Switchblade Comb

The new game from the creators of Flower is coming to the PlayStation Network on March 13th for $14.99. That is all.

Get your grill out, because Three 6 Mafia is coming to the Cabooze. “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” written by these guys for the movie Hustle and Flow, was stuck in my head for way too long. This show is worth checking out for that song alone. Oh, and they’re playing with the Ying Yang Twins. Is that a plus?

Friday, March 9
Cabooze
TBA | TBA | TBA

Have you heard of the Proust Questionnaire? This is the same thing, but a little more evil. Who cares about favorite colors anyway? Every Wednesday, Switchblade Comb will feature bands, authors, filmmakers and artists providing answers to much better questions. This week features Ben Crew of Twin Cities thrashcore masterminds In Defence.

If you made a deal with the devil, what would you get out of it?

If I made a deal with the Devil? Seriously? Me? When would I ever get the opportunity to make a deal with the Devil? That’s the stuff movies are made of. I think I have a better shot at making a deal with Monty Hall (famed host of TV game show Let’s Make a Deal). Now that I think about it though, I’d rather make a MEAL with the Devil than a DEAL with the Devil. The deal would be made with the FOOD NETWORK. Seriously I think there is some possibility there… hot & spicy themes… some sort of food show… In Defence could play… we could make tacos… the devil could set fire to different types of food we don’t like… such as pizza. Maybe we could make “pizza bashing” the focus of the show. I mean the Devil’s a “Hot” enough celebrity. I think a wide demographic of people would watch it.

What would the devil get out of it?

What would the Devil get out of it? His own cooking show. That shit is HUGE these days! Plus I think he would get paid money too.

What does your hell look like?

The road to Hell is paved with pizza. Hey, that could be the name of our show.

What is your favorite sin? Why?

Dressing up as a pizza delivery guy and delivering pizza boxes filled with human excrement… but that’s really more of a prank than a sin. It’s always fun to see the look on their face when they open it up. Maybe we could write that into the script. Get Ashton Kutcher from Punk’d to do a cameo… deliver pizza’s to a bunch of B-list celebrities.

What historical or contemporary figure would you choose to fight for your honor against the devil? Why?

I think we’d be on the same team.

Party Lines and Politics, the new In Defence album, is out now. Check out the video for “Black Metal Mania” and then catch them at the English Dogs show on Friday or at one of their many other area shows. Support local thrashcore.

English Dogs. Casualties. Toxic Holocaust. Havok. In Defence. One of these things is not like the others. That’s right, amidst this pile of thrash, the Casualties are going to do a set of “Spikey hair drunk punk.” Fun will ensue.

Thanks to Station 4, one lucky winner (and a friend) is getting in on the fun at this Friday’s show for free. To enter, send an email with the subject line “I’m a spikey hair drunk punk?” and I’ll randomly pick a winner Wednesday afternoon. Good luck!

Summer is usually the time for mindless action flicks that are absolutely ridiculous.  It seems that director Timur Bekmambetov recognizes that and just decided to make the most batshit crazy film of the summer.  I didn’t care for his NIGHTWATCH series at all, but I had mild fun with WANTED.  The trailer for his latest widened my eyes and had me giggling like a schoolgirl.  Looking forward to it!

The new In Defence video premiered over the weekend. Check out “Black Metal Mania” from the thrash masterpiece Party Lines and Politics. I think it’s even better than their last one.

While taking a break at work today, I was able to catch part of The Bourne Supremacy. I kept thinking, “Damn these movies are awesome. Can’t wait for that new one with Jeremy Renner playing another agent with the same name as my cousin Aaron.”

Came home to see this, so I think it looks amazing. I’m feeling very biased right now.

@CrossBits

For those of you who don’t know (which is many, considering how little advertising there is for it), Sony has a new handheld coming out on February 22nd. It’s called the PS Vita and looks legitimately tight.

The amount of features this things carries is huge. So luckily, the PlayStation Blog has put up a comprehensive video that lays out all of the cool stuff the Vita can do. It doesn’t say whether or not the Vita employs dark magic to do what it can do, but we may get another video on that later.

@CrossBits

The female version of the Shepard character from the Mass Effect series gets a standout trailer for the upcoming third chapter slated for March 6th on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

I never got to the first Shank game. I heard average to OK things about it. I don’t know what to think really, because sequel looks awesome. You can download it now on XboxLIVE Arcade, PSN, and PC.

This could be my Shadows of the Damned this year, as it’s a game that doesn’t give fuck and just wants you to have a good time. Seeing as how it’s from the same studio, I’m confident in that statement. It’s expected to hit later in 2012.

@CrossBits

MP Johnson listens to a lot of Danzig and he likes to share. So take heed, brain eaters, and enjoy this week’s dose of the demon.

“Faces of a million hells rage inside these veins.”

Stick with this video. For the first four minutes, you get the same black and white performance footage that graced the majority of the classic Danzig videos. When you hit the four minute mark, the wait pays off. The image of the goat-headed demon being crucified with a bikini-clad woman gyrating against him is one of those rare perfectly metal – and perfectly Danzig – moments.

