Eric's Last Day of Freedom

With less than a week to go before Eric & Christine get hitched, a bunch of the boys got together last week to celebrate "Eric's Last Day of Freedom."

So without further ado, here are a few select highlights of the night: (Warning: some of the following content is NSFW!)

First up, a picture gallery that chronicles some of the events of the evening are available with a click of the pic:


Secondly, we've got Eric serenading a Speakers Corner booth with his own personal mashup/remix of a couple of his favorite songs:


Next Up, is Eric playing a game of "Pin the Pasties on the Showgirl":


Next we also have Edmond playing "Pin the Pasties on the Showgirl" or in his case "Find the Pasties on the Floor":


Finally, Carmen shows those two chumps how to properly pin pasties on a showgirl (with a little inadvertant help from some of the boys):


So there you have it! After this Saturday, Eric will always be able to look back at this as the good old days :)

Congratulations and best of luck to the future bride and groom, you'll need it!

What's That? Even MORE Free Stuff!

Found these on my doorstep today, 10 identical sets of pins from Disney Pixar. Strange thing? I never ordered them. Tried looking for a number to let them know of their screw up, but can't find one yet. I'm still waiting on something else I ordered from them and expected that to come today, but not these, although this is pretty cool.

Maybe it's just good karma because I'm such a big Pixar fan?

Snow Snow Go Away, Come Again Another Day

As soon as I pipe up about the rain it snows (see previous post below). Such is life, might as well make the best of it! Halo 3/NHL 08/Any other online game anyone?

The Hit List: Fall/Winter 07 Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day Edition

With Fall in full bloom here in Vancouver comes rain. With it raining all the time, there's not much to do besides stay home and watch movies and play games (although that's usually what I do regardless). So without further ado, here's another fairly long list of some great stuff well worth seeking out: (remember, I always keep a fairly recent and regularly updated list of music/books/movies/tv/comics I've enjoyed over on the right)

Movies:
The Lookout - No question, this is one of the best movies of the year. This is the story of Chris Pratt (played so convincingly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in what is surely a star-making performance) who one night goes joyriding with his friends but foolishly gets into a preventable accident. Lives are lost, but not Pratt's, although he suffered brain trauma which prevents him from remembering things for long periods. As such, he keeps notes in a notepad to help him through daily life. The former teenage hockey star now works as a night cleaner for a local bank.

It is during his time working for the bank that a group of criminals aiming to rob it look to use him to make their jobs easier. Throughout all this is an intricately planned heist and sequence of events that really pulls you into this movie. What really makes this movie work so well is the absolutely fantastic script which pieces everything together, doesn't rely on fuzzy logic and leaves no dangling plotlines. There are so many fabulous callbacks and little character moments (the type of stuff that really puts a smile on your face because it's done so well). So many of these heist movies rely on contrivances and happenstance, but not here. It all makes sense, and is that much better because of it. I think this is a type of movie that`ll hold up on repeated viewings, because even though you know how the heist will go down, the characters are so well-developed and endearing that you can`t help but care what happens.

Flags of Our Fathers & Letters From Iwo Jima - proof positive that Clint Eastwood is still the man. Can you believe this guy is 77? It seems like he gets better with age, perhaps being an even better director than he is an actor (and he's one of my favorite actors ever). Following Million Dollar Baby (Worth every bit of praise it got) with the back to back war epics, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, Eastwood gives us a harrowing portrayal of war from opposing views.

The legacy of WW2 is seen today in the United States as a war that needed to be fought, and one that was triumphantly won with much credit given to them. Flags explores how that opinion wasn't such back then. Back then, many Americans had no interest in a war thousands of miles away and thought that it would have no impact on them. It raises the interesting story of how that famous flag raising picture was staged, but even so, it helped turned the tide of the opinion on the war in the US. Tremendous performances all around, and of course all under the steady hand of Eastwood.

Letters From Iwo Jima centers around the fruitless Japanese defense of an important strategic point. The great moments in this film are the small interactions between the men. It is here we realize that these men could be any men, anywhere in the world. Similar people fighting over similar things, both sides believe they are right, and neither of them is wrong. Despite being from opposing viewpoints, both movies are decidedly similar in their anti-war stance.

While both movies were received warmly, Letters seemed to be the one people enjoyed more. Personally, I enjoyed them equally and found them to be great companion pieces. I hope Clint Eastwood lives forever, as long as he's churning out the movies he's been churning out as of late, the world is a better place because of it.

49 Up - This is the latest in a truly compelling series of films that has followed the lives of several Britons since they were 7 years old and returning to document their lives every seven years since. The fascinating part of this series is that the people they follow come from varying social and economic backgrounds, thereby creating a compelling case study of British society. Does a child born into a certain socio-economic background have a predetermined fate in life? Watch and find out.

Being the seventh film in this series, newcomers might feel like they've missed something if they haven't seen the series before. Not so, in fact, you can go into any of the films with a clean slate. In fact, the films are made to be new-viewer-friendly in that they give a short primer on what has happened to each individual before. This not only helps new viewers up to speed, but also reminds returning viewers (there is a seven year gap between films, after all). The entire series should be readily available on DVD at your local library, and are shown periodically on PBS.

Television:
The Unit - My 2nd favorite TV show, with The Office being the first, but this is a very, very close second, and if it's quality continues to rise, may someday surpass it. This TV show follows a top-secret military group as they wrestle with many unseen and unknown foes around the world (unseen and unknown to the public that is). What sets this apart from your typical top-secret military type-show is that there is also a heavy focus on the domestic lives of the soldiers. It shows us not only their work-lives, but what happens in their every day lives, because their families are all involved as well, by proxy. This is one of those programs that might seem like it has nothing that makes it stand out from the crowd of other TV shows, but it really does offer a unique and most of all, entertaining take on a familiar idea.

Pushing Daisies - this new show tells the tale of a unique individual, our lead character Ned, who has the special ability to bring back the dead. It's not without it's consequences though, as if he brings back someone (or something) for more than a minute, someone (or something) else will perish to balance it out. His ability to bring people back also gives him the power to take life away, if he touches someone alive, it kills them. The Pilot episode saw Ned bringing back an old childhood love of his, Charlotte (Chuck for short). One of the main focuses of the show is the romantic tension between Ned and Chuck, which is made all the more palpable because the two can never touch, or else Chuck would die (again).

The whole bringing back the dead deal might make this show seem dark in tone, and it has its moments, but it's mostly a light-hearted and sweetly told tale of life and love. It has such a sense of wonder and whimsy, that special feeling of magic that you very rarely feel when you watch a television show. And that romance where the 2 love interests can't even touch each other? I can`t wait to see where that goes. It's quirky, funny and really engages the viewer.

Games:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360/PS3)
Game of the Year! This is one of those games that you buy a next generation console for. I enjoyed the first two Call of Duty games very much, but by the third, I was starting to get sick of the World War II genre shooter. That combined with this being the third Call of Duty game in three years, made me very apprehensive. But the reviews were not only good, they were overwhelmingly great, so I had to give it a shot.

Where do I begin among a large list of superlatives for this game? Let's start with presentation, between missions you get these nifty campaign briefings that segue directly into the mission, it makes it feel like there's no loading at all. Graphics wise, this game has the best looking shadows and environmental effects (smoke, snow, rain, etc.) I've ever seen in a game.Audio wise, you'll really feel like you're at war, with bullets whizzing past you and explosions going off closer than you'd like, sometimes too close. The in-game chatter is well-acted, almost always constant and never repeats. The game's levels are varied gameplay wise, you've got some stealth sections, helicopter sections and all out firefights. The atmosphere created is second to none. Some levels are so tense that you'll be on the edge of your seat with your heart racing.

