It's Monday. And Rob Levy showed up and threw some music at me (Widge) to throw at all of you. If you enjoy what you hear/see here, then use the links and snag them from our Amazon store, would you? That helps pay for things like therapy. And coffee. Which in our world...is the same damn thing.

First up, we have an album by Dean and Britta that's a bit unique. It's a series of songs that they would play while some of Andy Warhol's screen tests were being shown: 13 Most Beautiful... Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests. And now the project is out on CD. And DVD as well. Here's a trailer to give you a taste...

Direct link for the feedreaders.

The CD is available as a real CD from Amazon or as an MP3 download as well. Click on your medium of choice to snag it.

Next, Rob recommended the 3-CD Deluxe Edition of Disintegration by The Cure. Granted, I'm cheating a bit, because this acoustic version of "Lovesong" isn't actually on that release. Which is odd. Also odd is that the song was only available as a bonus disc on a limited edition version of their Greatest Hits, which you can snag from Amazon used here. Sorry for cheating, but sometimes a song you've heard a lot needs a little bit of a changeup, you know?

Direct link for the feedreaders.

You can snag the Disintegration reissue from Amazon as a CD or an MP3.

And lastly, we have a bit from Thieves Like Us and their second full-length album, Again & Again. Here's "Shyness":

Direct link for the feedreaders.

That's available as a CD only from Amazon at the moment.

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Music Monday: Dean, Britta, Warhol, The Cure & Thieves Like Us

It's Monday morning. And that means you could wander into work with no preparation whatsoever, to be beset upon by the demons that make up the work week. But why would you do that? Instead, use a little bit of horrid surreality and inoculate yourself against the chaos that is to come. It will get your brain ready. And it only hurts for...well, depends on how long the videos last.

This session we'd like to talk about rap. When executed well, it can be a solid classic. But when used for the wrong reasons it can terrify and stupefy.

Exhibit A: a rap performed by all-stars of the musical genre in 1989. On one hand, you have to commend them for trying to stand up for an environmental cause that they appear to believe in. On the other hand, it's hard to take any video seriously in which people are dancing like...that. The...inclusion of Kid n Play doesn't help matters.

Direct link for the feedreaders.

Next we have a vid thanks to the lunatics at Everything is Terrible!, in which we learn about eggs. Now there's no doubt it's important to know about eggs, but must we learn it via a small boy who has been possessed by the spirit of some rapping demon. That's what I think is happening in this video, I'm not sure about you...

Direct link for the feedreaders.

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Your Monday Morning Mental Sorbet: When the Intentions Are Right But the Rap is Wrong

Film:
DVD:

Written by: Frédéric Fonteyne, Marion Hänsel, Philippe Blasband based on the novel by Madeleine Bourdouxhe
Directed by: Frédéric Fonteyne
Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Clovis Cornillac, Laura Smet

Features:

• Making Of featurette
• Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary

Released by: Koch Lorber Films
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: Oui

My Advice: Rent It

Elisa (Devos) is living the working class dream in 1930s rural France. She has a good husband named Gilles (Cornillac) who works at the factory, lovely twin girls and a another baby on the way, and a nice house outside of town. But something, or someone, is going to disrupt this domestic bliss. Elisa senses that Gilles and her sister Victorine (Smet) are getting too close. She soon discovers that Gilles and Victorine are having a torrid affair. Elisa is devastated, but she loves Gilles and doesn't want to love him. She is even there for Gilles when he is upset when Victorine ignores him. So is Elisa's love stronger than her pain?

It's as question no one in a relationship wants to think about. What do you do if your partner cheats? For most it's easy: dump the motherfucker. But if you've invested time and emotion into the other person, do you just toss all that out the window without trying to salvage it? For the character of Elisa, this question is complicated by having several children with Gilles, the other woman being her sister, and being constricted by the mores and laws of the 1930s. Instead of what could have been a typical Lifetime Movie, director Fonteyne has created a film that is beautifully made and quite powerful.

