Wednesday, April 6, 2011
REDBOX REVIEWS from space. ...and the future
Brace yourselves, bitches! We's about to warp up another REDBOX REVIEW.
Star Trek (2009)
With this one, I was prepared for the worst. This film had many indicators of a movie that I would hate. As a rule with few exceptions, I dont' like prequels so I was doubtful from the jump. Then there's the director. Fuck J.J. Abrams. Fuck him for LOST. I'm still bitter about that shit-stain of a finally. Fuck Cloverfield, an overhyped deadfuck.. Fuck just about anything J.J. "blue-balls" Abrams puts his name on (except for Armageddon!, sing along with me; "don't wanna close my eyeeees..."!!). And time travel being an integral part of the plot? Oh no. Were they really going to push the sci-fi easy reset button? I tried to have an open mind, but inside I was already typing another negative REDBOX REVIEW.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
not a REDBOX REVIEW
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The apple don't fall far...
You may have noticed that I don't often (ever) talk about my children online. But I'm breaking that long standing practice in honor of one of my sons, who went through an important rite of passage today. This very day, a young ILLER took up the challenge of manhood and bloodied his first enemy!
The stage for his ordeal was the school lunchroom, in full view of his peers. The scene was a heated argument, about who-knows-what, between him and another boy. The turning point was when the other boy took it to the next level by striking my son in the face. That's right; my boy got punched in his mug. And how did he respond to this test of mettle? I can tell you this; he DID NOT turn the other cheek! Hell to the no! My normally mild mannered, good humored offspring reacted in accordance with his heritage and struck the fuck back, bloodying his adversary's nose and making him cry. "Don't ever touch me again!" was his victory song! The ILLER blood boiled in his veins, demanding retribution and he answered the call, showing the rest of the lunchroom that he is not to be slept on or fucked with.
Understand; I DO NOT condone unnecessary violence. I try to teach the li'l ILLERs to resolve disputes with diplomacy. I cannot abide a bully and it would not be good day for young asses in the ILLER house if I were to find out that one of mine had been involved in bullying anyone. That said, I firmly believe that there is a time and place for physical violence. The middle school lunchroom, after getting punched in the face is such a time and place. As a father, I'd done all I could to prepare him for this. I made sure he knew how to throw a proper 1-2 and told him to go for the gold if anyone ever put their hands on him aggressively. The rest was up to him...
He believes he did the right thing. I know he did.
Yeah, he got suspended for fighting. Sometimes there's just a price to pay for the respect of your fellows and, more importantly, the confidence that comes from knowing you have the fortitude to stick up for yourself and the ability to do it effectively. He will get no punishment at home. Hell, he'll probably get a milkshake and a pat on the back.
Face it, world; ILLERs just don't make good targets.
Good work boy-oh.
-Da ILLER
Redboxin' again
Yeah, I've been slacking on the Red Box reviews, mostly because I've been busy not slacking at life. So there. I have managed to observe weekly movie night, just haven't found the time to type up reviews.
Well, let me play catch-up: #1
Paranormal Activity 2 got a mixed reaction from me. I was disappointed but also just a little relieved. The duel emotions were both attributed to the fact that this movie was sadly un-scary and did not, in any way, live up to its predecessor (or the glowing reviews I kept hearing from several dolts I know). As you may know, the original Paranormal Activity scared the manhood out of me. It was a masterpiece that I knew couldn't be duplicated, but I did hope that the sequel would capture some of the origional's magical creep. It did not. It made me jump a total of one times and the spook was gone immediately. I'm still confused as to if I'm mad or happy that it sucked so much. Either way, I give it an F for "Fuck, I wasted another 2 hours of my life!". But hey, I didn't lose a wink of sleep...
