Category Archives: Featured

“Battleship” doesn’t sink despite summer sci-fi clichés

If you’ve been rolling your eyes each time you’ve seen a trailer for Battleship, you’re definitely not alone. And given the fact that it looks like a thinly-veiled sequel to the Transformers franchise with little (if any) relation to the board game on which it is supposedly based, you have good reason to have low expectations for what is obviously just another big, dumb summer action movie.

The most obvious problem with Battleship is the aliens. I mean, since when does a board game about a naval battle have anything to do with an alien invasion involving robotic balls that saw their way through anything in their paths? Well, it doesn’t. But once you get past the fact that the only apparent connection between this movie and the game is the naval battle, Battleship is actually a lot better than you might expect.

I don't remember these things from the board game

After receiving a signal sent from Earth seven years earlier, creatures from a distant planet very similar to our own make their way to Hawaii, where the message originated. Conveniently enough, they decide to show up during RIMPAC, an Olympics-like gathering of American and Asian military forces that includes various naval competitions. Good thing there’s such a strong concentration of military power there to greet these alien visitors because it just wouldn’t have been very interesting if the aliens had been allowed to go about taking over the world unopposed.

When his older brother (Alexander Skarsgård) bails him out of one blunder after another, Alex Hopper (John Carter‘s Taylor Kitsch) joins the Navy around the same time the signal that eventually summons the aliens is sent into space. By the time RIMPAC rolls around, Hopper is a lieutenant on the verge of being kicked out of the Navy for being just as irresponsible as ever, especially after getting into a scuffle with a rival Japanese sailor (Tadanobu Asano). Oh, and he’s trying to work up the nerve to ask the Admiral that hates him (Liam Neeson) if he can marry his daughter (swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker), a physical therapist for disabled veterans.

Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) gets his final warning from Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson) in "Battleship"

This is about the time that the aliens crash into the ocean and set up shop with a force field-emitting obelisk in the middle of the water. While most of the battleships, destroyers and aircraft carriers remain outside the force field, A few ships get caught inside the dome of energy. Can you guess which seaman is among those trapped inside the bubble with the aliens? That’s right, Hopper’s ship is one of a few that basically become humanity’s last hope against this mysterious force.

When things get really ugly for the Earthlings, Hopper is finally motivated to stop being a slacker and save his planet. After all, what better way to prove that you deserve not to be kicked out of the Navy than by saving the world from aliens? And these aliens have some pretty cool technology, though I’m not quite clear on why their ships can’t seem to navigate across or under the water (or fly through the air) and instead have to awkwardly hop around on the ocean’s surface. And from the looks of things, these aliens buy their ships from Cybertron and their spacesuits from Predators. But aside from these technological similarities, Battleship is more than a Transformers ripoff. In fact, the gallant display of Hopper and his fellow humans is more reminiscent of 1996’s Independence Day, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

These alien invaders prove to be the motivating factor Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) has been needing

Despite the obvious superiority of these extraterrestrial visitors, they do have vulnerabilities that the humans gradually begin to discover. And much like the Rebels and Ewoks did at the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi, the humans begin to attack the weak spots from various fronts to make a big comeback. But every time it seems that the humans just might prevail, the aliens reveal yet another morale-crippling surprise. When all hope seems lost, Hopper finds one more (very implausible) solution that’s crazy enough that it just might work. (Cue up the obligatory AC/DC song to rally the remaining troops.)

Battleship is a formulaic summer sci-fi adventure, so it is naturally a bit far-fetched on many occasions. But it deserves a little more credit than it’s likely to get, thanks to some witty dialogue (I’m pretty sure I even caught a brief reference to Clue, another board game-turned-movie, though I’m not certain it was intentional), enjoyable action sequences and self-aware comic relief. And even when you’re required to suspend your disbelief a little more than usual, there’s still some effort to explain why things happen the way they do (no matter how unlikely those explanations might be), which is more than can be said of a lot of movies of this ilk. Plus, the filmmakers do actually find a way to reference the strategic play of the original board game, which is really pretty clever and integral to the outcome of the battle. This movie certainly isn’t anything more than what it’s trying to be, but that doesn’t mean you should sink this Battleship without seeing it first.

