Two Great Tron Games That Aren't Really Tron Games: escapeVektor and Light Trax

After all these years, I'm still baffled over Disney's mishandling of the Tron franchise: Given the original film's premise and the popularity of its first arcade game, Disney could have used Tron to break into the video game market through a series of games set inside of a computer world. Instead, Disney's licensing of Tron games has been uneven and largely underwhelming. After the original arcade game in 1982, there was another arcade game in 1983, Discs of Tron, and a handful of Tron titles for the Atari and Intellivision home consoles. That batch of games was followed by ... 20 years of nothing.

The impressive Tron 2.0 came out in 2003 but between lackluster sales and poor support from Disney, that game quickly faded into cult classic status while other game franchises thrived. Since Tron 2.0, Tron characters have appeared from time to time in the Kingdom Hearts video game series, and a selection of tie-in games of varying quality were released under the collective Tron: Evolution title when the Tron: Legacy movie came out in 2010.

I'm sure that more tie-in games will be released for the upcoming Tron 3, but that's part of the problem: They're tie-in games for a movie series, not games that are part of an ongoing, stand-alone video game series. Between that and Disney's prompt cancellation of the incredible yet short-lived Tron: Uprising animated series--a series that could have provided game developers with plenty of fantastic ideas, plots and settings--it appears that Disney has relegated the virtual world of Tron to the silver screen and video game cameos and tie-ins. (I've also been disappointed how Disney let the Epic Mickey video game series go to waste, but I'll save that for another rant.)

Nevertheless, the slick neon-lit style of Tron has influenced the look and game play of many video games throughout the years, and this post highlights two that I've recently found that adhere to both the look and the metaphorical, computer-based logic of the Tron-iverse: escapeVektor by Nnooo and Light Trax by Skip Ltd. Read on for my review of these two games, and why Tron fans should add them to their video game collections.

escapeVektor was released through WiiWare for the Nintendo Wii in 2011 and for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita in 2012. In this game, players guide a character named Vektor, who is trapped inside of a computer’s central processing unit (CPU), through a series of maze-like digital landscapes with the hope of escape. However, the CPU has other plans and dispatches a series of enemies--Patrols, Hunters, and Interceptors--to foil Vektor’s plans. Click here to learn more at the official escapeVektor site, where you can also purchase the game’s chiptune soundtrack.

As a game, escapeVektor is reminiscent of two 80s era arcade classics, Pac-Man and Qix. Yet the look and game play logic of escapeVektor follows the visual style and plot of the original Tron movie so closely that it might as well be a tie-in. Between the neon-lit backgrounds, an electronic music soundtrack, a selection of data-based enemies of varying degrees of intelligence and capability, and a hero who is navigating his way through a labyrinthine world that's ruled by an oppressive master control program, escapeVektor is almost like an abstract, minimalist retelling of Tron.

What's your Vektor, Victor?

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Light Trax is part of a series of games that were released under the collective title Art Style. It is a remake/upgrade of Dotstream, a game that was part of Skid Ltd.'s bit Generations series for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, and it was released through WiiWare for the Nintendo Wii in 2010.

Playing Light Trax is like watching a light cycle race from a great distance: A group of bright pastel lines race against each other and avoid a variety of obstacles on a black-and-neon landscape. Light Trax is ostensibly a racing game but like everything in the Tron-iverse, it has its own peculiar logic. The lines in Light Trax can only accelerate their speed by running parallel to another line, but they will decelerate if they collide with or are cut off by another line. The race courses themselves defy gravity, twisting and turning in all sorts of directions in a seemingly endless expanse of 3D digital space.

In addition to the race courses and race circuit series, the game also provides a selection of "Freeway" levels, where players can guide their line along the freeways that connect the different race circuits to each other. While the same rules of acceleration and deceleration apply to the freeways, players can either race to a specific destination through the freeways within a set period of time or they can choose to just "cruise" the freeways as they glide their way through vertigo-inducing trajectories. Imagine watching Tron, Flynn, Beck or some other Tron-inverse character riding a light bike on a mega-highway that connects different areas of the Grid, and that’s how these levels feel. Click here to listen to a selection of chiptune music from the game’s soundtrack.

A Freeway level from Light Trax (virtual barf bag not included).

Neither escapeVektor nor Light Trax are official Tron games, but they capture the aesthetic of the franchise so well that they should provide many Tron fans with a satisfying game experience. Given how poorly Disney has handled the Tron franchise overall, I’m happy to take what I can get.

