Flash-Bang Update #1

A rundown of the latest movies reviewed on http://www.flash-bang-movie-reviews.com/index.html

US Seals 2

Aliens Vs Predator 2: Requiem unrated DVD review

Outpost Cinema Release

Speed Racer Cinema Release

Ok, it's not so much a review as a comparison of two Zombie movies. As they both can be classed as "action horror" they've migrated to the movie review website Flash-Bang:Automaton Transfusion Vs Evil

I've also contributed reviews of the action horror movies(see post above ); Outpost, and Alien Vs Predator 2: Requiem (unrated DVD review). Coming Soon on this site; Reviews of the score CDs for the movies; Iron Man, and Indy 4

Review: Inside DVD

If you've got a strong stomach and aren't pregnant, then check out the horror that is

À L'INTÉRIEUR!!

I highly recommend it if you like artsy, horrible, tense horror. Dimension Extreme have just released it on Region One/USA and it is available for French horror fans. (no English subs, those Xenophobic Gallic DVD distributors!)

Quite simply it is the tale of a woman, Sarah, who is coming to term on her pregnancy. 4 months previously she was in a car crash and lost her husband. Ever since, she lives a lonely life filled with waking and sleeping nightmares of her dead husband and her unborn baby.

One night a mysterious woman arrives and once we find out her motives for harrassing Sarah, things get really screwed up.

This movie will have the most die-hard gore fans squirming in their seats. It makes Haute Tension aka Switchblade Romance appear tame. It ratchets up the same amount of tension but ramps up the gore.

The cinematography is beautiful. At one stage, focusing on one horrifyingly clear image, it seems almost perverse to enjoy the cinematography. Of course, the movie has subtitles, so any heathens who can't be bothered will miss out, natch.

For once the bloodydisgusting.com cover quote on the R1 DVD is spot on, unlike their criminally wrong quote on the turd that is Automaton Transfusion (which I wil review soon.)

Another Dimension Extreme which really deserves to be unrated!

A big horrific 8/10!

Review: Storm Warning DVD

From my myspace site:

"There’s a new Sheriff In Town"
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

There's a new movie review site out, and it's been created by my very own Numero...One myspace buddy and long time friend, Mike.

The site is http://www.flash-bang-movie-reviews.com/ and deals with mainly the action genre. We give honest reviews, without an agenda that should appeal to the man on the street, but will also contain bits of trivia and movie knowledge for those more movie literate. What we don't do, is read too much into the film. That's for the "proper" critics. Also we don't do talkbacks. Think about it, do you really want to read a bunch of comments from people who pride themselves on having a pop at others? Nope, didn't think. If you do, go to the sites that promote chatter.

I will post overflow reviews here, on this site. These are reviews that cross outside of Mike's site's mission statement. My first review is for Dimension Extreme's Storm Warning. Thank you for reading. (btw; friends can add comments to this despite my note above).

Storm Warning

Directed by: Jamie Blanks

Starring: Nadia Fares, John Brumpton, Jonathan Oldham

Synopsis:

An ill conceived boat trip leads to a horrifying encounter with some local psychos and the realisation of what needs to be done in order to survive.

Review:

This is another of Dimension Films Extreme label which I would have expected Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror to be part of. Jamie Blanks was responsible for Urban Legend and Valentine, so I wasn't expecting much from this. My fears were confimed when the opening sequencing shows the mundane journey of the lead characters; Pia and Rob. Like an uninteresting travelogue, we see shots of them in a small boat running aground (a boat that size, really? It's a dinghy FFS). To shelter from the oncoming "Storm" (which never really gets going it seems) the pair find a house.

Now, I always say in my reviews that I like to suspend my disbelief and just get on with the enjoyment of a film. I failed during Storm Warning. Maybe, because of the tedious opening. Anyway, when Rob and Pia arrived at the house I had to ask myself if these guys had ever seen any horror movies! Clearly, the buildings exuded menace. Upon entry, seeing the state the house was in, you'd think they'd work it out; Bad people live there!

The real menace starts when two brothers (from different mothers, of course) return. They're mighty psssed that two strangers have entered their home but they're more worried that they have woken up "Poppy" than anything else. There's a subplot (if you can call it that) of drug running but it's never fully explored. There's no time for that. Initally, the brothers seem to welcome the pair in their twisted way. It soon becomes clear that the pair want nothing more than to kill Rob and rape Pia. After mentally and emotionally torturing the pair, the brothers trap them in a big barn.

Suspension of disbelief failed again when the brothers lock the couple, untied, in a barn full of sharp objects. These brothers never watch the A-Team?

This is when I took notice of the movie and it's appeal kicks in. To say too much would be to really spoil a great surprise. I will say this, the movie earns it's extreme moniker.

If you want a twisted, survivor, horror that might not echo the tension of Switchblade Romance but certainly echoes the gore then this film is for you.

8/10 for the last half an hour alone.

DVD watching tip for this film; FFW until the couple reach the island at nightfall. Unless, inane dialogue is your thing.

Dawn of the Dead 1978 3-D

The Tim Burton movie "Nightmare Before Christmas" was the first movie to be fully converted and released as a 3-D film.

Star Wars footage was released a few years ago at Sho-West, in this format and blew people away. The process involves creating "a second camera image from a 2-D image [then] each frame is "dimensionalized," meaning that all objects are moved forward or backward from the screen or in relation to one another so as to achieve the desired dramatic effect." The DOTD 1978 project is expected to be completed by the end of the year with a likely release in theaters sometime next year.

