About to Drop ...
By Eric Shapiro Skidmore News - 4/2/2010
"When You're Strange" - April 9
The Doors don't get a lot of love these days when compared to other 1960s bands. Sure, they have a devoted cult following and have sold a bazillion albums, but hipsters and some critics increasingly have nothing but not-so-flattering things to say about Jim Morrison and the "I'm a poet and shaman" posturing for which he's become known.
Oliver Stone's mythological portrayal of Morrison in his 1991 biopic "The Doors," coupled with Val Kilmer's over-the-top performance, played a major role in turning people off of one of the greatest rock n' roll bands of all time.
In the world of rock criticism, there's good pretentiousness and bad pretentiousness, and the aforementioned film trafficked in heaping piles of the latter.
It may have, by nearly all informed accounts, been an inaccurate portrayal of the band, but it did some major damage to Morrison's reputation nonetheless. "When You're Strange," an upcoming documentary directed by Tim DiCillo, sets out to get the story right.
With luck, a realistic depiction of The Doors' story with minimal hero worship and fabrication will go a long way toward restoring the band to acclaim. Then again, it doesn't have a big budget, so it seems likely that only fans will see it, unless narration by Johnny Depp is enough to attract a mainstream audience.
"Splinter Cell: Conviction" - April 13
Doesn't it seem like only yesterday when the adventures of badass government agent Sam Fisher dropped as often as yearly sports titles like "Madden" and "FIFA?"
Alas, this has not been the case since 2006. Now, or rather, in a couple of weeks, after a roughly four-year hiatus, "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction" is poised to end the drought - for those with an Xbox 360 or high-end PC, that is.
New features? You bet, but they may not sound too exciting to those who aren't already familiar with the finer points of the series.
One addition is a "Mark and Execute" feature, which allows the player to target an enemy or object shortly before it bursts into the room.
Another is "Last Known Position," which provides a visual indication of where a guard thinks Sam is based on the last time he was spotted.
An interrogation system and a new ability to blend into a crowd "Assassin's Creed" style round out an impressive, if not particularly flashy, array of new features for a single player.
Co-op returns, this time with its own 6-hour campaign and unique story and characters. It is clear that Ubisoft Montreal has opted not to reinvent the wheel here, but longtime fans of the series have ample reason to be excited.
MGMT - "Congratulations" - April 13
MGMT is surely one of the first bands that anyone who's anyone (a.k.a college students and young adults who read Pitchfork and/or similar publications) thinks of when it comes to indie rock crossover success stories.
Their debut LP, "Oracular Spectacular," received rave reviews, sold well and won many a prestigious award. Who hasn't heard the three singles "Time to Pretend," "Electric Feel," and "Kids?" (well, probably a whole lot of the Earth's population… but no one who counts!)
They were even recognized in the notoriously unhip Grammy Awards. Now, like Vampire Weekend's "Contra," MGMT's upcoming sophomore album, "Congratulations," is getting more buzz than a swarm of bees singing back-up vocals on a Robert Pollard album.
Band member Ben Martin Goldwasser told NME that MGMT's main goal was to put out an LP that would be appreciated as a whole, rather than just for its singles. But will it hold up in a musical environment where so many listeners just download singles?
The day of reckoning is fast approaching. Critics are already more than satisfied, but it remains to be seen whether its reception will be as overwhelming this time around.
"Iron Man 2" - May 7
OK, so one can argue that the sequel to Marvel's 2008 critically acclaimed summer blockbuster is not literally about to drop. But its release is close enough to set comic book fans hairs on end, and that's what's important.
Jon Favreau remains at the helm and Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The villain this time around is Micky Rourke as the golden avenger's antagonist, Whiplash, whose powers are pretty self-explanatory.
Scarlett Johansson plays femme fatale Black Widow, a sexy spy who is sure to give Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts a run for her money as Stark's love interest.
Samuel L. Jackson returns, hopefully for more than a cameo this time, as Nick Fury, director of top-secret government organization S.H.I.E.L.D., whose role in the Marvel movie universe is still not entirely clear.
Most exciting of all, Don Cheadle, as Stark's buddy Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes is set to don his War Machine armor this time around.