Robotech Double Shot: Love, Live, Alive DVD Arrives this Week, Robotech/Voltron Comic Book Crossover in the Development

Some franchises can be very, very difficult to love. Take Robotech, for example. For an anime series from 1985 that many fans love, it can't seem to catch a break. The sequel series The Sentinels never got off the ground, and Robotech: The Movie wound up being a forgettable mess. The last major entry in the series' canon was Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, which was released on home video back in 2006. That particular release arrived with a bit of fanfare: It was preceded by a series of Robotech comic book miniseries by Wildstorm (a publishing imprint of DC Comics) that retconned a few key points in the saga to prepare for the new Shadow Chronicles addition. Adding to the hype was Toynami's release of a few expensive Shadow Chronicles vehicle and robot collectibles.

Shadow Chronicles finally arrived in the midst of the hype, promising a new series of adventures in the Robotech universe, and then ... nothing. No new animation, no new comic books, nothing. There were some releases for the Robotech role-playing game since 2006, but that meant nothing for fans who don't play RPGs. Now, after seven years, more Robotech stuff is on its way, although not all of it can be considered 'new'. Read on for a rundown on Robotech items that are scheduled for release for this week and beyond.

Robotech: Love, Live, Alive is going to be released this week on DVD. Love, Live, Alive will involve the New Generation cast of characters from the series, and it will focus mostly on Lancer Belmont (a.k.a. Yellow Dancer) and his memories of the Invid invasion of Earth, from the Invid's arrival to their later departure. Early reports about this release also hinted that the Southern Cross character Dana Sterling will appear in Love, Live, Alive; I'm assuming that, based on what was seen of Sterling in Wildstorm's Robotech: Love and War comic book miniseries, her departure from Earth will coincide with the early days of the Invid invasion.

I have mixed feelings about Love, Live, Alive. Even though it's billed as a new release, only one-third of the animation is actually new. The remaining two-thirds consist of recycled animation from the original Robotech series and animation from the 1985 Genesis Climber Mospeada home video release that was also titled Love, Live, Alive. I can only speculate how the animation from 1985 will match the more recent animation, but I doubt it will look good. Furthermore, Love, Live, Alive will not be available in the Blu-ray format, nor is it being released as its own feature. It's only being released on DVD as part of a two-movie set that includes a re-release of Shadow Chronicles. Thus, Robotech fans who already bought Shadow Chronicles will have to buy it again to see Love, Live, Alive. Ugh.

Nevertheless, I'll still give Love, Live, Alive a go because its producers went to the trouble of reuniting the original voice cast for the New Generation to record dialogue for the new release. It should also be noted that this American version of Love, Live, Alive was directed by Gregory Snegoff, who provided the voice of New Generation character Scott Bernard. In real life, Snegoff was married to Lisa Michelson, the actress who provided the voice of Dana Sterling; Michelson died in a car accident in 1991, so it feels fitting for Snegoff to be directing Sterling's swan song in the Robotech series.

While Love, Live, Alive isn't getting the same hype as Shadow Chronicles, a news release from last week indicated that new Robotech comics will be on their way sometime in the future. Dynamite Entertainment has picked up the Robotech license and it plans to begin releasing new Robotech comics soon. (I'm guessing the new comics will appear in 2014, since no publication date was provided in the news release I saw.) Dynamite's Robotech comics will launch with a crossover miniseries involving Voltron, another hit anime franchise from the mid-'80s. Click here to read MTV's exclusive interview with Tommy Yune, the current creative director for all things Robotech, about the crossover.

I don't have much of an opinion about the Robotech/Voltron crossover. I realize that this is probably Dynamite's way to stir interest in its readership about Robotech through Voltron, since Voltron comics are selling quite well for Dynamite. However, what I'm really concerned about is where Robotech will go once it gets its own comic book series again. Will the comic give fans interesting new chapters in the saga (which is what happened when Eternity Comics had the license from 1988 to 1994), or will we be getting more retcons that go nowhere, like the Robotech comics from Wildstorm?

8-Bit Music: When Techno Goes Retro

Being a child of the late 70s and early 80s, I remember falling into a state of slack-jawed awe when video games began to play their own soundtracks. Not just music cues that would play every now and then, but actual soundtracks that would play a music track throughout a level and then switch to a different track on another level, and so on--almost like a movie or a TV show. Mind you, these early video soundtracks were very simple in their arrangement but back during the heyday of coin-op arcades and early home gaming consoles, the arrival of 8-bit music soundtracks hinted at the successive waves of increased technological sophistication that were inevitably on their way in video gaming entertainment. Thankfully, even though video game soundtracks have since moved on to include compositions played by full orchestras, 8-bit music has stayed alive to create an underground music genre of its own.

