Robert Rodriguez got his start making an action-packed, low budget B-movie called El Mariachi about a gunslinger and his guitar, full of romance, action, and lots of blood.  You may know the film’s follow-up Desperado or the sequel Once Upon a Time in Mexico.  With Machete, Rodriguez perfectly returns to these roots and the sub-genre that he both invented and inexplicably seems to be the only person who can make films like this.

Machete is a loving ode to B movies of the past.  But unlike most of those movies, this film is well acted, well scripted, and full of a surprising amount of poignant social commentary.  What began as a fake trailer for Rodriguez’s joint project with Quentin Tarantino Grindhouse, Machete is now a full-fledged film and a great way to cap off your summer movie season.

If you watch the trailer for Machete, it tells you exactly what you need to know:

“They call him Machete…he was given an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Set up, double-crossed, and left for dead!

He knows the score!

He gets the women!

He kills the bad guys!

They’re about to find out, they just f#$%ed with the wrong Mexican!

Action!  Suspense! Emotion!

When you hire Machete to kill the bad guys, you better make sure the bad guy isn’t you!!!”

And that’s basically what this movie is.  It is so self-aware and some of the dialogue so intentionally awful that you can’t help but be giddy.

But like Rodriguez’s previous creations of El Mariachi, Machete is almost a mythical being, whose adventure is as much Southwest-inspired tall tale as it is Greek myth.

This is beyond a breakout role for Trejo, who you’ve probably noticed as a staple in most of Rodriguez’s other films, especially in the Spy Kids franchise and a knife-wielding assassin in Desperado.  It’s hard to imagine him doing many other things beyond this role that will be this good, though.Lucky for us, early word is that Machete will return in two sequels.

The rest of the cast is also superb.  Machete’s rogues gallery is filled out by Robert DeNiro as a demagoging and bigoted state senator, Don Johnson as a leader of a border-patrolling militia, Jeff Fahey (TV’s Lost) as the man who sets up Machete, and Steven Seagall, a Mexican druglord who seems to have ties to all of this who has a history with Machete.

But Machete’s allies include a conflicted immigration and customs agent played by Jessica Alba, a nascent revolutionary fighting for immigrant rights from her secret base inside a taco truck played amazingly by Michelle Rodriguez, and a shotgun wielding priest played by Cheech Marin.

Lindsay Lohan also shows up in this film and, I may get beat up for saying this, does a pretty good job.  She’s ocassionaly passable in a film when she’s not getting herself covered by the gossip rags.

But the final person that makes this movie is the City of Austin.  She is a seminal part of this movie and as much a part of the fabric of the film as Las Vegas is to Ocean’s 11. I had a somewhat hard time concentrating on the film at times because I kept saying to myself “I know where that is!”  It also really, really made me want to go get tacos from one of our many delectable food trucks.

I only have a few complaints with the film.  The first was pacing and length.  Sometimes the movie just felt a little overbloated.  Some of the sequences felt more like padding, such as an extended sequence of driving a motorcade of low-riders through town.  This movie is so much non-stop action that when you do get a breather you almost wish they’d get on with it to get to the next cool thing.

Some of the stunts and action also seemed gratuitous.  I don’t know how to describe it except this way: in several of the Hong Kong action films Jackie Chan did in the late 90s, like Operation Condor, Who Am I, or Mr. Nice Guy, it seems like some of the stunt sequences were simply MacGuyvered together:  we have a stepladder, a nylon rope, a bicycle, some butcher paper, and a lazy-boy recliner—what can we do with these objects to choreograph a cool fight scene?  Rodriguez, in once again finding his true voice and craft after a couple of recent misfires (eg, Shorts) seemed to take every great idea he had and shoved it into this one film.  That makes the film for more on the “all killer no filler” and “more is more” scale of action, but for people who may find this gratutitous you’ve been warned.

And finally, I have to complain a little about  is the unevenness of the film’s serious subtext to its B-movie roots. Rodriguez may have made the perfect movie for our time—who knew when he was writing and filming this we’d have Arizona’s SB 1040 or major political figures calling for repeal of the 14^th amendment amid talk of terrorist anchor babies?  But that’s exactly what we have here.  The characters, each from their own perspective, lay out their case for why things are the wat they are, and how they need to change.  It can be a cerebral discussion of the issue… until the next scene Machete is attacking someone with a weed whacker!  So it’s a little bit jarring to have to constantly turn your brain on and off for fear of missing something or else thinking so much you’ll stop enjoying the film.  Regardless, trying to attack such an important issue with such a ridiculous narrative and script is kind of like trying to solve world hunger with a finger-painting.  It conveys its message clearly but then leaves you wondering if this was really the right medium for that message.  Then  you understand that, yes, this is not only appropriate but perhaps the most appropriate forum for this discussion.

So here’s a recommendation for your Labor Day:  go see a movie that touches on the issues facing our labor force—our day labor force—but don’t take it too seriously and remember that, after all, this is just a B movie.

3 ½ stars

Yesterday, 20 brand new screenshots were released for the too-far-off title, and you can check them all out below!