All in all, the single player campaign is one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had. Most of this can be attributed to the fact that this is also one of the most polished games I've ever played. You can tell that the people who made it fussed over every single little thing. It doesn't feel rushed, it's not buggy, and there's no filler. It's what all games should be.

Ok, the single-player game is fairly short, but it's so fun you'll be playing it over and over. And I haven't even checked out the multiplayer aspect of this game, which I've heard to be very robust and very fun. Even without it, the single player aspect stands on its own. Co-operative play through the campaign mode would have further cemented this game's greatness (Call of Duty 5 anyone?).

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) - finally, my PS3 is no longer just an expensive DVD player/somewhat cheap Blu Ray player. The latest in a long line of fun action-platforming games is back, and its a blast. So fun and addicting, I've already finished it twice! For those who don't know what this series is about, just picture your typical 3D platformer, like Mario 64, but unlike typical platformers, you've got tons of varied weapons and gadgets, and that's what sets this apart from your typical platform game. Add the cutesy fuzzball Ratchet and his robot toaster sidekick, Clank and you've got our main characters. Add in varied levels and worlds to explore an RPG-like leveling system and varied gameplay and you've got the Ratchet & Clank series.

Addicting game play aside, the game is a tad on the easy side, but the leveling system and collecting all the secrets give this game enormous replay value. Furthermore, unlike its predecessors, there's no multiplayer component whatsoever. Finally, there's not much here that differentiates this game from it's predecessors, so if you've played the games before it and didn't like them, this game probably won't change your mind about the series.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS) - oh cel-shaded Zelda, how I missed you. I haven't finished Twilight Princess, and honestly I don't really feel that compelled to. I really, really missed the fantastic art style of The Wind Waker. As such, I was hyped to no end for this game, and the verdict? Awesome. Triumphantly returning are the cel-shaded adventurings of little-boy-Link and his pirate-gal-friend Tetra. New to this DS edition of the franchise are unique touch-screen only controls and gameplay which make great use of the DS's unique touch screen and dual screens. The story picks up not long after The Wind Waker and is a satisfying addition to the Zelda mythos.

However, the touch-screen only controls can be a little awkward (I still can't get Link to roll at will) and it can be a detriment to the gameplay at times. Thankfully, it's not a detriment often and for the most part, the controls are great. The length of the game here is not short, yet it's not long either. I don't wanna say it's just right because by the time I was finished, I wanted it to last longer, but that's because the game was so fun. Note to Nintendo: more cel-shaded Zelda games please, thanks!

The Hit List: End of Summer 07 Edition

Here you have it, the absolute tops of what I've been enjoying lately and would whole-heartily recommend to you all:

Games:
Picross (DS) - Short for Picture Crossword, this is a great little game for those who love puzzle games like Sudoku.

Here's the game in a nutshell: "Like finding the underlining 'picture' in a 'crossword puzzle', the goal in Picross DS is to fill a grid with squares and crosses in order to 'paint' a picture. Numbers at the head of the puzzles' columns and rows signify how the grids need to be filled out, but it will take a sharp mind to figure out the solution - and some speedy fingers to defeat the competition. The game's main Picross Mode offers a staggering 300 puzzles available to play at your leisure."

Ok, it's hard to explain, but once you try it and figure out how it works, it's very addicting. Easy to get into, hard to put down, all at the bargain price of $25 new.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - Wow, what a great game. I knew it was going to be all along, and it lived up to my high expectations. The controls are really quite wonderful, though they take a while to get use to and it's not quite perfect since there are still a few quirks. I would love to play a multiplayer FPS with these type of controls.

Nintendo finally delivers what all us hardcore gamers want. Finally a Wii game that doesn't have N64-quality graphics. It's not as technically proficient as any 360 or PS3 game, because that's impossible given the hardware limitations, but for the Wii, it looks great. Art direction goes a long way to help too. Also, in what I believe is a Nintendo first, full voice during cutscenes!!! Yay!!! When it's done right, like it is here, it really does help make the game better. Now give us a Zelda game with full voice.

Finally, love or hate these games, all 3 games in this series have some of, if not, the best menu design and accompanying music ever. Actually starting the game can be a challenge because I just load up this game and sit at the menu and just watch and listen. I can lose myself for minutes, easily.

Among disappointments, despite the implementation of full voice, there's still a ton of reading to do. Also, where's the multiplayer? I thought that extra year to finish this game would implement that, but I guess not.

Earth Defense Force 2017 (360) - This is one of those lesser-known titles that you might have heard some people rave about. It's an old-school sleeper title. Basically, giant bugs have invaded Earth and you gotta kill em. It's pretty much mindless killing of bugs with a fully destructible environment (So funny how you're suppose to be saving Earth, but blowing up buildings is just so fun). Add in 2-player coop (offline only, sadly) and you've got a fun game that hearkens back to the old days. It's not deep or challenging, but it's mindless bug-killing fun.

Movies & DVDs:
Hud - here's a movie I've never heard about, and it doesn't seem well known, but the few people who have seen it, call it a classic, which I cannot argue after watching this film.

Watching old films, it's easy to become distracted by the acting. What many perceive to be bad can usually be attributed to the style of a certain era. Having said that, that is not a problem here as all the performances are uniformly fantastic and will stand the test of time for decades and centuries to come.

Everything about this movie is fantastic; there are oscar-worthy performances across the board, gorgeous black and white cinematography, and a really well written script all under the stern direction of director Martin Ritt. Once in a while a movie you've never heard of comes out of nowhere and surprises the heck out of you; this is one of those movies. I'm so happy I stumbled upon it at the library.

The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection - what a complete joy this entire set is. I rented this entire set for free from my local library, enjoyed every minute and would have gladly pay full price to buy it. You all know who Charlie Chaplin is, you probably know Buster Keaton too, but Harold Lloyd, probably not. He is widely considered "The Third Genius" or "The Lost Genius" of the silent film era. The word genius is widely used, perhaps too much or in exaggerated terms, but here, it is completely just.

Even if you haven't heard of him, you have most likely seen his most iconic moment ever captured on film. It is of Lloyd's "Glasses" character, hanging by his fingers from the clock of a high rise building towering over crowded streets below. You know what I'm talking about. This moment is taken from his feature film Safety Last and is one of the many dozens and dozens of gems on this 7 DVD set. The set includes a heaping of Lloyd's short films as well as feature films. If you like movies, you will love this. If you like to laugh, you will love this. Those last 2 statements probably apply to virtually everybody alive, so what are you waiting for?

Extras - Ricky Gervais & Steven Merchant's follow-up to The Office is not as funny as it's predecessor, but The Office was an unquantifyable classic. Still, Extras delivers where it counts, laughs. The first season introduces us to the main characters of Andy and Maggie, best friends and fellow Extras in the movie business, or "background performance artist" as Andy likes to call himself. Maggie is happy-go-lucky and enjoys her place in life, but Andy wants to hit the big time. The second season shows us Andy finally hitting the bigtime as he gets his own TV show, but it's not all that he thought it was, as being a minor celebrity just raises even more problems for him.

Of course, one of the big selling points of each episode is that it features a different well-known celebrity, such as Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller, Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, David Bowie, Daniel Radcliffe, etc. Even though the stars are playing themselves, they are clearly having fun with their personas. For example, Patrick Stewart presents himself as a pervert, while many others play themselves as egotistical and foul-mouthed.

United 93 - The thought that crossed many of our minds (mine included) when this movie was announced was most likely "Is it too soon?" But after watching this film and the excellent accompanying documentary on the DVD, that thought quickly turned to "Was it soon enough?"

