Behind The Scenes

Little Shop of Movies Review: Hansel & Gretel:Witch Hunters, Quartet & Stoker

2013-06-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Film Synopsis:
At a home for retired musicians, the annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents.

There are those films that are basically time pieces of a certain period of someone's life etc-there are also those that en capture a certain feeling and a love for life.Even though this is a retirement home for the retired musician-there is no real relaxing here, someone is always singing, playing the piano, violin or trumpet. The resident three played so well by our lead actors prior to the debut of our main star of the stage Maggie Smith. Once a successful singer(Jean Horton) she is not happy to be joining this group of seniors for the thought she might be old as well.

The clip above shows the remarkable talent within this group of four actors and the rest of the cast-the most amazing part for me was at the end when the credits ran(which I always watch) there are 19 musicians/actors/performers that are credited for their work in the arts, such as:

Dame Gwyneth Jones: Der Rosenkaulier Metropolitan Opera 1977

Hal Herbert: Violinist for The English Chamber Orchestra 1966-1970

Melodie Waddingham: Member of the Chorus: English National Opera 1982-2010

Colin Bradbury: Principal Clarinet BBC Symphony 1960-1993

That of course is just a small sample of what talent Dustin Hoffman had to direct, surely made it no more simpler to do so but this was a rich, fun and I thought after that my mother would have loved to retire in a place like that as she was so fond of all the arts herself, also a artist(painter & teacher).

There is no doubt in my mind that this has been one of my most enjoyable views of a film for a few years now I cannot reccomend this film enough quite honestly, even if you do not think you will enjoy it I say otherwise.

Just when you thought it could never happen again along comes Stoker to challenge what might be something out of the ordinary and totally twist it around to almost being about incest, but then just blowing that idea away.

A loner India(Mia Wasikowska)never fitting in with her piers and only really fond of her father who took her hunting all the time when she was younger, has got herself caught up in a cat-and-canary type of situation. Her uncle has come back from a tour of the world working for a great magazine, but as they say don't always believe what you have been told.

This was all told very well in a slow methodical pace that allows the actor to better tell us what their character is all about. Then where might seem like this is going to be a cliched film it veers right off the road. Almost like a shot to the head.

We have read the books we have experienced the burning of the witch in The Brothers Grimm's book, however what ever happened after that day?
Welcome to the new fairy tale 2013 they have grown and now are very successful Witch Hunters.

They rely on each other and are well trained in what they do they also have all the tools necessary to do their work, killing witches.

They are hired by the local mayor of the town as 11 of their children have gone missing and they fear another child is in danger.
The two get seperated and some trouble that Gretel started earlier in the film comes back to haunt her, but she has some unexpected help, Edward.

There is a ton of action and if you like films like "Van Helsing" than this will not dissapoint also having Famke Janssen as the head witch wow she is stunning.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

What Scares You: Child's Play Reborn-Curse of Chucky September 2013 Release Date!--June 14th, 2013

2013-06-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

It has been said time and time again especially in Hollywood If it ain't broke why fix it? This could not be more the case with the recent rebirth of certain films, Fright Night, Friday the 13th and many others.

June 14, 2013

Universal will unleash the Curse of Chucky this September 24, 2013. So mark that date down and get ready for Chucky’s return!.

The film stars Fiona Dourif (The Master, “True Blood,” “Deadwood”), A Martinez (“Longmire,” “General Hospital”), Danielle Bisutti (Get Smart, “CSI: Miami”), Brennan Elliott (Flight 93, Double Jeopardy), and Brad Dourif (The Lord of the Rings, Exorcist III).

Synopsis: Nica (Fiona Dourif) is grieving over the gruesome suicide of her mother when her domineering older sister Barb (Danielle Bisutti) arrives with her young family in tow to help settle their mother’s affairs. As the sisters butt heads over Nica’s plans for the future, Barb’s young daughter comforts herself with a grinning, red-haired talking doll named Chucky (voiced again by Brad Dourif) that recently arrived mysteriously in the mail. But as a string of brutal murders begins to terrorize the household, Nica suspects the doll may hold the key to the bloodshed. What she doesn’t know is that Chucky has a personal score to settle. He’s determined to finish a job he started more than 20 years earlier, and this time he’s going to see it through to the bloody and shocking end.

From http://www.horror-movies.ca/

It seems that Chucky himself will be getting in fact re-born and have another in the series of Child's Play movies.

According to Shock Till You Drop .com in a recent interview with David Kirchner they will have Don Mancini(he wrote all the other Child's Play movies before)Don will write and direct this NEW edition of the remake, also the next chapter.

They were stated that this remake would be scarier than the original film from 1988.

Of course he was asked as to why they would remake Child's Play

"Look at 'Halloween'," he quickly responded. "It's kind of commerce to keep the franchise going, and another reason to go see it. For me, it's exciting, because the first one was really scary and then from there, we kind ofâ€¦ my favorites are 1 and 4. I love 4, it really makes me laugh and I think Jennifer Tilly is so great, but just the idea of going back to where we were the first time around and I think for me, it's almost 30 years later for me as a filmmaker from where I started to now, and the idea of taking some skill that maybe I didn't possess then and putting it towards the next film, I think could be exciting." (from Shock till you drop.com-2007)

Charles Lee Ray(Brad Dourif) himself who possessed the body of the Good Guy doll in the original will be making a return as Chucky and will be providing the voice as well.Brad Dourif is to these films like Robert England is to the Nightmare on Elm Street films they know without him the movies don't stand a chance being seen by the original fans of these films, case in point Nightmare on Elm St(2010)was an insult to the original series.

