Wow… 43 seconds in and I was hooked. This really took me back to laying on the floor in my parent’s living room, under a blanket and staring wide-eyed at the TV. “The Neverending Story” was one of my favorite movies when I was growing up, and it still holds up to be an excellent fantasy movie, even by today’s cgi-laden, big-budget standards. Very few movies have the heart, suspense, humor and faintest dash of creepiness that make this movie work as well as it does. And of course, few people that know this movie can think of it without getting the chorus of it’s famous theme song stuck in their heads for hours. There are a large number of memorable tunes that stand out throughout the film, and I think Gijs was able to capture them perfectly in this medley.

More Info: Official Gijs van Winkelhof Website

I am greatly looking forward to the end of this week. Well, more specifically, the end of the workday tomorrow. After many long months of waiting, Chicago Powerfest 2008 is finally upon us. A group of friends and I will be driving out to Mokena, IL Thursday morning to indulge in a 3-night metal feast! For those of you who don’t know about Chicago Powerfest, it’s an annual multi-night concert that has featured some of the best local Chicago metal acts as well as a number of amazing national (and international) acts. The 2008 edition is no exception… 17 bands and nearly 20 hours of brain-splitting metal. In fact, this year features some of the most badass bands that I’m excited to get my very first live taste of…

Tonight, after a much-anticipated and overly-delayed return, I was excited and overjoyed to finally watch what I can easily say was once of the most uncomfortable 30 minutes of television I’ve seen in a long, long time. I’m of course talking about The Office. Few things can make me squirm in my seat, laugh out loud to myself, and feel an overwhelming sense of embarrassment at the situations that unfold before me quite like Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin crew.

Honestly, not many shows can have the effect on people that this one is somehow able to deliver episode to episode. As we held our weekly Office-watching sessions, it wasn’t a rare sight to see my friends hiding their faces behind their hands or shirts as Michael Scott (perfectly portrayed by Steve Carell) made a complete and utter fool of himself to his paper-pushing minions.

I don’t know how many (out of the 3) of you have seen Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive” (aka “Braindead”)… but if it isn’t all of you, someone deserves a severe beating. It is, by far, one of the most glorious, low budget, over-the-top, zombie gorefests ever captured on film. While watching Lionel shred the faces off a dozen undead kiwis with a lawnmower, you can’t help but think to yourself, “This is by the guy that did Lord of the Rings??”. Yes. It is. And it is amazing.

Well, I think there may be a future release that’ll be giving “Dead Alive” a run for it’s money in my book: “Poultrygeist“. This movie sounds and looks so over-the-top and stupid it just has to be good. Check out this synopsis:

“When the American Chicken Bunker, a military-themed fried-chicken chain, builds a restaurant on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground, local protesters aren’t the only ones crying fowl! The previous tenants, fueled by a supernatural force, take “possession” of the food and those who eat it, and the survivors discover that they must band together before they themselves become the other white meat!”

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, a bunch of suckas getting blown to bits
Released: January 25, 2008

It’s been more than 25 years since audiences everywhere were treated to their first glimpse of the man… the legend… the invincible killing machine… John J. Rambo. Since then, we’ve all seen our fair share of action movies. I know I have. But seeing Rambo up on the big screen, where he belongs, one last (?) time made this so much more than your average action movie. It was nostalgic. It was exciting. And holy christ, was it violent. But does Rambo still have what it takes? You’re damn right he does.

Directed by: Matt Reeves
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, Mike Vogel, Lizzy Chaplan, T.J. Miller
Released: January 18, 2008

It’s been nearly 2 hours since the credits rolled on the sneak peek screening of ‘Cloverfield’ and I find myself continuing to think about it. So much, in fact, that I decided to get my thoughts down now instead of waiting for the morning. Note that I tried my best to not add too many spoilers, but I’m sure a few slipped in.

I want to start off by saying wow. Just…. wow. This was the kind of monster movie I’ve been waiting for. Much like ‘The Mist’, which I loved, this film seemed to convey a much deeper understanding of what audiences these days want to see: suspenseful, engaging versions of the monster movies we grew up loving. Movies that make you feel like you are actually there with the characters. And this movie does it wonderfully. It’s not like watching a movie at all… it’s as if you’re experiencing it.