Monday, June 30, 2008

Vengeance Has A Name - New Punisher: War Zone Teaser Movie Poster Set

While Punisher: War Zone doesn’t come out until December 2008, it is officially full court press time for the movie’s promotions department. I guess with a new comic book themed movie coming out every week this summer there’s no time like the present to start ingraining Ray Stevenson’s version of Frank Castle in the minds of the American public.

Punisher: War Zone Teaser Movie Poster
Punisher: War Zone Teaser Movie Poster
And so The Blot is excited to bring you a set of four Punisher: War Zone teaser movie posters. I don’t necessarily love this movie's Punisher outfit (or is it a costume?), but I know Stevenson will play the part extremely well. If you don’t believe me go check him out in HBO’s Rome as the lethal soldier with a heart Titus Pullo.

Punisher: War Zone Teaser Movie Poster
Punisher: War Zone Teaser Movie Poster
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Cold War Kids Set To Tour North America

Cold War KidsCold War Kids, one of The Blot’s favorite bands, is launching a new North American fall tour, and it thankfully includes Houston! While the CWK have played Texas a few times over the past two years, they’ve never made it as far south as the H before. I can’t complain too much as I’ve had the opportunity to see the Cold War Kids in concert three times now, at Lollapalooza the past two summers and once at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and they have only gotten better each and every time.

Cold War Kids
Even though the buzz around this indie quartet has definitely waned over the past year since their highpoint of being the blogosphere’s favorite new trendy band, The Blot still can’t get enough of their blues infused indie rock. If you’ve never heard their 2006 debut album Robbers & Cowards, you should definitely check out the Cold War Kids MySpace page and listen to a few of its tracks (including two of their best songs “We Used To Vacation” and "Saint John”). You should also check out the band’s tour dates below to see if Cold War Kids will be coming to your city this fall!

Robbers & Cowards Album Cover
Cold War Kids
2008 North American Fall Tour
Aug 22 - Outside Lands Festival - San Francisco, CA TICKETS
Aug 23 - Sunset Junction Festival - Los Angeles, CA TICKETS
Aug 24 - Les Schwab Amp w/Beck - Bend, OR TICKETS
Sept 20 - Street Scene - San Diego, CA
Sept 27 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
Sept 28 - Richards On Richards - Vancouver, BC
Sept 29 - The Showbox at the Market - Seattle, WA
Oct 01 - The Neurolux - Boise, ID
Oct 02 - In The Venue - Salt Lake City, UT TICKETS
Oct 03 - Boulder Theatre - Boulder, CO
Oct 10 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN TICKETS
Oct 11 - Vic Theare - Chicago, IL
Oct 14 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA TICKETS
Oct 15 - Webster Hall - New York, NY TICKETS
Oct 16 - Williamsburg Music Hall - Brooklyn, NY
Oct 17 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA TICKETS
Oct 18 - Nightclub 9:30 - Washington, D.C. TICKETS
Oct 20 - Cat's Cradle - Carrabo, NC TICKETS
Oct 21 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN TICKETS
Oct 23 - Lola's - Ft. Worth, TX
Oct 24 - Emo's Alt Lounge-Outside - Austin, TX TICKETS
Oct 25 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
Oct 26 - Voodoo Music Experience - New Orleans, LA
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Friday, June 27, 2008

Johnny Cupcakes’ New Summer T-Shirts - Includes Batman and Joker Themed Shirts

I’ve been waiting for the release of Johnny Cupcakes’ new summer line of t-shirts for a few days now, especially once I saw a glimpse of their new Joker themed t-shirt, Jokester. Well last night the new shirts hit the web and The Blot is excited to say that not only is there a Joker t-shirt, but there is also a brand new Batman themed shirt entitled Batcakes.

Johnny Cupcakes - Jokester Guys T-Shirt
Johnny Cupcakes - Batcakes Guys T-Shirt
All of the new limited edition shirts are available online here for $35.99 and come in both mens and womens styles. If you want one of these awesome shirts you’d better act fast because they are sure to be flying off store shelves quickly.