This is a story of a group of people who personified heroism. The real-time, documentary-style of the film really puts you back into the moments on that fateful day. There are no big stars in this film to distract you, and the entire cast delivers on what was most important: doing the real people they portrayed and their families justice. By the end, it was hard to hold back the tears. It is not an easy journey, but most definitely a worthwhile one.

The hour-long documentary on the DVD is just as compelling if not even more so than the feature film itself. It focuses on the families and their reactions to the loss of their loved ones and immortalizing their memories into a movie. One particularly heartbreaking story tells of one of the passengers who was not supposed to be on that flight, but instead on an earlier flight the day before, which was canceled due to bad weather. How her family can cope with that, I'll never know, and it grates on my soul knowing that such a situation has to exist. Like the film, this documentary is a must-see companion piece and also well worth your time.

P.S. - RE: Vacation stuff, vacation pics and Eric So stories are coming. Patience, piggies.

It's Been A While Since I've Won Something...

Good things come in pairs, as after picking up my free Chris Cornell CD from The Fox headquarters in Downtown Vancouver, I decided to get a haircut at my normal barbershop in Chinatown. The wait was several people long as there was a lone barber there when normally there are 2-3 others (they were either sick or on vacation). I waited as several people got their haircut and even let some people ahead of me as they were either in a rush, or were there earlier but it was busy. I ended up waiting an hour or so before I got my haircut, but it was ok since I had nothing else better to do anyway. The barber was really gracious as I waited quite a while and let others ahead of me, and as thanks gave me a free pass for myself and a guest to see Werner Herzog's new film Rescue Dawn.

It's not quite a 37" LCD HDTV, but cool nonetheless.

It's funny how this is the 2nd thing I've won from The Fox (U2 DVD last time), and I can't even stand listening to them!

The Fox Rocks! (Not listening to them, but when they give you free stuff!)

Vacation Blog: Beijing, China

Day one in Beijing was terrible. 17+ hours of flights in a seat with barely any room at all. It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep, I just couldn't. Getting into Beijing was another thing, it had been rainy in Vancouver during the time before I left and was blasted by 30 degree heat as soon as we hit the Beijing airport. So basically, recovering from the flight, combined with the culture shock made that first day terrible. But day two, things were looking up.

Day two began with Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Many people can't think of Tiananmen Square without the word Massacre immediately proceeding it, which is unfortunate, because it's existence today is suppose to mean the exact opposite of Massacre. Following that we visited the Temple of Heaven which featured a few very intricately detailed structures. You could spend all day looking at it and fine a new detail every minute. Of course, I could say that about almost every temple we saw in China. The Summer Palace followed, which is situated on a giant man-made lake, although you'd never know it unless someone told you, or if you fell in somehow, since the depth is approximately 7 feet.

In the afternoon we went to a "Chinese" restaurant for our set lunch. It sucked. It sucked bad. It's Chinese food for Westerners. Vancouver has some of the best Chinese food in the world, but this was complete shit. It's understandable though, because these set lunches are prepared for Westerners who tend to enjoy it.

It's also interesting to note how the Chinese restaurants that cater to tour groups/foreigners work. There are separate sections (usually rooms, sometimes even floors) for each language represented. So one room would have servers with English-language skills, and another would have French or Dutch, and so on. In addition there is another section for tour guides, who presumably are eating real Chinese food(bastards!).

Those of you used to free water and unlimited refills will be in for a shock.

On the recommendation of our tour guide, Tony, we then went to separate Pearl and Silk factories. I gotta say, those sales associates are good, they speak perfect english and tag team to get you to buy stuff. Which is what I did, hey, Mother's Day was coming up, as they told me several times. Wish I had a pic of Phil modelling pearls though (SEXY!). It was because he's the same height as his mom so he could get an idea of how it looked. Don't believe him when he says I modelled some for my mom though, I'm wayyyy taller than she is.

Following this we went to the Silk Factory which was much more interesting than you think. It begins with a tour of the actual factory and how silk is made, quite intriguing really. Following that we were treated to our very own private fashion show, for the three of us, at our tour guide's request.





After that we were hushed into their gigantic sales area which has everything imaginable, done in silk. Phil bought silk bed sheets with a Dragon and Phoenix design, which symbolizes marriage. It doesn't look like he's getting hitched anytime soon though (bad luck). Also the sheets are for a twin-size bed, so even when he does get hitched it wouldn't cover him +1, so that's double bad-luck. These won't be the only cases of bad luck that Phil will create for himself this trip.

When I get rich(er), my entire wardrobe and bedsheets will be 100% silk.

If there is one thing I truly regret during the entire trip, it was that I did not get those Star Wars silk boxers (They weren't my size anyway). Just think about it, the power of the Death Star, in my pants.

To be continued....

There's No Place Like Home

aka Home, Sweet Home aka Home On The Range aka Home Is Where The Heart Is, etc.

Currently: HOME!!~!@@

So despite being stopped by customs at YVR (The guy went quick once he found out all I had was smelly clothes) I was greeted by the above image last night. Despite customs, I _still_ got home before my cohorts. As great and beautiful as the rest of the world is, I never saw that any day I was in Asia, and here in Burnaby I get to see that _every_ day.

So I just got up around 3pm, after going to sleep last night around 11:30pm. Almost a good 15 hours sleep. Breaks my old record of 13 back when I pulled an all-dayer/all-nighter at the Vancouver Film Festival a few years back. I pretty much did an all-dayer yesterday anyway. If you think air travel by economy class sucks, try going cross-pacific over 16 hours and being my size. _That_ is the definition of suck.

Also got home to promptly find out that my Xbox 360 finally kicked the bucket. Damn, another month without it?? Sucks how the company who has the console with the best games and best online service (I've got all 3 current consoles, that's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it) has the shittiest hardware. Will Sony please release some decent games for the Playstation 3??

Anyways, I'll probably have a series of posts dedicated to each place I was at in the coming time, depending on how I feel - inspired or lazy. Right now, I'm feeling pretty lazy.

That and I'm catching up on all the stuff I missed during the past month, specifically all the TV shows I missed during May Sweeps. People who spoil how certain TV shows have ended this season will have their house or apartment or living establishment burned down. For reals.

Oh, and if you thought Eric So was weird, creepy, shady and a jerk, you didn't have to spend a whole month living with him. Words have not yet been invented to describe his level of weirdness, creepiness, shadiness and jerkiness. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who feels that way. I'm sorry, I take the earlier thing back, living with Eric So for a month, THAT is the REAL definition of suck.

I Got My Fist, I Got My Plan, I Got My...NIN Handbag?

Currently in: Kyoto, Japan (man these Japanese keyboards are weird)

Damn, can't upload pics from a public computer, so you'll see it later.

