema history. Who doesn't love quoting and walking around like Torgo? He's #2 on my Halloween costume list right below Pootie Tang. I enjoy watching this movie on a rainy day or a late night, largely because of the score. My musical tastes lean towards jazz, and a couple of the songs sound like something you'd hear at a candlelit piano bar. Many of the tracks have very slow beats, and anything uptempo fizzles out softly. It's somnolent to be sure. Off the top of my head, there are maybe 4 or 5 themes, including the enduring classic, "The Haunting Torgo Theme," that make up the score. But like the Guyver OAV score, those themes are strong enough that the repetition is not unwelcome. The score had to be cut and pasted on the fly, I imagine, but Russ Huddleston and Robert Smith Jr. do an admirable job of creating something that amplifies the movie's surrealism.

EEGAH!
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JDIRWHM2

This one was done at Ian's request, though, I don't disagree with his selection. The generic jukebox love songs were shoehorned into the plot for a reason. If Arch Hall Jr.'s face weren't an ipecac, then maybe the music would've been more tolerable. As it is, when his voice hits those high notes, I curl up in the fetal position. The main title sounds like the first few notes of "Jailhouse Rock" over and over, as if the song can't get out of first gear. The rest of the score is unexceptional, unless you like hearing that girl squeal like a pig for three minutes. Lord knows what Arch Hall Sr. was doing to her to elicit those sounds. As people more astute than I have pointed out, Jr. sings two love songs to his girl, "Vickie" and "Valerie." His girl's name is Roxy.

GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5OOWM16G

As the movie is supposedly about go-go dancing, you'd expect there to be a good deal of music and girls in skimpy outfits. Unlike movies today, GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS is what it's supposed to be about and delivers the goods (I'm looking at you, ALIEN VS PREDATOR...). GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS is a very silly movie, but on the Deep Hurting scale, it doesn't register that highly except for the ugly, oily thugs. The oeuvre of songs is deeper than you'd expect for such a low-budget affair. Sound engineer Chris Howard wrote and performed half of the songs. Having to create 5 songs for the movie and mesh those with the other half dozen songs in the movie, Howard does a very good job of making each song unique (within the context of the movie). It's a shame that some of the songs seem to get cut short in the movie, as no official soundtrack will likely ever be released. The songs have a proclivity towards being bouncy and upbeat, from the titular theme to Cowboy Santa (yes, this movie is a Christmas movie that belongs right next to DIE HARD, LETHAL WEAPON, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE). Nicholas Carras, the composer of the instrumental score, keeps things similarly upbeat with goofy melodies during the "action" scenes. Overall, the soundtrack for GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS is the polar opposite of the "MANOS" soundtrack: energetic and invigorating.

Note: Because the songs are cut up in the movie, I wasn't able to figure out the actual titles for all of them. Can anyone fill in the blanks on this?

The Best Promo for a Godzilla film EVER!!!

YO-YO GIRL COP Specs

YO-YO GIRL COP



Release Date: July 17th
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Runtime: 98 min
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Synopsis

Highly trained in martial arts, armed with a deadly steel yo-yo and an undercover identity, K infiltrates an elite high school, Seisen Academy. Her mission: to identify and eliminate suspected terrorists.

Her only lead is an underground website with an ominous timer counting down the minutes. Wielding her deadly yo-yo, K must stop the terrorists before they achieve their apocalyptic plot to destroy the city.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

DYNAMITE WARRIOR Specs

DYNAMITE WARRIOR

Directed by Chalerm Wongpim
Screenplay by Chalerm Wongpim, Yuthapong Pirayuthapon
Satrring Dan Chupong

Release Date: July 17th
Running time: 103 mins, NR
In Thai with English subtitles.
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Synopsis

DYNAMITE WARRIOR is a supernatural, action packed movie with high-grade special effects and the kind of raw action scenes the world is coming to expect from Thailand.

Set in rural Thailand during the 1920s Dan Chupong (Born To Fight) plays Jone Bang Fai a young man riddled with grief and bent on revenge after witnessing his parents’ murder by a callous and malicious killer. The only information Jone has as to the killer’s identity is the memory of a tattoo-covered man who is part of an organized group of cattle rustlers. Jone makes it his mission to stop all cattle rustlers and in the process return each head of cattle back to its rightful owner.