#3, doesn't really belong here, as I didn't get it at Redbox...but I only paid $1.09 for it, so it meets the spirit of the blog if not the letter. Book of Blood (pronounced in bad Romanian accent; Bloooodd)
This one was adapted and directed by John Harrison from one of Clive Barker's Books of Blood. It was so/so at best and followed the typical horror formula of having a fart of an ending. There were two scenes that made this movie worth the buck-o-nine I dropped on it. In the first one, a hot young lass is being beaten up by an invisible force. After slamming her against the wall, she's thrown, face down, on the bed. Her boy-shorts are then promptly removed. At this point I actually said aloud, "Ahh, a ghost after my own heart!"....then her face got ripped off and I no longer felt a kinship with the spirit world. The other great scene was a sex-dream sequence starting with shameless masturbation (It DOES help one get to sleep, after all!) and plenty of gratuitous flesh. Sophie Ward was a uniquely hot heroine. Other than those two titillations, it was the same old thing; paranormal investigators, haunted house, spirit crossroads, ect, ect.
Until next time...love you, bitches.
-ILLER
Sunday, February 13, 2011
REDBOX REVIEW #2
REDBOX REVIEWS

This week, I rocked the box 3 times. Wait; that sounded dirtier than intended. I rocked the box (if you know what I mean) a lot more than 3 times this week. What I meant to say was that I watched a total of 3 movied from REDBOX this week, all in good company. This weeks movies are:
WOLFMAN
I'd seen this one before, but I wanted to give it another go. Not much changed. The first few minutes of the movie tell the tale. A good, atmospheric opening, honest to the classic WOLFMAN genre, quickly ruined by the bane of my movie enjoying experience; C.G. mother-fucking I. Goddammit! I hate CGI. It never looks real, mostly because...well, IT'S NOT!
This movie was soooo close to being good. Anthony Hopkins was, like usual, brilliant. His "revelation" scene with his son (Benicio Del Toro) in an asylum was the high point of the film and also the point at which it spiraled into typical Hollywood fuck-it-up-ery. Why, oh why do all movies have to get all grandiose, aka stupid?! We'd have been fine without the Wolfman running across rooftops and performing Matrix-like stunts. So close. So, so close.
4 out of 12 black pentagrams on this one.
Next on the menu was
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Concerning this movie, Scott Pilgrim and I have something in common. It's us against the World. That's right, bitches; I liked this movie. I swear, I am not just liking everything you all don't like (and vice versa). At least, not on purpose. I liked the quick dialogue in this film. I liked the retro video game sound effects. I also likes that cute nerdy chick who kept trying to ruin Scott's day. The fights were fun and outlandish. I can accept fight scenes that aren't trying to pass themselves off as realistic. The fact that I was watching this one in bed with a half-naked lady asleep on my chest might've contributed to my to positive and accepting mindset, but on the real; it was pretty good. I'll give it 300 out of 415 gold stars.
Lastly, in the company of certain li'l heathens, I viewed:
Legend of the Guardians
This jam here was beautiful. Simply the best computer animation I've ever seen. I know, I'm supposed to hate CGI. I DO....when it's mixed with real shit. In an animated film, it's fresh. The story was pretty good, though typical. The characters were the usual fare, but done well. Thankfully, we only had to hear Liam Neeson (the most overused voice in the world for the old, stern-yet-patient character) for a few minutes. And hey, the bad guys had a none-too-subtle Nazi overtone, which is perfect (brain) programming for our li'l Capitalists! If you have kids, or babysit them, rent this junk; they'll like it and you'll be amazed at how far we've come with computers since Toy Story.
Legends of the Guardians gets 9 out of 11 pencil-top erasers.
There you have it. Until next week...
Love you, bitches.
-ILLER
The songs that saved your life
Everybody has certain songs, or artists, that completely changed the way they listen the music. I'm talking about songs that, the first time you heard them, struck a previously unstruck chord. These are a few of the songs that shaped my musical taste and gave me faith in humanity:
Please, Please, Please...