I recently discovered that 8-bit music, otherwise known as "chipmusic" or "chiptunes", is still being composed and distributed by artists who specialize in electronic dance music. According to Wikipedia, 8-bit music "is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers, video game consoles, and arcade machines, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became less expensive and more accessible than they had previously been. This led to a proliferation of outdated personal computers and game consoles that had been abandoned by consumers as they upgraded to newer machines. They were in low demand by consumers as a whole, and not difficult to find, making them a highly accessible and affordable method of creating sound or art. ... (I)n its modern form, the terms 'chip music', and 'chiptune' refer to music made by the sound chips found within early gaming systems and microcomputers."

I've been listening to 8-bit music tracks on YouTube and even though some of the tracks sound like the simple compositions played on 80s-era coin-ops, the best 8-bit music utilizes the full range of sounds that the technology provides to create complex and unique music. Read on for a small selection of few tracks that I recommend for those who wish to hear the 8-bit musical sounds from decades past taken to a completely new level.

Naturally, there are many 8-bit covers of popular rock hits available on YouTube, but most of them sound like what these songs would've been like if they had been used as background tracks for a Nintendo Entertainment System game. The most impressive covers are the ones that apply an inspired selection of 8-bit sounds to the original composition in order to create something that sounds both fresh and familiar. Here are two examples of such creativity at work:


The Pixies, "Where is My Mind":

Weezer, "Just Like Buddy Holly":

Where 8-bit music maintains its ongoing livelihood is through musicians who continue to find new ways to apply 8-bit sounds to modern musical tastes, musicians such as 8-Bit Weapon and 4mat:


Anamanaguchi, "Blackout City"

8-Bit Weapon, "Bit and Run":

4mat, "Chipmusic is Dead":

The examples that I listed above are just a few of the chiptunes that I've found so far. There are plenty of other examples of 8-bit music and artists around the Web.

An Interview with Jaws Diorama Sculptor Nigel Humphreys (Part 1 of 2)

While continuing my obsession with high-quality replicas of famous movie monsters (an obsession that dovetails with all of my other movie-related obsessions), I have recently found promotional pictures for a series of Jaws dioramas that being produced by Sculptoria Studio, which is located in Manchester, England. Thankfully, Sculptoria’s founder and creative director, Nigel Humphreys, was kind enough to answer a few questions that I have for him about his Jaws work, his love of sculpting, and how he applies his sculpting talents to his love of Jaws and other horror and sci-fi franchises. Read on for the first part of the interview.

Titans, Terrors, and Toys: How long have you been a Jaws fan?

Nigel Humphreys: Since 1975, I guess. My curiosity about Jaws was roughly at the time of the Planet of The Apes TV series and The Six Million Dollar Man. Oh--and The Waltons too! (Laughs.) I recall my initial introduction to the motion picture Jaws was initially by way of seeing the rising shark poster. That huge shark, its jagged tombstone teeth, its waxy blue skin and sheer scale was mesmerizing to a fresh, wide-eyed ten year old boy. The explosion of bubbles from beneath its head indicated it was propelling itself towards a naked swimmer on the surface of the ocean at great speed. I was fascinated with the contrasts within the movie poster. I mean the calm, almost sedate pose of the swimmer was in sharp contrast to the freight-train shark below. I remember I was so concerned for that poor woman and I was also curious about her nakedness. Where was her bathing costume? Why is she naked? She seemed so helpless and vulnerable.

The iconic Roger Kastel Jaws Poster

The rising shark poster thrilled me to bits and sent a shiver down my spine at the same time. This sensational poster was painted by Roger Kastel and was my first induction into the salty world of Jaws. It showed me somebody in that film had a huge problem on their hands with that hulking brute of a shark. But who else was it going to devour? Where was in the world was it? Does somebody kill it? I wanted to know! (Laughs.)

TTT: That’s some pretty intense fascination with Kastel’s work.

NH: Ever since I was a child I have been seriously fascinated by the sea, especially on a bright sunny day. The ocean’s surface, sparkling against a summer blue sky like a billion diamonds, is the best sight in the world. But my heady fascination for all things maritime was soon to be spoilt one day at the beach while peering into a wide clear rock pool. I remember pushing aside the silky seaweed which sailed through my fingers like mom's hair. Then, it struck! A large crab snapped its claws onto my tender fingers and wouldn't let go--boy, it hurt! I was horrified! Right then and there then life had slapped me across the face with its unpredictable nature. I learned the sea concealed things, dangerous things in its shadows, just below the surface. I mean, there it was, a small unassuming rock pool on a beautiful day, reflecting the blue sky, inviting me to explore the world within it. I felt so betrayed. This nasty little seaside experience really did disturb me. So, you can imagine my curiosity some years later when I saw the rising shark on the Jaws poster. Oh my god!

