The Next Day
David Bowie
CD | MP3
Columbia Records
Release Date: March 12, 2013

For some inexplicable reason, newly released albums by longtime beloved rock stars are judged on a harsher curve than most. Is it because many of these artists have released decades’ worth of quality work, so critics think they are due for a miss? Is it because we as a society love to watch the high and mighty fall from grace? Perhaps it is because at a certain point, we all get set in our ways. We have an artist stowed away neatly in a certain place in our lives, and that’s where they belong. Anything outside of that comfort zone is immediately regarded as dangerous and a threat to their legacy, so it is rejected outright. Especially when, in the case of David Bowie, the artist has spent a considerable amount of time away from the spotlight, why try a “comeback” now?

Well folks, the good news is this: David Bowie has long-defied convention, and he continues to buck the aforementioned trends on his new record, The Next Day. The record is high energy, hard rocking, poetic, and an exhilarating listening experience. If you were to separate it from all of the back story (as interesting as it is) and examine Bowie’s discography to this point, you would never have guessed that a decade has passed since his last foray into the music world. In fact, despite his long-term absence and the vocalization of many detractors, it is arguable that he is more relevant now than ever before.

Evil Dead, the remake we hardcore horror fans didn’t want at first but it’s starting to sound really good (check out our own FamousMonster’s review from South by Southwest here), is less than a month away from its theatrical opening. According to its director Fede Alvarez, the movie is essentially a reboot of the horror trilogy that made director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell (who both produced the new film) cult heroes and household names in the industry, but it takes place in the same universe and is set some years after the last time Campbell’s chainsaw-and-shotgun-wielding hero Ash took on the dreaded Deadites.

Alvarez’s film, which has withstood a full-force assault of derision from fans of the series and was originally slapped with the dreaded NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America before being edited down to an R (though if the early reviews are any indication the blood and gore content of this new Evil Dead didn’t take much of a hit), is the latest in a beloved franchise of balls-out horror-comedy extravaganzas that have spawned a mini-merchandising empire of video games, toys, T-shirts, lunch boxes, etc. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that the mayhem didn’t begin with the original Evil Dead, first released in 1982. It began with a short film shot on Super 8 film stock in the Spring of 1979 called Within the Woods.

You can watch Within the Woods in full here below.

With a very impressive $80 million debut this weekend, it’s no surprise that Oz The Great and Powerful is getting a sequel. Mitchell Kapner has been tapped to write the next chapter of Disney’s Oz franchise (WB has their own Oz property), but the film’s director, Sam Raimi, may not return. Despite that possible set back, a majority of the cast are signed on for sequels. But one thing we might not see, besides Raimi’s direction, is a pivotal character to the 1939 original film.

Mila Kunis told E! Online, “We’re all signed on for sequels.” Co-star Rachel Weisz did say something different: she wasn’t sure whether or not there would be a sequel, but she shared Kunis’ enthusiasm. Although there are varying answers to a seemingly simple question, the cast is interested in returning to reprise their respective roles for the upcoming sequel.

Those three disgruntled employees who were unhappy with the working relationship they had with their bosses are set to return one more time. Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, and Jason Bateman are reportedly coming back to reprise their roles for Horrible Bosses 2. THR was the first to report on the news, and add that Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Jamie Foxx could return for cameos. Director Seth Gordon is also set to return as director.

If you haven’t seen the first Horrible Bosses film, it’s best that you not read ahead as spoilers will follow. Just know that almost everybody will return. But if you have seen it, read on.

With just one week left until the March 19th release of Clockwork Princess, the final book in the Infernal Devices trilogy from author Cassandra Clare, our friends over at Simon & Schuster have made it possible for us to give away three copies of the book to a trio of our loyal readers.

Three (3) winners will receive:

• One (1) copy of Clockwork Princess, book three of the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare.

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps:

(1) Go LIKE Geeks of Doom on Facebook. If you’re not a Facebook user, alternately, you can follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to the Geeks of Doom email digest. Click here to sign up.

(2) Fill out the entry form here below and submit. (Form is here after the jump.)

Good luck!