red-esigns

Pablo Picasso - Original Prints Exhibition

2013-03-22T11:35:00.001Z

I recently had a very interesting and exciting opportunity to view a selection of Pablo Picasso's original etchings, lithographs and lino cuts from as far back as the 1940's. His work exhibited here is surrealistic, depicting images of the naked Female form surrounded by macabre, disturbing onlookers. Dark and mysterious as many of theses images are it is well worth viewing these original signed prints especially to see some of his later pieces from the 1960/70's which are in contrast to his earlier black etch work. These later pieces are awash with bright lurid colours in reference to Picasso's homeland of Spain with its Mediterranean climate and culture. This exhibition continues to the end of March and is free of charge. View link for more information.

Taliesin Arts Centre Swansea

Shameless Act Of Self Promotion News:

2013-02-25T18:22:00.004Z

A few weeks back my red-evidz youtube channel went crashing through the 250,000 view checkpoint. Quarter of a Mill peeps!! and its just clocking up more views daily. So if you have not yet subscribed to this underground channel... Well, now is the time while its cool before I sell out and become all commercially viable!

http://www.youtube.com/user/rdLee06

New Star Wars Directors... Update

2013-01-25T22:11:00.001Z

Coming to a theatre near you in 2015... Star Wars 7... Yeah!.. Uh Oh!?

Well everyone knows about this news by now, surely? Lucasfilm's franchise sell out to Disney for the options of taking Star Wars into hyper drive.
Well that's all good and well, I guess... But who's to be the torch bearer and who could possibly take the series back to its former glories? There are a lot of Director's currently being dined as prospective candidate's and here are my pick of the bunch for the new trilogy for the reason that it would instill a little faith in this ominous prospect... Here goes nothing!

Star Wars VII - A New Director - Jon Favreau

Come on... He's money!! He started out Directing and starring in Swinger's, Vegas Baby!! That classic beatnik movie had all manner of movie fan motif's thrown into the L.A party scene, this dude respects film and has a passion for the classic's... He's already excited and showing interest. Also considering his sterling action work on Iron Man he should be a shoe in!

Star Wars VIII - The Sci- Fi Director Strikes Back - David Fincher

This guy can do dark brooding masterpieces with elements of sarcasm and wit, just check out Fight Club. He has also been an infamous torch bearer for carrying the scary torch of Aliens into the the dark, dank corridors of Fury 161 with the completely underrated Alien 3 which I consider to be a perfect follow up to Aliens and where the franchise ended until Prometheus.

Star Wars IX - The Return Of The Director - Steven Spielberg

Well, he was originally called to Direct The Return Of The Jedi but due to the screen writers guild or something, this amazing prospect was dashed.I wonder if Spielberg would have had an issue with the Ewoks!?... Anyway. Now would be the time for the Lucas/Spielberg dream team to bring the celebrations of this trilogy to a resounding close. Besides, surely they couldn't ruin the patriotic work of Favreau and Fincher!? Well, that's my thoughts on how the future of Star Wars could be... What are your thought's on the matter, do you agree with my selection?Who would be your Director's? Who knows, maybe Disney will take some note of internet selection..

And the unofficial winner is: JJ Abrams

I'm cool with this decision, considering his excellent work on Mission Impossible 3 and the inspired reboot of Star trek its very promising news. Expect a gleaming new action packed Episode VII... Complete with slick Abrams hallmarks already evident in the upcoming Star Trek - Into Darkness trailers. The future of Sci-Fi is clearly in safe hands with this dude.

A New Dawn Welcomes You...

2012-12-22T19:38:00.001Z

... The chance to begin again! Well readers, fortunately for everyone the predicted Mayan Apocalypse didn't materialise. So in respect to ancient history and the chance at a clean slate, I decided to switch off Apocalyptic Film (video production company) that I have steered through treacherous, stormy weather since 2003 and introduce my new flagship of red-evidz which has already set sail into the great blue circuitry of cyberspace to find new frontiers in space and time and return with sights for you all to wonder at. So until my return, here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year... red-evidz signing off...

Tony Scott 1944 - 2012... Visual Maestro

2012-08-20T09:21:00.001+01:00

Such a tragic loss for cinema and media. Tony Scott has been a unique visual artist bringing flair and excitement to the cinema. He seemed an all round humble guy too, I don't often listen to commentaries on discs but his were always engaging. A legendary Director with an awesome body of work which unfortunately has not been appreciated as well as it could have been due to hack journalist's who don't enjoy pure escapism from a visual maestro like no other. True Romance to me will always be his masterpiece. My all time favorite Director who entertained us all throughout the last three decades. A true original to be missed... R.I.P

Tony Scott's movies have always struck a chord due to his perfect blend of action, pace, story telling, camera work and editing techniques that made his movies stand out from the crowd of inferior action movies. He was truly his Big Brother; Ridley Scott's equal. Where Ridley excelled in atmosphere and mood, Tony would masterfully execute his unique vision by blending vibrant colours with scenic locations and beautifully smoke lit sets that contributed to his trademark style which was often emulated but never bettered. He was always passionate about his projects as they all carry a heavy heart at the emotional core of the high concept story's he brought to the screen alongside commercial producers Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer. Ever since viewing Days Of Thunder at the cinema on my 15th birthday, I've been hooked on the adrenaline rush that you can only get from his movies, from True Romance to Enemy Of The State to Man On Fire and Domino, he's kept me coming back for more... To think he was also developing a sequel to his breakthrough hit Top Gun which apparently was about to go into production. He was a director like no other who set a very high standard, leaving a legacy of movies that I personally will never tire of. Hollywood has lost its innovator.

... The list of underrated classic's continue.

The Amazing, Technical, Brooding, Skating - Spider-Man

2012-08-14T22:09:00.000+01:00

The Intelligent, Creative, Technical, Brooding, Skateboarding:

Spider-Man has returned to UK Cinemas with the not long awaited return of Peter Parker's origin story. As every comic book or movie going fan will most certainly be familiar with Sam Raimi's Blockbusters from the early part of the 21st Century... The re-boot returns to the story of Peter Parker and his tumultuous High School Years but with a few twists on different characters and set ups as well as quite a few similar scenes too!

This could possibly be a slight hindrance to the overall experience of Mark Webb's (Ironic Surname) new version as I found myself comparing and remembering Raimi's very colourful version in stark contrast to this darker, brooding version with it being more alike to The Dark Knight than Superman in colour and style.

However - I dug this re-visioning and found it more of a satisfying character study than my previous experience with Raimi's vision, I'm not knocking his vision for the result of that picture, just here I had a more engrossing experience as I followed Peter Parker played well by Andrew Garfield dealing with High School drama and being bitten by a genetically modified arachnid which he proceeds to mimic very well.