After searching the country high and low, Jone finally believes he has found the murderer in a small rural village in the North of Thailand. To Jone's dismay he learns that the killer is in fact a warlock of immense power, a nearly invincible mystical man who is trying to control the whole village. His one weakness? He can be harmed only by weapons that have been treated with the menstrual blood of a young virgin. Armed with this knowledge and a few hundred highly charged rockets (and a dash of menstrual blood), our intrepid hero goes up against one of the most dangerous men to have ever walked the Earth.


Dan Chupong in DYNAMITE WARRIOR, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

THE HOST Specs

THE HOST

Runtime: 119 min.

Rating: R

Languages: Korean, English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English

Synopsis: A creature plunges from the Han River into the river emerging on its shores for a feeding frenzy upon onlookers. When Hyun-seo is snatched in the melee, her family set off to recover her from the monster that the government claims to be host of an unidentified virus.

Pre-Order 6/26/07
Street Date 7/24/07


Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.




Standard DVD Edition ($26.98)
Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes
  
• Commentary with Director Bong Joon-Ho
  

Collector's Edition (DVD: $29.98, 2 discs; Blu-Ray and HD-DVD: $34.98)
Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes
  
• Commentary with Director Bong Joon-Ho
  
• The Making of The Host with Director Bong Joon-Ho
  
• Designing of the Creature
  
• Film Story Boards
  
• Puppet Animatronix
  
• Gag Reel
  
• Memories of the Sewer
  
• The Film Departments
  
• Special Effects and Sound Effects
  
• Casting Tapes
  
• Training the Actors
  
• ...and Much More!
  

Sandra’s Second Ring of Hell: Lazy Day Lunches

CHAPTER TWO: LUST-SWIRLING WIND

For this week’s installment of Sandra Lee’s Cool Kids’ Cooking, we will be exploring the second chapter, entitled “Lazy Day Lunches.”

This time around, Sandy focuses on food that “active kids like Scott [one of her many nephews] can hip to in a hurry.” Okay…how do you get “hip to” food? Does that particular phrase make sense to anyone? Did she forget to include the word “be”? I mean, I’ve heard people say “I’m hip to doing that,” but usually these are painfully lame individuals or the phrase is used in a sarcastic way (oh, yeah…I’m TOTALLY hip to that). But, seriously, who says “hip to” anymore? Apparently, the woefully pathetic Sandra Lee who believes she is invoking the cool slang of her homies.

And, I’m not joking about this. She LITERALLY has this exact phrase featured in the introduction of the second chapter: “Text the peeps—lunch is at your house today.” What the H E double hockey-sticks is she trying to do here? Reach out to her urban demographic? Wow…Sandy is so down with us and our terminology…if she understands our language, her food must be as in-touch with what kids want! Was this really the reasoning behind the ridiculous use of terms like “fab flavas” (is she trying to set herself up as the next Flavor of Love ho?). Flava Flav, indeed!

I also enjoy the fact that Sandy’s title for this chapter reinforces her lazy mentality towards cooking—it’s too hard! Let’s semi-crap up our food instead! Sandy always mentions having no TIME to get things done in the same manner as fellow Food Network denizen, buggy-eyed Robin Miller, and promptly references her nephew’s BUSY schedule which means he needs good food fast. What results, however, are neither good (her recipes offer little by way of fruits or vegetables) nor fast, but disgusting, calorie-laden delicacies for the kiddies.

Anyway, this horrifying level of Dante’s culinary inferno results in 16 recipes for foods that, once again, belong in a “make food in your dorm room in 15 minutes” type of cookbook, not recipes for young children. The recipes in this particular chapter are “Buffalo Pizza,” “Spaghetti Calzones,” “Sloppy Sandwiches,” “Cordon Bleu Crescents,” “Cheese Steak Bagel Bites,” “Monte Cristo Mania,” “Ranch Wraps” (the only relatively healthy specimen among the pack), “French au Jus,” “Cheeseburger Bites,” “Bacon-Pickle Dogs,” “Double Grilled Double Cheese” (repetitive, much?), “Mini Melts,” “Popcorn Chicken Salad,” “Teriyaki Noodle Bowl,” “Cheddar Cheese Baked Potato Soup,” and finally “Dropped Ramen.” With names like “Buffalo Pizza,” Spaghetti Calzones,” and “Dropped Ramen,” Sandy’s recipes could easily appeal to the stoner/frat boy population. However, as usual, the potential for deliciousness is defeated when one actually examines the contents of her recipes.

