Rampage (1986) - Video Game Review

I know that today most people are familiar with XBox One, Playstation 4 and the lot, but when I was a kid it was all about owning the latest awesome video game for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System...) And you know what? There was a lot of them! 

One of these games is actually believe it or not one of the first video games I ever played on any system... And this one... Believe it or up til recently I hadn't played since I was 4 years old! That game is, Rampage (1986) by Bally Midway (a.k.a. The former, 'Midway Games'!) 

Rampage... A classic NES game that maybe as much fun on other systems, but for my money, the original will always be the best!

Now this game started off as an arcade game back in the mid 80s... For myself though, I only got to try it the one time when it was an arcade game, and the truth is, is that this game was pretty amazing in the arcade... (I would go so far as to say that this game's format for me... I think that, that was probably in the arcade!) 

Anyway, basically this game's story tells of a group of humans (in the first one it is only two humans,) who end up being mutated in to giant King-Kong & Godzillaish style monsters, and the idea is that through the game you go through city after city in the United States destroying one after another until you have essentially made a full circle through out the country, and parts of Canada! 

King-Kong anyone?

I have to say that smashing buildings to rubble is a ton of fun! 

Ok, so that maybe the best part of the game... But there are some other good stuff in this game... I mean it is easy to control, and considering how long this game is, the music and graphics are pretty fun! 

Now for the bad part... This game has about 128 levels... And where as about the first 50 levels or so are a ton of fun to play in a row... Much after that the game starts to get a little dull... 

So if you are planning on going through the game from beginning to end, you might want to spend a few days or a week on this one... But if you do, you won't regret it! 

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Metroid (1986) - Video Game Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

You know there was a lot of truly awesome games for the Nintendo, including such classics that I have already mentioned in previous reviews including: Super Mario Bros., Contra, Mega Man, etc... But there is another game that I thought that I would mention here...

That game being, 'Metroid' (1986):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="155"] A true classic![/caption]

This game, (which I suspect may have been at least partly the inspiration for, 'Halo') was published for the Nintendo (as a matter of fact you could say that it is one of their longer running successful video game series...)

But this game, which has stayed on since the Famicom Disk System, and has since been remade a handful of times for most of the systems that Nintendo has released (all the way up to the Wii U,) was an awesome Science Fiction Action/Adventure video game that told the story of how a woman by the name of, 'Samus Aran' who is quickly trying to recapture stolen, 'Metroid' parasites that Space Pirates intend to use against her and all that oppose them!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Samus Aran at the beginning of the game![/caption]

This game was an interesting one, you see this game was was one of the first video games to feature a female protagonist, and which also got the player involved by giving them an incentive to play as quickly as possible due to the various endings that you could see depending on how quick you could beat the game!

Anyway, over all this game is fun, and definitely worth trying if you get the chance!

http://youtu.be/-KDEWJyQEdk

Five Great Actors And Actresses That Also Saw Success As Musicians

One of the things that I have noticed as a common theme in all facets of the entertainment industry and there are several examples of this in the world of sports as well, and that is the fact that there seems to be a lot of people that generally seem to gravitate toward doing movies and TV shows...

Well you know what, I got to thinking about those actors & actresses that saw commercial success as musicians, and there are many, but here are five great actors and actresses that also saw success as musicians!

At number 5: David Hasselhoff (Starcrash).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="470"] David Hasselhoff in, 'Knight Rider'![/caption]

Today we all know Mr. Hasselhoff for his drunken antics that made it to Youtube... It is sad because the man is a great actor having torn up the small screen in the 90s with such shows as, 'Baywatch', but his career (at least on the international stage) has been a major sensation since the at least the 1970s!

For more information on David Hasselhoff please enjoy this trailer for one of his better movies, Starcrash (1979).

http://youtu.be/pzfuNSpP0RA

And please enjoy this song that he did in Germany in the 70s!

http://youtu.be/SebarSe6u4c

At number 4: Juliette Lewis (From Dusk Till Dawn).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Juliette Lewis in a scene from, 'From Dusk Til Dawn' (1996)![/caption]

Now this actress has seen immense commercial success in both Movie and TV, but in the last bunch of years she has seriously begun to see some major success touring with her band, 'Juliette & The Licks'!