TTT: When did you first see Jaws?

NH: One hot afternoon in 1975 and it was at the Studio 1, 2 AND 3 cinema in Bolton, and then later in the year it moved to the big Odeon cinema. I went with a gang of my chums. I remember shuffling past the encased rising shark posters on the way in. I knew we were in for a major experience along with all the other innocent victims in the queue. (Laughs.) The thing was, when the movie ended I wanted more. I wasn't satisfied with seeing it just once--no way! I wanted to see it again and again and again. My buddies and I would sink low in our chairs--and I mean LOW--to avoid detection by the patrolling torch of the ice cream lady and this granted us the opportunity to watch Jaws again and again. As soon as the automated red curtains swept aside I thought, "Get those darn movie trailers out of the way!" I wanted the black, silent screen again, those few notes of John Williams score and the Zanuck/Brown opening credits. The milky water, the swaying seaweed and that word JAWS was hot-stamped into my mind. I wanted this movie so bad, again and again.

TTT: How long have you been doing sculpture work?

NH: Since Play-Doh in nursery school. (Laughs.) Seriously. My memories of sculpting started with that lovely stuff. The only problem was I just didn't know whether to eat it or play with it. God, it smelled really nice. I remember showing mom and dad my Play-Doh creations. I really did feel I had created something wonderful out of that squishy stuff but I'm sure my folks must have considered my creative offerings as nothing more than abstract lumps of turd. (Laughs.)

Throughout the period of my childhood, I went on to assemble Airfix kits and I had hours of fun assembling these, such as Spitfires and Junker bombers. The smell of Humbrol paint still makes me dizzy with gorgeous, cherished memories of childhood youth, of Christmas trees and of home, safe and warm. Then, as I got older and a little more skilled, I progressed onto the new Aurora's monster model kits. Whoopee!

I remember the first monster kit dad bought me was a 'glow in the dark' Frankenstein. The box-art was awesome, truly awesome and Frankie was sculpted walking over his own grave in a kind of trance, arms outstretched and hands clutching. With this kit, you had the option whether to attach the glow in the dark head and hands or simply the solid grey plastic head and hands--I always opted for GLOW IN THE DARK! I would power charge the glow elements under my bedside lamp until I could smell the plastic almost burning (laughs) then I would flick the switch and plunge my bedroom into darkness and relish my glowing Frankenstein beside me. I would stare at him totally transfixed until my eyes grew tired and I fell asleep. I would wake in the morning and I couldn't help but think how rather unassuming he looked in daylight but I knew the night would soon come around again and plunge me into the spooky world of Aurora. Working on these various model kits gave me an amazing understanding of how things are put together and my passion for assembling things grew and grew as a result and so did my passion for painting too.

TTT: I’m glad to hear that the Aurora legacy of creating “monster kids” is still alive and well. When did you begin Sculptoria Studio?

NH: About 1993 I think, with the determined intention that Sculptoria Studio would be another Franklin Mint in the quality of its future projects. Getting into major licenses started with my work on Jeff Wayne's 1978 musical version of The War of the Worlds. Working closely with Jeff Wayne has been an amazing experience. My time spent chatting with him at his home are very special to me and my work on these projects are still ongoing. I remember the day my brother bought the album in 1978 and I spent every day thereafter listening to it until my mom pulled the plug out of frustration. (Laughs.) I was a huge Jeff Wayne fan from then on. Jeff is a truly great guy. I wanted to create War of the Worlds collectibles he would be proud of. I subsequently created a stunning War of the Worlds Victorian theme pocket watch as well as an amazing Martian Fighting Machine CD Album Holder of infinite detail and luxury. We are continuing our negotiations with distributors and additional financiers for these exciting products. (Editor’s Note: With my own personal love of War of the Worlds, I can assure you that this blog will be covering more Sculptoria’s WOW work in future posts.)

TTT: What made you decide to pursue the Jaws license as a professional project?

NH: Are you crazy? (Laughs.) Jaws has always been in my bones, my blood, my dreams and has never left me. It has been on my creative hit list since my early model making days, I just didn't know it at the time.

