Taschen Whether or not you´re interested in photography and photographs, I am sure you´ve seen a Helmut Newton photo at least once in your lifetime. His photographs have influenced generations, and, rather than just being a man behind the camera which wouldn´t have given him the reputation he´s earned today, Helmut Newton has shaped and created his own signature style within this world of images. He died in 2004 in a car accident in Los Angeles at the age of 83. But his photographic art is timeless and will live on. This incredible book of 464 pages is a portrait of his life, consisting mostly of black and white photos, but also colour photographs. It's subject to taste, of course, but there is something about those black and white pictures that colours cannot compete with. The fact that majority of his work was not done in a studio gives the photographs their very own style, always keeping repetition on arm's length. Newton stated that his imagination needed the reality of the outdoors, which, with just a few exceptions, he kept as a working tool. In this grand book of images, the versatility that is visualised is impressive and capturing. Each photo holds a story of its own; the naked woman standing in the street at night, Nicolas Cage looking into the camera from his car, Jo Champa sitting on her bed with a gun in her mouth; a very strong photo to say the least. The great portrait of David Lynch and Isabella Rossellini photographed in 1975 or Michael Hutchins from 1993. And there´s just something about Helmut Newton and nude women; they go hand in hand. This unique collection of photographs from the 1960s up to the 90s is perfectly presented. It will be a book for the eyes of generations to come. Packed in a cardboard box and accompanied with a stand for displaying the book on your table, you can´t ask for a better hardcover book-package than this. Lilly |
2009 Euforia Film In spite of the unseriousness of this film's approach, it was met with great expectations. It was a film with a surprisingly high budget. Before the movie premiere in January last year there was considerable advertising and it was given lots of attention. Now it´s out on DVD and the movie gets another round of attention. The plot in itself is bound for success. A bunch of youngsters in an isolated cabin in the snow-ridden mountains of Norway are haunted by newly resurrected defrosted German soldiers hailing from WWII. Nazi-Zombies? Who comes up with something like that? The thing is, the film is really bad, actually. This is intentional, I believe. It contains so many clichés that if they weren't intentional, the people behind it must be idiots. No, this is some kind of tribute to American B-horror movies (the irony is, of course, that it isn´t a budget movie at all). So, then we can look at it from a different angle. As a comedy / tribute / splatter film it works just fine. Within these frames it´s actually quite good. The makers have been inventive. It reaches international standards with scenes like the cracking of one character's skull - his brains splattering on the floor in front of his friends - or another character's hanging off a cliff, struggling with one zombie while clinging onto the intestine of another. Though, as a fan of unironic horror-movies, I can´t get rid of the thought of how good this movie could´ve been without the forced B-movie references: its bad humour and inappropriate catchphrases. The plot is excellent; the access to props and stuff seems to have been endless. Everything is set for serious horror. Still, the producers chose a safe and commercial way. The humour kills the mystique and makes the movie more digestible to the common man. I believe people in general like that one can laugh at a grotesque situation and be spared the thrill that terrors jangled nerves, but the producers, who ought to be horror fans, should embrace the opportunity and the joy of giving people a real fright. As the first real Norwegian splatter movie, however, it is a movie of importance here. And it´s an entertaining and inventive film which can be enjoyed for what it is. Luna |
2008 EFTI Let's take the man behind the novel that the film adapts. John Ajvide Lindqvist is an author who has got a lot of attention in a very short time recently. Presumably because he operates in a field into which few have dared to step. And he's doing it damn well. The horror-genre is not the most common in Scandinavian literature. Lindqvist's novels, however, were successful, and, consequently, the interest in the genre is now blooming. "Låt Den Rätte Komma Inn" was published in 2004 and was Lindqvist's debut novel. The film-adaptation reached the cinemas in 2008. In the meantime he has written three more novels. His second one, "Handteringen Av Odöda" ("Handling the Undead"), is set to become a TV series. His last novel, Människohamn ("Human Guise"), is to be another story of the occult and it's evident that Lindqvist has found a path in which he's comfortable. The director of the film, Tomas Alfredson, can't brag of the same experience within the genre. The only work he has done that