After laying dormant for over three decades, The Naked Gun has finally been resurrected with Liam Neeson in place of the late legend Leslie Neilsen. It’s not easy to bring back something once held with such regard though, and that’s surely proven here.
Nesson plays Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of Neilsen’s original character. He meets the beautiful bombshell Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) after her brother is suspiciously murdered, and a rather uninteresting plot to uncover some shady corporate cover-up (headed by Danny Huston) ensues.
The two leads do work together well, resulting in some humorous moments (the montage with the snowman played to the tune of Starship’s “Nothing Gonna Stop Us” was rather amusing), and there’s even a couple of cameos from series regulars like Priscilla Presley and “Weird Al” Yankovic (blink and you might miss the former). But the laugh-out-loud jokes are way to widespread, and viewers were already given a quarter of the film via trailers prior to ever even stepping foot in a theater.
The original Naked Gun film series was comic gold, and it speaks volumes that the producers of this film did not even reach out to either of the Zucker brothers behind it for this one. But I can remember going to see Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult when it came out in 1994 (I think even on opening night if memory serves correct) and thinking “this isn’t that good in comparison to the first two films.” I got that very same feeling again while watching this one.
The original Happy Gilmore was Adam Sandler in his prime; I can remember sitting there in the theater laughing with friends in 1996, just one year after he began his domination of modern comedy with 1995’s Billy Madison. It was harmless enough fun that we relished in back in those days.
Happy Gilmore 2 is definitely…a different story. It starts off innocently enough, with Happy (Sandler) washed up and at rock bottom. With the help of his (mostly grown) kids (one of which is played by one of Sandlers’ real-life children to appear in the film, Sunny Sandler), he reaches sobriety and returns to professional golf while battling a new competitive league called Maxi Golf.
The premise/setup alone is fine, but the execution is muddled with far too many crude, over-the-top jokes that often fall flat. The nostalgia and throwback references are definitely there, as are many familiar faces (Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Ben Stiller all return from the first film, among others), and the supporting roles and cameos are far too many to even mention (though real-life pro golfer John Daly is perfect in an extreme version of his self, and modern WWE legend Becky Lynch is always pleasing on the eyes no matter what she may be in).
Whereas the first Happy Gilmore was ripe with quick one-liners and had it’s own unique, quaint charm, this belated sequel tries to cram in as much absurdity as it can within its two hour runtime and hopes you overlook all of its many flaws (much like another recent Sandler vehicle, Hubie Halloween). Again, the concept is there, but the heart of it mostly falls through the cracks; a little less would’ve likely gone a lot further this time around.
This week has without a doubt been one of the most trying in the world of entertainment in recent memory, especially for all of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s such as myself.
First, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who we watched grow up before our eyes as Theo Huxtable on TheCosby Show from 1984-92, passed away after a tragic drowning in the beginning of the week way too soon at just the age of 54.
Before that loss could even be fully processed, one of the original architects and godfathers of heavy metal music itself, the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, succumbed to his battle with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 76.
And now, the unmistakable giant that was Hulk Hogan, who almost single-handily shaped the WWE – and sports entertainment as a whole – as we know it today, passed away yesterday at the age of 71. His presence was seemingly everywhere at the time when the country (and the world itself) was a much more simpler, unified place.
Hulk Hogan was born Terry Bollea in Augusta, GA on August 11, 1953, but grew up mainly in the southwest coast of Florida. It’s there that he began working and bodybuilding at gyms, as well as playing the bass guitar in local bands as a teenager.
After a year of training under Hiro Matsuda, Hogan made his wrestling debut for the CWF promotion against Brian Blair in Ft. Myers, FL on August 10, 1977. He quickly made his way through other promotions such as the CWA and NWA, the latter of which he would win his first championship of his career with on December 1, 1979.
Hogan made his debut with the WWF (now the WWE) around this time as well after Vince McMahon, Sr. saw something special in him. He made his debut with the company on November 17, 1979, and would stay with them until 1981, when he was dropped for the filming of Rocky III, eventually released in 1982.
He kept busy working, initially as a heel for Verne Gagne in the AWA and in the NJPW prior to returning to the WWF at Vince McMahon, Jr.’s insistence. He made his official return on December 27, 1983, and after defeating The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984, Hulkamania was officially born.
By March 31, 1985, Hogan was headlining the inaugural Wrestlemania alongside Mr. T (who Hogan had also appeared on The A-Team with) where the two defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. Further Wrestlemanias and championships would continue, as well as rivalries with Piper, Andre the Giant, and The Ultimate Warrior, and alliances with the likes of “Macho Man” Randy Savage. There were even cross-promotions with MTV that propelled them all to further stardom.
