Alt-UK

Music, Film, and Gaming

Reviews

Boys Like Girls @ Shepherds Bush Empire, Monday 26th April 2010

by Leave a Comment


Having been over for a few shows in February, Boys Like Girls returned to the UK on April 26th 2010 for a gig at Shepherds Bush Empire, with support from UK based bands Me Vs Hero and Futures.

With doors at 7:00pm we unfortunately missed out on opening act Me Vs Hero, next to the stage was London’s very own Futures however, and the unfortunate thing there was that we didn’t miss them. In a set completely devoid of any energy or passion, and with a drummer that looked like he could fall asleep at any time (and may well have done at certain points), Futures droned through a number of tracks that all sounded distinctly similar. Finishing with ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’, the band certainly seemed to appeal to some of those at the front, personally however I found little to really smile about in the band’s music, and hearing that ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ was their last track was the most excited I managed to get during the band’s performance.

With Futures’ set having finished, the Shepherds Bush Empire decided it was time to slap Maroon 5 on the stereo, and even if Futures’ performance hadn’t been a hit with some, Maroon 5’s ‘Songs About Jane’ album during the interval certainly seemed to do the trick as the majority of the young audience began to sing along and get ready for Boys Like Girls to take to the stage. After what felt like an eternity of Maroon 5, it was finally time for Boys Like Girls to take to the stage and provide the crowd with the music that they’d been waiting for.

Kicking off their show with the Black Eyed Peas’ hit ‘I Gotta Feeling’, straight away Boys Like Girls began to work the crowd as they took to the stage and the predominantly teen audience began to go wild. Jumping straight into ‘Love Drunk’ from there, Boys Like Girls continued to impress with their upbeat brand of pop punk/pop rock and launched through a number of tracks from their first two albums.

In a set that included tracks such as ‘Hero/Heroine’, ‘Five Minutes to Midnight’, ‘Heart Heart Heartbreak’, ‘She’s Got A Boyfriend Now’, and ‘Thunder’, Boys Like Girls was able to keep the energy levels high at all times before bringing numerous crowd members to the stage for closing number ‘The Great Escape’. The setlist was identical to that of February’s show at the O2 Academy, Islington, despite playing the same set however the band certainly didn’t seem tired of it and looked genuinely pleased to be playing to a London crowd for the second time in just over two months.

Before coming back to the UK for this show at Shepherds Bush Empire, Boys Like Girls was scheduled to play a number of shows over in Germany, as a result of the closed airspace the band therefore had to miss out on their German tour dates however and these shows will therefore have to be rescheduled for a later date.

For fans of pop punk/pop rock, Boys Like Girls certainly put on an impressive show at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and if you’ve yet to see this band live then doing so at a later stage is a definite must. The band may only have released two albums thus far, Boys Like Girls is still a band with much to offer however and their live show certainly recreates the supreme positivity of their records. The Boys Like Girls sound is one that is extremely upbeat and exciting, and if you’re up for a bit of pop fuelled rock/punk energy then this is a band that definitely deserves to be seen.

Rating:

Geisha Assassin Review

by Leave a Comment

Go Ohara has history in films as a stuntman, this was his first crack at directing a feature film however and it rather shows. Geisha Assassin has a Mortal Kombat meets Kill Bill feel about it; the frantic action of the fighting has the feel of a video game, and there’s a definite Kill Bill style about the way that the film is set up. There’s little plot here, with the main emphasis on the samurai fighting.

Kotono (Minami Tsukui) witnessed the death of her father as a child, and several years later she has now set out to avenge his death. Hyo-e (Shigeru Kanai) is the man that killed her Father and the one that she really wants to get to, in order to do that however she must first get through a number of others that have set out to pit their skills against her.

