Here I am on Sunday at my parent's house doin laundry and watchin Todd Sucherman's Methods & Mechanics (For Useful Musical Drumming) DVD. And all of a sudden, I get a phone call on my cell. It's the guitarist of the cover band I play in and he tells me that he and the bass player won't be available to play tonight at a local open mic night because they are to busy with work and getting up early the next morning. Now believe me I understand. This is just a hobby to them.
One phenom guitarist friend of mine, who would like to be a working musician, recently told me he has to get up at four in the morning to get to his job at five and this was after he got off the stage at 11pm.
Now the first situation was an open mic night, the second was an actual gig. We all know which is more important: the gig. But the open mic night was going to be the last night we were going to be playing with a beautiful female lead singer who is heading off to Canada for work in her environmental field. You know hug a tree, blow up a bulldozer kind of thing (only kidding).
All I'm just sayin is, it would've been nice to do this with all of the spotlight on her so we could give her a proper goodbye send off. Thats all I'm sayin.
Plus I need to find more dedicated musicians to play with.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
MOVIE REVIEW: WATCHMEN
Edwards Theater Manchester Center 16 Location on Friday, March 6, 2009 7:30pm Showing
On this day, there was an awesome metal concert, headlined by Soilwork with Darkane, Warbringer and many cool bands I wouldn't mind seeing, down at The Dome in Bakersfield but I forgot all about it because Bakersfield's favorite son was in town, "Justice Man", for a collectible show (Don't worry The Adventures of Justice Man will see the light of day, hopefully more than his legs) and so we decided once again to go see a movie. The film this time was the highly anticipated (not by co-creator and writer Alan Moore, which I might go into later on) WATCHMEN! [Insert picture circle smiley face with a drop of blood on it].
To give you a little background, Watchmen is a comic book 12 issue series written and published in the mid 1980's by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons through DC Comics. When it came out, Watchmen was considered to be the most anti-superhero story at that time. Plus it also dealt with real issues of that time as well: nuclear holocaust, USA vs. Russia, Vietnam War, and President Richard Nixon's nose. But the best part was Alan Moore's interpretation of what a superhero's outside life was like and how they dealt with real life problems. His main goal was to try make these characters real as possible and to put the superhero world on its ear. Basically, a comic book for adults. The books themselves are graphic and so is the movie.
Watchmen is a story that begins with a murder of a retired superhero which is being investigated by Rorschach, well played by Jackie Earle Haley. Of all the characters, Rorschach is the one putting in time and giving merit to this killing because he finds clues along the way that eventually he wishes he didn't find out about. Along the way, Rorschach meets up with the other retired superheroes Dr. Manhatten (Billy Crudup), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), and Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) to let them know what he has found and what might be coming down the pike. Plus we are introduced to the omnipotent and business minded Ozymandias, played by Mathew Goode. Believe me I would like to give more detail but it would give too much of the movie away. Oh and I can't forget Matt Frewer who plays Moloch the Mystic. I couldn't tell if it was him or not but I hope some of you remember him as "Max Headroom" plus he was on a great television show called "Doctor, Doctor" on CBS that only last three episodes. And can't forget The Comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who this whole thing center on (damn it I gave it away)...but i digress.
All of the actors performances were great especially Jackie Earle Haley; the voice he used was very gritty and the look was like right out of the book. The special effects really helped the story along instead of become the story. And director Zack Snyder (300, Dawn Of The Dead) did a great job getting those performances out of the actors especially when they are talking to a green screen all day. The music in the film really set the tone and brought alive the time periods in the flashback sequences.
Overall, Watchmen is a good to great film best to be seen on the big screen with or without IMAX (if I go see it again that will be the way to go). BUT!!!!!!! It is Rated R, not for kids, HOORAY for the adults just like Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' book. By the way, Dave Gibbons, the artist for Watchmen the comic book, really liked how it came out, but Alan Moore didn't or he can almost live with it. Note to Alan: Get over yourself and be happy that people still care about your stories no matter how dated they might be. You should've had more creative control over these projects, instead of having DC Comics publish it. Maybe next time publish them all yourself or get a lawyer or get a better lawyer.
LAST NOTE ON WATCHMEN: For me, there were too many Dirk Diggler/Dewey Cox scenes. The ladies will love it. Happy Valentine's Day Honey!!!!
On this day, there was an awesome metal concert, headlined by Soilwork with Darkane, Warbringer and many cool bands I wouldn't mind seeing, down at The Dome in Bakersfield but I forgot all about it because Bakersfield's favorite son was in town, "Justice Man", for a collectible show (Don't worry The Adventures of Justice Man will see the light of day, hopefully more than his legs) and so we decided once again to go see a movie. The film this time was the highly anticipated (not by co-creator and writer Alan Moore, which I might go into later on) WATCHMEN! [Insert picture circle smiley face with a drop of blood on it].
To give you a little background, Watchmen is a comic book 12 issue series written and published in the mid 1980's by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons through DC Comics. When it came out, Watchmen was considered to be the most anti-superhero story at that time. Plus it also dealt with real issues of that time as well: nuclear holocaust, USA vs. Russia, Vietnam War, and President Richard Nixon's nose. But the best part was Alan Moore's interpretation of what a superhero's outside life was like and how they dealt with real life problems. His main goal was to try make these characters real as possible and to put the superhero world on its ear. Basically, a comic book for adults. The books themselves are graphic and so is the movie.
Watchmen is a story that begins with a murder of a retired superhero which is being investigated by Rorschach, well played by Jackie Earle Haley. Of all the characters, Rorschach is the one putting in time and giving merit to this killing because he finds clues along the way that eventually he wishes he didn't find out about. Along the way, Rorschach meets up with the other retired superheroes Dr. Manhatten (Billy Crudup), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), and Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) to let them know what he has found and what might be coming down the pike. Plus we are introduced to the omnipotent and business minded Ozymandias, played by Mathew Goode. Believe me I would like to give more detail but it would give too much of the movie away. Oh and I can't forget Matt Frewer who plays Moloch the Mystic. I couldn't tell if it was him or not but I hope some of you remember him as "Max Headroom" plus he was on a great television show called "Doctor, Doctor" on CBS that only last three episodes. And can't forget The Comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who this whole thing center on (damn it I gave it away)...but i digress.
All of the actors performances were great especially Jackie Earle Haley; the voice he used was very gritty and the look was like right out of the book. The special effects really helped the story along instead of become the story. And director Zack Snyder (300, Dawn Of The Dead) did a great job getting those performances out of the actors especially when they are talking to a green screen all day. The music in the film really set the tone and brought alive the time periods in the flashback sequences.
Overall, Watchmen is a good to great film best to be seen on the big screen with or without IMAX (if I go see it again that will be the way to go). BUT!!!!!!! It is Rated R, not for kids, HOORAY for the adults just like Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' book. By the way, Dave Gibbons, the artist for Watchmen the comic book, really liked how it came out, but Alan Moore didn't or he can almost live with it. Note to Alan: Get over yourself and be happy that people still care about your stories no matter how dated they might be. You should've had more creative control over these projects, instead of having DC Comics publish it. Maybe next time publish them all yourself or get a lawyer or get a better lawyer.
LAST NOTE ON WATCHMEN: For me, there were too many Dirk Diggler/Dewey Cox scenes. The ladies will love it. Happy Valentine's Day Honey!!!!
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