It was somewhere among all of this pop culture phenomenon that a kid from New Jersey started becoming a megafan, and I’m told was doing “The Hulk” (a sort of “grr” sound with a combo flex move) at a very young age. I can remember going to sleepovers and even Cub Scout meetings where Hulk Hogan action figures and even Wrestling Buddies (basically pillows shaped like your favorite wrestlers) were everywhere.
I wasn’t there when Hogan hit the big screen with his first starring role in 1989’s No Holds Barred (though I should by all means still have a copy of it on VHS somewhere), but I was there in the theater when he made a cameo in 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and for 1991’s Suburban Commando (quite possibly the first movie I went to see after relocating from New Jersey to Florida, to).
In the ’90s, Hogan of course went to the WCW and formed the nWo stable with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, turning heel once again. His fame grew over the course of the decade or so with shows like 1993’s Thunder in Paradise, and the reality series Hogan Knows Best in 2005 (the same year he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame).
By the time I made it to my first WWE match in 2022 (ironically at the Ocean Center in Daytona where Hogan had turned heel all of those years prior in 1996) and covered both Raw and SmackDown for Rewind It Magazine in Orlando the following year, Hogan was of course far from the mat. But his presence was no doubt felt at each and everyone of these events.
Tributes again poured out far and wide yesterday as they had for the previously-mentioned celebrities, but the ugliness and downright hatred that was present this time around reached new lows. Hogan was far from perfect, and made mistakes over the course of his lifetime (many of which he had since apologized for), but show me someone who hasn’t, or any human being who is absolutely “perfect” for that matter, especially by the standards of these spiteful, degenerate keyboard warriors of the world right now.
But I think the situation was best summed up last evening by a tweet via the Reverend Damien Thaddeus Jones; “Hulk Hogan was not a perfect person and neither are you. Hulk Hogan is a global icon, unlike you. Hulk Hogan surrendered to Christ and will be in Heaven. Many of you are judging him for one mistake. He will be remembered for all of his positive impacts on millions.”
Ozzy Osbourne. So few names in history have been as universally recognized or needed as little to no introduction as he has. Even just the word “Ozzy” alone is enough to invoke an array of memories and emotions for nearly any functional adult that’s been paying attention for the past five plus decades (including those who aren’t even necessarily “fans”).
Not even three weeks ago I was researching and writing about Ozzy’s life in preparation for his final, “Back to the Beginning” show both as a solo artist, and as a member of the pioneering heavy metal act Black Sabbath that he had co-founded alongside Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward so many years ago back in 1968. Like so many others, I watched with my family as Ozzy and company said their farewells on stage from Birmingham, England. And like so many others, I mourned at the news of his passing yesterday, just seventeen days after that monumental final show.
I considered the fact that writing about both Ozzy and Sabbath again so closely after the last time might run the risk of some redundancy, but how could I not do a full tribute for such a deserving figure? That being said, I decided I would not get too detailed here, and would try to focus more on conveying what Ozzy has meant to me personally, rather than give a straight history lesson on his life alone.
As previously stated, Osbourne began his musical journey in the late 1960’s as a member of Black Sabbath, who are largely considered to this day to be the forefathers of heavy metal music. The band released their first self-titled album in 1970, and Osbourne stayed with them throughout the rest of the decade before his erratic behavior brought on by drugs and alcohol saw him dismissed from the band shortly after 1978’s Never Say Die! album.
A comeback of epic proportions ensued in the following decade when, with the aid of new manager (and future wife) Sharon and a hotshot new guitarist by the name of Randy Rhoads helped get Ozzy in shape for a solo career that started with 1980’s Blizzard of Oz record.
A string of albums, including 1981’s Diary of a Madman (the final before Rhoads’ untimely death in a plane accident), 1983’s Bark at the Moon, 1986’s The Ultimate Sin, and 1988’s No Rest FortheWicked (the latter of which the first to feature longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde) cemented Osbourne’s role as the “Prince of Darkness.”
By 1991’s No More Tears LP, I was beginning to really start to appreciate Ozzy’s music, just as it seemed as though he might be ready to retire from it. Thankfully for me though that was not the case, and just two years after the release of 1995’s Ozzmosis album I would be seeing him on stage for the first time, both as a solo artist, and as a member of the reunited Black Sabbath (sans Bill Ward on drums) at the 1997 Ozzfest. It was an epic experience I only wish I had soaked in a little longer.
Around this same time, I had also started playing the bass guitar and even started my first garage band, ironically with two of my fellow friends/classmates that I had attended said Ozzfest with in the ’90s. I would practice that bass for hours, likely driving my family insane (my poor parents were the ones who even gifted me the instrument in the first place) as I learned many an Ozzy or Sabbath song, some for band practices, some just for fun (I was dumbfounded the first time I ever made my way through “Crazy Train” from start to finish, which to the best of my memory was the first song I ever learned to play in its entirety).