For more information on Juliette Lewis, please enjoy this trailer for, From Dusk Till Dawn (1996):

http://youtu.be/-bBay_1dKK8

And also please check out this song from, 'Juliette & The Licks':

http://youtu.be/E9mRYCK--cI

At number 3: Steve Martin (Little Shop Of Horrors).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Steve Martin in a scene from, 'Little Shop Of Horrors'![/caption]

We all know who this guy is, I mean the antics that he has done both on TV and in Movies for the past decades.... That's right, I said decades, is truly legendary! But recently I have come to discover that Steven Martin has been heading in to the world of music with some success!

For more information on Steve Martin, please enjoy this trailer for, Little Shop Of Horrors (1986):

http://youtu.be/nWu1Q16AV5U

Also please enjoy this song from the master himself!

http://youtu.be/5bcO1svqh_Q

At number 2: Kevin Bacon (Friday The 13th).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Kevin Bacon is having a bad day in, 'Friday The 13th' (1980).[/caption]

Kevin Bacon has been a staple in the world of movies for decades, both as a horror icons, and in the more mainstream world of movies... But he also has a band with his brother, 'Michael' called, 'The Bacon Brothers'

For more information on Kevin Bacon, please enjoy this trailer for, Friday The 13th (1980):

http://youtu.be/2S8YFTcEDME

Also please enjoy this song from, 'The Bacon Brothers':

http://youtu.be/W8xXmeyVenI

At number 1: Will Smith (Men In Black)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="271"] Will Smith in, 'Men In Black' (1997):[/caption]

Will Smith is another one of those Hollywood staples that frequently has a movie that is in some level of production, but one of the things that he is lesser known for is the fact that Mr. Smith has also periodically had a pretty successful music career, including having done some of the music for one of his biggest hits, Men In Black (1997)!

For more information on Will Smith, please enjoy this trailer for, Men In Black (1997):

http://youtu.be/uCJHn-ZFH54

Also please enjoy this song from the hit 1997 movie as well!

http://youtu.be/KSRF3slguhI

It (1986) - Stephen King - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know when I was younger my Dad and I used to share a lot of the same type of interests in the types of movies that we watched, the type of music that we listened to, and the types of books that we both like to read... Well I hate to say it, but as time went on, his interests began to change in movies and books (Music is still pretty much the same though.)

Well when I was a teenager and was getting deeply involved in reading one of the things that he ended up doing was he gave me his entire works of Stephen King that he had in book form, and being a fan of the movies that were based on his novels, I immediately dived in to it, and I have to admit that I was really impressed with them! I mean they are some times scary, some times not, but frequently keep you on the edge of your seat and interested!

And the book, 'It' (1986) is no different!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="214"] A fun time![/caption]

Published by Viking Press, this tale told the story of a group of friends who when as kids in their small town they end up encountering a dangerous force that is not just out to get them, but is out to try and make a game of it!

And in the end, they may not have had to deal with it as kids, but they will have to deal with this entity as adults, and re-connect for one final battle!

In the end, this book was an amazing ride, and is definitely scary at moments, but at other moments is not, but in the end, the build up and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, and my face glued to my book until the bitter end!

So give it a try, I think that you might find out that you really like it!

5 Great Video Game Series That Got Their Starts A Generation Ago

That's right folks, with all of the modern games that are coming out at such a rapid rate, that we some times forget where some of these staple franchises have come from, and so I thought that I would remind some of us out there where these modern games got their start:

At number 5: Castlevania.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2' (2014), and 'Castlevania' (1986):

http://youtu.be/ENSDrPpFp-Y

http://youtu.be/pJk-zhp8aA0

At number 4: Contra.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Hard Corps Uprising' (2011), and 'Contra' (1987):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzQKF9LUQ90

http://youtu.be/ZDOrp_TMGfA

At number 3: Mega Man.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Mega Man 10' (2010), and 'Mega Man' (1987):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnGfx0dfi7g&w=420&h=315]

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaS1c-16frU&w=560&h=315]

At number 2: Sonic The Hedgehog.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Sonic Boom' (2014), and 'Sonic The Hedgehog' (1991):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAhNkZWvZJ4

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3ny0Pr09S8&w=420&h=315]

At number 1: Street Fighter.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Street Fighter X Tekken' (2012), and 'Street Fighter' (1987):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_dM7SWLBTQ&w=420&h=315]

http://youtu.be/KLQ1aCOSQos

The Many Faces Of, 'Leatherface' And The Men Who Played Him

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'Leatherface' with his family as they are about to sit down for dinner in, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'![/caption]

Believe it or not, with the exception of Freddy Krueger (who has uptil the recent remake has been played by: Robert Englund), and Norman Bates, (who til it's remake had always been played by: Anthony Perklins,) most long standing horror movie villains have been played by several different actors.

