On a recent trip to Fully Booked Serendra over at Bonifacio High Street, I managed to grab hold of the following:

click here to boy from amazon.com

Stevie Wonder, Innervisions

Highlights on this CD – emblematic of his five-album “classic period” during the early-to-mid-1970s – are the supremely orgasmic “Golden Lady”, along with “Higher Ground” and “Don’t You Worry About A Thing”.  The last track is notable for his open incorporation of Latin rhythmic influences.  That said arc of his career was notable not only for his brave foray into Latin and African rhythms but also for his growing political stance;  closing track “He Misstra Know-It-All”, along with “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” both echo his negative sentiments against the Nixon administration.

Now if I can only get my hands on the remaster of Songs in the Key of Life…undoubtedly for “Another Star” as well as “As” (remade by Mary J. Blige with George Michael…hmm, ever wonder what was on the latter’s mind when he chose to cover that track – an extra “s” on the title, perhaps)

click here to download from Amazon.com

David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

The definitive concept album from Bowie at his glam-rock phase, this details “…the story of “Ziggy Stardust,” the human manifestation of an alien being who is attempting to present humanity with a message of hope in the last five years of its existence. Ziggy Stardust is the definitive rock star: sexually promiscuous, wild in drug intake and with a message, ultimately, of peace and love; but he is destroyed both by his own excesses of drugs and sex, and by the fans he inspired.” (as per Wikipedia)

David states that part of his moniker was inspired by Norman Carl Odam aka The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, a Lubbock, TX-based rock ‘n’ roll performer cited as one of the founding fathers of the “psychobilly” country sub-genre.

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy with “Paralyzed”

In a Rolling Stone interview with writer William S. Burroughs (a meeting of like minds, natch), Bowie outlined the full plot of the Ziggy Stardust story:

“The time is five years to go before the end of the earth. It has been announced that the world will end because of lack of natural resources. Ziggy is in a position where all the kids have access to things that they thought they wanted. The older people have lost all touch with reality and the kids are left on their own to plunder anything. Ziggy was in a rock-and-roll band and the kids no longer want rock-and-roll. There’s no electricity to play it. Ziggy’s adviser tells him to collect news and sing it, ’cause there is no news. So Ziggy does this and there is terrible news. ‘All the young dudes’ is a song about this news. It’s no hymn to the youth as people thought. It is completely the opposite. [...]

The end comes when the infinites arrive. They really are a black hole, but I’ve made them people because it would be very hard to explain a black hole on stage. [...]

Ziggy is advised in a dream by the infinites to write the coming of a Starman, so he writes ‘Starman’, which is the first news of hope that the people have heard. So they latch onto it immediately…The starmen that he is talking about are called the infinites, and they are black-hole jumpers. Ziggy has been talking about this amazing spaceman who will be coming down to save the earth. They arrive somewhere in Greenwich Village. They don’t have a care in the world and are of no possible use to us. They just happened to stumble into our universe by black hole jumping. Their whole life is travelling from universe to universe. In the stage show, one of them resembles Brando, another one is a Black New Yorker. I even have one called Queenie, the Infinite Fox…Now Ziggy starts to believe in all this himself and thinks himself a prophet of the future starmen. He takes himself up to the incredible spiritual heights and is kept alive by his disciples. When the infinites arrive, they take bits of Ziggy to make them real because in their original state they are anti-matter and cannot exist in our world. And they tear him to pieces on stage during the song ‘Rock ‘n’ roll suicide’. As soon as Ziggy dies on stage the infinites take his elements and make themselves visible.”

click to buy ECD from Amazon.com

David Bowie, Diamond Dogs

This concept album looks into George Orwell’s hymn to authoritarianism Nineteen Eighty-Four for inspiration…he even originally wanted to adapt the work as a stage musical but the estate of Orwell denied him the rights.

Musically, this follows the same glammy vein as Ziggy Stardust; however, his growing fascination with American funk rhythms (that would come in full flower by the time “Young Americans” would come out) is evident on tracks such as “1984″ with its Shaft-esque wah-wah guitar breakdowns.

Footage of “1984″ from the 1980 Floor Show outtakes

“Five Years” live on The Dinah Shore Show

According to a recent report at Yahoo! Games, the most popular game title over the past year is…would you believe, the Facebook game Farmville?

The total number of virtual “farms” in Farmville is 20 times more than the actual number of farms in the real United States.  Any given time now, more people engage in tending to their pixelated pasturelands than watching an episode of “Oprah”

It is said that the game’s appeal lies in its nearly Zen-like simplicity…just plant your seeds and get your livestock (which can be unlocked at certain levels or gifted by neighbours)…then lay back or proceed to your urban routine of choice only to come back in time for harvesting.  Come in too late, then you will be greeted by withered crops.

When one collects enough farm coins or cash, these can be traded in for a bigger lot,  buildings or any other structure of your choice. You can choose from classic to groovy barn designs, or get an European-style villa or even a Chinese pagoda to personalise your farm (Mmmm…a Chinese pagoda overseeing rice paddies. Sooo-weeeeet.)  You can even gain additional farm coins by helping out on your neighbours’ farms while they are “away”.

long view of my farm

A fine menagerie out there

My "field of dreams"

I would admit that the main shortcoming of this game might be the awfully long time it takes for one to level up in here – notwithstanding the grand set-ups some of my neighbours already have.   Nevertheless, patience does pay off – not to mention willingly lending a helping hand to your neighbours, whether it is pulling out weeds, chasing off raccoons or crows, even sprinkling Super Gro fertilizer on their fields.  The higher your experience level goes, the more unlockable structures/features/livestock/crops become available for you to purchase.

Some possible suggestions to liven up the game:

1. Why shake down pigs for truffles and milk cows when you can slaughter them for meat?
2. Bored with mastering the usual veggies?  How about a field of tobacco?  Maybe even poppies or marijuana (which you can later sell at astronomical profits  -  if you maintain an account with Mafia Wars)
3. How about “mutation” options so that you can unleash your own tribe of “killer tomatoes” against your neighbours?  Talk about your GMOs, baby!!!

