Mega Man Anniversary Collection (Gamecube)
Developed by: Capcom/Atomic Planet
Published by: Capcom

The Mega Man Anniversary Collection is a retro gamer’s dream come true. Who needs emulators when you can buy 10 classic games for the PS2 or Gamecube in a cool package like this? It may not be the complete Mega Man library that Japanese gamers were lucky enough to get, but when you consider that it is a cross-platform collection that includes SNES, PSX and even arcade games, it’s still a lot of value for a reasonable price ($40 Canadian).

It’s hard to believe that the first Mega Man is now 20 years old. Playing through the original game (which incidentally is not the best one) nowadays is still a fun experience and doesn’t seem as primitive or outdated as it should. It’s obvious that this is a timeless game, one that influenced many of today’s modern games. If you look beyond the low-rez graphics, you’ll see that all of these games still have substance beyond the nostalgia factor, and gameplay that is vastly superior to a lot of current generation console games.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of playing a Mega Man game, here is the basic set up: they are 2D side scrollers where you control a heroic robot, initially equipped with little more weaponry than an arm blaster. In each game there are a series of levels with different themes that you can tackle in any order. At the end of a level Mega Man must face off against an evil robot boss who has a special weapon related to that theme. When a boss is defeated, Mega Man absorbs the ability to use each weapon himself. After finishing off each of the robots Mega Man heads towards a showdown with his arch enemy Dr. Wily (or occasionally someone else).

The variety of earned weapons and their strategic use in other areas was one of the most innovative aspects of these games, and an idea that many other games quickly adopted. Each enemy or obstacle usually has a specific weakness, but there are often multiple ways to get by a particular baddie in case you don’t have this weapon. The games reward a thoughtful approach to the order of completion as a result.

Still, things have definitely changed in the world of video games. For one, the individual levels are a lot shorter than I remember them being, and they are definitely well under the epic lengths we’ve come to expect nowadays. This does make it convenient to play through the games in short installments however. There are also some things in these games that you would never see anymore, particularly some infuriatingly difficult platform jumping puzzles. The reason I no longer smash my game controllers is not because I’m more older, more peaceful and mature, it’s because they stopped making games like this!

The Mega Man Anniversary Collection contains Mega Man 1 through 6 (all originally released for the NES), Mega Man 7 (for the Super Nintendo), and Mega Man 8 (for the Playstation). As an added bonus, you can also unlock two arcade games rarely seen in the U.S., Mega Man The Power Battles and Mega Man The Power Fighters. These are basically versus fighting games where you take on many of Mega Man’s robot adversaries from past games.

The games are all emulated with precision and are true to the originals. It is important to note these are not remakes in any way, but simply direct ports to new hardware. This means, for better or for worse, you will get sprite flickering and the occasional slow down in some places (although it does seem less prevalent than it was on the original systems). The area where they’ve taken some liberties and enhanced the games slightly is with the controls. Taking advantage of the extra buttons on the PS2 and Gamecube controllers, there is now a button for multi-fire (very handy), a separate button for power sliding, and the shoulder buttons can be used to switch weapons on the fly. The controls adapt very well but on the Gamecube there have been a lot of complaints that the jump and shoot button functions feel like they’ve been mapped backwards. It does take a little getting used to, but it’s not a major problem. It might have been nice to have the option to remap them though.

The menus and interface for playing the different games are also well done. At any time you can stop and return to the main menu from within any of the games, and your progress is automatically saved whenever you complete a level so you don’t have to write down any passwords. (Remember when games actually had password systems? Crazy. I had heaps of scrap papers lying around my house with game passwords all over the place… you’ve gotta love progress.)

If the difficulty of some of the games is driving you nuts, there is also some relief available to you. First of all, you can choose a new, easier difficulty level, which seems to reduce the amount of damage you take from enemies, or you can give yourself 5 lives instead of 3. You can also turn on something called “Navi Mode”, which gives you a clear on-screen display of how many lives you have left, and provides little arrows and indicators telling you which way to go and gives hints on the submenu screen. Hey now, it’s not cheating… just getting a little helping hand where necessary!

The two arcade games are initially locked, but thankfully it doesn’t take much to unlock them. (You don’t have to beat all 8 games or anything like that.) The other extras take a bit more work. The PS2 version contains a full length animated Mega Man episode “The Beginning”, while the Cube one has the G4TechTV segment, “History of Mega Man”, which contains interviews with the creator of Mega Man. Both versions also have unlockable image galleries and remixed music tracks that can be earned along the way.

