The Movie:

Directed by John ‘Bud' Cardos (who stepped in to finish the movie once Tobe Hooper was removed from the project), 1979's The Dark is a weird mix of sci-fi, horror and suspense that tells the story of a man named Roy Warner (William Devane) who writes violent horror novels under a pen name. When his daughter is killed by someone or something late one night, he is understandably upset but let's Detectives Dave Mooney (Richard Jaeckel) and Jack Bresler (Biff Elliot) do their job, even if they don't like each other.

When it turns out that Warner's daughter was only the first in what be a fairly long list of victims, Police Captain Speer (Warren J. Kemmerling) starts putting pressure on the cops to put a stop to this by any means necessary. Meanwhile, a TV news reporter named Zoe Owens (Cathy Lee Crosby), who has hosted a less than flattering piece on Warner...Read the entire review

The Movie:

The Brotherhood Of Satan, a 1971 picture produced by L.Q. Jones and Alvy Moore, was a follow up to 1969's The Witchmaker and a bit of a cash in on the success of Polanski's adaptation of Rosemary's Baby, but it's retained a cult following over the years and for good reason. It's a ridiculously entertaining slice of seventies occult-themed horror nonsense!

The movie begins by introducing us to a man named Ben Holden (Charles Bateman), his daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl) and his foxy blonde girlfriend Nicky (Ahna Capri). They're on a little vacation, driving through the middle of nowhere to get to Ben's parents' place for K.T.'s birthday but they're not above stopping on the way to hang out alongside a scenic river. It rains and they get back into the car and as they travel down the empty highway they pass the scene of a nasty accident. Figuring ...Read the entire review

The Movie:

I knew little about Ruben Blades other that topical knowledge of his music career, and knew him from movies, or more specifically, his funny performance in Disorganized Crime. In an attempt to learn more about him I decided to check out The Return of Ruben Blades, a 1985 film by Robert Mugge (Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise) which looked at Blades life and career at that particular moment.

Blades' stardom in salsa music had been well-established, as well as a blossoming movie career, but at the time of filming, he was receiving his Master's degree in International Law from Harvard. Mugge's film takes us there, along with the streets of his childhood Panama (where he earned political science and law degrees before coming to America), and a club appearance in New York City where we see seve...Read the entire review

The Series:

A show that was far ahead of its time both technologically and thematically, Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future was created by Gary Goddard, the man probably best known for bringing The Masters Of The Universe to the big screen in live action form with Dolph Lundgren on board as He-Man. Shot on a massive soundstage in Toronto, Ontario to keep costs down, the series lasted only one season, showcasing twenty-two episodes that aired on syndication between 1987 and 1988 when it was eventually cancelled. While it was a short lived affair, there are those of us who were kids when it aired who remember it fondly as Mattel, who bought the series to base a toy line off of it, came up with a pretty neat gimmick for it. See, if you bought the right Captain Power toy, you could shoot at specific light targets that appeared on screen during each and every episode,...Read the entire review

The Product:
Homemade horror is in such a slump that filmmakers are now flocking around gimmicks to give it a good kick in the pants. One of the most obvious is casting. Going back through their catalog of cult considerations, they will pay middle dollar to desperate ex-icons looking for another paycheck to prove their genre worth. It's like Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi all over again. Then there are the coat-tailers, the ones who see a popular trend - torture porn, found footage, serial killer riffs - and repeat them ad nauseum, to the point where fans just grow frustrated and depressed. Zombies and vampires beware! Few press the outsides of the envelope, while even fewer find a unique means of making their point. So kudos to writer/director Dustin Mills. It takes an artist of brave temperament to attempt a splatter-filled creature on the loose title where puppets, not people, make up the viable...Read the entire review

The Product:
Last time this critic checked, marijuana was still illegal - at the very least, in most states. Sure, there are cases of minor decriminalization and the whole "medical" bent, so the notion of a DVD describing, in exacting detail, the way to grow and cultivate herb makes little or no sense. Yes, there is an industry booming within those areas which allow for chronic as a cure, but for the most part, if you put any of the ideas found in High Times Magazine Presents: Nico Escondido's Grow Like a Pro into action, you will soon be snuggling up to your new jailhouse 'spouse'. Make no mistake about it - the publication's seasoned cultivation expert/editor offers a by-the-book, hands on, step-by-step breakdown of either grow room technology and set-up, greenhouse growing, or outdoor farming. Even with all the caveats and warnings, precautions and preemptions, this is still...Read the entire review