One of the things that struck me was how quiet this film is. There is very little dialogue--no long discussions over their relationship. Everything is told with a glance or a turn of phrase. When Elisa or Gilles finally show a flash of anger or pain from this love triangle, it makes it all the more shocking. The quiet serves to keep trite language from ruining these moments but also shows Elisa's desperate isolation. She obviously can't go to Gilles or Victorine, nor her parents. And in her small town, anything she said would be town gossip in moments. Even when she travels to a neighboring town and confesses to the priest, she gets a rote absolution.

Fonteyene evokes the seasons and how they played into the story. The bleakness of winter reflect Elisa's feelings and the glory of summer match Elisa's passionate efforts to save her marriage. The film is shot with a lushness reserved for epic historical dramas involving grand palaces and royalty, not ordinary working class folk and their ordinary problems. But Fonteyene doesn't sacrifice his actors for the sake of pretty scenery. Devos and Cornillac are amazing as the troubled couple. Devos especially radiated love and pain with just a look at her husband. She isn't being noble, Devos conveys how Elisa tries to be for her husband because that is the only thing she knows. But you can also sense the struggle she is going through. It's quite a remarkable performance.

There are a couple of nice extras on the DVD. The behind the scenes featurette isn't your usual slick production where the director and actors gush about how great the movie is. Instead, director Fonteyene took some home made video and spliced it together, showing the production with an honesty missing from most of these type of featurettes. You see how they actually built the house where Elisa and Gilles lived for the filming and how they split filming to capture actual summer and winter to add more authenticity into the film. The other feature is some deleted scenes but Fonteyene gives commentary that explains why he cut them, showing how sometimes you have to cut some of your favorite scenes for the sake of the whole film. The whole DVD of Gilles' Wife shows that you can take showing ordinary and make it beautiful and engrossing.

• Click here to buy it from Amazon.

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Gilles' Wife (2004) - DVD Review

Download audio file (wjustice082710.mp3)

Agenda:

• Scott's first day back
• College parking
• Kim's guide to shoplifting
• Consumers and How to Spot Them
• Jon and Leigh Take a Swallow...Together
• Girl beers
• The Unique Geek Podcasts vs. DragonCon
• Leigh's turtleneck fetish
• Sally Draper has issues
• Wikipedia vs. Leigh's uterus
• Hostess Presents...
• Scott's first day of school
• Hobo school supplies
• Rock Lobster!
• The Lost Auction
• Tuffley vs. Carly Simon
• Lost ending revisited
• The Corpse Cannon and Spazhouse prequels
• Star Hustler vs. Star Gazer
• Leigh vs. Weezer
• Mr. McFeely comes to town
• Mr. Rogers vs. Julia Child
• Mr. Rogers vs. The Day After
• Widge vs. Threads
• The Smiths vs. children
• Sea Hobos
• Monstersorri
• Kim's education
• Columbia House
• What are singles?
• Tori Amos
• Pretentious music
• U2 vs. St. Louis
• Eastwick vs. Torchwood
• Doctor Who
• Songs in montage vs. television
• Richard Kelly
• Getting too close to films
• Kevin Kline & Tom Hanks
• Canadian Quantum Mechanics
• What's wrong with Kim's ferret?

Headsup: You can find all of our Recommendations at our Amazon Store. And there's new Weekend Justice gear as well in the Zazzle store.

Thanks to Jon from The Unique Geek for helping us sound good.

If you want to send something to Weekend Justice--say, a new turntable--address packages to NEEDCOFFEE.COM WEEKEND JUSTICE, 4480-H South Cobb Drive, PMB 394, Smyrna GA USA 30080.

As always, special thanks go out to Clutch for letting us use their absolutely badass song, "Promoter (of earthbound causes)" as our theme music for this.

Buy Blast Tyrant, which is where you can find "Promoter". Buy their latest album, Strange Cousins from the West. Send them love and coin.

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Or if you want to do something else with it, the feed feed is here.

To download this episode directly, Weekend Justice #80: Don't Scratch That Record!, then do that thing. For the previous episode, click here.

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Your Weekend Justice #80: Don't Scratch That Record!