Battleship. Directed by Peter Berg. Starring Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano and Liam Neeson. Rated PG-13. www.battleshipmovie.com.

“The Dictator” once again brings Cohen’s satirical supremacy to theaters

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Much like Andy Kaufman before him, Sacha Baron Cohen has mastered the art of creating believably comical characters and remaining in gimmick for public appearances for further comedic confusion. With Ali G, Borat and Brüno, he has elevated ethnic stereotypes, scatology and other generally offensive subjects to levels so discomforting that the only way to respond is by laughing.

Sacha Baron Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen in "The Dictator"

While Da Ali G Show, Borat and Brüno were presented as faux reality shows and mockumentaries, with unsuspecting celebrities, politicians and civilians involuntarily becoming the brunt of the jokes, Cohen’s latest movie The Dictator (in theaters May 16) does not pretend to be anything more than a funny work of fiction. But that doesn’t mean the political satire and overall absurdity are any less hilarious or profane. Co-written by Cohen, The Dictator features Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen, the bumbling dictator of the North African Republic of Wadiya. The Dictator chronicles Aladeen’s inadvertent rise to power as a child up to his current tyrannical reign, which allows him such luxuries as paying American celebrities for sex and having people executed for things such as building a nuclear bomb with a rounded tip instead of a pointy one.

When Aladeen is summoned to New York for United Nations peace talks, the culture clash that you’ve either come to love or hate about Cohen’s characters reaches its breaking point. After being abducted and having his beard removed by a bigoted Secret Serviceman (John C. Reilly), Aladeen escapes to find that his right-hand man (Ben Kingsley) has replaced him with an even more incompetent lookalike, with plans of bringing democracy to Wadiya. When a feminist activist named Zoey (Anna Faris) mistakes Aladeen for a fellow protestor to his own mysogynistic regime, she offers him a job at her ailing organic grocery store. Ironically, it’s his fascist ways that turns things around for the store.

Zoey (Anna Faris) and Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) in "The Dictator"

Though his intent is to find a way back into the UN to expose his imposter and prevent the fall of his totalitarian rule, Aladeen finds himself succumbing to his secret desire to have a real relationship with a woman. And Faris’ outspokenness eventually impresses him, mostly because she reminds him a lot of himself, oddly enough. But as is the case with Cohen’s other films, the beginning and end aren’t nearly as entertaining as what happens in between. And such is the case with The Dictator, which includes scenes where Aladeen and his cohort (Jason Mantzoukas) frighten American tourists on a helicopter ride by speaking in their native tongue about a Porsche 911 and another where Aladeen loses his cell phone while helping a woman give birth.

The great thing about The Dictator (as well as Cohen’s other movies) is that the the seemingly sophomoric humor is not gratuitous. The fact that the humor is very much based in reality and that there is clearly a heavy dose of societal and political satire at work here (especially in Aladeen’s speech towards the end of the film) is what makes Cohen’s comedy resonate on many levels. And even though The Dictator doesn’t rely on Cohen’s usual tactic of humorously exposing the faults of real people, it’s still just as insightfully funny as anything he’s done previously.

The Dictator. Directed by Larry Charles. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and Jason Mantzoukas. Rated R. www.republicofwadiya.com.

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes dany only’s mom and The Jagged Edge

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We might have been a day late, but in honor of Mother’s Day Georgia Wrestling Now, with Wrestling with Pop Culture, Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins and “The Human Hand Grenade” dany only, welcomed only’s mom, Mrs. only. We also got an unexpected call from only’s Empire Wrestling rival and reigning The New Tradition Professional Wrestling Heavyweight Champion The Jagged Edge.