Sandra vows that her recipes will ‘be a ginormous hit with the It Crowd” (does the rhyming never end for this woman?), so let’s see how successful these treats really are. While reading through the list, one recognizes the standards of kid’s food (fried chicken, pizza, hot dogs, etc.), yet Sandy offers little innovation (“Popcorn Chicken Salad,” anyone?). Even when Sandra does something surprising (a quality she always stresses when feeding guests), she almost inevitably combines ingredients that no one in their right mind or in a sober state would imagine. Her “Dropped Ramen,” for instance, is Ramen noodles with eggs in it and random chicken strips. How does she screw up the concept of a lovely egg drop soup like this? And why does she relate typical Chinese food with freakin’ Ramen? Oh, they’re both made by those ching-chong guys, so they have to go well together, right? God, trying to make sense of Sandra’s frightening culinary logic is like trying to limit Sandy’s alcoholic intake during the annual trimming of the Cocktail Tree: Both will give you a massive headache.

For my analysis of Sandra’s horrific recipes, I will be closely examining her “Cheeseburger Bites.” Now, Ruby Tuesday has a delicious mini-burger meal that is under eight dollars and most likely tastes a hell of a lot better than Sandra’s meatloaf seasoning-packet mess. I mean, this is a fairly simple, well-known dish that people have been making for decades (Burger King used to offer Buddy Burgers, for example, that I adored as a child). However, in this recipe, Sandy yet again focuses on brands, not simplicity, and her recommendations for Heinz ketchup, McCormick seasoning and Sargento cheese snacks smack of culinary irresponsibility. There is no reason one has to use her products to achieve her supposedly delightful result, yet Sandra’s cookbooks insist that buying such products makes one’s life soo much easier; Should I “save” money the Semi-homemade way (and get terrible food), or actually save money by buying reasonable ingredients and making good food? I wonder which one I’d choose?

While Sandy offers up a horrific rendition of the American classic recipe, it is, in fact, her images of said dish that scar me in a way I never thought possible. Firstly, she includes cartoon pictures of the “Bites” on her front cover and in the second chapter, while also having a real-life version opposite the recipe (which doesn’t look any more appetizing than the animated versions). Secondly, all of these images feature pickles and tomatoes attached to the hamburger bun with a toothpick, which I’m sure Sandy though looked sooo gourmet (not really). I know restaurants do this all the time, but for children, I just don’t think it’s necessary or appropriate; just have the veggies on the side for them. Finally, the particular image in which children are trying to EAT the damn thing is very disturbing because of the fact that two children (and Sandra herself!) are about to bite into the “Cheeseburger Bites” WITHOUT taking the toothpick out of the hamburger! What? Shouldn’t Sandy, the responsible caretaker that she is, have warned the children that eating the burger with the toothpick attached might be a wee bit dangerous? Or, in the very least, shouldn’t she have provided herself as a role model for the impressionable youth by removing her own toothpick? I just cannot believe that she depicts these burgers as edible when they have “cocktail toothpicks” sticking out of the top! Also, if these are bite-size, why do all of the pictures of the hamburgers make the bites look HUGE? Seriously, I’ve seen Sandra shove many foodstuffs into her giant mouth (check out how she downs a corn dog, for example), but I do not see how a burger bite would need two hands and appear to be the size of a regular burger. Very weird, and confusing, I would think, for young children learning how to cook.

Sandy’s recipe is basically meatloaf burgers (with Thousand Island dressing that makes them some ghetto version of a Big Mac), and even the picture she supplies in the cookbook does not make it appetizing to say the least; Thousand Island is dripping down the side of the bun in a most revolting manner. Once again, even the presumably delicious, and simple, recipe for cheeseburger bites is ruined in the hands of Aunt Sandy, and her cookbook fails to enlighten anyone, young or old, on nutritious food for children.

Next week: The third ring of Hell, “Meal Mania.” Dish Delish!

