The short form would be that John Woo rediscovered himself in returning to China, but that really doesn’t capture what’s going on. Woo made his name with such beautiful, dynamic, and surprisingly thoughtful urban crime films as HARD BOILED and THE KILLER — pop culture with soul — then made his way to America for films like BROKEN ARROW, FACE/OFF, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II. Pop culture, still — with bigger budgets and bigger stars, granted — but with something missing: Even when Woo touched on the themes that first earned him the love of film fans, it was clear that there was a subtle but critical dissipation of that all-important soul.
So Woo is now back in China. But instead of a full return to familiar, city-grit turf (asphalt?), he’s leveraging his Hollywood-nurtured clout and turned his attention to epic adventure. The result is RED CLIFF, a mammoth (the original Chinese version ran five hours, we’re getting a version that clocks in at somewhere in the neighborhood of two and a half) historical drama based on a fourteenth century novel about two kingdoms who join military forces to repel the onslaught of a usurper general (Zhang Fengyi). And aside from the return of Tony Leung to the Woo fold as a military strategist, and the appearance of Zhao Wei in a very Tsui Harkian role as a female warrior who goes undercover in drag to scout out the opposing forces (other stars in the large cast include Takeshi Kaneshiro as another key strategist, You Yong and Chang Chen as the rival kings turned allies, and Chiling Lin as what amounts to a Chinese Helen of Troy), you can tell Woo is regaining his form in how the lead protagonists form bonds that are less military expediency than they are full-on brotherhood, and the sheer energy and beauty of the production (maybe I’m overdramatizing, but a CG sequence of a dove — John Woo, remember? — overflying the opposing camps looks as much like Woo’s creative heart taking flight as it does a neat way to transition from one locale to another).
I was kind of expecting that having faced/down Tom Cruise, Woo would present a rather battle-hardened front for the press. Instead, he was quiet, polite, and rather self-effacing — which only reinforced my original respect for him. We got to talk about how one brings down to earth a tale originally told at a time when heroes, as a matter of course, were ascribed supernatural powers, and how his sojourn in Tinsel Town positioned him to push the Chinese film industry into more ambitious realms. Click on the link above to hear the interview.The short form would be that John Woo rediscovered himself in returning to China, but... more
Jongleurs Lock 17 and Radfax collectively create a great new music event
From November 2009 through to January 2010, every Tuesday night at Jongleurs Lock 17, Radfax and other musicians will be raising awareness and money for the charity War Child.
Entry is FREE to these events, but we encourage you to place a small donation, even your loose change into the Magic Bucket sited stage left.
All proceeds from the Magic Bucket for the period Nov – Jan will go to the charity War Child.
War Child is an organization helping children who are deeply affected by war.
For more information on War Child see http://www.warchild.org.uk/
The venue; Dingwalls, Jongleurs Lock 17 is a busy pub and restaurant in the heart of the famous Camden Market. The venue comprises multiple elements, all of which go to make up a vibrant and exciting place to see and be seen. There is always something happening at Lock 17 http://www.lock17-camden.co.uk
Nearest underground: Camden Town or Chalk Farm.
The show has a schedule and you’ll discover some great live music stream feeds of original edgy music coming out of London music capital Camden Town.
Come along every Tuesday night to Dingwalls, Jongleurs Lock 17, Camden Lock, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1
Nearest underground: Camden Town or Chalk Farm.
If you can’t come along to the venue you can plug in through your MAC or PC.
On http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-from-london-ukJongleurs Lock 17 and Radfax collectively create a great new music event
From... more
Swedish indie label Wonderland Records presents electronic indie rock act Hearts of Black Science. Hearts of Black Science, based in Swedish Stenungsund (just outside Gothenburg) is Daniel Änghede and Tomas Almgren and they bring you powerful, suggestive indie rock with electronic influences. Think Danish Mew mixed with Keane and Depeche Mode but with a distinct personal touch. http://www.myspace.com/heartsofblackscienceSwedish indie label Wonderland Records presents electronic indie rock act Hearts of... more
Mobile, Alabama based independent filmmaking group Fighting Owl Films is set to produce an independent feature in the city utilizing local talent. The feature, titled “The Night Shift”, is based on Fighting Owl Films' short film of the same name which proved an online hit, was positively reviewed in "Fangoria" magazine's online edition earlier in 2009 and has screened in several festivals across the United States.