THE SHOW:

Sometimes more of the same is a good thing. Such is the case with Spectacle, the Elvis Costello television show pairing one of rock 'n' roll's greatest living artists with other musicians that he admires. Once they take the stage together, they engage in conversation, swapping stories and then swapping songs. This isn't a program where they talk about Bruce Springsteen's big hits and then cut to an ancient clip of him performing "Born to Run" once upon a time. Instead, when Elvis and Bruce speak of their mutual love of Sam and Dave, they follow with a performance of "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down."

Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... - Season 2 is a two disc collection with seven episodes, each clocking in just under 50 minutes. Though the...Read the entire review

REVIEW
Back in the glory days of Squeeze - in the waning era of the so-called "new wave" - there were few things I looked forward to as much as a new set of music written by primary Squeeze-ters Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. In music history you had your legendary Lennon/McCartney catalog (no argument there) as well as the Clash magic of Strummer/Jones - and naturally Elvis Costello stands on his own - yet for my money Difford/Tilbrook were always right in there, consistently banging out some of the most hook-laden pop tunes of the period. With the inevitable demise of Squeeze there has been Tilbrook's solo career - one that has fallen undeservedly below the radar - that has continued to prove that the guy knows how write smart, clever tunes that cram quite a bit into four minutes.

For this disc it is Tilbrook on guitar/vocals, fronting his latest side project The Fluffers, a snap...Read the entire review

THE FILM

Promising a formidable series of thrillers with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (released earlier this year), the producers have decided to step up the pace, bringing the next chapter in author Stieg Larsson's celebrated "Millennium Trilogy" to release with alarming speed. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" suffers from the demanding production push, losing the vast talents of director Niels Arden Oplev to settle more directly in the tar of exposition and adaptation with filmmaker Daniel Alfredson. While still engrossing and pleasantly twisted, the second chapter in the Lisbeth Salander saga suffers from a flat storytelling approach, which doesn't encourage the suspense in the same urgent manner as before.

Now on the run, Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) has severed all ties with her former sleuthing pal, journalist Mikael (Michael Nyqvist), looking to set up a fresh life ...Read the entire review

The Movie:

It's a shame that Steig Larsson reached international success with a trio of posthumous novels, as it would appear any notoriety he experienced as an author in his homeland of Sweden when he was alive was modest as best. However, his three posthumous books, dubbed the "Millennium Trilogy," have been well received around the world, resulting in three Swedish films. The first film, titled The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, was a sleepy $13 million production that wound up making more than $100 million globally, and it's finally coming to American shores, ahead of an American interpretation of the books.

For those not familiar with the first book, it was adapted by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg, and directed by Niels Arden Oplev. The film focuses on two main characters, the first being Mikael (Michael Nyqvist), a reporter who is found guilty of libeling a Swedish ...Read the entire review

The Movie:
Here's a brilliant idea for you aspiring documentarians--why not make a documentary on Bruce Springsteen that not only doesn't feature its title subject in any interview segments, but which includes absolutely none of his music? What's that you say? That's not a brilliant idea? Well, don't come complaining to me, take your beefs right to the makers of at least the first half of this two-fer which, if you've never heard of Bruce Springsteen, will at least give you the basics on his life and career, while (no doubt due to licensing issues) keeping you from anything resembling his actual music and live performances. If the second documentary in this set at least includes snippets of actual Springsteen music, it's really none the better for it, dependant, as the first documentary is, largely on second and third hand reminiscences by hangers on to the Springsteen entourage wh...Read the entire review

"See, our...'church group' tends to be just for those whose tastes run to the rare and the exotic."
"Rare and exotic...?"
"By American standards. See, we tend to do a lot of things and eat a lot of things that less adventuresome folk might find peculiar, if not downright disturbing."
"...and where do you draw the line?"
"We don't."

I don't really know how anyone can justify Cannibal Taboo being on Blu-ray.

Oh, don't get me wrong: I don't mean that in some pissy, pretentious, holier-than-thou way, and it has nothin' to do with the fact that I didn't really get all that into the movie either. Nope, I'm bitching about the fact

Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/35561 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:35:49 UTC Recommended Never got into karaoke so much myself. I mean, screeching into a mic while some tinny, Muzak version of "Don't Stop Believin'" buzzes around in the background...? What's the fun in that? Punk Rock Karaoke isn't some goofy little TV and a thick booklet rattling off a bunch of keyboard instrumentals, though. The line-up's shuffled around since the whole thing was first thrown together back in '96, but the current group includes Eric Melvin (NOFX), Greg Hetson (Bad Religion), Steve Soto (The Adolescents), and Derek O'Brien (Social Distortion). Fans who hit the show dig through a list of sixty or so songs from '76 to '83, grab a mic, and scream the lyrics while the band tears through 'em. So...yeah. This DVD/CD set is kind of the home game version. The CD features ten studio recordings with the Punk Rock Karaoke house band and a revolving door of punk singers, including the frontmen from Penn...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/35498 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:59:20 UTC Highly Recommended The MovieIn February of 1968, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi welcomed The Beatles to his retreat in Rishikesh, northern India, in order to study Transcendental Meditation, a practice virtually unknown to most westerners at the time. A few weeks later Donovan visited the ashram with Mike Love of the Beach Boys and actress Mia Farrow, and while they left under suspicious circumstances there's no denying the importance of the trip. The Beatles left with a barrel of songs; George Harrison in particular became the Fab Four's spiritual icon. Donovan and Mike Love also incorporated these new ideas into their music, and they also became passionate advocates for Transcendental Meditation, or TM. You don't have to trek to the Ganges in order to learn the benefits of TM, and that's why Donovan agreed to play a benefit concert for the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. The di...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/35433 Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:52:39 UTC Recommended The power of Christ impales you! So, there's Jesus y El Santo a moment about halfway through Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter where I screamed -- I mean, screamed -- "SANTO!" at my TV. I'm not so much the type to bark out the names of luchadores enmasca...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/35097 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:15:04 UTC Recommended Hanoi Rocks: The Nottingham Tapes: Live music is best, so the saying goes. However, I don't usually think of recommending a concert DVD as a way to introduce someone to an unfamiliar band's material. In the case of Hanoi Rocks: The Nottingham Tapes, I'm sticking to my guns regardless of the fact that this is full of great footage from an awesome concert finding the band Hanoi Rocks at the height of its power. The 23rd of April, 1984, at the Palais in Nottingham England is when and where we find the boys, benefiting from the presence of a video crew already amped and geared up from filming an all-day punk festival. What that crew, named Jettisoundz, captured is 58 minutes of punk/ glam/ blues-rock infused mayhem that feels too authentic, frenzied and vital to have come from anywhere but the distant past. Back then music seemed to mean more, and the kids were always ready to let loose. I'm...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/33994 Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:06:37 UTC Recommended I'm under the assumption that anyone who is actually reading my review for "Limp Bizkit - Rock im Park 2001" is either one of the few remaining fans, or someone who is simply looking for some form of amusement. This band is notoriously hated, after all. In either case, I can stand up and say that if you hated Limp Bizkit during the prime of their career, you probably never enjoyed the experience of seeing them live. Take it from someone who went to Summer Sanitarium at the New England Patriots own Gillette Stadium. Limp Bizkit was opening for Metallica, of all bands. Prior to Limp Bizkit taking the stage had been Mudvayne, Deftones, and Linkin Park. When it was time for Limp to take the stage, boo's had filled the stadium as if the crowd was expecting Carrot Top to perform. It wasn't long before everyone was out of their seats and jumping around. Security had their hands full for th...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/33498 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:06:13 UTC Skip It In 1989, Maria Beatty, director of straight-to-video adult titles such as The Sassy Schoolgirl and Box of Laughter, Part II: Converted to Tickling, knocked out a quickie doc about the mid-20th Century American literary movement known as the Beat Generation. Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets includes the Beat figures William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), Gregory Corso (1930-2001), Diane Di Palma, and Ed Sanders. Post-Beat poets and performance artists who appear include Jim Carroll, Henry Rollins, Marianne Faithfull, Richard Hell, John Giorno, Anne Waldman, and, Lydia Lunch. Rather than going to the trouble of doing research, compiling archival footage, going to some of the locales relevant to the Beat Generation such as San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore, and doing in depth interviews, Beatty simply had the participants come into the studio ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/30403 Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:38:44 UTC Skip It The Concert: As I watched the bonus extra interview with singer Justin Sullivan, I realized I was more engaged by his past history and what he had to say than with his music. It seems a shame when Sullivan, a man who clearly has seen a lot in his life, can't communicate these treasured moments in his music band New Model Army. The 1 hour and 47 minute set at the Astoria in London isn't a complete waste of time by any means, but the band doesn't have much of a stage presence. Until the final song ("I Love The World") the lispy and sometimes out of tune singer Justin Sullivan stands in the exact same spots for 20 songs. Granted, not every musician has to thrash around the stage, but it's nice to see band members lighten up and let loose every once in awhile. For instance, as old as Mick Jagger is, he still busts out the chicken dance. In addition, New Model Army doesn't exactly stand out ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/29801 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:36:19 UTC Recommended The Movie: How can you really sum up GG Allin? Some found a legitimate social context to his 'performance art' while others considered him the lowest of the low. Prone to starting fights with audience members, defecating and urinating in public and into the public, exhibiting insanely self destructive behavior both on and off the stage, and threatening to kill himself in front of his audience more than a few times. Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies is a documentary on the man, his life and death, his musical legacy (if you can call it that) and his impact on those who knew him and those who had to deal with him. Made as a student film project by Todd Phillips, who would go on to specialize in goofball humor movies like Old School and Road Trip, the camera follows GG around in a semi casual manner, interspersing the interview segments with footage from his co...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/28861 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:55:07 UTC Recommended THE MOVIE: I've seen Echo & the Bunnymen multiple times over the last fifteen years, and they are probably one of the most unpredictable live acts I've encountered. Some nights you'll go, and it's one of the most blistering music sets you've seen in your life; other nights, it's about as dull as doing other people's dishes. The new DVD, Echo & the Bunnymen - Dancing Horses, captures one of the good nights. Recorded in November 2005 at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, the Bunnymen deliver a tight set of songs old and new, including four from their most recent album, Siberia, itself a must for Bunnymen fans. Old favorites like "Never Stop" and "Rescue" naturally shine bright above the rest as far as manic pop thrills are concerned, but newbi...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/24651 Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:25:55 UTC Skip It The Movie: Alright, let's get this out of the way now: Wake Up Screaming is awful. Blindly, astonishingly, offendingly awful. If you don't want to read the rest of the review, I don't blame you. There's really nothing more important to learn about this documentary, except perhaps why it's so awful. If you want to know, then by all means, please continue. When I first got Wake Up Screaming in the mail, I groaned inwardly. I hate modern "punk." The reason I put it in quotes is because modern "punk" has nothing to do with any bands that have generally been considered punk. The Sex Pistols, X, Black Flag, The Clash, The Misfits, The Stooges, and other bands like them created and defined what punk is. Modern "punk" bands have about as much to do with with these bands as The Carpenters did, except The Carpenters at least could put a good melody together. However, I decided, it's ent...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/24191 Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:00:20 UTC Skip It Remember that scene in Rushmore when Max Fischer fakes a bike accident to get cozy with Ms. Cross? He slyly invites himself in through the bedroom window, making himself comfortable while his prospective sweetie rushes off to get bandages and ointment. Casually, Max pops in a cassette of romantic music before she returns. As she carefully leans in to apply ointment to his wounded forehead, she notices something peculiar. "Is this fake blood?", she asks. Classic Album Under Review: Radiohead's "OK Computer" is, unfortunately, fake blood. It wants so badly to provide a critical dissection of the landmark 1997 album, but it's been sloppily thrown together almost ten years too late. OK Computer has been analyzed countless times already, through countless music journals,...