Cloverfield aka the trailer before Transformers

I saw it and man did it catch my interest (Invasion looks interesting also). I'll just let wikipedia describe it.

The last one is just wiki junk, but I can't say that I didn't have the same thought!

Teaser Trailer

A teaser trailer was shown prior to the screening of Transformers. The trailer consisted of raw camera footage. During the trailer, a group of friends in their 20-30s are throwing a party for "Rob" who is moving. They feel vibrations and assume that it is an earthquake and quickly evacuate to the rooftop. Once there, they see explosions and debris flying, and a terrifying roar echos in the streets. You can hear a voice shout "It's alive! It's huge!". The final scene features another terrifying roar and an object careening into buildings and crashing near to the camera operator in the street. When the object comes to rest, we can see that it is something that resembles the head of the Statue of Liberty. The title of the film was not shown during the trailer.

Rumors

It is rumored by most people to be a secret zilla movie.

More Universal Horrors and Sci-Fi Coming On DVD!!!

New Universal Titles Coming!

Full Details Above
Both will be Best Buy Exclusives.
Thanks to Jim Clatterbaugh

The titles will be:

Sci-Fi Collection:
- Deadly Mantis
- Leech Woman
- Land Unknown
- Cult of the Cobra
- Dr. Cyclops

Horror Collection:
- Horror Island
- Man-Made Monster
- Night Monster
- Captive Wild Woman
- Black Cat (1941)

More Great Japanese Super Hero Shows Coming From BCI! SUPER ROBOT: RED BARON

SUPER ROBOT: RED BARON coming from BCI!

Full Details from August Ragone at Classic Horror Film Board!

Here comes IRON KING from BCI/Ronin Enetertainment!

Here comes IRON KING from BCI/Ronin Enetertainment!

Full Details from August Ragone at Classic Horror Film Board!

Transformers Talk with TFW2005's Joe Moore!

It's always cool when you can interview an important member of a fandom, but it's even cooler when you get to interview said person and they are from PHILLY! With the upcoming (less than 6 hours left) release of Michael Bay's Transformers HK and CULT FILM NEWS interviewed TFW2005's Joe Moore and talked about all things Transformers. Thanks again to Joe for taking the time to do this interview.

Also, Jess and I will be at the King of Prussia 8:30 DLP screening tonight and are on the look out for fans wanting to talk about the movie for our review and event write up; we should get in (if we can't get our seats) at around 7:30. I'll be in a blue Transformers shirt with thick black glasses (I have brown hair). My fiancee has brown hair and will be wearing an orange shirt and is a lot better looking than me. She also may be trying to sneak in ear plugs after she heard the film is apparently very LOUD!

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Joe Moore. I am one of the administrators of TFW2005.com. I'm 29 years old and live in Philadelphia. I have been collecting Transformers for a solid 8 years now, with a collection that I've lost count of. Fans may remember me as a member of the commentary for the Transformers The Movie 20th Anniversary DVD along with my friends Alex Weiner (aka Tony Bacala), J.E. (Rik) Alvarez and Paul Hitchens.

2. How did TFW 2005 come about and what is your role in it?
TFW2005.com was created in, I believe, 1999, owned and operated by Tony Bacala. He created the site, originally, to share some of his music and to share his passion for the Transformers. Over the years, the site has gone through some very drastic changes. However, our goal of bringing top notch Transformers info has always remained the same.
I came onto the site in 2002 as a toy reviewer. I eventually moved onto doing news and worked my way up to Admin in a relatively short amount of time. What made it easy and fun was the friends I've made by being a part of the site. I consider the a lot of these people to be like family to me.

3. What was your first exposure to Transformers?
I'm one of the guys that grew up with Transformers. I was 6 years old when the G1 cartoon began airing. I remember recording the original 3-part mini-series when it originally aired too. That tape lasted through far too many viewings. Transformers became my favorite toys as a kid, far surpassing my enjoyment of Star Wars or He-Man.

4. What is you favorite incarnation of the Transformers?
When I started getting back into collecting, like many fans, I thought the original G1 series was the end all for Transformers. They toys, the toon, everything. However, when the Car Robots line was brought to North America as "Robots In Disguise" (RID), my love of the toys shifted to that series. Since then, I really think it's been my favorite toy line, not only for the show characters, but for the expanded universe that RID turned into. It was really a great way to bring old and new designs together under a cohesive heading.