Humans and their thinking, autonomous creations have had a rough relationship for a long damn time and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (T:SCC) was looking to change that, right around the time it got canceled. I've gone off at great length about what I call the twin heads of this relationship, namely "the Pinocchio Complex" and the "Frankenstein/Shellian Syndrome" (again, 1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here, 5 here, 6 here, 7 here, 8 here, and most recently 9 right here ). Pinocchio Complex stories are those where the creation wants to be a "Real Boy," and, in the end, to some degree or another, gets to be. In Frankenstein/Shellian Syndrome (F/SS) stories, the creation may start out wanting to be real or it may start out confused or with a clear purpose--but the hubris of the creator is shown and she is forced to try to destroy it, ultimately being destroyed by it. This last has been around at least since the ancient tale of the Golem created by a Rabbi to wipe the land clean of those who would oppress and kill Jews, and that really speaks to the age of this feeling, in humanity.

Noted and notable futurist Jamais Cascio has spoken very clearly about what this strain in representative fiction meas to our "real world operations" with what he calls Autonomous Created Intelligence, in his Laws of Robotics, but my concern is the same thing, from a slightly different angle. I believe that our fiction reflects our hopes and fears, but it also helps shape them. This means that, if we make Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror that shows warring factions coming to a better relationship, rather than a plain old victim/victor model, we'll see that as more and more possible. As I said in my Splice review, it's long past time for Science Fiction to move beyond this simplistic "Kill The Monster Or Make It Real" dichotomy into more of a "recognition, integration and correction of our failures" kind of place, and I think T:SCC was on it's way to doing just that.

T:SCC was developing a interesting narrative, consisting of changing the nature of the interaction between machine and human, about exploring what living in a post-apocalyptic world does to the psychology of the people who, though used to living in it, are now living somewhen else (it shows in the little things like what happens when they hear a dog bark, or how they brush their teeth). It was serious about the business of developing and exploring the existent complexity in the interactions of its characters, not shying away from the fact of them. People had different desires, agendas, plans, and preferences--all of which meant that, even if their end goal was the same (i.e. Stop Skynet), the actions by which they tried to get there were very different. In other words, the show was Smart. And I could go off for days and days about the characterisation of humans and machines, and what it means that such a smart show was canceled...but I don't think you want to hear me whine. What I want to talk about is exactly how I started this extended rant: Humans and their autonomous creations have had a rough relationship in fiction, for a long time, T:SCC seemed to be trying to change that, and then it was canceled.

So, before we continue, some background, if you don't know what the hell I've been yammering on about this whole time: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (T:SCC) is an American television show which ran from 2008 to 2009. The plot concerns the continuing lives of Sarah and John Connor within James Cameron's Terminator universe. It picked up a few years after the events of T:2, and pulled the two main characters eight years into the future, skipping over the events of the third film in the franchise. T:SCC got two seasons, with the first season foreshortened to nine episodes due to a mid-season start and the early 2008 WGA writer's strike. The second season had a full compliment of twenty-two episodes, after which the show was canceled, making thirty-one total episodes. A number of factors went into the cancellation of the show, but they all boil down to the thing that usually always cancels a show: low ratings. There were not enough eyes on the screen at time of air.

Now, I'm not going to use this space to go off on a rant about time-shifted viewing being just one major aspect of a vast landscape shift, the whole of which needs to be taken into account for the sake of the continuation of serialised entertainment, even if I think that's something that really needs to be talked about. This isn't really the place for that. And, like I said, it's not the place for is talking about the fact that television networks recently seem extremely eager to cancel smart television, as soon as it doesn't conform to the older ratings models; to know that, just look at your TV-scape these days and you will see a vast, shallow sea of "reality-based" and soap-operatic mediocrity, pocked with little islands of extraordinarily complex, engaging shows, and these latter islands are constantly in danger of sinking. I do think that problem is an interesting one, though, so I'll say this: Think about it. Anyway, now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, let's talk about why you're all here: Killer Robots are Awesome and Summer Glau is Hot. Am I right? Yeah, I thought so.