Several years later, I would see Ozzy and Sabbath on stage once again, this time for the 2004 Ozzfest, and this time with the entire original lineup together at last, including Bill Ward. I remember driving all the way from essentially Orlando to Tampa directly after getting off of work (something that would likely not be possible for me nowadays) to make the show, and sitting on the lawn by my lonesome (my girlfriend at the time and her friends all left early for whatever reason) before someone graciously handed me an upgraded ticket about eleven rows back from the stage. From there, the party truly began, and even Ozzy’s wife, Sharon, was there to introduce the band at the height of the Osbournes’ newfound reality TV show fame, too.
I had a chance to go to one more Ozzfest in 2007, but at the time I was still a relatively new father, and it just wasn’t the feasible thing to do just then (no doubt something I now regret to some degree in hindsight).
But by 2010, something equally as exciting as watching your heroes live happened. I had worked my way into music journalism as a freelancer by that point, and was given the chance to interview original Sabbath drummer and longtime bandmate to Ozzy, Bill Ward. I could not believe my luck as I actually spoke to this living legend on the phone as he recounted many of his historic memories with me that day (I would have a similar experience a few years later in 2018 when I also interviewed former Ozzy bassist Phil Soussan for Rewind It Magazine).
By 2023, my own son was old enough to not only start appreciating many of these moments, but also start taking part in some of them, too. First by seeing the reunited Pantera with said Ozzy axeman Zakk Wylde in place of the late Dimebag Darrell (who ironically was also there at that ’97 Ozzfest as an opening band so many years prior), but also meet one of Osbourne’s own offspring, Jack Osbourne, that same summer as well (see photo below).
The author (second from right) with (from left to right) Brooke Striewski (wife), Jack Osbourne, and Jacob Striewski (son) at Spookala on 6-10-23.
When the devastating news of Osbourne’s passing first began making waves yesterday afternoon, I knew the impact would be like none other before it. Every musician or artist of any kind that I follow were each posting their own unique tributes to this person that affected so many lives, and even friends and family were reaching out to me as though I had lost someone close to me (which in a way we all had). The only response that made any sense to me at the time was to simply gather all of my Ozzy and Sabbath records, CD’s, tapes, and concert ticket stubs and put them all together as a shrine of sorts (see photo below).
Various Ozzy Osbourne-related items from the author’s personal collection.
I found it appalling that there was also somehow still a sub-sect of people out there posting negative comments online about Osbourne, calling him “problematic” among other ignorant things. One such person even went as far as saying he had “never done anything good” during his time here, but based off of the $190 million Osbourne’s final concert raised alone for Parkinson’s and other charities, I’d say that’s a fairly false observation (and it has got to be exhausting to be that way).
As I’m sure he was to so many others, Ozzy was like that second dad – or at the very least that unhinged uncle your parents don’t want you spending too much time around (I’ve often related my own father, whose date of birth is only separated from Ozzy’s by a mere ten days, to him). In an even stranger turn of events, Ozzy not only left this world in the same manner as my late uncle Joe, but also on the same anniversary of my late cousin Scott Striewski, who was a born rocker through and through, that passed away on July 22, 1998.
The influence Ozzy Osbourne had on both music and the world itself is immeasurable, and the lasting impact he’s had and will continue to have for generations to come, is indescribable. He was a legend we loved while he was here with us, and a beloved icon that will now forever remain in each of our hearts until the end of time. Goodbye, Ozzy.
When it comes to elite rock/metal guitarists, there’s typically a select few that come to mind for most, whether it be Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Joe Perry, or the late, great, Eddie Van Halen. But for my money Great White lead guitarist Mark Kendall has always deserved a spot at the table nearby these greats, and the band he co-founded more than four decades ago now has been fairly underrated in many of the annals of rock history (at least in my opinion).
So when I had the chance to speak to Kendall from his home via phone this past Tuesday, July 15 ahead of Great White’s upcoming Orlando date at the Hard Rock Live on Saturday, August 23 (which Rewind It Magazine will also be there to cover), I was both completely prepared for it, and elated.
I was glad to hear that I was the first interview of the day for him as we each settled in for our morning (or in my case in the time zone I’m in, early afternoon) cups of coffees. One of the first things I asked was when the last time the band had hit the central, FL market, to which he replied, “I’m not really sure. I know we played some shows in Ft. Lauderdale, FL last year, but as far as Orlando itself I don’t think we’ve been there for awhile, so we’re pretty excited to be returning.”
He continued; “We used to play the Spring Break programs with MTV and at one point were kind of like the back up band playing on the beach, so a lot of memories there in that sense. Just Florida in general has always been a great experience with the best fans for us.”
Flyer for upcoming Great White/Slaughter show at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on Saturday, August 23.