NIN in Osaka was all kinds of awesome, setlist for both nights to make you jealous:

May 23:
1. Hyperpower!
2. The Beginning of the End
3. Last (you have not lived until you've heard this live!!)
4. Survivalism (so awesome live!)
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. Capital G (didn't like when I first listened to YZ, but now I can't stop going "HUH HUH")
8. Burn
9. Gave Up
10. Help Me I Am In Hell
11. Me, I'm Not (One of my favorites from YZ, performed in a way you wouldn't expect live)
12. Eraser (Drummer Josh Freese is just mesmerizing to watch during this)
13. La Mer
14. Into The Void (I love this 1-2 punch)
15. The Good Soldier (Not much different than the album version)
16. Wish
17. No, You Don't
18. Mr. Self Destruct (Finally popped my MSD live cherry - didn't use a condom and loved every minute ;)
19. Only
20. Get Down Make Love (Trent said Queen was his favorite band growing up - FUCK all the Queen haters!!)
21. Dead Souls (One of 2 songs at the top of my list of songs I wanted NIN to play live that I haven't heard yet....calling me....)
22. Hurt
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole

May 24:

1. Somewhat Damaged (Still my favorite NIN opener)
2. You Know What You Are? (The crowd was so into this)
3. Terrible Lie (The best I've ever heard it done live by NIN - most likely because the crowd was so into it -- HEY GOD!!)
4. Sin (Always awesome as usual)
5. March of the Pigs
6. Piggy (Hell yes!! Always a crowdpleaser)
7. The Beginning of the End
8. Survivalism
9. Ruiner (Fuck yeah!!)
10. Burn
11. Help Me I Am In Hell
12. Me, I'm Not (extra long intro this time)
13. Reptile (The 2nd of those 2 songs I most wanna hear NIN play live...I got goosebumps during the opening beats of this)
14. The Frail (no Wretched, which was strange....he played the piano chord from The Fragile -- "I won't let you fall apart" -- I would've loved to hear that live -- The Fragile is still my fave NIN album)
15. The Good Soldier
16. Wish
17. Only
18. Capital G
19. Suck
20. Down In It (I WAS UP ABOVE IT!!! NOW I'M DOWN IN IT!!)
21. The Day The World Went Away
22. Hurt
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole

It was keyboardist Alessandro's birthday and Trent led the crowd into a nice rendition of "Happy Birthday" for him. Two scantily clad women presented him with a birthday cake and tried to throw it in his face, Alessandro ducked it though....that didn't stop Trent from picking it up off the ground and throwing it at him again though. Didn't miss that time!

Trent also spoke that being the last show of this leg of the tour, he was gonna take a couple months off and work on his next album (big crowd response, obviously).

Thanks to the Osaka crowd for being the best I've ever been to. They were loud yet polite, they jumped but never pushed. They let Trent sing Hurt without screaming during the quiet parts or clapping. The NIN diverse fanbase shows up again as you see middle-aged Japanese businessmen and even women bringing their newborns (!!). They weren't just there, they were into it too! ZEPP was also a fantastic venue, very nicely air conditioned unlike most places.

2 hours and 24 songs each night, aka HEAVEN. If you haven't seen NIN in a small venue, then you haven't seen NIN at their best.

Alive!

Currently in: Shanghai, China

Next Stop: Hong Kong

More updates later, so many stories to tell.....fans of "Actual Things Said By Eric So" will have a lot to devour.

Where In The World Is Steve?

Hong Kong International Airport watching The Cartoon Network at the Kid's Lounge

Tales of the Babysitter's Club: Prologue

So I've got this big vacation coming up, but going with two questionable subjects (Eric S. & Phil), one has to wonder how much of a vacation it's really going to be. If we actually get past customs without getting imprisoned (by Phil's nervousness and twitchy hands) or tortured (due to Eric's stone-faced sarcasm) and we have decent internet access, I might be able to bring some updates.

Here's some things I'll miss:

• My own house and bed


• Building my massive Xbox 360 Gamerscore over Ed's


• NHL Playoffs (Should be back in time for Canucks in Cup Finals though!)


• May Sweeps and TV Show finales (thank god for VCRs, PVRs and Bittorrent!)


• Spider-Man 3 Midnight Show on opening day (Sam Raimi is god. Hopefully I can catch it over in HK or Japan)

But here's some things that should make up for it:

• Tiananmen Square in Beijing


• The Great Wall of China (No Eric, we won't be sprinting it)


• Qin Shi Huang's Tomb featuring a thousand-plus life-size terra cotta warriors in Xian


• Shanghai's Bund and Jade Buddha Temple


• Victoria Peak in Hong Kong


• Nara's Todaiji Temple and kasuga Shrine


• 2 back to back nights of NINE INCH NAILS in Osaka (!!!)


• Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan


• Kyoto's Nijo Castle, Golden Pavillion and Old Imperial Palace


• Miyajima's Itsukushima Shinto Shrine


• Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Museum


• Tokyo's Mt. Fuji & Hakone National Park, Lake Ashi via Boat Cruise, Mt. Komagatake via Rope-way ride and Asakua Kannon Temple


• Kegon Waterfall and Lake Chuzenji in Nikko


• Meeting Eric So's imaginary girlfriend

In between preventing Phil from buying useless souvenirs and stopping Eric from general mayhem such as littering and peeing on the streets, hopefully I'll be able to enjoy myself. And seriously Phil, do you really need a separate piece of luggage just for shoes? He's such a girl.

Unfortunately, the trip's length has been tripled due to costcutting features as requested by Phil. We will be arriving and leaving via Cargo Boat, or "The Scenic Route" as Phil likes to call it. "It'll only take a few extra weeks, and we save a few cents!" he says. "Can't we take the Japan-Canada Cross-Pacific Bridge by car?" responds Eric. So even though the the trip ends in Early June, we won't be back until July. Oh well, at least we'll still have cell phone access when we travel across the Pacific Ocean!

Oh god, what have I gotten myself into??

Steve's Hit List: The Best Of The Best - Pre-Vacation edition

You may have noticed on the right a bunch of lists of current movies, television and music I've been listening to. Scroll down a bit further and check it out if you haven't already. It's a little thing I'm doing since I haven't done any big "Hit List" reviews in a while. Here's a little "Best Of The Best" where I do a short little review on those things lately that I've really enjoyed.

Children of Men - this film is amazing. Alfonso Cuaron has been one of my favorite directors ever since I saw his 2001 film, Y Tu Mama Tambien. You may not be familiar with his name, but I'm willing to bet you've seen his work already, 2004's Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, which many consider the best of the Potter films so far.

This film takes place in the year 2027 when for untold reasons, humans can no longer procreate, with the last baby being born 17 years prior. It follows our main character played by Clive Owen who finds a pregnant woman who may be holding the fate of humankind in her belly.

This is a grim film that was absolutely unsettling to watch, but don't take that as a negative. This film is an effective drama with a few action sequences, but it worked more as a thriller to me. There were several scenes in this film that absolutely had me on the edge of my seat. The handheld camera that takes us in the middle of the action with very little breaks and cuts help provide that unsettling nature, making this film all the more powerful. This is a moving experience that you will not soon forget.

Hot Fuzz - on the opposite end of the spectrum here is a film that is an absolute joy to watch. Like Shaun of the Dead, this film spoofs but also loves the films it references, except this time we substitute Zombies with Bruckheimer Action flicks. What is especially funny about this film is that while it spends the bulk of it making fun of those cheesy Hollywood movies, it turns into what it's making fun of by the end. But it works because the characters are funny and likable, and it's always done with tongue firmly in cheek. There is one moment is this film that is so funny that I couldn't stop laughing for a good 10 minutes. About the only bad thing I can say is that this film could have been trimmed of some 10-20 minutes. That said, I am eagerly anticipating the forthcoming DVD.

Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright are the new Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Raimi now helms one of the biggest film franchises ever, Spider-Man, after humble beginnings with the Evil Dead series. I envision that in the future their cult status will grow to mainstream status, something along the line of Wright directing a Bond pic in the future.

Marie Antoinette - I was very apprehensive of this film because the reviews were so polarized, either very good or very bad. But the writer/director Sofia Coppola has directed two very good recent films, The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, two films I enjoyed greatly, especially Lost in Translation, so I had to give Marie Antoinette a shot. Like those films, this film is similar in that it follows the main female character(s) as they live their lives. Marie Antoinette is not the usual controversial figure she is usually portrayed as (perhaps unfairly so), but here she is presented as your typical teenage girl as she becomes a woman. A word about the music - great. Some people may hate how a period film is scored with a modern soundtrack, but I love how it really evoked what the director wanted to portray, and plus it's just a blast to listen to. This may not be the an accurate portrayal of Marie Antoinette, but it is certainly a very enjoyable film.