Johnny Cupcakes - Nautical Cross Oars Guys and Rope Bones Girls T-Shirts
Johnny Cupcakes - Pink Frosting Girls T-Shirt
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Get Smart Gets A Review

Last weekend, The Blot and my buddy Goetz went and checked out the latest television remake, the Steve Carell comedy Get Smart. I had some serious reservations considering Carell’s last two live action movies, Evan Almighty and Dan in Real Life, were complete bombs. Once again low expectations saved the day and the movie ended up not being all that bad. But, had I really expected anything from the movie I probably would have left the theater disappointed.

Get Smart Teaser Movie Poster
The main reason I wanted to see the film was because of Dwayne “Don’t call me The Rock” Johnson. Obviously The Artist Formerly Known as The Rock has more than a few underperforming movies under his belt as well, but I typically enjoy his roles regardless. Thankfully Johnson came through with a solid performance as Agent 23. But it was Masi Oka and Nate Torrence as techies Bruce and Lloyd who really stole the film. Their scenes were the most consistently funny part of the movie and were the best parts of an otherwise unmemorable movie.

The Cast of Get Smart - CONTROL vs. KAOS
Get Smart - Steve Carell as Agent 86Honestly though, I really can’t understand why the movie wasn’t funnier. On paper the cast was a strong comedic ensemble and surprise appearances by Bill Murray and Patrick Warburton were stellar. But in the end, the movie was just OK and the best line wasn’t even uttered by Carell or co-star Anne Hathaway. Instead it was by Alan Arkin’s The Chief before he was almost accidentally killed by Carell’s Maxwell Smart. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the movie for those of you who still haven’t seen the film and still eventually plan to.

Get Smart - Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99
While I didn’t leave the theater disappointed, I definitely recommend waiting for the movie to come out on DVD. What’s really scary to me, is that if Get Smart was the best comedy to open last weekend, how horrible must The Love Guru be!?! I really expected more from the two most talked about comedies of the summer.

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out Of Control DVD CoverOh yeah, be on the look out for Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out Of Control, the straight to DVD Get Smart sequel starring Oka and Torrence, in stores on July 1st. Bruce and Lloyd were such great characters that there’s a reasonable chance this movie is at least as good as, if not better, than Get Smart.
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

George Carlin Remembered

George CarlinI know I should have written about the legendary comic’s passing on Monday, but there was so much media coverage on George Carlin’s death that I wasn’t sure I had anything to add. It’s weird, while I wasn’t the biggest Carlin fan, you can definitely see his influence everywhere. I can still remember as a little boy watching his stand-up comedy specials on HBO. It feels like he’s been around the landscape of pop culture forever.

George CarlinThere are very few comics that have had as big of an impact on our culture as Carlin, and it wasn’t just in the comedy world. While there have definitely been bigger comics, like Richard Pryor or Bob Hope, it is hard to argue with Carlin’s significance and his impact on the nation. Without his comedy shtick the “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” we would have never had the 7 words you really can’t say over the air. Who else has sparked an issue so big that it went to the Supreme Court, where the nation’s high court ruled that the government did have the power to ban broadcast material it deemed indecent. Without Carlin’s comedy who knows what we might have been watching/listening to for the past 30 years.

What I didn’t realize about Carlin was that besides being a comic genius, he was also the very first host of one of my favorite TV shows, Saturday Night Live, back in 1975. To honor the comedian’s passing, NBC and Saturday Night Live have decided to re-air the show’s premiere episode this Saturday, June 28th, at 11:30/10:30C. (link)

The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players - Saturday Night Live Season 1 Cast Photo
I’m pretty excited to watch the hopefully unedited episode to see Carlin work with the also now legendary original cast of SNL, the Not Ready For Prime-Time Players (Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin Garrett Morris, Larraine Newman and Gilda Radner). The first episode of Saturday Night Live “also features musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston as well as a landmark performance from comedian Andy Kaufman.” (link) If you, like me, are interested in reliving some classic Carlin, then definitely tune in Saturday night for Saturday Night Live’s inaugural episode.
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Grateful Dead x Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Sneakers

The Blot has been a huge Grateful Dead fan since Jr. High, so I was pretty excited when I heard Converse, as part of their 100th Anniversary Connectivity ad campaign, was releasing a new line of Grateful Dead Chuck Taylors. Music is a huge theme of Converse’s 100th Anniversary, and the company is wisely playing up the popularity of its Chuck Taylor All Stars within the culture of rock & roll.