CHUCKY"S OFFCIAL BIO Charles Lee Ray, (January 24, 1951 - November 9, 1988), Charles Lee Ray was a voodoo practioner and serial strangler from originally Hackensack, New Jersey along with Eddie Caputo who were involved in a series of brutal murders and voodoo rituals. Charles Lee Ray was born to Irish American mother who came from a wealthy family but worked as a bartender and dancer and Austrian immigrant father who was an alcoholic who frequently abused him and his mother.(from Child's Play 2012 Facebook Page)

So with this past weekend there was a small reunion of a small part of the cast at the Mad Monster Party in Charolette, North Carolina. Brad Dourif was there to confirm that he will be doing both films. Chris Sarandon was on hand as was Alex Vincent.There are rumors that Christine Hicks will return for the sequal, but that is just a rumor.

Call me crazy but I enjoyed this series but this is just another studio that is using the old tried and true, when in doubt make a sequal. But after Seed of Chucky are we sure that we want another one?

I also realize that there is allot of money for a studio to make when re-making a successful series of films but if the original remake does well that means Chucky is yet to be permently buried.

Childs Play(1988) made $44,196,684 worldwide it cost nine million to make and made just over 6 million the opening weekend

Childs Play 2(1990)made $35,763,605 worldwide with it costing 13 million to make with just over 10 million on opening weekend alone.

Child's Play 3(1991)still costing about $13 million dollars to make this third in the series made only about 21 million worldwide with its opening weekend at just over five million dollars.This along with Seed of Chucky are the weaker of the series.

Bride of Chucky(1998)Ten years after the original they had an original title instead of Child's Play 4 and they added Jennifer Tilly into the mix.This added allot to the series(in my eyes)and hope she makes a return in the next chapter.
This film was 25 million to make with fifty million dollars worldwide and and 11 million dollar opening weekend.
This is my personal favorite of all the series I just loved the whole Frankenstein connection etc with a twist(very twisted)I think allot of you out there share that opinion as this was the most successful one of the series.

Seed of Chucky(2004)This was the worst one in the series for me it was just bad overall.
This one cost 12 million to make made just over 24 million worldwide and had an opening weekend of just 8 million that after the success of the previous film.

All this being said and regardless of what you may think of these films, I appreciate that even with all of this technology that is at the fingers of these studios they still make the automated dolls for these films, they refuse to go to Computer Generated Images they want these dolls as a part of the stage as the actors.

Here is a 10 minute look at Kevin Yeager and his work behind the scenes with the dolls.
I have always been fasinated with puppets so I applaud his work on these films.

I thank you for reading this

Written by

Anthony Nadeau

with some creditied quotes

Please Note: If you are reading this through an email subscription you will not be able to view the videos on any of those, please click the Behind The Scenes link at the bottom and it will take you to that article

Upcoming Movies: The Hobbit-The Desolation of Smaug Trailer is Here!! Also Behind The Scenes Video- June 13, 2013

2013-06-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

With loving of the first part of the trilogy of films even with only a small glimpse of what it to come next in the second chapter, I can easily say I am as excited as I was when the second chapter of Star Wars came out.
Here is the trailer for the 2nd part of this great story that comes out December 13, 2013.

This trailer gave me goosebumps and those goosebumps were at the very end when Smaug debuts.This is one of my favorite books of all time loved the story of Bilbo it has so much more depth than Lord of the Rings for me anyway.
Here is the first featurette on the film:
June 14, 2013:

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Independent Film Review: The Hit Girl(2013)

2013-06-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

The benefits of the internet(for me anyways)outweigh the negative for with this blog I am constantly being asked to watch someone's film or hear there music and while it all may not be for me, more often than not I do enjoy what I see/hear.

James A Ward contacted me through social media to ask if I would like to see his film, I of course being a lover of all types of films said yes-he then sent me a dvd of the film.

Story synopsis:

THE HIT GIRL tells the story of a hit man, who while on assignment comes into contact with a magical statue which transforms him into a teenage girl.

The opening of the film is some friends playing a board game and the Bill(James Castle Stevens) who is a hitman comes in and all hell breaks loose.

On his way there are some funny lines where he is trying to come up with his own tag lines for when he kills people.

He then goes to a meeting spot(picture above)and hands over a laptop that has some very incriminating evidence on it that can put the older man in jail.

Bill has a job that he does very well and takes very serious and his next job puts him in the same town as his sister

and his niece who they have some great scenes together somewhat arguing about movies and the lines that were in them.

There is a genuine love for films and filmmaking in this film a passion for the films that he is making mention of and some overall really fun parts in the film as well.

This of course plays like an Independent film and if you are not a fan of smaller films and only like the bigger budget films then look elsewhere. However if you like films where the kidnapper tells the history of his tattoos and for what film they are-then you are going to enjoy yourself as well.

While the action plays out slower than a Hollywood flick there is some good action and all around decent performances-there is even some good cinematography.

Directed, Edited and Co-written by James A.Ward this is well written and creates the right amount of tension-and comedy as well when the kidnappers are waiting for their victim to arrive the man in the back seat says "Turn the car off" the two men in the front turn and look at him and he says "It's bad for the environment".