A supernatural adventure-comedy, “The Night Shift” centers on Rue Morgan, the undead night watchman at Pinewood Oaks Cemetery. Rue, along with his buddy Herb, a limbless corpse, spends his nights trying to keep the cemetery’s cantankerous residents in, and his days dreaming of a date with hard-nosed day-shifter, Claire. It’s an okay afterlife until a scourge of supernatural occurrences leave Rue not only watching the cemetery, but also watching his back!
The short film’s positive reception coupled with the disillusionment with Hollywood’s current output of remakes and reboots encouraged the filmmakers to pursue their dream of turning the original “The Night Shift” into a feature length adventure film. Thomas Smith, the film’s writer/director and co-producer, is hoping to recapture some of the cinematic magic of the 80s Amblin films he grew up with that had a lasting influence.
“Growing up as a child of the 80s, the world depicted on film had a completely different atmosphere,” Smith says. “The films possessed a graininess and lived-in look that added an extra dimension of realism. There also seemed to be a greater emphasis on character and storytelling and less of the headache-inducing flash and sensory overload that’s become so commonplace today. It was the era of ‘Gremlins’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Indiana Jones’, films everyone could enjoy, not just children or adult audiences. That’s what we’re hoping to recapture with ‘The Night Shift’.”
The independent feature has secured its cast. Returning from the short to reprise their roles of Rue Morgan, Claire Rennfield and Herbie West are Khristian Fulmer, Erin Lilley and Soren Odom, respectively. New additions to the cast include Andrew Crider as Adramalech, the villainous vengence demon with an affinity for western wear, Jordan Woodall as Curly and Jonathan Pruitt as the mysterious Captain Roderick Blake. The film, currently in pre-production, is expected to begin shooting in May 2010.
This week's Indie Music Show takes you to a Goth fashion show at Crash Mansion in New York City. While Goth may be considered to be an alternative lifestyle there are a lot of interesting designs on display.
Providing music for the event were three bands; Pillow Theory, One False Move and Swear On Your Life. All three bands rocked and it is worth watching the show just for the music even if you aren't particularly drawn to tattooed girls in latex.
Unfortunately technical difficulties prevented me from getting good footage of One False Move, so I apologize to them and will be sure to do a shoot with them in the near future to make up for it.
Here are the web links for those involved in the show:
Jongleurs Lock 17 and Radfax collectively create a great new music event
From November 2009 through to January 2010, every Tuesday night at Jongleurs Lock 17, Radfax and other musicians will be raising awareness and money for the charity War Child.
Entry is FREE to these events, but we encourage you to place a small donation, even your loose change into the Magic Bucket sited stage left.
All proceeds from the Magic Bucket for the period Nov – Jan will go to the charity War Child.
War Child is an organization helping children who are deeply affected by war.
For more information on War Child see http://www.warchild.org.uk/
The venue; Dingwalls, Jongleurs Lock 17 is a busy pub and restaurant in the heart of the famous Camden Market. The venue comprises multiple elements, all of which go to make up a vibrant and exciting place to see and be seen. There is always something happening at Lock 17 http://www.lock17-camden.co.uk
Nearest underground: Camden Town or Chalk Farm.
Live streaming/podcasts will be run from this venue on the last Tuesday of every month, with the next live podcast running on the 24th November @ 8:30PM UK time featuring Radfax, Tall Dark Friend, Wooden Pigs, Rough Science.
You will be able to catch the show here; http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-from-london-uk
Previous recording of podcast stream from Lock 17 http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2484578
Check out the new Radfax live podcasting music shows “Live from London UK”, and “Live Music from London UK” on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-from-london-uk
The show has a schedule and you’ll discover some great live music stream feeds of original edgy music coming out of London music capital Camden Town.
Come along every Tuesday night to Dingwalls, Jongleurs Lock 17, Camden Lock, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1
Nearest underground: Camden Town or Chalk Farm.
If you can’t come along to the venue you can plug in through your MAC or PC.
On http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-from-london-ukJongleurs Lock 17 and Radfax collectively create a great new music event
From... more
"Reality" is Kaye-Ree´s second single off her album "Endless Melody", produced by Andrew Meyer & Kaye-Ree for Reevolution Music 2009.
Kaye-Ree writes her own lyrics and works together with WEGOTSOUL Producer DJ Opossum. Her composing partner is Felix Justen and Production Team of Noizmakers Ent.