A good example of this is, 'Kane Hodder' (Hatchet)... Now Kane Hodder had up until recently been kind of universally recognized as the actor who played, 'Jason Voorhees' in the, 'Friday The 13th' movies... The only thing is, is that he didn't start playing the role till around part 7, and there were at least a couple of actors who played the role before him, and played them after him!

Well I got to thinking that you guys might enjoy a look back at the many looks of ,'Leatherface' over the years, (another role that has been played by many actors,) and the actors that played him!

So with out further adieu:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): Gunnar Hansen as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Gunnar Hansen played the role of, 'Leatherface' first, when he did, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)![/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Bill Johnson as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2953" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bill Johnson would go on to take over the role in 1986's, ' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'[/caption]

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990): R.A. Mihailoff as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="640"] R.A. Mihailoff would go on to be the first person to play the role in the 90s with, 'Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3' (1990)[/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994): Robert Jacks as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Robert Jacks would be the final person to play the role in the 90s, having taken over for, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation' (1994)[/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006): Andrew Bryniarski as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Andrew Bryniarski would not only go on to be the first person to play the role in the new millennium, but he would be the first person in the history of the franchise to have played the role more then once![/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013): Dan Yeager as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="543"] To date... Dan Yeager is the most recent person to take over the role, but not only has he taken over the role, but in my opinion, helped bring the original series back to prominence, what with helping reboot the original franchise![/caption]

In the end, this series is pretty awesome, and if you are like me, then you are really looking forward to what comes next!

5 Classic Japanese Commercials For 5 Classic Video Game Systems

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Nintendo is one of the most historically relevant video game manufacturers of all time... Most of the video games & consoles that we all grew up with had their beginning largely in Japan![/caption]

You know, most people may not know this, but for most of the 20th century, and even today (although not as much today, as it had been in the past), but Japan was the dominating force behind Video Games and their consoles...

Nintendo is a great example of this... Even though, 'Nintendo' and it's accompanying video games and consoles are all over the world, and are still a dominating force in American Video Gamming... The company was formed in Japan with just about all of the generations of their video games originating in Japan.

Sega is another good example of this, It is true that Sega doesn't really do video game consoles anymore, but they still do video games, and just about all of that also has it's roots in Japan as well!

So I thought that it might be fun to see, 5 Classic Japanese Commercials For 5 Classic Video Game Systems:

Color TV Game (1977 - 1980):

http://youtu.be/hvEQIjSNbv8

Famicom (1983 - 2003):

http://youtu.be/2Ll4XbatNB4

Sega: Master System (1986 - 1996):

http://youtu.be/DHReBmIKscs

Atari 2600 (1977 - 1992):

http://youtu.be/0YLwftwWZlQ

Playstation (1994 - 2006):

http://youtu.be/BEuBYE6je_U

5 Great Musicians Taken Before Their Time!

You know, you would think that one of the most dangerous art forms to work in would be like, 'The Circus' or, 'Daredevil Stunt Work' and the truth is, is that those are some of the more dangerous art based professions to work in, but the truth is, is that I wouldn't say that these are the only dangerous art professions at all! Oddly enough, believe it or not, I would say that becoming a famous actor at a young age, or being a musician are some of the other ones!

Now I am not saying this because the professions is inherently fraught with risks, and thus you should not be working in these professions...

No, I guess what I am trying to say is that these professions are definitely not the most risky jobs in the world (Any job more or less has a slight degree of risk associated with it, but acting and music are by far some of the least professions fraught with peril!) No in this case what I mean is that they are some of the most dangerous because they have some of the biggest pitfalls there are! And because of that we have lost some truly phenomenal actors/actresses and musicians in the hole!

And that is why I thought that I would honor some of the great musicians that died before their time with this list of, '5 Great Musicians Taken Before Their Time'!