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/24039 Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:46:08 UTC Rent It Covering their years of struggling in session studios and amateur bandscenes in the 60's, Led Zeppelin-The Origin Of The Species movesthrough the successes of their respective tenures with The Yardbirds and Band Of Joy,culminating in the birth of the band, their first two albums and a band onthe verge of massive world acclaim and popularity. Featuring rare musicalperformances, obscure footage of interviews and photographs, this 70 minutedocumentary mainly moves along on comments, insights and reminiscences fromAlan Clayson, former Melody Maker journalist, Chris Welch; ex-1960s NMEeditor, Keith Altham; Yardbirds guitarist, Chris Dreja; and several others. A program much in the vein of other Under Review type fare, this is anentertaining and enlightening documentary that takes the viewer from JimmyPage's school days all the way to the release of the Led Zeppelin II.Indeed, for the most part...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/23668 Tue, 05 Sep 2006 23:25:35 UTC Rent It A band that has since the late 60's called themselves the greatest rock androll band in the world, the Rolling Stones are a band almost withoutpeer, selling out tours over forty years after forming, and having nevertruly disbanded along the way. Taking the low road during the earlyMerseybeat days of the Beatles, they were a dangerous alternative to thepoppy sound that most of the British Invasion groups of the time wereemploying in an attempt to grab the teen ears of the era. Rather than playit safe, they utilized a blues based rock sound that was to become a part oftheir signature for decades (and decades!) to come. The driving heart and soul of theStones has always been their larger than life, cock of the walk-struttingfrontman and singer Mick Jagger and ballsy, blistering guitarist KeithRichards, a duo the likes of Lennon/McCartney in regards to their importanceto the band. Meeting fir...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/23294 Fri, 18 Aug 2006 04:01:15 UTC Skip It The Movie In October 24th, 2005, several bands gathered together for a live performance at the Henry Fonda Music Box in Hollywood, CA. The purpose of this live performance was to get together a bunch of bands to pay tribute to the band Sublime, whose lead singer passed away in 1996. The concert also served as a benefit for MusiCare. This tribute performance was recorded and released on DVD and entitled as Look at All the Love We Found: A Tribute to Sublime. In June 2005, an audio CD of a similar nature with a different set of bands covering Sublime songs was released. This DVD is a follow-up and provides fans of punk, ska, and more specifically, Sublime a chance to see several different musical groups perform covers on Sublime's greatest hits. The content of the...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/22940 Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:31:03 UTC Rent It The Product: Hugely popular in its native country (where its entering its fifth season), Puppets Who Kill has yet to translate over to an US audience – and with very good reason. The show is so inherently Canadian, so clearly Canuck oriented in its logistics and pragmatics (lots of social and political references) that it can come across as insular and odd. Besides, it's a series centering on felonious toys trying to turn the corner and rehabilitate themselves back into society – not the easiest of sitcom sells. Two years ago the first season was released on DVD to much fanfare and some critical acclaim. Now, we have an entire second season of puppet prurience to deal with. Still, the question remains – is this cutting edge cultural humor, or do our Northern neighbors substitute sameness for satire? Oddly enough, the answer is a little of both. The Plot: Dan Barlow i...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/20978 Tue, 04 Apr 2006 05:36:50 UTC Skip It The Movie: Clocking in at a staggering four hours, Bob Dylan: 1975-1981 Rolling Thunder and the Gospel Years is not out to convert the unconverted. Let's be clear: This unauthorized biography is for, and only for, the diehard Bob Dylan aficionado. Causal fans and non-stalkers need not apply. If your knowledge of Dylan is limited to, say, his most popular songs or a handful of albums, you had best be on your way. The documentary features seemingly unedited interviews conducted by Joel Gilbert, lead singer of Highway 61 Revisited, which purports to be the world's only Dylan tribute band. With a painstaking thoroughness usually left for forensics crime investigators, Gilbert questions an array of music biz types -- singers, studio musicians, record producers, critics, etc. -- about Bob Dylan's career from 1975 to 1981, a period in which he went from the ballyhooed Rolling...