Metallica is trying to get back into the good graces of the fans they sued and threatened to sue by returning to their roots of hard rock with their latest album, Death Magnetic. The album has been on sale the last week for about $10 at many major locations, and it features some of the most original packaging in recent memory. In fact, I would say it’s some the best packaging on an album I’ve seen to date. The line notes are found through the layers of the “3D” casket on the cover. It’s clever and interesting. So, I was ready to give it a chance. Today, I had the privilege of listening through the new album in its entirety thanks to a buddy at work.

I am not impressed. As a person whose appreciation of Metallica extends only to “Nothing Else Matters”, “Orion”, “Enter the Sandman”, and one to three other tunes to which I don’t know the name, my opinion probably does not matter. But I have a blog, so I am going to give it. I felt like the album sounded like more of the same I’ve heard from them, brining nothing new to the table or their catalog. I will say, however, that it sounded “very Metallica”. Like if I heard it playing randomly on a radio or in a gym, I’d say, “Who is this, Metallica?”, and it seems like that was the point, so for Lars and the fellas, Mission Accomplished. It’s just not my bag, which is fine since I’m not required to like everything from Metallica. Again, this is a quick, response from a non-fan; but hey that’s the way it is.

I’m not gonna pick up the album or any songs on it; but for those Metallica fans who love it, MORE POWER TO YOU, the album wasn’t made for lightweight softies like me, anyway; and I am glad that you got a new album to love.

Today I received an issue of Rolling Stone in the mail. This means (a) Someone got me a subscription as a gift or (b) my identity has been stolen, and the idiot had the gaul to have the subscription sent to me, the person whose identity he stole to subscribe to a magazine. I hope it is (a). Any thoughts, folks? Has this happened to anyone else? Hit me up!

I have been in love with the 25th anniversary G.I. Joe Line from Hasbro. Currently, they offering the single best deal on deal on toys in the figure market, with their DVD Battle Packs. Check out my review of the first, HERE

Wanna know what’s happening in the streets…you will learn…in Little China!

First, based on the recommendation of my friends Dave and Dean, I began watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Thanks to HULU, I was able to check out seasons 1-3, and the show is pretty funny. It’s like Seinfeld, only the writers actually realize that the characters are terrible people–which makes it even more humorous. The show is pretty good–not as good as say, Arrested Development but good.

Second, so far, my favorite episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is “Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire”, which was amazing.

Third, I am so tired of the election, of politics, of America. Dear goodness gracious, I’m just sick, disgusted, and exhausted of the whole thing. I am serious. At this point, I don’t care who becomes president. I really, really don’t care. I just want it to be over. I am sick of it, and I think next election year, I may just stay off the internet and forego watching TV altogether from March through November. I’ll read some books or something. I’m just so tired of it all.

Fourth, because of my feelings on third, I am no longer going to be visiting news sites, reading e-mails with political subjects, or talking politics. Also, I am adopting a new phrase, “I don’t know, man.” whenever the subject comes up. Then I will listen as the individual says their piece, then say, “Yeah, I hear ya.” And that will be the totality of my involvement. I am just so sick and tired. Sick. and. Tired.

Fifth, my apologies again, for last week’s “End of the Week Update”. I was a derelict, and I failed you all. Hopefully, the extensiveness of this week’s entries made up for it.

Movie Moment of the week: The train sequence during the last act in Broken Arrow.

Quote-of-week. “Eeeeeeeehhhhhh” - Troy Ferris, in The Boys Are Back in Town and Let’s Hear It For the Boys.

REASONs-MY-WIFE-IS-AWESOME-OF-THE-WEEK: First, she came out with me to DE and put up with my needing to stay up late, wake early, and say yes to every invite, visit, and event. Second because of this behavior, I became sick; and she took care of me while I sick.

Song of the Post: “Requiem for a Tower pts, II through IV” by Clint Mansell and a bunch of other dudes from the LP, Requiem for a Tower.

I saw this movie a few months ago, and I totally forgot to meview it. I didn’t like it. I didn’t hate it, either. I just kinda watched it. I think I laughed once or twice…but I also did not laugh at about 100 jokes that were tired and telegraphed. It was a very typical, raunchy frat movie; and while the main character, played by the versatile and charismatic Kal Penn, was alright, the movie really offered nothing new in terms of humor or the college experience. I see no need for it to exist, really; but I am sure some found it entertaining. So, meh. I give Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, a 2. It didn’t outright infuriate me…but I don’t ever intend to sit through it again.

Here is my latest Figures.com article!

Figure:
“Magic Bullet” Fred

Series:
Angel

Recipe:
This figure was kind of complex. She features parts from all different DST Buffy figures, but I somehow got them to work together. Her legs are from a “Together Forever” Willow; her torso is from “Reunion” Darla; the jacket and arms are from “End of Days” Buffy, and the head is from Season 3 Fred, with the hair of a Deluxe “End of Days” Faith. I then painted the entire figure to match Fred’s appearance in the episode of Angel entitled, “The Magic Bullet”.

Accessories:
Fred included a nondescript base and a pistol.

Reasoning Behind The Effort:
I needed a Fred figure in my collection, so I decided to try this one.

Additional Thoughts
While I liked this figure’s overall appearance, as well as her unique nature in my collection, I did not keep her. I’m not a huge fan of overly painted customs, and everything but her jacket was painted, here. So, I let her go. I gave her to a fellow Buffy collector/customizer based out of France, who had bought a lot of parts from me via eBay. I hope she was a nice surprise. (FIGURE COMPLETED IN SUMMER 2008)

Open Range is a pretty fantastic film. Directed exquisitely by Kevin Costner, the film follows two “Freerangers” (that is, Cowboys), as they encounter a town that hates their nomadic kind. The conflict forces them to not only explore their own friendship but their relationships to others and the world. The leads–as played by Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, and Annette Benning–are all excellent, each bringing great weight and charisma to their characters.

Frankly, I think Open Range is about as good as a western can get, with but one and only major flaw (which I am overlooking). That flaw is the lack of attention paid to the villain, who is absent for the better part of the film. A film’s hero is only as strong or powerful as the villain he overcomes; and while the villain in this film (played by Michael Gambon of Harry Potter fame) is cool while there, he is not in the mix enough.

The film is shot wonderfully, takes its time exploring characters (less the villains), features an awesome gunfight, and was downright entertaining to me. I give Open Range a 6–not a personal favorite, but a stellar entry in its genre for sure.

Wow, Cyclops actually gets to be cool for 12 seconds in one of the X-men movies…before getting totally racked by a woman…oh, the X-men films…how they pain me so.