has crossed my path is "Torsk på Tallinn" ("Screwed in Tallinn"), which is a hilarious pseudo-documentary of lonely men seeking women through a quite pathetic match-making bureau. And, all of a sudden, he's taking on a serious and dark movie. It's almost as when Peter Jackson went from "Braindead" to "The Lord of the Rings". Not in the same proportions, but still. Swedish horror movies are as rare as Swedish horror novels. "Låt Den Rätte Komma Inn" is a vampire story. Its setting is ordinary: a suburban city with normal people in their normal everyday lives. We follow a twelve year old boy, Oscar, who is constantly bullied and has trouble fitting in. One day he meets Eli, a new neighbour, seemingly his age. She lives with a guy old enough to be her grandfather. The truth is, she's a vampire and he's a guardian whose unfortunate task is to bring her blood. Unaware of this and of the fact that she's 200 years older, Oscar forms a nice relationship with Eli. Eli teaches Oscar to stand up to his tormentors. As she says, "Strike back … Hard". Consequently, the story moves in two directions. One would be the morbid blood-soiled life of Eli. The other would be a down to earth drama of Oscar and his enemies. These are linked nicely together when Eli faces the conundrum of losing her guardian and having to make feeble attempts to live life as a mortal with her new friend. As it has no really scary scenes I would say that the movie is more a drama with horror elements than the other way around. It is a drama; different and macabre - quite unique. It progresses slowly and lets the audience get to know the characters well. You feel Eli and Oscar's desperation and terror. The understanding between the two is honest and convincing. The film reveals a great deal of morale and human understanding. The atmosphere all the way through is sad, yet heart-warming. It's nice to experience a movie with these qualities. Its originality and untraditional setting is intriguing. "Låt Den Rätte Komma Inn" has received a lot of awards, one of them from Robert De Niro's own film festival for "best movie". Not surprisingly, an American remake is on its way. And it would not surprise me if, in the future, more of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novels became films. Luna |
1400s-1950s Taschen Imagine a big, heavy book of 650 pages displaying wonderful photos, drawings and posters from the secret world of magic. Imagine holding this book in your hands, feeling its weight and knowing it´s yours for the rest of your life, and that it will be kept alive by the generation you leave behind. Imagine sitting there, reading and getting drawn into this fascinating historical and cultural world where the colours that digital technology has revoked is present. A world of the unknown is being unfolded in such a rich and exclusive way that an hour feels like a minute. The luxuriousness of this book is incredible, the tri-language-text (English, French, German) intriguing, and the images hypnotic. It´s an insight into the history of magic, written in an easy and insightful way with a lot of images (over 1,000 to be precise!) that explain and illustrate the story as it goes. It's divided into chapters that take us through the evolution of all the mysteries that have astonished spectators and provoked sceptics for ages. Magic; the title of the book says it all. J. Loon |
2002 Zuno Films The controversial filmmaker Karim Hussain made this film as a follow-up to his debut "Subconscious Cruelty", a film that was criticised for its sick content rather than its filmic qualities. A good way of getting attention, some would say. As for "Ascension", it also holds a good deal of grotesque scenes, but it's clearly more focused on human communication and has a more direct message. The plot is nothing less than genius and is overwhelmingly intriguing: God has been murdered. A new world order is raised. In the moment God died his entire energy outburst blindly and spread out to all common people. Giving them the ability to perform miracles and be prophets, turning the world into utter chaos. Three women have been summoned through dreams to take on the irreproachable task of finding God's replacement and put an end to the madness. At the movie's beginning, equipped with nothing more than a suitcase whose contents are never revealed to the viewer, the women are about to enter a building where God's assassin allegedly is. The whole story is played out within this abandoned manufacturing plant and the goal is to get all the way to the top, supposedly his lair. From the very beginning it gets evident that some kind of power hovers above them. All the way up they stumble upon other people who've tried to accomplish the same task, but have had to give in to the being above. Everybody has failed and they all have the same mysterious suitcase. The higher they climb, the harder it gets, and for each step they take, they become older and weaker. Their hair turns grey; one woman loses her teeth, another gets frail-boned and loses a finger in a fall. With determined courage one of them says: "No use