Random Screen Grab

The Walking Dead...the Game.

Yesterday after work, I got home and checked the Xbox Marketplace in the hopes of finding the first chapter of the Walking Dead game available for download. I was under the impression that it was being released on Wednesday this week, but for some reason it went up in the PSN but not Xbox Market. I had planned on getting it for Xbox all along, so for a couple of days I was forced to hold out. Luckily, it was there when I fired up my 360 Friday. Being that the game is broken up into 5 parts, or "episodes", it's relatively cheap at only 400 Microsoft points, or $5 in real monies. As expected, it's short, really short, but that doesn't mean it isn't any fun.

You play Lee Everett, a man who begins the game handcuffed in the back seat of a police car on it's way out of Atlanta. Initially, you're not given many clues as to why you're in police custody or much about your background at all. Before long, the officer driving is forced to swerve to avoid hitting a man walking in the middle of the interstate. The patrol car runs off the road, down a hill and finally smashes into the ground, leaving you unconscious. You awaken and crawl from the wreckage toward the officer who looks dead, but ends up attacking you, forcing you to use a nearby shotgun to ventilate his head. From here, you begin to wander around an abandoned neighborhood, eventually meeting a young girl named Clementine who helps you survive a similar attack inside her house. After deciding to help Clementine find her parents in Savannah, the two of you are off to look for help. Along the way, you meet a few other survivors and band together in the hopes of surviving the chaos and finding any clues as to what's happening and when or if help will be arriving.

That's basically the first few minutes of the game. I actually finished the whole thing in one sitting, at just under 2 hours, and I was very thorough. If I missed anything at all, it couldn't have been much. Unless future episodes are vary in length, it looks like we'll be spending around $25 for a 10-12 hour game. The game itself is basically a point and click, with a few quick-time button mashing sequences thrown in, usually reserved for combat scenarios. At first I didn't care for having to move a reticule around the environments with the right stick, but by the end I was used to it. I still say that Heavy Rain's control scheme is far superior for this type of game, but again, it didn't really take much time to get used to. Graphically, Telltale went the cel shaded route, similar to Borderlands. Everthing looks good enough I suppose, and cel shading gives it a comic booky look, which works well enough. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the look, but it didn't distract all that much. The characters are all diverse and have their own unique facial features and such, but there's not much variety at all in the zombie department. Again, not a game-breaker, but the zombies don't look all that great to begin with, and then you'll be looking at the same 5 or 6 character models throughout.

One interesting dynamic in the game is that in several instances, you have to make a decision that will alter the way the story plays out, both in this chapter and future episodes. Everything from the way you answer questions and interact with other characters, to a couple of scenarios where you're forced to make a decision between saving one character or another. The main draw of this game is going to be the story, and I fully expected this to be the case from the moment I heard it was being made. Thankfully, it's off to a great start in this regard. Good writing, good dialog, and some decent voice acting, which is great as that would likely be the make or break point for these games. There's a bit of fan service in there for fans of both the comics and the television show, some familiar faces and locales, but I don't want to spoil those here. Suffice it to say, it appears that this particular story takes place not long before Rick wakes up in the hospital.

One other thing I want to give the game props for before I wrap this up. I know I'm in the minority of giving a shit one way or the other about this, but one of the first things that scrolls by in the credits of this game is "based on the COMIC BOOK by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard". To everyone at Telltale, let me say thank you. It irks me to no end whenever I see "based on the series of graphic novels" in the television show's credits. I read COMIC BOOKS, the Walking Dead is a COMIC BOOK, which are eventually collected into graphic novels. I see nothing wrong with calling them what they are, will never understand why people are ashamed of it. I guess "graphic novel" makes them feel more grown up. Whatever.

If you have both options available to you, but are debating as to which system you should play this on, I have to recommend the PS3 version as the PSN gives you the option of purchasing a "season pass" which gives you all 5 episodes for $20 versus the $25 the Xbox version is gonna set you back. Don't know if after all 5 are out there will be a discounted option for Xbox as well, but I doubt it. Might as well save that $5 right off the bat. Fans of both the show and the comic will likely dig this game though. It definitely has the feel of the Walking Dead. Solid story telling, and if you're into the point and click genre, this one's no worse than any other. Check it out.