With its jumpy camerawork, Geisha Assassin made me feel rather nauseous for the opening third of the film, and whilst I ultimately became somewhat used to the camera style it was definitely something that affected my overall enjoyment of the film. The one on one fighting scenes I felt were generally carried out rather well, at times when there were multiple people fighting main character Kotono however, the on-screen action just seemed to feel a little too much like Power Rangers (a programme that I never did enjoy, even as a child). With fight after fight of impressive action a gripping storyline is not necessarily a requirement, with Geisha Assassin the fighting action is a little too hit and miss for my liking though, and when the fighting falls flat there’s no great plot line to come to the film’s rescue.

Geisha Assassin is definitely not a terrible film, and included here are a number of impressive fight scenes that are well worth watching; with the good there is also a fair amount of bad to take though, and overall Geisha Assassin just didn’t really do it for me. The camerawork takes some getting used to and sticking with the film in the introduction was therefore quite a battle, and even after getting used to the camerawork I did still find several times that the film in places had quite a dizzying effect on me. Go Ohara can perhaps come back in the future with a more impressive offering as there are a few positive signs here, there’s still quite a bit to work on though and Geisha Assassin is a martial arts film where there is I feel much room for improvement.

Rating:

Salvage Review

by Leave a Comment

It’s not often enough that a horror film comes along and really impresses me, but when I watched Lawrence Gough’s Salvage I was completely blown away by just how sublimely brilliant this film truly is. Salvage is a British horror film with an absolutely fantastic atmosphere, and right from the word go you know that you’re in for a treat with this one.

There’s trouble in the air as Jodie is taken by her Father to spend Christmas with her mother, Beth, in Liverpool. Already not wanting to spend Christmas with her Mother, things just seem to go from bad to worse for Jodie as she discovers her Mother sleeping with someone in the bedroom. Jodie is quick to head over to her friend’s house, and there is soon some strange activity in the street as the army shows up and asks that people remain locked inside their houses until further notice. As the phone line gets cut off, Beth begins to get increasingly more worried as there are strange goings on in the street and she can’t even get through to her daughter to check that all is okay with her. Things aren’t right at all, and although she’s been advised to remain in the house, Beth feels that it’s her duty as a mother to try and get across the street to see Jodie and make sure that her daughter is protected. People are changing and deaths are occurring; Jodie doesn’t just want to sit and do nothing and it’s time to take action as she leaves the house in hope of finding her daughter.

With a limited budget available to him, Lawrence Gough has managed to put to film one of the best British horrors I have seen in a long time, with an 81 minute offering that is absolutely packed full of quality. As both director and co-writer of the story, Lawrence Gough is obviously a man with a lot of great ideas, and is clearly very clued up when it comes to horror. Salvage has a similar feel about it to that of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, and although it’s unlikely to bring in as much money as Boyle’s 2002 horror, Salvage is most definitely a film that Lawrence Gough can be very proud of.

Those that watch Lawrence Gough’s Salvage are sure to be impressed with this exciting British horror film, and although the film is a little rough around the edges due to its limited budget, look past this and what you have is an absolutely fantastic film. Neve McIntosh impresses massively as Beth, and the other actors present here also put in some quality performance when called upon. We spend a lot of time with key protagonist Beth and it was therefore important that Lawrence Gough chose someone for the part that could really pull it off; in Neve McIntosh he can certainly be seen to have chosen wisely, and never does the fine Scottish actress disappoint.

Lawrence Gough has another film coming up in 2011, The Drought, and given the quality of Salvage it will definitely be interesting to see what Gough can come up with next. Gough is once again working with Colin O’Donnell for The Drought, and having co-written the story for Salvage with him, one would certainly hope that their partnership can once again provide great quality as they work alongside each other on the action/adventure film.

British directors very rarely release horror films of the quality of Salvage, and for those that love their horror this is most definitely a must see film. Salvage impresses massively in all areas, and when the film is brought to DVD on March 22nd it really is one that you should quickly seek to add to your collection.