Trailer for original 1977 film “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”

Instead of making the man-eating plants a Halloween special, how about offering them on a regular basis?

Meanwhile, if you’re available on Facebook, add me up as a neighbour at your homestead/plantation/whatever?

Yes, my name is Peter…and I am now a Gleek.

Gleek, the Wonder Twins' pet space chimp from Challenge of the Superfriends

Nope, not that Gleek…but a fan of that hot new show from Fox, Glee (Tue, 10pm  ETC;  replays on Sunday at 2am and 8pm).

"Gleek" top

Is it because of the show’s snarky, subversive look at glee clubs (as glamourized in Disney’s High School Musical franchise)?   One can say that glee clubs have somewhat become refuges for school misfits and outcasts, but when you see social “pariahs” as cheek-pinchingly beautiful as Lea Michele’s Rachel…

Lea Michele

…you’d wonder what has she ever done to deserve such a fate?

For those who have been still living under a rock  (or without a cable subscription – well, they’re just about one and the same here) Glee follows the efforts of William McKinley High School’s  Spanish teacher Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison) as he (initially, reluctantly) is handed the thankless task of overseeing New Directions, the school’s glee club, which has…well, I just mentioned it a couple of paragraphs up.  As he sees that task as yet another way of saving up for impending fatherhood, he brings about bold new changes into the glee club while galvanizing the esteem of the motley crew within – apart from Rachel, there is Finn (Cory Monteith, “Kyle XY”) the jock, Kurt (Chris Colfer) the well-heeled, fashion-savvy gay,  the chubby African-American diva, the mute Asian, the “wheelchair guy” (who kinda reminds me of a much much younger Stephen Hawking),  among others.

Meanwhile, his continued involvement with New Directions brings along temptation in the form of  WMHS’ germaphobic guidance counselor Emma (Heroes’ Jayma Mays) as well as jealousy and consternation from the Adidas tracksuit-clad sourpuss trainer Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), captain of WMHS’ “Cheerios” squad.

Interview with Matthew Morrison

Interview with Chris Colfer

BTS, photo shoot with Jayma Mays

"Glee" cast

Awww, don’t Lea Michele and Diana Algron (Quinn) look awful cute when they do the “L” sign???

More "Glee" cast

A recent episode delivered a number of show-stopping performances not just from Rachel (who at that time decided to bail out of the glee club to star in a faculty presentation of Cabaret) but also from returning student April Rhodes (guest star Kristin Chenoweth – this girl deserves another Emmy, dammit) who offers to fill in for Rachel in exchange for finishing her credits.   Yet another one saw Schuster whip the boys and girls into shape by channeling their competitiveness, only to find himself in a bind as his pregnant wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig)  joins the school board and pitch in her own solution (much to his consternation).  Future episodes promise us the involvement of rapper/actress Eve (who coaches the rival glee club of Jane Adams Academy, a reform school) and cult-favourite Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Firefly”, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”)

More than just openly satirizing a franchise ready for parody, Glee rings true with its message of hope and can-do optimism.

Kudos to ETC for snagging local rights to this (along with the 3rd season of Gossip Girl)…looks like they’ve got the jump over Star World this time around (yay!!!).   By adhering to the “days/weeks after the US air date” promise, they aim to beat the bit-torrent brigade with this one.  In a recent interview for Entertainment Weekly, show creator Ryan Murphy sees the show eventually going global with its mixture of snappy, catchy musical numbers, slightly subversive comedy and relevant drama.

The “Glee” cast performing the US national anthem at Game 3 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park

One baby step at a time, it is getting there…

The summer movie season is already in full swing not just in the United States but also around the world.  Seemingly enough, even as our local multiplexes continue to be dominated by tentpoles like Transformers: Rise of the Fallen and the upcoming Harry Potter installment (which I’ve been hearing is quite, actually, good)

I have been very busy, particularly with this new job offer round the corner, which should explain the rather extensive delay with this article.  Likewise, I would admit that my temporary financial bind has also prevented me from catching movies as often as I could.

July 1

Villa Estrella

Trailer

Bente

July 3

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Latest trailer

I’ve been seeing that film’s teaser trailer for over a year already…it seemed that my enthusiasm for that film may have palled considerably since then (or is it my Pixar/Dreamworks bias kicking in)

July 8

Hannah Montana the Movie

Trailer

Synopsis/review for the film

I get my fill of Miley Cyrus & co.’s  antics from the weekly TV series over at the Disney Channel, so I’m into passing on this big-screen version (even as I puzzle over Vanessa Williams’ reheating her Wilhelmina Slater character from “Ugly Betty” in this film – holy Madea, Batman!!!)

The Haunted

July 15

Brutus

Trailer

One of a number of entries in the month-long Cinemalaya film festival dedicated to honoring the best in the burgeoning Philippine independent film industry…the likes of cinematographer Tara Illenberger, whose directorial debut focuses on the struggles of two Mangyan youths who smuggle firewood in the middle of a Mindoro war zone triggered by a skirmish between the Philippine Army and the New People’s Army.

July 16

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Trailer #4

It’s now official…those magic-wielding kids over at Hogwarts are already growing up before our eyes, and while magic fills the air, so does love…

For Harry Potter, though, he is finally groomed by Albus Dumbledore for that decisive moment when he shall face his mortal enemy, Lord Voldemort.

(Review to come…if I ever get the chance to see it on the big screen)

July 22

My Sister’s Keeper

Jodi Picoult’s best-selling novel becomes tear-jerking chick-flick fodder under the hands of “The Notebook” director Nick Cassavetes.   Worth it only for seeing Cameron Diaz in serious mode this time.

Public Enemies

Trailer

What happens when you throw in a Dark Knight and a Pirate together?  Well, it has to be a gangster film, but not just any gangster film…from the director of Heat and Miami Vice, Michael Mann, comes this (roughly) Based on True Events™ story of the clash between Depression-era America’s “Public Enemy No. 1″ John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and dedicated G-Man Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale)

It’s Alive

Trailer of 2008 remake

Trailer of 1974 original

Yeah, so Larry Cohen can go ahead and sue the ass off Mother Lily Monteverde for ripping off his 1974 “cult classic” more than 20 years later in “Tiyanak”.   But he should have gone after the minds behind this woebegotten (should we say unnecessary) remake.

