All posts by Kev Brock

I'm a musician, singer/songwriter, blogger, writer, poet, bodybuilder, movie lover, music lover, video gamer, history/political buff, conservative/republican, etc. I like to do a lot of things.
movies

Cool Video: Watch a fan made version of “Man of Steel” trailer with the John Williams music!

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So people online debated on whether or not the John Williams music would work for “Man of Steel”, because of a new era and all. Well, in my opinion, I think this fan made video of the trailer, is pretty much proof that the JW’s score would work. It was beautiful and the JW’s score with the “Man of Steel” trailer, gave me even more goosebumps! The music for the original trailer was the main theme from “Lord of the Rings”. The reason Warner Bros. have been using music from other movies for the trailers is because Hans Zimmer didn’t compose music for “Man of Steel”, yet.

Warner Bros. should have used this music in the video for the teaser instead. They could have if they wanted but I guess they really are ditching John Williams for good which is sad. I’m not sure why Zack doesn’t want to use this music, when Star Trek and James Bond have used the same music for years.

I believe they decided on Lord of the Rings, as a way to piss off the makers of “The Hobbit” movie and compete with them.

Enjoy the John Williams version. I think it works beautifully and almost brought tears to my eyes. Felt like a real Superman movie with the John Williams music. It’s not the main theme, but the music came from the Krypton scene in the beginning of “Superman: The Movie”. Yep, I definitely like the fan made John Williams trailer, better than the voice over versions.

Kev

movies

Cool Video: The “Man of Steel” teaser trailer is finally online!

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This was the trailer that was attached to the “Dark Knight: Rises”. Now the “Man of Steel” trailer is finally online. Not much on it but I’m sure trailer #2 will show more. Hopefully the next trailer will show action scenes, and I hope General Zod will get revealed soon.

Enjoy the trailer. I think it’s awesome and I think it’s gonna be a great Superman movie.

Edit to add: I think the voice over is Kevin Costner talking, as Jonathan Kent. You can see Costner in the photograph in the trailer.

Kev

True Crime

Brock speaks more on the Colorado “Dark Knight: Rises” shooting…

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Like usual, whenever a shooting happens in the USA, it’ll spark a huge internet debate about guns and the second amendment. There is also a lot of talk that  movie theaters across the USA will start tightening security. Maybe have metal detectors at theaters or have more security guards keeping a watch out, wouldn’t surprise me if that stuff is coming. There will also be plenty of parents blaming it on dark & violent movies.

There is a lot of talk on why this kid would dress up as the Joker and commit this horrible crime. People are putting the blame on mental illness and this kid is a nutcase, and stuff. You see, while this crime is horrible and shouldn’t have happened, my heart goes out to the victims either alive or dead, these things are bound to happen, the bigger a movie franchise gets. The bigger a movie franchise gets, the more it will bring out all kinds of weird & crazy fans. As I predicted the kid turned out to be a massive Batman fan, and turns out that the Joker is his favorite. So people are asking, why would the kid do this?

Well, considering that this kid turned out to be a massive Joker fan (probably the Heath Ledger era), this kid simply wanted to be like the Joker. The Joker inspired him some mysterious way, so this kid who committed these shootings, just simply wanted to be America’s most well known “villain”. Just like in the comics, you know what I mean? You know how in the comics, when a Batman villain commits horrible crimes, and it’s all over the news in the comics? Well, the same thing is happening here, except it’s happening in real life. I repeat, this kid wanted to be a successful real life villain, like the Joker.

This certainly wasn’t a random act, the kid did his homework and planned it out before hand, and it’s possible, he may have gotten some help from others. Maybe with some friends who are also die hard, Batman, fanatics. Joker and his goons. Violent superhero movies have been getting bigger and bigger, each year. So you shouldn’t be surprised that something like this was going to happen anyway, no offense. The Batman franchise have the weirdest fans out of all superheros though. A lot of Batman fans can be whack jobs.  A lot of them think they really are the characters from the comics & movies.

It also wouldn’t surprise me that this kid knows everything about the Joker, knows everyone of his jokes by heart and I’m sure he’s sitting in jail acting like the insane Joker from the comics & movies. The fact of the matter is, people. You shouldn’t blame it on guns or violent movies. You should blame it on these geek fan boys who become obsessed with these characters. The kid is probably mentally ill and delusional, yes, but he is evil ’cause he simply wanted to be, like the comics. Think about it, and hope you get the point.

Kev

movies

The “DARK KNIGHT: RISES” SPOILERS DISCUSSION ******SPOILER WARNING*****

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I made two separate posts ’cause it seems like the whole internet loves to talk about spoilers of “The Dark Knight: Rises” online. I made one review with non-spoilers and here is the spoiler post, so those who already saw the movie can discuss the storyline here.

Okay, here we go….

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The special cameos that made the movie were Ra Al Ghul (played by Liam Neeson) and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). I almost forgot that the Ra Al Ghul character is immortal, and I kind of predicted that Ra’s was going to appear in the movie, anyway. It’s also no surprise that Miranda Tate ended up being Talia Al Ghul, Ra’s daughter.  I was never a big comic book reader but with a little internet research, all this Bane, Ra Al Ghul and Talia stuff were borrowed from various comics over the years.

As for the film’s questionable ending, after Batman sacrificed himself to save Gotham City, John Blake (who was an actual character from the Batman comics, btw), revealed himself as Robin John Blake, then he goes to the Batcave, discovering all of Batman’s secrets. Does this mean that he is about ready to become Robin at the end of it? Absolutely!

Now, it will be pretty cool if Warner Bros. gave Robin his own spin off movie, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt still playing the character, even if Christopher Nolan is not directing. If Warner Bros. is planning on some kind of re-boot, they can still keep the stories going with Robin. Not sure if they will do that or not, but that’s what it’s looking like.

I know it’s sad that Batman dies at the end of the movie, but in the comics, DC experimented with Batman deaths a few times before. Most everything through all the three Nolan “Dark Knight” films were inspired from comics and graphic novels. I wish there could be more Nolan “Dark Knight” films, but I understand why he wants to move on. WB’s would probably have no choice but to reboot Batman again, which would be the 4th re-boot I believe. The two Keaton/Burton films, the two Schumacher films, the three Nolan films, you get the deal. It’s going to be interesting to see how Warner’s going to reboot Batman after this. Whether they will continue the stories without Nolan or re-boot it again, whatever their plans are, will be interesting.

As for the Bane character, throughout the whole movie, I just loved the way how Bane was seen as this menacing monster, and then at the end of the movie, you actually felt sorry and sad for the guy, after it was revealed, that Bane tried to help Talia out of that prison. He got scarred because of it, which explained why he wore that scary mask. After that scene, that’s when you felt emotion for that character, and now understand all the pain Bane is going through, and why he is what he is. It turned out that Ra’s could be Bane’s father.

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Well, this is all I had to get off my chest for the spoilers discussion. Hope you enjoy, feel free to add more to it if you want. It’s too bad Heath Ledger is gone. If he was still here with us, Im pretty sure, he would have definitely been in the movie somehow as the Joker. I’m glad they used Bane though ’cause he has always been a lesser known Batman villain. He shouldn’t be a lesser known villain anymore though. 🙂

Kev

movies

Film Review: “The Dark Knight: Rises” (with NO SPOILERS)

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Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cottilard

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Today, I just saw, “The Dark Knight: Rises”, the final Chris Nolan/Batman film of the trilogy. I’m planning to do two posts on this movie, one non-spoiler post and the other with spoilers. Here is my review of the film:

Plot/Synopsis: The film is set after the events of the second movie, “The Dark Knight”. While Gotham City is almost at peace from crime because of the Dent act, Gotham City is still in danger when Bane, a terrorist leader, arrives to destroy the city. Batman returns once again, and gets some help from Commissioner Gordon and Selina Kyle aka Catwoman.

I’ll keep the synopsis above small and simple, so I won’t reveal too much. This is NON Spoiler review aimed at those who haven’t seen it.

As far as my thoughts on the movie goes, I thought it was the best one of the trilogy. Many critics online are giving this film negative reviews, that’s probably because a lot of them don’t understand the Batman character or the comics. I was very impressed that, “The Dark Knight: Rises” stayed true to the comics. I thought the film was very gripping all the way through. It was dark and intense. The film is a long one, about 2 hrs. and 45 minutes, but the pacing goes by pretty fast. I thought this was a pretty heartfelt and sad, Batman story. I thought the writing was pretty well done.

The movie was pretty much action packed all the way through. Some of the action scenes were pretty breathtaking. Especially the Batman and Bane fight. That whole fight scene had no music playing during it, which made it awesome. The film also had some pretty fun fighting sequences, explosions, and vehicle chases.

I thought Tom Hardy made a fantastic, Bane. A lot of critics complained about the character, saying he wasn’t dark and evil enough. I’m like, really? I would be afraid of that guy if Bane was a real person, he was fucking scary in that movie. A lot of reviews compare Bane to Heath Ledger’s Joker, saying Bane can’t top Joker, but that’s not a fair judgement. In my opinion, don’t take this the wrong way. I find Tom Hardy’s, Bane, much better than Heath Ledger’s, Joker. Villains are meant to be hated, but instead Christopher Nolan wants to scare people to death with, Bane. For the past two Batman movies, Batman has always been this unstoppable superhero, but Bane was the only guy who is capable enough of making Batman look weak. Most Batman villains try to kill Batman with an army of men, but Bane could do it all himself. I thought Tom Hardy looked great as Bane, and he did a good job with the speaking voice too. I’m glad the film stayed true to the, “break the Bat”, thing which is what Bane is known for.

I also thought Anne Hathaway, made a perfect Catwoman. I knew that from day 1 ever since she was first casted for the role. Have you ever noticed that the costume that Anne Hathaway wore as Catwoman, is very similar to the Julie Newmar Catwoman from the classic TV show? I bet not many people noticed that. Some of the cast members from the past few films returned of course, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman. I’m glad this film did more with Morgan Freeman’s character, Fox. The Fox character wasn’t in the last two movies that much, but this time, they gave Fox some more screen time which is good to see. Plus, there’s a few surprising cameos in the movie, I don’t want to say right now but in a different post with the spoilers later.

Of course, Hans Zimmer’s score never disappoints. His Batman scores are always amazing and the music of this film is the best of the trilogy.

While the ending of this movie was a bit too predictable, not surprising at all, I thought, “The Dark Knight: Rises” was an incredible film. I was at the edge of my seat throughout most of it. It was nice to see a more emotional Batman. It’s nice to see that Batman can have feelings and can be more human. Not always being the tough guy that everyone wants him to be. I love how the film went into more insights about Bruce Wayne’s life and childhood.

As far as the “Man of Steel” trailer shown before it goes. That was pretty freakin’ cool, too! Although, I was kind of disappointed that the trailer was much shorter than the SDCC version. It’s just a teaser though. I’m sure, “Man of Steel” trailer #2 will show a lot more. Hopefully, they will reveal what General Zod looks like in the next trailer.

Score for “The Dark Knight: Rises” = **** (4 stars as in “Excellent”)

Kev

movies, True Crime

Brock’s thoughts on the Aurora, Colorado, “Dark Knight: Rises” shooting…

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As if this morning, a gunman opened fire at a theater in Aurora, Colorado, at a late night screening for the “Dark Knight: Rises”. Killing 12 people and injuring more than 14 others. There were smoke bombs used and all that stuff. A suspect was arrested, and turns out to be 20 year old.

Here is my take on it. I believe, that the young gunman that committed this horrible crime, is probably a massive Batman fanatic like most of us. He just wanted to see what it would be like to bring that comic book stuff to real life. I mean, the whole thing, sounded like it came from a Batman scene. I believe this kid, wanted to see if someone would come out and stop it like a superhero would but of course, nobody did. He is probably really big on comics like most young people and it was kind of like a fantasy come true to bring that kind of violence in real life.