Grateful Dead x Converse Sneakers - Steal Your Face Black Chuck Taylor All Stars
Grateful Dead x Converse Sneakers - Steal Your Face White Chuck Taylor All Stars
The Grateful Dead Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers come in three styles, Steal Your Face, Skull and Roses, and Ice Cream Boy (by Stanley Mouse for the cover of the Grateful Dead album Europe ’72). The Grateful Dead All Stars are available now at Converse.com for $49.99 (the white Steal Your Face Chucks are $69.99).

Grateful Dead x Converse Sneakers - Skull and Roses Chuck Taylor All Stars
Along with the Grateful Dead All Stars and the previously released The Ramones Chuck Taylors, Converse is also releasing a line of Kurt Cobain and The Doors inspired sneakers. So be on the look out for those shoes in the near future.

Converse x Grateful Dead Sneakers - Ice Cream Boy Chuck Taylor All Stars
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra - First Look at Character Movie Posters

There has been some exciting news coming out of this week’s Cinema EXPO International 2008 taking place in Amsterdam concerning the live action G.I. Joe movie. Not only do we now know the movie’s subtitle, Rise of Cobra, but Film1 has scored some excellent photos of the 2009 movie’s soon to be released teaser character movie posters featuring Channing Tatum as Duke, Ray Park as Snake Eyes and Sienna Miller as the Baroness and Marlon Wayans as Ripcord.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 1 - Channing Tatum as Duke
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 1 - Marlon Wayans as Ripcord
Your eyes do not deceive you, these posters are following in the same tradition as The Spirit character movie posters in that they are black and white with one item highlighted in red. Hopefully more details and/or posters of G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra will be leaking out of Amsterdam soon.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 1 - Ray Park as Snake Eyes
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 1 - Sienna Miller as The Baroness
The G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra live action movie will debut in theaters sometime during August, 2009. It stars Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, Channing Tatum as Duke, Marlon Wayans as Ripcord, Rachel Nichols as Scarlett, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Sienna Miller as The Baroness, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cobra Commander, Said Taghmaoui as Breaker, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty, Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow and Christopher Eccleston as Destro.
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

3 New The Spirit Character Movie Posters

Today, The Blot is excited to share three new The Spirit character theatrical movie posters. Now that The Spirit has an official release date, Christmas 2008, the movie can finally move past its Eva Mendes obsession and start releasing some new promo posters that focus on other characters in the film rather than just Mendes’ Sand Saref. All three feature beautiful women and have a very noir feel to them with their black and white color scheme.

The Spirit Character Movie Posters - Scarlett Johansson is Silken Floss
The three The Spirit character posters feature Scarlett Johansson is Silken Floss, Sarah Paulson is Ellen Dolan and Jamie King is Lorelei. Combined with the Eva Mendes is Sand Saref character poster and you have a really well done promotional campaign for next winter’s The Spirit. There is just something so unique and ingenious about the posters’ use of quotes from the movie and their placement on the characters’ faces. All of the posters’ different elements come together really nicely and form four truly stunning images.

The Spirit Character Movie Posters - Sarah Paulson is Ellen Dolan
The Spirit Character Movie Posters - Jamie King is Lorelei
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

The Blot Reviews The Incredible Hulk

To be blunt, The Incredible Hulk was good, but unfortunately it just wasn’t that great. I had high expectations for the film, especially after 2003’s dreadful The Hulk, but the movie just came across as a high level B movie with big name actors. While the movie definitely delivered in many of the areas that Ang Lee’s version sorrowfully lacked, it didn’t reach the high level of greatness of so many other recent super hero movies like X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman Begins and Iron Man.