The Mega Man games helped define what video games are today, and they still hold up well many years later. If you grew up on the NES system, odds are you played one or all of these games and you’ll love revisiting them now. Mega Man has become a huge franchise and although Capcom has gone off in some weird directions, these are the core of what made the company as successful as they are. Go ahead and grab yourself a piece of gaming history — you know you can’t resist playing these classics again, and for the price you’ll pay it’s all well worth it. — Sean

Napoleon Dynamite
Directed by: Jared Hess
Written by: Jared & Jerusha Hess
Starring: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez

Every school had one. You know him, he wears out of date clothes and glasses from the early 80’s and he’s the only one who cares about ninjas at age 16. Well now this lovable nobody that everyone knows is at last getting his spotlight and the respect he deserves on the relatively big screen. It’s the new off beat, sarcastic comedy Napoleon Dynamite.

He doesn’t have skills, he’s negative and constantly annoyed and yet one of the most interesting characters in cinema at the moment. The film debuts Ron Herder; the Mormon university student turned character actor as Napoleon Dynamite and follows him through his mundane yet entertaining life in rural Idaho. One more fact about this movie, there is basically no plot whatsoever. It’s essentially a slice of life and a peek into the lives of Napoleon and everyone that surrounds him. His brother Kip, the 32-year-old unemployed, slightly gay, certainly dweeby computer chat room junkie. Their uncle Rico who is still wishing he got put into the fourth quarter to score the winning high school football touchdown. Now to make his dream a reality Rico convinces Kip to sell space age plastic Tupperware with him to finance the purchase of a time machine to transport him back to 1982. Deb, Napoleon’s neighbour with a crush, runs a glamour shot photo studio out of her house to make money for college. And of course Pedro the new kid at school who befriends Napoleon. With Pedro’s over confidence he and Napoleon explore dating and attempt to conquer popularity contests when Pedro campaigns for school president. Pedro’s platform: He has a sweet bike and he’s good at scoring chicks. With the exception of some of other minor characters that is the cast and the plot consists of them going about their business as usual while we watch.

In the grand tradition of contemporaries such as Wes Anderson (Rushmore) and Gus Van Sant (Elephant) this movie directed by new kid on the block Jared Hess relies heavily on stationary mise en scene and short, to the point dialogue. It is slow moving with extremely simple, palatable shots that somehow turn out hysterically funny and compelling at the same time. The film has no conflict to carry the characters through to point B; there isn’t even a point A. Only minor obstacles are presented to Pedro and Napoleon in which to overcome such as being picked on at school and being denied a date. The best part of these situations is that Napoleon doesn’t really realize he’s a sort of an odd nerd, which is why we love him. He never gets depressed, he instead reaches the same level of annoyance towards every situation and then moves on instantly leaving his troubles behind.

Lovers of The Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson films will find a new infatuation with this instant classic. The life of a young man wearing a helicopter tee shirt tucked into his sweat pants and space boots, with a vocabulary almost exclusively limited to the words “sweet,” “awesome” and “friggin’ idiot.” Full of one liners and brilliantly funny facial expressions this will quickly make its way to your favourite list. God what are you even doing? Go and see this sweet movie! Uhhhhhhhh. — Jackson Main

Fahrenheit 9/11
Written and Directed by: Michael Moore
Starring: George W. Bush

Politics and art have a long history of not only causing controversy together, but also occasionallyspearheading actual movement and change. It’s pretty safe to say that with the kind of success that Fahrenheit 9/11is having, it’s going to have an impact on the world we live in, and not just politically either.Michael Moore is opening doors for all kinds of documentary filmmakers, making the genreaccessible to the mainstream public (even if he has to sacrifice some of hiscredibility to do it).

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Fahrenheit 9/11 is the latest film from Michael Moore (director ofRoger & Me/The Big One/Bowling For Columbine, and author of Stupid White Men/Dude Where’s My Country?, etc) in which he strives toshow the truth about George W. Bush’s motivations in going to war with Iraq, and his handling ofthe country both before and after the September 11th attacks. In this movie we learn about everythingfrom the Florida election scandal to the Bush family connections to the Al Qaeda and Saudi Arabia,from George W. Bush’s background as a rich oil tycoon to the reality of what went on during OperationIraqi Freedom.

Moore has often been accused of being inaccurate or misleading with his information, and pushy oroverbearing with his opinions. In some ways, whether or not he has all his facts straightis beside the point. It is an amazing thing that a movie like this was able to be released,seeing as it is so critical of the so-called leader of the free world.Moore has found the perfect combination of humour and information that will keep people in their seatslong enough to teach them something.