To be fair, killer robots are completely awesome, even as they're completely terrifying, and that's what keeps us coming back to the Terminator franchise, even when it hurts us. To be completely honest, I was swayed by Internet rumour mills, and I went to see Terminator: Salvation based primarily on the vain hope that the film was going to be the proper ending to T:SCC. So great was my love for ass-kicking robots, deeply complex readings of "artificial intelligence" and the awesome, crazy stuff they pulled in that show, that I convinced myself that the movie had to be following from that timeline. And I was wrong. The show and the film had nothing to do with each other, and we are all poorer, because of it. The machines and cyborgs in the show were far more interesting, to me, than anything that film had to offer.

Though there was some complaint about a "Terminator of the week" kind of vibe in some of the episodes of the show, there are really only four important Artificial Intelligences in the T:SCC universe: Cameron, John's cyborg protector in the form of a young girl, sent to blend in as a part of the Connor Family and to serve as a companion for John's younger self; Cromartie, the cyborg hunting the Connors through time and changes of body; "Catherine Weaver", the T-1001 model that has come back through time, killed two people and assumed the form of one of them to run her vast electronics and computing software firm (sounds both ominous and obvious, right?); and John Henry, the AI created by Weaver's company, and taught and raised by humans (bwhuuu?!). Now each of these machines showcases a different kind of development in the course of the series and each of the kinds of development is a piece of a very important puzzle: and the title of that puzzle is "How Do We Learn?" When we look at what Cameron learns from her time with the Connors--the things, actions, and opinions that matter to her--it's a different set of things than Cromartie learns from Agent Ellison (the FBI agent hunting Sarah Connor, following the Destruction of Cyberdyne in 1995), which is in turn a different set from the concerns and lessons of Catherine Weaver, which are different from John Henry's lessons. It's the way in which those lessons interconnect that matters.

The beauty of this show is in the intricate, subtle interplay of the characters--human and cyborg/machine--and how what they learn, what they know, and what they don't know that they've learned...all play off of each other and create lives and a world, while they are all in the midsts of seeking to not just save but literally create and sustain their futures. Now, the show is ostensibly about the human element: human reactions to robots, robots impacting the lives of humans, OMG Uncanny Valley, blah blah blah. If you can't tell, by now, let me put it simply: I think that's boring. I'm not saying that there isn't useful, interesting fiction there, mind you, just that I'm bored by it, because it has been done to death. Yes, human psychology is a fascinating thing. Yes, the end of the world (personal and collective) is deeply affecting. Yes, stress and change and madness all take their toll on the mind living in the constant glut of it, and watching that can be deeply jarring, on an emotional level. But I know all that, already. What I don't know is: what is the psychology of a created intelligence? Why does Skynet persist in viewing us as a threat to itself, seeking to hunt us down to the irrational end of self-fulfilling prophecy? What does a machine that is programmed to feel... feel? There are some really interesting tastes of this in T:SCC and I would now like to talk about them, at length.

I don't even think I should have to talk about spoilers at this point, so if you haven't seen it yet and want to stop here and let what I've said so far stand to convince you to read it, that's cool. Just bookmark this page, and come on back after you're done over at Netflix or whatever. Otherwise, let's get to the heart of this thing. Let's talk about these robots.

On to Page 2.

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The Sarah Connor Chronicles: "Strange Things Happen at the One Two Point"

Direct link for the feedreaders. Downloadable iPod version here.

Thanks for listening. I might do more of these. Do you have a topic you'd like me to explore/go off on? Leave them in the comments or ping me at @Widgett on Twitter.

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Special thanks to PhantomV48 for the closing animation.

Previous episode here.

• Click here to buy dog stuff from Amazon.

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Widge Goes Off on... Dog Accessories

Written by: Rohit G. Banawlikar with lyrics by Sarim Momin, Prashant Pandey, Sandip Singh & Vayu
Directed by: Ram Gopal Varma
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Mohnish Bahl, Paresh Rawal, Gul Panag

Rann is produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma (RGV), coming in after the disastrous Agyaat. Rann is a hard hitting take on the prevalent media, journalism and political system in India. It has a plethora of actors playing vital roles in the movie and it does sufficient justice to its theme. RGV seems to be completely in his element here and this movie is surely an engrossing affair.