Friday Night Drive-In

One shall stand, one shall fall.

Something brand new this week, which I'm planning on making a weekly post. If you've been with me a while, you might remember at the old blog I did a "Comic of the Week" post where I basically posted about a particular book that I was most looking forward to every week, then posted a list of the other stuff I was picking up. Nothing particularly original, as almost every single comic blogger out there does it, and Tales From the Batcave was more comic oriented back then. I eventually decided not to start that post back up when I restarted this new blog a couple of years ago, for a number of reasons none of which matter now because I've missed doing them, and figured why not start back up, only a little different this time.

So welcome to the very first "How Sweet, Fresh Ink!" post! I deliberated on this name almost all day (nope, nothing better to do) and finally decided this was it. The only hesitation came because what little comic coverage the G4 network gives to comics is also called "Fresh Ink" I believe, and I didn't want to look like I was copying them. Of course I wanted to use it as a play on Freddy's famous line "How sweet, fresh meat" from Nightmare 4. In the end I decided that I would use a pic of Freddy in the little graphic I was planning on making for my posts, and that if G4 had a problem with my title, I would just tell them to suck it. Anyway, instead of just picking one comic, and listing the rest, I thought I'd just ramble on about a couple of things that I liked from the week or maybe upcoming things that I'm pretty sure will be good reads. Should be fun!

The Goon #39 - Goon absolutely never disappoints, sadly it also sells pretty poorly in a market overflooded with books from "the big 2", DC and Marvel. Goon creator Eric Powell is one of the most outspoken advocates on the interwebs for creator owned and indie comics, and this issue is basically a big old "fuck you" to the industry, mocking almost every single superhero comic cliche, from constant costume changes, Goon spouting 9 different "origin" stories each time claiming it was a reboot every time his story differed from the previous one, to the villain using some ludicrous cloning machine to create an army of Goon clones each a different color because "multiple Goons means multiple variant covers!". This issue had me rolling.

Ragemoor #2 - I will basically buy anything Richard Corben draws. I would buy a Care Bears book if I knew he did the art. The guy is a legend in the horror comic community, and I basically worship his art. Ragemoor earns bonus points for not only being drawn by Corben, but being a pretty damn good read too. Castle Ragemoor is a living breathing monolith, whose inhabitants are trapped inside, unable to escape unless it's Ragemoor's will. Ragemoor is also not particularly fond of trespassers, most of whom end up meeting a pretty painful demise courtesy of the castle. It's a black and white book, dark in tone, and brings to mind old Edgar Allen Poe stories. My only complaint is that it's a 4 issue miniseries, I'm fairly certain not all of the Castle's secrets will be revealed in four issues, and I'm going to be left wanting more.

Wolverine #305 - Yeah, yeah.. I know, a Wolverine book, ugh. And normally I would agree with you, but what can I say? I dig Wolverine stories when there's a decent writer on board who tries to do something different with the character. It's not that he's a bad character, he's just overused. VERY overused. I started picking it up when Jason Aaron, a personal favorite, started writing it a couple of years ago. In his second or third arc, Aaron had Wolverine in a mental institution, being used as a puppet to murder people at random, by an evil genius named Doctor Rot. Turns out Doc Rot was harvesting their brains to build himself a brain-bomb. It sounds insane because it is. It was also awesome. Starting with this issue, new writer Cullen Bunn comes on board, and while I've heard some good things about him, I've never really read any of his stuff, and I was all prepared to have this be my last issue of Wolvie...but then I flipped through it, and wouldn't you know it, Wolverine is slaughtering some weird looking brain creatures, and Doctor Rot shows up on the last page. Looks like I'm in for one more story at least.

