You can purcase "Baggage" at http://youvebeenrobbedfilms.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
World War Z (2013)
With zombie films making a come-back, thanks to The Walking Dead, there have been some people waiting for the theatrical version of "World War Z". But with all the shenanigans going behind the scenes, some folks weren't sure if the movie was going to be that great. The book, written by Max Brooks, has gotten a lot of praise. Putting the book on film seem like it was going to be a challenge. But I have to say, for a pg-13 horror flick, it wasn't that bad.
As we know by now, the film stars Brad Pitt. He plays a employee from the U.N. name Gerry Lane. While stuck in traffic with his wife and kids, a outbreak ensues, and everyone is running for their life's. Gerry is able to get his family to safety, but the UN wants Gerry to go out and find what caused the outbreak. Hoping that he will be able to find a cure. He is accompanied by Marines to get him in and out. Of course the crew gets attacked by the zombies, while trying to get some fuel for the plane. So now Gerry and the pilot are on there own. Gerry then goes to Israel hoping to find some answers. Gerry is told to go to the World Health Organization (W.H.O) before the zombies manage to climb the walls in Israel. Gerry escapes and makes it to the W.H.O facility. And that's where he finds to answer to fight the undead.
Even though most of the zombies were CGI, it didn't ruin the movie that much. Of course there was a lot of suspense. And even though there wasn't any gore, the action made up for it. If you're a traditional zombie fan, you may not like it. Also if you're a fan of the book, you might find it disappointing. But if you have a open mind, you might enjoy it. Of course it isn't the best zombie film, but I think it's watchable. Supposedly there's gonna be a unrated version on dvd/blu-ray, so can't wait to see what scene they add that didn't make the theatrical version.
No Clowning Around (2012)
I've been planning on doing a video review of this film, but the problem is that I have trouble talking in front of a camera. But this is a great short by Rob Dimension and Matthew Burd. It totally deserves a review.
The film is about a clown name Mumbles, who use to host a local tv show back in the days. The show ended up getting canceled, so Mumbles now works as a birthday clown. The problem is that he shows up to these parties, pretty much drunk and a total mess.
We also meet his muppet, name Mr. Peepers (who is my favorite character in the film. Hey, I love muppets). Mr. Peepers likes to remind Mumbles that he's a total fuck up, and suggest that Mumbles kills himself (now isn't that a friend).
And of course there is Mumbles' girlfriend, Trixie, who has a bad drug problem. Trixie also works as a prostitute, and her pimp, Lenny, has been giving her problems. This upsets Mumbles, so he goes to confront Lenny, but things don't go to well. But when Mumbles finds Trixie dead from a overdose, this makes Mumbles snap. And then begins the violence.
This was a great micro-budget short. Dimension and Burd did a amazing job. The soundtrack was really great. But what I love was the atmosphere in the end. It really made the film very dark and gritty. Glad to see that NCA won some awards. If you want to purchase the dvd you can go to www.noclowningaround.com. This film gets "5 Hitlers punched in the face"
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Pacific Rim (2013)
When I saw the trailer for Pacific Rim, the little kid inside was giggling with excitement. I've always been a fan of Godzilla, Voltron, Ultraman, etc. And it's been a while since I saw a monster vs robot film. The movie was directed by Guillermo Del Toro. And he did an amazing job that satisfied my inner-child.
The movie is about a huge epidemic where large monsters called Kaiju, have been appearing out of the Pacific Ocean and destroying cities all around the World. All the countries have decided to put any animosity aside, and join forces to take on the Kaijus. They build these giant robots called Jaeger, to fight the Kaijus. In order to control the jaegers, they need two pilots and share their minds. Sadly the Kaijus have become more stronger, that the Jaegers were no longer a match.
Two brothers who control the The Gypsy, from the U.S., get a call to take out a Kaiju. Things were going well, but the Kaiju ended up taking out one of the Gypsy pilot. The last pilot made it out alive, but left the Jaeger program. Six years later. he is asked to rejoin. He gets a new co-pilot and is joined by other Jaegers pilots. The plan is to close the bridge underwater, that unleashes the Kaijus, by throwing a nuke inside. Well it was a battle and AWESOME!