Off topic a little here, I remember building the Jaws Addar 'Super Scene' of Hooper and the shark cage. I was so excited Jaws was in kit form at last and upon assembling all the parts I remember how really disappointed I was with the shark. Arggghhhhhh! It was naff. I wanted Jaws--my Jaws, THE Jaws from the movie, the shark that scared the heck out of me. All I got from Addar when I fixed it together was a white banana shark! (Laughs.) Of course, I have THE Jaws now with the work I’m doing, but I still loved my Addar kit because that's all I could find at the time by way of Jaws merchandising.

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Stay tuned for part two of the interview, where Nigel discusses the upcoming Jaws: Estuary Attack diorama, the first in a series of unique Jaws collectibles from Sculptoria Studio, as well as other movie collectibles the Steven Spielberg fans are going to love.

Flip Top Box: A Song About Necrophilia from the 50s

Did you ever remember loving something from your early childhood only to realize when you're much older that the object of your prepubescent affection wasn't what you originally thought it was? If so, I've got a story for you.

Way back when before I was in kindergarten, my sister and I would listen to some 45 rpm records (give yourself points if you know what a 45 rpm record is) that our mom bought when she was a teenager. One of these records that I used to play repeatedly--usually when my buddies from down the block came over--was called "Nee Nee Na Na Na Nu Nu" by Dicky Doo And The Don'ts. As you can tell just by the title, it is a very silly song that easily amused pre-kindergarten kids like us. You can listen to it here:

There was another song on the other side of the 45 that I would also listen to once in a while, but I didn't understand what it meant so I didn't play it often. It was called "Flip Top Box", and I had no idea what the lyrics were talking about so it didn't hold my interest. Leave it to my memory and curiosity to get the better of me, and I recently decided to look up the lyrics to the song to understand what it really meant. You can read the lyrics here.

From what I have read elsewhere, rock songs about monsters and morbid subject matter were written and performed long before the arrival of heavy metal music and "Flip Top Box" is certainly one of the more ghoulish tunes from its time. Indeed, a love song about a man who is buried in a coffin with an easily removable lid so that his girlfriend can dig him up later for some "hugging and a-kissing" is a love song that's not meant for beating hearts. Listen for yourself:

Robo Redneck: Part Man, Part Machine, All Redneck

I'm not a country music fan, but I thought I would share this recent video for "The Wind" by the Zac Brown Band:

I'm posting about this video for three reasons:

1. It's a pretty funny video filled with physical humor and sight gags to which only cartoons can do justice.

2. It's directed by Mike Judge, the same guy who gave us such wonderful things such as Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill and Office Space.

3. It's a southern-fried parody of geek-friendly stuff such as The Six Million Dollar Man, The Terminator and Robocop.

A Video Game Symphony is Coming to the Strathmore

On April 7th, the Strathmore is hosting "Video Games Live", an immersive concert event where members of the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale will play soundtrack selections from many popular video games. The concert will include music and video footage from games such as Metroid, Final Fantasy VIII, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Halo, and many more. The Strathmore is located in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Video Games Live will be performed twice, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. There will also be a pre-show festival that features a Guitar Hero competition and a cosplay contest. Click here to learn more about the Video Games Live event and to purchase tickets.

10 Memorable Music Themes from Lesser Known Horror and Sci-Fi Titles

If you're a junkie of obscure movies, then you'll recognize this scenario: You're watching a film that isn't very popular among mainstream audiences. It could be that the film wasn't widely distributed or well promoted during its initial release but it nevertheless became a cult classic with a devoted fan base; it could also be that the film just wasn't that good. A few days (or weeks) pass and you'll notice a particular tune bouncing around your head that you can't identify ... until you remember that it's from the obscure film that you saw. This same scenario can also occur with TV shows and video games.

With that in mind, here are ten examples of horror and sci-fi movie, TV and video game themes that got stuck in my head over the years. This list is organized chronologically and most listings have a link to a YouTube video so you can hear these tracks for yourself (and perhaps get them stuck in your head, too). Read on....

1. Dune (1984)

Say what you will about David Lynch's flawed adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel, but one thing is certain: Unlike the countless space operas that were appearing on both the small and big screens during the late 70s and early 80s, Lynch's Dune was the only one that neither looked nor felt like Star Wars. Adding to such distinction was its soundtrack by the rock group Toto, their first and only film score. Of particular note is the opening theme, which establishes the vast scope and dire mood of the story that follows.