Super Paper Mario (Wii) - the latest installment of the Mario RPG/Paper Mario series further proves my "great first party nintendo games" theory, as it is one of the best Wii games released so far. Originally developed for the Gamecube, they moved this to the Wii without making it seem like a quick port. The controls are well done and the story is involving and funny. However, unlike previous Paper Mario games, this game does not involve turn based battles, but real time battles similar to that of a regular Mario platformer. I kind of didn't like this at first, but by the end I was used to it.

The main selling point of this game is the ability to switch from 2D mode into 3D, providing a whole new dimension to the game (I love me some cliches). And it really is great, a certain 2D portion becomes a whole new area when you go into 3D, which is essential to moving forward in the story and to find secrets.

Qualms: No replay value, I wish it had a Hard mode or something, because this game was just way too easy, I honestly couldn't die if I tried. TOO MUCH READING!!! This is a problem of many Nintendo games, which feature no speech and all text. In addition, the first 20-30 minutes feature you doing nothing but watching - not cool. I hate games that do this, a quick intro is fine, but please don't make us wait so long to play the freaking game!

Casino Royale - The most enjoyable Bond in ages. Gone is all that silly rubbish that made the series so stale and not too enjoyable. It's back to basics, serious and nitty-gritty. Kind of like the Bourne series (which has passed the popularity of the Bond flicks lately). Pierce Brosnan was a good Bond, but I honestly didn't care for the his last two Bond films. They all had their enjoyable bits, but they were all by-the-numbers and followed the same formula. Here, we see Daniel Craig in his first days as a double agent, and he really is fantastic. Looking forward to the next installments, and let's hope they keep it dark and dirty without all the BS that has dragged down the series.

Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Second Season - The final season of Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe goes out with a bang. Unlimited was no doubt my favorite of all the animated series, which is saying something, because I loved it all. It had some great stories, great voice acting, big surprises, revelations, everything, epic action sequences, it had it all. Of note, is quite possibly my favorite single episode of all the DC animated shows, The Great Brain Robbery. Flash and Luthor switch bodies, hilarity ensues, 'nuff said.

Stranger Than Fiction - this is one of those sleeper films that you never expect, but end up enjoying the heck out of. While Will Ferrell can make me laugh until it hurts, sometimes he's a bit much. This is not your typical whacked-out crazy Will Ferrell comedy but instead a sweet romantic comedy that shows that not only can Ferrell make us laugh, but he can act!

Queen: A Night at the Opera - this is Queen at its best. This is the one with Bohemian Rhapsody, recently and frequently voted as the greatest song of all-time, a sentiment that I would not argue. But this is not a one-song album, it's not one of those "great single, the rest is filler" type albums. What really makes this album great, is that the rest of the songs are great too! Personal Faves besides Bohemian Rhapsody: You're My Best Friend, Love of My Life.

I can say without hesitation that if Freddie Mercury were still alive today, Queen would no doubt be my favorite band, and that's including Nine Inch Nails (Sorry Trent, although I'm sure he'll agree too). Just imagine how crazy-awesome it would be to see Freddie and Trent duet "Get Down Make Love".

Explosions in the Sky: All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone - EITS's newest album is fan-freaking-tastic. I love it so much; they have in a very short time become one of my absolute favorite bands. Like I said about their previous album sometime last year, this is all about putting it on, closing your eyes and being transported to a new place. While the title may be melancholic and somber, the music is quite uplifting and inspirational.

Favorite Tracks: Welcome, Ghosts; It's Natural To Be Afraid

Actual Things Said By Eric So

In celebration of The King of Sing getting his own karaoke blog, I've decided to compile this list of actual things he has said.

To Me regarding China Visa Applications: "nationality canadian..even though ur chinese." Apparently there's no difference between nationality and ethnicity.

Regarding cell phone usage over the Pacific Ocean: "It's roaming right?" Yes, apparently all phone companies now install cell phone towers in the middle of nowhere.

About Eating Green TicTacs like candy to support his Dallas Stars: "They're not green!" (looks at packaging, flavour = WinterGREEN).

On what he would rather win: $1,000 cash or a brand new $30,000 Car "Cash, 'cause it's cash, right?" But the car can be sold for.....ahh never mind.

On the longest Canuck game ever: "Was it regular season or playoffs?" Because those marathon regular season games don't end after a five minute overtime and shootout.

As Jason and I berate Phil on not joining us (Me, Jason and Eric) to watch a hockey game: Eric asks "Are you guys talking about me?" Jason: "Well you're here aren't you??" Not everything is about you Eric, you egotistical bastard.

On Peter getting baptised: "Are you happy for him?" No Eric, we hate that Peter is happy and found religion.

Not so much said, but not said: After dinner at a nice restaurant, we usually like to split the bill. So we leave it to Eric to figure out how much we each owe. Big mistake as it takes half an hour for him not to figure it out. For some reason, we ended up miles short of the proper price. It was also a birthday dinner of sorts for a few of us, so we would be treated right? Wrong. Mr. Calculator forgets to include GST for the whole thing. So in the end, we had to pay for our birthday dinners and wasted a good half hour in doing so!

It's ok Eric, it was an honest mistake, not like you work for an accounting firm or anything....oh, wait....

The King of Sing Gets His Own Blog

The Eric So Karaoke Internet Phenomenon has become so big that this blog simply cannot contain it by itself anymore. So with that in mind, please visit and bookmark the new Eric "King of Sing" So Karaoke Blog. From now on, all Eric So (henceforth known as "The King of Sing") Karaoke related news and videos will be posted there, because YOU, the general public, demanded it dammit!

Stay tuned here for my usual ramblings and whatnots.

My Top Ten Favorite Gamecube Games

The Gamecube came out of the last generation of Video Games on the bottom end versus the Xbox and Playstation 2. It had its faults, but certainly had its share of plusses. I will say this about Nintendo, and having owned more consoles by them than any other company, their consoles are worth owning even if they were the only ones that made the games, which was almost the case for the Gamecube actually. Their franchises, from Mario to Zelda to Metroid make their consoles must own by themselves alone.

So inspired by ScrewAttack's Farewell to Nintendo's Gamecube, I give you My Personal Top Ten Favorite Gamecube Games:

10. Bomberman Generation - the ultimate party game. You don't mess with the classics, and thats what they did with Bomberman 64, turning everybody's favorite party game into a complete mess by bringing it into the 3D realm. But they learned from their mistake and just gave us classic Bomberman, pure and simple.

9. Soul Calibur II - great fighting game, with great graphics. Sure it was released on the other systems too, but each one had an extra character exclusive to that system. Gamecube had the best - Link.

8. Burnout 2: Point of Impact - My very first taste of Burnout, and I've been hooked ever since. So good, I bought this twice, first on PS2, then again on Gamecube. It looked slightly better, and the same tight controls, but gave us double the crash junctions, the best part of the game itself.

7. Super Monkey Ball 2 - great game where you had to get a monkey in a ball (hence the name) through a certain level with many obstacles. The twist? You didn't move the monkey in the ball, you moved the level itself. Add in some great mini games that were party favorites (Monkey Bowling anyone??) and you've got a great game.

6. Tales of Symphonia - following the disappointing Final Fantasy X, I was getting pretty tired of those Japanese style RPGs with their stale turn-based combat systems and random battles. But this game was different, you could avoid or take battles at your own whim, but with its different real-time combat system, you actually wanted to do the battles! Now you could blow through this game's main story in about 40-50 hours, but this game had so much else to do that I doubled that, and spent 80+ great hours with this game.

