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Showing all reviews beginning with Bl
Blood: The Last Vampire
Blood: The Last Vampire follows a young girl named Saya, the last living original vampire and part of a team hunting down and destroying demons. Although pretty short (48 mins or so), this is a great movie, the animation looks really nice, and is a mixture of 2D and 3D CGI. The movie contains both English and Japanese dialog as it is set in a US airforce base in Japan so the Americans speak English and the Japanese speak Japanese. The story is good and the battles between Saya and the demons are great, apart from being a little on the shortside this film is very good and well worth watching.
Ecliptic
Ecliptic is the second EP from UK band The Blueprint which features Mark Clayden (ex Pitchshifter) on Bass and Karl Middleton (ex Earthtone9) as lead vocalist. Both Pitchshifter and Earthtone9 were great UK metal bands, so it is great to see Mark and Karl together in another project. Having seen the band live before hearing the first EP, I was very impressed by the music and the first EP zero-zero-one was great, so what's their second offering like? Well, having listened to it I can say that is as good as the first EP, containg 6 tracks and coming in at just over 20 minutes, the songs are pretty good, the guitar and drums are great and Karl's vocals fit in perfectly, if they continue like this I can see them gaining the same following as Earthtone9 did. I'm really looking forward to their first full length album and hope that they play up here again sometime soon.
Bloodred Hatred
Is it Thrash Metal, is it Death Metal? Do I care? It rocks and that's enough for me. Denmark's Hatesphere's second studio album, Bloodred Hatred is pretty good. With guitars which range from crunching to squealing through fast riffs and excellent drumming, Hatesphere show us that it's not only the American's which have the stranglehold on the current metal scene. With catchy riffs a plenty, Bloodred Hatred is one album that has been playing continously since I picked it up.
Blunt
A couple of years ago I picked up Jor's debut album Blunt after hearing them on the Radio One rock show. In recent times, there has been some great metal coming out of England, Jor, Landmine Spring and Coma Kai to name a few. Jor are one of those bands. The 9 track album runs to less than 40 minutes and every song is a classic, great guitars, drums and vocals which are heavy without descending into screaming.
Jor are proof that the English metal scene is still alive and with less well known acts like Jor, Landmine Spring producing great albums like this who needs the bucket loads of nu-metal pish which the Americans are currently churning out.
Blow
Blow tells the true story of George Jung (Johnny Depp) a man who was a bug time player in the American Cocaine market during the 70's. The film chronicles Jung's life from when he moved to California in the early 70's and started dealing Marijuana, realising he could make more money importing it himself he started flying Marijuana over the border from Mexico. While spending time in jail his cellmate was an American of Columbian descent who knew about Cocaine, so on his release from prison, Jung moved from importing Marijauna to importing Cocaine.
The film takes us through the ups and downs of Jung's life as an importer of illegal drugs into the United States. The story is a very interesting one and entertaining throughout. Depp gives an outstanding performance and with supporting roles from Penelope Cruz and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Supremacy).
Overal, great story, great acting and a well made film.
The Black Angel
Ikko, the grand-daughter of a Yakuza boss is raised from birth as the daughter of the boss, but at the age of 6 when her family is wiped out in a bloody power struggle, she is put onto a plane to L.A. by a female assassin who goes by the moniker "The Black Angel".
At the age of 20, Ikko returns to Tokyo to avenge the death of her father, going under the pseudonym of "The Black Angel" whom she respects and looks up to. When the original Black Angel is hired by the Yakuza to capture Ikko they are violently reunited.
Director Takashi Ishii (Gonin) gives us what he's good at, an action packed Yakuza movie full of guns, explosions and general violence. While perhaps not as well shot as other Yakuza movies by director's such as Takashi Miike or Takeshi Kitano; The Black Angel has a decent plot and enough action to keep the viewer entertained throughout. If you're looking for an exciting Yakuza action movie then The Black Angel is well worth watching.
Black Angel 2
In true Takashi Ishii style, this sequel to Black Angel isn't so much of a sequel in terms of plot or character but more a continuation of the themes from the original. With the Black Angel having a different name and being played by a different actress.
The film tells the story of Mayu, a lone female assassin (The Black Angel of the title). When a hit on a gang boss goes wrong a young woman's husband is killed in the confusion. Mayu is thrown together with the man's widow as the woman seeks revenge for her husband's death and Mayu finishes her contract.
Black Angel 2 is typical Takashi Ishii, a dark gritty film about the seedy Tokyo underworld, with strong female characters. Each of the main character's in the film are interesting and while the film doesn't have a high budget feel or sheen it is well worth watching for fans of Ishii, or Yakuza movies in general.
Bloody Brotherhood
Two Chinese brothers, Chueng Ka-Wai and Cheung Ka-Wah (Andy Lau) attempt to enter Hong-Kong illegally in search of a better life. Ka-Wai is caught and sent back to the mainland, whereas Ka-Wah makes the crossing and starts a new life in Hong Kong.
He initially workers as a hawker on the streets, but when his stall is attacked by some Triad's looking for protection he goes to their boss, Tong Fai, with an intent to beat him. Impressed by Ka-Wai's bravado, Tong Fai hires him and he slowly begins his rise in the Triads.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Ka-Wai eventually returns to Hong Kong as a killer for a rival gang and finds himself in a fight with his brother.
Bloody Brotherhood is a story of Triads and organised crime with a tone of the importance of family and brotherhood. The plot is pretty predictable and as soon as Ka-Wai returns you know that his paths will cross with Ka-Wah's.
There are a number of big action fight scenes and Andy Lau has some impressive martial arts moves. Well presented and well worth a watch if you are a fan of Triad movies.
Zwartboek (Black Book)
Set during the occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Black Book follows Rachel, a young Jewish women in hiding from the Nazi's. When her safe house is bombed by a damaged plane ditching bombs in order to climb, she is given the opportunity to escape to Belgium. But things don't go as planned and her entire family along with everyone else on the boat are murdered by the German army. She is picked up by members of the dutch resistance who persaude her to undertake a dangerous mission to get close to a German officer in order to bug the Gestapo headquarters.
Black Book is a war drama which focuses on life in the occupied Netherlands rather than fighting on the front lines. Well made and presented throughout, with great acting from the cast. The plot is decent, although the film does seem to lose direction at the end turning into a bit of a mess for a short time.
Overall, a well made an interesting film which could have been better in places but which is excellent for the most part.
Blood Diamond
Set in Sierra Leone during the height of it's brutal civil war, Blood Diamond follows Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) a Fisherman from a rural village. When militia men come to his town, he is separated from his wife and children, while they go on the run, he is put to work in a forced labour camp searching for diamonds to fund the anti government R.U.F.
When he finds a large diamond, he attempts to conceal it from the gunmen holding him captive but as he hides it, the camp is stormed by Government troops who jail both the R.U.F. gunmen and the workers in the camp. It is in jail where Vandy meets diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Archer sees his chance to get rich off Vandy's find and goes about offering him the chance to get his family back in exchange for a share of the profits from the diamond.
While predominantly an action movie, the film's subject area has strong warnings of the damage caused by so called conflict diamonds. Diamonds smuggled out of war torn African states and sold to make money to buy weapons. The action scenes are epic, although seem a little over the top in parts and while the plot is obviously fictional; there is enough to link it with the real world to make it interesting and extremely watchable.
Overall, an excellent action movie with a serious issue behind it.
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a spoof western; when a black railroad worker is made sheriff of a small town inhabited by racists, he must win the hearts of the people to help save them and their town from a evil Attorney General who wants to seize their land so that when the railroad comes through the town he can make money off the back of it.
The film satirises not only the Wild West genre of films, but also racial intolerance and hatred. The comedy aspect is great, with most of the jokes still as funny and relevant as when it was written over 30 years ago.
Overall, a well written and immensley enjoyable comedy which has aged very well.
Black Narcissus
When a group of 5 nuns are sent to open a new convent high in the Himalayas with the idea of running a school and a small hospital, they find themselves in a world which is far different from what they are used to. Lonely and with a somewhat cold reaction from the locals, they each seem out of their depths in this foreign habitat.
The film is pretty much driven by the characterisation of the Nuns and their reaction to their new surroundings with little real plot. This is done reasonably well for the first part as the scene is being set but I found by the middle of the movie it wore on a little. The ending brings in some drama and all things considered is captivating and holds the attention.
Overall, Black Narcissus is a reasonable watch and contains some interesting scenes.
Blood Car
In the near future, petrol prices have risen so high that only the very rich can afford to drive, cars lay unused in junk yards. Archie Andrews is a vegan primary school teacher who spends his spare time tinkering with an engine he hopes to get running on wheat grass juice thus solving America's problems.
While tinkering one day, he cuts his finger and discovers that his engine runs on human blood, after a quick transfusion he is up and running but his new found wheels catch the sights of the woman from the meat stall and in order to keep her impressed he must find new sources of fuel for his car.
Blood Car is a completely ridiculous horror/comedy with very dark humour and a ton of nudity/swearing and violence. The low budget feel is reminiscent of early Peter Jackson. For the most part the comedy and situations Archie finds himself in are pretty funny, a lot simply because of bad taste. A couple of gags miss their mark, and some attempts at political satire towards the end feel slightly out of place.
Overall, a low budget film which is entertaining and humourous.
Blade Runner
In the not too distant future, special police units called Blade Runner's are tasked with finding and expiring rouge cyborgs who are so advanced as to be almost indistinguishable from human being. Blade Runner follows one such cop, Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is sent out to bring in a group of 4 cyborgs who are trying to discover how they can bypass their built in expiry date.
Set in a glorious futuristic L.A., Blade Runner is as much a gritty cop drama as it is Sci-Fi, with a great plot, some amazing sets and great action sequences, there's something for everyone. Now released in Hi-Def, the film looks stunning with vivid colours.
Overall, an amazing film, with is timeless, having lost none of its impact in the 27 years since its release.
Black Dynamite
Scott Sanders' Black Dynamite tells the story of the titular Black Dynamite, an African-American man in the 70's fighting to avenge the death of his brother who was killed by "The Man". The screenplay sees Dynamite take on number of enemies with his "Kung Fu", uncovering corruption that leads all the way to the top.
The film is a very tongue in cheek spoof of 1970's Blaxpoitation movies which makes for hilarious consequences. Every about the film fits in with the genre films it aims to parody, the 70's look of the film stock, dodgy editing, (deliberatley) bad acting, a hokey script, visible technical equipment. You name it, it's there. From the outset the gags come thick and fast, there's very few that fall flat and there is a very high rate of jokes, with incredible attention to detail leading to smaller hidden jokes of which I am sure there are many I didn't even see.
All in all, Black Dynamite has to be one of the funniest films of the year, a spoof which is done properly, unlike the tirade of "insert-genre-here Movie" films which has passed for parody recently.
Black Snake Moan
Rae (Christina Ricci) is widely regarded as the local hussy, psychological trauma from her past leaves her with an impulse to block out bad memories by sleeping with anyone who she can. When Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), a local farmer with demons of his own, finds her at the side of the road beaten and unconscious he takes her into his house with the goal of nursing her back to health and saving her soul.
Black Snake Moan is a story of two flawed characters who through an unlikely friendship improve their lives. Both Ricci and Jackson are excellent in their respective roles, although a short part from Justin Timberlake in the role of Rae's boyfriend is less than stellar.
The plot is pretty good and is a unique and interesting story. The main characters are also interesting especially as their friendship develops and we learn more about them.
Overall, a pretty good film which is a little way off the normal mainstream path.
Blood Money
While on one of my web searching binges craving new music to listen to, I came across an article somewhere entitle the top 20 thrash metal albums of 2008. It sounded like just my thing, so I fired up Spotify and gave them a listen. Guillotine's Blood Money was one of the keepers and I promptly bought the CD.
After a few listens, I'm happy to report that it's pretty good. Straight out thrash with some excellent guitars and some catchy vocal hooks, it's clocked up a good few plays on my iPod.
If you like early 90's/late 80's thrash, you should enjoy this album. It seems like thrash is back and in my book that's only a good thing.
Blades of Glory
A comedy looking at the world of professional figure skating, Blades of Glory stars love him or hate him shouty man Will Ferrell and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder.
Heder plays the golden boy of men's figure skating, Jimmy MacElroy. A young man plucked from an orphanage by a rich man who has trained him to skate from the age of 4. Ferrel's Chazz Michael Michaels is the complete opposite, the bad boy of the sport. When the two tie for gold in an internation competition, a fight breaks out on the podium leading to both receiving life-time bans from the sport.
3 years later, both are washed up and have forgotten about skating, but when MacElroy learns of a loophole which will allow him to compete in the figure skating pairs event, a series of events lead him and Michael Michaels into entering as the first 2 man figure skating pairs team.
Staples of any comedy then follow ergo, they make up their differences and learn to get along.
With a ridiculous plot and some truly WTF? moments, Blades of Glory is actually reasonably enjoyable. Ferrell is perhaps less annoying that usual and Heder plays the gormless MacElroy to a tee. There are some genuinley hilarious scenes and much of the rest of the filler is not without its charms.
All in all, a movie which is complete trash but is still funny and entertaining.
Blood: The Last Vampire
Director:
Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Year: 2000
Language: Japanese, English
Country: 日本 (Japan)
Blood: The Last Vampire follows a young girl named Saya, the last living original vampire and part of a team hunting down and destroying demons. Although pretty short (48 mins or so), this is a great movie, the animation looks really nice, and is a mixture of 2D and 3D CGI. The movie contains both English and Japanese dialog as it is set in a US airforce base in Japan so the Americans speak English and the Japanese speak Japanese. The story is good and the battles between Saya and the demons are great, apart from being a little on the shortside this film is very good and well worth watching.
Dave W - 28th September, 2003 - 22:11
Artist:
The Blueprint
Year: 2003
Genre:
Metal
Ecliptic is the second EP from UK band The Blueprint which features Mark Clayden (ex Pitchshifter) on Bass and Karl Middleton (ex Earthtone9) as lead vocalist. Both Pitchshifter and Earthtone9 were great UK metal bands, so it is great to see Mark and Karl together in another project. Having seen the band live before hearing the first EP, I was very impressed by the music and the first EP zero-zero-one was great, so what's their second offering like? Well, having listened to it I can say that is as good as the first EP, containg 6 tracks and coming in at just over 20 minutes, the songs are pretty good, the guitar and drums are great and Karl's vocals fit in perfectly, if they continue like this I can see them gaining the same following as Earthtone9 did. I'm really looking forward to their first full length album and hope that they play up here again sometime soon.
Dave W - 7th September, 2003 - 00:52
Is it Thrash Metal, is it Death Metal? Do I care? It rocks and that's enough for me. Denmark's Hatesphere's second studio album, Bloodred Hatred is pretty good. With guitars which range from crunching to squealing through fast riffs and excellent drumming, Hatesphere show us that it's not only the American's which have the stranglehold on the current metal scene. With catchy riffs a plenty, Bloodred Hatred is one album that has been playing continously since I picked it up.
Dave W - 15th August, 2004 - 18:03
A couple of years ago I picked up Jor's debut album Blunt after hearing them on the Radio One rock show. In recent times, there has been some great metal coming out of England, Jor, Landmine Spring and Coma Kai to name a few. Jor are one of those bands. The 9 track album runs to less than 40 minutes and every song is a classic, great guitars, drums and vocals which are heavy without descending into screaming.
Jor are proof that the English metal scene is still alive and with less well known acts like Jor, Landmine Spring producing great albums like this who needs the bucket loads of nu-metal pish which the Americans are currently churning out.
Dave W - 21st October, 2004 - 22:18
Blow tells the true story of George Jung (Johnny Depp) a man who was a bug time player in the American Cocaine market during the 70's. The film chronicles Jung's life from when he moved to California in the early 70's and started dealing Marijuana, realising he could make more money importing it himself he started flying Marijuana over the border from Mexico. While spending time in jail his cellmate was an American of Columbian descent who knew about Cocaine, so on his release from prison, Jung moved from importing Marijauna to importing Cocaine.
The film takes us through the ups and downs of Jung's life as an importer of illegal drugs into the United States. The story is a very interesting one and entertaining throughout. Depp gives an outstanding performance and with supporting roles from Penelope Cruz and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Supremacy).
Overal, great story, great acting and a well made film.
Dave W - 6th April, 2005 - 18:26
Director:
Takashi Ishii
Year: 1997
Language: 日本語 (Japanese) (English Sub)
Country: 日本 (Japan)
Ikko, the grand-daughter of a Yakuza boss is raised from birth as the daughter of the boss, but at the age of 6 when her family is wiped out in a bloody power struggle, she is put onto a plane to L.A. by a female assassin who goes by the moniker "The Black Angel".
At the age of 20, Ikko returns to Tokyo to avenge the death of her father, going under the pseudonym of "The Black Angel" whom she respects and looks up to. When the original Black Angel is hired by the Yakuza to capture Ikko they are violently reunited.
Director Takashi Ishii (Gonin) gives us what he's good at, an action packed Yakuza movie full of guns, explosions and general violence. While perhaps not as well shot as other Yakuza movies by director's such as Takashi Miike or Takeshi Kitano; The Black Angel has a decent plot and enough action to keep the viewer entertained throughout. If you're looking for an exciting Yakuza action movie then The Black Angel is well worth watching.
Dave W - 22nd August, 2005 - 13:58
Director:
Takashi Ishii
Year: 1999
Language: 日本語 (Japanese) (English Sub)
Country: 日本 (Japan)
In true Takashi Ishii style, this sequel to Black Angel isn't so much of a sequel in terms of plot or character but more a continuation of the themes from the original. With the Black Angel having a different name and being played by a different actress.
The film tells the story of Mayu, a lone female assassin (The Black Angel of the title). When a hit on a gang boss goes wrong a young woman's husband is killed in the confusion. Mayu is thrown together with the man's widow as the woman seeks revenge for her husband's death and Mayu finishes her contract.
Black Angel 2 is typical Takashi Ishii, a dark gritty film about the seedy Tokyo underworld, with strong female characters. Each of the main character's in the film are interesting and while the film doesn't have a high budget feel or sheen it is well worth watching for fans of Ishii, or Yakuza movies in general.
Dave W - 22nd November, 2005 - 13:57
Director:
Lung Wei Wang
Year: 1989
Language: Cantonese (English Sub)
Country: Hong-Kong
Two Chinese brothers, Chueng Ka-Wai and Cheung Ka-Wah (Andy Lau) attempt to enter Hong-Kong illegally in search of a better life. Ka-Wai is caught and sent back to the mainland, whereas Ka-Wah makes the crossing and starts a new life in Hong Kong.
He initially workers as a hawker on the streets, but when his stall is attacked by some Triad's looking for protection he goes to their boss, Tong Fai, with an intent to beat him. Impressed by Ka-Wai's bravado, Tong Fai hires him and he slowly begins his rise in the Triads.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Ka-Wai eventually returns to Hong Kong as a killer for a rival gang and finds himself in a fight with his brother.
Bloody Brotherhood is a story of Triads and organised crime with a tone of the importance of family and brotherhood. The plot is pretty predictable and as soon as Ka-Wai returns you know that his paths will cross with Ka-Wah's.
There are a number of big action fight scenes and Andy Lau has some impressive martial arts moves. Well presented and well worth a watch if you are a fan of Triad movies.
Dave W - 7th December, 2006 - 12:57
Director:
Paul Verhoeven
Year: 2006
Language: Dutch, German (English Sub)
Country: The Netherlands
Set during the occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Black Book follows Rachel, a young Jewish women in hiding from the Nazi's. When her safe house is bombed by a damaged plane ditching bombs in order to climb, she is given the opportunity to escape to Belgium. But things don't go as planned and her entire family along with everyone else on the boat are murdered by the German army. She is picked up by members of the dutch resistance who persaude her to undertake a dangerous mission to get close to a German officer in order to bug the Gestapo headquarters.
Black Book is a war drama which focuses on life in the occupied Netherlands rather than fighting on the front lines. Well made and presented throughout, with great acting from the cast. The plot is decent, although the film does seem to lose direction at the end turning into a bit of a mess for a short time.
Overall, a well made an interesting film which could have been better in places but which is excellent for the most part.
Dave W - 26th January, 2007 - 12:53
Director:
Edward Zwick
Year: 2006
Language: English
Country: America
Set in Sierra Leone during the height of it's brutal civil war, Blood Diamond follows Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) a Fisherman from a rural village. When militia men come to his town, he is separated from his wife and children, while they go on the run, he is put to work in a forced labour camp searching for diamonds to fund the anti government R.U.F.
When he finds a large diamond, he attempts to conceal it from the gunmen holding him captive but as he hides it, the camp is stormed by Government troops who jail both the R.U.F. gunmen and the workers in the camp. It is in jail where Vandy meets diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Archer sees his chance to get rich off Vandy's find and goes about offering him the chance to get his family back in exchange for a share of the profits from the diamond.
While predominantly an action movie, the film's subject area has strong warnings of the damage caused by so called conflict diamonds. Diamonds smuggled out of war torn African states and sold to make money to buy weapons. The action scenes are epic, although seem a little over the top in parts and while the plot is obviously fictional; there is enough to link it with the real world to make it interesting and extremely watchable.
Overall, an excellent action movie with a serious issue behind it.
Dave W - 13th February, 2007 - 18:33
Director:
Mel Brooks
Year: 1974
Language: English
Country: America
Blazing Saddles is a spoof western; when a black railroad worker is made sheriff of a small town inhabited by racists, he must win the hearts of the people to help save them and their town from a evil Attorney General who wants to seize their land so that when the railroad comes through the town he can make money off the back of it.
The film satirises not only the Wild West genre of films, but also racial intolerance and hatred. The comedy aspect is great, with most of the jokes still as funny and relevant as when it was written over 30 years ago.
Overall, a well written and immensley enjoyable comedy which has aged very well.
Dave W - 24th June, 2007 - 16:42
When a group of 5 nuns are sent to open a new convent high in the Himalayas with the idea of running a school and a small hospital, they find themselves in a world which is far different from what they are used to. Lonely and with a somewhat cold reaction from the locals, they each seem out of their depths in this foreign habitat.
The film is pretty much driven by the characterisation of the Nuns and their reaction to their new surroundings with little real plot. This is done reasonably well for the first part as the scene is being set but I found by the middle of the movie it wore on a little. The ending brings in some drama and all things considered is captivating and holds the attention.
Overall, Black Narcissus is a reasonable watch and contains some interesting scenes.
Dave W - 17th March, 2008 - 18:42
In the near future, petrol prices have risen so high that only the very rich can afford to drive, cars lay unused in junk yards. Archie Andrews is a vegan primary school teacher who spends his spare time tinkering with an engine he hopes to get running on wheat grass juice thus solving America's problems.
While tinkering one day, he cuts his finger and discovers that his engine runs on human blood, after a quick transfusion he is up and running but his new found wheels catch the sights of the woman from the meat stall and in order to keep her impressed he must find new sources of fuel for his car.
Blood Car is a completely ridiculous horror/comedy with very dark humour and a ton of nudity/swearing and violence. The low budget feel is reminiscent of early Peter Jackson. For the most part the comedy and situations Archie finds himself in are pretty funny, a lot simply because of bad taste. A couple of gags miss their mark, and some attempts at political satire towards the end feel slightly out of place.
Overall, a low budget film which is entertaining and humourous.
Dave W - 20th June, 2008 - 12:50
Director:
Ridley Scott
Year: 1982
Language: English
Country: America
In the not too distant future, special police units called Blade Runner's are tasked with finding and expiring rouge cyborgs who are so advanced as to be almost indistinguishable from human being. Blade Runner follows one such cop, Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is sent out to bring in a group of 4 cyborgs who are trying to discover how they can bypass their built in expiry date.
Set in a glorious futuristic L.A., Blade Runner is as much a gritty cop drama as it is Sci-Fi, with a great plot, some amazing sets and great action sequences, there's something for everyone. Now released in Hi-Def, the film looks stunning with vivid colours.
Overall, an amazing film, with is timeless, having lost none of its impact in the 27 years since its release.
Dave W - 17th February, 2009 - 12:27
Director:
Scott Sanders
Year: 2009
Language: English
Country: America
Scott Sanders' Black Dynamite tells the story of the titular Black Dynamite, an African-American man in the 70's fighting to avenge the death of his brother who was killed by "The Man". The screenplay sees Dynamite take on number of enemies with his "Kung Fu", uncovering corruption that leads all the way to the top.
The film is a very tongue in cheek spoof of 1970's Blaxpoitation movies which makes for hilarious consequences. Every about the film fits in with the genre films it aims to parody, the 70's look of the film stock, dodgy editing, (deliberatley) bad acting, a hokey script, visible technical equipment. You name it, it's there. From the outset the gags come thick and fast, there's very few that fall flat and there is a very high rate of jokes, with incredible attention to detail leading to smaller hidden jokes of which I am sure there are many I didn't even see.
All in all, Black Dynamite has to be one of the funniest films of the year, a spoof which is done properly, unlike the tirade of "insert-genre-here Movie" films which has passed for parody recently.
Dave W - 25th June, 2009 - 13:19
Director:
Craig Brewer
Year: 2006
Language: English
Country: America
Rae (Christina Ricci) is widely regarded as the local hussy, psychological trauma from her past leaves her with an impulse to block out bad memories by sleeping with anyone who she can. When Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), a local farmer with demons of his own, finds her at the side of the road beaten and unconscious he takes her into his house with the goal of nursing her back to health and saving her soul.
Black Snake Moan is a story of two flawed characters who through an unlikely friendship improve their lives. Both Ricci and Jackson are excellent in their respective roles, although a short part from Justin Timberlake in the role of Rae's boyfriend is less than stellar.
The plot is pretty good and is a unique and interesting story. The main characters are also interesting especially as their friendship develops and we learn more about them.
Overall, a pretty good film which is a little way off the normal mainstream path.
Dave W - 26th August, 2009 - 12:43
Artist:
Guillotine
Year: 2008
Genre:
Thrash Metal
While on one of my web searching binges craving new music to listen to, I came across an article somewhere entitle the top 20 thrash metal albums of 2008. It sounded like just my thing, so I fired up Spotify and gave them a listen. Guillotine's Blood Money was one of the keepers and I promptly bought the CD.
After a few listens, I'm happy to report that it's pretty good. Straight out thrash with some excellent guitars and some catchy vocal hooks, it's clocked up a good few plays on my iPod.
If you like early 90's/late 80's thrash, you should enjoy this album. It seems like thrash is back and in my book that's only a good thing.
Dave W - 15th October, 2009 - 21:25
A comedy looking at the world of professional figure skating, Blades of Glory stars love him or hate him shouty man Will Ferrell and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder.
Heder plays the golden boy of men's figure skating, Jimmy MacElroy. A young man plucked from an orphanage by a rich man who has trained him to skate from the age of 4. Ferrel's Chazz Michael Michaels is the complete opposite, the bad boy of the sport. When the two tie for gold in an internation competition, a fight breaks out on the podium leading to both receiving life-time bans from the sport.
3 years later, both are washed up and have forgotten about skating, but when MacElroy learns of a loophole which will allow him to compete in the figure skating pairs event, a series of events lead him and Michael Michaels into entering as the first 2 man figure skating pairs team.
Staples of any comedy then follow ergo, they make up their differences and learn to get along.
With a ridiculous plot and some truly WTF? moments, Blades of Glory is actually reasonably enjoyable. Ferrell is perhaps less annoying that usual and Heder plays the gormless MacElroy to a tee. There are some genuinley hilarious scenes and much of the rest of the filler is not without its charms.
All in all, a movie which is complete trash but is still funny and entertaining.
Dave W - 7th February, 2010 - 10:35
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