Rating:
Five Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star Review

Afterschool Review

by Leave a Comment

Afterschool DVD Cover

Although still only in his twenties, American director Antonio Campos has already been able to impress a lot of people with his work, with several short films under his belt as well as this full length feature Afterschool. Campos won the Cinefondation award at the Cannes Film Festival with his 2005 short film But It Now, and despite his young age is really making a mark on the world of cinema. Afterschool is Campos’ first full length film and yet you wouldn’t know it to watch it; Antonio Campos is an obviously talented director with a clear vision for what he wants to achieve with his work.

Robert is an awkward young student at a prep school in America; Robert finds it difficult to interact with others and spends much of his time watching violent and pornographic videos on the internet. Whilst filming around the school for an afterschool filmmaking class, Robert accidently catches on tape the drug induced deaths of two fellow students. Having witnessed their deaths, Robert is chosen to put together a memorial video for the girls and interviews a number of people about them, including fellow students, their parents, and the headmaster.

Antonio Campos captures Robert’s awkward nature perfectly with Afterschool, with actor Ezra Miller really able to play the part of Robert well. Robert is an incredibly creepy character, and through his camerawork here Antonio Campos really brings the key protagonist to life. The quality of acting from Ezra Miller is top class, and this combined with the supreme direction of Antonio Campos really does provide for a hugely impressive film.

Campos has plenty to be proud of with Afterschool, and given the quality of this film he is without doubt a director to watch out for in the future. Antonio Campos is unashamed of his influences, is clearly clued up when it comes to filmmaking, and belies his relative inexperience here with a very impressively put together drama. Antonio Campos may not be a name that you’ve come across in the past, looking to the future though and there’s surely plenty more to come from this highly skilled New York filmmaker.

Rating:

Sinking of Japan Review

by Leave a Comment

For those that enjoyed The Day After Tomorrow, Shinji Higuchi’s Sinking of Japan is another film that should certainly appeal. With hugely impressive special effects and excellent character development, Sinking of Japan is a disaster film that is most definitely well worth watching, and the acting quality here is always of an exceptional standard.

As major earthquakes begin to hit Japan it doesn’t take the geological experts long to realise that the country is in serious danger, and the authorities are alerted as it’s calculated that there’s less than a year to go before that Japan will be fully submerged under the sea. The government keeps the situation quiet at first, as large areas of the country begin to get wiped out the time arrives for them to act fast however and they begin to make plans to send as many people overseas as possible. Although the countries future is at threat, all hope is not yet lost as there is a way of solving the problem and stopping Japan from becoming any further damaged by nature; the procedure to stop Japan from sinking is high risk, it is however possible that Japan can be saved.

Kou Shibasaki and Mayuko Fukuda both play their parts brilliantly in Sinking of Japan, and it’s their developing relationship that is at the very centre of the film. Their characters have been extremely well developed here, and their incredibly high quality of acting really does make this film special. Not only is the film visually impressive, but cerebrally engaging also, and the film easily manages to maintain your interest for the entirety of its 135 minute runtime. The only thing that doesn’t seem to work particularly well is the choice of song in what should be an extremely poignant scene; the scene should be highly emotive and could have been excellent, the accompanying track however just doesn’t work. Were it pure instrumental then the effect would perhaps have been greater, for two full minutes the track plays though and just really breaks the film up; this I feel would be my only cause for complaint about the film, and this I feel is an area in which the film could have been improved.

For fans of disaster films I really would recommend watching Sinking of Japan, and for those that follow extreme weather this is a film that would surely appeal. Shinji Higuchi truly has done a cracking job with this film, and all credit must also go to Sakyo Komatsu, the writer of the novel Japan Sinks on which the film is based, and the screenplay writer Masato Kato also. All involved with Sinking of Japan combine together to make the film special, and this is no doubt a film to add to your rental list at the very least.