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/20014 Sun, 05 Feb 2006 02:56:32 UTC Highly Recommended The Product: They are consistently name-checked when the origins of punk are discussed. Their music mocked the surging glam rock revolution sweeping Britain while tapping into the urban angst explored by Iggy Pop and his seminal Stooges. They were flamboyant and flash, breaking down barriers of sexuality and social relevance, and they wrote some wonderfully rocking music along the way. Yet the New York Dolls were destined for failure. Radio wasn't ready for guys dressed like gals spewing cosmopolitan cool over '50s revival rock chords, nor was their image properly positioned for the 'just getting over the '60s hangover' headlines. By the time the Ramones reinvented their sound and headed down the road to timelessness, the Dolls were a defunct joke, a soon to be forgotten fluke that never amounted to much in the shifting modern music scene. Photographer Bob Gruen is out to change all that. On ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/19485 Thu, 29 Dec 2005 20:01:06 UTC Recommended The Movie Like most music fans of my generation, I was introduced to the band Queen by way of radio airplay, Greatest Hits CDs, and the hilariously campy (and therefore very entertaining) musical score for Universal's Flash Gordon revisit. Over the years I've discovered some "non-hit" Queen tracks that I adore, and I've also grown more than a little weary of a lot of the top hits. (Anyone out there really need to hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "We Are the Champions" one more time?) So when I received a new DVD called Queen: Under Review 1973-1980, I was half-expecting some sort of Greatest Hits video compilation. Instead I got a 100-minute documentary stuffed with thoughts, recollections, and analyses from British music critics, aficionadoes, and guitar players. Sounds pretty boring, right? Actually, nope. Reiminiscent of something you might find on VH1 if VH1 has the pat...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/18147 Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:50:57 UTC Recommended Movie: As companies find fans of music videos a prime source of income these days, they are starting to get the hint about releasing all those videos and concerts by our favorite groups. Having reviewed releases by bands such as New Order, Tori Amos, Kylie Minogue, X, Pat Benatar, Selena, Cher, Galaxy 500, Sarah Brightman, Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/17963 Sat, 01 Oct 2005 02:33:19 UTC Skip It The Movie: I have always appreciated indie films and try to give every one that I see a fair shake. Many of the most riveting and heartfelt tales come from movies without Hollywood size budgets. That's mostly due to the love of storytelling and moviemaking and is not really attributed with ambitions of financial success or commercial value. With that in mind I sat down to watch East of Sunset but I walk away from the picture with mixed feelings. This angst-ridden tale about love, drug addiction and coping with loss is very heavy handed with a realistic feel to it. The story may be set in Los Angeles, but the movie itself is only shot in a handful of locations. This set of environments give the film a closed world feeling and comes off as an embodiment of the charac...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/17537 Mon, 05 Sep 2005 19:18:56 UTC Highly Recommended This is thethird live Devo DVD to be released in the past year and a half, but "Devo Live" was taped in 1996, and "Live in the Land of the Rising Sun" was culled from a 2003 show. Both play more like "greatest hits, live!" concerts with nearly identical setlists, with "...Rising Sun" topping out at 13 songs and "Devo Live" coming in a couple less than that. This most recent Devo disc, "Live - 1980", captures the band at their prime. Recorded in Petaluma, CA on August 17th, 1980 (a day after the Dev-O Live EP/promotional album was taped), this concert documents Devo in support of their ...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/17302 Mon, 22 Aug 2005 23:58:18 UTC Highly Recommended Argue over the overall importance of its impact, but there is no denying that the hip-hop revolution that started in the streets of NYC in the late 70s and early 80s is the only cultural shift with any lasting significance within society. The 60s couldn't keep its peace and love pronouncements vital once the decade turned Me, and other seemingly critical changes along the cultural landscape - punk, disco, new wave, grunge - all spent their fad fortunes before becoming interchangeable ideas in the musical mindset. But rap and its sonic footing found a way to endure, to change with the changing times and revamp its message to fit the constantly in flux political climate. The result was relevance meshed with reality, perhaps the best combination for any attempted social coup. The beginnings were not so earth shattering or shaking. As we learn in the amazing documentary, Style Wars, the first fou...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/17242 Sat, 20 Aug 2005 05:19:39 UTC Recommended The Film: Perry Henzell's 1972 film The Harder They Come will always be the quintessential reggae movie, forever tied to the music and culture of Jamaica. But if The Harder They Come introduced reggae on the big screen, giving it a cinematic identity, then Ted Bafaloukos' Rockers gave it heart and soul. There's not much plot in Rockers, but then again, story is never that important in music driven films of this nature. Indeed, more often than not, the measure of quality for films like this is usually the soundtrack. And with tracks from the golden era of reggae that includes Burning Spear, Inner Circle, Gregory Isaacs and more, Rockers is an unparalleled classic. What little plot there is borrows from a wide variety of influences,including The Bicycle Thief and Robin Hood. In a role inspired by his real life as a popular drummer Leroy Walla...Read the entire review ]]>