That's it for this week, short and sweet because it's getting late and I got home much later than I'd intended. Hope you'll dig these comic posts, I enjoy writing them. As usual, feel free to point out any shortcomings in the comments section, or if you're also a reader and think I might like something by all means recommend away. Until next time!

Cabin in the Woods

It seems as though a rare phenomenon has been occurring in regard to this particular movie, almost everyone in the horror blogosphere likes it, and has decided to not ruin it for everybody who hasn't seen it by going into too much detail. I applaud you once again, online horror community, you never cease to amaze me. Trust that I'll also not be ruining anything here in this post, but I there's simply no way I can enjoy a movie as much as I did this one and not say anything about it.

I have to admit, it started off a little slow for me. I knew great things were going to happen based off of all the reactions I had read prior to finally getting to see it, but I have to admit at an hour into the proceedings without much that really impressed me, I began to worry a little. I was enjoying the movie, but things seemed to be moving a little fast, and there was almost no character development. Basically, bad things were happening to people that I didn't give the slightest fuck about. Sure this kind of thing is typical in your average to below average horror flick, but those usually have some sort of monster or killer that I'm basically rooting for anyway, so when the teenagers die, I'm happy. I wanted, and expected, more from Cabin in the Woods though. Luckily, just when I thought all hope was lost, the last 20 minutes happened.

Oh my God, the last 20 minutes. I went from worrying that I was going to come away disappointed, to wondering why I can't have this much fun watching every movie I sit down to watch. There is so much awesome packed into the last act of this movie, and when the credits started rolling, I immediately wanted to watch it again. I can't tell you the last time that happened. Believe me, everything you've probably heard about Cabin in the Woods is true. I'm always disappointed when a major horror release doesn't do well theatrically, I'm even more so this time around because not only is this a good horror/comedy flick, it's a good flick, period. It deserves way more support than it's getting.

Mister Bones' Top 5

There are times when I'm at the gym, tank running close to empty, contemplating throwing in the towel and heading home early...and then, as if on cue, a song will come on that completely changes my attitude and gets me even more pumped than I was when I first got there. Pantera, you ask? Nay. Metallica, maybe? Nope. Then it's gotta be Slayer, right? Wrong again friend, more often than not it's a cheesy rock anthem/ballad from an 80's movie soundtrack. And yes, I have lots of rock anthem/ballads from 80's movie soundtracks on my Zune. Don't even act like you're surprised. Top 5 time!

Top 5 80's Movie Soundtrack Rock Anthems that Get Me Pumped!

5. Win in the End (Teen Wolf) Mark Safan - I was blinded by the pain, running wild through the rain, in a parody of extacy...I was inches from the edge, fingers clinging to the ledge again, I never thought I'd win...WIIIIN IN THE EEEEENDDD! I'm gonna WIN IN THE END!!!! That is motivational as fuck right there. This song is so 80's I just can't help but love it.

4. No Easy Way Out (Rocky IV) Robert Tepper - In the gym, just as in all aspects of life, there's no easy way out, there's no shortcut home. There are ups, there are downs, and there are days when a freakishly large, blonde haired, Russian Dolph Lundgren beats your best friend Carl Weathers to death. The only thing to do when that happens is to jump in your car, crank this tune, and just fucking drive. Work some shit out, flex the old brain muscles, do some serious brooding. Real life shit. This is the perfect song for such occasions.

3. You're the Best (Karate Kid) Joe Esposito - This is the ultimate pick me-up song toward the end of a long run. It's impossible for you not to get a second wind, imagining you're running for Olympic Gold...inching every closer to that finish line, with a Jamaican super speedster nipping at your heels the entire time. Fuck I'm getting pumped just thinking about it, sitting here typing away on my laptop. Of course this song also applies to other situations, and can be used in any number of ways. A Facebook status update for instance, or when it randomly plays on your computer while you're in the bedroom with a lady friend...hypothetically....