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2. Wings of Honneamise (1987)

I saw this anime movie shortly after it arrived on VHS in the states. The animation is fantastic, even if the story itself--which tells of humankind's first steps into space on an alternate Earth--isn't particularly great. Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the movie's mesmerizing soundtrack, which reaches its apex with a suite that concludes the film and accompanies the transition into the end credits.

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3. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

There have been many, many spoofs of alien invasion films from the 50s, but few are as warped and wicked as Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The opening theme song by The Dickies perfectly captures the manic, over-the-top nature of this unique sci-fi parody.

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4. Communion (1989)

For a film that features Christopher Walken having close encounters with probe-happy aliens, Communion isn't quite as interesting as you think it would be. (This is especially tragic in light of Walken's gold watch monologue from Pulp Fiction.) The best thing about this film is its main theme, which was composed by rock legend Eric Clapton.

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5. Big O (1999)

Whoever composed the opening theme song of this giant robot anime series must've been psychically channeling Queen, because this sounds so much like something they'd perform.

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6. Crimson Rivers (2000)

As a thriller, Crimson Rivers has a lot going for it. It's based on a best-selling novel about a series of brutal murders on a French college campus that are somehow connected to a Nazi experiment in eugenics, and it features the ever-cool Jean Reno as one of the leads. Unfortunately, everything that works is largely undone by director's insistence on cutting out all of the "boring" explanations that give clarity to the plot, resulting in a film that looks great and is paced well but makes little sense. Regardless, the opening theme is memorable even if the solution behind the film's mystery is not.

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7. Ginger Snaps (2000)

Ginger Snaps is one of the best werewolf films ever made, and its two sequels are pretty good as well. (However, because the third entry in this franchise is a prequel, I'm a bit frustrated that we'll never see a continuation of the nasty ending seen in Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed.) Many werewolf films have a tragic element to them, and Ginger Snaps is no exception; thus, its mournful theme perfectly complements this frightening tale of teenage lycanthropy and sisterly love.

While the closing credits feature the entire theme, the visuals that accompany the opening credits are just as interesting.

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8. Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (2005)

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects isn't an innovative button-masher of a fighting game, but what sets this superhero slugfest apart is its dark, foreboding (and somewhat surreal) art direction and visual style. Adding heavily to the game's uneasy mood is its soundtrack by Trevor Jones, particularly its "Imperfects Theme" and "Superheroes Theme" tracks.

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9. The Broken (2008)

The Broken is the only title on this list that does not have any soundtrack clips available on YouTube. This movie features Sarah Connor Chronicles alumna Lena Headey as a woman who is slowly putting her life back together after a horrible car wreck, a wreck that happened while she was pursuing someone who appeared to be her doppelganger. The closing theme, which is partially played backwards, is a fitting conclusion to a chilling tale of fractured realities and fragmented identities.

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10. Skyline (2010)

The only noteworthy things about Skyline are its modestly budgeted special effects and its outrageous ending. To emphasize such a crazy ending is the rocking "Damage Control" track from the film's score, which plays during the end credits.

Goodbye JawsFest DVDs, Hello TalkFest Online Radio Show!

When we last left Lou and Dianna "Yana" Pisano, they had finished their trilogy of excellent JawsFest DVDs (read my reviews of the DVDs here and here). At the conclusion of the third JawsFest video, the Pisanos announced that they would not make any additional JawsFest DVDs. Thus, the Pisanos' contributions to the fan culture of the Jaws franchise is over ... or is it?

Last month, I heard that the Pisanos were considering their own online radio show called Lou and Yana's TalkFest. They aired their first episode on December 23, and Lou and Yana are as affable as ever. They take calls from fellow fans, play music, and discuss their many favorite franchises, such as the Jaws, Halloween and Superman movies and TV shows such as The Incredible Hulk and The Six Million Dollar Man. They also broadcast material they collected from their previous fan endeavors, including Lou's interview with Joe Alves that he recorded as part of his Jaws 2 retrospective that's being published in SCREAM magazine. They are on the air every Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST, and each episode is about an hour in length. It's a great fan-friendly radio show, and you can listen to episodes here on the BlogTalkRadio site.

Yet if you miss the Pisanos' video productions now that their JawsFest trilogy is over, never fear. Lou has set up his own channel on YouTube, where you can see some additional JawsFest snippets and two HalloweenFest video shorts. Check it out here.

Five Monstrous Melodies for Merry Christmas Madness

Christmas is my second favorite holiday after Halloween. Where Halloween allows you to indulge in all things morbid and spooky, Christmas allows you to wallow in all things colorful, cheerful, and gaudy. Yet with Halloween being my first love, I feel the need to temper my Yuletide warmth with a few ghoulish chills--and what better way to do that than through music?