The story revolves around two news channels vying for the top spot in viewership and TRPs (Target or Television Rating Points). India 24X7 is headed by the morally upright Vijay Mallik (Amitabh Bachchan), who believes in getting the plain truth out to his audience. His news channel is in need of sponsors and money as they are losing viewership...given the fact that they don't focus much on news sensationalism. He is supported by his son, Jay Mallik (Sudeep), who believes the news channel should be a source of good money irrespective of the correctness and truthfulness of the news being broadcasted. The other channel is Headlines 24X7, headed by Amrish (Monish Bhel), which believes more in making profits through sensationalism. In a desperate attempt to get his channel to gain more popularity and make money, Jay enlists the help of his industrialist brother-in-law, Naveen (Rajat Kapoor), and the corrupt opposition party leader with a criminal track record, Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal), to wrongfully accuse and charge the Prime Minister of masterminding a bombing--accomplishing this through news on his channel showing tampered evidence.

Purab (Ritesh Deshmukh) is an upright journalist working with India 24X7, who considers Vijay Mallik his role model. He takes a keen interest in the bombing case, investigates the entire scandal and gets to the truth. Does he manage to get the truth out in the open before Mohan Pandey becomes the new Prime Minister and are the corrupt people brought to justice? Do the news channels and media really do what they are intended to and bring out the truth? All these questions are answered in the movie.

The story is interesting and gripping. This is an excellent take on the prevalence of news channels in India, the way news are sensationalised, how politicians and the channels depend on one another for their growth, the rampant corruption and how people divulge out sensitive information from one channel to other for money. RVG is back to doing what he does best: getting superlative performances from his cast using a solid story which he directs extremely well. Yes, you also have his trademark camera angles all through the movie. However, it does get annoying towards the climax during Amitabh's speech, and ends up taking out some of the impact of the speech! And yes, the movie does get a bit preachy towards the end, throwing up questions on the conscience of the people working for news channels. But till then, the screenplay ensures there is not a dull moment with several twists.

Coming to performances, Amitabh Bachchan does well (that's the least we can expect from him). He makes his presence felt, given the screen time and the role, he does complete justice to the role. Sudeep (a well known actor from the Kannada Film Industry) as his arrogant money minded son gives a good performance; he stands up on his own sharing screen with Amitabh and other proven actors. His dialogue delivery is worth mentioning: coming from down south, he does ensure his Hindi is apt and there are no hiccups there. Paresh Rawal is menacing as the corrupt criminal minded opposition party leader, and the role should have been a cakewalk for him given the number of similar roles he has played before. Nevertheless he adds his own dimension to the part. Ritesh Deshmukh underplays his part of the upright journalist; his dialogues are limited but a whole lot is communicated through his body language (an RGV trademark), and he performs admirably.

Monish Bhel springs in a surprise! His showing is excellent and he has one of the powerful scenes in the movie towards the climax--his screen time is limited, but he delivers. Neetu Chandra and Gul Panag as Jay Mallik's and Purab's girlfriends respectively add glamour to the proceedings. Rajpal Yadav does manage to get a few laughs from his on-screen antics. Rajat Kapoor as the business man brother-in-law also brings much to the table.

There are quite a few songs played in the background. Nothing much to write about the music--however the lyrics take a dig at the politicians, rampant corruption, news channels, ordinary citizens and they do add to the impact of the script. Overall, it's a good story line with multiple targets that asks hard questions and delivers with some good performances and apt direction. Surely worth a watch if you've liked RGV's previous works as it has his stamp all over it.

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Rann (2010) - Movie Review

Written by: Howard Mumma
Published by: Paraclete Press

Albert Camus and the Minister is a fascinating look at the period of Camus' life in the early 1950s when he corresponded with a new friend, Methodist minister Howard Mumma. They met when Camus visited the American Church in Paris to hear the music of a renowned organist; Mumma, an American from Ohio, became a valued friend who answered Camus' questions about theology and the idea of faith. Over the next several years, their unusual and unexpected friendship grew as Camus explored Christianity.