James and some of the cast of the film at the premiere of "The Hit Girl"

If you like what you see why not support this film and buy it from the makers so they can make more films for us to enjoy.

The Hit Girl Facebook Page

The Hit Girl Website

Thank you for reading this

Sincerely

Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Evile- Skull(Releases June 11, 2013)Century Media Records

2013-06-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

NEW RATING!
IF AN ALBUM GETS THIS-IT MEANS THIS IS AN AMAZING PIECE OF MUSIC.

There are those albums you hear and whether anyone agrees with you or not you know that that album or song speaks to you, this album is one of those for me.

With the introduction of "Underworld" as the first song on the album this sounded familuar and yet fresh as well, with 4ARM practically standing next to them this is a welcome to the thrash era.

This is hard hitting old school Metallica, Megadeth etc with welcome arms I welcome this band to the vast world of metal. for those that don't know what that is-sorry about your damn luck as you are missing out on some great music.

The more I play this album it reminds me of the early days of Metallica not comparing this band and their music to them, however their utter aggressiveness in their music and their skills of writing and recording some great music, and they may also see a huge stage as Metallica has however for me Metallica has lost that edge that the newer bands are picking up and running away with. There always has to be someone to light a new torch and keep the fire burning.

The video below is from their last album "Five Serpent's Teeth"

"The Naked Sun" is a pulse pounding rhythm session and some great riffs and chord breaks this will for sure leave a lasting impression.

Thank you for reading this

Sincerely

Anthony Nadeau

I will leave you with a audio of "Words of the Dead"

CD Review: Fejd-Nagelfar(Releases June 11, 2013)Napalm Records

2013-06-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the great expression that is music this some more fantastic music from a band that is " Arguably the only true authentic Scandinavian Folk band on the planet!" according to their bio also singing in their native tongue which makes it all the more magical music.

There are some instruments I am unsure what they are but they use them in this song(video below)
For something far from the ordinary that you won't see on the TV for music videos check out their video.

Yet another band that I have not heard before this album, I am so fortunate to be able to hear all this great music as living in a small community such as mine stores carrying this style of music are miles away.

The title song is a very strong piece that has many an instrument being played throughout and this is a great song so many time changes throughout.
I like this sound from this band totally unique sounding and some great playing from all the members of this band and vocals are good as well.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Scale The Summit-The Migration(Releases June 11, 2013)Prosthetic Records

2013-06-07T21:32:00.001-07:00

When you get so many albums come across your desk there are so many choices to make especially when it just myself doing the reviews it is hard to be able to get to all the ones you want to but then there are those that you need to get out just to help those bands that deserve that extra push.
Very few times will you hear an entire Heavy Metal album that is a complete instrumental and so technically profound musically speaking as you do with this album-this is what would happen if RUSH decided they would do an all instrumental album, what a great idea that would be!

This is an incredible feat for an album the music so vivid in its sounds-the harmonies made with the guitars and the jazzy styles that are mixed into all of it really is some exciting stuff.

Musically speaking by the looks of the band they seem very young and are incredibly talented musicians I am just sorry I missed them last night at The Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, from what I hear they were the highlight of the night.

Thank you for reading this

Sincerely

Anthony Nadeau

Little Shop Movie Review: A Good Day To Die Hard(Releases June 4th, 2013)

2013-06-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I dressed the window the little different this week as there is another addition to the Die Hard series, Welcome to the Party Pal is a quote from the first film but for the lovers of that film I do not need to tell you that. Welcome is for Jack McClain that has about as much heart as his father John.The welcoming only comes as I can see if there is in fact a 6th film that Jack will heading the film-the character maybe not the dry actor portraying him.

There are very few good villains anymore Hans Gruber was killed in the first film, they killed Darth Vader in the 3rd Star Wars film, Gene Siskel said it best "A film is only as good as it's villian".
When watching films I seriously always look for how well the villian is written and displayed-well I can tell you the villian in this film is as lame as a villian in a Spy Kids film.

There is a car chase and normally I love those in action films in "Die Hard With A Vengeance" there was a great chase through Central Park, but this one was such a typical chase where are the "Terminator 2" chases?

There were many an explosion and who would watch an action film without some, right? Well these are just written to keep you awake from the boredom. There are some films that this can be compared too-Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menace, The Godfather III & Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier, this one hurt almost as much as Star Wars Episode 1, honest.
Gone are the funny one liners this is all tired and done to death, Bruce Willis looks totally bored playing Mclain again and we feel it right through the lens-there is no chemistry between he and his son and I realize that is of little importance here as they have been apart for sometime now(3 years)but I am even talking about the actors there is nothing there.

I hope you all realize how much it hurts me to really slam this film but this film was done with no heart or love for the series at all.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Movie Review: AE:Apocalypse Earth(Released May 28th, 2013)The Asylum

2013-05-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

There are those films that are way over promoted and by the time you get around to seeing them you are disappointed -this is the exact opposite of that on all counts.

The Asylum being such a small studio they do not have the money to hype as major studios do, so I will some here.

When earth is being attacked(the reason is never explained)but Lt. Frank Baum(Adrian Paul-Highlander TV Series 1992-1998)leads the charge in getting people off this rock.

The special effects are decent in this film but what helps the most for the film is the strong score by Chris Ridenhour it has all the elements needed to help push the film along.I had a chance to ask Chris what his inspirations for the score and who his inspirations are, he kindly responded with this:

As far as inspiration, Thunder Levin(Writer & Director)and I are big Jerry Goldsmith fans. I also love Basil Poledouris, big bold, epic themes with alot of heart.