Rating:

OneRepublic – All the Right Moves

by Leave a Comment

As a writer and producer Ryan Tedder has had great success, and even if you don’t know him by name there’s a very strong possibility that you’ve heard his work at some point or another (Leona Lewis’s hugely popular ‘Bleeding Love’ and Beyonce Knowles’ ‘Halo’ are two shining examples of tracks co-written by Tedder). In 2007 the band that Ryan Tedder has fronted since 2002 rose to fame when hip hop rapper/producer Timbaland remixed the single ‘Apologize’ and included it on his 2007 ‘Shock Value’ album; OneRepublic instantly became a household name and ‘Apologize’ was a massive hit all around the world. Following up with ‘Stop and Stare’ OneRepublic was once again able to show great strength as a band, with each additional release the band seemed to lose further popularity however, with singles ‘Say (All I Need)’ and ‘Mercy’ both failing to enter either the US Billboard Hot 100 or the Official UK Top 40. With fifth single ‘Come Home’ on which the band collaborated Sara Bareilles a return to the Billboard Hot 100 was finally in store, and a second album has now followed with the release of ‘Waking Up’ in November 2009.

‘All the Right Moves’ is the first single taken from the ‘Waking Up’ album and was released in the UK in January 2010. Featuring a fantastically catchy chorus, ‘All the Right Moves’ is an absolutely exceptional first single for OneRepublic to have released from the ‘Waking Up’ album, and with this track OneRepublic has once again shown fantastic strength and ability as a band. Ryan Tedder’s vocal lines are as sweetly sung out as ever, and combined with this there is also an absolutely phenomenal guitar sound that can here be heard. ‘All the Right Moves’ is no ‘Apologize’, and the chances are that OneRepublic never will release anything as good as that again, ‘All the Right Moves’ is certainly still a song that begs to be listened to however and once you’ve listened to the track once you’ll no doubt have the song stuck in your head for a long time to come.

‘All the Right Moves’ is undoubtedly repetitive, its simplistic composition and lyrical structure really does work well though, and despite being somewhat limited the track never seems to become tiresome. Ryan Tedder is a supremely talented singer and songwriter, and ‘All the Right Moves’ is a single that showcases this fantastically well; ‘All the Right Moves’ may not be OneRepublic’s best work, it’s still a very solid piece of music though and a track that truly is well worth listening to.

Label: Interscope
Release Date: January 11th 2010

Rating:

The BRIT Awards 2010 3CD Compilation Review

by 1 Comment

In celebration of 30 years of the BRIT Awards a 3CD compilation has this year been released, with the first two discs focusing on popular music from the last year whilst the third disc concentrates on some of the biggest BRIT hits from the past 30.

The first disc is quite pure pop focused, with artists such a Cheryl Cole, Robbie Williams, and Mika featuring here, the second disc meanwhile has more of a dance and rock edge about it with Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris, Biffy Clyro, U2, and Kasabian all included. Dependent upon your specific tastes in music you’ll probably have a favourite of these two discs; both CDs have their moments though, with both coming complete with some definite stand outs.

There’s a great deal of variety displayed on the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation, what has to be noted however is that some of these artists are not in line to win a BRIT Award this year and yet have been included on the CD, several others meanwhile are up for awards and have failed to make the cut. Whitney Houston and Jason Mraz are two prime examples of artists included on the album that have not been nominated for any Brit Awards; artists such as Eminem, Leona Lewis, and Bat for Lashes meanwhile are not included on the compilation even though they did receive BRIT Award nominations. The song selections don’t always make sense, despite this though it is still a decent compilation which does feature some of the most popular music to have been released in the last year (BRIT Award nominees or not).

Having been treated to some of the most popular tracks of 2009/early 2010 on the first two discs, this BRIT Awards compilation definitely provides a treat with the third disc as such tracks as Take That’s ‘Patience’, Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ are showcased. The CD actually kicks off with three lives tracks; Queen and 5ive’s ‘We Will Rock You’ from 2000, Seal and Adamski’s ‘Killer’ from 1991, and the Bee Gees ‘Medley’ from 1997. It’s straight after these three live classics that we’re boomed into Take That’s ‘Patience’, and from there we move on to Duffy’s ‘Warwick Avenue’ and Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’; definitely a cracking way to kick off the CD, and we certainly finish on a high with the third and final disc of the compilation.