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Tim Burton pays tribute to ’70s supernatural soap opera “Dark Shadows”

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Anyone who’s ever seen the late ’60s/early ’70s gothic TV show Dark Shadows knows that it transcended the trappings of other soap operas by focusing on ghosts, monsters and a vampire named Barnabas Collins. But that doesn’t mean it was devoid of the melodrama and who’s-screwing-whom scandals that are synonymous with soap operas. And with an aesthetic sense similar to that of the British Hammer Films releases, Dark Shadows was hokey and enchanting, which was really a big part of the appeal for the cult following it garnered.

Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) returns in "Dark Shadows" (photo by Peter Mountain)

All that being said, Tim Burton seems like the perfect person to resurrect Collins and his cohorts for a new generation in much the same way he revamped Ed Wood, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, Alice in Wonderland and other stories. And with Burton-favorite Johnny Depp filling in the fangs and pasty pallor of Barnabas, all the pieces appeared to be in place. Until we saw the trailers, which heavily implied that the dramatic theatrics had been buried by slapstick goofiness.

Thankfully, that is not the case with Burton and Depp’s new Dark Shadows movie. Though there is some Beetlejuice-like comedy, Burton’s film maintains the gothic feel of the original series with a touch of the whimsy that has made many of his films so magical. And for those who feel like Burton lost his touch after Ed Wood or Mars Attacks!, Dark Shadows could be the kooky comeback many of his fans have been awaiting for more than a decade.

When Depp’s version of Barnabas is accidentally awakened by Collinswood construction workers in 1972, he immediately returns to Collinwood Manor, the mansion his family built upon their arrival in the New World in the 1700s. But a lot has changed in the 200 years that Barnabas has been napping, and he doesn’t quite know what to make of things like the illuminated golden arches of a McDonald’s sign or the paved roads now leading him back home. And upon his return to his now-ailing manor, the dysfunctional descendents don’t quite know what to make of Barnabas, with his outdated fashion sense and ages-old colloquialisms.

Every soap opera needs a big secret or few, and it doesn’t take long for the scheming Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer, who always makes a dramatic entrance from the top of a staircase) to make Barnabas agree to keep his blood-sucking ways from the rest of the family long enough for him to return the Collins name to prominence. It turns out that while he was away, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) – the heartbroken witch who turned Barnabas into a vampire – has usurped the Collins family’s fishing business and created her own empire in this small Maine town.

Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) is a scorned witch in "Dark Shadows" (photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

Barnabas’ plot to get the family business back on track is interrupted by pill-popping in-house therapist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), who takes full advantage of doctor-patient confidentiality, Elizabeth’s rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Grace Moretz) and the arrival of wide-eyed Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), a haunted young woman who bears a striking resemblance to Barnabas’ long-lost lover. Burton injects a lot of groovy ’70s humor, but otherwise sticks to the cheesy supernatural soap opera formula as everyone looks to carry out their own agendas while Barnabas and Angelique one up each other.

Burton always likes to give a nod to his influences, which he does here with a cameo by Hammer legend Christopher Lee and by having Alice Cooper perform at the Collins fundraising ball (to the confusion of Barnabas, who thinks Cooper is the ugliest woman he’s ever seen). And in one of the best uses of a song in a movie, Cooper’s “Ballad Of Dwight Fry” serves to further the story in an appropriately emotional way as the various subplots reach their climax.

Once the final nail is hammered into Dark Shadows‘ proverbial coffin, it has a little bit of everything to please Burton fans and followers of the original series. It’s cheesy, comical, dark, sappy, scandalous and supernatural without every overdoing any particular aspect and without diverting too much from the feel of the old show. It’s also everything people have come to love about Burton’s work, so hopefully the naysayers who were disappointed with his interpretations of Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd will be open-minded enough to give him another chance.

Dark Shadows. Directed by Tim Burton. Starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter and Bella Heathcote. Rated PG-13. www.darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com.