Trailer for 2007 sequel, “Tiyanaks”

Adventureland

Trailer

Superbad helmer Greg Mottola works wonders with a post-Twilight Kristen Stewart, up-and-comer Jesse Eisenberg and go-to good-looking funny guy Ryan Reynolds in this dewy, late-’80s-set rom-com about looking for – and finding love – in the midst of a dead-end job at a third-rate amusement park.

Manila

Trailer

Piolo Pascual’s latest venture into indieland does have a tinge of “vanity project” about it – given that he’s co-producing – but that should be commended, if for assembling a cast that includes veteran character actors Menggie Cobarrubias and Marissa Delgado, “bold” film survivors Jay Manalo, Rosanna Roces & Cherrie Madrigal, award-winning child actor Jiro Manio, and even PP’s old Teatro Tomasino bud John Lapus.

This diptych – drawing inspiration from two immortal touchstones of late-70s cinema, Ishmael Bernal’s “Manila By Night” and Lino Brocka’s “Jaguar” – doesn’t seem to jell too well, as per this critic’s review.  Nevertheless,  it should give Piolo’s CV some much-needed indie grit while adding some press-worthy celeb glamour in the Cinemalaya film festival.

July 29

OMG (Oh My Girl)

Orphan

Trailer courtesy of ClevverTV

Nope, not the dreaded US remake of  “El Orfanato (The Orphanage)” but a contemporary spin on “The Bad Seed” with child actress Isabelle Fuhrman giving the titular character the most deadpan this side of Wednesday Addams.

Trailer of original ” The Bad Seed”

Trailer of  “The Good Son”, which has not one but two Bad Seeds, played by Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood

The Proposal

Trailer

Heheh…get Texan Sandra Bullock to play a Canadian opposite real-life Canucklehead Ryan Reynolds playing an Alaskan (and snowy Sitka, AK played by various Mass)

Rolling on to August and the homestretch of the Summer Blockbuster season, there is still GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Up, The Hangover (apparently, we’re no longer a primary market when it comes to non-franchise summer releases) and even The Land of the Lost (which should be routed straight to DVD).  I’m hoping against hope that The Hangover – and eventually, Bruno – would get exhibited in Philippine shores with not too much mangling from our MTRCB.

Speaking of G.I. Joe:  Rise of Cobra, do we just dread Cobra Commander’s “hood-less” look?

Review of Cobra Commander toy from the upcoming G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra film

As per actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the reason for that change was that they thought Cobra Commander’s full-head hood as popularized in the comics and animated TV series was too reminiscent of Ku Klux Klan headgear.

Opening to ’90s G.I. Joe animated series.

’till then…happy viewing!!!

moviesmovie releases

While the whole world mourns over the passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, a good number have expressed concern over the outcome of the pedophilia allegations being launched against the performer.

Shia LaBoeuf-lookalike Jordan "Jordy" Chandler

Take for instance the recent announcement of 30-year-old Jordan Chandler, who admitted that he was coerced by his father, Evan, into confessing detailed acts of sexual molestation committed to him back then as a 13-year-old visitor to Jackson’s Neverland ranch.

Here are the links to Jordan’ s testimony:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec1.html
(initial encounter leading to invitation)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec2.html
(the friendship deepens)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec3.html
(kissing, masturbation)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec4.html
(keep it a secret!!)

Apparently,  Jordan had allowed himself to be the conduit of lies concocted by his father,  Evan, in order to exploit the possible financial windfall that a lawsuit might bring.  Another accuser,  Gavin Arvizo, has been exposed as being manipulated similarly by his own mother for the same said expectations.

Gavin & the King of Pop

Heck, even former child star Macaulay Culkin has had his friendship with Jackson scrutinised by the media for possible pedophilic elements.

It really sickens me to my stomach that even as we gloss over his numerous eccentricities and egomaniac quirks (after all, he is the King of Pop™), there are still those out there who look at MJ like a piñata all set to be broken in a Mexican fiesta.

As I have posted in a previous article, can MJ’s seeming unnatural closeness to children be attributed to his having no “typical” childhood to speak of?  After all, while other kids his age would be playing ball on the streets or dealing with school stress, he and his brothers were touring the world, hitting one soundstage after another, growing up so fast in the company of mostly older folk (most of them with bad habits of their own).

Apparently, no one is perfect…sure, it has always been mass media’s failing to mitigate the continuous cannibalization of ages-old (and largely spurious) claims even out of respect for the dead.

Now let us look in one of the most defining moments of MJ’s career…

Motown 25th anniversary: Yesterday, Today & Forever – the first “moonwalk” aired on US national TV since Neil Armstrong’s

A Sampla-delic Tribute to the One and Only Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

As of now, the shockwaves reverberating around the blogosphere as well as in the real world generated by the sudden announcement of Michael Jackson’s death earlier today due to cardiac arrest complications at a Los Angeles hospital shows no signs of abating.

It cannot be doubted for a fact that no major pop artist since Elvis Presley has left his impression not just on music but also in culture as much as Michael Jackson.  Shortly before his death, he was in the middle of intense rehearsals leading to his scheduled live comeback in London, England later this year, where tickets have already been sold out.

Here is a partial listing of songs that have prominently sampled from tracks performed by Michael Jackson or the (Michael Jackson-led) Jackson 5/Jacksons.  Album titles in black boldface are credited to The Jackson 5/Jacksons while those in green boldface are solo Michael Jackson recordings.

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (Motown 1970)

“I Want You Back”

Blackstreet ft Mya & Ma$e’s “Take Me There”
Eric B and Rakim’s “I Know You Got Soul”

Check their use of that dope intro…that’s the way it’s done!!!
Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U”

Instrumental version – spot the break if you can
Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”

snippet of  2008 live performance at Milton Keynes, UK
Kris Kross’s “Jump”

“the Mack Daddy’ll make you – JUMP, jump!!!”
Tamia’s “Imagination”

“Who’s Lovin’ You?”

En Vogue’s “Hold On”

Early live performance of New Jack era soul classic

Betcha didn’t know…the girls lifted that immortal opening line from this nugget (with no less than MJ on lead duty here!!!)

ABC (Motown 1970)

“A.B.C.”

Naughty by Nature’s “O.P.P.”

Jersey boys got da flow!!!

“One More Chance”

Doug E Fresh’s “Ev’ry Body Loves a Star”

Another old-skool nugget enhanced with a J5 break!!!

“I’ll Bet You”

Beastie Boys’s “Car Thief”

Yes,  I have “Paul’s Boutique” on cassette!!

Ludacris/Jackson 5 mashup, “Do Your Time/I’ll Bet You” lifting the squealing guitar sample previously employed in “Car Thief”

Third Album (Motown 1970)

“Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide Love)”

Blackalicious’s “Deception”

Everyone may associate “Ready or Not Here I Come” with the Delfonics’ version (as sampled by Timbaland in Missy Elliott’s “Sock It To Me”) but producer Chief Xcel opted for the J5’s version

Maybe Tomorrow (Motown 1971)

“It’s Great to Be Here”

A peerless original…
Mariah Carey’s “Honey”

The Bad Boy remix feat. Ma$e, the Lox and (of course) Puff Daddy
Puff Daddy’s “All about the Benjamins”

Original version as featured in DJ Clue’s Holiday Holdup mixtape

“Maybe Tomorrow”

Ghostface Killah ft Mary J. Blige’s “All That I Got is You”

Tkeitha takes over MJB’s vocal duties in this heart-touching autobiographical video

Ben (Motown 1972)

“Ben”

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “Rock the House”

See how The Fresh Prince aka Will “Big Willie” Smith was a real skilful rapper back in the day before he got all Hollywood soft…pay attention to the initial flow

Got to Be There (Motown 1972)

“I Wanna Be Where You Are”

MC Lyte’s “Poor Georgie”

That song is usually associated with now-defunct MOR stalwarts Toto’s “Georgie Porgie” but pay attention to 1:00 when MJ shows his li’l fro’d head.

Dancing Machine (Motown 1974)

“Dancing Machine”

MC Hammer’s “Dancin’ Machine”

From his “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” album, the baggy-pantsed one pays tribute to the Jackson 5 with his take on their ‘74 hit

Off the Wall (Epic 1979)

“I Can’t Help It”

De la Soul’s “Breakadawn”

Lead track from their underrated “Buhloone Mind State” CD

Take a listen…isn’t it canny the way the producers of the abovementioned De La Soul joint just let it slip in?

Triumph (Epic 1980)

“Heartbreak Hotel” aka “This Place Hotel”

Heavy D & the Boyz’ “Peaceful Journey”

The Overweight Lover pays tribute to fellow Boyz member Troy “Trouble T-Roy” Dixon, who died prior to the release of this 1991 CD. Backing vocals on this one by K-Ci & Jojo of Jodeci.

“Can You Feel It”

Tamperer ft Maya’s “Feel It”

Nearly 10 years after the original, the 2009 remix is all set to ignite dancefloors around the world…be warned!!!

Bow down before the sheer fucking majesty of the ‘79 original!!!

Thriller (Epic 1983)

“Thriller”

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “Rhythm Trax – House Party Style”

Uptempo partee jam from the “He’s the DJ…I’m the Rapper” CD (which also gave “Parents Don’t Just Understand”)
NWA’s “100 Miles and Runnin’”

Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and MC Ren firin’ on all cylinders in this West Coast classic
Public Enemy’s “911 is a Joke”

From their masterpiece “Fear of a Black Planet” (which I also own on cassette – hah!!! Those were the days….).  Check out that familiar-sounding devilish cackle at 1:21 and 2:24.

“Human Nature”

Nas’s “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”

“…half-man, half-amazin’…”
SWV’s “Right Here”

Take a listen and observe how that song sample holds both tracks together

Now listen to MJ’s original version, recorded from his Dangerous concert tour…btw, that song was co-written by Toto’s Steve Porcaro.

“Lady in My Life”

LL Cool J’s “Hey Lover”

James Todd Smith + Boyz II Men’s crisp harmonies = a supple jam that manages to withstand the test of time.

The original “Lady In My Life” which is proof that if he was given the chance, MJ could give Usher and Jamie Foxx a run for their ‘tween-the-sheets money.

“Billie Jean” (Drums)

Aaliyah ft Slick Rick’s “Got to Give it Up”

The drum intro is unmistakably “Billie Jean”…
ODB’s “Got Your Money”

Neptunes-produced instrumental version highlighting those “BJ” drums

“P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”

Monica’s “All Eyez On Me”

Live performance of title track from her 2008 CD from Jay Leno
Kanye West ft T-Pain’s “Good Life”

Behind the scenes in the making of the rotoscope-animated video
along with guests T-Pain & Lupe Fiasco

The original song from MJ…I could picture li’l Justin Timberlake & Ne-Yo listening to that song and setting their future career paths to the beat.

Bad (Epic 1991)

“Liberian Girl”

Tupac’s “Letter to My Unborn”

Yet another classic from the pen of the late Tupac Shakur.

Video with an all-star cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Weathers, Paula Abdul, Cheech Marin, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John…and directed by no less than Steven Spielberg!

For the complete list  – as well as info regarding the origins of most of today’s sampled beats across a wide range of genres, go on over to

http://the-breaks.com/perl/full.pl?genre=1&page=J

Music

Warning: may contain spoilers.

