At Comic-Con this week, a panel unveiled a new video of behind-the-scenes footage of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) film. The clip features more than three minutes worth of scenes showing characters, vehicles, technology, and other aspects of the much-anticipated seventh film in the Star Wars franchise.
The video includes several revelations, including Simon Pegg as some type of alien apparently. Check out the Comic-Con video for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18, 2015.
The band Runner of the Woods has released its debut album, Thirsty Valley. I like the alt-country sound of this group, which is fronted by Nick Beaudoing, who used to play with the Doc Marshalls of New York City.
In Beaudoing’s voice on some of the tracks, I hear a sound a little like Justin Townes Earle with a touch of Ryan Adams, partly affected by Beaudoing’s move south to Nashville. On Runner of the Woods’s website, it describes the new Thirsty Valley album as “the sort of record a man makes when love has gone good but something else is still missing. It’s the thousand-yard stare that accompanies boozy recollections of perfect northern lakes or some girl you used to know.”
Below is a solo acoustic version of one of the songs from Thirsty Valley, “Good Things Will Come.” Check it out.
To hear other songs from the new debut album, head over to the band’s website. Runner of the Woods, whose band’s name is a reference to both the natural beauty of Tennessee and to Beaudoing’s French-Canadian heritage, consists of: Nicolas Beaudoing (Guitar/Vocals); Jonathan Gregg (Pedal Steel); Craig Aspen (Bass); and Nic Wiles (Drums).
Even before the movie’s release, many critics gave bad reviews to Terminator Genisys (2015), and the movie since has been labelled a “bomb” for several reasons that include problems with the marketing and tough ongoing competition from other summer films. Still, if you are a fan of the Terminator series, Terminator Genisys, directed by Alan Taylor, is a fun way to spend a hot summer evening.
Many folks have already complained that the trailer for Terminator Genisysspoils a major plot point, so for those who have not seen the movie, I will not say too much about the plot. The movie begins in 2029, as the resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke) leads a major offensive against Skynet. In the process, the resistance forces discover Skynet’s time machine, and Connor sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Connor’s mother Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, who does an excellent job channeling Terminator 2‘s Sarah Connor, Linda Hamilton).
That first part of the film may sound familiar, but when Reese arrives in 1984, things are different from what we have seen in the previous films. Thus, this fifth Terminator film introduces a new timeline where the Guardian played by Arnold Schwarzenegger has already been protecting Connor since she was nine years old. On this new adventure, some Terminators from the original and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) cross paths with the new timeline, including a young Arnold Schwarzenegger facing off against an old Schwarzenegger (the skin on robots does age we are told). Sarah, Kyle, and the Guardian end up in 2017 attempting to stop Skynet, which is linked to our cell phones in this modern retelling.
Ultimately, we see a similar battle to stop Skynet that we have seen in the previous Terminator films, with new twists and turns, including a “surprise” villain. Yes, the film is not as good as Terminator 2, but it is still entertaining along the lines of some of the other films in the series. And it tells a new story that will challenge Terminator and time-travel fans, unlike completely unnecessary reboots like 2012’s Total Recall.
Conclusion?Terminator Genisys is good fun for a reboot of a series, even if most critics do not like it. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a low critics rating of 27% while regular movie fans rated it higher at 67%. If you adjust your expectations and want a fun summer movie with lots of action, give it a chance, especially if you do not expect it to be the best of the series. If you want to watch the trailer, it is below (but again be warned it reveals a spoiler).
Bonus note: If you see the movie in the theater, you might want to hang around after the credits for a short post-credits clip, although it is pretty short and rather predictable.
Today’s song of the day is Swamp Dogg doing a live performance of a John Prine song he had previously recorded, “Sam Stone.” I have been a fan of Swamp Dogg’s version of “Sam Stone” for some time, so I was excited to see that there was such a recent live version on YouTube of outstanding recording quality to mach the quality of the song and the singer.
My first introduction to John Prine was through a cover of “Sam Stone,” when in the 1980s WMMS in Cleveland broadcast a live performance by John Mellencamp at the Agora Ballroom. I would soon discover the great original version by John Prine, as well as Prine’s other work.
When Prine performs “Sam Stone,” which appeared on his 1971 album John Prine, he performs it as a folk song that emphasizes the tragedy of the suffering of the drug-addicted Vietnam veteran. Swamp Dogg takes the song and finds the soul and anger wrapped around the sadness. Check out Swamp Dogg’s version.
Swamp Dogg was born in Virginia on July 12, 1942 as Jerry Williams, Jr. In addition to being an excellent performer, he has also been called “one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music.”
Update: In 2018, Swamp Dogg performed “Sam Stone” with John Prine. Check out the two great artists together on the beautiful song on May 18, 2018 at the United Artists Theater at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.
America’s Got Talent alum and country singer Marty Brown just released the new video for his new single, “Gonna Make It Fly.” The video for the catchy song features several members of Marty Brown’s family, including his wife Shellie Brown.
“Gonna Make It Fly” follows several of Marty Brown’s recent successful releases, including the wonderful “Whatever Makes You Smile.” Check out the new video for “Gonna Make It Fly.”
Even before the movie’s release, many critics gave bad reviews to Terminator Genisys (2015), and the movie since has been labelled a “
, he performs it as a folk song that emphasizes the tragedy of the suffering of the drug-addicted Vietnam veteran. Swamp Dogg takes the song and finds the soul and anger wrapped around the sadness. Check out Swamp Dogg’s version.