Synopsis:

Batman: Arkham City expands upon the gritty, atmospheric scenery and characterization that catapulted Batman: Arkham Asylum to the forefront. It is set in a sequestered section of Gotham City that has become the home for the criminally insane. Players are introduced to a brand new story that bring together an ensemble cast of characters and villains from the Batman universe, as well as enhanced gameplay features that build upon the ultra-realistic Dark Knight experience that fans enjoyed with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

This October, writer J. Michael Straczynski (Superman, Wonder Woman, Babylon 5, “Changeling”) and artist Shane Davis (Green Lantern, Superman/Batman) will take readers on a journey both familiar and new – a story of a last son looking for meaning amidst the skyscrapers and teeming crowds of a great metropolis.

This is a Superman for the 21st century.

With SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, Straczynski and Davis inject the folk tale and legend that is Superman’s origin with a modern, vital and forward-looking energy that makes for a refreshing, epic and challenging super-hero adventure.

In SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – the first original graphic novel retelling Superman’s origin — Clark Kent is a man looking for meaning in a new city and an age of failing newspapers, hand-held devices and instant gratification. But when you can fly through the sky and burn objects with a glance – things become a tad more complicated. Doubly so when a fleet of alien ships arrive on your doorstep.

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE channels the best tales of Superman with a look toward the future, by two of the brightest talents the industry has to offer. We’ve got a first look at the graphic novel below. Prepare to be wowed.

This last week we received a press release from Telltale Games, best known for the Sam & Max games:

Marty McFly and Doc Brown Reunite for

New Back to the Future Games from Telltale Games

Films’ co-creator and writer Bob Gale consults on new platform for all-time great series

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – September 1, 2010 – At 88 miles per hour, Back to the Future took millions of spellbound viewers on a high-flying voyage across the space-time continuum in a trio of wildly inventive tales that broke box-office records around the world.  To celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Academy Award®-winning cinematic franchise that generated nearly $1 billion worldwide, Telltale Games will release a new game series this winter as part of the milestone soon after the Blu-ray debut and DVD release of the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy on October 26, featuring all-new restorations of the classic films.

Telltale today announced that the highly anticipated Back to the Future games will feature the likenesses of the original stars that made the characters of Marty McFly and Doc Brown legendary: Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.  Lloyd is voicing Doc Brown for the full game series, which Telltale will deliver in five monthly episodes. The first images showing the game depictions of Marty and Doc are now available at: www.backtothefuturegame.com.  The game series is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Partnerships & Licensing.

“Creating cinematic adventures true to the source is a top mission for Telltale,” says Telltale CEO Dan Connors.  “Securing Marty and Doc for the games, and presenting the experience that fans know and love, has been top on our list since we initiated development.”

Co-creator and writer Bob Gale’s involvement further strengthens the links to the original series.  Gale is consulting with Telltale on the characterizations and storyline for the game, ensuring it will be true to the spirit and adventure of the films.

Gale elaborates:  “Twenty-five years ago when I wrote Doc Brown’s line about ‘seeing the future,’ little did I realize that I would be traveling with him to work on this game.  Collaborating with Telltale is an amazing opportunity to continue the adventures of Doc and Marty.”

Telltale is also pleased to announce that the games will feature the DeLorean Time Machine, and to celebrate the historic vehicle’s return, it will make a guest appearance at the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle Washington September 3 through 5.  Fans attending this increasingly popular gaming and culture event can re-create the iconic pose from the movie posters and capture their photos with this authentic replica of the famous vehicle in the Convention Center’s South Hall.

Alright, so here’s my take on this: It’s gonna suck. As much as I loved the Ghostbusters game and as much as I want a really cool Back to the Future game… I just don’t see it working out. Do some careful thinking about the trilogy and how they can translate this into a game series. It screams of fetch quests and limited time on missions. Two things I hate most in games.

I’d imagine Marty and Doc go somewhere in time, the DeLorean breaks in some fashion. And the rest of the entire game is a mix of fetch quest for parts (a la Toe Jam & Earl) and timed stealth missions. Why stealth? Because you don’t want to fuck up the space time continuum.

You’ve heard my opinion of possible cons, let’s talk about some pros. I think its awesome they got Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd came back to do the voices. The art style is a really smart move. As well as it being in downloadable episodes.

All in all I hope this game turns out awesome, I just don’t see how it well. What do you guys think?

I picked up the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom, it holds up to 6.5 pounds and was small enough that I could slip it inside my saddle bags or strap it to my backpack. They have a couple other pods in that same range; The SLR holds about 1.75 pounds (not enough if you want to add lenses to your camera) and the Focus which is more for video cameras and holds up to 11 pounds.

Now the SLR-Zoom is great on its own but I didn’t really want to spend time attaching to my camera to it all the damn time, and it would just be a little to awkward to keep it on and try to carry it around the park, so I picked up the SLR-Zoom Ballhead (yes sex jokes galore I know) as well. The addition of this to the tripod made a huge difference for me, now I could leave the quick release tab on the bottom of my camera and mount it on the tripod whenever I needed it. Plus I got the added advantage of being able to rotate the camera after already setting up the pod in whatever place I needed. The quick release has a level to make sure my shot was straight. And the ballhead allows 90 degree tilt and 360 degree panning with just the twist of a knob ( I know, its so easy, the jokes are right there) Basically this set up became invaluable to me on my trip.