What made Michael Bay’s initial live-action adaptation of Hasbro’s toy line- turned-80’s-era-cartoon series Transformers so (guilt-pleasuringly) enjoyable was not just the way he managed to have real-life vehicles transform on-screen into humanoid robots (and vice versa) look so convincing,  he even gets these verbose hunks o’ metal to show a comic side.  Sure enough, the multi-million ka-chings in box offices around the world have not only made the world safe for giant-robot movies (hmmm…where’s Tobey Maguire’s mulled Robotech adaptation????) but also turned Disney-channel alum Shia LaBoeuf into a bonafide teen idol (not to mention making Megan Fox a self-minted sex symbol for the geek set)

This time around, in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it seems that chinks are already showing in the armor.  Continuing from the first movie, Sam Witwicky (LaBoeuf) is seen off to college, but not after nearly ripping up his folks’ home to shreds once again when his keepsake shard of the Allspark falls into the kitchen, turning the home appliances into mini-Transformers.  Reveling in his newly-found independence, Sam proceeds to distance himself from Mikaela (Fox), whose way with engines makes her useful in her father’s custom-bike shop.  There he gets himself a roommate in Leo (Ramon Rodriguez,  looking like Matthew McConaughey’s kid brother),  a self-styled online mini-mogul trafficking in cute-kitty calendars and caught-on-video conspiracies, as well as the (unwanted) attraction of the campus hot chick (Aussie newcomer Isabel Lucas)

As Bumblebee has to contend with a lower profile in Sam’s college life, his Autobot allies had to content with the collateral damage from a Shanghai skirmish that has their Diego Garcia-based joint exercises (with a US military contingent led by Josh Duhamel’s Cpl. Lennox character) censured by a senior bureaucrat.

Meanwhile, back at Cybertron, The Fallen gets restless and maps out his plan to seek vengeance upon Optimus Prime for what he had done to Megatron.  He sends the panther-like Ravager to Earth (through Soundwave -  now an orbiting satellite -  a clever nod to the cartoon series, where Ravager was a cassette tape), where he finds out that Sam holds the key in unlocking a device built millenia ago when Cybertron troops first attempted to colonise the Earth – an immense gun concealed in one of Egypt’s Pyramids, intent on destroying our Sun to mine Energon, a mineral upon which Cybertron’s inhabitants get their sustenance from.

Soon enough, a reluctant Witwicky (along with his even more reluctant parents) find themselves dragged into the Autobots vs. Decepticons conflict part deux.  Along the way, they meet up with former Decepticon Jetfire (a SR-71 with the voice and posture of a British WWI veteran) and  Simmons (John Turturro) who has fallen from heading a high-security-clearance government agency to schlepping out at his mom’s butcher shop (while carrying on with his X-files paranoid ramblings).

The evolution of JetFire (original Transformers cartoon, Transformers Armada version and artist rendering of final film version)

The Autobots may have missed Jazz (who was knocked off in one of the first film’s climactic battles) but they have able replacement(s) in the form of “the Twins” – aka Skid and Mudflap, whose “ghetto-kid” banter have unfortunately drawn comparisons with the infamous Gungan “pseudo-Rastafarian” Jar Jar Binks from George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels.   Sure, Jazz was also protrayed with a characteristic African-American “cool” ‘tude, but The Twins come off a tad too stereotypical with the jug ears and Skid’s gold tooth (good thing they did not go as far as putting thick lips or king-sized bling bling).

The "Twins" - Skid (green) and Mudflap (red-brown)

Needless to say, the robot fights are just as impressive as in the initial installment, particularly the forest fight where Optimus Prime nearly pawns Starscream with his arm-mounted blades (as well as in the aforementioned Shanghai skirmish).

The new robots are just as impressive (especially Autobots Sideswipe and Arcee) but definitely owning them is Devastator – formed from the union of all five Constructicons;  it’s a pity he gets pawned big-time by a ship-mounted railgun.  Can’t help but notice how Decepticon Wheelie – taking the form of a R/C 4X4 truck – resembles the titular hero of Disney/Pixar’s Wall-E when he takes on ‘bot form.

Separated at birth (or is it creation?)

Unfortunate racial stereotypes aside, I was a bit surprised that there were a number of cuss words (including references to Devastator’s “balls” as well as females of the canine specie) in a movie whose primary aim is to draw a whole lot of kids into cinema seats.  Let’s not get into the dorm scene where Leo’s leggy hot chick gets poor Sam into bed (much to the horror of a visiting Mikaela).  Maybe it was just a way to up the “eewww” count from the first (who couldn’t forget Bumblebee “pissing” on Agent Simmons???) but a similar scene turns up where Mamma Witwicky unwittingly helps herself to the contents of a dimebag on her son’s new campus.

Character-wise…well, this is a Transformers film,  so definitely,  humans are officially an afterthought (even if they prove to be valuable allies to the Autobots’ battle against the Decepticons.)   Somehow,  much missed in the whole affair is Anthony Anderson’s small-time hacker as well as Jon Voight’s US President (this installment recognizes the current Obama leadership, so Voight’s absence is all moot.)   Michael Bay, ever the conscious hack, never seems to have learned his lesson from Pearl Harbor, so he proceeds to slather cheese all over Sam & Mikaela’s relationship (cue in sun-backlit shot of Mikaela as she implores a near-dying Sam not to give up).

What made the first Transformers film memorable was the budding sense of cooperation between the humans and the robots (not to mention the latter picking up human characteristics).  Then again, if Skid and Mudflap are any indicator,  maybe Optimus Prime may change his mind and consider taking his whole troop back to Cybertron.

moviesMovie reviews

Again, it’s this time of the year when we officially welcome the Summer Blockbuster™ season – it’s that time when the event pictures all come rolling out, over here more or less day-to-date with the US (you know, piracy is such a pain the ass for Hollywood).

I can say, though, that the first real rays of hope came with last month’s Star Trek release, which not only warmed critics’ hearts with its rejuvenated and slicked-up take on the classic line-up but also forged arguments with “Trekkies” of all stripes regarding the narrative conveniences set up by filmmaker J. J. Abrams.   Chris Pine’s cocksure Captain Kirk nearly replaced Twilight bloodsucker Robert Pattinson as teen-age girls “geek” hunk du jour, while the likes of Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg got to steal the show with their interpretations of fan favourites Chekhov and Scotty.

Terminator: Salvation was good in parts, but a tad too long and a bit too serious for its own good.  Where was the McG whose sly retro-wink humor turned both Charlie’s Angels movies into high-octane guilty pleasures???  Sad to say, X-Men Origins: Wolverine left me a lot wanting action-wise (could it be because I was expecting a lot more from Deadpool??)  What baffled me even more was that the Hugh Jackman starrer grossed more over here than the latest iteration of Gene Roddenberry’s legacy.