2. You Got the Touch (Transformers the Movie) Stan Bush - Almost as good as the song itself is the scene when it first plays in the movie. Optimus finally arrives at Autobot HQ while the Decepticons are straight up wrecking shit, and single handedly turns the tide of the battle, sending Megatron and company packing. I get chills whenever I hear the beginning, even when I'm at the gym...chills. I also pretend I'm a big red Transformer and proceed to lift more weights than any normal human being should. I've got the touch...I've got the POOOWWWEEEERRRR! YEAH!!!!

1. Thunder in Your Heart (Rad) John Farnham - Hands down, the number one song to listen to when you're in need of some motivating! They're dying to shake you, trying their best to break you...and though the going is rough, you're coming home as a HERO...'Cause there's thunder in your HEART, every move is likea LIGHTNING! It's the power you feel when you get your taste of the glory! Holy shit, YES. You are motherfucking right, Mr. Farnham. Get outta my way, bitches! There's a fire gonna start, and you know you're going under...I can light the dark when you hear my heart of THUNDER!!!

Whew! There you go people, a heaping dose of motivation for your day, courtesy of Tales From the Batcave and Mister Bones' Top 5. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a burning desire to go run some laps around my house, or go out to the driveway and bench press my truck. 

Friday Night Drive-In

The only thing I'm good at is RIDING. THIS. BIKE.

Random Screen Grab

Random Gaming Bonestube

After accidentally discovering Diabolical Pitch earlier this week, I decided to do some poking around the interwebs in search of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles. I tell ya, I never would've thought I would dig downloadable games as much as I do. I guess it's partially because of the price point, $5  - $15 is just awesome for me, much easier to come across than $60 for every new game that comes out. At first the quality wasn't really there, but man these developers are really pushing the envelope when it comes to what we normally expect from a downloadable game.

First up, if you missed it on my Facebook page, here's a look at Diabolical Pitch. This game is pure insanity, from concept all the way through execution. You're a baseball pitcher who uses his athletic talent to destroy all manner of monsters and demons...and the levels play out like a pinball machine. It sounds insane because it is. But it's also damn fun. There aren't many reasons so far to actually own a Kinect, but between this and The Gunstringer, I'm certainly glad I own one. The game is out now, and will only set you back 800 Microsoft point, or $10.

I'm not as big a fan of Trials Evolution as some people out there, this game has a following larger than a lot of AAA full retail titles. In fact I didn't even bother with it originally, as I don't do racers, but eventually I played the trial...of Trials...ahem, and I loved it. This sequel looks to build on everything that made the first game such a success, and I'm ready to get all wrapped up in Trials-mania again. This one is actually out today, and has the somewhat hefty price tag of 1200 Microsoft points, or $15, but with as much content, both included and through the wonderful user created community, there's more than enough here to get your money's worth.

Bloodforge I'm sad to admit I had heard absolutely nothing about until yesterday, but I've watched as many videos of it as I can find since then. I am in awe of this game. I love the brutality and gore of course, but just watching it run, oh man this game is gorgeous. I am in love with this art design, thinking Simon Bisley meets old, badass "Sin City" Frank Miller art. I am ALL over this the day it releases, which is scheduled for April 25th, again for 1200 Microsoft points.

Finally, another that I've just discovered. I haven't read up about it all that much yet, but from what I've seen this looks like a survival-horror version of Shadow Complex. I loved that game, and I love survival horror, so consider Deadlight officially on my radar. No release date so far other than "summer" and the cost is TBA, but another 1200 is a safe assumption.

I didn't even mention the first chapter of The Walking Dead downloadable game is coming out in the next couple of weeks either. Damn, time to stock up on some points and play the waiting game. You might ask, Bones...with all these downloadable titles coming out, when will you have time to play any retail games?! A valid question, true believer. But worry not, there are few things in this world that Mister Bones always makes time for, and one of these is gaming. Plus, I seriously have no life whatsoever. 

Newest Shelf Additions

Haven't shown off any statues in a while, and lately I've added two new ones to the shelf, so I thought...why not?