PINA – Acclaimed filmmaker Wim Wenders’ new film has been nominated for Best Documentary.  It’s not a Documentary in the traditional sense.  It’s between a biography and an experimental art film like Koyaanisqatsi……. kind of.  Actually, it’s more like a concert film, but with gorgeous images.

Pina Bausch is a German modern dance performer/choreographer.  She died in 2009, and this film is a loving tribute to her work.  It’s a series of her most notable dance pieces performed by dancers who have worked with her.  In between the pieces, we meet each dancer as they give testimony to why Pina was the greatest at what she does.  It’s not bogged down with back story about her personal life.  No.  This is all about her work.  The result is surprisingly entertaining.

The film is shot in 3D, but (not unlike Scorsese with HUGO) Wenders does a marvelous job making sure that there are multiple depths of field in every shot, giving each image an elaborateness.  I found every performance to be unique and exhilarating.  Wenders also switches back and forth from shooting dances on a stage to using public locations.  My favorite pieces were:  One where a guy keeps moving chairs rhythmically to the music, one where several men are clawing at a woman, one where a girl keeps falling headfirst into a man’s arms, and the opening dance where people are dancing on dirt.  It’s all quite amazing.

This has some of the most fantastic moments you’ll see in a film involving performance art.  It may be a bit arty for some, but those who appreciate this sort of thing (or those who like to try new and different things) will surely enjoy it.  I think it’s perfect for this to come out on Valentine’s Day weekend.  The dances are magical and romantic, and I think it’s the best date movie out there.  It opens this weekend at the Showplace Icon.  Bring a date, go up to the bar beforehand, have some fine wine, and see PINA.  It’s a perfect night out!  Opening at Showplace Icon in St. Louis Park Rating:

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STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE – So sue me!  I unapologetically love the prequels.  I think it’s great that a generation that hasn’t seen them on the big screen will get the opportunity beginning this weekend!  I can’t wait to bring my kid! In Wide Release.  Rating:

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The Oscar Nominated Shorts – Starting this weekend at The Lagoon, you’ll be able to see the 5 Live action shorts and the 5 animated shorts nominated Academy Awards, with separate programs for each category.

First, The Live Action Shorts – I wasn’t too impressed with many this year.  My least favorite being RAJU, about a couple adopting and then losing an orphan.  It was pretty bland.  TIME FREAK has a (too) cute premise about a guy who invented a time machine, that just feels like a hack student project with a larger budget.  PENTECOST is a fun (but hollow) one joke-gimmick about an altar boy obsessed with Football (Soccer).  The two best were: THE SHORE starring Ciaran Hinds in a light-hearted drama about a Irishman who returns home to make amends with old friends.  It’s a slight little movie, but the acting made it worth watching.  My favorite had to be TUBA ATLANTIC from Norway.  It’s about a cranky old man who’s going to die in 6 days, and is visited by his death angel-in-training (who turns out to be a teenage girl with braces).  They bond by killing seagulls and trying to use his giant Tuba as a communication device to contact a friend who lives in the States.  It’s a strange movie, but it’s the only one with a sure sense of style.  It was fun.

RAJU – Rating:

TIME FREAK -Rating:

PENTECOST -Rating:

THE SHORE – Rating:

TUBA ATLANTIC – Rating:

The Animated Shorts – Still a mixed bag, but well worth the trip to catch this program.  WILD LIFE is about a Englishman trying to start a life in early 1900′s America. I found it to be dull and indulgent, with a crude animation style that just didn’t work.  DIMANCHE/SUNDAY also has a low budget animation style.  It just follows a family on their normal Sunday routine without anything really exciting happening.  It has a slight charm, but that’s about it.  A MORNING STROLL shows a chicken coming home in three different time periods.  20′s, present, and 50 years in the future (with the animation style changing with the times).  It begins with subtle humor and ends with a loud and bizarre chase.  It’s a one joke short, but it works.  LA LUNA is the latest from Pixar.  Not surprisingly, the animation is perfect and the whimsical story (a boy learning how to clean stars off of the moon with two old men) is charming.  But the best of the bunch is THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE, which is an homage to Wizard of Oz and Buster Keaton (the main character even looks like him.)  In a year that saw both THE ARTIST and HUGO in movie theaters, this fits right in with filmmakers paying homage to the golden age of cinema.  Everything about it is wonderful, and is filled to the brim with imagination.

WILD LIFE -Rating:

DIMANCHE/SUNDAY -Rating:

A MORNING STROLL -Rating:

LA LUNA -Rating:

THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE – Rating:

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Also opening in theaters this weekend:

THE VOW – I’m really starting to like Channing Tatum.  When he first started out in STEP UP, I thought he was a joke, but I think he’s improved immensely.  He’s the best thing about this pretty standard romantic melodrama about a young woman (Rachel McAdams) who can’t remember anything about her husband (Tatum) after a car accident.  The scenes the two leads have together are effective and the direction is actually really good, but the cliched subplots involving McAdams’s parents (when the hell did Jessica Lange become a bad actress and get a munchkin voice?) and her ex had me yawning.  Girls who want to see a romance just to see a romance on Valentine’s Day will like… because they’ll want to.  Me?  I wanted more.  Not terrible though.  Wide Release