The Incredible Hulk Movie Banner
I think part of the problem is that these other super hero movies have continued to raise the bar higher and higher. While this is great for moviegoers, it also means that audiences’ expectations are so high that it’s impossible for average movies to compare. If this movie had come out when the original Hulk film did back in 2003 then people’s expectations would have been much lower and the film would have probably been seen in a more favorable light. I now have to take back what I said about the Punisher being the hardest super hero to translate to the big screen, because that title now falls squarely on the shoulders of the Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk
What’s even more surprising is that while everyone, critics and fans alike, have said that The Incredible Hulk is by far a much better movie than its predecessor, after 10 days in theaters it has actually done worse at the box office. The Incredible Hulk’s 10 day box office gross now stands at $96.5 million, while the critically panned The Hulk had “earned $100.6 million in the same time frame.” (link) Although the two figures are not that far apart, it is a perfect example of the damage a bad movie can do to a character’s legacy in the eyes of the American public.

The Incredible Hulk - Edward Norton as Bruce Banner
I guess the odds of us ever seeing Tim Blake Nelson’s Dr. Samuel Stern transform fully into the villain The Leader on the big screen are now greatly diminished. Here’s hoping the Hulk gets one more movie to prove the character’s A-list comic book status is deserved. I guess either way we’ll be seeing more of the greened skinned giant (and maybe/maybe not Edward Norton) in 2011’s The Avengers.
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Monday, June 23, 2008

YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Round B4 Sneakers

YO! MTV Raps x PumaWell, The Blot proved highly unsuccessful in my pursuit of the pink YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Round sneakers in a size 14. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, because there was some discussion of whether or not I could actually pull off the shoe. Thankfully Puma is releasing a new version of the YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Rounds in the sneaker line’s fourth wave of shoes. The new YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Round B4 sneakers are much more my style, and while they still have some pink to them, they are predominately black, white and green.

YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Round B4 sneakers
I’ve been trying to tie down an official street date for these awesome sneakers, but I have only found conflicting reports. Some say the shoe dropped in the middle of last month, but since they haven’t shown up on eBay yet I’m assuming that wasn’t the case. The other date I’ve seen for them is this Saturday, June 28th. Hopefully my local designer sneaker store will be carrying them. But even more importantly, I hope they will be released in my size. Wish me luck as I try to track down these high top sneakers before the end of the week.

YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Round B4 sneakers
YO! MTV Raps x Puma First Round B4 sneakers
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Mighty Muggs Limited Edition SDCC T-Shirts

San Diego Comic-Con International logoOne item I thought looked particularly cool on the SDCC Exclusives List was the limited edition Mighty Muggs t-shirts. There are two different designs, an Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs t-shirt featuring an Indiana Jones Mighty Mugg on a brown t-shirt and a Star Wars Mighty Muggs shirt with a Darth Vader Mighty Mugg on a Gray/Black t-shirt. Surprisingly, Hasbro did not make a Marvel Mighty Muggs t-shirt even though the shirts are debuting at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. Maybe no one told them of the importance of Marvel’s Super Heroes to the San Diego Comic-Con crowd. While the price and size run of both shirts are not known yet, we do know that the shirts will come in small, large and x-large sizes. (link)

Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs 2008 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive - Limited Edition Indiana Jones T-Shirt
Star Wars Mighty Muggs 2008 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive - Limited Edition Darth Vader T-Shirt
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

San Diego Comic-Con 2008 Action Figure Exclusives List

San Diego Comic-Con International logoThe official Action Figure Exclusives List has been provided by the official San Diego Comic-Con website. It’s a pretty extensive list and has a ton of details on each product including pictures and run size of the item. While it says it’s an action figure list, it also includes t-shirts, bobble heads, dolls and statues. For anyone attending SDCC 2008 or is hoping to buy some exclusive limited edition items after the convention wraps up on July 27th, you should definitely check out the list here to see what kind of goodies will be available. It even has more in detailed pictures of the limited edition G.I. Joe Suited Cobra Commander action figure by Hasbro, which you can see below.

G.I. Joe 2008 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive - Cobra Commander in Black Suit Action Figure
G.I. Joe 2008 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive - Cobra Commander Blue Sports Coat Varient Action Figure
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Friday, June 20, 2008

Houston's Lebowski Bash - Celebrating 10 Years of the Dude

Houston's Lebowski Bash Poster - Celebrating 10 Years of the Dude
7th Annual Lebowski Fest Poster by Bill GreenSpeaking of Joel and Ethan Coen, for all the Coen brothers fans out there in the Houston, TX area (and specifically fans of my favorite Coen brothers film, The Big Lebowski) you should check out Houston’s very first Lebowski Bash celebrating the movie's 10th Anniversary. It’s this Saturday, June 21st, at the Caroline Collective and it’s completely free. The event follows in the footsteps of the highly successful Lebowski Fest, which has been held yearly in Louisville, KY and around the country for the past 7 years.