5. Metroid Prime - like everybody else alive, I was skeptical when I heard Nintendo was taking their Metroid franchise into the 3D arena with a first person shooter. Now back then, I was more of a PC gamer, so for a FPS, a mouse and keyboard was a necessity, whereas a controller was the complete opposite. Not to mention Japan has typically shunned first person shooters. Nintendo had the intelligence to employ the Texas based Retro Studios to make this for them. Texas is of course, home of many of the great FPS developers (id, 3D Realms, Raven, etc.). This game had everything going against it. But how wrong I was, and how wrong many of us were. This game was absolutely balls to the walls. The graphics were phenomenal, the controls were very well done, the levels large and expansive with many areas to explore, and despite the move from 2D to 3D, kept much of what made everyone love the older Metroids in the first place. I bet not even Nintendo themselves thought that this would be as good as it turned out to be.

4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year-Old Door - Well placed among their Mario franchise, but deviating from the standard platforming by adding RPG elements and turn based battles. The gameplay was very refined, giving you extra boosts if you did things a certain way, such as certain button presses at the right time. Finding out those perfect timings and trying to replicate them each time was half the fun. And not only was Mario battling, but you had a half dozen teammates there to help you, each with their own unique set of actions and even more of those timed button presses. It was over too quick for my liking, but that's because I had such a great time.

3. Mario Kart: Double Dash - I love this game. Adding in two riders to one kart really gave this franchise an innovative new twist. It had some great maps, and was best played with others. Looking forward to see what Nintendo has up its sleeve for the Wii installment. Nothing's been said so far, but you know it's coming.

2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - it is unfortunate that many overlooked this game because of its cartoonish graphics. Those who didn't were rewarded with a game that fit into Zelda canon nicely, serving as a prequel to all previous Zelda games and telling us the whole backstory of the great Zelda universe. I absolutely loved the cel shaded art story of this film. Stylistically, it helped convey emotion and gave more depth to the story. One of the problems of 3D graphics even today is its inability to realistically portray emotion in human faces. It just never looks right, no matter how powerful the hardware you have because we know that it's not real. The art style in Wind Waker sidestepped this by using celshading, and not going for the realistic look. Add in one of the greatest end boss fights of all time and you have one of the best Gamecube games ever. I like Twilight Princess very much, but am disappointed that they forgoed the cel shaded style, fortunately they are using it in their DS game, The Phantom Hourglass, so all is not lost.

1. Metroid Prime 2 - Metroid Prime was amazing. A complete classic in every way, but this game was even better. It improved every single aspect of the first game, the graphics were even better (probably the best of any Gamecube game), the storytelling was more refined, and it was tough as all hell, but not in an annoying way. It's one of those games where you beat a certain part or boss and you really feel a sense of accomplishment. The first Metroid Prime was a successful hit, swaying all naysayers and universal praise across the board. While Metroid Prime 2 was a hit, it didn't come close to the first as it had the unfortunate circumstance to be released alongside Halo 2 for the Xbox, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the PS2. Ouch. It didn't stand a chance against those juggernauts. If you have a Gamecube or Wii, and haven't played this, then you owe it to yourself. It's one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had, and I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming third installment.

Honorable Mentions:
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat - one of the few games that used that neat little Bongo accessory. I usually hate games that require accessories (save Guitar Hero), but I got this for cheap so the price was right. And you know what? It's innovative, but most of all, it's fun.

Pac-Man Vs. - this neat little gem was packaged with Pac Man World 2 (an unspectacular but competent platformer), and it was all about Multiplayer. It required a Game Boy Advance and the GC to GA cable, but it was worth it for this. Take classic Pac Man, but this time, instead of fighting computer A.I. ghosts, humans become the ghosts. More fun than it had any right to be.

Best Gamecube Game I Haven't Played:
Resident Evil 4 - I'm not really a fan of horror games, and the Resident Evil franchise has kinda been running on autopilot, but the universal acclaim for this title even from those who dislike the franchise put it over the top. I've had this game for a while but haven't played it just yet....soon enough though, soon enough.

Most Disappointing Gamecube Games:
Super Mario Sunshine - Mario 64 is one of the greatest games of all time, bar none. This game isn't bad by any means, it was good, but for a Mario game, good isn't good enough. It just had a very lame story, even for Mario standards, and the controls were not precise enough for a game that needs precise control. People say this game is hard, but I don't think that's by design, it's because of that horrible camera. How many times would you screw up and lose progress because you missed a jump because the camera screwed up and you jumped to a position relative to the new camera angle? Horrible, just horrible. I couldn't stand to finish this game.

Mario Party Franchise - did we really need 4 installments of this game for the Gamecube? If it wasn't getting tired by #4 (the first Gamecube iteration), it certainly was by #7 (the last iteration). It was still fun in small spurts, but the slow and boring gameplay had me itching for the WarioWare series, which was much more fast-paced and frenetic, and most important of all, fun! Each game was essentially the same just with new minigames, all of which are hit or miss, usually miss. Among a game's 70 or so minigames, there were usually just a handful worth replaying. Here's hoping they give us something new and fresh for Mario Party 8 on the Wii. They better.

The Best Time of the Year

It's the best time of the year, why? Summer's close? Nope. School's Out? Nope. All good reasons for being a good time of the year, but not the best. The real reason? Hockey playoffs. Specifically the first round. Turn on the TV and we get at least a few games every day for 2 weeks. And it's not just regular hockey. It's playoff hockey for the biggest prize in all of hockey -- The Stanley Cup. So you know everyone's giving it their all. And with playoff hockey comes the most exciting part of all exciting parts -- Sudden Death Overtime. First team to score wins, doesn't get more nailbiting than that. You don't score, you keep playing until you do. No matter how long it takes.

So finally I get to go to my first playoff game, game 1 of the first round, the Vancouver Canucks vs. the Dallas Stars. Two evenly matched teams who split their season series all with identical scores of 2-1. Both defensive minded teams with little scoring and great goalies. We all expected a close game, but not like this. The atmosphere is incredible, and as cool as it looks on TV, you have to be there live to experience just how cool a visual it is to see an entire arena waving towels. TOWEL POWER! I even joked that a playoff game between these two teams could cause the game to go into multiple overtimes, little did I know....

Longest Canucks game in history, 6th longest in NHL history. I'm gonna skip the entire regulation except to say that the Canucks blew a 4-2 lead in the third period. Let's jump straight to the intermission after overtime period #3, where the equivalent of 2 full games had passed. I needed water but didn't wanna pay an arm and a leg for it. I can hold out (for now). Overtime period #4, less than 2 minutes less, preparing for Overtime #5, and about to give up that arm and leg for some bottled water. But alas, we score just short of entering period #8.

I gotta say though, as much as I love sudden death overtime and these superlong games, they gotta find a way to shorten them, like with a shootout or 4 on 4 in OT. They gotta do that for the players, it's just too much for them. It's just not fair for them to play that much in one night, and have to do it again in a couple days. They all played their hearts and muscles out, but you could tell that they were all on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. I was getting tired watching, I can't imagine how it was to actually play that long.

Luongo made 72 saves, and while he may have let in a couple "soft" ones, he made the ones that counted, and always gave us a chance to win. He was named First Star, and it was well deserved. We were badly outplayed for much of the game, and were badly outshot, but upon learning that we lost 2 key forwards and were basically rolling 3 lines for almost the entire overtime periods, it made much more sense. We weren't badly outplayed, we were outmanned.

First playoff game, and what a game it was. It was almost two and a half games for the price of one, so I definately got my money's worth. I can now say that I was in the building during the longest Canucks game in history. It was a game the Canucks should've won outright in regulation, but it was not to be. Fortunately, we got the win anyways, eventually. Ok, time for bed, I need it.

Movie Renting Tips From Yours Truly

Here's some movie renting tips from yours truly to help you save a buck and get the most out of your money.

