MOVIE: The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

US 2014, Orion Pictures/Blumhouse, Cert 15

Distributor/DVD: Metrodome (UK)

It's 65 years since a masked serial killer was on the loose in the small town of Texarkana, and the elder residents are still smarting over the 1976 film which documented the crimes. A local drive-in decides to screen the movie amidst much protest, but there are bigger things to worry about as a series of copycat killings are about to tear the community apart again... 

In an interesting twist on the usual reboot, this is part remake and part sequel, inhabiting a reality where the original film, and the killings therein are very much a part of the local fabric. Excerpts from the 1976 movie crop up all over the place, playing idly on TV sets or being studied as research by the law enforcers. Those familiar with the not-so-classic film will appreciate the visual references in the lookalike murders.

It does eventually try to double-twist itself that bit too much, but the 21st century model of The Town That Dreaded Sundown is an entertaining, occasionally inventive slasher which does manage the rare feat of improving on its source, although to be fair that can't have been difficult...

It's also nice to see MGM reviving the Orion Pictures name, but surely this should be American International territory?

In selected UK cinemas now, due on UK DVD on August 17th.

MOVIE: As Above, So Below (2014)

US/France 2014, 93m,  Cert 15
Universal/Legendary

DVD/Blu-Ray: Universal (UK)

Exploring the catacombs below Paris, a team of academics and their guides are seeking the fabled philosopher's stone, recording their search on camera as they go. The deeper they travel, the more the tunnels reveal their dark side. If they are to have any chance of escape, each member of the party must face their personal demons...

Another day, another shaky-cam found footage job. What makes this one especially frustrating is that it's otherwise an effective little chiller, with a fantastic setting in the Parisienne catacombs which oozes natural atmosphere. It would have been nice to enjoy more of the interiors, but the decision to shoot the whole thing in this increasingly passe style strips the film of much of its visual appeal. It can't quite ruin things entirely, and As Above, So Below is still well worth a peek, but you'll probably need a couple of breaks and some aspirin to get through. A shame, as there's a lot of interesting ideas here.

Attention film-makers - you do know camcorders come with auto-stabilisation these days, don't you?

MOVIE: Deliver Us From Evil (2014)

 

US 2014, 118m, Cert 15 (UK)
Screen Gems/Jerry Bruckheimer Films

DVD/Blu-Ray: Sony (UK)


New York police officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) is a lapsed Catholic, forced to confront his issues with his faith as he investigates a series of horrific crimes, which appear to be linked to three soldiers who served in Iraq. All may be the victims of demonic possession, and a renegade priest (Edgar Ramirez) eventually convinces Sarchie that he may need some divine intervention to solve the cases, and protect his family from dark forces...


Firstly, I know Scott Derrickson is capable of making a half-decent horror flick. I enjoyed his rethink of The Day The Earth Stood Still, and also admired Sinister which, despite its stupid-on-the-surface plot managed to transcend its material to become an effectively creepy little chiller.

So, here I am feeling somewhat nonplussed by his recent effort, Deliver Us From Evil, and yet I've been struggling to put my finger on what exactly is wrong with it.

It's possibly several things which contribute to its failure to engage as it should. Like Hammer's misfire The Quiet Ones, it all looks fine on paper, and yet there is a niggling feeling that this has all been done before, and done better. It also shares that film's penchant for cranking the volume up to 11 in a laboured attempt at generating shock-scares which you will already have anticipated. Still, this being a Jerry Bruckheimer production, a pummelling of the eardrums is par for the course. Which brings me on to the musical soundtrack...

Whilst I would normally welcome hearing The Doors in any context, the heavy use of their music here seems hamfisted at best, and displays a complete misunderstanding of what made them tick, twisting their words to suit whatever point it is the film tries to make. Fans of the band will cringe and giggle in equal measure, particularly when a possessed soul states "the ceremony is about to begin" as an exorcism gets underway. Maybe Jim Morrison would have been amused...

Amidst the confused and baffling tale unravelling, not to mention some questionable rhetoric about treating mental illness as a spiritual rather than medical condition, in its better moments the film does have the entertainment value of resembling a particularly outlandish episode of CSI. On that level, Deliver Us From Evil is perhaps worth an hour of your time (if it's raining), but unfortunately runs for twice that length. 

SINGLE: FATHER JOHN MISTY - Chateau Lobby #4 (2014)

Getting a lot of play 'round here is this track from former Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tillman, an infectiously catchy paean to his wife, with the kind of lush backing and chugging rhythm that made all those great Roy Orbison records so brilliant.

Chateau Lobby #4 comes from his second outing under the Father John Misty moniker, I Love You, Honeybear, out on February 10th in the UK through Bella Union, and Sub Pop in the USA. The deluxe vinyl edition looks a very tempting proposition indeed...

Meanwhile, the track is available as a FLAC lossless download from 7digital. (This blog doesn't do MP3 if it can help it). Click below to hear it...

MOVIE: A Long Way Down (2014)

UK 2014, 96m, Cert 15
Wildgaze/BBC Films/DCM

DVD: Lionsgate (UK)


Four disparate strangers (Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots) discover that they have all chosen to commit suicide by jumping from the same building on New Year's Eve. Making a pact not to proceed with their plans before Valentine's Day, they form an unlikely alliance...

Whilst Nick Hornby's writing isn't entirely to my taste, I have enjoyed some screen adaptations of his work (High Fidelity immediately springs to mind), so I was quite intrigued by this particular release, as well as its cast list. 

Sadly, what looks like an interesting premise on paper is somewhat let down in execution. The leaden script really doesn't help matters, and before long the whole thing degenerates into bog-standard Notting Hill-esque traipses. Attempts to combine the comedy and drama elements feel somewhat clumsy at times, and by the conclusion you're left with the distinct impression that you've been lured into watching a rom-com under false pretenses.

Brosnan, Collette and Paul do their best with what they have, but Poots' ditsy girly routine soon becomes tiresome and downright irritating. Disappointing indeed.

MOVIE: The Quiet Ones (2014)

UK/US 2014, 98m, Exclusive/Hammer/Travelling Picture Show Company
Blu-Ray: Lionsgate (UK), Cert 15.

England, 1974. An Oxford University lecturer enlists the assistance of some students, hoping to cure a girl of what appears to be a form of possession, which the professor refutes. In attempting to disprove dark forces, he unwittingly unleashes them...

The 21st Century model of Hammer follow up the roaring success of the admittedly flawed but actually pretty good The Woman In Black with a change in period for this tale of possible possession set in the early 1970's.

You can tell it's the 70's because Slade and T. Rex are on the radio (although an anachronistic cover of Hawkwind's Silver Machine blows the gaffe somewhat). They also appear on the soundtrack in VERY LOUD BURSTS. Much as I love the tones of Noddy Holder, there is a limit.

You can also tell it's the 70's because everyone seems to smoke a lot (in university lectures!), and has dodgy fashion sense. At least the makers stop short of having the cast bouncing around on Spacehoppers and eating Spangles, but you get the general idea. Meanwhile, Erin Richards' get-up of flowery dress and cigarette holder may have been striking on Carnaby Street for a short period in 1967, but in 1974? Really?

The story must have looked promising on paper, and it's hard to work out how it could have gone so wrong in reaching the screen. I personally suspect a rewrite too many might be partially responsible. Then, there's the casting. You can't help feeling that the actors were chosen to improve chances of US distribution, rather than for any actual suitability for the roles. I fear the dreaded "demographic research" has been at work again. I can see the marketing people saying "Hey, Mad Men is popular, and the kids love The Hunger Games, let's just cast someone from each flick. We can't lose!"

Indeed... This transatlantic casting trick may have helped the company in making b-features in the 1950's, but it looks all too calculated these days. The usually reliable Jared Harris hams it up, whilst Sam Claflin just doesn't convince as the nominal hero. Only Olivia Cooke as the tormented Jane Harper really makes a mark.

The scares frequently fail to register, mainly because you'll anticipate any shock moments a good couple of seconds before they happen (the irritating, dischordant sounds cranked up to 11 really don't help). Dress it up all you like, but regardless of how retro you make it appear, that found footage look is really wearing thin now, and the other cliches never stop. Despite the very nicely rendered period trappings, it all falls rather flat.

The Quiet Ones strives to emulate the likes of 70's TV drama The Stone Tape and its ilk, whilst failing to get a grip on what made such productions tick. Funnily enough, The Stone Tape was directed by Hammer alumnus Peter Sasdy. It's a pity that nobody involved with this disappointing endeavour asked him for some pointers...

It's not the worst film you will see this year - beautifully made from a visual and technical point of view, the cinematography and colour palette are quite reminiscent of the kind of film stock used in the period. The real problem is that The Quiet Ones falls woefully short of the high standards you should expect from the Hammer brand, whose current owners would do well to remember that they can't trade on goodwill from fans forever...