crying over a broken finger. We have billions of lives to break." We get to know the characters fairly well and we're told glimpses of how life on earth changed after the intervention. Some people would kill and be killed to resurrect again, for a hobby, for fun - over and over. The film evolves very slowly. The women move almost as in slow motion. Each step of stair seems like a mountain to climb. However, what replaces this lack of action is the continuous dialogue between the three. That alone keeps the interest of the audience. I like a lot of the serious questioning on religious aspects: "The creator must be glad to be dead. - No more disappointments". Karim Hussain's story-telling is thorough and cynic. You feel the suffering and the pain, and you sympathise with the women's incredible struggle. Visually, the film gives an impression of total abandonment and death: ice cold surroundings made up by enormous constructions of metal and concrete. It's not a particularly gory movie, but the few effects are convincing and look real. It's accompanied by droning, atmospheric, dark and depressive sounds in a Cold Meat Industries-style from the sound designer David Kristian: distant and industrial. Because the film progresses so slowly, it misses dynamics, and there are a few passages that could have been skipped - or at least cut down. However, if you're a fan of Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", you'll find some of the same uses of effects in long sequences and calm passages. When that is said, "Ascension" is quite original. In fact, I haven't seen anything quite like this ever. Creepy, threatening, imposing, and intriguingly surreal. Brilliant. Luna |
A Night of Emperial Wrath Candlelight Records Looking into the history of Emperor in a retrospective manner, who could have foreseen them performing on the main stage of Wacken back when they released their killer "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo? That´s the unpredictable beauty of music; at least for bands that want to go somewhere with the tunes they produce. They´ve taken a remarkably big step into the progressive extreme Metal field of music with the albums that followed "In the Nightside Eclipse". Combined with all the controversy we´ve all grown tired of being reminded about, this positioned Emperor as a band that reached out to audiences in Black Metal circles as well as hordes beyond. And credit to Ihsahn and Samoth for not clinging on to this band for the sake of fame or money, not many musicians are able to lay a band to rest when everyone around them want this vehicle to continue growing. We´re better off looking back on a band that progressed, rather than stagnated. One of the shows they did back in 2006 is this; performing live at Wacken 2006. Documenting a legacy well worth the progressive extremists, if I may say so. Their performance combine old songs with new ones, "I am the Black Wizards" and "Cosmic Keys to my Creations & Times" bring us back to their glorious roots. And not to forget "Inno A Satana", perhaps not that killer with over the top backing vocals that doesn´t really bring justice to the original song from the CD. Well, it´s filmed from various different angles and the sound is good. As for the title; "A Night of Emperial Wrath"; there´s not much wrath left in Emperor. Actually, they seem so much in harmony that their Black Metal past drifts off as something impossible to recapture on stage. Their progressive Metal combined with the vocals of Ihsahn are much more fitting to their live presence. This leads me into the extra material, or the behind the scenes footage that is extra material on this disc. Emperor these days aren´t that interesting on stage. There´s no make-up or costume changes, and when they´ve performed their live set from Wacken it feels like an overkill to fill the extra space on the DVD with live performances from other cities when the band look exactly like they did in Germany. I would have found it interesting if it was Attila from Mayhem, who generously change his visual presentation on stage, but not Emperor. It´s way too boring. It´s cool to see how relaxed Samoth and Ihsahn are when they jam together, but why not include some interviews regarding their live show from Wacken, for instance? It would have given me a glimpse into the band. Was there something special about this Wacken performance? Nervous before entering the stage? Well, just some information would have been cool. I do not care for the so-called extra material on this DVD. J. Loon |
The Invaluable Darkness Nuclear Blast This includes a double DVD, lots of live material, videos, pictures, and some behind-the-scene features. The sound is excellent, and as you get their 2007 Wacken performance in addition to the major part of their Oslo gig during their European tour, this is something I believe will appeal to their fans. The concert-filming is good, and you get their 6 music videos as well as their P3 session performance, plus a lot of images. Their behind-the-scenes footage which, incidentally, was the part I looked forward to the most, is the only drawback. All the hysterical laughter - I'm sure that's how you end up after having been on a tour bus for weeks - but it's not that interesting for the viewer. I saw the special features once, which was enough. It could have been made more interesting. In addition, not knowing where the band is or who the people being filmed are gets quite frustrating. But for me that's the only letdown. Lilly |