At number 5: Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="562"] Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)[/caption]

Michael Jackson entertained audiences all over the world since he was a kid, to this day he is still a beloved artist by legions of fans all over the world... Unfortunately though, when Michael Jackson was preparing for his swansong tour, he passed away due to an accidental overdose!

http://youtu.be/h_D3VFfhvs4

At number 4: Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbott (1966 - 2004):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbott (1966 - 2004)[/caption]

This guy has kicked ass in many bands including such bands as: 'Pantera', but unfortunately his career was cut short when while on stage performing with, 'Damageplan' he was murdered...

http://youtu.be/cvHDSTf3At4

At number 3: The Big Bopper, Ritche Valens & Buddy Holly...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="516"] Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper & Ritchie Vaiens, 3 legendary musicians that will never be forgotten![/caption]

In a lot of respects, these guys could be said to be the direct ancestors of a lot of the modern rock 'n roll scene! So it is a shame that when they were tired of taking their tour bus, Buddy Holly chartered a Plane for them... the only problem is that it crashed, killing these legendary talents!

http://youtu.be/SaXA_Hr0CE8

http://youtu.be/jNrpAgTXiC4

http://youtu.be/bfu_gfPBPWc

At number 2: Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977)[/caption]

Here is another amazing musician who when he was about to go back on tour ended up passing away before he could go back on tour... That light may have been snuffed, but the King Of Rock will always reign supreme!

http://youtu.be/gj0Rz-uP4Mk

At number 1: Cliff Burton (1962 - 1986):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Cliff Burton (1962 - 1986)[/caption]

Still considered to be the best bassist Metallica has ever had, Cliff Burton passed away after a tour bus accident while Metallica was on the European leg of their, 'Damage Inc.' tour...

http://youtu.be/6O9zMnwD65Q

Aliens (1986) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="350"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

Written by: James Cameron (The Terminator), David Giler (The Money Pit), Walter Hill (The Warriors) & Directed by: James Cameron. Starring: Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Carrie Henn (Alien Evolution), Paul Reiser (Mad About You), Lance Henriksen (Millennium), Bill Paxton (Twister), Michael Biehn (The Abyss), Jeanette Goldstein (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), William Hope (Captain America: The First Avenger), and Al Matthews (Tomorrow Never Dies).

This movie is an interesting one to me, you see usually sequels tend to not to be as good as the original movie… They usually have overblown special effects, a bigger cast, and an over the top story that seldom is ever as good as the original… This movie to me is not one of those!

You see this movie had a great cast which brought back Sigourney Weaver (who played Ellen Ripley in the first movie) and told the story of how after the hell that she went through on board the Nostromo fighting the first Xenomorph attack, she ends up drifting through space for centuries in the Nostromo’s escape craft’s Hypersleep chamber!

Now when she gets back, she ends up losing her status within, ‘The Company’ when they learn that she is the only one that has survived the attack on the, ‘Nostromo’ and all of her crew is killed by the Xenomorph…

After she loses her status in the company and is relegated to loading freight on to ships that are coming in and out of the company’s space station near Earth, she also ends up finding out what happened to her daughter centuries ago, and ends up falling in to a deep depression… That is of course until Carter Burke (Reiser) pays her a visit…

[caption id="attachment_896" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Carter Bruke (Paul Reiser) and Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) not longer after Ripley is rescued from the, 'Nostromo' escape vehicle![/caption]

You see Burke got it arranged to have a colony installed on to LV426 (the planet where Ripley and the Nostromo had originally picked up their Alien passenger that ultimately ended up destroying the Nostromo, it’s crew, and ruining Ripley’s life!)

Now the Colony has stopped communicating with the company back at home and Burke is putting together a team of Colonial Marines (an elite military unit that works with the company) to head to the planet to check on the colony, and since Ripley had been their centuries ago, Burke decided to bring Ripley along as an advisor on the mission… (and despite her better judgment decides to head off with Burke and the Marines…)

In the end, Burke, Ripley and the rest of the Marines will get more then they bargained for when they make it to the planet and Ripley comes face to face again with the Aliens that ruined her life!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Ripley is about to go head to head one more time in, 'Aliens (1986)![/caption]

Now you wouldn't think it, but this movie in my opinion maybe one of the few sequels that are as good (if not better than the original), and I think that is in large part due to the fact that the first two Alien movies were directed by Directors who would later become Science Fiction Masters! (Ridley Scott for Alien (1979), and James Cameron for Aliens (1986)!)

