Editorials
2011 BLACK FRIDAY CHOPPING LIST: MUSIC
Wow. This year saw new releases from metal titans Megadeth, Anthrax and Mastodon. But we know that, while metal pumps deeply in the hearts of most BD readers, it’s not the only type of music that blows your skirt up. So click below for the badass selection of film scores, hip-hop and yes bone-crushing metal that makes up the 2011 Music edition of our Chopping List. We’ve switched the purchase links over to iTunes this year (for the most part) so familiarize yourself with their “gift this item” feature. If you just want old-school discs, then most of these titles are readily available at Amazon as well.
List Price: $9.99
I fell in love with Mastodon two years ago when I heard Crack The Skye. It instantly took me back to the days when metal could be textured, ambitious, musical and symphonic. It felt like a Master Of Puppets for the new millennium. This new record trades in some of the epics for shorter songs and adds some more hooks but also finds a way to remain more interesting than The Black Album. For one, The Hunter actually has a bit of a sense of humor. Highly recommended and bound to brighten the holidays of any old-school metal fan.
List Price: $9.99
This one hasn’t actually been getting a ton of critical love, which I’m a little baffled by. For one, it goes without saying that it’s miles better than Strays. And while it’s not an instant classic like Nothing’s Shocking or Ritual it has plenty of merits. Dave Sitek’s production helps the band back into those dark corners it was born in and the result is kind of like a cool codeine dream of a record. It has some of the slow mysticism of the second Porno For Pyros record combined with the textures and groove Jane’s is known for. If you know a Jane’s fan who has written this album off as a matter of course – go ahead and get it for them. They’ll be pleasantly surprised.
List Price: $9.99
From Jonathan Barkan’s review.
“This album is a perfect mixture of creepy and beautiful, calming yet unsettling. Also a prog album, this one leans more towards the “arty” side of the genre rather than Leprous’ rock/metal. With definite nods to the Goblin and Tangerine Dream horror/sci-fi soundtracks, each track on this album is representative of some form of apocalypse, whether it be natural disaster or financial ruin. For those rainy evenings when you can lay back and let yourself get lost in the music, Terminal Twilight is one of the best accompaniments I can recommend.”
List Price: More Details Dec. 2nd
There’s obviously no new Nine Inch Nails record this year but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a kick ass release from Trent Reznor. I adored the score for The Social Network and the snippets I heard of the Tattoo during a footage presentation a few months back sounded even better – driving the footage to an unrelentingly intense culmination. The track listing has yet to be announced but we can only hope that Reznor’s “Immigrant Song” collaboration with Karen O. makes the cut. More details are available on Dec 2nd which, knowing Reznor, is probably pretty soon to when the album is released digitally. I’d bet a kidney it’s out before Christmas.
List Price: $7.99
From Jonathan Barkan’s review.
“Looking more and more like my Album of the Year, this prog/rock/metal masterpiece doesn’t have a single song I’d classify as “filler”. It also adds in enough stylistic changes to keep things constantly interesting (just check out the awesome funk bass riff in “Mediocrity Wins”, the lullaby-esque intro to “Mb. Indifferentia”, or the eerie piano opening to “Acquired Taste”). I’ve been coming back to this album over and over again since I got it, which is becoming a rarer occurrence these days.”
List Price: $9.99
Honestly, I’d kind of lost track of Megadeth after Countdown To Extinction but coming back and listening to Th1rt3en it feels like they haven’t missed much of a beat. A lot of the stuff I’d heard here and there over the years was light on hooks and heavy on riffage, but in this new release the two exist side by side in fairly sustainable portions. And finding religion doesn’t seem to have made Mustaine too soft at all.
List Price: $11.99/Deluxe $14.99
This album may not reach the heights of Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy but it certainly outpaces Jay-Z’s last offering by a lap and a half. It’s a lot of fun to hear these two friends and artistic rivals challenge each other into exploring new levels. It’s an epic game of one-upmanship that makes a perfect universal gift (provided the recipient is at least in middle school).
List Price: $9.99
From Jonathan Barkan’s review.
“Sometimes you just have to put on tunes that make you rock out. And what better band to do it to than Anthrax? Not only do you have an album full of kickass songs but one of them, Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t, is about surviving the zombie apocalypse! So gather up your survival gear, pop this sucker onto your iPod, and show them what you’ve got.”
List Price: $9.99
Another under-appreciated gem from earlier in the year. While you can’t argue that it’s better than the first record – it certainly rocks harder and more melodically than almost any other mainstream release this year. “Under Cover Of Darkness” is groovy and cathartic and “Gratisfaction” downright channels Thin Lizzy. If you know a classic rock fan in need of something new, pass this along. “Taken For A Fool” is another highlight.
List Price: $9.99
This thing! I had it on repeat in my car for literally three weeks after I saw the film! And I suspect when I get another dose of one of the year’s best movies on Blu-ray that this soundtrack will go right back into regular rotation. The first five songs are those perfect east-side LA retro synth sounding songs that somehow you still love despite their hipster pedigree. After that the disc settles into Cliff Martinez’s shimmery, ambient score. An album you can literally drive around to in any town and it automatically makes the streets you’re cruising cool as hell.
List Price: $9.99
Know someone who loves Metal at its darkest, most brutal and uncompromising? Know someone who loves insane tempo changes? Know someone who love the double bass drum? Then get this for them. Just do it. They remind me of Pantera in the purity of their intentions but also manage to bring some Iron Maiden-esque mystique and harmonies into the mix without coming across as silly.
List Price: $9.99
Know someone who’s a fan of Tool and A Perfect Circle but can’t seem to stretch the arms of their musical fandom beyond metal? This is a good first step. The presence of Maynard James Keenan will draw them in and, while there’s till plenty of heavy stuff on the record, introduce them to a wide swath of experimental sounds and ideas. A really interesting record.
List Price: $9.99
From Jonathan Barkan’s review.
“C’mon people, this movie is a classic and Ennio Morricone’s music is pretty much burned into our brains at this point. Put on this album, close your eyes, and watch the movie from memory. Almost as good as watching the movie itself.”
List Price: $12.99
From Jonathan Barkan’s review.
“If your morbid curiosity can’t take it any longer and you just HAVE to know what this horrific mess sounds like, please wait until Black Friday, when I’m guessing this will be in the dollar bin. That way you can at least spend as little money as possible on it. And once you realize you never want to listen to it again, you can use it as a drink coaster! Two for the price of one (dollar)!”
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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