Mumma's own recollections of his letters and discussions with Camus comprise roughly the first half of the book. The final half of the book is a look a Mumma's own spiritual life, including discussions of the various people who impacted his spirituality and personal philosophies in turn, just as he impacted Camus. These recollections not only enabled him to understand Camus' dilemmas, but gave him the tools to deal with the many questions that Camus posed.

One of the most poignant parts of the book is how the author deals with Camus' eventual death, which Mumma terms a suicide. In believing that he had failed Camus, he overlooks the central point of the book--that before he died, Camus had found faith in a higher power. Camus may have still been struggling with more personal demons and his own trademark angst, but the minister had answered many of the questions that most plagued Camus--issues of God. But only Camus could have answered for himself the issues of humanity still plaguing him at the time of his death.

There have been readers who have questioned the central veracity of this book, given that major biographies of Camus do not mention Mumma. However, I find it less difficult to believe that a discussion Camus wished kept private and that only happened between the two of them would have remained unknown.

A few readers might find Mumma a bit pedantic and overly eager for Camus' conversion. However, if you read with the understanding that it is very human for people to want others to agree with them, Mumma's personality is a bit less overbearing and Camus' questions all the more touching.

One of the most valuable things about this book is the opportunity to see the human side of Camus. While his novels deal with very human issues and struggles, there is less known about the man himself, and any insight is to be treasured. This book is also interesting in its explorations of new faith, and that fragile time in any individual's spiritual life when he must decide what he is or is not going to believe, to feel--not unlike C.S. Lewis' book Surprised by Joy. It would have been nice if the first half of the book, the bits with Camus, had been more like three-fourths of the book, but without texts of the actual letters, we got what we could out of Mumma.

It is not unusual for a writer to come to some kind of faith relatively late in life, after having spent years, even decades, as an atheist or agnostic--T.S. Eliot and C.S. Lewis both come to mind here. However, it is good for fans of that author's work to be able to understand how issues of faith and personal philosophical struggles may have informed the writers' works. Albert Camus and the Minister is a particularly fascinating example of this journey given that Camus' atheism had been seen as an inviolable part of his character. Regardless of your final decision about the veracity of this work, or the feelings you may have about Mumma's rather shallow understanding of a difficult and complex man, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in Camus' work (and that should be all people!), as well as for anyone interested in faith or issues of conversion and personal philosophies.

• Click here to buy it from Amazon.
• Click here to buy Albert Camus stuff from Amazon.

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Albert Camus and the Minister - Book Review

There are a lot of things out there you can buy. We try to give you the information you need to make an educated purchasing decision. Because we have no lives. If you find the info here to be of use, do us a favor and purchase stuff from Amazon through us. Especially if you were going to buy the stuff anyway. That gives us kickbacks, which help pay for things. Like the server. And coffee. And therapy. Thanks.

So Branagh's full-length Hamlet hits Blu-Ray from Warner Brothers. Having rewatched it I can tell you that my opinion is unchanged: some of the casting simply does not work, for me anyway, but what the task Branagh set out to accomplish is so huge, it's easy to forgive a few wrinkles. Because the damn thing is four hours long. But there's a lot going on during that time--you're not likely to get bored. One thing I did notice more of, thanks to the Blu-Ray, was the different look to this version: i.e., it's not set in a dark gloomy castle. It's in an Elsinore that's bright, full of windows and mirrors. So that works really well in the hi-def format, especially since your source material was 70mm. The features here are the same as what came on the previous two-disc edition: a commentary with Branagh and Russell Jackson, his Shakespeare scholar of choice; an intro by Branagh; "To Be On Camera: A History With Hamlet" that is less a history of the play and movie than a history of Branagh's involvement with it; and a Cannes promo from 1996. This version comes with a collectible booklet, which is nice and all, but you're here for the hi-def. If you already own it on DVD, it's probably worth going back to the well on this one--because it just looks really damn good. And if you haven't gotten it before but have the hi-def capability, then the Blu-Ray is actually cheaper than the DVD as I type this. So there you have it. (Click here to snag it from Amazon.)

