Archive for year 2010
THE CHIC ORGANIZATION BOX SET VOL. 1 — SAVOIR FAIRE: Disco’s Platinum Standard
Dec 31st
Disco was easily the most producer-driven genre of popular music during the 1970s. As a result, the producers have star-like status amongst genre fans. A variety of names are thrown around when the subject of “who is the best?” comes up but one could easily make the case that Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards — More >
CENTURION: For Those About To Conquer, We Salute You
Dec 30th
The success of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator prompted a brief revival of sword & sandal cinema. Action fans would have no doubt welcomed a string of macho sword and sandal epics. Unfortunately, the films that resulted — Troy and Alexander among them — were overstuffed and unfocused big-budget duds that failed to deliver the old-school heroics More >
SURVIVOR — PREMONITION: Power Chords Meet Power Ballads
Dec 28th
Anyone who shrugs off Survivor as chick-rock might be surprised by their second album, Premonition. This follow-up to their self-titled debut found Survivor sharpening their arena-friendly style and layering the melodic hooks with a surprisingly raucous, hard-driving sound. Like REO Speedwagon in their pre-ballad success era, Survivor’s early albums reveal them to be heartland rockers More >
FASTER: Bringing “Tough Guy” Back To The Multiplex
Dec 27th
The trailers for Faster don’t do this film many favors. First off, they make it look more like a car chase movie than an action movie (Your Humble Reviewer initially feared that it might be a continuation of The Fast And The Furious franchise). They also make the film seem like it is simply a More >
KIM WILDE — SELECT: Doubling Down On The Synth-Pop Darkness
Dec 24th
Kim Wilde’s self-titled debut was an instant chart hit in the U.K. and gave her instant commercial credibility. She could have gone the shameless-commercial route and dumbed down her moody new wave approach to reach a broader audience but she didn’t. Instead, her follow-up outing Select actually doubles down on the darkness. The result isn’t More >
TRON: The Cyber-Underdog Of 1982 Still Shines
Dec 23rd
The summer of 1982 saw the release of many classic genre films, several of which were shrugged off at the time but are revered as classics today. For instance, this brief period saw the release of John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing, Videodrome and Blade Runner: all three failed to hit big at the box More >
BACKBEATS: I GET MY GROOVE and LOVE & JEALOUSY
Dec 21st
The latest wave of Backbeats compilations features two entries that devote themselves to the world of “southern soul” music, I Get My Groove and Love & Jealousy. As you might expect, each draws extensively from the familiar Hi Records label and includes a few familiar names like Ann Peebles and Al Green. However, neither is More >
TRON: LEGACY: The Cyber-Future Is… Murky At Best
Dec 20th
Of all the holiday blockbusters coming down the pike for the 2010 holiday season, Tron: Legacy easily has the biggest geek-controversy atmosphere surrounding it. Some are calling it a shameful disaster and a smaller circle of fans are already staking out a claim for its potential “misunderstood classic” status. Films that inspire this curious blend More >
THE RED SHIRT CHRONICLES: Part 4 — Working With Romero, Phase 2
Dec 17th
Part four of the Red Shirt Chronicles continues the George Romero theme of Part 3, getting deeper into Michael Felsher’s collaboration with the legendary horror director on his recent work. He made a cameo in Land Of The Dead and made the transition from retrospective documentarian to on-the-set documentarian by covering the production of both More >
Digi-Schlock: CRAZY MAMA/THE LADY IN RED (Shout! Factory DVD)
Dec 16th
Throughout this year, Shout! Factory has offered exploitation fans some of the best value-for-money options this year with their line of Roger Corman Double Feature DVD’s. Thus, it is fitting that they cap the year with one of the best entries in the double feature line, a strong pairing of Crazy Mama and The Lady More >
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