Great White have been more or less knocking out shows across the U.S. since the start of 2025 with various bands (namely current tour mates Slaughter), so I was curious what some of the highlights have been on the tour so far. He informed me; “We played kind of a small area called Elko, NV recently and the fans were just crazy, and it was really a good show! Since we don’t tour like we did back in the day on a bus where we’re gone from home and touring for like a year and a half, we’ll just go out and play maybe one or two shows then go back home, so there’s a lot more flying involved now. But the fun part about it though is getting to play with a lot of bands we never played with before back in the day that we respect like Styx and REO Speedwagon. So we’re meeting these guys that we knew from afar but never really knew personally, so that’s kind of fun.”
Kendall furthered his point; “And we basically grew up with our fans, so it’s fun to see fans from back then still rocking, and the new generations that come along with them, too. A lot of times like with our parents, the music was so far removed from what we were listening to as teenagers that we couldn’t really relate to their music. But with the parents of today that our introducing their kids to our stuff and the like, I think most of them realize ‘Hey, these guys rock pretty hard!'”
I was wondering how far back the band’s history with said tour mates Slaughter went, and he told me; “We have a lot of history with Slaughter! For one thing they’re on the same agency as us. We never toured with them per se, but I’ve known Mark (Slaughter, vocalist) since he was about nineteen when he was with Vinnie Vincent (in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion), so we’re pretty good friends. When we play together we always have a great night, and I think we give the fans their money’s worth.”
With a catalog that spans thirteen full studio albums, I was curious as to what songs he looked forward to playing the most each night, as well as any tracks from the vault he might possibly like to unearth someday. He told me; “Well, I like what they call the ‘deep cuts,’ you know songs that weren’t really on the radio maybe as much as some of the others (or at all). One thing I also like is when we maybe extend jams because we don’t really know what’s going to happen with those, so you know that makes it kind of exciting. Of course I still like playing “Rock Me” because it creates a lot of memories for me.”
He continued his thoughts further; “When you finish an album and the record company comes down to the studio, you kind of look at them to see how they’re reacting, and I remember them getting real excited when they first heard that song (“Rock Me”). It was our first really big hit, and it was our third album! Before that we had to grind it out, and went out and toured with Judas Priest, Whitesnake, and Europe for our first album. And when we came home, the record company wasn’t that excited, so they dropped us off the label! So now we have no record deal, no money, and we had just toured for almost a year and now we’ve got to start over? I mean how tough is this business?” (Laughs)
Kenndall explained some more; “So then we made our second record on our own by borrowing money and got a hit on a L.A. radio station, which was enough to get the attention of Capitol Records. They ended up coming down to see the band play, and now we’ve got our second opportunity, so now we’ve got to get it right! To get a second chance is a miracle, but we didn’t think a third chance was going to happen, so to come out with our third album and a song that excited a big label like Capitol like that was truly a wonderful situation. So we got our first big hit and sold a million records! (Laughs) And we’ve played that song a lot now, but it’s always for a different audience, and it’s always a nice feeling with all of those memories attached to it.”
He wrapped up his thoughts by saying; “This year we’ve pulled out some songs that we maybe haven’t played in twenty-five years. We’re playing “Stick It” in the set now, which is from our very first album. And even though it didn’t do too well at the time, we gained a fanbase, so it wasn’t a waste of time or like we were going out on those early tours totally cold. But believe it or not, when we change just two or three songs in the set list, it gives the set a whole new look just by doing that. We try to grab something from as many albums as we can, but we can easily get thirteen or fourteen songs in with a ninety minute set.”
While most people were busy tossing their VHS collections as soon as they went out of style, I continued to expand my own with anything and everything ‘old school’ I could find. One such film was 1987’s Maid to Order with the baby-faced Ally Sheedy, which also featured a brief appearance from Great White at a party scene as a backing band called the Loaded Blanks (which I honestly did not catch on to until maybe a few years back). So of course I had to pick Kendall’s brain a little on what that experience was like, and he filled me in; “It was a medium that we weren’t really used to (movie-making), so that was a lot of fun to be a part of. We played the backing band for the maid played by Merry Clayton, who’s actually a kick-ass singer!”
He continued; “We learned a few things along the way, and there were these guys on the crew who kept sneaking this little frog somewhere in every scene, but not telling the director! So you can watch the movie and be like, ‘Look there’s that frog!’ (Laughs) And the extras that played our roadies in our scenes were crazy! We would go out to the garage and be snipping on a bottle of whiskey with them after we had just got done talking with Ally Sheedy in the kitchen (Laughs), so it was a lot of fun.”
He continued; “And back then we were also in the Joe Piscopo special for HBO where we played the backing band while he played Frank Sinatra. And I came jumping threw the air while playing the solo and he said ‘Marvelous and wonderful guitar!’ (Laughs) So it was just a blast.”