While all of his movies are pretty self-centred, this one is probably the least egotistical.He isn’t actually on screen that much, and he only has a couple guerilla style stunts that he tries to pulloff. One involves asking senators to sign up their children for military service in Iraq; anotherhas him driving around Washington in an ice cream truck reading off the Patriot Act.He does, however, manage to bring the movie back to focus on his impoverished hometown of Flint,Michigan yet again. At first this bothered me and felt very shallow and self-serving,but when he investigated the army recruitment process andtheir tendency to prey on poor, unemployed folk it actually turned out to be one of the most interestingand important parts of the film.

Fahrenheit 9/11 is definitely not as hilarious as Bowling For Columbine was. There are some partswhere Moore really gets rolling with a stream of connections and statistics, and even in condensed formit is a lot to digest at once. This may turn some people off (I think it even forced a few people towalk out of the theatre I was in).If you just want to laugh at stupid things Bush has said, well, you’ll find a few little tidbitsbut you may be bored for the majority of the film.There are also some pretty heavy emotional moments. Bowling For Columbine showed footagefrom the actual Columbine shooting, but Fahrenheit 9/11 ups the disturbing imagery even further byshowing gruesome deaths and injuries in Iraq (both American and Iraqi casualties), the infamousbeheading video, and focusing on the pain and anguish of a mom who lost her son in the war.It will be unsettling for some, while others will feel Moore is being extremely manipulative here.

However, there is still a fair amount of Moore’s typical humour, such as funny and ironic music,juxtaposing conflicting evidence, and his trademark sarcastic narration.Since this wasn’t such a personal movie, the narration feels a little forced at times — however,it just wouldn’t be a Michael Moore movie without it.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this whole movie is all the dirt he managed to dig up.Moore must have had a great team of researchers working with him on this, because not only did hefind some extremely damning evidence that is difficult to refute, but he also found lots of weird andfunny little clips and photos, even from Bush way before he was president. It certainly makes it alot harder to dispute much of what he is saying in this movie.

The movie jumps around a lot, and feels like it may have been rushed to theatres in some sense.There are a lot of different areas you wish he could have spent more time on, but these diversionsderail the flow and are peripheral to the main “thesis” as it were.Still, the bottom line is a simple one: George W. Bush is a greedy and deceptive man who has pulledone over on the American public at the expense of many innocent lives.This singular focus may weaken the movie a bit, especially since Moore takes some cheap shotsthat are too easy and below him. On the one hand, it’s understandable because this is a movie designedto spur action, but on the other, it makes the movie less timeless, and glosses over some of thebigger issues at hand. For example,even if Bush gets voted out, it’s not unreasonable to think another crooked politician mightget elected in the near future. And who is to say Gore wouldn’t have done some of the same things in Bush’splace?

Similar to the recent documentary Super Size Me, Moore presents a lot of information that is alreadyreadily available, but by packaging it and making it “fun” he opens up a lot of people to knowledgethey wouldn’t have gone out of their way to obtain.As a viewer it’s your responsibility to take what you see with a grain of salt. This is not theabsolute truth, however, it’s refreshing because it’s a different truth from what we’ve been forcefed by the news media for the past couple of years.

In a way Fahrenheit 9/11 is like making a documentary about O.J. being guilty — when you stop andthink about the reason for the war on Iraq it should be obvious, but because of the overwhelmingmass media hypnosis, we all question it.This is precisely why Fahrenheit 9/11 is so valuable: it is essentially fighting fire with fire, byturning the same media manipulation that the U.S. government use against them.You may not agree with everything Moore has to say, but you have to admit he’s good at what he does.This is a must-see for anyone who lives on Planet Earth, at least for the purposes of debate and discussion.As a movie Fahrenheit 9/11 has its flaws, but in terms of cultural, social and political influence I don’tthink the significance of this movie can be overstated.– Sean

Mclusky/Oceansize
Thursday, June 17, 2004 @ The Horseshoe, Toronto

I first heard Mclusky on the way to see Iron Maidenlast summer. Listening to their previous album”Mclusky Do Dallas” for the first time is quite a rush. For a bit I thought parts of it were recorded live. Mclusky on their albums have been able to maintain a very dangerous, very live, interactive feel. Their music is anarchic, inspired, dirty, and very referenced. Mclusky’s references are very audible: Nirvana, the Pixies, Husker Du. And you know what? They sound punker and scarier than all of them combined. At a different time Mclusky would be huge, and maybe someday they will. The vast majority of their songs are anthems with memorable lines and choruses. And its hard to not like all Mclusky’s songs if you like one, since well, a lot of them sound pretty much the same. Since Mclusky have yet to pick up some real name recognition outside the Pitchforkmedia type community, I was really jazzed at the chance to see this band at a small club. And with Horseshoe’s great sound system, I knew I was in for a treat.