Speaking of Warner Brothers, the seventh season of One Tree Hill is here as well. This has twenty-two episodes across five discs and, a rarity for television discs it seems: bonus bits. You get unaired scenes, a featurette about newcomers to the show, a featurette about a first time director on the show, another featurette about some contest winners who won the change to work production assistant jobs during spring break, and commentary on two episodes. Oh, and a gag reel. That's a decent array for a television show, I have to say. And with the price I currently show on Amazon, you're looking at $1.75 an episode or so. Which is also not bad. Of course, right now the show is available elsewhere--on the CW website they have some and then it appears to air on the SOAP Network twice a day--but not these particular episodes. If you're a fan and want to own these, this is not a bad way to go about it. (Click here to snag it from Amazon.)

The first collection of Tytania hits DVD thanks to Sentai Filmworks. It's the first thirteen episodes across two DVDs. The main point of interest, for me anyway, is that this is brought to you by some of the same folks who gave you Macross, which became Robotech here in the States. The gist is this: it's the future. And mankind is ruled by an empire, run by the Tytania dynasty. But everything goes wonky when a small city-state fights back and wins a victory. And the guy who had the plan that caused the first defeat of Tytania is now--I think the term is: hauling ass to stay ahead of the authorities. The only real feature is clean opening and closing animation. I can't seem to find this airing anywhere stateside, so like with most thinks Sentai puts out, they're putting legitimate copies into the hands of fans. The total per episode cost is less than $3, which seems about normal for anime releases of this nature. Fans should snag it. (Click here to snag it from Amazon.)

Date Night hits Blu-Ray from Fox. It comes also with a digital copy, not to mention an extended (fourteen minutes longer) edition, as well as the theatrical version. From what I could tell, there's no additional footage with Mila Kunis and James Franco, so take that for whatever it's worth. The theatrical version comes with a commentary by the director, deleted/alternate/extended scenes, a useful directing featurette, a less useful directing erotic dancing featurette (those who have seen the movie will understand), camera tests, a gag reel, and PSAs used in promoting the film. The camera tests and the "disaster dates" featurette (where the cast talks about bad dates) are exclusive to Blu-Ray. If you haven't seen the film yet, then I know what you're thinking: with this cast, surely it's worth owning. Well, rent it first. Then bear in mind the Blu-Ray is $10 more than the DVD while I type this. So. (Click here to snag it from Amazon.)

The Joneses stars David Duchovny and Demi Moore as the head of a family that's just moved into the neighborhood. They have all the coolest shit, too. And nothing makes you want something than seeing somebody else have it--this is true and we've all been there. Of course, the trick is they're not an actual family. They're shillmeisters, selling products by "demonstrating" them for the neighborhood. This great concept hits completion on Blu-Ray from Fox and there's a $6 difference between the DVD and Blu-Ray as I type this. The only feature is deleted scenes, sadly. So the Rewatch Factor enters the picture--I would say rent it first and decide if it belongs on your shelf, just to be sure. (Click here to snag it from Amazon.)

TwoMorrows has more goodness at hand with Back Issue #43. It's an issue dedicated to characters from the jungle and barbarians in general. The Shanna the She-Devil cover by Frank Cho sets the stage for an array of chats regarding Shanna, plus a talk with the creative team of Ka-Zar, an interview with Larry Hama, a look at Rima the Jungle Girl (who I had even forgotten), info on Red Sonja, Claw the Unconquered, Beowulf, and more. I must say I'm surprised we didn't get Groo the Wanderer in there somewhere, but so be it. It's like everything else TwoMorrows does--essential reading for any fan of comics. (Click here to snag it from TwoMorrows.)