I was 10 years old when I heard this song. I was dumbfounded. I was already a music fan, having been brought up on a diet of Aretha Franklin, the Beatles, Van Morrison and James Taylor. but this....this song...made me stop and listen like I hadn't listened before. It was simple and sweet. I was a melancholy kid, so it's no surprise that the Smiths appealed to me. Funny that at 10 I thought I identified with lines like "See the life I've had can make a good man bad.". Maybe it was a foreshadowing of a life to come. Certainly, it was the beginning of a life long obsession with all things Morrissey/Smiths.
Paid in full
Holy shit. This shit hit me like a ton of mu-fucking gold chains. I was hypnotized. This was my introduction to hip-hop and I somehow knew I'd never be the same. The Beastie Boys eventually changed everything I thought I knew (and liked) about hip-hop, but I will forever salute Eric B and Rakim as being the very first to make my head bob.
Fucking Hostile
Don't front; Vulgar Display of Power by Pantera was the shiiiit. THIS was how heavy metal was supposed to be played all along; tight, heavy and pissed! There's no crying in heavy metal; only screaming. When mighty Thor rides a thunderstorm from Asgard, hammer held high, to straight fuck some shit up, this is the soundtrack.
Automatic Rejector
I first heard this song in the only proper way to hear Screeching Weasel for the first time; on vinyl, played on a beat-up, second-hand record player, in a one bedroom apartment I shared with like 12 other people. Punk rock was a lifestyle. It was a poor, angry lifestyle. Screeching Weasel raged against the norm in the best possible way; by not seeming to rage against it at all. They just did their thing. Back when the term "pop-punk" meant something, Screeching Weasel was my favorite band.
Scared of Chaka
On the heels of discovering Screeching Weasel, I went to a show and saw Scared of Chaka. Words can't describe. Fuck all else; if you want to know what Albuquerque summer nights sounded like, in the mid '90s, to one 17 year old miscreant, listen to Scared of Chaka.
Pulp
This song, and this song alone, made me take "Brit-pop" seriously. Jarvis Cocker sings like he has pure sex-juice running through his veins. I was, and still am, in awe that a song this good could be written. Viva Pulp.
Brother Ali & Slug (of Atmosphere)
I was at band practice and the bass player played this during a smoke break. I was all what-the-fuck-is-this-and-why-haven't-I-heard-it-before and he was all it's-brother-ali-and-slug-man---sheesh-get-with-it. I hadn't been as interested in a hip-hop song since hearing Paul's Boutique. Shortly thereafter, Slug was my new favorite emcee and Atmosphere brought hip-hop back into my life. Love to Brother Ali, Ant and Slug.
I love so much music, but these are a few of songs that stand out as having uniquely effected me, in one way or another. I eagerly await hearing the next entry...like love, it usually strikes when you least expect it. Or so I've heard.
Love you, bitches.
-your dirty uncle, ILLER
Sunday, February 6, 2011
REDBOX REVIEW #1
Welcome to the first installment of my new series; REDBOX REVIEWS.
See, I don't go to movie theaters. I'm waaay too fiscally conservative (cheap/broke) to pay the rape they are charging at the door these days. So, like many Americans with real lives, REDBOX has become my new jam. I'm going to document my weekly movie night here. Doesn't that sound fun?
REXBOX REVIEWS starts......NOW:

I think many of you are in denial. I hereby give you all permission to admit that Machete wasn't really all that good. In fact, aside from some decent T&A, it was boring. It's fine. Come to terms with reality. It's okay to let go of your obligation to like it. I mean, the B movie camp is cool and all, but I already saw (and loved) Planet Terror. You are not obligated to like everything Robert Rodriguez puts out. Desperado; brilliant. From Dusk till Dawn; nice. Machete; worn out, overdone, simple. On the real; the best part of the movie was about 40 minutes in, when I got laid. That and the menu screen had a sweet-ass picture of Lindsay Lohan in the nun outfit, tonguing a pistol.
CASE 39
Here's hoping REDBOX offeres up better gems next week....
Love you, bitches.
