This year marks the 35th anniversary of JAWS. I’ve been getting pretty jazzed about this fact, annoying friends with my reciting of misremembered lines and begging them to join me at a local screening. Today, I decided to celebrate this monumental event by watching JAWS: The Revenge.

Despite the series’ fourth entry being regarded as one of the worst films of all time, it has a soft spot in my heart. Part of my admiration for this cash-grab stems from the fact that it was the only JAWS flick released after my birth. Moreover, the movie was the basis for the NES game that I watched my brother play for countless hours (of terror).

But today, I realized that JAWS: The Revenge is a worthwhile movie because of its educational properties. A viewing of the final chapter of this renowned shark-saga provides information that is simply not available elsewhere.

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[This! Is! Mad Men! recaps the newest developments of Don Draper and his ragtag group of cohorts. In the spirit of the show, it will often be sexist and drunk. Apologies ahead of time.]

Don Draper, I want to believe in you.

You know that I love you, Don. How could I not? You’re charming and handsome. And good at your job. And well-dressed. And a loving father. Hell, you’re even a solid ball player.

But I’m not sure if that’s enough anymore. When we first met, I thought you might be a good person who had made a few mistakes. Then you kept making mistakes. Over and over again. Fugg – even when you clearly knew what the right decision was, you chose the easier, more selfish path.

And yet, I still find myself wanting to believe that you’ll prove to be a decent human being.

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Source: Templesmith

In preparation for their upcoming tour, Primus spent June in rehearsals. In an altruistic move, the band has released a free 4-song EP recorded during these rehearsals. The tracklisting:

1) Pudding Time

2) American Life

3) Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread

4) Harold of the Rocks

It’s nice to hear Les, Larry, and Herb working through these tunes. They don’t contain quite the same rockin’ force of years past but they do have a saavy, laid-back wisdom about them. Also, it’s nice to know that the power-trio isn’t shying away from material written during Tim Alexander’s absence.

In a time where it’s so easy for “artists” to make a buck at every opportunity, it’s nice to know that some people are still about the music.

"Shhh...It's still supposed to be a secret."

Mark Millar’s Nemesis has been optioned for a film and Tony Scott is going to direct.

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[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Spoilers Ahead. Forreal.

I believe in ideas.

I’m not religious. I don’t belong to a political party. And I’m generally weary of aligning myself with institutions. But what I am unabashedly interested in is the formation, exploration, and discussion of ideas. Anything that has or can or will be done has come about by the processing of thought. Mental exertion. Trying to conjure up something that has yet to be plucked out of the nebulous pool that is the collective unconscious.

Human beings are squishy blots of flesh that exchange fluids with the world and rarely last one hundred years. They are fragile and gross and quite often unhinged mentally. And yet, within the few protective millimeters of skull is the capacity for goddamn anything.

Penicillin. Films. Sexual fetishism. Hospitals. Education. Genetic manipulation. Geoengineering. A hilarious anecdote about a dead relative. Cloned organs. Terraforming. Dinner reservations for two, no wait, three. Interstellar travel.

It’s all in there, in the goddamn ideaspace. The realized and unrealized.   The real and the fictional and the grey area where the two meet for conjugal visits.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a comic book about these conjugal visits.

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[This! Is! Mad Men! recaps the newest developments of Don Draper and his ragtag group of cohorts. In the spirit of the show, it will often be sexist and drunk. Apologies ahead of time.]

In the Spirit of the Season

Right off the bat, I’m going to issue a complaint about last night’s episode of Mad Men. My grievance doesn’t pertain to the writing, directing, acting, or production — all of this was superb. Instead, I’m going to whine because it’s only August and this is a Christmas episode. It’s just too early to be this damn fired up about the most wonderful time of the year! I just know I’m going to spend the next four months writing and proofing a letter to Santa, scouring supermarkets for eggnog, and staying up late to listen for sleigh bells.

But seriously, congrats Mad Men – you’re now in league with all those other shows with sick Christmas episodes.   I’ll definitely re-watch this episode on December 24^th.

Okay, let’s bite into the sweet pulp that is Christmas Comes But Once a Year.

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For years, rumors and whispers have abounded that Frank Miller would return to Batman by having him fight Al Qaeda. The project, titled Holy Terror, Batman!, has been plagued by criticism and alleged concerns of DC’s higher-ups (I guess I could see how depicting a superhero as fighting a real-life terror network could be seen as an obscene act of trivialization).

Well, according to the LA Times, Frank Miller is still going ahead with the project; just without the caped crusader. In place of Bruce Wayne, a new hero called The Fixer will battle Al Qaeda. Miller explains:

“I pushed Batman as far as he can go and after a while he stops being Batman. My guy carries a couple of guns and is up against an existential threat. He’s not just up against a goofy villain. Ignoring an enemy that’s committed to our annihilation is kind of silly, It just seems that chasing the Riddler around seems silly compared to  what’s going on out there. I’ve taken Batman as far as he can go.”

“It began as my reaction to 9/11 and it was an extremely angry piece of work and as the years have passed by I’ve done movies and I’ve done other things and time has provided some good distance, so it becomes more of a cohesive story as it progresses. The Fixer has also become his own character in a way I’ve really enjoyed. No one will read this and think, ‘Where’s Batman?‘”

I see all of the potential problems that will arise from the release of this project (which, by the way, DC is not going to be involved in). With that being said, I can’t help but get excited about new Frank Miller work – he’s a goddamn comics legend and anything he releases is at least worth considering.

A page from Holy Terror!

Andy Williams, guitarist for Every Time I Die, pioneering a new style.

[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Life can be humdrum. Boring to tears. Drab. For most of us, daily living is comprised of compromises and lackluster recesses of escapism. Existence can often seem like a set of meaningless tasks, more of a bogus journey than any sort of excellent adventure.

Is buying a couch really that enthralling?

Just the other day, a friend of mine was talking to me about the mind-numbing and uninspiring nature of modern life. Then, with earnestness, he started to describe just how great it would be to live during the End Times. He seemed keen on a zombie apocalypse, but would settle for any sort of societal collapse. Liberation is to be found in survivalism, he told me.

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