Back in 2019, I was also able to speak with former Great White singer, the late Jack Russell for Rewind It Magazine, and I asked him a similar question at the time as one from earlier regarding what songs really affected him while performing live the most, to which he answered the power ballad “Save Your Love” was a very emotional/spiritual experience for him. I asked Mark if he felt somewhat similar while performing it, to which he stated; “For me it’s a great memory because I was working with a guy named Stephen who was in the band briefly on guitar and keyboards before Michael Lardie joined. We wrote that song and it was almost all Stephen’s music, and I kind of changed it around to be an acoustic song, but we didn’t use it until later. And Stephen passed away a few years ago, so that’s kind of a fond memory for me.”
He went on; “That’s cool that it was emotional for Jack. For me, it wasn’t a huge hit, but when we played arenas, every Bic lighter was going (Laughs). So with our fans that like our band, it was a hit to them. I don’t know if I’m as emotionally attached to it as Jack was – maybe the song meant something to him with a girlfriend or a wife or somebody in his life perhaps. But it was a nice song, and every band had their own ballad of sorts back in the day.”
Regarding Jack Russell, who left us nearly a year ago now last August, Kendall elaborated with hindsight; “We were the best of friends and did everything together. He had gotten into some trouble maybe three or four months after I first met him, so I had to start a band (Dante Fox) from scratch and even had a chick singer at first until he was able to get out, and then we took him over the singer we had and things kind of developed from there.”
He continued further; “A lot of the memories from when we first met, being at his parents house with these huge dreams – we were doing interviews like you and I are doing right now with cassette players acting like we had made it. (Laughs) We used to pretend like we were playing the Forum, and then we ended up actually playing it. All the stuff we dreamed about we really believed it. And it all happened, so that’s pretty surreal.”
Kendall ended his thoughts by saying; “We were very close. I don’t think we ever had a single argument our entire careers, but it’s just unfortunate that addiction is what separated us. It wasn’t anything personal, and I still loved him to death. But when we separated, I just wanted him to get well and come back to be the best, most kick-ass Jack Russell possible. And although it didn’t really happen that way, that does not take away decades of us touring the world, and all of the shared memories we had together. I’m not going to let addiction take that away from me, because those were just awesome years, man.”
There’s a reason why I chose the specific, early ’70s backstage photo of Black Sabbath above that I did to be the starting point for this article; it was the first image of the heavy metal originators that I can recall ever seeing, adorning the walls of my bedroom throughout most of my high school years and beyond.
Sabbath were indeed the starting point for many a new fan of rock music, and I was no exception. As a young bass player, I spent countless hours cutting my teeth to Geezer Butler’s bass lines, especially from the first two albums, Black Sabbath and Paranoid (each released in 1970), which were my own introductions to the metal legends (I can’t honestly remember which one was first exactly, though I’m fairly certain I obtained each within a short period of time of one another).
The roots of Black Sabbath as we all know now can be traced back to Birmangham, England in 1968, when guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward enlisted wild card frontman Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. The foursome went through several name changes – first going by The Polka Tulk Blues Band and then Earth before wisely settling on Black Sabbath after the Boris Karlof film of the same name, by 1969.
After relentlessly working the regional club circuit, the band released their aforementioned debut effort in 1970, quickly followed by Paranoid, each laying the groundwork to what we now call heavy metal, with respective classics such as “Black Sabbath,” “N.I.B.,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and of course, “Paranoid” contained on each.
1971’s Master of Reality found the band further perfecting their sound with the likes of “Sweet Leaf,” “Children of the Grave,” and “Into the Void,” while the production of 1972’s Vol. 4 was fueled by drug-induced studio time (see, “Snowblind”), though saw the band at their lighter side with “Changes” (a track Osbourne would later duet on with his daughter, Kelly, many years after in 2003).
It can be argued the band peaked by 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album, which contained such gems and heavy-hitters as “A National Acrobat,” “Sabbra Cadabra,” and its unforgettable title track.
By 1975’s Sabatoge album, cracks at the seems were becoming more and more noticeable, punctuated further by 1976’s experimental Technical Ecstasy album, an effort Butler would later describe in a 2001 interview as “The beginning of the end, really.”
By 1978’s Never Say Die! album, the ongoing substance abuse and management/legal issues had finally taken their tolls, culminating with Dave Walker of Fleetwood Mac/Savoy Brown briefly taking over for Osbourne before his eventual return to finish the album/tour (most notable for having then-up-and-comers Van Halen as openers outshining their own headliners). Regardless, Osbourne would be out before the turn of the new decade.
By 1980 Sabbath were primed for a comeback with former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio in Osbourne’s place for the Heaven and Hell album, while Ozzy was being brought back to life for a solo career via manager and future wife, Sharon. The resulting album Blizzard of Oz, featuring guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoades (R.I.P.), quickly became one of metal’s greatest albums of all time.