1. Libraries are gold mines when it comes to classic movies. Sometimes they'll even have those harder to find lesser-known and more expensive movies that even the big video stores don't carry. If they aren't your cup of tea, give em a chance, what's the worst that can happen? You'll like it?? Once you watch the classics, you'll see how many modern movies homage and rip them off. Once in a while you'll even find the odd new release Hollywood flick. Best of all, it's FREE. Well technically, libraries are funded through your taxes, so you already are paying for it, so you might as well use em. Many libraries also have online catalogues where you can request holds (sometimes its free, but sometimes there is a small charge, usually a buck or less -- still cheaper than renting from an actual video store).

2. With many rental stores now offering "No Late Fees" policies, you effectively have an extra week, and even an extra month (minus a possible restocking fee). Now I'm not telling you to keep a movie for that long, because if everybody did that, everybody loses and no one would see the movie they wanted. Where this can be useful is in avoiding the lineups of the average moviegoer who gets rentals on Fridays and Saturdays. While most people only have free time on the weekend, you can preplan your weekend by dropping by the video store during the middle of the week during less busy hours. Those couple of extra days won't cost you anything because of the "No Late Fees" policy. Spend your free time watching a movie, or waiting in line to rent it, the choice is yours.

3. Some rental outfits offer guaranteed rentals on certain titles, and if they don't have it in stock, its free the next time you return. If you don't mind not seeing a certain movie right away, you can get it free during its release week by visiting a store during the later hours on a Friday or Saturday, as most people have likely rented them all during the previous hours. Conversely, if you really want to see that movie, go early or call ahead, most places will also place holds for you.

4. Now that you have the movie, there's nothing more annoying than in the middle of watching it, all of a sudden it stops or begins to skip like crazy because some random asshole doesn't know how to handle a DVD (You Know Who You Are). This last tip will help you avoid those. It's not 100% perfect, but it certainly helps. Unfortunately, most video rental places have their discs secured so you can't see them for wear and tear until you've paid for it. What you want to do instead of just grabbing a random copy off the shelf, grab a copy on the lowest or highest shelf, and grab the bottom copy, the one most inside. Most people tend to grab the copies at arms length on the middle shelves, and hence return copies are placed back in the exact same place. Those lesser rented copies can yield a disc with less wear and tear. Sometimes, the outside of the case is also an indicator, if its uncharacteristically dirty or grimy, skip it.

A Bonus Tip! Not related to renting a movie, but in watching it. Unfortunately DVDs today can be loaded with advertisements, trailers, and disclaimers (in multiple languages). It just makes me wanna barf. We've all gone through DVDs with dozens of these, taking upwards of several minutes before the movie actually plays. To avoid this, instead of selecting "PLAY" at the main menu, choose "SCENE SELECTIONS" or "CHAPTERS" or something to that effect, and then choose the very first scene or chapter. Choosing the "PLAY" option activates said advertisements and disclaimers, whereas using the latter method skips all that crap and sends you straight to the beginning of the movie.

So there you have it. Efficient time planning, money saving, and maximizing movie enjoyment, what more can you ask for? :)

DVD Review - Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You In Time

With Trent Reznor cleaned up for good (hopefully), 2005's With Teeth and his touring to support it announced that NIN is not only back, but they're here to stay, and they have never been better. Backed by IMO, his best handpicked assembled band yet of drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Aaron North, bassist/guitarist Jeordie White and Keyboardist/Guitarist Alessandro Cortini.

One of the things I love about NIN is that as long as Trent wants to keep it going, they will never break up. Or as a friend put, they break up after every tour. The band member roulette seems to change every tour, which is good and bad. Bad in that we, as fans, have come to love the then-current members and seeing new ones just seem strange. Good in that the new members bring a new quality to the band, and in essence help keep NIN fresh by introducing their own unique sound and sensibilities. As Trent has said, he would never bring in the best technical player for each position, instead picking those who are multi-talented and fit in with the band the best. I mean, Eric Clapton is a fantastic guitarist, one of the greatest of all-time, but he would never fit in with Nine Inch Nails. Although, come to think of it, I would pay mucho dinero to see Clapton and Reznor live together.

As evidenced through this live DVD, Trent Reznor is now over 40 years old and exudes an energy onstage that many musicians half his age can barely muster. He is truly a sight to see. As much of a master of music that he is, and as quietly spoken he seems to be in many interviews, when he walks onstage, he becomes a monster. No longer dressed in fishnets and drenched with corn starch, Reznor also ditched his longer locks for the short shaven look with a sleeveless tops that show off his enormous muscular arms. As he said, if you can't do drugs, what else can you do? Lift weights apparently, and a lot of them at that.

What I love about the new Trent is new fearlessness towards playing many songs of NIN's expansive back catalogue that have never been tackled, for various reasons. Perhaps inspired by his new band, the newest incarnation of NIN has spiced up old favorites while also playing new favorites that have never been played live before. And this all brings us to NIN's latest release, the live performance, Beside You In Time. This is a great document of NIN at their greatest.

Those are some of my general thoughts, so here are some song-specific thoughts:

1. Love Is Not Enough - fantastic show opener with the band behind a veiled curtain so that we barely see their shadows. Love Is Not Enough is one of those NIN songs that is so good live that I can't stand listening to the album version anymore.

2. You Know What You Are? - anyone who can play the drums on this song and not have their arms fall off is a God, and Josh Freese shows off his deity-ness with this track. The performance of this song is one of the true highlights on a disc filled with them.

3. Terrible Lie - this has been one of my personal faves since I first saw them perform it live. I don't think they've ever done a show where they haven't played this song, and they've been touring since 1989. And yet, it never gets old. Like all the material off Pretty Hate Machine, the song is completely transformed into a new monster live.

4. The Line Begins To Blur - this was one of those songs I thought would translate horribly live, mainly because its got a relentless bassline throughout the whole song, and bass translate very iffy live sometimes. But I'll be damned if the live version kicks all kinds of awesome. Favorite part: "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!"

5. March of the Pigs - one of their live staples, always a crowdpleaser. Trent is all over the place and Aaron is all over the arena literally, jumping into the crowd at one point.

6. Something I Can Never Have - I'm so glad they decided to put this back into their set after it was pretty much "retired" since their Downward Spiral tours in 94/95. It might not have the same resonance as Hurt, but it sure comes close, and I know many who will argue it has more.

7. Closer - I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the new live version of this song is incredible. Absolutely love the insertion of "The Only Time" at the end.

8. Burn - Like Something I Can Never Have, was brought out of retirement, and kicks all kinds of ass. Sometimes you just need to take something away so that its return is that much sweeter.

9. Gave Up - Another live staple, and just shows how tight NIN's live show truly is.

Now comes what many call "The Eye of the Storm" part of many NIN concerts, where we get several slower songs in between the chaos and mayhem, accompanied by a video projection.

10. Eraser - another one of those oldies but goodies brought back to their live setlist. Probably my favorite track off The Downward Spiral (but really, there isn't a song on that album that isn't).

11. Right Where It Belongs - every NIN album always has that one emotional song that always hits you right where it hurts and really takes you to a sad place. Pretty Hate Machine had Something I Can Never Have, Downward Spiral had Hurt, The Fragile had The Great Below, and With Teeth has this. As if it wasn't sad enough already, the video projection shows us a montage of poverty and suffering contrasted with the image of George W. Bush happily dancing with his wife. Trent has never been very political before, but the current situation with Bush, with the Iraq War and his handling of Hurricane Katrina/New Orleans situation (Trent's old hometown), he just couldn't stand it anymore and had to make a statement. I applaud him for it and agree with him 100%. And if you thought this was all the socio-political commentary Trent had in him, then you haven't been following the commotion around his upcoming album, Year Zero.