To find out more about this weekend’s Houston Lebowski Bash click here. It sounds like a good time, and The Blot definitely plans on making an appearance so I can check out all the the dude-ness going on in the H.
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Shadow Trooper Mighty Mugg - Previews Exclusive Star Wars Mighty Muggs

Earlier this week The Blot told you about the limited edition Star Wars Previews Exclusive Admiral Ackbar Mighty Mugg. Well it now turns out that the rebel leader is actually part of a Previews Exclusive two figure series. Also being released is a Shadow Trooper Mighty Mugg, an all black version of the Empire’s Storm Trooper.

Star Wars Previews Exclusive Mighty Muggs - Admiral Ackbar and Shadow Stormtrooper
Multiple online retailers now have pre-orders up for both Previews Exclusive Star Wars Mighty Muggs figures and they both look really well done. Each Mighty Mugg is limited to 3,000 vinyl figures and should be in stores sometime in October, 2008. It looks like prices for these two limited edition Mighty Muggs will be around $20.00 (typically a little less).
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Burn After Reading Movie Poster and Theatrical Trailer

While I don’t really know all that much about Burn After Reading, after watching the movie’s red band trailer I’m really excited to see this soon to be released Coen brothers comedy. Oscar winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen have assembled an all-star cast including George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt for their latest screwball comedy, and so far it looks to be a worthy follow up to last year’s critically acclaimed film (and winner of the Oscar for Best Picture) No Country For Old Men.

Burn After Reading Theatrical Movie Poster
Considering how solemn and dark No Country was, it’s nice to see the Coen Brothers return to their quirky comedic style. If you want to read more about the movie’s plot, check out its Wikipedia page here for the lowdown. As I’ve said before, I’m a huge Coen brothers fan, so I may be a tad biased on how good Burn After Reading looks. Regardless, check out the trailer below and judge for yourself just how good it looks. Burn After Reading is set to hit theaters on September 12, 2008.

Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals Available Now for Download

Girl TalkThe internet is a buzz on the release of Girl Talk’s (a.k.a. Gregg Gillis) new album Feed the Animals. The DJ’s 2006 album Night Ripper was one of the coolest, most creative albums released that year and was in constant rotation on my iPod and in my home for a ridiculous amount of months. With his latest album, Girl Talk has decided to follow the Radiohead model by allowing purchasers to name their own price to download Feed the Animals, which you can do so here.

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals Album Cover
You can pay as little as $0.00 or as much as you want, but as an incentive Gillis is releasing the album in three different formats. Any price gets you “the entire album as high-quality 320kbps mp3s, $5 or more adds the options of FLAC files, plus a one-file seamless mix of the album, [while] $10 or more includes all of the above + a packaged CD (when it becomes available). (link) Anyway you look at it, it’s a pretty awesome deal.

Girl Talk - Night Ripper Album CoverFor those of you not familiar with Girl Talk’s work, “he specializes in sample-based remixes, in which he uses at least a dozen elements from different songs to create a ‘new’ song.” (link) Surprisingly, neither Gillis nor his label, Illegal Art, have been sued from his use of samples on albums he sells. While many have speculated it is because he uses so many samples to create each new song that he really is creating new works of art, I am guessing it’s because there is not much money to get and most artists actually like his work. Night Ripper was amazing and from the reviews I’ve read, Feed the Animals is even better. As I type this, I’m heading over to the Feed the Animals website to download the album. I hope you do the same after reading this post.

Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
01 Play Your Part (Pt. 1)
02 Shut the Club Down
03 Still Here
04 What It’s All About
05 Set It Off
06 No Pause
07 Like This
08 Give Me a Beat
09 Hands in the Air
10 In Step
11 Let Me See You
12 Here’s the Thing
13 Don’t Stop
14 Play Your Part (Pt. 2)
Pin It! - Pin A Picture From TheBlotSays.com