KRK Ryden helps create the world of Wrestling with Pop Culture

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I first met KRK Ryden at the opening of his Globoid Fun show in Atlanta at the end of 2008, which served as the Rabbit-Hole Gallery’s final show. When I was introduced to him, the experience quickly became about as surreal as one of his colorful works of art. Having read a preview of the show I had written for Stomp and Stammer magazine, Ryden told me it was the best description of his art he had ever read. (To show you just how weird this guy is, he even asked me to autograph his copy of the magazine.) When he found out I was going to a Gwar concert later that night, he said he had never seen Gwar and asked if he could tag along.

Cover art for “Not Necessarily Beautiful But Mutated: Volume 10”

What kind of artist leaves his own art opening to go see Gwar? Well, the same kind of artist whose work juxtaposes wholesome ’50s imagery such as astronauts and quaint homemakers with monstrous gloops and globs, subversive overtones and ominous potatoes (whose multiple eyes are always watching). Turns out, Ryden’s work and Gwar’s show (which had a pro wrestling them on that tour) aren’t all that different, aesthetically speaking. I suppose that makes sense considering that Ryden has also illustrated Devo‘s Brainwasher, played theramin for Devo (as Ken the Magic Corner God) and whose brother is another famous pop surrealist named Mark Ryden. I ran into Ryden again more than a year later, this time at the grand opening for Atlanta’s ABV Gallery featuring the Ryden-curated show The Panelists. Somewhere along the way I mentioned to Ryden that I was thinking of starting an online magazine about wrestling that would focus on its more absurd aspects and pop cultural relevance. Before I knew it, Ryden had drawn up what would become the Wrestling with Pop Culture logo. With several other projects in the works (including the upcoming WPC comic strip), Ryden talks to me yet again about his upcoming releases, working with Devo and having Gorgeous George teach him to stand on his head.

When you originally offered to do the artwork that would become the Wrestling with Pop Culture logo, you told me a story about your connection to a wrestling icon. Remind me of the details of that story.

This is something that happened around ’64 when I was ten or 11 years old. My dad had a body shop on Mission Blvd. in Hayward, California. Next door was a muffler shop and he was waiting to get some stuff done and Gorgeous George was there. The guy at the muffler place had his phone ringer turned up really high so he could hear it. The phone rang really loud and Gorgeous George jumped like he was ready to get in the ring and start fighting. So that’s how my dad met him and that was at the peak of his career. My dad’s Swedish and Gorgeous George called him “the Swede.”

Anyway, my dad took me to his apartment, this nice clean apartment, and he was the friendliest guy I ever met. I wish I had met him more than one time. While I was there, he was showing me how to stand on my head by putting my elbows on my knees and raising up. I’ll never forget it, but I doubt I can actually still do it.

Not many people can say they learned to stand on their head from Gorgeous George.

I know, not many. I’m glad I got to meet him. He was one of the most famous guys in wrestling history.

And one of the most flamboyant and colorful.

He sure was. I remember that hair. Both he and my dad had really white hair. Personally I am a sports hater. I hate all sports except for wrestling. Wrestling has an aesthetic value to it that is appealing to me. Those Mexican wrestling movies from the ’60s and stuff were just so cool. It goes beyond sports. I think it’s almost a crime to call it a sport. I used to wrestle when I was a kid and that was one of the few physical things I did as a kid. The only time I ever went to a wrestling match was many years ago. I saw Jake “The Snake” Roberts, which was really cool because he was one of my favorite guys, and Junkyard Dog. I really liked that guy. It seems like that’s a part of wrestling history that has really changed now, all that flamboyance.

There’s plenty of that in the Wrestling with Pop Culture logo you drew. What was the inspiration behind that image?

That lucha mask was inspired by Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo. Since back as far as 1983, he’s had some really cool lucha masks. It was kind of a rare thing to see those things at that time, but now it’s gotten so popular you see them everywhere. In fact, the only portrait that Mark Mothersbaugh ever drew of me, he drew me in a lucha mask.