I have to ask "why"? Dawn is one of my favourite movies, but will it work in 3-D?

This scene might!

Check out that dude on the right! He looks pissed!

Back and Badder Than Ever!

So, time to rethink the blog, now that the internet is to become a business resource for my friend Mike.

Flash-bang is a reality. A movie review website for like-minded action movie fans that like a bit more "bang" for their buck. And I mean "bang" as in ordnance not sex with more than one partner ;o)

So, visit the following for Everyman reviews for the everyday person.

http://www.flash-bang-movie-reviews.com/

peace!

Richard

The best of gigs

It’s been a good year for album releases; Porcupine Tree’s Fear Of a Blank Planet; Rush’s Snakes and Arrows; Tangerine Dream’s Madcap’s Flaming Duty, Manic Street Preachers’ Send Away The Tigers; Chris Cornell’s Carry On.

(I can’t include the new Marillion album, sadly. That’s another story Needless to say, it doesn’t rate inclusion with the list above. However, I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming gig in June).

I’ve been spoilt by a good run of live gigs, too. The stand out was Chris Cornell, at the London Astoria.

With MySpace I have tried to keep track of not so well known artists. I discovered Buffalo 77’s CD and recommend it.

With dial-up, I never had much incentive to check out bands and their output. The player just took to long to load the songs then they’d stop and start, to much frustration. So, when I got Broadband it was a mission to listen to music and decide if I should retain the “friends” I had added. Buffalo 77 was the first to really capture my attention away from the big boys. The next was Jake Stigers.

Jake and the Velvet Roots playing at Chelmsford's The Bassment

Jake’s MySpace page is an eye catcher. It’s not too cluttered and has plenty of tunes to help work out an opinion of his music. When I saw that he was to play Chelmsford’s very own club, The Bassment, as part of the Alter States music nights I was very interested. Jake Stigers and The Velvet Roots seemed too big to be playing in a small venue like The Bassment, so I wanted to witness them play. (They had played once before, in October 2006, unknown to me).

I gathered a few friends, who were interested and arranged the night out. On the night, I urged our small crowd to get to The Bassment by 9pm. (The only reason any of us would drag our feet is that the beer isn’t all that in the venue and the nearby White Horse serves a good drop of Real Ale.)

I was surprised to see the place virtually empty when we got downstairs. Yes, it is like a basement. I apologised, saying that I expected it to be full. Now, there were two factors against this gig. One was the Liverpool Vs AC Milan football match which was a big deal for English football (not in the end, as it turned out. Who knew?). The second factor was a delay with trains from London. Chelmsford is a big commuter town and many rely on the rail system to get home at a reasonable hour.

We met Ian (“Changing the world, one gig at a time!”) from Alter States; a very approachable guy and passionate about live music. He coaxed us away from the bar and to some tables set out cabaret style in the main room. (This set up is unusual to say the least). We sat and enjoyed Bill’s set. His Americana music is not normally something I would go out of my way to listen to. But, it was very good and I bought his CD later. (recommended). I liked the way Jake and the Velvet Roots helped out on tracks, giving them an extra dimension that wasn’t needed but provided an interesting slant on Bill’s songs.

A short break, (the chance for more Strongbow), and Jake Stigers and the Velvet Roots took to the stage. They began with the single “Ride With You”. What a stormer! The show began as it would end, with a pulse pounding performance.

Picture the scene; we’re in a converted wine cellar, sitting at one of 5 tables, with approx 30 people including staff. We’ve got one of the best live acts I’ve seen playing just to us. It was an experience I will not forget. These guys didn’t show any signs of disappointment at the low turn out; no, instead they put 110% into their performance. They turned all the amps up to eleven!

Bill helped out with the performance, playing a guitar or a mandolin. The drummer, at one stage graciously handed drumming duties to Jake, who put in a great singer/drummer performance.
During an interval, I made sure that I got some CDs. I had a chat with some of the band who took time to talk to us. We were made to feel like old friends. Jake said that he recognised me from his MySpace. I was a bit sceptical as he has over 18000 contacts but met it with the spirit that the comment was given.

The second set was phenomenal! Some tracks were given extended instrumental sessions. How I wished for a bootleg! I took a few snaps. My camera played up but I got in a few that are in my photo album on this site.

I must single out Nunzio. Not taking anything away from any of the others, who were all awesome, Nunzio’s guitarwork had me spellbound in its variations. I’ve seen some masters at work and he can put himself up there with them. He was better that the guitarist with Chris Cornell, the week before.

After the exciting finale, we took another opportunity to chat to the band and promised we would attend the 17th June gig, back at the Bassment. And we will be there!

What a night! It was like watching a group of friends play. They made us feel like we knew them and I hope we gave enough support to honour that.

Check out Jake’s reviews (more on his site http://www.jakestigers.com/ );

"If you ever needed someone to really rip it up and win over a crowd - if your life depended on it - Jake and The Velvet Roots would be the boys”
- Roadworks Music Club
“His songs chime with such a clear and literate brilliance”
- UK Sunday Express
“Stigers plays rock without apologies, seamless songs with undeniably catchy choruses.”Time Out New York
“His songs are beyond catchy, and he mixes many elements into them, crafting a large body of work that ranges from pure power-pop to Rolling Stones-like blues-rock." Pulseweekly.com


“A well crafted and soulful album, a superior effort full of radio friendly tracks. Stigers voice is pleasant and striking
- Classic Rock Society magazine.
I have to say that, although I recognised the surname, I didn’t actually know that Jake was the younger brother of Curtis until after the gig. There is no cash in here, Jake can carry his own.