First I’d have to sit through Oceansize, who took the small stage at a little after 10 pm. I’d only heard snippets of their music before and didn’t care for it at the time. In little clips I had the impression Oceansize were another mid-level emo band. I was wrong. Oceansize live sound like so many bands that you end up calling them original. At intervals the band sound like Tool/A Perfect Circle, early I Mother Earth, Incubus, Mars Volta, Hum, Isis, I could keepgoing. Oceansize presented a wall of sound that withits three guitarists, pounding drums and bass fuzz, not to mention more special effects pedals than I could count, won the crowds respect, if not their feet. Yes, most of the crowd (much of the crowd did not show up until Mclusky took stage) actually sat inchairs rather than get anywhere near the stage. Atsome points it seemed to frustrate lead singer Mike Vennart, who spoke to the crowd with a touch of Thom Yorke-esque disdain. If this was true, it at least translated into an amazing performance. While the other members appeared to have fun, again, lead singer/guitarist Vennart played ANGRY. More angry than I think I’ve ever seen from someone live. The facial expressions, body movements, everything convinced me that this was an upset fellow. I think this was the clincher, convincing me to buy their album at the show. It is GOOD, albeit not as heavy on record as their live performance. As well, on record their music resembles less a few of the bands I mentioned earlier and more towards a type of indie prog rock. You’ve got your touches of Isis, but also you’ve got Mogwai in there too. Definitely worth checking out and I’d be excited to see Oceansize live again.

Mclusky took stage at around 11:20 and immediately ripped into “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues”, lead track from “Do Dallas” and a personal favorite. And they never let up, ripping through each song with precision and an energy few bands possess. I think overall “Do Dallas” got the most representation, with pieces from their new album “The Difference Between Me & You Is That I’m Not on Fire” getting almost as much play time. It took the live versions of new songs “That Man Will Not Hang” and “She Will Only Bring You Happiness” to really get me into the new disc, which until this show I had considered a disappointment in comparison.

Lead singer Andrew Falkous seems a master at intershow banter, or at least practiced, taking clever potshots at the few idiots (”Axl Rose” Falkous called them) who showed up and paid 10 bucks for no reason than to yell and have their own party at the back. It seemed very weird that this continued through most of both sets, how some jerk just couldn’t get tired of booing for booing’s sake.

The best song of the night was actually sang by Mclusky’s second vocalist, bassist Jonathan Chapple, “What We’ve Learned”. Jon took his chance to sing at the mic and belted out one of the harshest vocal performances I’ve ever seen live. He’s quite a performer when not singing as well, adopting his own weird shake as he plays, which seems even more odd considering how slanky and nerdly he otherwise looks. Drummer Jack Egglestone played his ass off, providing what seem like very simple drum beats, but playing very hard, earning every ounce of sweat that I could actually see consistently dripping from his face.

The only disappointment of the performance seemed tocome visually from Andrew Falkous. I’d hoped for acrazed stare into the crowd from the singer. It would just seem to fit what seemed like a maniac on record. Instead, Falkous provided a very solid and professional performance. He’s one of those types that closes his eyes as he plays.

This concert made me a much bigger fan of both bands, and that’s not usual. With that, I highly recommend you keep your eyes open for a listing should we be lucky enough both these great bands from the UK come back sometime in the future. — Goon

The Terminal
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Sacha Gervasi, Andrew Niccol, Jeff Nathanson
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride

As a big fan of Steven Spielberg, i knew when i saw the trailer for ‘The Terminal’ that there would be something about it that i would enjoy. I don’t hate Tom Hanks as much as most people seem to, and i can look past the sometimes naive sentimentality of Spielberg’s films. Much like ‘Catch Me If You Can’, i went into ‘The Terminal’ only knowing that if it were presented by any other person, i probably wouldn’t be as interested in seeing it. In the end, Catch Me If You Can was one of my favourite movies of that year. The Terminal may not live up to that status, but i definitely wasn’t dissappointed.

The story is based loosely on a man who willingly lived in a French aiport for a number of years. In the film we find Tom Hanks playing Viktor Navorski, a somewhat confused man from the fictional country of Krakozia. Sometime during his flight to New York City, Viktor’s homeland experiences a political coup. The end result finds Viktor arriving at an international airport claiming to be from a country that, as of mere hours ago, no longer exists. Because of this, custom official Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) refused to allow Viktor to set foot on American soil. After being given some food vouchers, he’s left roaming around the airport terminal with an invalid passport and no place to call home.

