Big Lebowski 10 year Release Coming Sept. 9th

Most of you folks who read this blog probably know by the headline that we’re huge Lebowski fans here at FOH.  I’ve never been to a Lebowski Fest, but I hope to get to one in the not so distant future.  Anyways, thanks to the Lebowski email newsletter I get I was reminded of the up and coming 10 year anniversary edition of The Big Lebowski.  Usually I’m against re-releases because it’s typically just about cashing in and making more money, however…

“Bottle Rocket” finally gets the Criterion treatment

Director Wes Anderson’s (The Life Aquatic, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) first film “Bottle Rocket” is finally getting the Criterion treatment as his other films have (minus the Darjeeling Limited). The Criterion version is due out in November.

Special Features: (from the official Criterion Website)

- DIRECTOR-APPROVED DOUBLE-DISC SET SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman
- Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Commentary by director/co-writer Anderson and co-writer/actor Owen Wilson
- The Making of �Bottle Rocket�: an original documentary by filmmaker Barry Braverman featuring Anderson, James L. Brooks, James Caan, Temple Nash Jr., Kumar Pallana, Polly Platt, Mark Mothersbaugh, Robert Musgrave, Richard Sakai, David and Sandy Wasco, Andrew and Luke and Owen Wilson, and Robert Yeoman
- The original thirteen-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short film from 1992
- Eleven deleted scenes
- Anamorphic screen test, storyboards, location photos, and behind-the-scenes photographs by Laura Wilson
- Murita Cycles, a 1978 short film by Braverman
- The Shafrazi Lectures, no. 1: Bottle Rocket
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by executive producer James L. Brooks, an appreciation by Martin Scorsese
- Original artwork by Ian Dingman

Music: New Releases 8/26/08

Alias: Resurgam [Anticon]

Blue Traveler – North Hollywood Shootout – cool man i’ll get right on it.

Dragonforce: Ultra Beatdown [Roadrunner]

The 88: Not Only…But Also [Island]

The Game: L.A.X. [Black Wall Street/DGC]

Matthew Sweet: Sunshine Lies [Shout! Factory]

Little Feat – Join the Band

The Silent Years: The Globe [self-released]

Solange Knowles: Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams [Geffen]

Tussle: Cream Cuts [Smalltown Supersound]

Slipknot – All Hope is Gone – insert joke involving title of album here

Tesla – Gold – Fuck Yes!!!!111!!!!

Zach Hill: Astrological Straights [Ipecac]

The Verve – Forth [Red] – Don’t call it a come back i’ve been here for years?!?

Follow-up on Chris Williams, Bears First Round Draft Pick

This dude could sell anything

Almost immediately after everyone had heard about the blow to the O-line the Bears had suffered, we heard that The Bears knew nothing about Williams’ prior to drafting him.  Now, their is a different tune:

“I had a herniated disc before I got here,” Williams said on Sunday, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times.  “We knew that.  Everyone knew that.  It just was a thing where most people it doesn’t affect.  It wasn’t affecting me so if nothing is broke, you don’t fix it.  Then something happened in practice that second day, the disc started moving and that caused some problems.”

Williams said he learned he had a herniated disc three or four years ago.

After the draft, Williams denied that he had any injury problems.  “I don’t have any neck issues.  I really don’t know where that came from.  I had a typical football player [injury] in ’05 but that was the last problem that I had.”

source:  PFT

You can almost put your rent money on the fact that Lovie will lose his job at the end of this season.  After the coin toss for starting QB debacle now it comes out that The Bears knew (or should have known) about the injury to Chris Williams and marked him off their draft board.

Nintendo Wii: Virtual Console Reviews “Quick Hits”

There have been some great games released on the Wii’s Virtual Consol and some real stinkers. I have downloaded my fair share and here is a quick overview of what you should be spending your Wii points on.

3 Quick Bits

A.C. Newman is releasing a new album set to be due out in January featuring vocals from Nicole Atkins and druming from John Wurster (Mountain Goats & Superchunk).  I had previously slept on A.C.’s first record Slow Wonder, but I picked it up lately and was kicking myself.  The New Pornographers record wasn’t the greatest and if this new one is anything like his first, I’ll be smitten.

You Ain’t No Picasso shares with us some “Sunny Feeling” from Wilco.  YANP recommend the song especially for those not too impressed with the song Wilco introduced at Lollapallooza.

Next up is an article about Wilco and Death Cab For Cutie opening up for lead train conducted Neil Young.  Sounds like a super tour to us lets hope the tickets are somewhat reasonable… but I doubt it.  Ream more for the tour dates. 

Music: New Releases 8/19/08

31Knots: Worried Well [Polyvinyl]

David Byrne – Big Love:  Hymnal

Death Vessel: Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us [Sub Pop]

Don Caballero: Punkgasm [Relapse]

Gza – Pro Tools – good pick up here

Goo Goo Dolls – Greatest Hits Vol 2 – i’m still trying to abosrb vol 1.

The Fiery Furnaces: Remember [Thrill Jockey]

Hotel Lights: Firecracker People [Bar/None]

Human Highway: Moody Motorcycle [Suicide Squeeze / Secret City]

Ice Cube – Raw Footage – are we going to hear NWA or “are we there yet?” Ice Cube?

Jaguar Love: Take Me to the Sea [Matador]

Jeff Hanson: Madam Owl [Kill Rock Stars]

Jennifer O’Connor: Here With Me [Matador]

Jesu: Why Are We Not Perfect? [Hydra Head]

Karina – First Love – Hottie

The Music Tapes: Music Tapes for Clouds & Tornadoes [Merge]

Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line [barsuk]

The Royal We: The Royal We [Domino] (nice Lebowski reference here)

sBach: sBach [Suicide Squeeze]

Starling Electric: Clouded Staircase [Bar/None]

Stereolab – Chemical Chords [4ad]

The Stills: Oceans Will Rise [Arts & Crafts]

Saurasama: Fajar Di Atas Awan [Drag City]

The Uglysuit: The Uglysuit [Quarterstick]

The Verve: Forth [Parlophone] [North American release]

The Walkmen: You & Me [Gigantic Records] – click here for a review

The Walkmen – You & Me (a track by track review)

It is time for my track by track review of the much anticipated new record from Brooklyn’s “The Walkmen”.

Movies: New Releases 8/19/2008

Dexter – Season 2  (Cal’s Pick of The Week)

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Married….. With Children – Season 9

Recount     (ugh…….)

House M.D – Season 4

The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior    (This has to be a joke…….)

Twenty-Four Eyes – The Criterion Collection

An American Crime

Prom Night

Street Kings

Camp Rock

The Wizard of Gore      (folks, this has Crispen Glover in it!!!!!)

Primo Levi’s Journey

Deal

2 big mistakes in one weeks time (2 movie quick hits)

I just got off the phone with my doctor (I had to schedule a lobotomy) and thought it was time to write a quick blog.  I felt it was time for me to come clean on two large mistakes that I took part in this past week.  “Tropic Thunder” and “Transformers”.