If you would like to see and hear more about this artist, please visit: www.kaye-ree.com www.myspace.com/kayeree"Reality" is Kaye-Ree´s second single off her album "Endless Melody", produced by... more
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the poster for TURNING GREEN lies. It showcases Tim Hutton, Colm Meaney, and Allesandro Nivola, but while they’re prominent figures in the film, it ain’t about them. Off in the lower right, with his back turned towards the camera, there’s your protagonist: A teenage boy, played quite engagingly by newcomer Donal Gallery. I can understand the motivation for pitching the name players in your marketing, but really, can’t you at least show the kid’s face?
Granted, beyond that poster, Michael Aimette and John G. Hofmann’s TURNING GREEN has had as convoluted a history as can be imagined: The story of James, a teen who, with his brother, has been shipped by their father to Ireland and who decides to rally up the cash for an escape by peddling contraband pornography to his classmates — much to the displeasure of his bookie boss Nivola and the bookie’s enforcer Hutton — the script was a finalist on the first season of PROJECT GREENLIGHT (the one that ended up producing STOLEN SUMMER — dodged a bullet there, eh, guys?), was actually shot in 2004, has been in release since 2005, and is only now making its U.S. debut. It’s a small film, but a cleverly conceived, beautifully photographed, and well-performed one — as neat a directorial debut as I’ve seen this year. Ben Affleck and Chris Moore should be kicking themselves.
Aimette and Hofmann gave me some insight into the film’s extended genesis and the olfactory-challenging lengths to which Tim Hutton would go to develop a character. Click on the link to hear the interview:
For many an up-and-coming indie music act these days, the best way to get your music noticed is to get a mention on a major music blog. A mention on Pitchfork, Stereogum or even Dallas' own Gorilla vs. Bear is an almost guaranteed avenue to notoriety—and maybe even a little bit of success.
But for the bulk of the bands out there trying to make a living—the ones that don't find themselves on the adoring end of the blogosphere—success is still a matter of the old-fashioned route that relies on constant touring and positive word-of-mouth reviews.For many an up-and-coming indie music act these days, the best way to get your music... more
MixMatcMusic announced Tuesday the launch of MobBase, an iPhone app platform that allows bands to easily have their own branded iPhone app. MobBase allows bands to completely customize their own iPhone app through a browser-based content management system
(CMS) - the resulting iPhone app is then submitted to Apple by MobBase, which handles the entire approval process for the bands.
Each band's iPhone app can have music that includes links to purchase the songs from iTunes, photos, lyrics, merchandise, gig dates, twitter feeds, videos, and more. Much of the content (for instance gig dates and Twitter feeds) is dynamic, and is fed to the app from existing online resources and services.MixMatcMusic announced Tuesday the launch of MobBase, an iPhone app platform that... more
It's a strange time for the xx. The foursome of 20-year-olds just temporarily or permanently lost its fourth member, second guitarist Baria Qureshi, who claimed exhaustion upon returning to the U.K. after a string of organized and impromptu CMJ performances. Before they even arrived in the States, bassist and vocalist Oliver Sim seemed to foreshadow fame's toll with a single tweet: “[O]fficial jetsetter,” he wrote on September 11th. “[I] dont want to leave my room now let alone the country, reclusiveness just isn't an option anymore.”
It sure isn't, but there seemed to be a smile creeping into the statement. While the band might have been happy playing poorly-lit venues in middle-of-the-country towns, suddenly finding themselves shipped off to the continent and the other side of the pond for a tour schedule that Pitchfork’s Ryan Dombal said “makes me feel a bit light-headed” is still rather wonderful. And it's not like they have a choice. The supply isn’t the album anymore, even if this band churns out what is ostensibly a studio recording on stage. The supply is the show, and it’s in serious demand.
If the live show is indeed, as many claimed last week, just another listen of the album, it at least isn’t a .rar file. It’s a physical album with a few very valuable bonuses enclosed in its jewel case or record sleeve. (I should add that last week, I watched a tall, thin man strut confidently out of Other Music in the rain, carrying an xx LP under his arm.) On stage, the chemistry between Sim and Romy Madley Croft simmers on low interminably. The songs sparkle a little brighter and set a little firmer in our echoic memory with help from visuals: Croft peers out from under a wave of jet-black hair to watch Sim finish his solo, or vice versa: Sim, head down, gazes boldly from under his brow, waiting for Croft’s cue (see: Figure 1). Their voices meld into each other's seamlessly, though of course, because their singing often sounds like a sigh or a yawn, there's little room for mistakes, or at least, it’s impossible for us to hear them.
The songs can feel like a warm breath on your neck or a cold draft up your shirt, but each one is infused with lust, so even the dankest, most desperate atmosphere on the album—the bitcrushed, glittery effects at the start of “Night Time,” or the Burial-like somberness of Sim’s solo, “Fantasy,” have longing stamped firmly upon them, and they glow and pulse—“Fantasy” quite literally pulses—with that brimming emotional intensity otherwise known as adolescence.
The Iron Boy (2006) is a gem of a short film from Australia. This eerie and dramatic film is wonderfully shot with dark undertones, and the spooky soundtrack compliments it perfectly. It stars Rebecca Cole and Peter Anderson and was created by Swingtime Creative. (full review: http://www.dainsmoviereviews.com/2009/11/iron-boy-film-review.html)The Iron Boy (2006) is a gem of a short film from Australia. This eerie and dramatic... more
AEMMP Records (Columbia College's student ran record label) put together a sold out show to advertise their Chompilation CD at a local Chicago venue called Reggie's Rock Club.
Watch the performance Maps & Atlases gave of their song “Ted Zancha” from that evening.
The video was shot and produced by fellow Columbia students and alumni, The Belmont Sessions.AEMMP Records (Columbia College's student ran record label) put together a sold out... more
When someone asks you to name a twitter user who has a million or more followers what names come to mind? Ashton, of course. Oprah, no doubt. Noush Skaugen? Really?
UK indie rocker Noush Skaugen is definitely part of the twitter elite with 1,060,911 followers as of this moment (the number changes frequently).
From her bio: An internationally touring artist, with a rapidly growing strong internet following, Noush has shared billing with acts such as TV On The Radio, Cold War Kids, REM, and the Stone Temple Pilots, Skaugen toured the US for the last two years, with TV appearances and radio interviews, throughout the West Coast, from Los Angeles to Nashville, Austin to Cincinatti, to the Southern cities of Starkville, Atlanta and New Orleans.
No.1 Independent artist and No.25 on the Twitter Music Charts with the big boys (wefollow.com), Noush has squeezed in two albums and will release a third this spring. No serendipity for her, as a classically trained musician and songwriter, her audiences have delighted in her grounded and authentic style, her charisma and her electricity on stage. Skaugen's international background and multi-lingual ability, gives her the medium to connect with the world on a personal level.
Ti West sure digs his retro. In THE ROOST — his tidy little horror film about a group of travelers threatened by some really nasty bats — he added a wraparound featuring Tom Noonan in tacky butler drag, holding forth in front of a cardboard set as host of a local Saturday Night Chiller Feature broadcast. For THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL — which reunites West with Noonan and adds in Mary Woronov for good measure — it’s a blast from the eighties, complete with a really gnarly font and a freeze-frame for the opening titles.
Elbow-in-the-ribs tip-offs aside, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL — about a college student (Jocelin Donahue) who goes to an isolated abode for a babysitter gig and (surprise!) encounters more than she bargained for, including Noonan and Woronov as her clients — shows off West’s skill at building atmosphere and his predilection for eerie nuance over gross-out gore. The SAW franchise (and if any series deserves the term “franchise,” it’s that one) may be more efficient in logging a body count, but HOUSE is the kind of film that reminds you how cool it is to settle back and just let the dread soak in.
West shared some spooky goings-on that happened on-set, and talked about the audience’s responsibility in making sure that the labors of horror’s more unique visionaries don’t completely vanish from the screen. Click on the link to hear the interview.
Identical twin Indie duo Tegan and Sara have been busy winning awards and producing work across genres since they first burst onto the scene in Canada back in 1995. Since then, they have been vocal in their support for various causes, including gay rights.
Causecast’s Brandon Deroche recently caught up with the twins to discuss their take on Prop 8, civil marriage in Canada, community service, the Love Unites movement and being out in the music industry.
CC: What are the causes you’re passionate about?
Tegan: Well, obviously most recently, our last American tour kind of fell at the exact same time as the American election. Obviously the election itself was extremely important to us, but the whole Prop 8 thing was very close to home for us as gay artists; we were obviously really hoping that Prop 8 would not pass in California. I was here for a month and a half after that, so I went to all the marches and you know, blogged online and tried to get people to support. Sara and I both did the Love Unites posters. We really tried to get involved and sort of wrap my head around how that happened. Like how California itself wasn’t supportive of gay marriage just didn’t seem to make much sense at the time. It was very anti-climatic to hear that President Obama was President, and then to hear that Prop 8 passed – it was like "ehh, I’m sad and happy all at the same time.” So confusing…so Prop 8 was kind of the last thing that we got involved in. We’re obviously still monitoring all of that and doing what we can to make sure that people know that still needs to change obviously.