In this score I have a theme for every character and develop them throughout. Thunder was very much a part of keeping the score on track with his vision.

Minus some of the shots in the film like a lengthy walk by a river and some rather weak performances this film is one of the better Sci-Fi films I have seen in a while. After crash landing on another planet they come into contact with other beings and creatures of different sizes, they are not friendly(of course)

Capt. Sam Crowe(Richard Grieco-21 Jump Street & Veronica Mars)is more like the Chewbacca of the crew his hair is a mess and he has very few speaking lines a number of shots of his face and him saying nothing.

Tim(Gray Hawks-left standing)is a cyborg computer who looks like he should work for Data from Star Trek or Computer Geeks whichever he might have the joy of doing.

From what I am reading with the other reviews on IMDB I am alone on this view of this film but that is usually the way it goes for me anyways.

I was entertained and even though there were simular events and aliens used(Predator cloaking)this was an enjoyable bit of time spent.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Little Shop Movie Review: Dark Skies & Promised Land

2013-05-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought it was safe to be alone in your own home again the producers of "Insidious" and "Sinister"(seem to producing a number of these types of films sometimes they don't work, however this is a creepy Close Encounter.

One night when Lacy Barrett(Keri Russell)wakes and walks to the family kitchen she is startled when she sees the families food all stacked from the floor to the roof.
There are many reasons that this little film works the believability of the characters and their surroundings.

Lacy is a Realtor and is taking a couple through a walk through of the house she is selling and she walks over to the sliding glass doors and starts pounding her head against them, much to the surprise of the couple. She is told by her boss to take some much needed rest.

There are some brief glimpses of the aliens that are in this film but that is what makes this film work as well, brief appearances help keep the suspense of the film, which works until the end the film just ends all of a sudden and that was disappointing as the rest of the film was great.

So with little knowledge other than the fact that this film starred Matt Damon and Frances McDormand(she is one of my favorite actresses) I also read about it. Matt Damon also co-wrote this script I found it interesting how much it resembled that of "Local Hero" with Burt Lancaster.

Story Synopsis for Local Hero:
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.

This film doesn't even have half the charm that Local Hero does.

Everything here has been done over and over to death and the characters are not interesting they all have secrets and the are sneeky, just was uninterested.

This is an average told story I can only imagine how bad it would have been if Matt Damon went ahead with the original idea of him directing this is bad enough with Gus Van Sant directing.

All Films reviewed for "Little Shop Of Movies" are provided by rental from Jim Barr(Owner)

CD Review: Leprous-Coal(Releases May 28th, 2013)Inside Out Music

2013-05-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Harmonies and a catchy tune await us for the first song "Foe" then the next song leads in with a piano that follows throughout the song, there is some great work here and we are only at song #2.

This is another band that I have not had the pleasure of hearing before this album they had a previous release in 2011 that was a hit for them in the underground circuits.

Leprous-The Cloak Video(click here)

(Band's Bio)

The absolute pinnacle of their career, this far, is however “Coal” – the brand new album which willbe released on May 20th, 2013 in Europe and May 28th, 2013 in North America via InsideOutMusic. “Coal” was produced by Heidi Solberg Tveitan and Vegard Tveitan of Mnemosyne together with
LEPROUS and mixed by Jens Bogren as well as mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios (Kreator, Opeth, Symphony X; etc.). Vocalist and synth-player Einar Solberg comments on the approach for the release by stating: "Being
under hard pressure with a feeling of having a huge mountain to climb in a very short time,
releases a kind of wild and untamed energy in you. Free of the boundaries of others expectations,
with loosened chains of your calculating brain. Only then can you walk one step closer towards the ultimate honesty of your unique expression”, before reflecting to add: “With “Coal” I feel we are one step closer to this honesty. In this recording process, a lot of the choices we made were based
upon impulsiveness. However, when you are lucky enough to have inspiring and skillful producers around you, they can help you to reach these completely honest layers of your subconscious. If you are too rehearsed, too sure about what you will do, it is hard to retrieve this musical spontaneity
you had when you originally composed your part. If you manage to press the record button exactly when you perform with this kind of energy, you have succeeded to catch something pure and true.”

And when asked to explain the new material’s nature a bit more in detail, Solberg neutrally replied: “I see less interest in defining music than in creating music, but I will give a short overview on what to expect. “Coal” is a more melancholic and darker album than the more playful “Bilateral”. By darker I don’t mean more aggressive, but more severe. There is still a big range in the dynamics, but no jumping between different moods within a song."

This is some incredible music being played and hopefully they will tour Canada one day I would love to see this performed live."The Valley" is well over eight minutes long and fantastic stuff.

Thank you for reading this

Sincerely

Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Shining-One, One, One (Releases May 28th, 2013)Prosthetic Records

2013-05-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

NEW RATING!
IF AN ALBUM GETS THIS-IT MEANS THIS IS AN AMAZING PIECE OF MUSIC
THIS RATING IS A FIRST FOR
BEHIND THE SCENES

Think if Fishbone was heavy metal then that might slightly describe the sound coming from Shining at least for the song "The One Inside".

The rest of the songs so many sounds like punky/New Wave music meets Slipknot, definitly not for the radio listening people.

This band is so unique it is really hard to describe just a mix of Jane's Addiction mixed with Ministry and Marilyn Manson, Tom Waits and Nine Inch Nails.