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is exactly what the title says it is: Brian Wilson singing and working with George Gershwin's music. Now the first thing I should explain is that while I have the utmost respect for Brian Wilson and what he and The Beach Boys brought to music--his work since his return isn't my bag. Smile didn't work for me--and I'm not sure if it's just what has happened to his voice with age or what, but it just doesn't work. That being said, the music behind him is quite good and provide capable renditions of Gershwin. But I would say if you too felt that Smile didn't work, this appears to be along those same lines. That being said, if you dug the hell out of Smile, then I have a feeling you'll love this too. Different strokes, and all that. (Click here to snag it from Amazon.)

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The Week in Stuff: August 17, 2010 - Shakespeare, Brian Wilson & Friends*

Recommended by Rob on a previous episode of Weekend Justice, it's Best Coast with their first full-length album, Crazy For You. Here is the title track.

Direct link for the feedreaders.

You can snag it as an MP3 download from Amazon here or a real world CD here.

Next, it's the Doctor Atomic Symphony by John Adams. It's the opera Doctor Atomic--based on the build-up to the first atomic bomb test, led by Robert Oppenheimer--adapted into a three part symphony. Here's the first part:

Direct link for the feedreaders.

It's available from Amazon as both a real world CD and an MP3 download.

And last up, a quick pick from me: it's The Mynabirds with "Let the Record Go," from the excellently titled What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood.

Direct link for the feedreaders.

That too is available as both a real CD and an MP3 download from Amazon.

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Music Monday: Best Coast, John Adams & The Mynabirds

Each Monday, we try to get your mind in the right place for the work week that is to come. This is a shared hallucination, of course, because there is no "right place." So maybe, in essence, the right place is the wrong place. Whatever it is, we take you there by showing you something odd, strange or even downright wrong.

This week...well, I have no idea how I wound up checking out the videos of "Songsta For Life," which is either a loose conglomeration of talented college students or just the video channel of one of them...or both. Either way, it will make you pine for when you had free time to do crazy shit--but also thankful you didn't have YouTube back then. Because let's face it, some of the stuff you and I did? Anyway, this isn't one of those vids. It's actually a pair of interesting covers, made strange(r) by the odd mannerisms, facial expressions and weird other bits of music thrown in. Simply because they can. Which we kinda respect. This could have been a Music Monday post, but they're just so very sick in the head. And the fact that somebody actually thought to do an a cappella cover of a song from The State...I mean, really.

Direct link for the feedreaders.

Direct link for the feedreaders.

Whatever the hell they're up to, find more of their stuff here.

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Your Monday Morning Mental Sorbet: Songsta For Life

Episode #34 for Piranha 3D, in which our protagonist talks about how he has a speech impediment (especially dealing with time periods), the When Animals Attack genre of films and his fondness for them, and how the film is very very clear in its purpose.

Direct link for the feedreaders. Downloadable iPod version here.

Want to subscribe to our Wayhomers as a video podcast? Here's your link.

Want to subscribe to all our video podcasts in one fell swoop? Here's your link.

Special thanks to PhantomV48 for the closing animation.

Previous episode here.

• Click here to buy Piranha stuff from Amazon.

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Wayhomer Review #34: Piranha 3D

And now, we'd like to welcome a brand new feature to the site. One in a more...educational vein that you might be used to. Our friends and yours, Aaron Poole, is going to implore you to broaden your vocabulary. Each week: a word. A word you can use! In conversation! In the written word! Even on Twitter and Facebook! And the best part is: this word is free for you to use and share! It is guaranteed DRM-free.

We hope you will climb about Aaron's safari ride...into the wild landscape that is Language.

Direct link for the feedreaders. Downloadable iPod version here.

Want to subscribe to all our video podcasts in one fell swoop? Here's your link.

Special thanks to PhantomV48 for the closing animation.

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Word-A-Week Vocabulary Vlog #1: Ubiquitous

Pop culture news won't change your life. The minutes you save reading these posts instead of other sites, where they just pile on info you don't need--those minutes can change your life. We're here to empower you. You're welcome.

Move swiftly, friends. Any season of X-Files you want is $13.99 today only--for just a few hours more--at Amazon. Here's that link you need.

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Stuff: The Dawn of The Modern Marital Aid. Oh, and Judge Dredd.