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Off the Record...
Papa Roach
Infest
The combination of rap and metal is so common that it's practically a cliche
nowadays. Do we really need yet another band in that genre? Only if it sounds
like Papa Roach. Just when you think this musical style has been done to death,
the Vacaville-based quartet comes up with something fresh, honest and more than
a little crazy. The thundering title track has it, as does the hauntingly
wounded Broken Home and the glowering, malevolent Snakes. These guys also know
the meaning of a good hook. Papa Roach definitely stands out from the hip-hop
rock schlock. Let's hope they don't get lost amongst all the lesser lights and
get their due.
On DVD...
Metropolis
One of the earliest classic sci-fi films, Fritz Lang's silent-era Metropolis
remains an inspiration to the genre even today, having influenced films ranging
from the noteworthy (such as Blade Runner) to the less than classic (Dark City).
The film even gives us one of the earliest sexy robots a trend that every sci-fi
geek must be thankful for but the heart of Metropolis lies in its visuals. Some
75 years after the film was produced, Lang's masterpiece remains engaging thanks
largely to the set design and special effects of the piece. This is the original
visual masterpiece
of science fiction, a film that gave us many lasting iconic images, not the
least of which is the teeming, futuristic urban dystopia that has become a
staple of the genre.
Read It...
My Brain Escapes Me
Robert Steven Rhine
My Brain Escapes Me is comprised of 30 short stories the likes of which you've
rarely, if ever, read. There is tragedy, horror, unspeakable terror and even
humor all delivered through a skewed stream of consciousness
bursting forth from the highly fertile imagination and off-balance creative mind
of Robert Steven Rhine. There is a commonality yet vast variety among these
stories, which stretch from the present to the far distant future, from today's
filthy prisons to fabled mythical lands. Sample the assortment herein and be
prepared to be horrified yet intrigued and certainly never bored. Bet you can't
read just one.
The Buzz...
The Walt Disney Co. has started production on
Lilo and Stitch, an animated feature about a Hawaiian girl who discovers that
her dog is really an evil being from another world.
Tim Roth and Michael Clarke Duncan are up for roles in Tim
Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes. Roth will be a military ape
commander and Duncan will play an ape warrior who is Roth's second-in-command.
Even though Gillian Anderson signed a deal that adds a year onto her
current contract, that doesn't necessarily mean that The X-Files will
continue after the upcoming season. For one thing, series creator and executive
producer Chris Carter's current contract expires next spring.
Comic book creators Scott Lobdell and Adam Polina have inked a
movie deal with producers Mark Steven Johnson, Gary Foste and John
Baldecchi that will see USA Films adapting their Generation Last comic book
concept.
Once filming on Tomb Raider wraps, Angelina Jolie would like to appear in
Oliver Stone's Beyond Borders. The Oscar-winning actress is in talks to
star in the romantic drama opposite Kevin Costner.
Stephen Lang will portray the one-armed man in CBS' new version of The
Fugitive. Lang starred with Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman on
Broadway.
UPN will soon be getting a name change. On Jan. 1, the United Paramount Network,
which is the home of Star Trek: Voyager, will change its name to the
Paramount Network.
When Stephen King first announced that he was going to self-publish is
next book, The Plant, on his website (stephenking.com), the author boasted that
"We have a chance to become Big Publishing's worst nightmare." However, 15 hours
after the first chapter of the novel appeared online Monday, only 41,000
customers had ponied up the $1 fee to download it.
KISS bassman Gene Simmons will produce a movie adaptation of
Chaos! Comics' Evil Ernie character.
The Cider House Rules' Tobey Maguire is the finalist for the lead in
Spider-Man. Variety reports that Maguire's in final negotiations to carry
the Marvel Comics hero to the big screen, besting such rivals as Freddie
Prinze Jr., who'd been openly courting the role. The 25-year-old actor is
best-known for his art-house films, like Ride With the Devil and The Ice Storm
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