Over time Viktor befriends some of the airport employees and settles into an unusual non-existence. He finds ways to keep himself entertained and even an inventive way to make some money within the airport. As this happens, Dixon and his security crew watch in amazement through a series of security monitors. It seems as though Viktor is either happy to be there, or too naive to actually leave. Enter Catherine Zeta Jones as Amelia, an airline stewardess who dreams of meeting the perfect man. Until then, she settles for playing the role of the mistress to a married man. But when she meets Viktor, her eyes are opened to the possibility that the perfect man is out there, even though he may have some wack accent.

This film marks the continuing collaboration between Hanks and Spielberg, but more importantly the ongoing relationship of Spielberg and Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. They’ve worked together since Schindler’s List, and guarantee to present a visually creative picture. A story like The Terminal, in the hands of anyone else, would most likely be told with a visual staleness. Luckily the film ended up in the right hands and definitely has benefitted from it. Although a cool looking movie isn’t enough to hold your attention for two hours. Luckily the Terminal provides an interesting look at an interesting situation and Hanks manages to maintain his wack accent without getting too annoying.

Although the film contains some over the top romance, I felt it was done with a sort of wink to the audience. Spielberg seemed to pay homage to classic romantic films rather then try and present a modern love story. Either way, the romance is definitely the weakest part of the film.

I’m sure many film nerds, still holding a grudge against Spielberg for ruining Stanely Kubrick’s image of A.I., will find themselves hating this picture. However, they may find some solace in the performance of Kumar Pallanatucci (famous for his roles in every Wes Anderson film.) as a janitor who loves to watch people slip on his wet floor. I guess this reinforces the fact that Spielberg, or at least his casting director, still has his ear to the ground for that fresh new talent.

In the end, although this isn’t the best film of the year, or the best Spielberg film (1941 all the way), it definitely kept me entertained, and yes, even touched. Although I think I found myself moved more by the cinematography rather then the romance. – Jay C.

Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
(Capitol)

The Beastie Boys have been making records for a long time now and while they’re not quite over the hill, they’re certainly seeming more and more like the 3 white wise men of hip-hop these days. With the lengthy waits between albums, every time they release a new one it almost seems to mark a new era. No matter what the current trends are, their music always seems to integrate smoothly into the public consciousness. Whether it be the 80’s excess and decadence in Licensed To Ill, the start of social and political awareness on Check Your Head, or the sci-fi futuristic undertones of Hello Nasty, there has always been a feeling of progression to their music. And with all the pop culture references they drop in their lyrics, each album manages to capture the essence of a particular time period. To The 5 Boroughs is clearly a tribute to New York City and a commentary on the Bush administration, but more than anything it feels like they’re officially putting the 9/11 era to rest and urging everyone to move on.

Musically this album has the most in common with Paul’s Boutique, widely held by hip-hop purists as their finest release but commercially their least successful. To The 5 Boroughs is not as sample-crazy however, and is noticeably more mature in both content and style. Still, although the Beastie Boys have gotten more politically active over the years, they haven’t necessarily gotten more uptight. This is a fun party album with a high body movin’ factor, and there are still plenty of expletives being thrown around throughout their rapping. Let’s face it, hip-hop just sounds that much cooler when you are swearing. The song “Hey Fuck You” is sure to become a fan favourite, with its series of humourous insults and the anthemic chorus, “And if you don’t like it then hey fuck you!”

There are still some serious messages here though too, such as the anti-George W. “It Takes Time To Build” and the album’s optimistic closer “We Got The”. The most resonant track is definitely “An Open Letter To NYC”. It’s a simple song about the strength and diversity of their hometown, built up over a sample from the Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer”, and it feels like the album’s peak when Mike D raps “Dear New York, I know a lot has changed. 2 towers down but you’re still in the game. Home to the many, rejecting no one, accepting people of all places, wherever they’re from.”

The return to a stripped down old school sound is seemingly inspired in part by the unforeseen popularity of their back-to-basics track, “Three MC’s And One DJ” from Hello Nasty. This is the most straightforward album they’ve done in a long time, lacking any of the funky instrumentals, short punk rock scorchers or weird pop experiments we’ve heard in the past. This record is focused with a unity of purpose and sound, and although it’s supposedly been in the works for years, it feels like it all could have been written in the span of a few weeks.

At times, the simple beats and lack of experimentation make the album feel repetitive and generic, but there are plenty of surprises to be found upon closer inspection. On “Crawlspace” for example, Adrock tries rapping without the nasally tone he is known for, and comes across sounding like a totally different guest rapper. Above all the album showcases the strength and wit of their rhyming. Who else could pull off lyrics like “Hey could you please pass me the peas? And let me get a tissue if you think you’re gonna sneeze. I’m the player and the coach. I’m no roach. I bought my grandma a brand new brooch.”? Browsing through the lyrics in the liner notes is also fun just because of the little “footnotes” and editor’s messages scattered throughout.