But your logo is pure surrealism based on those ’60s movies and stuff, with the volcano going off, the mystery cave, sexy ladies, robots and stuff. All the campy, colorful and cool parts of the wrestling world.

Speaking of Devo, how did you get involved with the band and what all have you done with Devo?

I met Mark in 1981. I was doing cover art for the second biggest bootleg record guy in the country. I had done some work on a Devo bootleg, but it never got to the bootlegger guy because he got busted by the FBI for selling unauthorized recordings and bootleg records. So I took that artwork to a small shop in southern California called Atomic Zorro’s. They printed these cool posters and this friend of mine took one to a party where Mark was at and Mark contacted me and we started working on a project called the Brainwasher, which was a newsletter fanzine for Devo.

He had two girlfriends at the time. One of them was Laraine Newman of Saturday Night Live fame. He invited me to Hollywood and I initially met Mark at her house. We discussed the Brainwasher and they were just getting ready to do their Oh, No! It’s Devo tour. I remember watching Laraine Newman, who was so sexy, wash dishes and thinking, “Rich people still have to wash their own dishes.” So I did that and we’ve been friends ever since. We still do occasional things and there’s a cool project we’re working on with these Jocko Homo heads.

You have a lot of other projects in the works. What can you tell me about some of those?

The big thing I’m doing is finishing up a children’s book called Double Talk and it’s being published by my brother’s company Porterhouse. It’s a book about homographs, which are words that are spelled the same, but have two different meanings and pronunciations. So I’m supplying images for each of these words.

I’m also designing a rifle game and a pinball machine with a guy named Wade Krause. He’s helped with these Jocko Homo heads at WWA Gallery, so we gave these heads to Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale from Devo and Jerry wanted to see each band member represented wit heads like that. So that’s a project Wade and I are really looking forward to doing. The rifle game is going to be outer space themed, which will be a totally surreal and wigged-out game. Wade takes old pinball machines and converts them and reproduces them.

Another thing I’m working on is a logo for a band from Florida called Ryden. I haven’t heard them yet, but I’m looking forward to doing the logo since they are such big fans of me and my brother’s art.

Then there’s the DEVOtional, which happens every year in Cleveland, in August. I go there and do stuff with Devo and lots of cool Devo-ish bands always show up. And I do my band, Ken the Magic Corner God, where I play theramin. I curate a touring art show called The Panelists, which features a lot of underground artists like Mark Mothersbaugh, where each artist is assigned to do a single panel of a comic book page that is six feet high. It’s all assembled into a complete story and it’s been shown in three cities so far. And there’s a group show in June that I’m a part of at the WWA gallery called Wasted. Wasted is about getting wasted, so I’m really looking forward to doing that.

Aren’t you also working on a graphic novel of some sort?

Yes. I did a story called “The Haunted Hearse” for Devon Devereaux‘s Tales of Hot Rod Horror: Volume 2. Hopefully that will be out this summer. Dark Horse has all the artwork, so it’s all up to those guys. “The Haunted Hearse” is a fun story about a hearse that’s haunted by different people. As you’re reading it, there are cues at the bottom of the pages to play certain music. We’re going to try to include a disc of the four songs that go with it and one of the songs is “Born Too Lose” by Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.

Another thing I’m working on, which is really exciting, is a vinyl toy for 3DRetro of a character called Moe Hawk, which is a little hardcore kid in a leather jacket and a huge Mohawk on a skateboard. He always has a joint in his hand and you’ll be able to remove the joint. So,that’s the Moe Hawk toy.

For more information, go to www.krkryden.com.

Triple H discusses the end of one era and beginning of another for WWE

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WrestleMania XXVIII is out today on DVD and Blu-ray, and there’s no doubt that one of the matches people will be re-watching repeatedly is the End of an Era match between Triple H and the Undertaker. As Matt Hankins points out in his review of that match, the outcome definitely gives WWE‘s next generation a chance to usher in a new era in wrestling. And Triple H couldn’t agree more, not only as one of the guys passing the proverbial torch, but also as WWE’s Executive Vice President, Talent. Here he talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about eras past, present and future, all of which are represented on the WrestleMania three-disc DVD set.