Here are five musical suggestions I have to keep the horror in even the happiest of holidays, complete with YouTube videos for each. Read on....

5. The Gremlins Theme, by Jerry Goldsmith

Gremlins is one of my favorite Christmas movies (click here to see my list top Christmas movies), so it's only natural to include the theme composed by veteran movie composer Goldsmith as part of my Christmas music recommendations. Not only does it capture the wild, madcap nature of Gremlins, but it's also festive enough in its own right that you could play it as background music at your office holiday party and no one would notice.

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4. "It's The Most Horrible Time of The Year", by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society

Oh, may the Old Ones bless the H.P. Lovecraft Historical society. They produced A Very Scary Solstice, an album of Christmas music that features lyrics tailored to fit snugly within Lovecraft's warped, bleak universe. My favorites on this album are the ones where the darkest of lyrics are set to the most cheerful of melodies; this one is my favorite, with "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fish-Men" ranking a close second.

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3. "Shouldn't Have Given Him a Gun For Christmas", by Wall of Voodoo

There are plenty of Christmas songs out there that involve fire arms in the wrong hands, but none of them are as deliciously deranged as this ditty by Wall of Voodoo. It's like a gory, 50s era public safety film about gun safety that you can dance to on Christmas eve.

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2. "Christmas At Ground Zero", by Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al may be known for goofy parodies of popular rock songs, but he sure does love gallows humor. This is one of his most merrily morbid songs, about World War III starting on Christmas eve. Adding to the fatalistic festivities is the official video, which blends together atomic bomb footage with vintage Christmas movie clips.

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1. "Red Water", by Type O Negative

This is the only song on this list that doesn't feature an ounce of satirical humor--a rarity for off-center holiday songs--which is why this is one of my favorite Yuletide-themed tunes. Type O Negative was a fantastic band and this song is one of their best, about a man coping with severe personal losses and the tortured memories that come with them during the holiday season by seeking solace in the titular crimson liquid. Goddamn ye merry gentlemen, indeed.

The Muppets Review: The Return of Everyone's Favorite Felt Friends

Reviving dormant franchises for new audiences can be a tricky thing, particularly when it comes to franchises that are based on animated characters. As in any franchise revival, there's always the tension between appealing to new fans while maintaining the interest of the original fans; very rarely do these rival tensions balance evenly. When it comes to animated characters, the common approaches to revival appear to be either dumbing down the characters to appeal to kids (for the sake of merchandising), or putting the characters in the "real world" alongside known actors (for the sake of celebrity name recognition value), or both. These strategies rarely work, but they've succeeded just enough for Hollywood to keep them in their franchise revival playbook.

On the other hand, there are the title characters of the new movie The Muppets. They aren't cartoon characters but they are closely associated with kid-friendly entertainment, and they've had a long history of featuring celebrity guest stars. With these two attributes, one would expect to see the Muppets in their latest movie suffer the same grim fate as Rocky and Bullwinkle (see The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle) and the Looney Tunes characters (see Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action). Thankfully, not only does The Muppets avoid the common revival mistakes, but it succeeds in capturing the very things that made the Muppets so entertaining in the first place. After seeing this movie, two conclusions immediately came to mind:

1. We really did lose something special when Muppet creator Jim Henson passed away back in 1990.

2. The Muppets is a fantastic tribute to what Henson left behind--which is pretty amazing, considering that it was made by the same people who brought us Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.

Read on for my full review.

The Muppets is a musical comedy that tells the story of Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (voiced by Peter Linz), two brothers and life-long Muppet fans, who find out that evil oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to buy the old Muppet theater and tear it down to drill for oil. To stop Richman, they persuade Kermit the Frog (voiced by Steve Whitmire) to round up his Muppet friends and put on a show to raise money to save the theater. Of course, this plot summary barely covers The Muppets' vast amounts of in-jokes, musical numbers, parodies and guest cameos that keep the movie humming along smoothly from start to finish.

At their best, the Muppets are the embodiment of acute contradictions--they are winners and losers, goofy yet sincere, so real yet so fake, simple yet complicated--and they firmly embrace these contradictions with such exhilaration that you can't help but to go along for the ride. I honestly can't think of any other set of characters that pull off this deliberately imbalanced dichotomy so well, which is probably why parodies of the Muppets--such as Meet the Feebles, Wonder Showzen, Crank Yankers and Greg the Bunny--usually fall apart in comparison to the real thing. After all, it's hard to parody something that so readily makes fun of itself and is able to entertain adults while entertaining kids. Then again, there's nothing mean-spirited about the Muppets no matter what kind of jokes they tell, and this essential attribute is something that most Muppet imitators forget.

