VA — 20 Dub Classics

Here’s a CD compilation focusing on the Jamaica dub out put out by independent label Burning Sounds- who formed in the late 80’s. As its title suggests it features twenty tracks- with a fairy varied mix of different types of dub.

The Amsterdam Kill — The Amsterdam Kill

It’s fair to say that along with both Jaws and Star Wars, The French Connection is one of the most influential pictures of the 1970’s. The Amsterdam Kill is one of the many pictures inspired/ informed by the film. It regards a Amsterdam/ Hong Kong Heroin ring, were a Ex-DEA agent- played by ageing Hollywood star/ tough guy Robert Mitchen,is brought into try uncovering the ring with the help of a informant. The late 70’s film also features Leslie Nielsen in a supporting role, and is for the most part a engaging enough/ twist ‘n’ turning plotted crime drama, with touches of action and a few WTH moment. Here from 88 Films is a Blu Ray release of the film, taking in a 2k scan, a commentary track, a interview with one of the films actors.

Mancunian low-budget Movie Mogul

Cliff Twemlow On Severin

One of last year’s real big surprises in the world of Blu-ray box sets was Bloody Legend: The Complete Twemlow Collection, as it was a wholly entertaining, fascinating, and at times heart-warming set. The Severin released boxset brought together the work of one of the UK’s unlikeliest movie moguls- Cliff Twemlow, a Mancunian bouncer/ body builder, who went on to write/star in/produce a series of low-budget/ largely SOV films in the early 80s to early 90s- these moved between action, thriller, sci-fi, and horror. His most notable/notorious film was 1983’s G.B.H., which landed on the video nasty list, though he was connected to other ten feature films, many of which got their first real full/proper release on the boxset. Opening up the set was the excellent 2023 documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow, which really pulls you into the set. I caught up with Severn’s David Gregory and Jake West, director of Mancunian Man, to discuss the boxset and all things cliff.

Repetitious History - A Quick Trip Into The World Of The Fall

The Fall

MES( Mark E Smith- The Falls main creator) possessed the ability to cram phrases into impossible spaces - “I’m hunting and I’m trying to find” delivered as “hut’na tryna find”; the eight-syllable “mere pseud mag editor’s father” hastily squeezed into a manipulation of time and space, heralded by the prior line “twice each at least”, the latter naturally repeated thrice.