Courtesy WWE

This year’s WrestleMania was anchored by veterans of the industry. The End of an Era match in particular encapsulated that idea more than any of the others. What do you think that means moving forward after WrestleMania, especially for some of the younger guys that are now getting some exposure?

I think it’s a good time for them. Right now the business in primed for young guys to make an impact. That’s kind of what I do in my day job is try to find new guys and help them get to that position where hopefully they’re the guys in the big key matches at WrestleMania. Sometimes things just end up the way they do and that’s kind of where it ended up this year. But if I was a young guy looking at the business right now, I would be saying, “End of an era? Well, that means beginning of an era.” So jump on and make a name for yourself, guys. Don’t wait for anybody to do it for you. Everybody sits around thinking, “Oh, I’m going to wait for the office to get me there.” We don’t get anybody there. They get themselves there and we just follow for the ride.

The champions going into WrestleMania this year – CM Punk and Daniel Bryan – are perfect examples of that. They both developed personas for themselves after years in the indies and have made it to the top of WWE.

Right. And you look at Daniel Bryan, who was in the warmup match last year for WrestleMania, and a year later he was going in as the World Heavyweight Champion. Anybody that says there’s a glass ceiling in the business or there’s a cog in the system is ridiculous. The opportunity is there for everybody that wants to take that opportunity and run with it. It takes time for everybody. I think time creates stars. The overnight sensation ends up being the one that’s done pretty fast, too. Time, earned respect and all the things that come with that make big stars and that’s what these guys have to look forward to. Just spending the time and making it happen.

Are there any guys currently in developmental that you think have the potential to be the next stars?

We have a lot of guys right now. I’m asked all the time how I feel about the future. When I look at our developmental system I’m very happy. We have a very bright future coming and I think, to my point earlier, the end of an era means the beginning of an era. I would tune in going forward because I think you’re going to see a lot of new faces with a lot of new impact.

There was recently a rumor that Florida Championship Wrestling was closing…

Courtesy WWE

Yeah, it was a rumor. I heard about it in the morning and by mid-afternoon there was full-blown panic escalating amongst our developmental talent. But we assured them that not only was that untrue, but the exact opposite is happening. In the next few months you’ll see some major changes to our developmental. The quality of the product and the quality of the training they’re receiving will be second to none. We’re getting bigger and better every day.

The Four Horsemen, who were a big influence on you and who were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania XXVIII, came up during an entirely different era where people like Lex Luger and Sting became stars because of their association with the more experienced members of that stable. Speaking of an end of an era, how do you think that era of wrestling compares to how WWE is developing new talent now?

I have this theory that the wrestling business is kind of like music; what you grow up with and what hits you as a teenager will always be your favorite, no matter what music is good today. For a lot of people that grew up in that time frame – I grew up with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen – there will never be another era like it. You step out of that and you go to the Attitude Era, there will never be another Attitude Era. But we’ll come up with something better. Without the Four Horsemen there would have never been a DX, there would have never been an Evolution, there would have never been an NWO, there would never have been all those things. So it was a very important time. But it’s nothing we want to recreate. We want to create something that’s brand new and no one’s seen before and for the people watching today, create something they’ll never forget.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes The Exotic Ones and “The Temptation” Shaun Tempers

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On this week’s edition of Georgia Wrestling Now, Wrestling with Pop Culture, Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins and “The Human Hand Grenade” dany only spoke to current South Georgia Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions and former Peachstate Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Champions The Exotic Ones, Simon Sermon and Tommy Too Much. We also heard from National Wrestling Alliance North American Heavyweight Champion and NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Champion “The Temptation” Shaun Tempers.

The Exotic Ones' Simon Sermon (photo by Harold Jay Taylor)

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