By the way, titles in orange are Tagalog releases while those in italics are must-sees.

June 3

Drag Me to Hell

International Trailer

Behind the scenes

I have already said my piece regarding my enthusiasm for Sam Raimi’s return to the horror fold.  Please feel free to read & comment on my review here.

Notorious

Trailer

Not the Hitchcock classic starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, but a biopic of slain rapper Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., whose career rise and untimely death set the tone for hip-hop’s  continuing flirtation with sybaritic decadence and mortality.

From Within

Trailer

Baby Angelo
Dalaw

June 10

Shinjuku Incident

Trailer (w/ translations for us non-Mandarin Chinese speakers)

Say what you want regarding Jackie Chan’s foot-in-mouth statements regarding the state of freedom in China (dude, leave the politicking to…well, the politicians) but Chan can always be called upon to turn in a good performance.

Audiences in the West are used to seeing Jackie in comic or fantastic vehicles where he gets to highlight his martial-arts prowess,  so  Shinjuku Incident – where he plays a rather Everyman role as a Chinese immigrant going up against the Yakuza in the titular Tokyo district – should be quite difficult to get used to.   Likewise,  non- Japanese film productions usually find it hard to lens in downtown Tokyo, but with Chan’s favourable profile especially among the Japanese, the production were given carte blanche to run the streets.

Blood: The Last Vampire

US trailer

FYI, Gianna Jun (which kinda sounds like a well-known Harrison Ford character) is the Western screen name of Korean superstar Jeon Ji-Hyun (best known as the titular character in the original Korean My Sassy Girl film) who plays the burusera-clad, katana-wielding vampire slayer Saya in the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series directed by Chris (Kiss of the Dragon) Nahon.

Kamoteng Kahoy
UPCAT

Trailer

Thank the heavens for little blessings…a slice-of-life coming-of-age comedy about taking the entrance exams at the University of the Philippines.   No dewy Koreanovela-esque camera angles here, but solid, earnest portrayals and a dry, witty script should remind cynics (including moi) out there that there is still hope in Pinoy cinema.

Even if its heart beats to the bouncy beat of a Parokya ni Edgar ditty.

June 12

The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3

New trailer

Denzel Washington and John Travolta face off (hah, baaad pun alert!!!) in this remake of the Walter Matthau/Robert Shaw-starring 1973 thriller directed by Tony Scott (reuniting with his Man on Fire star) from a script by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Payback)

Ending of the original film – look ma, no CGI!!!

June 24

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Clip of  “Wheelie” w/ Mikaela (Megan Fox) – ach, it’s in German!!!

“Demolisher” in Deutsch!!!

You can count on me lining up on the first day of this.  The first Transformers really exceeded my expectations, with its realistic robot battles and well-executed shape-shifting capabilities.  Nevertheless, director and pyrotechnic junkie Michael Bay manages to sneak in some humor – who couldn’t forget Optimus Prime and his Autobots trying to play inconspicuous around the unsuspecting Witwicky home? – while paying respect to the classic series by casting original Optimus Prime voice Peter Cullen to lend his mechanical basso profundo to his big-screen incarnation.

Speaking of robots, here are some of these making their big-screen bow this time around.

• Arcee, a pink Autobot motorbike ridden by Megan Fox (whose character Mikaela works in a custom bike shop) in the film
  
  

  Arcee in bike and robot forms

• Skids & Mudflap – aka “The Twins”;  the Autobots’ resident Zack & Cody are based upon the Chevrolet Beat and Trax concept cars.
  

  Skids & Mudflap in robot mode

  
  
  

  Skids (green) & Mudflap (red) flanking Bumblebee

• Jetfire – a former Decepticon who uses his inside knowledge to help out his new friends.  He takes on the form of  an SR-71 Blackbird.
  

  Jetfire in robot mode

  Interesting enough,  the Jetfire in the original animated series  resembled the Valkyrie robots in the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series (aka Robotech: the Macross saga)

• Ravage, a Decepticon who takes on the form of a jaguar (the animal, not the automobile)
  
  

  Ravage in humanoid (biped) and jaguar forms

• Wheelie, a Decepticon spy who looks a helluva like Wall-E (whatta sideswipe -  bad pun alert!!! – to Disney/Pixar) and takes the form of a R/C 4WD truck (see above trailer)
• Devastator, the combined form of all five Constructicons – Scavenger, Scrapper, Longhaul, Hightower, Rampage, Overload and Mixmaster – who all pledge their service to the Decepticons under Starscream.
  

  Devastator in attack mode - run for your lives!!!

  Now that’s one totally baaad-aaaasssss bunch of ‘bots!!!

The Coffin

International trailer

More Thai horror coming our way…with a cast including HK star Karen Mok and Ananda Everingham (from the Pang Bros. original “Shutter”).

Mother of Tears

US trailer

It isn’t often that a film by Italian horrormeister Dario Argento sneaks by our shores (given that it gets the all-important oh-khay from the sticks-up-the-arses that is our MTRCB) but even then, the prognosis doesn’t look too good.

Makes you want to think (and ponder) – why is it all of the counter-programming to the impending Hollywood summer blockbuster deluge happens to be horror-oriented?   It would be nice if a comedy or two gets to sneak in…Pinoys would need a laugh or even a chuckle to get by all that political and economic uncertainty facing them, not gory, gruesome fare which makes them all the more morbid.

Which reminds me, whatever happened to “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”?  “Role Models”?  Judging from the trailers, it seems that “Adventureland” and “Year One” look promising.  It’s bad enough that “The Hangover”’s Philippine release has been pushed to August (along with “Up” and even “Land of the Lost”).

Anyway, here’s to the start of the Summer Blockbuster™ season this 2009!!!!

moviesmovie releases

In Poptopia, everyone’s a bitch!!!

Taken from this NME article.  Pardon me for my occasional kibitzing insides, but you just have to hand it especially to UK artists for polishing the fine art of unsubtle putting-down to new heights!