All in all there are 60 tracks on the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation (20 on each of the three discs), and regardless of your taste in music you’re sure to find something here that impresses. It’s unlikely that you’ll enjoy all 60, with so much to choose from there’s definitely much to keep you entertained though, and even if you don’t like a few tracks here then that still leaves you with plenty of others to listen to. The inclusion of a third disc this year makes the BRIT Awards annual compilation better value than ever in 2010, and if you’re looking to get your hands on a quality compilation then the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation is most definitely one that’s worth looking into.

Label: Rhino UK
Release Date: February 8th 2010

Rating:

Fine, Totally Fine Review

by Leave a Comment

First time director Yosuke Fujita has done a very good job with Fine, Totally Fine, picking a strong cast of actors and putting together a rather impressive comedy. There’s something really very likeable about the film, with Yosiyosi Arakawa’s performance as Teruo particularly impressive.

Teruo is the son of a bookshop owner, whilst he works in his father’s shop he has dreams of creating the world’s scariest haunted house however, and is forever testing out scary pranks on his friends and family to see how they’ll react. When Akari (Yoshino Kimura) gets a job working at the bookshop, Teruo starts developing feelings for her but his good friend Hisanobu (Yoshinori Okada) also finds himself attracted to her and friction therefore develops between the two of them as they both look to win her love and affection.

Fine, Totally Fine has some great moments of comedy, and with some excellent central characters Yosuke Fujita manages to establish himself strongly as both a writer and director with this film. Yosiyosi Arakawa plays his awkward character to perfection here, and Yoshino Kimura as the incredibly clumsy Akari also works extremely well. Yoshinori Okada’s performance as Hisonobu is overshadowed a little by the excellence of both Yoshino Kimura and Yosiyosi Arakawa , he still plays his part well though, managing to put across a great sense of life in his character.

Whilst Fine, Totally Fine could be described as a romantic comedy, to label the film as such would almost certainly give people the wrong idea; Fine, Totally Fine is not your typical romantic comedy, and if you don’t generally enjoy romantic comedy films then that doesn’t necessarily means that you won’t like this one. With some great acting and fine quirky comedy, Fine, Totally Fine is a film that most people will probably enjoy; place your genre issues aside and watch Fine, Totally Fine with an open mind and a great deal of enjoyment is bound to be had.

There’s a very natural feel about Fine, Totally Fine, an excellent achievement for Yosuke Fujita with his writing and directorial debut. There’s not a single character introduced here that feels forced, just a great flow about the film and the way in which the plot line unfolds. Fine, Totally Fine is an absolutely brilliant debut effort from Yosuke Fujita, and having already gone on to write and direct the teleplay Saba since finishing this film; I’m sure that Yosuke Fujita is a Japanese director that we will be hearing plenty more from in the future.

Rating:

Lala Pipo DVD Review

by Leave a Comment

Written by Tetsuya Nakashima (Kamikaze Girls, Memories of Matsuko), Lala Pipo is the directorial debut from Masayuki Miyano, based on a collection of short stories by Okuda Hideo. Six characters are focused on here with their stories all interwoven, all in some way related to the sex industry.

Hiroshi is the first character focused on here; an overweight writer that very much enjoys masturbation. Hiroshi has conversations with his penis (played by a green puppet) and sometimes listens through the ceiling to the couple upstairs having sex. Hiroshi’s character is quite an interesting one, with Hiroshi the film is merely warming up though and we soon move on to the next character, Tomoko. Tomoko is a shop assistant before she’s introduced to the sex industry by Kenji (another character focused on in the film), and her life is then changed forever as she slowly finds herself becoming more and more heavily involved within the industry. Tomoko is arguably the best character that the film has to offer, and Yuri Nakamura’s performance as Tomoko and Hiroki Narimiya’s as Kenji really do stand out from the pack here. Yoshie, Koichi, and Sayuri are the other three people focused on within the film; Yoshie has her moments, Koichi has a rather bland sexual superhero storyline, and Sayuri creates amateur porn videos to fund her way through life as she looks to embark on a career as an anime voiceover artist.