As for the cartoon, G1 will always hold a special place in my memory. However, once I completed the Beast Wars series, I really fell in love with the characters and story arcs portrayed. The writing and voice acting were really a step above anything else at the time. The show, in many ways, was way ahead of its time because of its complex animation and attention to minute details.

5. Did you ever think there would be a live action version of the Transformers?
I always thought there would be one. I do recall reading that Hasbro tried to get one off the ground quite in the 90's, but that the plan never got beyond a write-up. I've never been able to get confirmation on this story though. It was movies like The Matrix that really made me think that a Transformers movie was possible, and after the release of Matrix Revolution, I knew transformers was an inevitability.

6. When it was announced that Michael Bay would be the director, would you say that the reaction of fans was negative overall?
It was really hard to judge. there were days when I thought the fandom was going to tear itself apart with the arguments over Michael Bay directing the movie. But I guess the overall tone did lean toward the negative end. People weren't sure which Michael Bay we were getting. Were we getting the Michael Bay who gave us killer action movies like The Rock, Bad Boys and the Island (which I finally saw and loved)? Those movies had great story and action. Or were we getting the director of Pearl Harbor and Armageddon? With those films we had overly clichéd stories and action without emotional weight. People were really apprehensive. Most of the early reviews seem to point more toward the former.

7. It seems that reaction and expectations have become more positive over time; what do you think has caused that?
I think the main thing was prolonged exposure to the designs. There's no denying the movie designs are a huge departure from past iterations. The designs came out of left field for a lot of people. Once people started seeing final designs and seeing them in action in the trailers, it turned a lot of, but not all, people's opinions around. I still see a fair amount of criticism of the movie, but that's what makes the fans great. They have a very diverse taste and vision for Transformers can be.

8. It was initially stated that Transformers received an R rating, but there hasn’t been too much detail about it. Why did it get an R rating? Was anything cut or was it similar to what happened with Poltergeist and the power of Steven Spielberg, where an R was reduced with nothing cut?
The gloriously flawed organization known as the MPAA originally did hand Transformers an "R" Rating, citing extreme violence. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me. Never one to be scared by the MPAA, Steven Spielberg protested the rating, pleaded his case, and got the rating changed with nothing removed from the film. Shia LaBeouf had revealed that info in an interview. Spielberg is one of those guys who will fight for a movie he believes in.

9. Of the three versions of the Transformers theme that have been floating around as possible themes (Mute Math-being the actual theme), Linkin Park aka Deceptibots, and Black Lab) which is your favorite and what do you think is the fan favorite?
My favorite...None, personally. I found them to be mostly generic, with nothing exciting added. There is so much that can be done with the Transformers theme, but they all played it pretty straightforward. A great example of ways to re-imagine the music of Transformers can be heard by checking the music selection of Tony Bacala. As the movie has gained momentum, more and more people stop by the site asking about Tony's music. I think the fans kinda liked the Linkin Park version the best, but I haven't really been following that.

10. With all the clips of the movie being released officially, are you afraid that pirated clips (such as the intro and Autobots intro that have popped up on youtube) may sneak their way onto the board?
They actually already have. But as soon as we spot them, we're sure to remove them and let the poster know that they are not to post any pirated clips on the website. If they are officially released, then so be it, no need to stop those. The only thing we can do is keep our eyes open and try to remove any that pop up.

11. Have you been trying to stay spoiler free or as a mod is that virtually impossible?
It was a lost cause for me. Being someone who reports the Transformers news, and has to keep an eye on the forum, staying spoiler free just wasn't possible. I actually had the leaked script well before it started making the rounds through the fandom. I resisted reading it for about a week and then caved. I've always been the kind of guy who just can't avoid spoilers.

12. Do you think anyone can truly replace Chris Latta as Starscream?
Sure. Latta's take on Starscream will always be in the older fans' mind. As it should be. It's one of the defining traits of the G1 toon. I just approach things with an open mind and let them stand on their own merit. Take Michael Dobson's Starscream from Transformers Armada. Though the majority of the Armada cartoon wasn't all that good, the last leg of the series was really fantastic. Dobson did a pretty amazing job throughout though, and really hit his stride in the episodes leading up to the death of Starscream. People tend to forget that kind of stuff as years go by.