While Ozzy continued to grow his solo career with more hit records in the form of 1981’s Diary ofa Madman and 1983’s Bark at the Moon, Sabbath struggled and declined after one more album with Dio (1981’s Mob Rules), which marked a succession of singers and lineups throughout the 1980s and early ’90s that included the likes of Ian Gillan, Glen Hughes, and Tony Martin (just to name a few) at the forefront, while Iommi remained the only consistent original member throughout each and every one of these incarnations.
A brief comeback with Dio and drummer Vinny Appice would produce the admirable Dehumaninzer album in 1992, but that lineup again fizzled out again before it ever really got started. After a couple more mediocre efforts with Tony Martin on vocals (1994’s CrossPurposes and 1995’s Forbidden), Iommi likely finally saw the writing on the wall and came to his senses.
Then in 1997, the unthinkable happened – Iommi reunited with Osbourne and Butler for a partial reunion (Ward was not physically up to the task at that moment in time, so the band enlisted Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin instead) to co-headline the ’97 Ozzfest alongside of Ozzy’s solo band.
I was a freshmen in high school at the time, and even then I knew how monumental of an event this was. So it was surreal to find myself there with my friends and bandmates at the West Palm Beach, FL show that Memorial Day for only my second concert ever (I had caught AC/DC at the same venue the year prior).
A live album, fittingly titled Reunion, was released the following year in 1998 as the band continued to tour into the 2000’s and rebuild their fanbase. By 2004, I found myself at another Ozzfest, this time in Tampa, FL (with Judas Priest and Slayer in direct support, each with their own reunions of sorts), and this time the entire original lineup of Iommi/Butler/Osbourne/Ward intact.
Ticket stubs from the two Ozzfests the author attended in 1997 and 2004, respectively, with noticeable damage to the former stub from smoke/incense.
The 2004 show particularly stands out as one of the better concerts I’ve seen in my lifetime. I had met my girlfriend at the time there with some of her friends, who decided to leave the show – and effectively me – early before Sabbath’s set.
As I sat by my lonesome on the lawn watching the show, a worker for the venue – who must’ve sensed my despair – very generously handed me an upgraded ticket stub closer to the stage in the seated area (I was convinced whoever this person was, had to have been sent there by the rock Gods). It felt somewhat like the ending scene of Detroit Rock City, where the group of teens finally make it to the KISS show after everything they had been through.
But I digress; I got to the closer seat, which was positioned right next to a couple who were having the time of their lives, and welcomed me with open arms to the party. I was in awe watching the legends before me on the stage with my newfound friends that night, way closer than I had ever imagined I would be (I might’ve even got a little misty-eyed at some point, most likely during “Snowblind”).
Yet I can’t say for sure if that was my favorite personal Sabbath moment, or if it was the next one. In 2010, I was still going to school for Journalism and rapidly growing my portfolio as a freelancer in music-related writing. I had already done a couple major interviews when the chance to interview Bill Ward – who was actually writing a monthly column in the very same national magazine that I was contributing to at the time – presented itself to me.
I couldn’t believe it as I sat there on the phone beside myself with one of the originators of heavy metal. There were so many things I couldn’t wait to pick his brain about (and even more that I wish I had in hindsight), and it still remains one of the friendliest, most easy-going interviews I’ve done to this day.
Partial excerpt from the author’s 2010 interview with original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward for Hails and Horns Magazine.
So I was a little more than disappointed to see the band would be putting out a final album (2013’s 13) and embarking on a “final” tour that each did not feel right without Ward included. Like many, I watched clips of the band performing their last show in Birmingham, England from afar on February 4, 2017, but felt just a tad cheated (and no offense to drummer Tommy Clufetos, who did his best with the given situation).
So when it was announced last year that the band would finally be doing it properly, with all four original members in tow once again, I was more than happy to hear it.
Official flyer for the bands final show in Birmingham, England today, Saturday, July 5.
As we soon watch the band take their final bows together today, I know my mind will be racing with my own memories of them as previously mentioned. I know I’m not just saying goodbye to a group of strangers, but rather some of the guys who actually helped mold and shape me into the man I am today, while also saying goodbye to yet another era, and another part of myself, now long gone.
Together again; the original Black Sabbath (left to right, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward) reunited ahead of their final show in Birmingham, England on Saturday, July 5, 2025 (Photo by Ross Halfin).
To Tony, Geezer, Ozzy, and Bill…thank you for everything gentlemen.