Bono on Chris Martin: “[He's] a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin. But he happens to be a great melodist.” (Radio 1, 2009)

Ian McCulloch on U2: “It was like, ‘Wanted: spud-peeler who can sing.’ And they were like, ‘Yes! I can peel the spuds, and you can tune the guitars’.” (Flaunt magazine, 2008)

Faris Badwan (The Horrors) on The Enemy: “You’ve got to hand it to these boys. They’re hungry, young and they’ve defied natural selection.” (NME Awards, 2008)

Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) on Arcade Fire: “They have good tunes, but they’re pricks, so fuck ‘em.” (Rolling Stone, 2009)

Win Butler (Arcade Fire) on Wayne Coyne: “I hope I was less of a ‘prick’ than telling Rolling Stone that a bunch of people I don’t know at all are really assholes.” (Arcadefire.com, 2009)

Alan McGee to Brian Eno: “Was it your idea to dress Coldplay up as The Beatles? And when are you going to make a decent record again? The last one was in 1972, cunt.”

Brian Eno to Alan McGee: “Fuck off, wanker.” (Twitter, 2009)

Miley Cyrus on Radiohead (after being  ’snubbed’ by the band at the Grammys): “I was so upset. I wasn’t going to watch. Stinkin’ Radiohead! I’m gonna ruin them, I’m going to tell everyone.” (Johnjay and Rich radio show, 2009)

Radiohead on Miley Cyrus: “When Miley grows up, she’ll learn not to have such a sense of entitlement.” (Manager’s press statement, 2009)

(serves her right)

Richey Edwards (Manic Street Preachers) on shoegaze bands: “I will always hate Slowdive more than Hitler.” (NME, 1991)

Pete Doherty on Razorlight: “Johnny Borrell is a poisonous snake.” (NME 2005)

Cheryl Cole on Pete Doherty: “[He] is not a poet. He writes shit. He is a waste of fresh air.” (The Sun, 2007)

Lily Allen on Cheryl Cole: “I may not be as pretty as you but at least I write and sing my own songs without the aid of autotune. I must say taking your clothes off, doing sexy dancing and marrying a rich footballer must be very gratifying, your mother must be so proud, stupid bitch.” (Myspace blog, 2007)

Lily Allen on Victoria Beckham: “The Beckhams are sickening. Everyone knows Victoria is a monster. I’d rather shoot myself between the eyes than be a WAG (Wives And Girlfriends – referring to footballers’ significant others)” (SoFoot Magazine, 2009)

(owww…Wayne Rooney ditched you???)

Noel Gallagher on Kaiser Chiefs: “I did drugs for 18 years and I never got that bad as to say, ‘You know what? I think the Kaiser Chiefs are brilliant’.” (BBC Newsbeat, 2008)

Beth Ditto on Katy Perry: “['I Kissed A Girl' is] a boner dyke anthem for straight girls who like to turn guys on by faking gay. She’s just riding on the backs of [lesbian] culture.” (The London Paper, 2009)

Katy Perry on Beth Ditto: “I’m not impressed. I’ve learned in the past year that one artist should never insult another artist’s music — it’s tacky.” (The London Paper, 2009)

(soooo professional…but then what can one expect from a frustrated Christian-pop artist)

Paul Weller on Freddie Mercury.”He said he wanted to bring ballet to the working classes. What a cunt.” (Uncut, 2006)

Trent Reznor on Chris Cornell: “You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell’s record? Jesus.” (Twitter, 2009)

Chris Cornell on Trent Reznor: “Has anyone seen Judas? He was here a minute ago.”

Morrissey on Robert Smith: “A fat clown with make up weeping over a guitar.” (NME, 1989)

Robert Smith on Morrissey: “Morrissey’s so depressing… if he doesn’t kill himself soon, I probably will.” (NME, 1990)

Brandon Flowers on Fall Out Boy: “Emo is dangerous. There’s a creature inside me that wants to beat all those bands to death.” (NME, 2006)

Noel Gallagher on Jack White: “[He] did a song for Coca-Cola. He’s meant to be the posterboy for the alternative way of thinking. And he looks like Zorro on doughnuts.” (NME, 2005)

Eminem on Moby: “You thirty-six year-old bald-headed fag, blow me!” (‘Without Me’, 2002)

Moby on Eminem: “He should lighten up. I mean, my mom was a bitch too, but I don’t go writing songs about it.” (MTV, 2003)

Corey Taylor (Slipknot) on Coldplay: “['Viva La Vida'] is one of the most self-celebratory pieces of shit I’ve ever fucking heard in my entire life. It’s music to wipe your ass to.” (MTV2, 2008)

Noel Gallagher on Keane: “Traditionally speaking, the three biggest twats in any band are the singer, the keyboardist and the drummer. I don’t need to say anything else.” (NME, 2008)

Patrick Wolf on La Roux: “The week I was dropped they signed her, and all the money that had been going into me was going into her. It was like they took Patrick Wolf and put it into a girl. Where I’m from, it’s not challenging.” (The London Paper, 2009)

Jon Bon Jovi on Axl Rose: “That motherfucker hasn’t made a record in 13 years and he gets all that attention. You know what I’ve done in 13 years? A lot.” (New York Post, 2006)

(yeah,  if you can own up to John Carpenter’s Vampires:  Los Muertos)

Kurt Cobain on Axl Rose: “Ever since the beginning of rock and roll, there’s been an Axl Rose. And it’s just boring. It’s totally boring to me. He’s such an egotistical person that he thinks that the whole world owes him something.” (Melody Maker, 1991)

(given the market reception to Chinese Democracy,  it’s open season for bashing the Rosemeister)

Courtney Love on Dave Grohl: “Dave gets to walk away unscathed and be the happy guy in rock, when he’s one of the biggest jerks. He’s been taking money from my child for years.” (Spin, 2005)

Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic on Courtney Love: “Irrational, mercurial, self-centered, unmanageable, inconsistent and unpredictable… a greedy prima donna with a waning recording and acting career.” (Lawsuit, 2003)

Sharon Osbourne on (Iron Maiden’s) Bruce Dickinson: “[He] has a chip on his shoulder. The bottom line is, it’s not my fault that his solo records are shit.” (Attitude, 2005)