It may have been a long wait, but To The 5 Boroughs was worth it. It’s their 6th full length album and they’re still going strong. Unlike just about every other band out there, the quality of their output is not dropping off as they get older. Of course, it probably helps when you have your own recording studio, unlimited money, and 3 or 4 year breaks in between albums, but you’ve gotta give them credit for delivering the goods. And if you don’t like like it then hey… — Sean

Maximum RNR - s/t
(Ind.)

Believe it or not,Canada has a pretty good reputation for putting out solid rock and roll albums. Names likeDanko Jones, Tricky Woo, and The Smugglers have been delivering raw, sweat-soakedrock action for years before the so-called rock revival trend hit (and incidentally,is that over yet?). Toronto’s Maximum RNR seem poised and determined to join the ranksof these legends, and although their debut 6 song EP does not immediately vault them upto the same level, it is a step in the right direction.Truth be told, they would probably rather be seen alongside the likes of The Dwarves andThe Dictators anyways.

Starting out under the name Maximum R&B, a number of mis-bookings anda lead singer replacement prompted the band to amend their name, ensuring thatpeople would understand that they were a balls-out, loud and snotty punk rockand roll band, not a mod or soul band.But if the new name didn’t make it clear anough, this EP will erase any doubt as to whatthey are all about (even if the upwards pointing arrow in their logo still seemslike a misplaced mod reference).

It’s easy to pick up on the influences in their music; from current bands likethe New Bomb Turks and Zeke, to old school favourites such as the MC5 and Iggy & The Stooges,Maximum RNR know their RNR history well.

Lead singer Louie Durand’s snarl is the perfect complement for the music, edgy and vicious, and Ian Blurton’s production makes the whole thing sound authentic and lo-fi without sounding like crap.

Of course, when you have a look at the lyrics and song titles you get the feeling thatthese guys are trying a little too hard to adopt the typical rebellious, bad ass rock n roll attitude.Songs like “Southern Comfort”, “Switchblade” and “DFF” (Drink Fight Fuck) seem a bit fabricated, and part of the problem is that it’s obvious how much fun they’re having playing the music. They do have a reputation for sustaining numerous injuries during live performances though, so maybe they have earned the right to sing about a rough and tumble lifestyle. I guess the bigger issue here is simply that they need to find their own style and cultivate it, but that is to be expected for a band’s first recording.

Another common snag that rock bands seem to hit nowadays is that they havetrouble walking the line between raw, dirty rock n roll and metal.Clearly there is a point where the two genres converge, and somewhere near that point you’d probably find bands like Motorhead and AC/DC (another obvious influence onMaximum RNR). While this is a matter of personal preference, I think that rock androll is more effective when you keep it simple, and there are moments where there is too muchguitar shredding going on in Maximum RNR’s music to uphold the level of power and energy they are expending. You can tell there are some former metalheads in this band, andevery now and then it shines through. This may or may not be seen as a good thing.

When these guys are on, however, they are definitely on. I was impressed with the quality of these 6 songs, especially for a band that’s been together for such a short period of time. Fans of any of the aforementioned influences will definitely dig Maximum RNR, or anyone who can appreciate that middle ground between rock and roll and metal. What they lack in originality, they make up for in blood and sweat. No tears though, because that’s only for wussies. — Sean

Secret Machines/The Fire Theft/Mellowdrone
Saturday, June 5, 2004 @ The Mod Club, Toronto

Having never heard of the Secret Machines before two weeks ago it was surprising to see that they were playing a show so soon after appearing in several small publications. More surprising was the fact that they were the opening act for Fire Theft and the fact that Fire Theft were getting no publicity for a show they were supposedly headlining. However the fact remained that Secret Machines were a recent hot ticket and Fire Theft were ex Sunny Day Real Estate so why not check it out.

Mellowdrone, a band out of L.A., opened up the show at 7:00 pm while onlookers sat in classy tables that lined the room neatly. It sort of felt like the scene in 24 Hour Party People at the Sex Pistols show, there was a buzz of energy in the air like something special was happening. In reality everyone was just stoned and the Mod Club theatre has pop art murals of David Bowie and other future boys from the 60’s and 70’s so you just thought you were in 1977. Mellowdrone fit there name fairly well, their music was kind of boring with too many influences falling out of their instruments. The lead singer also looked a lot like Joe Strummer but that’s probably not his fault. During their final number they let loose with some energy which left everyone in a hyper mood. It’s kind of a cheap move to do a mediocre set and then let loose and trick all the stoners into thinking you had a high energy show because they can’t remember the start. Kind of smart if you want to sell cd’s at the merch table though.