13. If the film does well do you think Sony may finally do a new release of the original G1 show?
This is a slippery slope. Sony BMG closed down the Sony Wonder department shortly after the release of the Transformers the Movie 20th Anniversary DVD. Sony wonder handled all the children's DVD releases. Strangely, it was a division of Sony BMG, Sony's music branch. I was told that the rights for all Hasbro properties would revert back to Hasbro with the closing of Sony Wonder. Word now is that Sony Home Entertainment is set to absorb the remaining brands from Sony Wonder and relaunch all of the Sony Home Entertainment children's DVD's through Sony Wonder. What this means for Transformers is anyone's guess at this point. But the DVD's are almost certainly going to be released again at some point. They'd be too profitable not to. Be it by Sony or someone else.

14. What did fans think of the use of Transformers in an early episode of Robot Chicken? Do you know of any fans who were offended by it?
I think it was hit. That skit helped propel Robot Chicken into huge popularity, and not just with Transformers fans. I think most, if not all, fans were delighted seeing their favorite show spoofed.

15. What toys are the fans really excited for with this movie?
By far the Real Gear figures have really captured the love of the fandom. I think fans really like the idea of everyday items that become robots. It helps that they're pretty great figures as well. I'd also say fans are really digging both the Leader and Voyager Class Optimus Prime figures. In later waves, some of the characters are getting G1 inspired repaints, and fans seem to really be looking forward to those.

16. What are your favorites for this movie?
The Voyager Optimus Prime is a figure that really surprised me. He's got excellent articulation and has better resemblance to the movie version compared to the Leader version. Ironhide, Jazz and Wreckage are all very well done. I'm also looking forward to a few of the video game inspired characters.

17. Are you surprised with the speed of bootleg copies appearing on the internet and do you think it will hurt the film’s box office?
I'm disappointed more than anything. Pirated versions of a film can seriously cripple a movie's box office, or, in some cases, reflect poorly on a specific genre of film. The aftermath of the Hostel 2 bootleg is still being felt in the horror community, with studio's beginning to drop horror films from their slate because of Hostel 2's poor box office. I do believe the Sci-Fi/Action genre to be safe from the overreaction of studios. I'd love for fans to go out and support the film and show that they really are dying for a new epic adventure with Transformers.

18. How does it feel to win the Botcon awards for Best News and Best Design?
It feels great. This is the second year in a row we have won the Best News award. News is something we have always prided ourselves on. We have, probably, the best news staff we've ever had. These guys bust their butt's day in and day out to keep up. I'm glad their hard work paid off, they deserve it. The design award is all Tony. The guy constantly strives to have the best features and best aesthetic for the site. He's a workhorse.

I-G-F! I-G-F!

Japan has a lot of wrestling promotions. An awful lot. A quick count reveals around ONE HUNDRED groups, between them covering every niche imaginable - You want blood and light-tubes? Then Big Japan’s for you. Looking for more of a wacky, WWE-esque ‘fighting opera’? HUSTLE might be just your cup of tea.

You’ll understand then, that with every base seemingly covered twice over, why the announcement of yet another promotion is hard to get excited about.

That is, unless it’s headed up by Antonio Inoki.

Perhaps the second most influential figure in the history of Japanese pro-wrestling, Inoki has been a major mainstream star in Japan since the late 60s, and was the top dog in the country’s most successful promotion - New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in and out of the ring) for decades. Following his retirement in 1998, Inoki began to scale back his involvement with New Japan, removing himself entirely a few years back. His new brainchild, the Inoki Geome Federation marks his first efforts at promoting a major show in Japan for 4 years.

Inoki’s grand designs are what separates the IGF from the pack. Whilst most new promotions would be content to pull a decent crowd at the 2,000 Korakuen Hall, Inoki’s ambitions are always stadium-sized. And with any new promotion of that scale, you’re in for some fireworks. After all, where does a brand-new promotion - with one eye on the 60,000 capacity Tokyo Dome - go to find names big enough to bring in the fans?