If you want to see what the film was supposedly inspired by (VERY loosely, I might add), find out more here.

MOVIES: In Brief (7th July 2014)

Barricade (2012, SES, 15) finds a widowed father and his two children stranded at a remote lodge in a severe blizzard, under attack from what may or may not be a malevolent force. It's not entirely clear, even at the end of the movie, whether the supernatural has had a hand in things, and you're not sure if it's been a shaggy dog story of sorts. However, it's very well acted and beautifully shot, with some effective moments. It wisely doesn't overstay its welcome either, at a slender 75 minutes. Flawed, but worth your time.

In Camp Dread (2014, Image Entertainment, 18), film producer Eric Roberts has a hidden agenda when he holds a reality show/contest where he shot a series of slasher flicks in the 80's, assisted by Sleepaway Camp's Felissa Rose. It's an interesting central idea, but the actual execution sadly leaves a lot to be desired - the script has holes big enough to drive a tank through, the continuity jumps haphazardly, and call me picky but I do like my slasher flicks to have a bit more actual slashing. When it does start kicking off, it all just falls a bit flat, as does the potentially effective twist near the end. A disappointment all round which squanders its leads - Roberts in particular looks like he would rather be somewhere, indeed anywhere else. Don't be fooled by Danielle Harris's billing, either - she's hardly in it. Camp Dreadful would be more apt, unfortunately.

Definitely with a feel of the 80's (in a good way, don't worry) is No One Lives (2012, Anchor Bay, 18), but it's also a refreshing blend of elements with the novel twist of a psychopath being a hero of sorts. This is the sort of oddball indie movie that Medusa Home Video would have picked up in a flash back in the day, albeit considerably slicker than most of their fare. Aided by some marvellously executed prosthetics, it sticks two fingers up at the usual generic CGI in favour of some gruesome effects you can get a more tangible grip on. It perhaps over eggs the pudding somewhat towards its climax, but overall this is a solid shocker with plenty of high octane action which aims for something different and, on the whole succeeds. Don't over analyse the logic and you're in for a fun time.

Mr Jones (2013, Anchor Bay, 15) has a couple seeking a year of solitude at a secluded cabin, only to stumble upon a mysterious maker of scarecrows who seems to be a malevoent Banksy, sending his works out into the art world seemingly randomly. Whilst not a great movie (far from it), I can't entirely dislike a film which tries something a little different with the camcorder-in-the-woods template, blending documentary/talking heads elements into the mix. It is at least bold in its intent and an occasionally engaging curio, but that shaky-cam is feeling seriously old hat these days. Still, in his first feature, director Karl Mueller shows plenty of technical talent and might be worth watching.

SINGLE: Dark Bells - In Head (2014)

UK: Record In Peace (digital download)


Following up last year's singles Wildflower and Want, Australian/UK trio Dark Bells come up with another psych-tinged corker, accompanied by this suitably trippy video - best enjoyed on a big screen.

There's sadly no vinyl version of In Head at the time of writing, but I hear it should on the b-side of a forthcoming release (yes!). This bunch are superb live - catch them if you can.

Now... when's the album coming?

Read more at darkbells.co.uk

LIVE: Temples - Bournemouth Old Firestation 7/3/2014

James Bagshaw - vocals, guitar
Thomas Warmsley - bass, vocals
Sam Toms - drums
Adam Smith - keyboards, guitar, vocals

It's a slightly surreal experience for me looking around the crowd here tonight. Viewing the younger contingent, huddled up towards the front of the stage is a little like falling through a time hole and looking at myself with my mates 25 years ago. What makes the feeling more pronounced is that there is a real buzz around the band we are about to see, and it's infectious, feeling like that flush of excitement most of us get at some time in our lives when we realise that a band we really love, who seem to have been waiting on the sidelines, are about to make that major leap forward.

Frustratingly, Temples have found it hard to break through to mainstream radio to date (although BBC 6 Music have been championing them). They have an evident affinity with the psychedelic sounds of the late 1960's, but they are not a mere tribute act by any stretch. They pull off that very special trick of sounding very familiar, like an old friend turning up unexpectedly after a long absence, and yet sounding brand spanking new as well. They display their influences and reference points proudly, but are not in awe of them. Their music is not about lifting a lick or a riff, it's about capturing a feel, that same feel that all those great records you love have given you, a far more tricky proposition. That their first long-player has generally managed this beyond any reasonable expectation is nothing short of remarkable.

Looking further back across the crowd, it becomes apparent that there's a far wider spread of people here than initially meets the eye. Veteran gig-goers look on from further back, taking a possibly more cynical view. They've been stung plenty of times, frequently promised this year's next-big-thing, only to be greeted with this season's Emperor's New Clothes. "Right then", their faces seem to say, "show us what you've got". I realise, somewhat reluctantly, that I fall into this group by default, even though in my mind I'm still that same 18-year-old music fanatic I was all those years ago, looking for the next sonic thrill, and this band have got me genuinely excited.

The advance word has been positive to say the least, and from quarters as disparate as tonight's audience: NME gave the debut album, Sun Structures, an 8/10 review, whilst issue 37 of Shindig! had the four lads from Kettering on the front cover, hailing them as "psychedelia's brightest new stars" (I can't wait to see the debate on issue 38's letters page). Then there are the Bolan comparisons made when discussing frontman James Bagshaw. These are probably starting to get on his wick, but it has to be said that he does seem to share at least some of the quietly self assured aura that gave the T.Rex legend his very special star quality, never mind the curly locks.

So, we've established that they can make amazing sounds on record. The question is, can they pull off the same master stroke on stage?

In a word: YES. Opting to perform their LP in its near entirety would appear to be an easy route on the surface, but it's quickly evident that the songs and performances have taken on something of an extra edge on stage since being committed to vinyl. Where the recordings made in their tiny home studio have a carefully crafted perfection, tonight's renditions are altogether more visceral and engulfing. Move With The Season is particularly affecting, whilst A Question Isn't Answered sparks off a mass bounce in the crowd. Even Sand Dance, possibly my least favourite track on the album has been tightened and improved upon tenfold, although I would rather have heard one of my personal faves, The Guesser (ah, well). Meanwhile, a blistering performance of Ankh shows how easily a good track can be squandered on a b-side, managing to sound like glam-stomp and Meddle-era Floyd meeting head on.

Temples leave the stage with Shelter Song, whose appearance on YouTube kick-started this whole caboodle. They encore with the double whammy of Test Of Time and most recent single Mesmerise, and then it's all over, leaving a warm buzz up the spine.

Temples gather up lots of loose ends left behind, not just by psychedelia but anything and everything from glam to classic pop. They gather those loose ends into a ball, and they run with it. How far they can run with it remains to be seen, but they've made an impressive opening sprint. This thing could get big - it is to be hoped that Temples are left to grow organically with it, as there might be something very special here.

SETLIST:

* Colours To Life
* Sun Structures
* Ankh
* A Question Isn't Answered
* The Golden Throne
* Keep In The Dark
* Move With The Season
* Sand Dance
* Shelter Song

 ENCORE:

* Test of Time
* Mesmerise

SINGLE: Temples - Mesmerise (2014)

UK: Heavenly (digital download)

Temples hail from Kettering, and their music can truly be called home-made, as they record in a small room at singer/guitarist James Bagshaw's house, which makes their big sound all the more impressive. This is another slightly psych-tinged offering from the Heavenly label, who have a very interesting roster of acts at the moment (see also TOY - Endlessly).

Mesmerise is the sort of record which seems to be over too quickly, thus making you play it again, then again... next thing you know, the melody of the chorus is firmly embedded in the brain, like the most pleasant of earworms.

The album Sun Structures (Heavenly's 100th album release!) is out on February 10th 2014.

Check out the Temples site at http://templestheband.com/, and download Mesmerise at iTunes.

Also, check out the Heavenly Recordings website at http://heavenlyrecordings.com/

SINGLE: Warpaint - Love Is To Die (2014)

UK: Rough Trade - digital download

Must say, I'm quite optimistic about new music lately, and the new year has already spawned a few tracks which have grabbed my attention. I plan to share a few right here, and open 2014's musical delights with this dreamy, hypnotic piece which has really grown on me.

I've heard a few say this has something of a 1990's feel to it, but I also feel a touch of 80's psych-inflected pop as well, slightly Cocteau Twins-ish, with a touch of The Cure's more drifting moments. I might even dare to call it a bit "shoe-gazey", but with something very fresh of its own.

Hailing from Los Angeles, Warpaint have been together since 2004, but have recently been generating a lot of interest with this track, perhaps in part due to its use in a Calvin Klein ad a few months back (not that you should let that put you off).

"Love Is To Die" is available as a download single, and also appears on Warpaint's self-titled album, just released by Rough Trade. The red vinyl edition looks particularly fetching...

More details at http://warpaintwarpaint.com/