I love this album there is so much going on here musically that makes me get goosebumps as this is so creative and wonderful to hear this fantastic album.

This incredible album deserves more attention than it might get there is an astounding amount of talent in this band and not to take anything away from any other bands that have music coming out this year but this is easily my favorite album thus far in the year.

The main thing for me with the music is the unpredictability of it all this goes in so many directions there are many obvious inspirations for the making of this music but whomever that might be they have made this their own element and this is incredible stuff folks." Walk Away Master" is easily my favorite track from the album(if I had to pick just one), I have played that track about 6 times--that is due to the fantastic and fierce drumming and singing that happens here. I would be shocked if anyone could possibly give this anything less than 4 stars, personally I have added another star just for this review there is a chance that I could use that for some other reviews this year-we shall see.

Thank you for reading this

Sincerely

Anthony Nadeau

& thanks Shining for this incredible piece of music!

CD Review-Dark Tranquility-Construct(Releases May 28, 2013)Century Media Records

2013-05-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Having just reviewed their EP in October of last year I was surprised to see this album come across my desk, not that I am not happy with it-it is quite the opposite I was quite pleased to see and hear it, it was just amazing that they would have enough material already and to be able to record and have it ready for next week.

Not ones to disappoint since I first heard them this is a heavy music journey with a number of breaks of just some good music.
The riffs are great the vocals ever brutal but with some structure as well.As they show in the video below.

This is somewhat of a heavier album than their last one for the most part their song "What Only You Know" slows down and there are clear vocals then it gets heavy again. The stronger song is "Weight of the End" great bass line throughout and some good riffs on the guitar. "Photon Dreams" is the instrumental about 2 minutes long but has some great riffs and drumming here.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Satan-Life Sentence(Releases May 21, 2013)Listenable Records

2013-05-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

(Band's Bio)

Satan are a heavy metal band originating from Newcastle, England in 1980, known as part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement. Though generally obscure throughout their career, the band is considered influential for playing a form of proto thrash metal that was fairly advanced by the standards of the early 1980s.

Because this is a band from that time when there was some great metal acts appearing not just from Europe but from around the globe, this has that classic feel to the music. The vocal styling is clear listenable metal, guitars and drums well played all around this band is tight.

The songs are strongly written and the band shows it's true place in the genre of metal. Sad that some will not listen to this band just for the bands name would invoke the thought that this is satanic music this is some great music not really heavy but more of classic rock sound.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Little Shop Movie Review: Mama, The Last Stand & Texas Chainsaw 3D

2013-05-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

The film opens with us panning upon a parked car with the drivers side open and the news playing on the radio telling us that there has been a shooting and that the man has fled the scene. As it turns the owner of the car is the man from the shooting he had shot two of his co-workers and he has fled to his estranged wifes home to do the same to her. He then flees with his two daughters Victoria & Lilly. He heads to the highway and drives quickly out of town.
They have an accident and he takes them to an old abandoned house in the middle of the woods, he plans to kill his daughters then without warning something attacks him and takes him away, from the darkness--Mama.

The children are found (Five years later)by some searchers hired by their uncle and to make this a bit quicker for you folks and less of a giveaway of the film they are sent to live with their uncle and his girlfriend. This instills anger in Mama and she comes looking for them and has some real rath.

The whole premise of the film is original and the pacing had me and my wife being shocked and horrified by the things that Mama did at the same time loving it as we are huge horror fans and this was the best ghost story I have seen in recent memory.

Mama is not all about revenge she was a woman that was locked up because she was sick and put in a state mental hospital and she broke out and stole her child back in her escape the child died and it is about her getting that lost child back.
There are some real goosebump scenes and some where I was just in awe of the awesomeness of the story so simple yet so well told and played out.

In the end this is a story of a mothers love for her child and what she will do to get that child back and with that loss maybe take care of some children that got lost along the way, great classic storytelling this is easily one of the best horror films I have ever seen. A true pleasure to watch for me as it is nice that some people still know how to truly tell a good story.

Below is the short film that inspired the making of the feature film.
Then following that is the trailer right after in the same little window below.

If you like your action like I do a knock down, drag out, not so worried about a solid plot but enough of a story to keep you interested then The Last Stand is for you.
Returning to his real chair of being the action hero Arnold does not miss a beat here as a local sheriff that has some drug cartel that wants to pass through his small town on his way out of the country to Mexico. He is not convinced by his deputy to sit this one out and look the other way-never not Arnold.

This very simular story to that of High Noon with Gary Cooper where the bad gang was passing through, this is no High Noon but it is a good vehicle to an aging star.

The action was well done and the lines that you would expect from Arnold are here and he delivers quite well on all accounts.

Forest Whittaker is one of those actors you always know even if the film is just ok his performance will stand out, he does not dissapoint here as the lead FBI agent after the drug cartel as he did escape from FBI hands.

For what it is worth this film starts with highlights from the original horror classic, for those newbies that probably have not even seen the classic film. Where that film leaves off this follows and very convincingly however I just felt it another trap for horror fans knowing that the ever loving horror fan(myself included)would see it hoping for something new and fresh but as the film progresses we are shown the same thing-leatherface captures and kills -wow, really?

There is some originality in this film where we first pick up, but the standard carnage takes over and this is tiring and ruined the film for me. The scene that did bother me is where Leatherface sews the new mask onto his face.

Once again this becomes more about family than most of the other films in this series but overall this has been done one to many times already -this series needs to die.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

The Asylum Movie Review: 40 Days & Nights

2013-05-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Picture modified from an image from the internet, posters belonging to The Asylum and the water image from the internet-all compiled by Anthony Nadeau

So with an open mind to the disaster that was to appear before me I knew this would be cheezy but did not know what kind of cheeze.
Much to my surprise it was not of any cheeze brand at all well done little disaster flick, however we are just speaking of the storm it was the only convincing aspect of the film.

We start off with some friends going for a drive that encounter the storm with demise and then we are shifted to a bunker where John(Alex Carter)(above)is making a habitat that will hold 50, 000 people.

His fiance is Tessa(Monica Kenna)(above)and she is microbiologist that needs to collect certain DNA to keep the population in check if the storm should destroy us all.

The situations are the same in every disaster film there are those that are only in it for themselves and others that are willing to save everyone. Either way it does not hold water with all the stiff acting with the exception of a few of the actors most notably Alex Carter he seems like an Academy award winner amongst this group.

The storm is done well for this studio a number of people panned this only for the special effects but the studio is smaller than most studios remember that smaller studios do not have the Dennis Murens of the world and if they do they are surely limited to the funds available as well to make those really expensive shots.

For what it's worth the effects here were better than Super Cyclone.There is a painstaking part near the end that seems to go on forever when the crew of the vessel are staring out of the window and the camera pans left to right and right to left the crew says absolutely nothing for about 30 seconds yet we are not shown anything they see just the camera panning back and forth.

Pathetic and boring.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

EP Review: False Flag-False Flag(Self Released)2013

2013-05-15T22:48:00.001-07:00

Russ Gauthier Guitarist/singer of the band contacted me through Facebook and asked me to review their album, very pleased to do so Russ.

With guns blaring False Flag has nothing false about their approach to heavy metal this is no holds barred metal, guttural singing -bitchin' bass lines, great guitar riffs and demonic drumming this is a case of great metal folks!

I cannot say what is my favorite track but if I had to it would be "Consequence" for sure this is killer stuff.

False Flag on Bandcamp(click here)

(Bio from ReverbNation)
Low Tuned Heavy Metal from Calgary, Alberta. Canada.
Formed in late 2012, consisting of 8 String Guitarist/Vocalist Russ Gauthier, Drummer Nick Purdy, and Garrett McElroy on Bass. False Flag has since written and recorded the 4 song EP entitled "Orobas" (2013) Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by their own bassist. Taking influences from bands like Pantera, Meshuggah and The Acacia Strain, False Flag is designed for sonic destruction of the senses. The heaviest 3 piece band around. Period.

The more I listen to this album the better it gets even though it is only a 4 song EP this is just a teaser for those that love Heavy Metal, hope they have a full record out soon.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Tribulation-The Formulas of Death(Releases May 14th, 2013)The Anja Offensive

2013-05-15T08:40:00.002-07:00

Not a big fan of death metal but this sure had my ears perking up for the constant brilliance of the music that is played here by far better than most in any genre of Heavy/Death/Black Metal etc.

There is never a dull moment on this album the guitar work alone is great but the classic elements and the overall abundance of great musical work is one that will for sure go in the books(for metal fans anyways)

When The Sky is Black with Devils(song on Facebook Page)

To experience Tribulation live is larger than death - sprung from the west of Sweden, the phantoms creeps out of the dark and takes a chilling grasp around your throat with huge, hypnotic music - cleanse your mind and journey beyond what you think you know.

I am overly impressed with this album and it's depth for this has so much going on musically and for those that just push it to the side and say it is just Heavy Metal have just limited themselves to the status quo. For upon listening to this I was unsure as to what I was going to hear with all the previous reviews of this album.

•"Mark my words, this is what WATAIN would’ve sounded like in three albums had Tribulation not arrived here first. Hats off and horns up to Tribulation!" - Decibel [10/10 rating]
•"A deeply impressive album, in which every listener will find their own favorite moments. They will continue to uncover new ideas each time it is played" - MetalReviews.com [9.4/10 rating, "Album of the Month"]
•"A remarkable turn from the Swedes here, a band spreading their black wings wide – and casting a formidable shadow in the process" - MetalIreland.com [4.6/5 rating]
•"A stellar piece of metal" - AveNoctum.com [8.5/10 rating]
•"Ultimately an impressive, otherworldly album that will no doubt have people shitting themselves at its level of aesthetic vision and musicianship...overflowing with creativity" - From the Dust Returned webzine [8.5/10 rating]
•"Metamorphoses such as these are rare, and ought to be savored" - Last Rites webzine [8.5/10 rating]
•"An eclectic and highly original release" - MetalMusicArchives.com [4/5 rating]
•"They truly push genre boundaries to the limit...when it comes to overall consistency in quality, not many can compare" - SputnikMusic.com [8/10 rating]
•"This baby won’t knock you out in the first round. But give it time and you’ll be hanging to the ropes, gasping for air and begging your corner man to throw in the towel" - TheMidlandsRocks.com [8/10 rating]
•"It's hard to swallow, it's demanding, it's unique, it's brilliant...The old ways are torn asunder, Tribulation have been reborn" - Voices From The Darkside
•"If you have any interest in black or death metal, or any kind of quality music, then you need this in your life, as it's simply a brilliant piece of metal engineering. Album Of The Year material" - MetalStorm.net

Tribulation streams NEW album(click here)

I am going to state here that this will probably be revered as highly as Metallica's Master of Puppets or Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast for bringing this style of metal to more than just the underground, not saying that Tribulation might have that mass appeal as those previous albums or bands did and still do , but stranger things have happened.
Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Ape Machine-Mangled by the Machine(Releases May 14th, 2013)Ripple Music

2013-05-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

From Band's Bio:

A true four-piece, Portland, Oregon’s APE MACHINE has been called “a rock and roll band with a finger on the pulse of the 70’s and their asses firmly in the present” and “real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation” that delivers “true guts and glory rock and roll.” Combining psychedelic, classic and progressive rock with arena-worthy metal, bluesy stoner-rock and catchy riffs in odd signatures.

Judging by their pictures available to the press and those online this band does not care much about image as they clearly care about making some great music.

Refreshing to see as there are so many bands that care about their image more than the quailty of the music that they represent and have to play almost nightly, it might as well be something that you actually like.

Songs like "Gun You Down" and "Angry Man" have some great classic feel to them with some new age of Rock in there as well.
Quickly likable are Ape Machine and also from one of my favorite places in the U.S. as well have fond memories of Portland of me and my sister visiting our Grandparents there.

The album was recorded as one long continuous track in one take.(according to their press release)

So there ends this review but in closing this will easily be one of my favorites of 2013, without a doubt.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Little Shop of Movies Review:Lay The Favorite Plus Other New Titles This Week

2013-05-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

So the title of the film is actually a gambling term. This was my understanding anyways after watching this film. A smaller film with a whole lot of charm and conviction but what else would you expect from Stephen Frears?

Beth(Rebbecca Hall)plays a former stripper that moves to Vegas to start over, little does she know about gambling however is very good at numbers. She is recruited by Dink(Bruce Willis)as a bookie even though he says that's not what it is.
She brings good luck to Dink and his business but not in the way that most films play out-she becomes enamored with him but he is married and fires her.

His wife Tulip(Catherine Zeta-Jones)does not care for the fact that her husband has hired a woman with the business and makes it quite clear.
The film is based on the memoirs of Beth Raymour the initial reviews of others has this panned but I found it quite engaging just from the performances themselves, this is a slice of life just something somewhat different, not entirely different but a well told story. I find if things are not blowing up or people getting mangled these days other people find it boring.

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
(Please note for those of you that receive this via email newsletter there are trailers for each of the films after the pictures)

This week has turned out to be Catherine Zeta-Jones week.
Just shy of Mother's Day the family of terror and cannibalism is back for another stab at the horror.This is of course Texas Chainsaw 3d this is the seventh in the series with no apparent reason to stop here.

If you like long movies that you takes you there and back again or even better through time and space then check out Cloud Atlas with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry:
Synopsis:
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Here is the new film by the always good Stephen Soderbergh who's breakthrough film "Sex, Lies & Videotape" was(and still is)one of my favorite films the year it came out.This one is called "Side Effects"

That's the rundown of this weeks releases go visit the great folks at Little Shop of Movies today.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Little Shop Movie Review: Jack Reacher & Silver Linings Playbook

2013-05-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

(Story Synopsis)

A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims.

Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher a man on a mission for the truth, he is not the investigator in the film.

So the world is full of heroes but when the hero is not a very likable one then how does that play out? When a man of Tom Cruise's stature can pretty well do anything he likes(Eyes Wide Shut)and be successful at it(Mission Impossible film series)then we could not possibly expect anything but him being the bast at what he does, right?

Well if you need some convincing then speak to the 5 men that try to take him out in this quite dry and overlong film that really has a hard time starting and slowly moves around, let's try saying this was trying to be The Departed without the mafia and Scorsese.
There are so many plot twists and hidden agenda's I quickly lost interest in the story.

Always the macho man is Cruise, always better than the guy sitting next to you on the bus. He tried be an everyman and also succeeded with Jerry McQuire.
For me these kind of films are getting really tiring and this has nothing fresh to offer the viewer, same old song and dance.

Some of the fight scenes, when he takes on the five young men and two guys later in the film are done well but had this movie been cut by a good half an hour the pacing would have been better and less of the lawyer talk if you want to keep your audience awake.

But that is just my opinion why not rent it on Tuesday May 7th and see what you think--then why not let me know if you agree or not.

There are romances and then there is this film, never really sure what it is about but maybe that is because the characters seem more real than some of what has been on screen lately.

From the moment Pat(Bradley Cooper) meets Tiffany(Jennifer Lawrence) he is enamered by her and we are swept into their world. Unlike a many romance both of the lead characters are very unstable and can snap any second, but that is what makes this story so watchable-they just seem more like someone you or I might know.

Jennifer Lawrence has been incredible in everything I have seen her in-I have yet to see the Hunger Games-she was award worthy in Winters Bone.

The parents are were Pat is staying and has some troubles with books, a video of his wedding really messes things up with them and a Stevie Wonder song that was played at his wedding.

I can see why this movie was so well received as this is very strong in family values and the support system that we all seek whether it be with somewhat strangers, friends you met while you are away from family and the family that is always there through thick and thin.

Below is a music video for the movie.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

The Asylum Movie Review: Super Cyclone(2012)

2013-05-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I wrote about not being able to see any recent films by The Asylum. This one came out last Sept but I watched it last night.

Nicholas Tutturro(Travis) stars with Super Cyclone that is started by an oil rigger that accidentally drills into an under water volcano, find that hard to believe?Well they are convincing in their race to try and stop it from destroying millions of peoples lives.

Ming-Na Wen is also convincing in her part as Dr Jenna Sparks there are many times she speaks of the cyclone and says the title of the film to where it is almost laughable. But her convincing performance actually stops you from doing so.

The special effects are typical for this studio and when you are low budget I cannot expect more, but their graphic for the oil rigger station main operations room are good.They are trying to restore balance to the rigger after the ocean floor shifts from the volcano.

Darin Cooper stars as Colonel Lee Chadwick who remains calm as he needs to as to see that the situation gets handled properly. His restrain serves him well until one of his top pilots is taken by the storm, he does not want any more lives lost so the Dr. and Travis(Tutturro) get into a helicopter and take on the storm themselves this is where it got corny for me.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

CD Review-My Own Chaos-My Own Chaos(Self Released)

2013-05-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

When the world has so many female lead singers or vocal artists is it really fair to compare them all? No I say even though I have in the past. This band is awesome lead by the great vocal prowess by Connie Chaos.

The overall likeness and creative edge that is brought on by this band is fantastic. The title track of the album "Because of Me" is killer her vocals are hard and controlled, the music fast a great beat!(have a look at the live performance video below to see them)

MY OWN CHAOS is a Vancouver based metal band that mixes traditional metal with thrash and straight ahead Metal.Together they built a solid and immediate connection that laid the foundation for My Own Chaos.

MY OWN CHAOS` brand of heavy metal takes the listener through melodic, hardcore and outright angst with its many mood swings. The album takes you on a journey of self-revelations as it moves through a period of self-destructive behavior. Uniting a wide variety of influences from such bands as Pantera, Ministry, Strapping Young Lad, Jane’s Addiction, Faith No More and Static X the band carves a unique sound for themselves.The end result is sugar-coated strychnine.

After already accomplishing a few successful tours across Canada, MY OWN CHAOS is currently writing new material and will soon be hitting the studio to record their second album. There is hope... Maybe

I feel honored to know Connie and have been a fan of their music since first hearing it and that is only because it holds up on it's own not because she is a friend.

I missed seeing them play last month in Surrey but this reviewer/fan is going to get on the My Own Chaos bus and be at the next show.

My Own Chaos-Hella Good(No Doubt Cover)click here!

Today I was needing some info for the review so I asked Connie via Facebook and she replied with this.

"We self released it then it got picked up by Blue Pie later. We spent about 9 months in the studio recording it and have a variety of guest stars on it like Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) and Joey Keithley (DOA) We are currently writing the final songs for the new album and have already begun the pre-production planning process."

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

Little Shop Movie Review: The Impossible-True Story Brings True Fear & Emotion

2013-04-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

I was sent this film almost a month ahead of time before the Oscars. The film opens with the family flying to their vacation place. The story is the true story of a family and this is an incredible story and makes a heart wrenching film.

When the tsunami hits there is utter fear in my heart it is incredibly real and the actors are really swept into the waters.

The scenes are harrowing and extremely well played out by the entire cast. The family is broken into two groups Naomi Watts(Maria) and the eldest son(Lucas) are together and they help a young boy that is stranded by the waters. Ewan Mcgregor(Henry) and the two youngest boys(Thomas & Simon) are together, they are miles apart as a family but have hope to reunite with each other.

Here Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor are with the real surviving family of the Tsunami at the Hollywood premiere of the film.

The Incredible scenes that were filmed for this movie and the realism that captures your heart and thoughts with all those that lost their lives that day is really hard to put to words.

There are unsung heroes in this tale of massive destruction and death. The young Lucas is given a challenge of reuniting families when the fate of the rest of his family is uncertain.

Below is a Behind The Scenes looks at the making of the film.

This is one of those films that stay with you long, long after you watch it, knowing that this happened but also the makers, actors etc that did this should be commended as to keeping it real and not making it trivial and overdone.

As a father of two young boys I felt the heartache that this family was going through as if I was there with them, I was enthralled and caught up in the moment of the desire to be reunited with each other and yet when the time came Lucas made the call out for people that had family that also might have loved ones that survived as well.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau

CD Review: Revelation-Inner Harbor(Releases April 30th, 2013)Shadow Kingdom Records

2013-04-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

When an album cover these days is as harmless as four lads from Liverpool crossing the street or just a Zeppelin on the cover, you cannot assume anything about the music-these days are no different.
This is one of those unassuming covers where you are unsure what is beneath it, well this is just great groovy doom tunes man.

(From bands bio)
April 30th, 2013 will see the release of Inner Harbor, the newest album from long-running prog rock/doom outfit REVELATION. In existence since the mid-80's REVELATION has earned the respect of many bands and fans from all around the world and are often credited with creating the Progressive Doom Metal genre. They've taken the very best sounds of Rush, Black Sabbath, and early Heavy Metal to create yet another masterpiece amongst a catalog of many with Inner Harbor. This is quite possibly the band's most fluid and laid-back release to date. While the sound is difficult to pinpoint, one can hear classic REVELATION mixed in with a dash of 70's Italian Progressive Rock. The music flows through you so smoothly and freely, that you're going to feel like you're in a state of deep relaxed meditation.

This is some great music that really reminds me of my youth in the sense of the type of music that was being played in the 70's and this sounds like it was recorded back then.

Thank you for reading this
Sincerely
Anthony Nadeau