Pagan Records I have to say I like the in-depth information that is offered on this DVD, in general. And all in all you get varied stuff on this disc that offer behind the scenes material that is nice, live stuff and some videos they´ve made. It´s filmed well, mostly hand-held stuff, especially the behind the scenes features from the touring bus and the places they played on a tour across Poland. But this is Hermh, a band from Poland that have been over looked ever since their debut album years ago. And really, it´s no wonder. Hermh have never managed to rise to something more that a band in the genre. They´ve created music that is surprisingly average, and when the vocalist and founder of this band refer to them being on the verge of a break through, it feels weird. But the vocalist is eager for attention, not modest when he talks about himself or his band, and is the guy you always find in the middle of all attention. A reality check is needed, I would suggest. There´s interviews here, he even bring the viewers back to his home town, his school and stuff like that... We´re talking about Hermh, yeah, we´re still talking about Hermh. I suppose I wouldn´t have cared shit about where Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir grew up, or how his old school looks like today. Cool if you are a fan of Hermh (!), insignificant for others. Andre P. |
1997 Zentropa Entertainment Lars Von Trier has through several films proved that as a director he's beyond independent and goes by his own rules - quite literally. Together with Thomas Vinterberg ("Festen") he invented the strict rules of the "Dogma '95" project - the main ones being a stripped down set and limited use of traditional equipment. Only hand-held cameras with frequent jump-cuts were allowed. Optical work and filters were forbidden. "Riget" is his TV-series from '94 and it fortified his position as a singular director. It was quite successful, and the second part was made and aired in '97. Suddenly "Riget" got fairly extensive. Contrary to films, making TV-series is a much more complex affair. One aspect is the length: "Riget" ticks in on approximately nine and a half hours. Another is the vast character-cast. We follow all kinds of different people: doctors, scientists, surgeons, nurses, and also patients, janitors and security guards. All the action takes place in the same building throughout the whole series; the main hospital in Copenhagen - Rigshospitalet. The idea to keep locations to a minimum is also a Dogma-rule, I believe. Much of the story revolves around the Swedish neurosurgeon Stig Helmer who takes a lot of pride in his work and makes a big point of his high position at the hospital. The series has a lot of humorous aspects, and Stig Helmer definitely contributes to the humour with his drooling sarcasm towards everyone he outranks. There's just one thing that haunts him and that's the fact that he did a misjudgement during surgery on a little girl, leading her to suffer permanent brain damage. Another rival surgeon, Krogshøj, picks up this information and tries to prosecute him. Helmer reacts like most people would (cough!) he takes a trip to Haiti to get a powder from a voodoo cult to turn Krogshøj into a zombie ….. Another important character is the old lady Mrs. Drusse. She's a patient who has the ability to sense and even see the ghosts that are roaming the building. She makes contact with the spirit of a little girl called Mary. Drusse tries to figure out what is tormenting her, but she gets more than she bargained for when she inadvertently conjures up evil spirits and demons. A really sick twist happens when one of the hospital employees gets pregnant with one of the conjured demons and gives birth to a child that is half man, half demon. The child grows rapidly and reaches gigantic proportions. Both the child and the demon are played by the respected Udo Kier. All the way through "Riget" there are interval sequences of a Downs syndrome couple that, like clairvoyants, comment on everything that happens in the building, present and future. Without getting involved in the story, they're just there to guide the audience through the plot. Overall, "Riget", part one, is steady and tidy in the making. Part two becomes more outrageous. The humour is more frequent and bold, the horror gets stronger and more direct. In the end we witness a priest getting brutally killed; a guy eating malignant organs; and there's a satanic mass in the deepest of the basements. In other words: not exactly a series for the whole family. At the end of each episode Lars Von Trier appears in person with a monologue. In the last one he invites us back to "Riget", intending to introduce a third part