A step outside for a smoke led to a meeting with some underage maladaptive music listeners that were denied entry. Instead of getting angry they took matters into their own hands sat outside the stage door to catch a few spare notes which was incredibly cool. Maybe it’s just the new generation experimenting with this concept of concert attendance or maybe teenagers of the 90’s were just dumb but when I couldn’t get into a show I just complained and said dickhead things like “since when does age have anything to do with music” and then pouted in a Weezer shirt.

A step back into the show found an intimate table some domestic beer and a feedback buzz on a dimly lit stage that signified a voyage into the raw sound of the past. With a look and sound reminscant of late 1960’s psychedelic noise the group exploded into a fifteen minute opening song that had myself and many others awe stricken and wondering how much more we could handle. That was only the first song. The band led you up and down in tempo and one point guitarist Josh Garza was playing only one chord in the middle of three loud hits of the crash symbols by drummer Benjamin Curtis. That was repeated about thirty times with the occasional ambient addition of melody played on the organ by Benjamin’s brother Brandon. With a raw and simple sound like this arranged perfectly with excellent musical ideas it was hard not too imagine that everyone wasn’t having profound introspective thoughts such as my group was. While staring into the three large pot lights placed behind each member of the band that solely lit the stage I suddenly was struck with a fantastic film idea just as my friend Paul cried out “I just figured out how I’ll finish my essay!”

By the end of the Secret Machines mysterious set it felt like we were only shells of what we once were but really we just needed more to drink. With a couple of saucy little concoctions refueling our high running emotions it was now time for the final act of the evening (and I do mean evening at 9:30pm) Fire Theft. I was vague on The Fire Theft’s music before entering the show other than knowing that they were comprised of ex-Sunny Day Real Estate members Jeremy Enigk, William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel. So it was basically Sunny Day with a new name. If you didn’t already know the bassist from the Foo Fighters, Nate, headed up half the rhythm section in Sunny Day and it was extremely surprising when he walked out on stage with the band not knowing that he was in Fire Theft at the time. All the attempted suicides who were into emo in 1994 were probably wetting their pants and ruining their vegan skate shoes. The unsurprising part was that they sounded a lot like the mid-nineties punk influenced alt-rock they always played, but hey who doesn’t like that huh? This wasn’t an all ages show though so everyone in attendance remembered 1996. What else can be said about the Fire Theft though; their music had a good edge to it with some pop sensibility but I can’t say that the Secret Machines didn’t upstage them a bit. The two bands didn’t really belong together on the same bill; the dynamic was too different, from 1960’s psychedelic sound to 1990’s post skate punk. All the bands had a good sound, some fresher than others, but who cares, everyone at the show was hammered wearing their black hoodies and beards having a good time. — Jackson Main

Bubba Ho-Tep (DVD)
Written and Directed by: Don Coscarelli
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis

Are you sick of all of those annoying nerds that, when not quoting the Simpsons constantly, talk about how much they love Bruce Campbell and the Evil Dead movies? I don’t know how many times I’ve been at a video store and overheard this discussion: “Have you seen the Evil Dead? It’s fuckin’ hilarious! ‘GROOVY’ ahahahha The third one isn’t as good though.” Don’t get me wrong, I love the Evil Dead movies and Bruce Campbell as much as the next guy, I just hate other people that like it. Well now there’s a whole new reason to hate: Bubba Ho-Tep.

Written and directed by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm series, Beastmaster series) and starring Bruce Campbell (“That guy from those Evil Dead movies! Man he’s fuckin funny.”) Bubba Ho-Tep is an unusual film about Elvis, JFK and an undead mummy. It takes place in a retirement home where the real Elvis Presley is alive and well… and old. Bruce Campbell does a dead on impression of someone doing an impression of Elvis Presley, and is sporting some sweet salt n pepper mutton chops. In a flashback, we see Elvis offer his sequenced jumpsuit to a well known impersonator in return for a normal life. The only catch is if he decides to return to the spotlight, the impersonator must willingly allow him to do so. However, when the contract stating this agreement is lost in an unfortunate barbecue accident, Elvis is doomed to a life of normalcy. That is until he finds himself investigating the disappearance of elderly residents in a southern retirement home. After being attacked by a large beetle, Elvis decides to team up with a fellow resident, played by Ossie Davis (Do the Right Thing) that claims to be John F. Kennedy. His explanation for the fact that he’s black is one that makes complete sense to him. “They dyed me”. By the end of the film we find these two unlikely heroes going into battle against a powerful undead mummy named “Bubba Ho-Tep”.