“We weren’t a gay band, we were gay people in a band.”
- Sara Quinn
Before that, the last thing we did was a huge fundraiser for an organization back home in Canada, in British Columbia specifically, that raises money for kids from low income or single parent families to do music lessons. They do basically like a certain amount of scholarships a year, so that was the last big thing we were in because obviously being musicians…when we were growing up, we came from a single parent family, my grandparents helped out. They bought us our first piano. We were lucky we had family members to help us out, but lots of kids, there’s no funds for them to get into music now that schools are cutting all their music programs. It’s really sad, so this organization started and approached us because one of our dear friends who was our lawyer, he passed away from cancer, and they started this portion of the charity that was in his name and we were like “Oh my God this is so amazing!” So that’s the last big thing that we did.
CC: Have you had many of your fans share stories?
Sara: Yeah. I mean, countless. Especially since we were ‘out’ when we started our career like 10 years ago, so it was always something that the fans have been aware of. So there was obviously in the beginning a lot of kids interested in the band I think for really personal reasons. I don’t think they weren’t interested in us as musicians too, but I think that, I mean I know from even when we were teenagers growing up, people that were even just like queer allies like Kathleen Hanna or Ani DiFranco or whatever…those people, their statements, even just talking about it, using the words, were so important and I think that lots of people don’t even realize that even gay people now who didn’t necessarily grow up in the 80’s or 90’s or whatever where things weren’t spoken about so casually in press or on television, when somebody who you looked up to and respected would talk about it there was a relief, someone you could identify with. So much about culture is about seeing ourselves – on television or in film, in music, in magazines. So often we don’t see people who resemble us. We see the real extremes or the fringe of what represents us, but I remember when we first started just touring and playing music and talking about it in the press. It was like we were kind of the first young people who were in a band, and we weren’t a gay band, we were gay people in a band. I think that was a huge distinction when we first started playing music. So the stories are endless.
It’s not even just kids who are gay, but it’s as heart wrenching as parents, it’s siblings, it’s people in the military, it’s just people in general who maybe were a bit close minded about things and then they meet us and they start talking to us and we sort of push those boundaries. We’re not like a “Oh, we don’t wanna talk about it cause we don’t want our band to be that kind of band.” We are those kind of people. So if that makes our band that kind of band then…it’s not even a question, I just can’t even imagine it. We also really early on realized we were not a political band, but we were super political people and we knew that there was a change coming. We were right at the beginning of that change and I think it was super important for Tegan and I at whatever cost, being out, whatever effect that was going to have on our career, we knew we wanted to be a part of that movement and we didn’t want to be one of the bands that like came out later when it was safe. Like, we wanted to be…we were willing to take that risk.
CC: What’s the difference in laws in Canada regarding gay marriage?
Sara: We’re allowed to get married! (laughs)
Tegan: 2004 was when it was common law. It only became legal to get married. But I think it was actually 2006 that it became legal to actually get married. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that it was a little later…
Sara: The civil marriage act went through in 2004. It was at an interesting time because it was when we still had a liberal government and they were just about to be thrown out and the conservative party, our sort of republican party, was about to come in. It was one of the last things that our prime minister did.
Tegan: Let’s google it!Identical twin Indie duo Tegan and Sara have been busy winning awards and producing... more
"In 200 characters... or Less" (2009) is a movie produced by Frederic Skrzypek in collaboration to Cinemagic Productions, directed by Mauro Giuffrida.
Starring: Jeffrey Bader, Manuela Farina and Gordon Del Giorno.
"Today, we are more affected by technology than we think. When Michael is asked to describe himself in 200 characters or less for an on-line dating service, his journey of escaping loneliness begins. But is it really that easy to find someone? In our fast-paced, self-centered society can technology be the ultimate "cupid"?
VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.in200charactersorless.com
JOIN THE GROUP ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=94298572160
(Facebook is updated and it's the best way to learn about screening dates and events)"In 200 characters... or Less" (2009) is a movie produced by Frederic Skrzypek in... more
