Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind stars Jack Black and Most Def.

I'll be honest and tell you that I didn't expect much from this movie. I (mostly) like Jack Black, but he's definitely done his share of flops and pure pieces of crap. This movie, though, was much better than I'd expected. Even my wife liked it, which almost never happens when I pick a comedy.

First, it actually has a story line that is pretty good and kind of touching. Not really touching, but at least a good message. Mostly, though, it's about Jack Black's character (Jerry) being nucking futz.

The scene with them sitting and talking while wearing an aluminum sieve and strainer on their heads (to keep the microwaves out) is hilarious. The scenes where Jerry gets magnetized... awesome.

Mostly, though, the comedy is all about cheesy and belly-laughingly funny remakes of popular movies. Driving Miss Daisy? Check. Scenes in the public library from Ghost Busters? Check. Two nutcases running around the big city and having their loony antics be ignored by everyone walking by? Check.

The movie is downright funny, is mostly family-friendly, and definitely worth watching.

Psychic Warrior

Psychic Warrior by David Morehouse

I read this book expected two things: a decent story and a lot of b.s. I was pleased with one and surprised at the other.

The story that Morehouse tells is great. It's based on his own life as a member of the armed forces in both the Army Rangers and ultimately in military intelligence. Of course, no substantiation can be made as to what he did in intelligence, beyond his own story, but the book itself is at least verified by someone else who was with Morehouse in the ultra-secret program they were involved in.

Of course, that's not proof, but it's better than some of the other books on this subject, at least.

Regardless, the story itself is extremely captivating and will hook you in quickly and keep you wondering. The psychic phenomenon are not what you'd really expect (if you've read anything on this stuff), and that's actually a good thing.

Mostly, I expected more of the Sylvia Browne or Discovery Channel psychic medium hoo-ha, but instead it's an honest and real account with real explanations and background as to how this stuff works (as far as he can tell, of course).

The story told is excellent and well worth the read. I greatly enjoyed the book, whether true or half-true, and my doubts about its authenticity did nothing to detract from my overall enjoyment of the story being told.

I'm more inclined to believe than disbelieve, mainly due to my general distrust of government and its machinations. If true, by the way, this books shows you what MK Ultra became by the 1990s.

Recommended read, well worth it.

Annexed Asylum

This is a band from Birmingham, Alabama that a friend of mine on Twitter (@BitterOldPunk) introduced me to. Not his kind of music, but definitely mine.

Annexed Asylum is pure, hard-driving death metal. They have a great sound, similar to some of the harsher old Megadeth and a lot of the newer stuff from Mudvayne with a little dust of Prong and Death sprinkled on for good measure.

Unlike some of the other bands I've reviewed here before, Annexed Asylum didn't have to grow on me. From the minute I visited their Myspace page and heard Combustion, I liked them.

If you're politically-minded, like I am, check out Morbid Torture on that Myspace page and look at the pic that comes up to accompany the song. That's great shit right there.

Anyway, if you're into hard core and serious death metal, this band rocks. Check out their stuff, buy their album, and go see them live if you're in 'Bama.

Rambo

Rambo starring Sylvester Stallone

When I was younger, I thought that the Rambo flicks were totally awesome. In a way, they were, though at that time I really had no idea of the story they were telling in the background. They weren't really much of a follow-on to Rocky either, though they did break Stallone away from that stereotype, I guess.

Stallone, of course, deserves plenty of ridicule for being mono tonal and relatively boring to watch in close-up or while doing anything that's not action oriented. He's got a lot of energy and a remarkable understanding of some things, however. More than he usually gets credit for, I think.

Considering that he wrote the script for most of the Rocky flicks, wrote the scripts for Rambo, and even directed this one, he's got more going on than some of us might think.

This movie shows that off. I will warn you: I have never seen a movie with more gore, violence, or blood than this one. Sly went with pure realism when he made this movie. You'll see arms blown off, women raped (more or less, clothes ripping and beatings, anyway), people blown to bits, and someone gets eviscerated. On camera. Plain sight. No creative movie coverups.

All of that aside, though, the violence isn't really gratuitous. It's part of the story and the theme behind the plot.

Without explaining every detail of the plot line, the basic theme is that soldiers (warriors, really) are what they are. They are good at violence, good at warfare, and good at killing. It's what they do. The question isn't whether they commit acts of violence: all warriors do. The question is for what purpose they do so.

Some do it for power, as exemplified by the bad guy in this movie. Some do it for money, as shown by the mercenaries hired to go in to save some people at another point. Finally, some do it because it's what they know how to do and in order for the good in society to exist, someone has to stand up against the bad.

The story is extremely well told, the camera work is really awesome, and the location, scenery, and acting are all nicely done.

In the end, this is a movie well worth watching. Especially given some of the realities of our world today. If you aren't good at blood and gore and don't like Stallone, though, you can skip this one. I do, however, consider it well worth the time to watch.

Ender In Exile

Ender in Exile, Orson Scott Card

I have to admit that I looked forward to this book for a long time. I've been a fan of Card and especially this series since the release of Ender's Game when I was a teenager.

If you aren't familiar with the series, you'll probably not understand much of what I say after this point. I'm writing this with the assumption that you're familiar with the series and have read at least one of the three books in it.

All I can say to you if you haven't read any of these: GO GET ENDER'S GAME. Now. Don't waste time. Go get it. You'll read it cover-to-cover, I swear.

OK, all that said, this book clears up a lot of what's between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. Although it was the last to be written and released, it's technically supposed to fit between the other two.

It answers a lot of questions left unanswered after reading Speaker, especially what happened to Ender and how he got the Bugger egg he's been carrying around, trying to find a home for.

It basically picks up immediately after Ender's Game, with the war over and the world in political turmoil as the Earth's governments and people try to deal with the huge galactic naval apparatus they've built. Ender and his lieutenants in the Battle School are political hot potatoes that everyone fears.

The way things play out, the creation of new colonies to both get rid of the Battle School children they don't know what to do with as well as send some of Earth's overpopulation away is the perfect solution.

The intrigue, genius maneuvering of Ender, and the way all things play out are extremely well done and most of the loose ends from the other two books are tied up and explained.

An excellent book, highly recommended if you're a fan of this series. If not, well, you suck. :)