to the series. Unfortunately, it was never made. Trier had written the script for the last and conclusive part of the series, but just after finishing part two, tragedy struck many of the cast-members: the brilliant Ernst-Hugo Järegård, who plays Stig Helmer, died, and so did Kirsten Rolffes (Mrs. Drusse) and some of the other actors. Due to these events it was impossible to continue the series. However, when an American company wanted to remake it, Trier sent them the scripts for all three seasons and left it to the Americans to make an ending to it all. The result was released in 2004 and was titled "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital". Yes, the mighty horror novelist brought this insane story to a wide audience with Trier as the executive producer. As most American remakes, the storytelling got more laborious, and it was, of course, drenched with digital effects. Whether the Americans actually used Trier's unpublished ending or not is uncertain. But, as it gets very pompous and very little Trier-ish, I have my doubts. Anyway, the Danish original is of course far better. Charismatic characters, playfulness, and crafty storytelling are the advantages of the Danish version. "Riget" has an originality that is superior to most series. It is a timeless classic that still impresses and pleases. Recommended to all who appreciate black humour and morbid tales. Luna |
Sandrew Metronome DVD The year is 1984. Abra (Josefin Nelden) is in her late teens and lives in a Swedish small-town. She's into Punk Rock and dresses up in Punk attire. And, in a small community like this, of course she sticks out. She is constantly harassed physically and verbally; even her own sister and her sister's dull boyfriend bully her. And when a touring Synth Rock band from Gothenburg is forced to flee the town after a concert, Abra goes with them in their tour bus. During the trip she befriends Millan (Cecilia Wallin) and moves in with her in Gothenburg. Her dream of forming a female band has become a reality. In order to focus fully on the music, they try to ignore the opposite sex, something which proves to be difficult for Millan. And when the two girls get work in a factory, Abra turns her interest to one of her co-workers, Dickan (Joel Kinnaman). In their search for potential members, they meet Gloria (Johanna Stromberg) and Isa (Malin Morgan). To get gigs is challenging, but, eventually, they manage to land a gig - at a wedding party. Of course this turns out badly as the guests want more traditional wedding-type music. The girls dream of playing at the legendary rock club, Erroll's. However, it doesn't exactly improve things that the manager demands sexual favours in return for landing them a gig there. And, as with everything else in life, their dream is partly inflated by compromises: whereas Abra retains her focus on the music, Millan has a hard time ignoring her male acquaintances. "Tjänare Kungen" is a feel-good movie; it is fast, funny, and entertaining with an ending which is predictable, but still enjoyable. This movie won two awards in Sweden. Josefin Nelden and Cecilia Wallin are doing excellent jobs as the main characters in the movie. Lilly |
Taschen Edited by Liu Heung Shing Portray of a country - by 88 photographers. China´s developments are something that in one way or the other influence our lives, regardless of where we are living. Whether it is electronic devices, human population, politics or more recently sports. Having been at the foreground of the sports news in the shape of the Olympics, this country have made a statement, and I am sure the growth China have experience the recent years will continue and further make an impact as one of the strongest countries in the World, both financially and judging by their military power. This book is a very insightful historical reminder and really show the power the communist authorities have on the population. Or rather, how the population have been controlled for years. It also bring my mind to Euronymous, and his strong fascination for communist dictatorships. But given the history, there is a lot of hope and hard work that comes with it. And a solid growth as a nation. This book is divided into chapters, illustrated by a number of interesting documentary photographies and add pictures to relate to the stories. This results in a very strong book, covering a country with a very fascinating history. It starts with 1949-1959 with "The birth of China", and then goes through each decade with the latest addition taken from 2008! Comes with English, German and French text. Andre P. |
