Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Modest Proposal: Review
My review of "Brother vs. Brother" gets reviewed by Modest Proposal magazine. Fair 'nuff. But believe me, boys, I'd love it if every musician interviewed in Resonance insisted on discussing the Civil War. Fuck it up, if you can, and I'll say right on. It's funny how you can be on the same side as someone and still get called a fascist.
As funny as "Brother vs. Brother" is, I still say there isn't enough to recommend this thing to anyone who won't be getting a promotional copy. It's a 30-minute in-joke filmed like a public access show, and by the half-way mark the point has been made. It sells for about $15. Any takers?
My review of "Brother vs. Brother" gets reviewed by Modest Proposal magazine. Fair 'nuff. But believe me, boys, I'd love it if every musician interviewed in Resonance insisted on discussing the Civil War. Fuck it up, if you can, and I'll say right on. It's funny how you can be on the same side as someone and still get called a fascist.
As funny as "Brother vs. Brother" is, I still say there isn't enough to recommend this thing to anyone who won't be getting a promotional copy. It's a 30-minute in-joke filmed like a public access show, and by the half-way mark the point has been made. It sells for about $15. Any takers?
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
The Class Reunion Massacre
This genuinely disturbing proto-slasher is guilty of the same gaping plot-holes and cardboard characterizations as any other, but a good cast, creepy ambiance and swift pace make it an obscure gem. Filmed in the years before Halloween and Friday the 13th would ensure slavish devotion to the time-honored "Ten Little Indians" template, Class Reunion Massacre embellishes the basic body count plot with a half-baked supernatural back story, tacking on a befuddling prologue and epilogue that add a welcome absurdity. A mystical child rising out of a lake, a third thumb, divinely inspired slayings and a bloodthirsty fire-and-brimstone minister; nothing is ever adequately developed or explained, so the film becomes memorable simply for its opacity alone. Luckily, the cast don't over play what are essentially stock horror victims (avaricious attorney, good-hearted party girl, sensible lesbian, etc.), so there's real tension during the murder set-pieces, particularly a brutal ladies' room drowning featuring Jeanetta Arnette and scene-chewing psycho T.G. Finkbinder. The special effects splatter nicely, and an eerie tone plants the queasy suggestion that the filmmakers were sympathetic to the religiously-motivated maniac's horrible deeds. Fred Beldin
This genuinely disturbing proto-slasher is guilty of the same gaping plot-holes and cardboard characterizations as any other, but a good cast, creepy ambiance and swift pace make it an obscure gem. Filmed in the years before Halloween and Friday the 13th would ensure slavish devotion to the time-honored "Ten Little Indians" template, Class Reunion Massacre embellishes the basic body count plot with a half-baked supernatural back story, tacking on a befuddling prologue and epilogue that add a welcome absurdity. A mystical child rising out of a lake, a third thumb, divinely inspired slayings and a bloodthirsty fire-and-brimstone minister; nothing is ever adequately developed or explained, so the film becomes memorable simply for its opacity alone. Luckily, the cast don't over play what are essentially stock horror victims (avaricious attorney, good-hearted party girl, sensible lesbian, etc.), so there's real tension during the murder set-pieces, particularly a brutal ladies' room drowning featuring Jeanetta Arnette and scene-chewing psycho T.G. Finkbinder. The special effects splatter nicely, and an eerie tone plants the queasy suggestion that the filmmakers were sympathetic to the religiously-motivated maniac's horrible deeds. Fred Beldin
Saturday, June 04, 2005
My god is a prankster god
Holding out the joy buzzer as we exit the womb
Laughing, saying "sorry" and not meaning it
"You're all right, kid"
He smokes a cigar, inhales because he can
Turns Monday back into Sunday
And erases phone messages for the hell of it
My god is a prankster god
And all I know is you better learn to laugh with him
Or else none of this is ever gonna make sense
Holding out the joy buzzer as we exit the womb
Laughing, saying "sorry" and not meaning it
"You're all right, kid"
He smokes a cigar, inhales because he can
Turns Monday back into Sunday
And erases phone messages for the hell of it
My god is a prankster god
And all I know is you better learn to laugh with him
Or else none of this is ever gonna make sense
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