Bruce Dickinson on Sharon Osbourne: “In her world, facelifts are really important. In my world, I don’t give a fuck. I get old and I get wrinkly. Who gives a shit?” (Close-Up magazine, 2006)

Josh Homme on Sharon Osbourne: “The question is, do I actually care if Sharon likes me? It’s like, ‘Hitler doesn’t like you.’ Big deal. What’s she going to do, breathe on me?” (KTVU.COM, 2007)

50 Cent on Kanye West: “It’s not possible for Kanye to beat me. It’s like the teddy bear versus the gorilla. Kanye sucks.” (AJ’s Playhouse, 2007)

Kanye West on 50 Cent: “It’s almost like if a little kid walks up to you at the airport and is like, ‘Man, I love you so much’ – and then you spit on him.” (MTV, 2007)

Etta James on Beyonce. “She’s gonna get her ass whupped. I can’t stand her. She has no business up there, on a big ol’ President day, singing my song (‘At Last’) that I’ve been singing forever.” (TMZ, 2009)

(now that is what I call a bitchfest, pt. I)

Tom Clarke (The Enemy) on Arctic Monkeys: “[The first album] was top. And then I was bitterly disappointed when I got the second – just dull.” (The Mirror, 2008)

Liam Fray on The Enemy: “That band are a bunch of little fucking pricks.” (NME, 2007) Pic: PA Photos

Liam Gallagher on The Enemy (who were originally lined up to support Oasis at Heaton Park): “Having read an interview with Tom Clarke apparently Oasis are past it? Do you want to go on first or what, you little fucker?” (Twitter, 2009)

(fits their name – The Enemy sure knows how to make lots of them)

My Chemical Romance on Marilyn Manson: “If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit – but usually it is comments from someone with a new record to promote, so the remarks ring hollow.” (Rock Sound, 2007)

Christina Aguilera on Fred Durst: “You didn’t get no nookie! Screw you! He made such an ass out of himself and looks like a scumbag to everyone. End of story.” (MTV, 2003)

Perez Hilton on Lily Allen: “She has no sense of humour. She takes herself way too seriously.” (PerezHilton.com, 2009)

Mike Patton on Red Hot Chili Peppers: “They had us [Mr Bungle] kicked off several festival bills. That’s so fucking pathetic! I mean, this guy’s selling a million records, we are not even a speck of dust on this guy’s ass. What’s the fucking problem?” (The Onion, 1999)

Sammy Hagar on David Lee Roth (pictured), who preceded him as vocalist in Van Halen: “He’s half the singer and half the performer he used to be. He spray paints his hair on, and acts like it’s 1982. It’s like Liberace. It’s a joke.”

Frank Carter (Gallows) on Sex Pistols: “They were a bunch of junkies. They mean nothing to me. They were intent on destroying everything, themselves first.” (ShockHound.com, 2008)

Mark ‘E’ Everett on The Beatles: “John Lennon sings about peace because he’s a woman-beater. Hippies are so full of shit.” (Uncut Magazine, 2009)

Morrissey on Elton John: “He is pushing his face in all the time and telling us about his private life. Nobody’s interested. He should just go away.” (NME, 1987)

(now that is what I call a bitchfest, pt. II)

Lars Ulrich on Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: “He was in our band (Metallica) for a year, and it was 22 years ago. It’s sad and pathetic that [being kicked out] still can be that big a deal.” (So What!, 2006)

Music

David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine

RIP, David Carradine (1936-2009)

The 72-year-old actor was found dead at a hotel room closet in Bangkok, Thailand where he was close to wrapping up his shoot for the action film “Stretch”.  According to Thai police, the cause of death was accidental strangulation brought about by autoerotic arousal, as there was rope knotted around his neck and his genitalia.

I still have fond memories of Carradine roaming the Old West and taking on gun-slingin’ cowboys with his Shaolin-trained moves and stoic calm in the original Kung Fu series (which used to air over at IBC 13 locally).   What also baffled me, even at that time, was not just how a gweilo like Carradine can pull it off playing a half-American Shaolin disciple but also carry out these intricate moves with great conviction (well,  it helps that Carradine was – and still is – a practicing martial artist with a background in dance).  Interestingly, there was a persistent rumour (boosted by the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) that Bruce Lee himself pitched the idea of the Kung Fu series as a starring vehicle for himself (who felt that playing Kato in the Green Hornet reinforced negative Asian stereotypes)

Part 4 of pilot telefilm for the original Kung Fu series

The Tao of Caine (also from the pilot episode)

In its original run (there were a total of three Kung Fu series, including Kung Fu: The Next Generation starring Brandon Lee – yet another one who has been taken so young,  just like his old man – and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, which had Carradine playing Kwai’s own grandson) the series boasted of guest apprearances from Don Johnson, Pat Morita, Leslie Nielsen and even Harrison Ford and Jodie Foster.

It was also quite surprising to find out that Carradine has had over 100 feature films in his CV,  not to mention innumerable TV series guest appearances.  On the big screen, he has worked alongside the likes of directors Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby (who cast Carradine as celebrated folk singer Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory), Ingmar Bergman and Quentin Tarantino, who originally wanted Warren Beatty to play the titular character in both Kill Bill movies.  Tarantino suggested that Beatty attack the character just like Carradine’s Caine, so Beatty suggested he hire Carradine himself.

After all, this tough motherfucker took on Chuck Norris once – and no one, NO ONE, in his right frame of mind, ever messes with Chuck Norris!!!

Carradine faces off against the Chuck Norris

David Carradine as "Bill" in Kill Bill

David Carradine faces Uma Thurman in Kill Bill vol. 2

Can’t forget this particular monologue:

Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He’s weak… he’s unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.

Ever the tireless professional,  Carradine kept himself active with appearances on both big screen and small…whether it was in the Rob Schneider comedy Big Stan or the high-octane Jason Statham actioner Crank: High Voltage.

Just before leaving for Thailand, Carradine filmed a guest appearance for an episode of the new Fox psychiatric drama Mental.

His zest for life and prodigious spirit shall be greatly missed.

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