Comic books and superhero movies are just fiction, kids. Like they all say, “Don’t Try This At Home”. While I know it’s a nice idea that people try to become real life superheros, but even if you try to become one, you would be dead pretty fast. If you dress up in a costume and try to fight crime, anonymously, it’s not gonna last too long, believe me. The police will kill you as soon as they set eyes upon you. Don’t be confused with fiction and real life.

The real superheros are the troops serving our country and the 9/11 victims.

Speaking of the “Dark Knight: Rises”, I’m gonna go see that movie today and I’ll review it later. I’m also planning on picking up “Batman: Earth One” graphic novel from Barnes & Noble today too.

Kev

Local music

How to leave your ego at the door in music…

Have you noticed that there are way too many egos in unsigned music as of late? Just look at social networking sites especially facebook for proof. I have been mistakenly accused of being an ego-maniac myself by some certain folks, but over the years, I never once had an ego problem. I never thought I was better than anybody else at all, and I’ve been accused of hating on other talent or people thought I was a better musician than everyone else. Not true at all. I know there are local musicians out there that are way better than me, I’m not stupid. I also respect talents of all kinds.

If you want more evidence of how I’m not an ego-maniac, I’ve treated many local talent with respect in this blog. By giving them shout outs ’cause I dig their tunes, giving them reviews, or interviews or things like that. I would plug in their videos or songs if I like them. That is me being respectful to other talent right there.

Over the years gigging, I never believed in being a superstar “headlining” act. I think the “headliner” is silly in local music, no such thing, in my opinion. So when I’m playing at a gig sharing a show with other acts, I don’t mind playing first, somewhere in the middle or last. I also don’t mind getting paid very little or not getting paid at all. I also don’t mind playing a short set when I’m told to.

I’ve tried to be friendly, kind and fun to talk to musicians over the years. I don’t care to hog the spotlight of other musicians ’cause I want other musicians to succeed and forward their careers. I try my best to give other talent respect, but I can’t support everything ’cause there’s so much music out there and that’s why I only support the stuff that I like, you know?

On my facebook fan page, I try to be respectful and try my best to not sound like an egomaniac as possible. The trick to not having an ego problem. Just stay positive. Get rid of your bad attitudes. Too many musicians have ’em, not naming names. Stop being a big shot musician. Stop having the “I’m Great, Listen to me” attitude. If you want to promote your shows and your projects, you must be careful how you put that stuff out there. Everything you put out there matters and what you write on that keyboard. Some musicians and bands don’t promote themselves good. You let the people decide if they want to like your music or if they want to come to your show.

Yes, I’m sure you’re a great and talented musician, but that doesn’t mean, you have to go out of your way bashing other musicians who are not at the same level of talent as you, this is not aimed at anybody. I’m tired of the, “I’m a better musician than you” game, it’s all over the place. I’ve seen enough of it. When I post my songs or live performing videos, I never posted things like, “Watch my great video”. I just put it out there and let people give feedback on it. That’s not having an ego problem at all. The same thing when you play live gigs. You can’t be an ego to club owners or on the stage.

I’ve always been a positive guy toward other talent. So to those who say I’m a hateful person, just don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re just being an ego-maniac themselves.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Fitness nutrition… I think people take themselves too seriously…

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There is this fitness youtube blogger, named Lui Marco, which I’m sure some of you may have heard of him, he’s from Sweden. He likes to promote that “bodybuilding” doesn’t have to be a religion. Meaning, that you can workout, but doesn’t really have to be a strict thing. You see, my nutrition is not all that strict as people think. I just had to cut most junk food I’ve been addicted to, and start eating mostly healthy, but I still do eat everything, here and there. I still like to eat hot dogs, hamburgs, Chinese food, ice cream, etc. In my belief, I always thought it’s okay to eat whatever you want as long as you eat healthy most of the day, wouldn’t hurt none.