ILLER
Friday, January 28, 2011
Beards... and what they'll attract.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
No Rest for the Wick-It
Wick-It the Instigator has been a master of this craft for years and my personal favorite mash-up maker. He doesn't just jam a vocal track from one song over the instrumental of another. He carefully and skillfully mashes shit up. His latest mixtape, The Brothers of Chico Dusty, blends Atlanta bad-ass, Big Boi's solo LP Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty and the blues/rock ass-kickers the Black Keys' Brothers.
Get a load of this shit:
object height="245" width="100%">The Brothers of Chico Dusty (Big Boi vs. The Black Keys) by wick-it
But don't sleep on this shit either. Check out track 7 (MIA vs Green Day vs Weezer vs Rick Ross vs Dee Lite), track 20 (my personal favorite Jay Z remix/mash-up ever), track 24 (featuring a verse from yours truly) and Beardhammer loyists will certainly appriciate track 29 (HELMET vs Purple Ribbon vs Gorillaz).
Wick-it the Instigator by wick-it
You're welcome.
Love you, bitches,
ILLER
It's Cold in here
Really. They're great. Every song is perfectly crafted. If I could have any singing voice in the world, it would be Chis Martin's. Can you imagine the amount of trim you could pull if you could sing like that?
Chill the fuck out, non-conformists. I love Coldplay and aint scurred to say it.
Now, I'll post some back-in-the-day shit to remind yall that I'm not to be fucked with.
Love you, bitches.
-ILLER
Friday, January 21, 2011
Beardhammer Radio
Not sure if this is going to be a weekly or bi-weekly thing yet, but it will be a regular feature.
EDIT:
I exceeded my bandwidth already...
http://www.mediafire.com/?mi6giw8odo06irh
Here's a direct download link. I'm not sure if it will stream from there.
Monday, January 17, 2011
A song that touches me....in a good way!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A New Beginning
The blog is born again with new cult members on board. Please welcome CARLZILLA, ALLI CRUMBCAKE, and his royal badass-ness STILL ILLER. ROGER DE ROK and I are also working on new items for your reading/viewing pleasure. As we prepare new posts, please enjoy the movie reviews provided by ILLER.
Keep your hammer held high & let your beard grow full,
-MAGISTER PERVERZUM
Two movies, one review, no spoilers
I know; the girl was annoying.
I know; Blair Witch Project sucked and they were shot in similar styles.
I know; ghosts aren’t fucking real!
These are all valid points. But they cannot take away from the fact that this movie almost made me (and certainly would have made a lesser man) literally shit in my pants. It had me, every night for months, staring at the bedroom door, scared to balls that it was going to move a little and I would lose my goddamn mind. That's terror genius! And like so many other classic works of art, the back story of how it came to be is a murky tale of urban legend status.
From what I hear; two…no wait, three starving film school drop outs, armed only with their vision of terror and pawn shop bought camera, created what turned out to be the scariest movie since the Exorcist. And they did it all in a house they were squatting in, on a budget of $0, in three days! No shit. DreamWorks saw that jam and wanted to remake it with a bunch of CGI effects and Will Smith starring as the ghost, but the creators weren’t having it. BOOM; artistic integrity. THAT’S how horror legends are born, haters.
Now just recently I was affected, in different way but to an equal degree, by another film. As much as Paranormal Activity scared the fuck out of me, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) stressed me the mother fuck out. No movie has ever given me such a sense of pure dread. This one stayed with me for a while after it was over, by way of a bad taste in my brain and perma-sourface. The concept is creative and disturbing. The characters are just underdeveloped enough to be believable. The pacing is methodical and scenarios are perfectly dreadful. Admittedly, there are some gaping plot holes but by the time I noticed them, I was so freaked the fuck out, I didn’t even care.
It’s foreign so it’s cool and I didn’t recognize any of the actors, except Christopher Walken who did such a good Nazi accent; I almost forgot it was him. I dare you to watch this movie and not make bitch noises or want to vomit. My biggest gripe with it is that now the phrase “ass to mouth” has taken on a whole new, and less affectionate, meaning.
Love you, bitches.
-ILLER