I can understand why people will choose Despicable Me 2 over this, but what's really sad is that Grown Ups 2 was also higher than Pacific Rim at the Box Office. If you're a fan of Kaiju monsters or Monsters vs Robots, Then Pacific Rim is for you. Great action and stunning effect. Out of all of Del Toro's American-made films, this is my favorite one. It's also great to see Ron Perlman in this flick, too. For sure the whole family will enjoy Pacific Rim.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Cafe Melody: A sweet little music venue for caffeine addict like myself
CAFE MELODY
135 E. CHESTNUT AVE.
MONROVIA, CA
Just hours before I typed this, I attended Cafe Melody's second show. Sadly I missed the first one, which had Lights and the Windows. But still, Cafe Melody had a great line up. And since I'm on holiday from work, I made sure I went to the show. And I really had a good time. I didn't show it, but I assure you I did have a good time.
The venue was in a little Mickey Mouse street, in Monrovia, just a few miles from the 210 FWY. I really don't know much about the history, but I know it's in a little chapel. They do have a nice set up with tables and a lounge to kick back. The staff is really friendly. I'm not really into small talk. Usually when I go to a show, usually someone will notice I'm wearing a Made Out of Babies shirt and compliment it. I notice the dude is wearing a Sunn O))) shirt and I compliment him. Then we have a long talk about how Made Out of Babies and Sunn O))) are awesome, for hours. Then we talk about similar bands. But anyhoo, coffee was good, but I loved this cookie I had. I believe it was chocolate chip with almonds. And it was homemade, so it was yummy and fresh. Next time, I'm gonna try the brownies. It was a hot day, so I really wasn't in the mood for brownies Now moving on to the bands. I'm a music fan and I like to support new music. It seems that there few folks like myself. All the bands sounded great. The engineer made sure of that. One minute there were a lot of people. The next, they take off. And it's really sad because I came from a generation where we stayed for all bands. But whatever few was left, they sure gave all their support. There was four bands that played Friday night.and here are my thoughts on their set;
-*note* please excuse the very dark pictures. My camera phone doesn't have flash.-
DRE OF FIGHTING SLEEP
Not sure what happen to the rest of the band, but vox/guitarist Dre did the show solo. And he sure pulled it off. Being a fan of Current 93 and Sol Invictus, I was able to enjoy this set. The power of the Orange cab made things totally crushing. It would have been nice to see the whole band perform. I know it would have been a very intense set. But kudos to Dre. The bloke had my foot tapping.
AMPHISONIC
Dude!!!!!! That opening song was intense. A very unique rock band, indeed. For sure you can hear that they have a lot of influences. If these lads are workhorses and willing to bleed and sweat for their music, then I know they will go far. Not sure about people who only listen to mainstream, but fans who fancy alternative and experimental music will totally dig Amphisonic. They are a band that's all over the place. Oh and the bass sounded excellent. Also the drummer dropped his stick. That's rock n' roll.
SUPERNOVA HEIGHTS
Another band who's drummer lost his stick. Thankfully, guitarist, Marco Martinez, helped out his comrade in retrieving his drum stick (where in the bloody hell was the roadie?). Two bands come to mind when I hear Supernova; Today Is The Day and Oasis. Seeing that they played with Lights and the Window, I had a feeling that Oasis had a influence (they even did a Oasis cover). I loved Jerry's Union Jack guitar strap. I need to get me one of those. And I'm also a fan of his vocals. To me it sounded like early Mike Patton (Faith No More's The Real Thing & Mr. Bungle) doing Brit Rock. Totally became a fan of these guys.
XENOTERRA
And to close the show is Xenoterra. I really don't follow many metal influenced industrial/electronic bands. Like the closest bands that I listen to are Killing Joke, Godflesh, early Ministry, and The Atari Teenage Riot. It's not really much my fancy, but I have to admit that Xenoterra put on a good set. That opening jam was really great. guitarist Blackbird had good crunchy sound. And vocalist, Bobbi Jo Black delivered. Not really sold on the band, yet. But I will keep an eye out for them. And after looking at their influences on the band's Facebook page, it would be awesome if they did a cover of Killing Joke's "The Wait" or Faith No More's "Malpractice". Something left field that fans of industrial metal won't expect. But of course that's just wishful thinking.
Once again, I really had a good time at Cafe Melody. Good coffee, yummy treats, and great live music. Sadly I work Fridays, so I won't be able to attend most of their shows. Hopefully the venue will grow and maybe have more shows. Cafe Melody get a rating of 5 Hitlers punched in the face. That's a good thing.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Anticipating Music in 2013
As we get closer to summer, I figure to write down some bands that I'm looking forward to listening to. Now most of them are local act. I really don't want to focus on the more established act. These are bands that are cutting their teeth and make a name for themselves.