2003 Sandrew Metronome There are some movies that make you look up and around you during the film, to see the reactions of the other people, and when you get that what-kind-of-movie-is-this-really-look back at you, you get the sensation of sanity coming back to you. Svidd Neger is that kind of movie. It's so hilarious and outrageous. The madness is real inventive and tongue-in-cheek entertaining. The plot is in fact a little complicated, but here's an attempt to sort it out. The story goes on in the far north of Norway. First we follow a young girl, Anna, who lives with her dad. He's a filthy alcoholic who've murdered his wife for giving birth to a black kid. Since then he's been hallucinating about her zombie ghost. Second, we follow a family consisting of a mom with her son, Peder, and a little African boy called Ante, who "came in with the tide" (as the mom explains). Peder is a slack-jawed yokel who has one thought in his head, and one thought only. To get laid. Of course, in this isolated environment there are no girls, so Peder uses H&M catalogues (underwear section) to help him out jerking off. At a point these two families are brought together, and from there on things really get out of hand. Ante, who normally gets high on local mushrooms listening to Dolly Parton, searches for his real dad via a letter in a bottle he tosses out on the sea. While his step dad, Anna's father, arranges a real forced and completely unstylish wedding for Anna and Peder. Anna gets pregnant, by no means by Peder, but in fact by a local guy who hates his native soil and has a real attraction towards North America. Where, he imagines, people drink Coca-Cola to each meal. He wants to take Anna with him over the sea. But that looks to be harder than it seems. This may sound very serious and complicated, but the film is first and foremost a comedy. Pitch black, but still. One of the things that make Svidd Neger so entertaining is the switching of filmatic genres. It flirts with drama, horror, musical, thrilling violence and of course a real dose comedy. Alas, a lot of the humour lies in the dialogue and I believe it's an advantage to know the Norwegian language. On the other side of this hysteria, the movie is perfectly balanced with nice shots of the calm and foggy outdoor environments, accompanied by floating and rich chamber music made by the eccentric band Ulver. Considering that this is a low budget movie with no big names and no big company, it's an outstanding work. Not a dull moment. It's probably the funniest and coolest Norwegian movie ever. Totally overlooked. Luna |
Taschen Edited by Angelika Taschen There is nothing that can compete with inspiration as dreams can. Being a dreamer, or really, being a person that want to get the best out of my short life, I tend to dream a lot. And having been invited by this book to further accomplishing my dreams is definitely true. As for taking a holiday in my living room, or really wanting something more on my next holiday, this is just one of those books that make me smile. As the title says, this is about seaside interiors. Beautiful homes that have one thing in common; they´re all based near the ocean. From Norway to Italy, from Brazil to Puerto Rico, this is wonderfully presented with inviting pictures and lots of homes surrounded by nature to enjoy. It could be inspiration taken from the interiors of the various homes that are being presented here, or the ocean view you immediately get calm by looking at. I would say this is a fine book for many hours of relaxation and tranquillity for the busy mind. Richly illustrated throughout all pages, and this is a really thick book, and I´m sure we all need inspiration like this. Pages that comes with the breeze of the sea and waves of salt water going through our minds once in a while (yeah, I´m a dreamer). A perfect gift for someone you like. Perhaps yourself? Lilly |
Punx Productions What a movie! And what a package! Again the Rotten fucker has come up with a massive movie about flesh and sin. First off, this DVD comes with a bonus music disc featuring a bunch of deranged bands like Anal Cunt, Bonecrusher, Impaled and Antiseen, to name a few. The movie disc could as well be considered a bonus in itself, as this is among the best porn ever. Not that I am an expert in this field, but still this is great. Five long scenes, starting off with an innocent Asian girl on a skateboard being captured by two "skinheads" and being taught a lesson on and around a pool table. Punker girl who are being fucked at the punk concert (or so it is supposed to look like), a real hardbody skateboard girl who smoke some weed with her skateboard friend and just let all inhibitions go. Really beautiful girl! Yeah, and two more punk girls with bullet belts and raven black hair really adding up to one phenomenal fucking movie! Comes with special features, and behind the scenes coverage is always cool to watch! (u) |
Punx Productions A classic! Even got its own myspace page. This is really theatrical and different, and believe me when I say I don´t like these kind of movies. But there´s always the exceptions. This is one of them! Of course it´s the porn version of Dawn of the Dead, gory and even a bit scary. Nice makeup on some of the girls, and the guys as well. Five long and really different scenes and the music to this movie is from bands like Deicide, Exmortem, Decapitated and Blood Red Throne, among others. Definitely brutal stuff, definitely cool movie! The scenes are so artistically awesome, and in this context it really is good and interesting. I love the girl in the opening scene, so zombie and so weird, yet at the same time really sexy too! Extra material, killer filming, killer music and killer movie! (b) |