Another thing that I really liked about this movie is the special effects… I mean like most sequels, the special effects are bigger and more splashier… (these are, but they are done really tastefully.)

The cast of course was utterly phenomenal in this (as they are in most of the other movies that I have seen them in…)

And in all truth, the story was awesome! I mean I always love Sci-Fi, but I also love how they put an element of drama and deceit that was all believable and very well done!

In the end, this movie is an amazing good time and if you haven’t seen it yet, then you might give it a try… I think you might really like it!

http://youtu.be/XKSQmYUaIyE

Metallica - Master Of Puppets: Master Of Puppets (1986) Song Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="307"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Believe it or not, when I was a kid, even though I was a fan of Horror & Science Fiction Movies (and I suppose that you could say, the darker side of entertainment, but believe it or not until I was around 14 or 15 I was really in to the more easy listening style of music... I know kind of odd right?

Well that was until one day when I was visiting a friend when I was about 14 or 15 and my friend happened to be playing the Load album by, 'Metallica', (Listen I know most fans tend to consider that Metallica sold out at that point but the truth is, is that Load and Reload were good albums, but misunderstood just because of how different they were from the rest of their music,)

Regardless, after listening to a few of the songs from, Load, I really enjoyed heavy metal music, and especially Metallica... there is something about their Music which has been known to have post-apocalyptic (but so in what I believe to be a tasteful non over the top sort of way), but besides that, they have taken heavy metal music in directions that a lot of other musicians never really did to much of... Including creating an album with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, as well as doing some really bad ass country'esque style music on one of their albums as well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Lead singer, 'James Hetfield' as he is playing with the San Francisco symphony orchestra at the concert hat they did together![/caption]

With all that in mind, one of the first albums that I purchased of theirs, that I have still to date found to be one of their better albums was the album, Master Of Puppets (1986), which I would say has one of their most popular songs in their catalog... the title name of the album... Master Of Puppets!

What made this song so great in my opinion? Well a few things, first off this song gave off the tone and attitude of what I would consider to be a greath thrash metal album (which I always kind of attributed to some of their earliest works... And which it seems like they have tried to re-capture with some of their later albums,) Their first album was a great example of this, but besides that, this album tonally I believe gave the listener a hint of the more dusty, (almost country-esque) style of heavy metal that would keep them going through out the 1990s... Although I will admit that this song is more thrash metal then the more easy, but still bad ass almost (country-esque) style of music...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Cliff Burton with the rest of the Metallica crew back in the 80s.... It has been said that Cliff always thought that the song, 'Master Of Puppets' was the best song on that album![/caption]

Another thing that I wanted to say, is that for this album, that this would be the last album that bassist Cliff Burton would do with the band, which was quite unfortunate because he would end up passing away after this album was released (for those of you who are new to Metallica, Cliff Burton was the bassist for Metallica from it's first album all the way up till he passed away in 1986... And he is also the bassist that most Metallica fans (myself included) consider to be the best that Metallica ever had!) Which makes not only this song but the album in the whole a little anti-climatic...

This award winning song is so good and was so popular by fans (myself included), that it was re-produced for Metallica's album, S&M, as well as having been sang at other live performances many times, as well as having been re-produced by other musicians such as, 'Limp Bizkit', 'Anthrax' and even, 'Ugly Kid Joe' who ended up using it as one of the songs for the Metallica tribute album!

In the end, this is an awesome song, and if you are a metal fan, then give it a try, you might find that you really like it!

Please enjoy this live segment from Metallica's, 'Cunning Stunts' concert that Metallica released in 1998!

http://youtu.be/K_WPYZQ5N98

An Interesting Look At The History Of Metallica's Bassists!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] From left: Kirk Hammett (Guitarist), James Hetfield (Lead Singer), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Cliff Burton (Bassist).[/caption]

Just about everyone knows about Robert Trujillo and his role as Metallica's bassist... The truth is, is he is not bad... But he is just not a Cliff Burton or Jason Newsted.... But then again who really is?

Since Metallica came in to existence one of the weird facts about Metallica is the fact that they have not had a permanent bassist!