Point in question. When Inoki somehow secured the services of PRIDE’s Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko for his 2003 Inoki-Bom-Ba-Ye show, it set off a series of events that resulted in PRIDE (then the biggest MMA promotion in the world) losing its TV deal, most of its top fighters and ultimately being sold off to rivals UFC.

With a budget of $850,000 and Tokyo’s 11,000 capacity Ryogoku Kokugikan to fill, it seemed inevitable that there’d be more shenanigans from the IGF.

As is his wont, Inoki set about building the show around tough, credible athletes - much as he had done with his earlier (failed) Universal Fighting Arts Organization. Whilst only one match had been announced beforehand, the line-up was looking pretty healthy, with the possibility of some very intriguing matches. Confirmed names included Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Kiyoshi Tamura, Josh Barnett, Alexander Otsuka, Yuki Ishikawa, Kevin Randleman and Mark Coleman. Perhaps the biggest coup of the lot (and certainly from the perspective of the Japanese media) Inoki poached Naoya Ogawa from rival promotion HUSTLE. An Olympic Judo silver-medalist and a major mainstream celebrity, Ogawa equals column inches, though not necessarily decent matches.

Whilst the acquisition of Ogawa was certainly a spanner in works as far as HUSTLE was concerned, it was that one announced match that was prove the biggest story. Kurt Angle was to fight Brock Lesnar for Lesnar’s version of the New Japan’s IWGP heavyweight title.

Back story – Lesnar signed with New Japan in 2005 and quickly (like, in his first match) gained their version of the world title, the IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix) heavyweight championship. After a disappointing run as champ, New Japan requested Brock drop the belt to bright young thing Hiroshi Tanahashi. Lesnar refused. New Japan fired Lesnar. Lesnar kept their title. Tanahashi then won a hastily put together tournament, received an older version of the IWGP belt, and things carried on as if Brock and his belt had never existed.

Lesnar arrived mid-week at Tokyo’s Narita airport complete with belt, proclaiming himself to be the real deal and publicly challenging New Japan’s current champ Yuji Nagata. Instead of Nagata however, IGF management instead received a visit from New Japan’s lawyers, who threatened legal action if Inoki went ahead with the proposed title match. Knowing full well that New Japan owned the rights to the name,Inoki stopped billing his main event as an IWGP championship match, though confusingly the belt was still on the line. Initials or not however, the message seemed clear; Inoki’s crew were the real deal.

The results…
0. Munenori Sawa beat Yuki Ishikawa (7:06) by TKO after a Shining Whizard
0. Rocky Romero beat El Blazer (6:09) by referee stoppage (Cross Armbreaker)
1. Kevin Randleman beat Alexander Otsuka (5:09) with a "Shrimp Setting" (modified Powerbomb).
2. Michiyoshi Ohara beat Taka Kunou (6:05) with the Tombstone Piledriver
3. Kiyoshi Tamura & Ryuki Ueyama beat Hidehisa Matsuda & Yuki Kotake (15:00) when Tamura used a Cross Kneelock on Matsuda
4. Josh Barnett beat Tadao Yasuda (4:17) with a Cross Armbreaker
5. Naoya Ogawa beat Mark Coleman (06:44) by referee stoppage (Sleeper Hold)
6. Kurt Angle beat Brock Lesnar (10:36) with an Ankle Lock

The card was poorly received overall, with some wrestlers, notably Ogawa and Barnett, seemingly phoning it in. They didn’t sell out the building; though claim a respectable attendance of 8,426. Angle vs. Lesnar was disappointing, though if you’ve seen Lesnar’s efforts in New Japan hardly surprising. Kurt Angle publicly appealed to Nagata for an IWGP unification match.

Plenty of questions coming out of the show - Will we be seeing more of Kurt Angle in Japan? Is there any real chance of a Nagata vs. Angle dream match? Where would they hold it? Will there even be another IGF show? If this whole thing isn’t some elaborate angle, how can Inoki expect to use another company’s title and not to get sued out of his boots? Time will tell. With Inoki around things may not always be pretty, but they’re rarely dull.

By Will Byard

Comments/feedback to will_byard~at~yahoo.com

Youung Hero of Shaolin DVD Release

New Soulblade releases (July)

Thanks to Falkor. Info in the link above, along with screencaps.