First up is the new version of Mike Mignola's Black and White statue. For whatever reason, probably due to money issues, I never ordered the original Mignola B&W and have kicked myself in the ass since. It's one of the rarest of the series. As you can imagine, the news that there was going to be a re-release, with a minor tweak, made me extremely happy. Not only was I going to be able to finally get this statue, but the tweak in question was to the logo on Batman's chest, and instead of the regular black bat logo that he's currently sporting, he would be wearing the yellow oval logo, which is my personal favorite. Beautiful statue, and I especially dig the detail on the batarang and it's rope, and the paint job is phenomenal, almost making it look like an animated character brought to life.

Only one minor nitpick here, and that's with the base. The top is the exact same as every other statue in this series, but for some reason this one has white around the edge of the base, where all the others have black. It's a minor thing, but it really stands out every time I look at my Black and White shelf.

Next is my Heroes of the DC Universe Batman bust design from one of my all-time favorite artists, Gary Frank. Up until now, nobody has made the "Batman, Inc." costume design look as badass as Gary does on this bust. The detail is gorgeous, the paint job is gorgeous, and I can find absolutely nothing to complain about with this bust, other than maybe I wish I had a bigger one. Only one size on these busts though, bummer. For the money, you aren't going to find a better looking collectible to display in your Batcave. I'm still in the middle of that "new statue smell" phase, so calling it a favorite is easy, but I fully expect this bust to stand the test of time. It's probably the second best looking piece I own, behind only my Kotobukiya vinyl Japanese import Batman statue.

Long timers who actually read my old blog might remember that right before I deleted it, I actually did a post that showed off all of my Black and White statues. With the addition of the Mignola, my grand total now sits at 10. I only buy the ones designed by artists that I dig, don't get all of them. I think I might re-do that post at some point this week, if I feel like getting them all down and taking pics. I've already seen a photo of the Black and White statue that's coming in next month's Previews, and I will most certainly be ordering it as well. No secret that I consider Jock to be one of the most talented artists currently working in comics, and he was asked to design a statue for the series. No-brainer there, it will be mine.

Big Solace Lost News!

So as I mentioned earlier, last night Solace Lost destroyed Soho's in Columbus and I was lucky enough to escape with my life (few others did) to bring you big news.... Solace Lost has been invited to open for Lacuna Coil on the Atlanta date of current tour at the Masquerade! The show will be on Saturday, May 5th. This is huge, and there is no better time to come out and do your part to support local music in the Atlanta area. I seriously urge you to consider coming out to see them live, even if you may not particularly consider yourself a metal fan, they put on a hell of a show.

Tickets for the Lacuna Coil show through Ticketbastard (master) are going to run about $25, but can be purchased from Solace Lost for less. As always, anyone interested can contact the band through their facebook page (which you should "like" while you're there) or as per usual you can contact me for more info, my email is in my profile here on blogger. Come out and see a kick-ass show, support local music, and if all that isn't incentive enough...you can meet ME. What a bonus!

Upcoming chances to see Solace Lost live...

April 21st - 7 Venue, Douglasville GA

May 5th - Masquerade w/ Lacuna Coil, Atlanta GA

Friday Night Drive-In

Couldn't find the full movie on this one, but seriously, who hasn't seen it anyway? Gonna have to make do with a making of documentary...

Limited Edition New Beginning at Fright Rags!

I know what you're thinking..."What the?! A shirt post on Drive-In night?! The Hell, Bones?" Worry not Drive-In enthusiast, on this Friday the 13th you're getting a rare double-post here in the Batcave. I'm sure you'll understand once you read ahead.

There are gorgeous shirts, and then there's this brand new design at Fright Rags. I simply don't understand how any human being could not want this shirt, it's something that my brain can't process. Of COURSE if you're reading this blog, then you're going to want to head over to Fright-Rags and pre-order yourself one. That's right, pre-order, this is a limited edition shirt and only those of us who pre-order THIS WEEKEND will be getting them. It's another shirt that will be printed once, and after that will be gone forever. You've only got three days to claim one, don't miss out on yet another beautiful design from the absolute best place online to get horror related attire, Fright Rags.