The film begins brilliantly and offers so much in its opening, after a bright start the quality level seems to drop a little here however and some of the transitions between storylines feel slightly awkward. Some of these six characters storylines just seem to work better than others, and although there are a few amusing moments here, Lala Pipo is certainly not consistently enjoyable from start to finish. First time director Masayuki Miyano is obviously enthusiastic about his work and this is something that comes through here, with so many storylines going on it’s hard not to have your favourites however, and when a particularly strong part of the film comes to an end and a less interesting character is introduced this is always a little disappointing.

The quality of acting here is at all times excellent, particularly from Yuri Nakamura and Hiroki Narimiya as previously outlined; despite some great performances and some very funny moments though, Lala Pipo is not a great film from start to finish, and there is definitely room for improvement here. Some of the characters could have done with a little extra work to bring them out and grab you a little more, Tomoko I personally found to be brilliant though, and although not necessarily a particularly likeable character, Kenji was another that I really did enjoy watching on screen, probably in large part down to the supreme acting talent of Hiroki Narimiya.

Having read some extremely positive things about Okuda Hideo’s book of short stories I now feel inclined to give his work a read to see how the book and the film compare, something tells me though that Lala Pipo doesn’t translate anywhere near as well on film as it does in the written word.

DVD Extras:

Extras include a making of featurette ‘Loveable People of Lala Pipo’, interviews with the cast and crew on the subject ‘What is Sex?’, and a trailer for the film as well as 16 others in the Third Window Films collection. The interviews bring up some pretty interesting (and in some places amusing) answers, the half hour long making of feature is quite enjoyable to watch, and taking a look at the trailers you may just spot another film from Third Window that captures your interest. All in all there’s a pretty solid selection of extras here, and this rounds things off nicely, providing you with a little more to keep you occupied once you’ve finished watching the film itself.

Rating:

Southern Softies DVD Review

by Leave a Comment


With its BBFC rating of U, Graham Fellows’ Southern Softies provides strong evidence that you don’t have to be crude to make people laugh. Following on from his 2006 mockumentary It’s Nice Up North, Graham Fellows once again sets to work as his comic creation John Shuttleworth as he looks into the idea that southern people are soft. In order to test out the theory that the further south you go the softer people become, John Shutteleworth heads off to the most southerly point of the British Isles; the Channel Islands.

So does John Shuttleworth discover that southern people are soft? Not exactly, that’s not really the point though, Southern Softies is simply a comic journey through the Channel Islands taken by John Shuttleworth (Graham Fellows) as he meets up with various people for interview, catches flights from one Channel Island to another, and ultimately runs out of film on a boat journey attempting to find a Barclays bank (but failing as all he manages to find is the Barclay brothers’ castle on the island of Brecqhou).

John’s agent Ken Worthington is quick to abandon John as he goes off in hope of finding single women, and for much of the film we therefore not only follow John Shuttleworth as he seeks to answer the question as to whether or not southern people are soft, but also John’s quest to find Ken. Every so often we’re shown footage that Ken has taken on his own journey around the Channel Islands, and this contrasts well with John’s own footage from around the Islands.

Graham Fellows’ John Shuttleworth character provides a lot of laughs throughout Southern Softies, and this is most definitely a mockumentary that provides for a very satisfying viewing experience. Whether John’s interviewing people, performing his music, or travelling from place to place; always Southern Softies delivers in the comedy department, and a lot of fun is crammed into the film’s 78 minute run time.

DVD extras include a trailer for the film, videos of John Shuttleworth’s music, and a number of deleted scenes. The deleted scenes are definitely worth watching as they include a few amusing moments not captured in the film, and if you’re up for a bit more of John’s music then the songs should also please.

All in all, Southern Softies is a film that really is worth investing in, and if you’d like to support this fine northern comic then Southern Softies will be available to purchase on DVD from March 1st 2010.

Rating: