Month: January 2016

Riff of the Day THE DOORS – 5 To 1

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The Doors – 5 To 1 (from the album Waiting For The Sun, Elektra 1968) I may have been seventeen or eighteen when I read No One Here Gets Out Alive; the Danny Sugerman and Jerry Hopkins penned biography on the influential and polarizing Jim Morrison. Myself and a bunch of my friends were heavily into The Doors for a couple years, and the book was my bible for that period of time. I thought “if Morrison can do it, so can I”. There is remains a spot in my heart for this legendary group, and I still look upon the magnetic Jim Morrison as a hero. 5 To 1 is one of my absolute favorites of The Doors. I hope kids of this era are still discovering the bands that I discovered twenty or so years ago. It sure would be nice to get together, one more time.

For an amazing read on enigmatic Rock star, please check out No One Here Gets Out Alive.

Wikipedia – No One Here Gets Out Alive

T.

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In 50 Words…The Forest (2016)

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The Forest (2016)

Directed BY: Jason Zeda

Starring: Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken, Stephanie Vogt

AI-Film, Lava Bear Films, Gramercy Pictures

An American woman, Sara (Dormer), travels to Japan to track down her oft troubled identical twin sister. The trail leads to the Aokiagahara, the “suicide forest” at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The “sea of trees” is a place where people commit suicide, and is widely believed to be haunted. As she finds evidence that her sister may be alive and lost in the forest, Sara will have to confront her past, as well as the supernatural forces of Aokiagahara to uncover the truth.

As a fan of the folklore that comes along with the infamous “suicide forest” in Japan, I was actually intrigued by the possibilities that The Forest could bring to the supernatural genre. Imagine being alone in the forest at night in the dark. No imagine having to worry about ghosts messing with you as you try to keep your sanity. Sounds pretty freaky right? The Forest falls so flat on its face, and almost immediately. For starters, the majority of the forest scenes take place during the day. This is not very effective. The scare count for me was zero. The story was very rushed, and with no real build-up. The history and the creepiness of the Mt. Fuji area is wasted on this film. The Japanese are renowned for their innovative horror films. Hollywood is renowned for taking a scary-as-hell legend and making it suck. I feel bad for Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and first time director Jason Zada, but on the bright side; it can only get better from here. Might as well get the terrible horror project out of the way first. It upsets me to be this harsh, but I have to be honest. The Forest was one of the least interesting films I have seen in quite some time.

1-bloody-moons 1 out of 5 Bloody Moons

If you would like to read some information on Aokiagahara, the”Suicide Forest”, here is what Wikipedia has to say…

Wikipedia – Aokiagahara (Japan)

T.

Riff of the Day: DAVID BOWIE – REBEL REBEL

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I was maybe six or seven years old when I came across David’s Let’s Dance cassette in my aunt’s collection. The name was familiar, but I was a little kid, and had no clue what his music was about. I listened to that cassette, continuously rewinding to hear the title song over and over. To a kid in the early 1980’s, music was Michael Jackson, Prince, Cyndi Lauper and such. I loved all of those performers, but now I am in my thirties (standing with one foot over the line that is forty). I still love M.J. and Prince, but Bowie is the only one who has been a constant influence in my love and creation of music. He could change his style in an instant, and still be relevant and classy. For parts of five decades, he was and will continue to be admired, in the highest regard, by anyone who can recognize talent and charisma. I was honored and blown away by the opportunity to see him perform in 2004. At sixty years old, he commanded the stage and captivated the crowd every moment. Men half his age can only dream of having the appeal and mystique of Mr. Bowie. He went by many personas over the years; The Thin White Duke, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Jareth The Goblin King (Labyrinth), actor, painter, and musician. To me, he is all of these things, in addition to one more persona; Hero. I am grateful to have shared the same time and space with a man who transcended life and was not afraid to be different.

Hot tramp, I love you so.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Bowie.

In 50 Words…HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)

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The Hateful Eight

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth

The Weinstein Company

Runtime: 187 Minutes, Rated: R

A group of traveler’s, consisting of bounty hunters, Civil War veterans, and killers converge on a remote outpost in the heart of the Wyoming wilderness during a severe blizzard. As these strangers seek shelter, each appears to have their own agenda. Is it the storm that brings upon this chance meeting, or is it destiny that has these folks are gathered at Minnie’s Haberdashery on this cold winter’s afternoon?

I always look forward to Quentin Tarantino’s new films simply because they are typically brilliant. The dialogue, acting, and dark humor are always engaging and enjoyable. Those points remain true in his 8th film, The Hateful Eight. The movie comes across like a stage play, as it takes place primarily in one room. The blocking and back ground performance away from the primary action  is well done. I did have one issue with the film that kind of took away from it being close to perfect. The run time, at over three hours, is too long. When the ending came around, it almost seemed like a relief that the movie was over, and lessened the impact of the conclusion for me. Also, the score music seemed incredibly loud in spots, but that could be the fault of the cinema. Overall, an entertaining film, full of humor and violence. Walton Goggins and Samuel Jackson are brilliant, as is Jennifer Jason Leigh. For me, this one falls between Inglorious Basterds and the amazing Django Unchained.

4 Bloody Moons 4 out of 5 Bloody Moons

T.