Just three years after the last Jurassic World entry, Dominion, executive producer Steven Spielberg concocts a new way to keep the series afloat with Rebirth, a definite improvement over not only said initial predecessor, but 2018’s Fallen Kingdom as well (even if it just treads more all-too familiar terrain)
The plot is nothing revolutionary; a team lead by a covert op expert (Scarlett Johansson), a paleontologist (Jonathan Bailey) and jack-of-all trades boat captain (Mahershala Ali) are all taped by a pharmaceutical company to collect some samples from dinosaurs on an island inhibited by uber dangerous mutant dinosaurs. Along the way they encounter and rescue a shipwrecked family (lead by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) before arriving to the island where the chaos fully ensues.
Much of the action sequences do offer some exciting and tense (albeit often predictable) moments, but the majority of the characters here are merely cookie-cutter. Even the admittedly easy-on-the-eyes Johansson can’t do much to help things out all that much here.
Still, Rebirth does contain all the makings of a summer blockbuster, and if escapist entertainment without much originality is what you’re looking for, it certainly delivers.
I can’t say I had “Listening to the new Thor album” on my agenda for 2025, but a recent revisit of the 1986 Police Academy-inspired Recruits, which features frontman Jon Mikl Thor himself in one of his first acting roles, caused me to revisit some of the band’s earlier material, as well as research what they’ve been up to these days.
The results of course are now known to be a covers album by the name of Rock the Universe, a somewhat uneven, albeit like-able enough affair.
The Sweet track “Action” kicks off the proceedings with some mild urgency, while covers of “Love Me Two Times” by The Doors and “Back in the USSR” by The Beatles are the strongest outputs that stand out here.
More obscure choices like “Mama Let Him Play” by late Canadian musician Jerry Doucette and “Sky Pilot” by The Animals might not hold much interest for the casual listener, but I’m sure there’s likely good reason behind each selection here. Definitely not for everyone, but a decent effort nonetheless.
In the movie business, timing is everything. 28 Days Later (2002) delivered escapist entertainment not too far removed from the tension, anxieties, and darkness of a post-9/11 world.
The gritty, realistic, and highly influential post-apocalyptic horror film resonated with audiences to great success.It reinvigorated both the dormant horror genre and zombie sub-genre, paving the way for The Walking Dead series and countless zombie films since. Of course, the Rage Virus “infected” were not zombies, but the George A. Romero influences were clear.
28 Days Later was the result of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, two brilliantly creative minds at the top of their game. Boyle, the Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire (2008), honed his distinct visual style through a diverse body of work that includes Trainspotting (1996), The Beach (2000), Sunshine (2007), and 127 Hours (2010).
Alex Garland went on to write and direct 2014’s Ex Machina, easily one of the best science fiction films in recent times. 28 Days Later also launched Cillian Murphy into the mainstream long before his best Actor Oscar win for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023).
The film brought together all the right elements and delivered an intense, unnerving experience that was ultimately powerful and emotionally resonant, thanks to its compelling story and characters. More importantly, it felt fresh and original.
Shot on digital video, the grainy aesthetic added to its realism. Its visual flair was accompanied by a foreboding and atmospheric instrumental rock soundtrack expertly synchronized to each scene with the kinetic energy of a music video. As part of its target audience roughly twenty-three years ago, I can attest to the effect the movie had.
Boyle and Garland have since re-teamed to deliver 28 Years Later (2025), the first of three films continuing the franchise. Hearing the news, I was genuinely excited—more than I had been for any theatrical release in quite some time.
How does the latest installment measure up?For starters, it’s a definite improvement over the sequel, 28 Weeks Later (2007). The film delivers its share of striking moments—intense chase sequences, impressive cinematography, superb special effects, and bursts of heart-pounding horror.
Like the original, it pulls no punches. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. At best, it’s a mixed bag.
The story centers around a survivor community living on a quarantined island 28 years after the initial outbreak.The Rage Virus has supposedly been eradicated throughout most of continental Europe save for the British Isles.
12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) lives with his scavenger father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and bed-ridden mother Isla (Jodie Comer), who struggles with an unknown disease. Jamie routinely travels beyond the fortified walls of their coastal community to forage for food and supplies. Infected roam the hillside and surrounding forest, deterred by the rising tide that leads to the camp.
Jamie brings his son to the mainland, exposing him to the dangers that exist. Both father and son carry bows and arrows (their community has no technology or modern weaponry). Jamie presses his son to take a shot at some of the infected, thus teaching him how to survive. Spike is hesitant at first but soon makes his first kill.
While it’s interesting to see things from the perspective of a child born into this world, things gradually falter to a sense of underwhelming disappointment.
The film introduces infected variants, including bloated worm-eating crawlers and a mutated breed of stronger, more intelligent infected. There are even pregnant infected who can give birth to perfectly healthy babies for some reason.
As his mother’s condition worsens, Spike takes her beyond the camp in search of a reclusive and mysterious doctor who resides somewhere on the island. Mother and son have several close calls along the way and even encounter a group of shipwrecked soldiers who, despite being heavily armed, are no match for the infected.