Punx Productions A straight to the point movie, no fuzz and nothing unexpected. The title says it all, really. The girls are good looking and eager to perform, seemingly enjoying their acting. These kind of movies sort of get a new perspective when the girls are as beautiful and punky as this. Featuring extra material including behind the scene coverage. So, - slip on your absorbent undergarments and enjoy the show, as Rob Rotten says on the back of the DVD. (u) |
Punx Productions I never thought I would be writing about movies like these, but hey, it´s kinda cool even though I never watch this type of activity, at least not on a screen. As the title suggest, this is a mouthful of not only hard meat, but also a splash of...well. Quite a lot of scenes on this DVD, a couple of them also with two girls at a time. Strictly limited to mouth workouts this one, with both really pretty girls and ok looking ones. I would assume the girls are somewhere in their late teens and early twenties, and Rob Rotten is also starring in this one, as well as directing. Nice filming, and nice behind the scenes coverage too. As a bonus you get a second DVD which is called "Little Solo sensations" which is the same girls as starred in the main film, now acting in, yes, solo, private activities. And as it says on the back of the cover - Mr. Rotten should be applauded for his contribution to birth control in an over-populated world. Go Rotten! (b) |
Punx Productions It´s porn all right! And as the name of the company suggests, this is done with a punky approach. The filming and production is very good and the scenes are filmed at cool Rock´Roll places. Like a bar, where the girl who´s attempting to buy beer is doing so in a rather original way! The girls and guys here are for the most part tattooed, and director and actor Rob Rotten is tattooed all over his body, except for his face and ass. There is as well some cool acting here, apart from the acting that is natural in movies like this. Very good looking Rock and Punk girls, and it´s all done with taste and class. Both movies contain a lot of extra material, and the behind the scene footage is cool to watch. Getting an idea of the preparations, the photo shots and the conversations taking place. Even a little birthday party is taking place here. And a funny sequence when this guy is at the "hairdresser", before it gets all intimate, he looks in the mirror and just starts to laugh...because he looks so stoned, as he puts it. And he does, happily stoned! The girls seems to have a good time both in front and behind the camera, especially from the extra scenes where they are laughing and playing along with the guys working to set up a scene. Both films have around 2 hours playing time, and in addition you get quite a bit of extra material. Cool stuff indeed! (w) |
Tyrant Syndicate / Peaceville Nocturno Culto´s first film is interesting in small portions, but does not live up to its title. "Indispensable for all followers of Darkthrone and the Norwegian Black Metal scene", says the press sheet, I don´t agree! This DVD feels more like a need for Nocturno to expose himself, rather than a need to expose something artistic. A feeling of reality TV is imminent, opening with an ice fishing sequence and then various other rather uninteresting bits. What is interesting to see is the rehearsal with Fenriz, sitting in the studio and talking, but yet again it feels more like reality TV than an insight into Darkthrone. The movie in itself is very diffuse, but as Nocturno Culto states in the very nice DVD-package, "it´s not for everyone to like". I would have liked to see more of Darkthrone, but then again, this is not a Darkthrone DVD, which is evident. If you are interested in seeing parts of Nocturno Culto´s life, I suppose this is it. Film sequences in the woods, accompanied with music composed by Nocturno, which is also to be found on a separate CD. There´s a short signing session with the Aura Noir guys when they signed to Tyrant Syndicate, and of course the "party" afterwards, as well as their release gig at Elm Street in Oslo. Nocturno also expose a little part of his trip to Japan when he was a guest at the exhibiton Peter Beste had with his Black Metal photos. All in all, it´s very superficial and doesn´t offer an insight. Feels a bit weird as Darkthrone and Nocturno Culto have this massive cult status after so many years of releasing excellent albums and being more or less secluded, this showcase a person and a band that is more human than ever. You also get stills from the DVD as well as two live songs recorded when Darkthrone was still a demo band, plus the "Too old, too cold" song. Parts of this DVD feels like it´s bound for parody, especially the trips in the forest. MAD tv..."The Mr. Rope". This is suicide for the visual side of Black Metal, as it portrays humanity more than anything. And I´m sure a lot of Black Metal "personalities" will feel the urge of making a movie like this, as it feels so easy. (u) |