The first bassist that they had was bassist Ron McGovney... He came on when the group first formed back in the early 1980s, but due to clashing with Lars Ulrich (Drummer), and Dave Mustaine (guitarist)... After that though Metallica really started to come in to it's own!

You see after Ron McGovney left Metallica, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich found Bassist, Cliff Burton! Now for those of you who don't know who Cliff Burton is, (Well you should... Joking! ;p)

With that in mind Cliff Burton became one of the best bassists that Metallica ever had (most people who are long term fans of, Metallica (myself included), consider him to be one of the best bassists that Metallica ever had!)  The reason that I think he maybe one of the best bassists that they ever had, is not just the fact that he plays (or unfortunately played), one kick ass bass guitar... But you can tell in the old concert footage of Metallica's, that Cliff Burton and the Metallica team really jelled amazingly well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Cliff Burton was one of the most kick ass bassists that Metallica ever had![/caption]

Unfortunately though, the truth is, is that back in 1986 Cliff Burton would pass away in an accident when the band was touring in Sweden...

In my opinion... (and for you Cliff Burton fans, don't worry I am still with you on the fact that he is one of the better Metallica bassists,) but after Cliff Burton passed away Jason Newsted took over the bassist position!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Jason Newsted tearing it up on his bass![/caption]

And the truth is, is that Metallica grew up with Newsted as the bassist (considering the fact that unfortunately Cliff Burton ended up passing away with in the first 5 years of Metallica's life), and so I can't really say that Jason Newsted was particularly a bad bassist... He just was no Cliff Burton!

The truth is though, and this maybe the biggest failure... (but in some way the biggest plus point for me) is the fact that not long after ...And Justice For All (1988) Metallica's sound started to change (don't get me wrong their older work is some of my favorite albums, but a lot of the stuff that changed after, ...And Justice For All came out that I did find that I really enjoy!)

I can't really explain it except to say that the work during this time (which i would say is mostly work that they did together in the early 1990s was some of the best work that Jason Newsted did with the band! Especially when they did the, Black Album (I know that, 'The Unforgiven' is probably one of the most plagiarized names that Metallica has ever used... Considering the fact that this song already has 2 sequels attached to it!)

The truth is, is that the, Black Album was a truly amazing album... And admittedly some might say that, 'The Black Album' was the last truly great album that Metallica ever did (certainly the best album that Jason Newsted did with Metallica), but the truth is, is that it wasn't!

A lot of fans claim that with the release of, 'Load' and 'Reload' that the band had sold out, and that the rest of their albums since then have been crap! That's a fat load of crap... (pardon my harsh language...)

[caption id="attachment_706" align="aligncenter" width="444"] After the release of, 'Load' and, 'Reload' fans began to consider that Metallica had, 'Sold Out'![/caption]

But they did not sell out... The truth is, is the music that they produced with, 'Load' and 'Reload' was different... But different doesn't always mean bad! The music from this album definitely did not for the most part match their early work, but they still did a great job... (and in my opinion, in some extent I would say that Jason Newsted did some of his best work on these 2 albums)!

The truth is though, is that after that the work that Jason Newsted did was just not as good... And in January 2001 Jason Newsted ended up leaving the group due to frustrations with the group...

in 2003 Robert Trujillo came on to replace Metallica as the current bassist for Metallica... The only thing I can say is that his work with Metallica is alright... I mean he did a good job with, St, Anger (2003), but I feel like comparing Robert Trujillo with those that came before him is a little unfair... I mean St. Anger was good, but, Death Magnetic (2008) just was not what it should be!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Robert Trujillo - The current bassist for, 'Metallica'![/caption]

In the end, fortunately Metallica is still around, and we will see what sort of goodies are to come!

Please enjoy this compilation of some pretty awesome solo guitar riffs from Cliff Burton:

http://youtu.be/6O9zMnwD65Q

Please enjoy this segment from Metallica's, 'Cunning Stunts' album featuring: Jason Newsted:

http://youtu.be/K_WPYZQ5N98

Check out this music video that Metallica did for: St. Anger (2003) featuring: Robert Trujillo!

http://youtu.be/3rFoGVkZ29w

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Written by: Richard Fire (The Borrower), John McNaughton (Wild Things) & Directed by: John McNaughton. Starring: Michael Rooker (Jumper), Tracy Arnold (The Shot) & Tom Towles (Night Of The Living Dead)

This bizarre tale is a story about two friends... And their mutual interest in murdering people... You see Henry (Rooker) and Otis (Towles) , who met while they were in prison, and when they got out, they found a tiny little hovel of a small apartment building and ended up moving in together.