I honestly find it kind of laughable that fitness people that would eat everything healthy all day, and every day. They won’t eat things they disagree with, all that stuff. I just watched this inspiring video by the Ultimate Warrior, and he too, even said it’s kind of bullshit that bodybuilders have to get all strict on protein and carbs.

You don’t need to eat perfectly healthy, 24/7. Just take things in moderation. People doing all these 6 small meals a day things, intermittent fasting or IIFYM, it’s all bunch of crock. As long as you workout hard, and do plenty of cardio. You can still get some great muscle gains and even get six pack abs. All these fitness gurus online, just try to promote healthy eating and trying to get people to change their lifestyles.

I don’t take nutrition so seriously as much as people would want to believe. I do eat mostly healthy, and still like to eat whatever at times too. I try to eat whatever on weekends only though. There are plenty of stuff that I avoid though. The only time I’ll eat high sugary stuff is ice cream, that’s about it. I don’t drink soda and I avoid most fried food. I don’t eat fast food too much anymore, but I like to have either Chinese or pizza on the weekends.

If you want to go for that stuff, feel free to do it. You don’t need other fitness people telling you what you can and can’t eat. Like the Hodge Twins say, do whatever the fuck you want to do. I’m still pretty lean and muscular. I plan to post new progress pics soon.

Edit to add: Yes, I do get plenty of protein and healthy carbs, don’t get me wrong. I eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits, all that stuff, but you only live once. You don’t need to live your entire life eating healthy all the time. Eating junk sometimes, can actually help your physique, think about it.

Kev

music

Are Jimi Hendrix’s vocals his most overlooked talent? I would say so, yes…

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If you read through guitar forums and other music websites on the internet, when it comes to Jimi Hendrix discussion, we all know that he is most famous for his amazing lead guitar playing skills. What a lot of people seem to forget that he was also a singer, and he wrote his own lyrics as well. His singing and songwriting skills is often overlooked by music fans. Yes, his lead guitar playing skills is great, but what grabbed me the most about Hendrix is the way he wrote his songs, with his vocals and the lyrics.

Hendrix was never a classically trained singer. He did it because he wanted to. His voice always had a blues and R&B feeling. When he wrote his songs, he would sing catchy melodies that never leave your head. Why do you think songs like, “Purple Haze”, “Hey Joe”, or “The Wind Cries Mary” are so great? Not just because of his great guitar playing, it’s his vocals. His vocals is what attracted people to his music. Do you think those songs would be big hits if he didn’t sing them? Hell no. Hendrix’s vocals was something special.

Back in the day, when Jimi performed live, there was no such thing as lip syncing or auto tune. Musicians had to play everything for real, so there was nothing fake about Hendrix’s singing back in the day. His lyrics was also the most important part of his music that people miss out. He wrote some pretty amazing stuff. Jimi Hendrix had many different talents in his music, not just his guitar playing. The man had the full package and did it all. He also produced a lot of his own music.

It is weird how the music industry gets all over his guitar playing, yet his singing is almost always ignored.

Kev

Local music

I’ll admit that I want to become a virtuoso guitar player… I want to play great…

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Many of you have been noticing that I’ve been practicing my guitar more. Learning theory, scales, and stuff. Taking my guitar playing up to more of an advanced level. Yes, I do want to become a virtuoso musician. That was the whole point of me wanting to pick up the guitar to begin with. It takes years of practice and learning to become a “virtuoso”, and I’ve been trying to get there for 17 years now. It has been 17 years I’ve been playing guitar now. While I feel my guitar playing level is in more of an intermediate level, I still got lots of work to do.

I just want to play great like my heroes, ya know? I wanna be like Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Satriani, and Neil Young. I want to be an all around professional someday. I want to become an expert at music theory, and everything. Become an actual musician. Have a good ear and be a good improviser at lead guitar. All that stuff.

One day I will get there. While learning music is easy to learn, it’s just a lot of practice and so much memorizing. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. You don’t become a full fledged virtuoso right away. Sometimes it takes more than 20 years to get there. Those guys that I listed, they’ve been playing for years before they got there.

I like to be honest with my own talent. It’s good to be that way.

Kev