12. Beside You In Time - one of visual highlights of the show. As well as it is captured on this DVD, this really had to be seen live for full impact. Love the glass breaking. Exit the video projection, and the Storm resumes.

13. With Teeth - the title track of his 2005 release is one of my favorites from that album. I love that quiet middle part with just the piano and distorted guitar, and live, its easier to hear than the album version which makes you turn up the volume only to be bombarded by the subsequent guitar riffs. I never thought it would be possible, but Trent makes playing the tambourine look cool. He doesn't really play it, its more like he attacks it.

14. Wish - another crowdpleaser that has the crowd on the verge of rioting. Josh Freese's drumming on this song was one of the reasons he really won me over after replacing NIN's old drummer Jerome Dillon. (Let's forget about Alex Carapetis....)

15. Only - manages to sound very different than the album version, but remains very cool nonetheless. So good live, they've got it on this disc twice! The visuals in this song are captured well and really show off how detailed this DVD looks.

16. The Big Come Down - this performance absolutely rocks. I can and have watched this dozens of times......(Leaves to go watch it again).

17. Hurt - another of the live staples, and emotional highpoints. Despite the sad subject matter, this is such a beautiful song, sung beautifully by Trent alone with a keyboard, with the rest of the band joining in the final verse. I love it when the crowd sings along, but please please stop the handclapping. Trent is up there pouring his heart out and you clap your hands? Seriously, stop it. Only clap when Trent wants you to, like in...

18. The Hand That Feeds - Another big F.U. to George Bush, and also a great song to bang your head to. You may clap your hands during this song if you wish.

19. Head Like A Hole - If Wish had the crowd on the verge of rioting, then Head Like A Hole is a full scale riot. NIN leaves us on a high, higher than any drug can give us, and like most drugs leave us wanting more. For the live crowd, that its for the night, but for us home viewers, there's more!

Among the additional content on Beside You In Time:

5 songs from their North American Summer Tour in 2006:

1. Somewhat Damaged - hearing this song live was such an unexpected treat. I'll never forget that moment, as it was both unexpected in terms of the song, and in terms of the moment, as the house lights were still on. Out of all the songs NIN has opened with, this is probably my favorite.

2. Closer - the very definition of a crowdpleaser. Love the accompanying visuals, especially the part where it looks like the red liquid is pouring over Trent through the grate, but fills up as soon as leaves it.

3. Help Me I Am In Hell - like Somewhat Damaged, this was an unexpected but very welcome surprise when I saw them live last summer. Played with a very trippy accompanying video projection.

4. Non-Entity - It was so great to hear this live, and even better to have it here. Great song, great visuals.

5. Only - so good they have it twice, and I gotta say I like this version better than the Winter Tour version. Much trippier visuals.

Music Videos for The Hand That Feeds and Only - interesting how Trent seems to alternate making music videos that are basic-performance-only (The Hand That Feeds) and high-concept-driven-more-complex (Only). Another good example that typifies the uniqueness and diversity of Nine Inch Nails.

Live Performances from Rehearsals of Love Is Not Enough, The Collector and Every Day Is Exactly The Same - must've been from early 2005 cuz Trent was still sporting hair and Jerome was still on drums!

While their last live release contained some great easter eggs, I have searched high and low, and alas there are none of this release. Disappointing, sure, but we sure got our moneys worth for this great little package.

The video quality on this DVD is amazing, shot on professional quality High Definition cameras, you can really tell, even on the DVD, I can't wait to see what the hi-def versions look like. Despite the frenetic lights and obviously difficult material to translate onto digital formats, the video quality really shines. Hardly any compression artifacts to note, all fit onto 1 disc with extras and both DTS and Dolby 5.1. As much as I love NIN's previous live release, And All That Could Have Been, the disc break in the middle of the performance really hurt it. The video quality on the additional content is not up to the standards of the main feature, but they were shot on handheld consumer level high definition cameras. But the band felt the material warranted inclusion despite the lower video quality.

Sound quality is also up there, presented in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 Surround, and a proper Stereo track for those without surround capabilities. Trent Reznor is a master musician who has done stuff in plain stereo that amazes. So you can only imagine how great this disc sounds in 5.1 surround sound. One of the aural highlights is hearing Jeordie play live bass on many songs where bass hasn't been played before in previous NIN tours is just incredible, it adds so much to the songs.

Big Kudos to whoever it is who priced the DVD/HD DVD/Blu Ray, because the DVD is about half the cost of the average new release, and the HiDef releases are also both really affordable, costing less than most standard DVD new releases.

Big Middle Finger to whoever it is who decided to delay the HD DVD and Blu Ray versions of Beside You In Time a week after the DVD in Canada. New Album on Apr. 17, tickets to see em live in Japan in May, A North American tour or two probably sometime in the Fall, and Year Zero followup in 2008? Has there ever been a better time to be a NIN fan? I don't think so....

NIN Fans already have this, music fans, this is great demo material not only video and audio-wise, but especially performance and music-wise.

Eric So Karaoke Video

Because you demanded it, here it is!



If you like it, please leave a positive comment, because there's more where that came from!

Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth

This movie starts slow, but by the end I was swept away by its heart and emotion. The best way I can describe this film is as a dark, grim and haunting fairy tale set in Spain in 1944 after Franco's victory. Our main character, Ofelia, is the daughter of a pregnant woman, who are both travelling to live her new husband in rural Spain. Her new husband is the ruthless, fascist leader of a small squad determined to take out the rest of the remaining dissidents. Without giving away any more details, Pan's Labyrinth tells the story of Ofelia, who, attracted by a fairy gets led to this new fantastical world. Ofelia faces many trials and tribulations, both in her real life and said fantastical world.

The young Ivana Baquero plays Ofelia perfectly, in a role, that if miscast, would have ruined the movie. Thankfully she proves she has the acting chops, alongside a very powerful and intimidating cast. Most standout is the husband, Captain Vidal played almost too convincingly by Sergi Lopez. He is so ruthless that he gives Hitlet a run for his money. Maribel Verdu is also very effective as Mercedes, one of Vidal's personal servants.

About writer/director Guillermo Del Toro, here's a guy who loves films and knows how to make them. It's pretty clear when you watch the extras for his other movies like Blade II and Hellboy that this man has a deep passion for filmmaking that very, very few people on this earth have. The way he talks just exudes enthusiasm to the nth degree. Blade II and Hellboy were just warmups for him. They are almost like his test films to show the world, "Hey, I can make a cool movie." And someone, somewhere must have seen them and reacted, "Hey, he can make a cool movie!" Both Hellboy and Blade II had the hallmarks of a director who had a great vision and knew what he was doing. They were great films, Pan's Labyrinth, or El Laberinto del Fauno as it is named in its original language, is his magnum opus.

Also of note is the score, by Javier Navarrete, which I'm listening to while typing this. While the movie is dark and grim, not all of his music is. There are some very beautiful melodies with an almost lullabic-quality (Is lullabic even a real word?).

People tend to avoid subtitled movies like the plague, and if you're one of these people, I feel sorry for you, because even if you watch this movie dubbed, you will lose a lot of the magic.

One warning about this film. This film is not filled end-to-end with violence, but it does happen occasionally, and when it does happen, it can be really cringe-inducing and head-turning. Just a heads up for those of you who may not know what to expect.

The more I think about this movie, the more I love it. I look forward to watching this again on DVD or HD DVD or Blu-ray or VHS or Beta or whatever it takes, I just can't wait to see it again.

Besides the aforementioned Blade II and Hellboy, those who enjoy Pan's will also enjoy The Devil's Backbone, one of Del Toro's early films.