KYNG
Glad to see these lads are working on their sophomore album. "Trample Sun" was a amazing album and won a bunch of fans from across the nation. I can only imagine that this album will be more rocking. Being a fan of Kyng for so long, I know they will bring something new and that is what I'm anticipating the most. With Tony Castaneda being 100% after his car accident, I'm sure they are going to give their fans another kick-arse hard rock album.
AKEM MANAH
Next month, Akem Manah will release their new album, "Demon of the Sabbat - Part 1". After hearing "Reign in Terror" and "Worship in Fire", I know it's going to be a heavy album. On this album, Dead Nedry is assisted by Chris Lollis (ex-Nile) on bass and Ivan de Prume (ex-White Zombie) on drums. Also on the new album is Scott Von Heldt (Head) doing leads for two tracks. And Adam Richardson of Ramesses, doing guest vocals on "Demon Rise"
E.N.V.Y
Last I check, the boys from West Virginia are working on some new material. They've already put out a new track called "The Problem". And it's a killer track. Don't know if the new release is going to be another e.p. or a full-length. And they haven't set a date for a release. Really looking forward to some new E.N.V.Y.
THE DEAL
The Deal features members of a band I fell in love with called El Death. I was saddened to hear they no longer exist. But I did hear that some members started a new band. This band puts on a killer show. So most likely their album will be just killer, too. Can't wait to hear the finished product.
LIGHTS AND THE WINDOWS
It's great to see that my pal, Devin Stannard, has found a stable line-up. Before, I knew them as A City Alive; a great instrumental band who's intensity reminded me of Pelican. With Lights and the Windows, there is more layers now with a vocalist who plays keyboard and guitar. Not sure when they're going to put out a demo or ep/full-length, but it's something I'm looking forward to hearing.
HELLBEARD
"Scarecrow" was a bad-arse album. I can only guess that their follow-up will just as crushing. Of course awhile back, their guitarist was in a bad accident and hand to heal is arm. Also there were other personal issue that some of the band members had to take care of. Now as everything is sorted out, Hellbeard are back on stage and destroying the Bay Area. So far, the only new material I've heard is "Black Snail". Hopefully by the end of the year, they'll get back in the studio and record something.
HEAD TRANSFER PROCESS
With Chixxie Dixx being on hiatus soon, I hope to hear something new from Head Transfer Process. It's been awhile since I've heard anything from them. Not sure how busy some of the members are, but I hope they get back together to work on some new tunes.
STEAL ANOTHER DAY
Steal Another Day is a new band started by Casey Burke (ex-E.N.V.Y) From the teaser, Steal Another Day sound like a straight-forward hard rock band. Very different from E.N.V.Y. I like what Casey is going with this and would like to hear more from Steal Another Day.
Like these bands on facebook for more info on upcoming shows and releases;
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Ghost- "Infestissumam" (2013)
It was about a few years ago that Ghost took the underground rock world by storm. Was praised by Darkthrone's skin man, Fenriz. Later a lot of major acts started to take notice (Phil Anselmo, James Hetfield, etc). They were signed by Lee Dorian's label, Rise Above. And Metal Blade made sure their debut album, "Opus Eponymous", got a decent distribution here in the US. And of course there was the mad love they were getting from Decibel magazine ( who had them on the cover, twice).
Last year, it was reported that Ghost got signed to Republic Records for a lot of cash. Fans were now wondering if Ghost will outdo Opus. And people who weren't familiar with them, were wondering if they were worth the hype. Despite the over-the-top Satanic image, Ghost can really write some really catchy tunes.
As soon as I put in the cd, I knew I was going to enjoy this album once I heard the opening track. One thing I notice was that the production didn't have that old school sound like the first album. But it still had that Ghost feel. "Secular Haze" is a way better song than "Ritual". And "Year Zero is now my favorite Ghost track (before that, it was "Satan's Prayer"). And of course the chorus for "Monstrous Clock" was a great way to end the album. Of course if you have the deluxe version, you also get two bonus songs (which includes a ABBA songs). The lyrics still have a Satanic theme, but there are more church/Hammond organ than in the first one.
If you're a fan of Mercyful Fate and Blue Oyster Cult, you will dig this. Most metal fans will be put off because they aren't a death metal/black metal band. But if you can get pass their image, you will really like this band. And I do have to admit, their image does bring something to their live shows. "Infestissumam" totally gets "5 Hitlers punched in the face". Come together, together as one. Come together, for Lucifer's Son.
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