With such a limited theatrical release, Bubba Ho-Tep found its audience through word of mouth and internet advertising. Obviously the involvement of Bruce Campbell helped in peaking the interest of film nerds around the world. The unusual plot, based on a short story by author Joe R. Lansdale, definitely played a role in the film’s success as well. Most of the humour of the movie comes from the ridiculous ideas and situations. At first I thought the idea of Elvis and JFK fighting a mummy was sort of gimmicky, but luckily the mummy takes a backseat to the story of Elvis himself. The movie spends more time in bed with Elvis, analyzing how he got to the point he’s at in his life. And Ossie Davis’ performance as JFK works only because he truly believes he is the president. In the end, the actual battle against the mummy is sort of overshadowed by the dialogue between these two classic characters.

Of course a movie of this size usually finds its true audience on video. With the popularity of DVDs, a film will sometimes make more money in its video release than it did in theatres. This seems to be the case with Bubba Ho-Tep. Loaded with extras including commentary from Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell, not to mention commentary by Bruce Campbell in character as “The King”, this DVD is definitely worth owning. A cool behind-the-scenes featurette also gives a glimpse into the work that went into turning such an unusual story into a film.

Soon you’ll be visiting the local video store, and behind you two fat nerds will be having a conversation that goes something like this: “Oh man, have you seen this movie? It’s got the guy from Evil Dead in it and he plays Elvis and he fights a mummy. It’s fucking hilarious! It’s not as good as Evil Dead though.” — Jay C.

Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First
(Epitaph)

With the triumphant return of Brett Gurewitz to the line-up, Bad Religion produced one of their most solid efforts in years, 2002’s The Process Of Belief. While many naysayers had written them off ever since they signed to a major label, their reunion with Mr. Brett and Epitaph had suddenly given them back their street cred and all was forgiven. It should come as a no-brainer then that their latest album would be just as urgent and intense as the last, if not moreso considering the current political climate and the band’s penchant for politically-charged songwriting. Oh, except for one thing. It’s not.

For years Bad Religion have been on a downward slide, and while it was noticeable and expectedfor a punk rock band that’s been around for over 20 years, I still felt that they had been aging somewhatgracefully. With The Empire Strikes First however, stagnancy has finally shown signs of setting in.I’ll be the first to admit that Bad Religion’s music is pretty damn formulaic; Greg Graffin’sgravelly voice and the trademark backing “oozin aah’s” ensure that most of their songs sound similar in some way.The problem here is not the formula itself but rather the fact that the use of said formula is mostly bland and uninteresting, and that any new elements that have been introduced don’t really add anything to the mix.

Case in point, the double-kick bass drumming of Brooks Wackerman and super crisp production that makes them sound like every other skate punk band, or the rap interlude on “Let Them Eat War” provided by hip-hop/spoken word artist Sage Francis which seems like a cheap attempt by Bad Religion to stay hip. Then there’s the minor electronic breakdown at the end of “Beyond Electric Dreams” credited to Atticus and Leopold Ross that has been toned down to the point where it’s almost not even audible. A shameless plug for Mr. Brett’s side project Error or an interesting new experiment in sound? You decide.

When you’ve been around this long, playing music in such a limited genre, you’re also bound to repeat yourself a few times.”To Another Abyss” sounds like a rehash of “Struck A Nerve”, while “The Empire Strikes First” is basically one note away from “21st Century Digital Boy”.

Lyrically there are, as you might expect, a lot of songs about the war in Iraq and maybe this is another reason I find the album uninteresting. While it’s certainly a relevant topic worth addressing, there are just so many people putting in their two cents right now that it makes this album seem insignificant. When Graffin isn’t singing about war and foreign policy, he’s focusing on atheism and making George Orwell references, two other tired and typical punk rock topics. The lyrics are still more thoughtful and literate than most bands out there, but it’s not enough.

Songs like “Sinister Rouge”, “All There Is” and “God’s Love” find the band honing their formula to a level on par with some of the more memorable work from their past. However, the prevailing impression I get from The Empire Strikes First is that there is just too much filler. Even Brett Gurewitz’s guitar riffs seem disappointingly generic this time around, which goes to show that his involvement is not the magic ingredient that makes a great B.R. record. Hey, if you’re going to have 3 guitarists in one band you’d better do something interesting with them, otherwise you’re just wasting my time!

While some people are likely to see The Empire Strikes First as a logical continuation of The Process Of Belief, I hear a world of difference in the quality of output on these two albums. There’s no mistaking that it sounds like Bad Religion, it’s just not the Bad Religion they once were. — Sean