God Bless America

Ok seriously Mr. Goldthwaith, where are the hidden cameras you had placed in my house? From the very first time I saw the trailer for Bobcat Goldthwait's God Bless America, I've been dying to see it. A guy who gets fed up with the garbage reality television programs that are currently running almost 24/7 on every single network these days, and decides to go on a murder spree? I mean sure, there have been movies made about me before, but this one? This hits pretty damn close to home..except no murder sprees for me. Yet.

Frank is pretty down on his luck, he's divorced, his kid doesn't want much to do with him, he's lost his job, and to top it all off he just found out he has brain cancer. As if all that weren't bad enough, there seems to be nothing but "reality" programs on television. When one particular show, in the vein of MTV's "My Super Sweet 16" sends him over the edge, he steals his obnoxious neighbor's brand new "Bumblebee" Corvette and takes matters into his own hands. When Frank gets spotted by a teenage girl, she follows him to a hotel, where she learns of his plan to rid the world of the ignorant, racist, mean-spirited people that currently plague society, she joins the cause and the two go on a murder spree across the country.

Ok, so I was kidding a little bit about the murdering thing, I don't want to murder people. But I am fed up with the American Idols, Jersey Shores, Real Housewives, and the like that flood basic cable these days, so I get where Frank is coming from. Particularly when Frank goes to work and almost every single person there is talking about what happened on the movie's version of American Idol the night before. The difference between Frank and I though, is for some reason he actually engages one of these morons and attempts to offer a different perspective on the show. Me? I just accept the fact that people as a general rule are stupid, and will watch and accept as entertainment whatever their television tells them is entertainment.

On the surface, God Bless America is a dark comedy, but at it's heart it's a sad look at the unfortunate turn the entertainment industry in this country has taken since the advent of reality television. I blame MTV and it's "The Real World" shows. Of course, The Real World seems classy when you hold it up againt shit like Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, and Bad Girls. God Bless America won't be for everybody based on some of it's content. It's a well written, well shot, well acted film, but it goes without saying that it's also going to be a controversial film. For those of us who get it, it's absolutely fantastic, for the rest of the world it's probably going to offend.

For the people I know who will be reading this, I can't recommend this movie enough. It's entertaining, easily relatable, and there are scenes that literally had me applauding. I honestly can't believe there aren't a million other movies like this out there yet. This is easily the best work I've seen from Bobcat Goldthwait to date, and I dig anything he does. That being said, if there's anything comparable, I'm not aware of it and please feel free to direct me toward it. I can't wait to add this to my dvd collection, I see many, many more viewings of this film in my future. Check it out!

Radioactive Nipple Laser Man

There's an Avengers Newsletter for a REASON, McCoy! Slacker.

I have the BEST friends.

Recently had a friend tell me via facebook that he was looking to get rid of something that I would likely pay well and/or kill for, and he was willing to let me have it for free, as long as I would come pick it up. His vagueness, coupled with the allure of free shit, was all it took to pique my interest. All he required in exchange for them was photographic proof that I was proudly displaying them in my home, and a complimentary blog post. Yeah, like I needed him to ask for a blog post about this, pfft.

I couldn't wait to get a blog post up, so I went ahead and sent a photo to him via facebook, but of course I'm going to show them off here at the blog too. Behold in all their glory, my shiny new vinyl banners from the theatrical release of Freddy vs Jason! Don't care how you felt about the movie (personally I dug it), there's no denying the bad-assery that is on display here. Just to give a little perspective on the size of these monsters, they stretch from the crown molding on my 10' ceilings almost all the way the floor, a full 9' at their longest point, and they're each 4' wide. Notice that tiny bed in the photo? Yeah, that's my king size bed. Holy Hell these things are impressive.

Sean, I can't thank you enough brother. I am forever in your debt. Believe me when I tell you, they've found a good home in my Batcave, and they will remain on display until the house falls down around them.

The Sleeper

Let me start this off by pointing you to a way better done review of this movie at my buddy Robocop's Sad Side's blog, Back on Line, Back on Duty. I gotta give credit where it's due, he's got this movie reviewing thing down to a science, and he's also the person who brought The Sleeper to my attention.