They eventually encounter Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), whose painted body and rambling demeanor suggest he’s gone mad. He carries tranquilizer darts, has access to modern medicine, and lives among towering temples of human skulls. It’s one of the most impressive set pieces of the movie, enough to be featured on the poster. Naturally, Fiennes gives an excellent performance, and his brief presence is a highlight.
Spike’s journey unfolds through a series of close calls, as his resistance to the surrounding dangers steadily intensifies. The movie then abruptly ends with little to no resolution. I witnessed baffled groans from the audience, some angrily bolting for the doors.
Only later did I discover that 28 Years Later was shot back-to-back with another installment, TheBone Temple, to be released next year. It makes sense, but after all this time, I expected more world-building and an artful, emotional journey through unknown horrors.
Despite the talent involved and opportunities to take the story in any direction, the movie played out more like an extended Walking Dead spin off than anything else. Strange editing, confusing pacing, forced sentimentality, and a shockingly bad soundtrack all contribute to a step down from the original.
28 Years Later is not a total failure, but it is a strangely lackluster way to introduce a new trilogy. Opinions are divided, however, with rave reviews and many calling it a masterpiece. I hope the future movies will be better, that is, if I’m willing to take another chance.
In 1974, a novel by the name of Jaws from Journalist Peter Benchley was published by Doubleday, which quickly found its way into the hands of American readers, as well as caught the attention of Producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown.
The two reportedly each read the book in the course of just one night, and it was unanimously decided that it would make a great, big screen film. Once soon-to-be legend Steven Spielberg was tapped to direct, the project had all the makings to become something truly unique.
Spielberg chose to hire actors without very much star power as not to take away from the “realness” of its blue collar setting. Roy Scheider, best known up to that point for his role in 1971’s The French Connection, was cast as the chief of police Martin Brody of the fictional Amity Island. Richard Dreyfuss, hot off the tails of 1973’s American Graffiti, was brought in to play marine biologist Hopper at the suggestion of George Lucas, while the role of rough-around-the-edges fisherman and WWII veteran Quint went to Robert Shaw, who seemed born to play the role.
Primarily filmed at Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, the production was quickly nicknamed “Flaws” by crew members due to its painstaking shots on the water (it would be the first movie to ever fully utilize the actual open ocean in the way it ultimately did). Spielberg himself even stated if not for this, he might have even returned for a sequel.
Originally released on June 20, 1975 by Universal Pictures, the film took audiences by surprise right off the bat, and not only was an instant hit, it became a legitimate cultural phenomenon that would set the standard for the prototypical summer blockbuster from that point forward (it also briefly held the title for the highest-grossing film of all time until Star Wars surpassed it just two short years later in 1977).
Of course filmmakers knew the type of gold they had struck with it, and a sequel, simply titled Jaws 2, would soon follow in 1978 with the now-infamous tag line, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” Spielberg had already expressed his disinterest in returning to direct (as previously mentioned), but Actor Roy Scheider was eventually coaxed into returning as Chief Brody after much hesitation (several other actors from the original, including Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton, also returned for the proceedings).
By the early 1980’s, 3-D had become all the rage, so it was only natural for Jaws 3 (originally released as “Jaws 3-D” in theaters) to be shot in this format in 1983. In this entry, the two Brody sons, now fully grown, are terrorized at a SeaWorld park that the eldest brother Michael (played by Dennis Quaid) works at. While far from the strongest of the bunch, the film still had some fun moments, and was filmed almost entirely at the Orlando, FL SeaWorld location.
The author (left) and son pictured at SeaWorld Orlando where much of 1983’s Jaws 3 was filmed on 1/1/12.
And then you have 1987’s preposterous Jaws: The Revenge, which found the shark actually following two of the Brody’s (Lorraine Gary returned one last time as Ellen, while Lance Guest takes on the role of Michael, completely ignoring the events of the third entry) from Amity to the Bahamas. It’s as far-fetched as it sounds, but good for a laugh every now and then (be sure to watch for the famous lion-roar scene at the end if you’ve never seen it), and if nothing else another memorable tag line in the form of “This time it’s personal” would also emerge thanks to this sequel.
But the legacy of that first, now fifty-year-old film is not likely to fade any time soon. From action figures (my autistic nephew Michael is an expert on these!), video games, attraction rides (such as the former popular one at Universal Studios), to even Jaws-themed wines (see photo below), there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate the film.
On a personal level, I can recall watching the film as a child in my late Uncle Brian’s (R.I.P.) basement in the ’80s along with my siblings and cousins (if I remember correctly, it was a double feature that also included the original Ghostbusters), and it remains a bittersweet memory for me until this day. Jaws will no doubt continue to endure like this for generations to come.
Jaws wine display spotted at a World Market location in Sanford, FL on 6/17/25 (Photo by Brooke Striewski).