The Muppets remains true to the schizophrenic nature that Henson bestowed on his creations, and it mines with manic glee every absurdity that emerges from its characters and plot. Since the movie is a musical, it pokes fun at musicals; the movie is also a comeback story, so it too pokes fun at many comeback story clichés. The Muppets deliver heartfelt (no pun intended) and tender speeches that are truly sincere, yet they aren't afraid to kidnap a celebrity to accomplish their goal. Perhaps the most amusing part of the movie is found in its two main characters, brothers Walter and Gary: Walter is a Muppet while Gary is not, but no one in the movie seems to notice this discrepancy at all (although it does become the punch line in a hilarious musical number, "Man Or Muppet").

There's a fart joke here and there, but that's about as "edgy" as this movie gets; otherwise, the Muppets do their kind of humor the way it's been done before and it shows little need for improvement. Come to think of it, with so many reality TV shows serving as talent contests these days, I can't think of a better time to put The Muppet Show back on the air.

Of course, a movie like The Muppets isn't content just to be a good movie with Muppets--it also contains countless references to The Muppet Show that will keep die-hard Muppet fans re-watching this film for quite some time. I spotted a few secondary Muppet characters in the film that I haven't seen since The Muppet Show went off the air in 1981. The human cast, which also includes Amy Adams and Rashida Jones, appear to be having a blast even when they're taking a back seat to the Muppets, and I lost track of how many celebrities appear in smaller roles or cameos. With that kind of attention to detail, a witty script and the attraction of celebrities for on-screen appearances that only last for a few seconds (with even more appearances winding up on the cutting room floor, no less), I can't recommend The Muppets enough to anyone who is looking for smart yet lighthearted fun at the movies.

Spider-Man vs. The Unstoppable Broadway Disaster

As a long-time Spider-Man fan, I've been doing everything possible to avoid gawking at the press coverage of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the never-ending train wreck that's supposed to be a musical about Spidey. Ryan Dixon, co-author of Hell House: The Awakening and regular contributor to the Fierce and Nerdy blog, recently posted a detailed analysis of why this production keeps going in spite of the fact that this production is doomed no matter what. It's a good read, and it makes many insightful points about live musical theater and why colossal Broadway flops are successes in their own bizarro-esque way.

Curiously, Turn Off the Dark isn't the first Spider-Man musical. There was another one back in 1999, Spider-Man On Stage, which was performed in the U.K. (This show is mentioned in the book Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe with a handful of glossy, full-color pictures of the production.) Sure, it wasn't a blockbuster hit and it didn't produce any songs that will turn up in a "Best of Broadway" music collection, but at least it didn't have performers falling to their near deaths and winding up in the hospital. Then again, maybe the producers of Turn Off the Dark should invest in a few dozen of these items and just let them do the show instead. The outcome couldn't possibly be any worse and it would save a bundle on medical bills.

I can't help but to think that if this were a comic book, the Turn Off the Dark musical would turn out to be a plot concocted by Spider-Man's theatrically minded villain Mysterio, in cahoots with J. Jonah Jameson, to discredit Spider-Man. If anything, this plot would have a much more campy appeal than any of the Spider-Slayer story arcs. Sam Raimi, are you listening?

Dr. Herbert West's Sing-Along Stage Show

In the grand scheme of the arts, I've always suspected that there was an unspoken affinity between the absurdly excessive blood splatter in gory horror films and the absurdly excessive spontaneity of song and dance in musicals. Judging from what noted horror film director Stuart Gordon has been doing these days, I'm obviously not alone.

Gordon is currently helming Re-Animator: The Musical, a musical stage show based on his own classic 1985 zombie film, which was in turn based on a short story by horror master H.P. Lovecraft. It's currently playing at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood, CA, and the production will run until March 27. If the reviews at sites such as Shock Till You Drop, CHUD and Daily Trojan are any indication, this show is a must-see if you're in the area and love tuneful, off-kilter theatrics. It's got a "splatter zone" where the audience is most likely to get hit by fake blood and other wet, squishy debris, and it's also got George Wendt as Dean Halsey, one of the unfortunate characters who is re-animated during the course of the show. (I'm wondering if Wendt exchanged any zombie acting tips with fellow Cheers alum Ted Danson, who also played a walking, rotting corpse in George Romero and Stephen King's Creepshow.) Click here to get your tickets today!