As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew I was going to dig The Sleeper. I grew up watching the slasher movies of the late 70's and 80's thanks to having a horror buff for a father. Anytime a director today attempts to pay homage to that wonderful time in my childhood, I pay attention. Of course it's impossible to talk about filming of this style, and not immediately think of Ti West's fantastic House of the Devil, which is a personal favorite of mine. There's really no comparing it to The Sleeper though, as while they're both throwback films, they're also totally different. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses. I personally dig House of the Devil a bit more, but Sleeper comes closer to reaching the bar than anything else I've seen.

The Sleeper is as straight up old school as slashers can get. While the girls of Alpha Gamma Theta begin to party in celebration of their soon to be arriving pledges, a killer watches them, studying them from the shadows. Strange things begin to happen, there are phone calls with nothing except a whisper or giggle on the other end of the line. The girls assume it's the boys from school pranking them, but once they start disappearing one by one, it becomes obvious that someone else is responsible. With little help from the police, the girls fight for their lives against an unseen killer lurking in the darkness.

The Sleeper does a lot of things right. It's clearly paying homage to the classics, particularly bringing movies like Black Christmas to mind. The killer looks great, and while his weapon of choice is primarily a claw hammer, he does use a bit of variety in dispatching his victims. The kills all look just like what we used to get in old slasher flicks, practical effects and lots of the red stuff, I loved every second of it. The girls themselves are also pretty typical of Sorority House Massacre-type flicks, no performances really stood out for me as being particularly bad or good, the cast was about as even as casts get. They're hot, bitchy, snobby, manipulative and scheming, or in short, they're college chicks. But as with college chicks in horror movies, we're rewarded for sitting through their collective nuisance by getting to watch them get bloodily dispatched. We also get the complimentary/obligatory swimming pool scene complete with boob shot from the hottest of the girls, so there's that. Also, for added cool points, be sure and watch for a cameo toward the end, it's not a well-kept secret or anything, but if you don't know who it is, I don't want to spoil it.

I do have one minor nitpick, and it's concerning the girls. For a movie that's set in 1981, there seems to be some hair do's that are visiting these ladies from the future. Either they all use a hair stylist that's WAY ahead of his/her time, or this was just a bit of an oversight from the hair and make-up department. Everything else is full-on 80's style, even the hair for the male cast members. Not entirely sure why they wouldn't have made sure they got the girls' hair right too. Like I said though, it's a minor nitpick, and it certainly doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the movie, it just irked me a bit.

If the only negative thing you have to say about a movie is about some hair styles though, you know you've seen yourself a good movie. Writer/Director Justin Russell isn't a name that I was familiar with prior to watching The Sleeper, but you can bet he'll be on my radar from now on. Looking forward to his next project. I fully recommend The Sleeper to anyone who fondly remembers the heyday of the slasher genre, it's a trip down memory lane that is well worth taking.

Happy Zombie Jesus Day!

Xenophile

A rare buy from shirt.woot today. What was once a regular site for me to order from has become a hollow hipster influenced shell of it's former pop culture mash-up, fun loving self. In fact, I almost skipped this one because of how disappointed I've been with the site for so long now. I held out as long as I could, but we all knew I'd buckle, and buckle I have. Can't wait to get this shirt.

Infinite Playlist - Daylight Slayings Time

You know you're gonna have a good day when you wake up and discover that Solace Lost has ninja'd a new video up on Youtube while you slept. Brand new track from Tales From the Batcave's most favoritest band, plus there's a kitteh!  Enjoy!



Also for all you local folks, there are plenty of chances to see Solace Lost live coming up in April including...

April 7th in Loganville
April 13th in Columbus w/ Needeep at Soho's
April 14th in Newnan
April 21st in Douglasville at the 7 Venue

Solace Lost is epic live, plus there's a good chance you might get to meet me in person, so it's the very definition of a win/win. As always, you can contact me or check the band's facebook page for more info. Support local music!