For those who don't know, War Machine is basically another armored hero, arguably even more awesome than Iron Man himself. He has big guns.
The Doors don't get a lot of love these days when compared to other 1960s bands. Sure, they have a devoted cult following and have sold a bazillion albums, but hipsters and some critics increasingly have nothing but not-so-flattering things to say about Jim Morrison and the "I'm a poet and shaman" posturing for which he's become known.
Oliver Stone's mythological portrayal of Morrison in his 1991 biopic "The Doors," coupled with Val Kilmer's over-the-top performance, played a major role in turning people off of one of the greatest rock n' roll bands of all time.
In the world of rock criticism, there's good pretentiousness and bad pretentiousness, and the aforementioned film trafficked in heaping piles of the latter.
It may have, by nearly all informed accounts, been an inaccurate portrayal of the band, but it did some major damage to Morrison's reputation nonetheless. "When You're Strange," an upcoming documentary directed by Tim DiCillo, sets out to get the story right.
With luck, a realistic depiction of The Doors' story with minimal hero worship and fabrication will go a long way toward restoring the band to acclaim. Then again, it doesn't have a big budget, so it seems likely that only fans will see it, unless narration by Johnny Depp is enough to attract a mainstream audience.
"Splinter Cell: Conviction" - April 13
Doesn't it seem like only yesterday when the adventures of badass government agent Sam Fisher dropped as often as yearly sports titles like "Madden" and "FIFA?"
Alas, this has not been the case since 2006. Now, or rather, in a couple of weeks, after a roughly four-year hiatus, "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction" is poised to end the drought - for those with an Xbox 360 or high-end PC, that is.
New features? You bet, but they may not sound too exciting to those who aren't already familiar with the finer points of the series.
One addition is a "Mark and Execute" feature, which allows the player to target an enemy or object shortly before it bursts into the room.
Another is "Last Known Position," which provides a visual indication of where a guard thinks Sam is based on the last time he was spotted.
An interrogation system and a new ability to blend into a crowd "Assassin's Creed" style round out an impressive, if not particularly flashy, array of new features for a single player.
Co-op returns, this time with its own 6-hour campaign and unique story and characters. It is clear that Ubisoft Montreal has opted not to reinvent the wheel here, but longtime fans of the series have ample reason to be excited.
MGMT - "Congratulations" - April 13
MGMT is surely one of the first bands that anyone who's anyone (a.k.a college students and young adults who read Pitchfork and/or similar publications) thinks of when it comes to indie rock crossover success stories.
Their debut LP, "Oracular Spectacular," received rave reviews, sold well and won many a prestigious award. Who hasn't heard the three singles "Time to Pretend," "Electric Feel," and "Kids?" (well, probably a whole lot of the Earth's population… but no one who counts!)
They were even recognized in the notoriously unhip Grammy Awards. Now, like Vampire Weekend's "Contra," MGMT's upcoming sophomore album, "Congratulations," is getting more buzz than a swarm of bees singing back-up vocals on a Robert Pollard album.
Band member Ben Martin Goldwasser told NME that MGMT's main goal was to put out an LP that would be appreciated as a whole, rather than just for its singles. But will it hold up in a musical environment where so many listeners just download singles?
The day of reckoning is fast approaching. Critics are already more than satisfied, but it remains to be seen whether its reception will be as overwhelming this time around.
"Iron Man 2" - May 7
OK, so one can argue that the sequel to Marvel's 2008 critically acclaimed summer blockbuster is not literally about to drop. But its release is close enough to set comic book fans hairs on end, and that's what's important.
Jon Favreau remains at the helm and Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The villain this time around is Micky Rourke as the golden avenger's antagonist, Whiplash, whose powers are pretty self-explanatory.
Scarlett Johansson plays femme fatale Black Widow, a sexy spy who is sure to give Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts a run for her money as Stark's love interest.
Samuel L. Jackson returns, hopefully for more than a cameo this time, as Nick Fury, director of top-secret government organization S.H.I.E.L.D., whose role in the Marvel movie universe is still not entirely clear.
Most exciting of all, Don Cheadle, as Stark's buddy Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes is set to don his War Machine armor this time around.
For those who don't know, War Machine is basically another armored hero, arguably even more awesome than Iron Man himself. He has big guns.