During this time, Otis is trying to stay about as clean as possible (despite the fact that he is a degenerate of the worst kind,) and Henry is sort of a handy man about time... That is about to change when Otis's sister, 'Becky', (Arnold) comes to town to stay with her brother after the damage that was caused on her by her husband...

Now what she doesn't know, and what neither Henry or Otis will come to expect, is that after a short period of time of weird domestic bliss, they will start down a road that none of them ever expected, and some may not survive from!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="610"] This strange family and their bizarre domestic bliss...[/caption]

On the plus side, I suspect that this movie was in some capacity the inspiration for Rob Zombie's, House Of 1,000 Corpses (2003).

Also I think that this movie may have been the inspiration for people to start making movies based on the events of real serial killers.

In the end though, as a movie, this movie was bland and predictable (about the only thing from the movie stand point is what I mentioned above, as well as the fact that being a fan of Michael Rooker, I found seeing him in one of his earliest roles was quite cool!)

As a movie based on a true life serial killer, the movie was disjointed, and sorely lacking cohesion in showing the darker side of the crimes that this guy committed!

In truth, this is not one of the better horror movies I have seen that are based on true events, and unless you have the patients to wait till it starts getting good (which it does toward the end of the movie... A little to late to really make anything of it), than this movie probably is not the movie for you!

http://youtu.be/OHVHqOoQf5k

House (1986) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

When I was kid there was a movie series that I thought looked great... (In The segments that I happen to see that is...)

That movie series being, the House series... You see the thing is, is that for some reason, while the first two movies were on TV often through out the 1990s, I would always catch Ten - Fifteen minutes of these movies... (Between 1990 - 1999) I probably saw both movies at least once each!

With that in mind though, I was finally able to see House (1986) for the first time all the way through, recently! And I gotta say that I really liked it! But we'll get in to that in a moment:

Written by: Ethan Wiley (Brutal) and Directed by: Steve Miner (Friday The 13th Part 2). Starring: William Katt (Carrie), George Wendt (Forever Young), Richard Moll (Galaxis) and Kay Lenz (Fear).

[caption id="attachment_469" align="aligncenter" width="640"] There are a lot of creepy things going on in this house![/caption]

This movie, which is based on the story by, Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad), is a fascinating tale of a traumatized Vietnam Veteran turned recently divorced writer by the name of, Roger Cobb (Katt) whom after the suicide of his aunt and the latest bad dream about his dead kid being terrorized by a Zombie, decides to head over to his Aunt's house while he works on his latest book in peace...

Now at first it actually looks like Roger might get his wish and to have some peace and quiet to write, what with extremely normal looking house. A nice enough, yet over-zealous neighbor by the name of Harold Gorton (Wendt)... That is until Roger really begins to get settled in to his Aunt's home that is...

As time goes on, and as the house begins to get more and more violent, Roger will come to discover a secret that is connected to his son and a mistake that he had made a long time ago!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="755"] Roger (William Katt) finds a nightmare world in his new house and if he survives it, he will get the ultimate gift![/caption]

In the case of this movie I have to say that the best part, is the cast and crew! Don't get me wrong, I mean the special effects in this movie were great and the story was a lot of fun! But with a teaming up of Steve Miner of, (Friday The 13th fame), and WIlliam Katt of, (Carrie fame), along with George Wendt of, (Cheers fame), and Richard Moll (Of Night Court fame), I found the cast and crew were well matched for both thrills and chills as well as a little bit of comedy thrown in for an extra added benefit!

I also thought that I would mention that besides, Steve Miner, there was another person that made the Friday The 13th franchise legendary... That is of course, Sean S. Cunningham (The Last House On The Left), who had directed Friday The 13th (1980)!

Ultimately this movie is a lot of fun, and for those first time horror fans, this one is worth it, and for you horror vets, it is definitely worth it also!

http://youtu.be/zyW7yuW2scg