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 | A Game Best Left Unfinished In 1973, Bruce Lee’s star was on the rise with his staggeringly intense performance in the karate flick [b]Enter The Dragon[/b]. Lee was on his way to becoming an icon of martial arts cinema and he would pave the way for Jackie Chan and countless other martial arts celluloid stars.More |  | Released on-line, 10/10/07; Discbox set, 12/3/07 It’s hard to believe it’s been over four years since we heard Radiohead’s last album [b]Hail to the Thief[/b]. Their previous effort earned a reasonable amount of critical praise and commercial success. After the largely experimental sound explored in [b]Kid A[/b] and [b]Amnesia[/b], [b]Hail to the Thief[/b] sounded like an amalgamation of previous Radiohead efforts. With the release of [b]In Rainbows[/b], it’s hard to know exactly what to expect from Radiohead. But, you can always count on Thom Yorke’s seductive falsetto and a few tracks that will likely haunt you for some time after a listen.More |  | A Vampire’s Paradise Every year in the northernmost town in the world (Barrow, Alaska), 30 days of darkness descends. This uninterrupted darkness presents problems for many and most head south during this period. However, for certain undead, bloodthirsty tourists, Barrow is the undead equivalent of Hawaii with a Sizzler steakhouse on every corner. The question is just how many of the few humans left in Barrow will survive [b]30 Days of Night[/b].More |  | Released on Geffen Records, 9/18/2007 I can’t recall exactly when I first heard The Crystal Method. Maybe it was the Gap khakis commercial nearly ten years ago. Maybe it was a track from a movie soundtrack. Maybe it was some other product endorsement. But, I do remember The Crystal Method made a big impression on me and in short order I picked up [b]Vegas[/b] and played it so many times that I wore the disc out. How ironic that the name of the band is a play on words for one of the most addictive illicit substances out there; the tracks on [b]Vegas[/b] could easily be described as addictive.More |  | A Near Heartbreaker There was a time in the not so distant past when any comedy that included the involvement of one (or both) of the Farrelly brothers virtually guaranteed a comedy of galactic, epic proportions. Films like [b]Kingpin[/b] and [b]There’s Something About Mary[/b] and, arguably, [b]Dumb and Dumber[/b] fall into this category. However, since [b]There’s Something About Mary[/b], the Farrelly brothers just haven’t quite been able to put together a comedy as consistently and as creatively funny as the aforementioned. Unfortunately, their latest effort, [b]The Heartbreak Kid[/b] is no exception.More |  | Hope Springs Eternal There are currently two million orphans in South Africa. 1.2 million of these orphans have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Current projections indicate that there 25 million children in South Africa will be orphans by 2010. Who will take care of these children? [b]Angels in the Dust[/b] is a powerful and moving examination of the Boikarabelo Orphanage in South Africa that provides a home (and hope) for countless orphaned children in Africa.More |  | Hell Hath No Fury Like An Environment Scorned Writer/director Larry Fessenden is one of the most original voices in the horror genre today. His previous efforts ([b]Wendigo[/b], [b]No Telling[/b]) were understated, slow burning headtrips that reflect various societal fears. In a similar vein, Fessenden has crafted perhaps the first "environmental" horror film in [b]The Last Winter[/b]. An oil drilling team heads to the Artic tundra in Alaska for a job. With temperatures rising and the weather all over the map, the team begins to wonder if they’ve incurred the wrath of something supernatural.More |  | The Fox and the Hound The release of Richard Shepard’s [b]The Hunting Party[/b] couldn’t be timelier. The film revolves around a down and out war journalist (Richard Gere) who coerces his former cameraman (Terence Howard) to help track down the most infamous war criminal in Eastern Europe ("The Fox"). Allegedly, The Fox is being pursued by the CIA, FBI, and just about everyone in between. Additionally, it seems that most people know where this criminal resides, yet he still remains free. Hmmm…does this sound vaguely familiar?More |  | Released on Virgin Records, 8/28/07 A few years ago I had the good fortune to catch Ben Harper performing live at the Warfield in San Francisco. While I had heard great things about Ben, I had never listened to one of his albums or heard him perform live. His live performance was unquestionably one of the best I have ever experienced and the breadth and depth of his talent was readily apparent. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminal’s latest album, [b]Lifeline[/b] is a powerful re-affirmation of Harper and the Innocent Criminal’s talents.More |  | Once Again, the Carrot is Cool We first got a taste of Clive Owen as an action star in the acclaimed [b]Sin City[/b]. While not the primary focus of this film, Owen owned the screen with his undeniably gruff, masculine presence. No wonder Owen was rumored to be the next James Bond. While Daniel Craig was great in [b]Casino Royale[/b] last year, it’s hard not to wonder what Owen could do as Bond after watching him kick (and shoot) a multitude of asses in [b]Shoot Em’ Up[/b].More |
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