The result of Sony re-booting the project into a rushed development due to contractual obligations has brought the company and the new principal characters full circle to set up the franchise again from the start, but will it prove to be as popular as Director Raimi's previous vision with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst admirably delivering the goods in the lead roles of Peter Parker and Mary Jane-Watson and following up the success of the movie with two sequels that unfortunately never hit the spectacular heights of the first picture. Time will tell but I was pleasantly impressed and found myself immersed within the character development between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone who have both played note worthy performances in The Social Network and Zombieland respectively. Although the movie expectantly hits upon key plot points already established in 2002's Spider-Man, I still enjoyed watching the drama unfold and how these sequences were mirrored by a talented cast such as Martin Sheen, Sally Field (Uncle Ben & Aunt May) with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey instead of Mary Jane along with Welsh Boy - Rhys Ifans as Dr Curt Connors collaborating with Peter Parker in his genetic pursuits at Oscorp. Its a Stella cast and they all bring something fresh to the familiar table. I also got a kick out of a supporting role from New York comic Dennis Leary playing the Chief of Police and father of Gwen. Musical score is provided by legendary James Horner (Braveheart, Titanic) so it packs a dramatic punch. I have seen the movie twice, firstly checking it out in 3D - kinda reminded of the island of adventures ride which was awesome! Still, I have to admit that it was far better in good old fashioned 2D. Although the visualtastic action set pieces in the second half benefited from the 3D lensing especially the point of view shots of spidey web slinging across and through the city I believe the longer character story didn't necessitate this technology, also, the film is a lot darker than Raimi's colourful adaptations so a lot of the shots ended up murkier and a little more tricky to follow than standard viewing. All in all a return to form for Spider-Man, I personally look forward to the obligatory sequel.

The Amazing Spider-Man: 9/10

Download Festival 2012 - Not so blazing hot once again

2012-08-09T12:28:00.000+01:00

Well... Its been 6 years since I logged any text on this Festival related blog. Guess I been real busy with other projects taking up the majority of my time outside work.

However, this does not mean I have not attended any kick ass Rock performances in the long hiatus from this page, oh no! I've found myself in many a Metal crowd since. Such as Skid Row (that is Skid Row, without original front man Sebastian Bach) still, it was a kick ass performance in our local rock venue - Sin City. Love/Hate also reformed giving me a chance to relive my teenage years in the local Rock Club, its a real shame that we don't get more of the 80's Hollywood scene. Its all down to a change in promoters who obviously do not appreciate the fact that there is still a thriving Rock scene here in Swansea wanting and waiting for more!!

On the road I have checked out Thunder in Manchester...

Whitesnake & Def Leppard in Cardiff

Neil Young in Nottingham

Motley Crue & Def Leppard in Birmingham

to name a few...

Actually... I also went to the 2010 download festival. Remember, the classic year:

AC/DC... Rage Against The Machine... Aerosmith... Headlined the main stage.

That was pretty Epic!!

It seems, all this - as amazing as each show was in its own right, they are all a line up of support acts to the main event I just witnessed on Sunday 10th June 2012.

I feel that I have reached the pinnacle of the Heavy Metal mountain and at the summit of this climb...

I saw Black Sabbath.

Hang on!, I said something very similar in my festival review of Guns N' Roses at Download 2006:

"The set continues with Izzy rejoining the band on Patience, Nightrain, Used to Love her and closing out the show with Paradise City. I could only think that this is a pinnacle moment in my life where I am witnessing my all time favourite rock band playing out Paradise City at the venue where the footage for the video was filmed back in 1988 (with the original line up). Incredible feeling!!"

I guess this shows that each show is special in its own right and how I respond to the performance is usually favourable in regards to the particular bands I have grown up with and continued to follow.
I was a far too young to have experienced Sabbath in their glory days at the forefront of heavy metal, paving the way for the bands who were to follow in their footsteps. Ozzy's departure from the band in the early 80's resulted in a hugely successful solo career which I enthusiastically followed from my teenage years right up to present day. He has always seemed to deliver the best produced sound with ingenious lyrics coupled with his distinctive voice belting out such classics as Mr Crowley, Suicide Solution, Crazy Train, Bark At The Moon, Breaking All The Rules, Shot In The Dark and No More Tears to name but a few tracks from his arsenal of classic rock albums spanning the last 3 decades.

When I heard that he would be reuniting with his original band for the summer festival at Download I knew that this would be a must see spectacle, something not to be missed.
I previously had tickets for Ozzy's solo show at Wembley Stadium back in 2007 but could not attend due to a broken metatarsal which put me out of action for the summer. Seriously gutted!

So, this time I would make sure that the opportunity to catch Ozzy live would not escape me.
So... What did I do? I left it till last minute to try and get tickets! Luckily I was able to acquire a couple of tickets on-line after being denied them by the local ticket selling shop who take pleasure in disappointment I'm sure.

On previous Download festivals I spent the entire weekend camping as is point of reason in going but due to previously having seen the majority of acts on the first two days line up we decided to just get day pass tickets for Sunday. Besides, the main attraction was obviously going to be the draw of Black Sabbath and in hind sight we were lucky enough to get the tickets to finally witness Ozzy live on stage!

Sunday 10th July: 7AM

So the big day arrived, exciting! The festival had been titled drownload due to the torrential downpours turning the site into a boggy mosh pit, old mother nature yet again doing her best to ruin the summer highlights. It was an early start due to the 4hr drive to Donington from Swansea and this time my sister Claire and I really wanted to make the most of the day and not miss our favourite acts.

Designated Driver!

The journey went pretty smooth after a couple of stops for snacks and fuel, although finding the hotel in Loughborough turned out to be a little tricky. The sun even had a chance to shine on the Sunday so everything was gearing up for a great final day at Castle Donington.
We dropped our stuff at the hotel, grabbed our wellies and set out for the glorious day of rock.
We met a couple of dudes from Glasgow who were waiting for a taxi outside the hotel so we ended up sharing a taxi to the venue and regaled Donington stories form previous visits.
On arrival at the gates of we wandered through, greeted by an Usher of Rock on the MC spouting monotone sarcastic rock related information for all metalers enjoying the weekends festivities. I randomly noticed Pete from Big Brother 7 with a gang of friends all in the required footwear of mud caked wellies, so I kinda got the idea of how muddy it was gonna be in the mosh pits.

Around 1pm: Black Label Society

We arrived at the main stage, dedicated this year to the recent passing of legendary amp constructor Jim Marshall. Black Label Society are mid set in front of the biggest amount of Jim Marshall amps I've ever witnessed, pummelling the hungover audience with an onslaught of their heavier material. The crowd didn't seem to be responding with much enthusiasm but I was still glad to see Ozzy's long supporting lead guitarist live, thrashing out his trademark squealing riffs. On close of Zakk Wyldes elongated solo closer we decided to get some beers and lunch in time for the return of 90's slacker rock band: Ugly Kid Joe.

The Zippo Encore Stage, around 2PM: Ugly Kid Joe

So, after tucking into a hot dog and collecting tokens for some beer we headed over to the Zippo stage for the bands 30 min set which included the majority of the: America's Least Wanted album. Highlights included: Neighbour, Goddamn Devil and the "Cat's In The Cradle" cover where front man Whitfield Crane began a sing song with the audience who whole heartily joined in. The band were having a great time and were just as excited to be present for the main attraction of the evening, commenting that they never would have believed that they would be performing at the same festival as Black Sabbath. They closed with the classic, "Everything About You" from the Wayne's World soundtrack. It was a fun set and the crowd enjoyed it!

After the set we found a patch to sit in the unexpected sun and have a few more drinks to gear up for the triple back to back performances of Megadeth, Soundgarden and Black Sabbath on the main stage.

The Jim Marshall Stage: Somewhere round 4? Kinda losing track of time at this point!

Megadeth are back at Download! I had already seen this true metal band perform at the festival back in 2010 fronted by Dave Mustaine and his now trademark fresh White Shirt and Jeans look. (Which my Sister swoons for) So she was in her element with the 1.5 hr set list from their back catalogue of guitar fretting awesomeness. Its always great to see them perform classic tracks: Sweating Bullets, Symphony Of Destruction, Peace Sells and
A Tout Le Monde. As ever their performance was exceptionally executed before the 140,000 strong crowd on this glorious sunny afternoon supplying a reprieve from the torrential downpour that had plagued the previous days of Download.

Dave Mustaine - Shredding!

The final day of the festival is now in full swing and its just about to get even better!

The Jim Marshall Stage: Its gotta be somewhere around 6 o'clock now.

I have been a big fan of Soundgarden since the early 90's, accepting and appreciating the new era of Grunge bands who populated the airwaves and MTV throughout the early to mid part of the decade that defined an indifferent slacker Generation-X. I was there when they were support along with Faith No More for Guns N' Roses on the Use Your Illusion Tour way back in 1992 and was immediately impressed by Chris Cornell's lead vocals with the rough, grunge guitar chords from Kim Thayil. After their late 90's split due to directional differences Chris Cornell joined super group Audioslave which became very successful in the early to mid part of the last decade. Playing their distinctive collaborative sound to sell out audiences which I attended in 2005.

Soundgarden reforming back in 2010 was about to prove how they transcend eras and music genres with their triumphant return to the UK.
Having made our way back to the beer tents after Megadeth we chilled out with a couple more pear ciders when all of a sudden the roar of the audience accompanied Soundgarden's entrance to the stage as they began their set list with Spoonman off their defining 1994 album Superunknown.

As we rushed down to get as close to the stage as we could they came to the end of Spoonman and preceded to deliver their slick set of perfect sounding classic tracks such as Outshined, The Day I tried To Live, New Wave, Feel On Black Days, Rusty Cage and Jesus Christ Pose all from the seminal albums Bad Motor Finger and Superunknown. They played a few tracks form their earlier material as Cornell explained how they last performed in the UK 20 Years ago and that most people would not be familiar with the songs but they were gonna do them anyway... Much to the audiences approval as no one could deny the power of Chris Cornells vocal prowess sending shock waves out over the festival goers and surely heard by most of Derby! I was blown away by their stage presence and how cool they looked in the setting sun as well as how polished the delivery was of their outstanding back catalogue of tracks. I look forward to their new studio album to be released later this year and will definitely get tickets for that tour. Soungarden proved to be a perfect support act to complement the imminent arrival for the main event of the evening and were humble in their respect towards the forefather's of Rock as Chris Cornell noted if it weren't for Sabbath, Soundgarden would not have existed along with many of the Seattle Grunge scene. The front man lamented how bad the weather had been and that the next track Black Hole Sun represented the day as the glorious sunset beamed on the Jim Marshall stage, it proved to be a real popular with the crowd as the band set came to a close. We were all suitably amped for Black Sabbath after Soundgarden's class act of a performance.

Its Time: Black Sabbath

The anticipation was now at an all time high as everyone seemed to bunch up closer to the stage, we all became compacted as the squeeze continued. There were definitely more tits on view than bottles being thrown this time around as a constant stream of women mounted men's shoulders to display their jugs to the panning camera rig prowling the crowd for such a moment. The crowd roared in appreciation as the clock ticked and the excitement continued. Everyone was syched, we began to chat to a couple next to us who were from Derby and had attended each day informing us of the two previous days. The boyfriend was around 6 foot, boozy, wearing a Frankenstein mask which seemed to be attracting the camera in our direction as much as the women on display were. That turned out to be cool as the people around us joined in with group photo's and laughter. We tried to get even closer to the middle but were met with a brick wall of people that seemed piled up on top of each other so I decided to stand our ground as there was no chance of getting further without getting more restricted from viewing the upcoming performance.

The dark clouds of doom began to roll in as 8 o'clock approached threatening the expectant crowd with a torrential downpour to finish the festival as it had began but then all of a sudden the monitor screens came alive with a montage of early Black Sabbath video and live stage footage accompanied by a string of their staple classics, the edit was perfect and really got us pumped for the unveiling of the band from behind the black curtain. All of a sudden Ozzy shouted. I CAN'T FUCKIN HEAR YOU!! as the enormous sea of fans screamed and shouted in response. Then the curtain dropped and all Hell broke loose.

The crowd went wild as Ozzy and the band began the first few bars of the bands title opus - Black Sabbath. The dark tone of their name sake rang out like the bells of doom as the dark sky and night began to fall.

The sound from the stage high speakers were so loud you could literally feel the music in your chest, your body constantly hit by a barrage of raw power.

Next up was The wizard, one of my personal favourites. Ozzy got out his harmonica and began to entertain the crowd with his instrument and ever impressive vocals coupled with lyrics that perfectly suited the atmosphere of the festival. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with Ozzy's drummer Tommy Clufetos kept the music tight and powerful as Ozzy got back to his harmonica solo. The awe inspiring spectacle went on to perform a powerful setlist of their most recognised material off all their albums. Highlights such as N.I.B, Snowblind, War Pigs, Sweet Leaf and Sympton Of The Universe which was then followed by Clufeto's drum solo that led perfectly into the next highlight as Ozzy introduced Tony Iommi as the true Iron Man as those elongated chords rung out really giving spine tingling chills followed by that classic chord sequence that opens the song.

Iron Man - It was Awesome!

Fairies Wear Boots and Children Of The Grave closed out the monumental show, followed by an encore of Paranoid, perfect! Claire and I made our way up to the food stalls where I grabbed another hot dog and watched them finalise their performance with a spectacle of fire works. What an end to Download 2012. I really felt that I had witnessed something truly monumental and special that will forever stay with me, I had made it to the peak on the mountain top of Metal and was looking down on the sea of rockers as Black Sabbath said their farewells and exited the stage.

We made our way out of the festival where the monotone security guard on the MC was congratulating the Downloaders with surviving another Download festival. "You must really be tired Downloader as your projectile got nowhere near me" he menacingly growled, great stuff.

Taxi's were at a stand still for the next 20 minutes... Unfortunately we opted for the taxi driver from Hell, but that's another story.

Download Festival 2006... It was blazing hot back then

2012-07-27T16:19:00.000+01:00

Well Download Festival 2006 is over, and what a festival it was!

Here is my write up of the band's who performed and the experiences of the crazy from the heat weekend.

My journey began Thursday 8th June - 5:15 pm

I set out from Swansea after a couple of set backs which involved me getting as far as the enterprise zone and then heading back into Swansea. So after pit stops for booze etc, I was finally on my way to Donington park which is a 3.5 hour drive to the Midlands (between Birmingham and Nottingham) It was a boiling hot drive all the way as the temperature was in the high 20's. Tunes of choice for the journey consisted of Guns N' Roses and Metallica!!

8:40 pm Thursday 8th June

On arriving at Donington it didn't take too long for me to park, all be it at least 2 miles from the camp sites. I had a couple of beer's to get me boosted for the long mission ahead to meet up with my Sis and her partner who had already arrived and been supplying me with information from the inside, Very handy!

Feeling ready for my long trek to the site I headed out, on reaching the entrance I was given a wristband and told to head to red camp, upon getting there the sun was quickly setting and I began to realise that pitching a tent was gonna be a nightmare in the dark. To add to the dilemma red camp was situated on a 50 degree slope, (I shit you not) The park security were literally getting people to pitch tents practically on top of each other, due to the 60, 000 plus campers.

So I ended up finding the Blue-camp site my Sis was in thanks to the miracle of mobile technology. This worked out much better as the site was on flatland with the bogs in walking distance. We also seemed to have a good crowd of rockers around us too!

Day1: Friday 9th June 2006 - Donington/Download Festival 06:

I woke at 7:47am (which became my alarm for the next 4 days-due to the arrival/departure of the inbound/outbound plane from next door's airport)

I crawled out and thought I'd take an early morning stroll around the festival to check out what was in store for the weekend of music,skateboarding, bmxing and other fun in the sun shenanigans!

The Calm Before The Storm:

The festival had yet to begin, the gate's were not to open until 1pm.
So until then I checked out some of the stall's on site and got myself some breakfast taking in the vastness of the venue contained within the donington race track.

I joined the queue for the Park which was already busy and lively, venue staff were handing out free snickers bars which became the throwing weapon of choice through the cattle herding gates. (the festival had started as it meant to go on)

I got into the spirit of shouting head's up while Snickers bars began bouncing with force off the crowd's noggin's (seriously you do need eye's in the back of your head at this event) It cracked me up when some tall dude got a snickers right in the head to which he replied, "I don't even like snickers"....."This sucks! I'm allergic to peanut's" said another ducking rock fan!

Once in, I headed straight to the Snickers Skate Bowl. Wow! wot a monstrosity, 10 foot deep kidney bowl with seriously tight transitions and hips with a tombstone added to one side "All skateboarding obstacle jargon" Some of the skaters were warming up, I saw some carving & ripping it up to the obligatory clueless MC getting all the tricks wrong with rock band's cranking out the tunes on the stage - Sintuition and Keiko

The afternoon consisted of wandering around checking out random rock bands, taking it easy with a couple of pear cider's (which became my drink of the afternoon along with Carlsberg export and Jim Beam) In the evening I checked out the crowd and got down to see how Tool were received. I have not really listened to any Tool music prior to the event so I don't have much of a frame of reference to their performance, although their polished sound of thrashing guitar riffs (similar in sound to Alice In Chains) backed by goretastic visuals seemed to please their fans. They closed their set before the sun set around 10pm, we headed back to the camp site where I set up the old camping stove and feasted on hot dogs till I fell asleep happy in the knowledge that the best was yet to come!

Day 2: Saturday 10th June 2006 Donington/Download Festival 06:

I woke up to another scorching hot camp site around 7:47am, Once I got my head into gear I realised it was Metallica day, Oh Yeah!!

The camp site was buzzing with rockers going about their morning duties, which inevitably included a visit to the sess pit, which was kicking up a right stink. I was laughing my ass off (no pun intended) when I heard two teenager's in the cubicle's next to me struggling to get through their shit process - from wot I heard - by not touching the bog seat with their ass and squatting with their faces flat against the door's complaining how rank it was....."awww....nooo......aw.....thii..thiss...is...is....rank..aww!!"
I'm sure one of them started crying! : )

Once I got sorted and entered the park for day 2's festivities, I decided it would be a perfect day to get some footage of the festival. There were plenty of band's rocking out the park so I just wandered around the site with my Panasonic picking up the vibe of the day, this was also the day of the England v Paraguay world cup game which was being broadcast on the cinema screen next to the snickers bowl. The atmosphere was going off due to the game and definitely the anticipation of the nights performances of Korn and especially headliners Metallica.

I watched some stand-up with Henry Rollins, which was well funny - that dude's still well gnarly - until some over zealous security guard tried to confiscate my camera. Hope he liked the random scenic photo's that he got from my memory card.

This pissed me off as much as Rollins was pissed at the American government so I headed back to the main stage to see Alice In Chains!! which rocked.

After their 30min set finished (wtf?) 30mins for Alice In Chains yet I hear Wicked Wisdom - (Jada Pinkett Smith's - new style of the week band, which I didn't bother checking out!!) got to play two 30min Set's on the main stage and duet with some other band who's name escapes me.

Will Smith was standing off stage, and when he was called on by the bored crowd he got a much better response than Jada and her band (obviously) bet he got some stick from the missus back stage too.

I'd headed back to camp through a dust storm that had kicked up all over the site due to the wind that did nothing to curb the scorching heat.

The build up to the main event of the evening was on!
I had a few swigs of Jim Beam to get my head in the right place for the Metallica show.

Heading back to the main stage, which was already heaving with fans watching the Korn Jam (Lead singer Jonathon Davies had been taken ill with a life threatening blood count problem) going off with front men from other bands taking the mic and filling in on the set.
Respect to Korn and all the other performers who put on a show with heart dedicated to Donington and the missing front man.

We appreciated the show and were amped ready for Metallica.

The Symphonic chords of Ecstasy Of Gold form the movie the Good The Bad and The Ugly,rang out around us to the roar of the expectant crowd!! The movie displayed on the screen. It was euphoric.

Lars ran out to his drum set with a massive smile on his face and began beating the crap out of em as the other members of Metallica arrived on stage to kick start the 2.5 hour set including classics such as The Unforgiven, Sad But True, Enter Sandman, Seek And Destroy, One and my personal favourite - The Thing That Should Not Be. For a monumental show, they played Master Of Puppets in order and its entirety for the 20th anniversary of the release of the album. A truly polished and inspired set that proved that Metallica are still the best Metal act on the planet, Awesome!!

I got moshing it up with some dude in the audience who wanted to know if the pit was going off so we pushed our way through metaler's to get as close as we could to the action which was going off by the stage.

Once the encore of Seek and Destroy and Enter Sandman were over I headed out through the deliriously satisfied crowd of 75,000 rockers with my head feeling like it had been in a blender for 2 hours after all the head banging and aggressive facial jibs.

Day 3: Sunday 11th June 2006 Donington/Download Festival 06:

I woke up bright and early (as usual) due to the sun blazing on my tent feeling a little worse for wear due to the previous night's rock out fest and booze consumed. Still I had to smile as this was the final day, Guns N' Roses day!! To me the main event, however - Metallica were going to be a tough act to follow!!!

I headed out around the park, walking through the crowds in the searing heat.
I ran into a familiar face from Swansea (Punk Jay) and talked about the festival and the highlights, our gig viewing clashed as he rocked the Killing Joke gig instead of Metallica claiming that Killing Joke are far superior. I'd previously checked them out when they supported Motley Crue last Summer in the CIA, so no loss there.

I got back to my car for a change of clothes and ended up sitting down, propped up against my rear bumber. I couldn't be bothered to wander round the park all afternoon so I decided to continue drinking the Carlsberg export's out of my boot, a bold move in that afternoon heat!
I invited my Sis and partner to join me in the export fest, we sat there for a good couple of hours knocking them warm beer's back.

We stumbled back through the park feeling quite boozy planning the evening ahead, needing a kip as afternoon drinking tends to bring on the sleep!

After a snooze at the camp site, we got ready for the final night of Download 06'
I donned my kilt and red bandanna and slugged a few hits of Jim Beam.
We headed to the main stage.

The crowd was pretty busy but nothing like I had expected, obviously due to a lot of the crowd heading over to the Snickers tent to watch Prodigy who were clashing with the Guns N' Roses time slot. The fans were divided as they pretty much were all weekend with the friction going on between Emo's and Metaler's. There seems to be a lot of Chav mentality in the metal camp, especially from the old timers! Can't say I support either camp as I was just there to rock the fuck out! Live and let live or is that Live And Let Die!!

The bottle fight had kicked off again with the west bank relentlessly chucking the usual bombs of litre full bottles with the caps on for maximum damage as well as pebbles and rocks sealed in bottles. The onslaught from the elevated position saw that a lot of the pit and surrounding area got nailed. Some tits were shown on the screens from the girlie's in the crowd which seemed to calm the trench warfare.

More Tits = less bottles!

dang, dang, dang..dang..dang....dang, dang, dang..dang..dang

rang out the intro chords for "Welcome to the jungle" unexpectedly early!!

Donington, you know where the fuck you are? cried out W. Axl Rose
You're in the jungle baby, time to dieeeeeeeeee........boom, boom boom, boom,....

The final act kicked off! But how would it go?

Axl lead the band through classic tracks It's So Easy, Mr Brownstone and Live And Let Die. But on the fifth song Knocking On Heaven's door, Axl began complaining about sound problems "Worst sound ever" I found that remark pretty hilarious! He left the stage before the end of the track. There was a lot of fans around me worrying that he had gone for good, but I was lovin it. "Nah, he'll be back, it ain't a G N' R gig unless Axl walks off" I said reassuringly.

The new guitarist began playing an extended solo for "Don't Cry" which again I found in good spirits. The intro for Sweet Child Of Mine played to the excited audience.
Axl was back!!

Axl and his tour da force of three guitarists belted through the next hour like they now meant business. Awesome classic "You could be mine" played, followed by new tracks off the eagerly awaited album (only 10 years in the making) Chinese Democracy.

I'm defo feeling the new tracks, and look forward to the albums release.

"That was good, think we should record it, wot do you reckon" joked Axl to his band members.

By this point of the show, the atmosphere was rockin, it was now packed out with the crowd getting into the vibe of the performance. It was a lot more raw and unpredictable than Metallica's polished set, everything a true Guns N' Roses concert used to be and should be.

Axl still had a few surprises left.

After the amazing 'Out Ta Get Me" track closed, he took a moment to address the crowd.
"I'm gonna get an old friend to help us out on the next one,
Donington - Mr Izzy Stradlin"

Wtf- this is perfect!! original member and song writer of G N' R's original line up. We go wild!!

Izzy walks on stage and they hug, and perform together for the first time since he split from the band just before 92's Use your Illusion tour (Wembley Stadium - I was there),
"Think About You" one of my personal favourites off Appetite got us in a rock frenzy. It fuckin rocked!!

This concert is on the motorway now in sixth gear, with no exits for 100 miles.

November Rain plays out for the next 13 mins. Proper crowd pleaser, I'm waiting for the raw guitar sound to come back as well as Izzy Stradlin.

However Axl has yet another guest appearance lined up for the next track.
"Sebastian Bach" Former front man of kick ass Eighties/early Nineties rock band - Skid Row

They rock out together on "Appetites" - My Michelle I can't believe how cool this is, bringing out Eighties rock all stars and jamming on Guns classic tracks.

Unbelievably good song - Rocket Queen can't be forgotten, that song is awesome - and live!!

The set continues with Izzy rejoining the band on Patience, Nightrain, Used To Love Her and closing out the show with Paradise City. I could only think that this is a pinnacle moment in my life where I am witnessing my all time favourite rock band playing out Paradise City at the venue where the footage for the video was filmed back in 1988 (with the original line up). Incredible feeling!!

The festival was over, I headed back to the camp amid the chaos of crowds of people in the camp sites getting well rowdy, however I was still in euphoric mood and nothing was gonna bring that high down......well maybe dehydration, a cider, whiskey and an export hangover from hell, toxic bomb fire fumes, exploding canisters, police helicopters and rampaging rioters could. But that's someone Else's story.

Originally posted on: red-download06.blogspot.co.uk

Friday, June 16th 2006

Sketch Work

2012-06-30T20:02:00.001+01:00

Consequences Redux on YouTube

2012-06-30T18:47:00.004+01:00

Tuesday April 10th 2012... The Definitive Edition of Consequences titled,

Consequences - Redux has been uploaded to YouTube. This sparkling revised edition is running 5 minutes shorter than the Arts Centre premiere and DVD release. I have re-cut and colour corrected every shot and sequence to produce a completely crystal clean version, both visual and audio renders have been calibrated through Final Cut for this final Definitive Edition.

The Redux edition performs sleeker and more fluid than the extended version due to the omitted cuts of unnecessary footage such as establishing shots on location. This results in a tauter version of the story concentrating more on the characters and their performances and less on their surroundings.

Consequences was filmed entirely on location in West Glamorgan, South Wales - United Kingdom in the summer of 2006. The majority of shots filmed in and around the city of Swansea which has been a popular location for many movie projects. Most notably 1997's Twin Town and its lead actor Rhys Ifans and more recently Martin Sheen from Port Talbot including Anthony Hopkins and Richard Burton also Catherine-Zeta-Jones from Swansea who have all progressed to major success with esteemed and celebrated careers in Hollywood.

The film Consequences is my first attempt at film making and without the help and assistance of all the people involved would not have been possible, including The Welsh Assembly Government, Actors and Emergency Services not forgetting my close Friends and Family who all contributed with their talent, expertise and support to the completion of the project... This edition of Consequences is for you all... Thank You.

Originally posted on: apocalyptic-film.blogspot.co.uk

Tuesday, 24th April 2012

Consequences Redux Edition 2012 - Update

2012-06-30T18:41:00.000+01:00

The tweak and polish of Consequences is coming along real well... Its looking more vibrant and sounds better than ever before. Due to other work commitments I was intending to upload the redux version of the full movie to my YouTube channel (red-evidz) on the 7th April as the trailer indicates. However, to preserve the true anniversary date of April 10th 2007 - Consequences will be uploaded to YouTube for the first time on Tuesday 10th April 2012 at 7PM.

The redux version is running slightly shorter than the original theatrical release to keep the momentum of the story line which I am really enjoying and am convinced it is a better version for it. So not long to wait till the definitive version is available. I will be uploading a new trailer later today to get you all exited in the mean time!

Click Redux-Trailer below for the forthcoming Definitive Edition of Consequences.

Full version in high quality coming to Youtube - April 10th 2012 - 7PM

Originally posted on: apocalyptic-film.blogspot.co.uk

Saturday, 7th April 2012

South Wales Action Movie 5 Year Anniversary

2012-06-30T18:29:00.000+01:00

I can't believe its been 5 years since the premiere of Consequences... Where did those years fly to?

Well... I've gone back to Apocalyptic Film's archives to retrieve the source material for a new digital master to insure my archives are up to date and all pristine in quality. I realised while watching Consequences how well the story line, acting and general production values still hold up and how the subject matter seems as relevant today as it was back then. Since this little independent project never got an opportunity to be viewed on its own merits, I think its time it is given that chance considering the many other viewable PSA projects that have been broadcasted since with similar conveyed messages to teenagers.

So to celebrate the commemorative date of the movies original performance I will be relaunching Consequences in its entirety for YouTube - Saturday April 7th 2012

This will be the first time for the general public to get a chance to screen the movie since its Pontardawe Arts Centre showing... I hope it will be appreciated as well and as enthusiastically as it did back on that spring evening in 2007.

I am currently giving Consequences a 2012 makeover with a tweak and a polish through the outstanding professional software package - Final Cut for a revised version. Further updates and trailers to come over the following month on the lead up to the YouTube Premiere - Saturday April 7th 2012.

Here is a fresh taster of what is heading your way... Check out teaser trailer below:

Originally posted on: apocalyptic-film.blogspot.co.uk
Monday, 5th March 2012

South Wales Drink Drive Film Project 2007

2012-06-30T18:17:00.003+01:00

Consequences is a new movie from Apocalyptic Film.

The project has been backed by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Consequences highlights the dangers inherent in today's youth culture and explores the lives of four teenagers and how their decisions cause devastating consequences for everyone around them. The movie is fast paced with a powerful message that conveys these dangers to youths of all ages. Consequences is an ideal public service announcement movie for all sectors dealing with such issues. Consequences has been Premiered at Pontardawe Arts Centre, Wales on April 10th 2007

Trailer for Consequences can be viewed below:

Consequences is available as a fully illustrated DVD package.

Please contact Apocalyptic Film via red profile link on side bar and navigate to email contact for details on availability of DVD stock.A free Consequences sample DVD is available upon request including trailer and advertising campaign.

Mathew Lee Davies - Apocalyptic Film 2007

Originally posted on: apocalyptic-film.blogspot.co.uk
Thursday, 12th April 2007

Jaws Back In Cinemas 2012

2012-06-24T22:33:00.002+01:00

The cinema experience just keeps getting better this month... Que John Williams threatening score!

Swansea's film club regulars went on an evening out to watch the classic 1975 Shark Movie from then 20 something Steven Spielberg. What an occasion it was as we all settled in to check out the movie we had seen countless times since our childhood, but this time on the big screen.

I was born in the year of the movies original release so this has been my first opportunity to experience it on the silver screen and that is definitely where this picture belongs and looks very much at home. It was the first picture of its kind to be known as the summer blockbuster doing incredible business at the theatre's that year and changing the way Hollywood marketed its future movies toward summer audiences.

The movie based on Peter Benchley's novel is a perfect blend of action, suspense and drama that only Spielberg could deliver and like his debut feature Duel moves along at breakneck pace from its opening attack scene on the shore of Amity Beach to its final siege on Quint's boat - The Orca.

The actors involved have become legendary and to watch Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss go fishing for the 3 tonne, 25 foot Great White whilst continually clashing in a barage of bickering banter is thoroughly entertaining. Robert Shaw's portrayal of Shark Hunter Quint is more noticeably a triumph of sea veteran and mad survivalist. I was very impressed to find how well the effects still hold up and actually look even better due to the sheer scope of the movie, beach scenes are expansive and seem to be even more dramatic making the few early shots of the shark attacking its shallow water victims much more effective. When the lead character's encounter the Shark out in its domain, the close up shots are extremely menacing - especially the underwater cage scene!!

The Jaws legacy continues, still having the power to shock and entertain in equal measures proving more than ever its deserved position as one of the best movies of all time... 10/10

Universal's 100th anniversary celebration continues with its catalogue of classics to be released this year... Universal's Cinematic classics are currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray in commemorative releases!!

Prometheus - Vue Premiere

2012-06-08T16:58:00.001+01:00

Well its an exciting month as Prometheus has finally been released. Due to it being released in the UK a full week before the US - I have already seen it twice, the first time at a midnight preview screening in our local VUE with some friends who had been out on an afternoon booze session. Needless to say one of the gang was asleep 5mins in, now this is not a result of the movie, its just Jones for you! Ridley Scott's long awaited return to the science fiction genre has been well worth the wait and his unique vision has been accompanied by an outstanding cast and visual effects team which is a true cinematic experience in immersive 3D.

The movie has a lot of interesting questions and ideas about our existence in regards to space and keeps you thinking about the movie long after the final credits. This is the kind of movie that is very few and far between in the current climate and I hope that it encourages the big studios to trust classic director's like Ridley Scott with future projects that are more interesting an experience for us fans of quality features. This year is already beginning to show a lot of promise, such as the The Dark Knight and Spider-Man franchises returning along with Bond and The Hobbit later in 2012. These will hopefully be up to the standard that Prometheus has set for this Year... Cinema experiences that will stand the test of time?... Prometheus: 10/10

let me know your feelings, rating= 1-10/10 and cinema experience on the movie in the comments below:

red-evidz - Recommended Media

2012-04-26T21:28:00.000+01:00

Find More Recommended Media

Classic Movie On Netflix...

2012-01-30T22:14:00.000Z

Part Man. Part Machine... All Cop.

RoboCop

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Writers: Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith, Ronny Cox

Released: 1987

Production: Orion Pictures

At a first glance you could easily mistake the early concept poster to represent a tacky, straight to video science fiction B-movie, but this assumption would be wrong! If you take a closer look you will find that RoboCop is in fact one of the cult classic movies of the 80's.

This satiracal gem depicts an incredibly bleak vision of a violent and corrupt future in Detroit where anarchic, sadistic gangs work alongside corporate figureheads employed by Omni Consumer Products to monopolise ownership of the city and the local Police precincts.

Enter Alex Murphy (Peter Weller). His first day at Metro Crime Department, he's an all round American family man with an optimistic outlook to his work and life in general. A genuine crusader adding stylistic flourishes to his Cop persona in wanting to be an important role model to his young boy. Mentioning his first day on the job being tough would be a massive understatement as he and his partner Officer Lewis (Nancy Allen) are soon on assignment chasing down a gang of bank robbers to a deserted steel mill, while Lewis is taken out of the picture briefly, Murphy is introduced to the gang led by Clarence Boddicker - has there ever been a better name for a gangleader? (Kurtwood Smith) he is held at gunpoint, subjected to their taunts and finally brutally maimed by the syndicate of Cop killers. Before he can be pronounced dead, OCP are quickly on the scene to provide Murphy with his corporate medical care by way of resurrecting him into a state-of-the-art cyborg chasis.

Thanks Giving Day Movie Of The Month...

2011-11-30T16:36:00.001Z

His whole life was a million-to-one shot and it all began on November 25th 1975 where we were first introduced to...

Rocky
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writer: Sylvestor Stallone
Starring: Sylvestor Stallone, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young, Carl Weathers

Released: 1976
Production: United Artists

Rocky is a truly inspiring boxing drama about a street wise club boxer who gets offered a once in a lifetime shot against the World Heavyweight Champion - Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).

At first he is so beaten down with his existence in Philadelphia that he refuses the gifted opportunity as the likely outcome of a crushing defeat would be too much for his already low self esteem. However, he accepts the challenge and begins a life affirming journey with his soul mate, Adrian (Talia Shire) and an array of other down on their luck locals who are historically connected with Rocky's story.

As soon as Philadelphia gets news of the upcoming New Year's Eve Boxing bout, it seems to bring all of Rocky's shady friends and accomplices out of the wood work wanting to somehow be involved in this freak miracle. The local boxing club owner Mickey (Burgess Meredith), realises this is a golden opportunity to become Rocky's manager and to train him in preparation for the big fight only to be resented for not showing any true interest or belief in the underdog up to this point.

Rocky depicts perfectly how life is an ongoing struggle and in this particular story, his life's battle will be settled in the ring where to go the distance will finally earn him, His self respect...

Christmas Movie Art - Lethal Weapon

2011-11-07T01:52:00.001Z

The Christmas holidays are upon us so its a great time to get those festive movies out and here's an alternative Christmas classic for you...

Lethal Weapon

Director: Richard Donner

Writer: Shane Black

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey

Released: 1987

Production: Warner Bros

Lethal Weapon is the original buddy cop movie crammed with wall to wall action and great character's epitomising the 80's male persona of hard edged heroic archetypes pitted against overwhelming odds. The villains are there to challenge the hero's courage and strength in times of personal dismay. This movie raised the action bar and inspired countless imitations that are still being churned out of Hollywood although not to this standard.

The story opens with a prostitute overdosing on heroin and swan diving out of a Los Angeles high rise. As the sun rises we are introduced to L.A cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) suicidal over the recent death of his wife, occupying his days with reckless drug busts while contemplating pulling the trigger on his 9mm Beretta hand gun by night. In contrast Detective Roger Murtough (Danny Glover) is a family man with a wife and 3 kids celebrating his 50th birthday setting out to work on the recent homicide case of the overdosed prostitute. He is unwittingly partnered with Riggs sending them both careening headlong into the heroin smuggling crime syndicate underbelly of L.A filled with mercenaries, hit-men and ruthless officials.

This action movie really broke the mold due to the cracking script by Shane Black coupled with the directorial skill of Richard Donner (Superman) The casting of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the lead roles is perfect as they are initially opposed to working together as partners and through the course of the ensuing action find a mutual respect albeit fraught with conflict. Supporting actors are well realised as is with mercenary Mr Joshua (Gary Busey) who becomes a relevant nemesis to Riggs and his aggressive tendencies due to his current state of mind.

The Lethal Weapon series has recently been released on Blu-Ray as a box set. The DVD's have previously been released as theatrical and Director's cut editions although Lethal Weapon 4 remains heavily cut in the UK, not sure if that is the case with the recent Blu-Ray.

Halloween Movie Of The Month...

2011-10-20T12:09:00.001+01:00

Its Halloween... Time to celebrate one of the best movie's to ever represent this macabre month of the year:

The Crow

Director: Alex Proyas

Writers: James O'Barr, David J Show, John Shirley

Story: James O'Barr

Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Ernie Hudson, David Patrick Kelly

Released: 1994

Production: Entertainment In Media

The Crow is a revenge movie of the highest order based on the graphic novel's by

James O' Barr. (Having recently lost a loved one, he felt compelled to illustrate his feelings)

Released in 1994 having been delayed in post production due to the tragic on-set death of up coming action star Brandon Lee... Son of Bruce Lee. The grief surrounding this picture gives the film a real sense of tragedy from start to finish as you get to share a brief time with Brandon Lee, as he returns from the grave to reek vengeance on the sadistic killers of his fiance Shelly and himself Eric Draven on Devil's Night... Halloween.

The outcome is a visually stunning movie swathed in Gothic tones from the rain drenched streets, shadowed under towering buildings on fire, to the monochromatic colours bursting through with vivid red flash-back sequences. It is a completely original piece that flies with the atmospheric score delivered by movie soundtrack composer Graeme Revell supported by a stunning post metal-grunge soundtrack, with names such as The Cure, The Stone Temple Pilots and Pantera pummeling every scene, driving the plot devices dramatically forward from one brutal act to the next.

All characters involved play their parts to perfection from the young street kid Sarah (Rochell Davis) right up to arch enemy Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) and the whole Motley Crue of low down street creatures in between. Direction is inspired by Alex Proyas however, inevitably none of this would have worked if not for Brandon Lee's pitch perfect and iconic portrayal of a man who has lost everything propelled forward with nothing to loose. The Crow is an enduring epitaph of a young, gifted, physical actor tragically struck down in his prime just like his father.

The Crow is available in both DVD and Blu-ray editions including impressive picture transfers with DTS soundtracks along with a whole load of extra's such as interesting deleted scenes and gorier extended scenes that didn't make the final cut.

The Crow

Movie Art - Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom

2011-05-15T23:37:00.008+01:00

Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom

Director: Steven Spielberg

Screenplay: Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz

Story: George Lucas

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Philip Stone & Ke Huy Quan

Released: 1984

Production: Lucasfilm Ltd/Paramount Pictures

The Temple Of Doom trailer went with the tag line... If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones. Well that's exactly what us kids got in the second instalment of the Indiana Jones saga in theatres back in 1984. The story kicks off in a Shanghai nightclub where Indy is double crossed by a group of Japanese gangsters over a simple trade that quickly turns the nightclub into a chaotic brawl, with Indy narrowly avoiding death by poison thanks to the help of club singer Willie Scott.

Fleeing Club Obi Wan in the getaway car driven by Indy's sidekick short round. The three characters soon find themselves flying out of Shanghai shortly followed by an improvised escape from a sabotaged plane and ending up stranded in India. Its not long before the true darkness of the village people's plight is explained to Indiana Jones and his companions sending them on a journey to Pankot Palace to retrieve the lifeline of the village people's existence along with their future.

The Temple Of Doom was a highly anticipated sequel to the ground braking first instalment - Raiders Of The Lost Ark only to fall short and be widely panned by critics and viewers alike generally due to the dark tone of the material represented. As this movie had George Lucas as main collaborator with Director Steven Spielberg it was inevitable that the story would take a more threatening path than the original due to Lucas's success with The Empire Strikes Back. Dramatic as it is to pit the hero against a black magic cult performing human sacrifice and enslaving children it still worked as a roller coaster of an action adventure allowing Harrison Ford to flesh out the character of Indiana Jones with both shades of light and dark coupled with wry wit and humor.

Although Raiders Of The Lost Ark is obviously a far better and accomplished film, Temple Of Doom turned out to be a perfect follow up. It had everything a young kid came to expect from such a collective of creative professionals in their prime, from the musical inspired opening scene to the stand off in the temple through the mine cart escape to the rope bridge showdown it was pure escapism still delivering the goods today as a matinee movie.

The original trilogy is available in DVD format as a box set including a bonus disc of features including documentaries, photo galleries and trailers. 2008's Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is also available on Blu-Ray. Speilberg has recently confirmed that the original series will be coming to shiny HD soon, after Lucas has completed the Star Wars Blu-Rays which were released last September.

Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom

Street Art

2011-05-15T23:35:00.006+01:00

Street Art - Gangster, Ghetto, Urban, Block, Downtown, Hip Hop, Rap

Loaded

Musicians

2011-05-15T23:34:00.005+01:00

Axl Rose - Guns N Roses

Circa 1990

W.A.R

Skate Art

2011-05-15T20:24:00.006+01:00

Santa Cruz Skateboards, Element Skateboards,

Movie Art - The Empire Strikes Back

2011-04-25T17:45:00.023+01:00

Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back

Director: Irvin Kershner

Screenplay: Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasden

Story: George Lucas

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew

Released: 1980

Production: Lucasfilm

The Empire Strikes Back is the second installment in the classic Star Wars saga. It is widely regarded as the best of the entire series in which I completely agree... In the hands of director for hire Kershner, a more satisfying character study of the relationships between the lead actors is achieved. Although credit should be given to Lucas for setting up these interesting characters and assembling a great cast to begin with.

The story arc takes a downward turn from the celebratory climax of Star Wars where the Empire's ultimate grip on the galaxy has been weakened by a small rebel armies valiant uprising. Here we find the rebels in a completely hostile environment, hiding out on a remote ice planet where the terrain is almost uninhabitable. It does not take long to establish that the fight for freedom is far from over and the might of the Empire is closing in on the hidden rebel base. Following a devastating attack, the rebels are disbanded and relentlessly pursued by the Imperial Fleet lead by Darth Vader who is hell bent on capturing Luke Skywalker by any means necessary, much to the detriment of the Millennium Falcon's Captain Solo, co-pilot Chewbacca and passengers Princess Leia and C3PO.

The outcome is a dramatic, magical, mysterious, sweeping action extravaganza that end's with complete uncertainty for many of the character's plights.

The saga is available as a box set or can be purchased individually on DVD... Blu-ray is scheduled for release in September as special edition re-release format's, discarding the original 1980 print which is disappointing for enthusiasts.

Update Oct 2011

The Star Wars trilogy has been released on Blu-ray to a strong backlash from original fans due to the reworking of major scenes and effects sequences. In view of the disappointing public response, it has still gone on to become the best selling Blu-ray to date.

The Empire Strikes Back