The thing about being the guy with the camera is that I never end up in any of the pictures, but I had to have some of me and my dad on this trip and I ended up getting some pretty good shots and Ive used it a whole lot more since Ive been home. The site shows pictures of the camera in all kinds of cool poses, and I’m sure you can get them that way but most of the stuff I did was done quickly and I still got good shots. I wrapped it around rotting fence posts and on car mirrors and rocks, or just set it on the ground. It made me a bit nervous more than once but it never fell, and its small enough that now whenever I go out with my camera I just stick it through the strap of my camera bag.

If you want to pick one of these up there are a variety of places you can find them, I got mine at a brick and mortar shop the day before I left but you can order from Joby.com themselves, REI, Amazon and most photography sites. The SLR-Zoom on its own was $50 then another $35 for the ballhead (well worth it) after taxes and everything it was about $90. Thats still less than most of your standard aluminum tripods and this is small and versatile enough that I can do anything I need to with it. If you do a lot of hiking or camping and want a great way to take better pictures and maybe do some long exposure shots this is definitely the accessory for you.

Swank’s Update: I’m not sure what to think of this.  For one, does Sandman need a TV series? For two, if Warner TV is developing it, where will it land? Is this going to be another crappy CW show? Are they going to try to syndicate it to a cable station where it can breathe?

There are a lot of concerns and unanswered questions about this property that need to be dealt with before we can really be up in arms or on board with this. And I don’t know anything about this Kripke fellow from Supernatural that seems to be the front runner. Who is he? What’s Supernatural? Who has answers to that one?

What do you guys think?

Gavin’s Underground interview with Dungeon Crawlers Radio

Gavin: Why did you choose to take the show to UtahFM rather than KRCL or KWCR?

Revan: Originally I had pitched the idea to the radio station I worked for but they wouldn’t do it. We even offered to do the show for free just for the experience and still they declined. Luckily a good friend of mine who also worked for the same radio station. Drew Carillo, host of “Utah Caffiene” which is on after our show called me up one day and said, “Hey I just got on board with this great internet radio station. I know you’ve been wanting to get your show on air so you should check out their website and volunteer to get your show on the air.” The rest is history really. I was really persistent with the powers that be with UtahFM until we got our show on the air. Things worked out with UtahFM so we never checked into KRCL or KWCR because we got on the air, and our show hadn’t been received very well by traditional radio.

Gavin: How did you end up deciding to cover events, and what’s it been like doing shows from them?

Malak: It was a no brainer, Exposure! Flat out exposure. We figured that by doing as many events as possible we would gain a listener base and get us known.

Revan: Malak is right, we figured that the best way to get our name out there was to do events at the local gaming stores, conventions, expos, and local events. We’d like to attend other events and are always looking for future events we can be a part of.

There has been a lot of talk about Kick-Ass 2. What is happening with that? And where would you like to see it go?

Mark Millar: I am writing the comic book right now. Matthew Vaughn is directing X-Men: First Class, which he will be doing until about April. I will have finished writing the new comic by Christmas. Then, in April, we will begin working on Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall.

And what about Red Mist? The character has a good heart, he’s very empathetic, yet he’s the villain in the sequel. How is that going to play out, especially in regards to the way he is written in the comic as opposed to the way Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays him on screen?

Mark Millar: This is a guy who has had his entire family killed by Hit Girl. He heads off and develops his martial arts skills. He learns how to become a better villain. That type of thing. He is going to come back and wreck unholy vengeance on our team. But in reality, he just comes back and gets stoned, and he spends a lot of money. He can’t do anything, so he hires this bad ass girl from Russia, she comes into the story, and her plan is to kill Hit Girl. Red Mist becomes like Charles Manson. He goes on-line and influences a bunch of young villains to go against Kick-Ass and Hit Girl. The whole thing ends up as a big gang fight like you’d see in The Warriors. There is going to be a big gang fight in the middle of Times Square between all of these costumed heroes. And at the head will be the Red Mist and Hit Girl.

Though Jeff and the Deseret News have parted ways, he’ll still be reviewing films for The Big Movie Mouth Off, X96′s Radio From Hell, and The Mediocre Show.  He’ll also be providing some coverage for us as Jerk-Bot.  (You can read the Salt Lake Tribune’s write up of Jeff and his recent news here.)

We’ll be doing aproximately 20 of these videos a month and after their initial week long run on Comcast, they’ll make their way here.  This is the premiere batch of episodes, though, and so to kick things off, we’ll be putting these up everywhere now.

So, without further ado, let’s start with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World:

Then we have the horror comedy spoof Piranha 3D:

Sylvester Stallone’s 80s action throwback The Expendables:

The Last Exorcism:

The Julia Roberts vehicle Eat Pray Love:

And Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s The Other Guys, with Mark Wahlberg: