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Vile is a 2010’s indie horror film with a few wants. It wants to be shocking & intense; it wants to be emotionally impactful with characters you care about, and lastly, it wants to be the next Saw. Here from MVD Marquee Collection is a recent Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in a few extras.
River is a rewarding blend of drama, comedy, and sci-fi. The Japanese film is set in & around an idyllic mountainside inn- where a two-minute time loop is causing confusion, calamity, and comradery. It’s a charming, creative, and ultimately heartwarming affair- giving a distinctive twist on the whole-time travel genre. Here from Third Widow Films- either as a Blu-ray, DVD, or digital- release. I’m reviewing the first of these, which takes in an interview with the director, a making of, and a trailer.
Sylvain Chauveau has been captivating audiences with his minimalist compositions for over twenty years; his work sitting confidently alongside luminaries including Philip Glass and Gavin Bryars. Employing acoustic, electronic and vocal sources to create a subtle and searching brand of music, Chauveau’s latest release, ultra minimal shows the French musician testing the limits of his minimalist credentials during a recent live performance at London’s Café Oto - relinquishing all electronic sounds to focus solely on the acoustic.
Unknown World is an early 1950s sci-fi adventure finding a group of scientists going to the centre of the earth, to find an alternative place for mankind if the bomb destroys all above. It’s a fair bit more serious, at points (relatively) feasible take on the ‘into the centre of the earth’ genre. Here from Cheezy Movies is a region-free DVD of the film.
Here’s a two-CD set bringing together two different improv sets, and as it appears on Belgian-based New Wave Of Jazz, it sits at the more abstract, shifting, at points fairly visceral side of the improv genre.
From the late 1950s Horrors of the Black Museum is a British police mystery come horror film- regarding a spate of rather bizarre murders. It’s a decidedly camp, at times grotesque ride- pushing the level of blood & violence for a film from the 50’s. Here from Studiocanal's Cult classic series is a new Blu-Ray release- with a new commentary track, interview, and lobby card gallery.
Swiss duo Musique Infinie’s Earth, a live improvisational score set to the imagery of Alexander Dovzhenko’s eponymous 1930 film, is split into two long pieces: “Creation” and “Destruction.” The dichotomy between these two foundational acts is not readily apparent, sonically speaking, anyway. What is apparent, however, is the conspicuous absence of the imagery from Dovzhenko’s Earth, which one will have to look up or imagine as the score marches on. Thematically, Dovzhenko’s work heralds a critical period in Stalin’s efforts at collectivization in the nascent Soviet Union, focusing specifically on Ukraine, where images of industrialized farming are juxtaposed with intimate close-ups of sunflowers and stout babies. The film discloses a further juxtaposition of the competing aesthetic regimes of its moment – the pastoral and the industrial – a contra position was then taken up by Musique Infinie in their two-part score, where muffled voices are processed within the fabric of electronic synthesis
Reflection And Passage is an often bluntly hissing ‘n’ crudely baying take on the free jazz form from this Austrian two-piece. It utilizes amplified tenor sax & voice from Michael Fisher, and Valentin Duit on percussion/ drums.
Unfamiliar with this band, I was unsure what to expect from what seems to be their debut recording. In fitting with its title, there is a gothic, tragic atmosphere right from the beginning, with melancholic Romantic classical piano, soon joined by strings and brushed drumset. With a tonality and atmosphere common to black metal, but musicianship seemingly derived from jazz, I am truly unable to predict what the rest of the album will sound like.
Plan 75 is a 2022 dystopian drama film directed by Chie Hayakawa (Ten Years in Japan, Niagara and the upcoming Renoir), starring Chieko Baishô (Howl’s Moving Castle, The Hidden Blade and the long-running and successful Tora-San movie series), Hayato Isomura (the Kamen Rider films/series, Kinou Nani Tabeta? and Alice in Borderland), Taka Takao (Your Eyes Tell, Baragaki:Unbroken Samurai and Sekigahara), and Stefanie Arianne (Oh! Lucy, Melancholic and Hello, Au Revoir).
Theorist and noise artist David Wallraf combines his two interests deftly on his latest, The Commune of Nightmares. The Hamburg-based artist focuses the somewhat Jungian collective symbology of dreams, but examines the nightmare aspect, espousing that this is something we all share as a response to "capitalist realism." A very interesting take on how these archetypes and primal symbols evolve with our species as a whole to help our subconscious better understand the current capitalist hellscape in which we all dwell. While it may sound horribly negative and dystopian, Wallraf uses noise, tape loops, and found material to back this grim vision, and this sonic output helps to bring us back together and show that we're not alone; we are not individuals adrift, but part of a community that is going through these experiences together, albeit through our own, personal lens.
Impossible Object is a late 70’s romantic drama, where fact and fantasy shift ‘n’ slide. The film is artily edged, with a decidedly darting structure- though there is charm, flair and passion here- both in the filmmaking and the acting. From Powerhouse here’s a Blu-Ray reissue taking two versions of the film, a new commentary track, and both new & archive extras.
Santa Swings…The Windup is a twenty-seven-track compilation focusing on Swing- which mainly dates from between the 1930s and 1950s. The CD release is another compilation from the fine folks at German’s Bear Family Records- so of course we find a varied, well-curated and presented collection.
Here we have a just under forty-minute example of the walled noise from Michigan-based noisehz. The sound here is of the more textured & layered side of the genre, and as its title suggests there is rather a snowbound vibe to the proceedings.
Fitting its BDSM title this two-track wall noise release is enclosing, thickly pressing, at points almost suffocating. It’s another release from super prolific California Koobaatoo Asparagus- with each track coming in at the thirty-minute mark- all making for an hour-long trip into dense & completely overwhelming wall matter.
On The Line is the directorial debut of Oliver Pearn. It's a 1960s-set thriller where we follow lonely switchboard operator Agnes (Victoria Lucie) who spends her days connecting calls and passing time by eavesdropping on conversations. However, one call proves unsettling for Agnes, drawing her into the kidnapping of dementia suffer Shirley (Dame Harriet Walter). But the crime isn’t as simple as Agnes thinks, and she soon finds herself drawn ever deeper into the investigation.
UK imprint Whitelabelrecs’ fourth installment of their sleeplaboratory series continues to build on the founding formula of compiling mostly label acts in service of a kind of sonic sleep aid. As the title indicates, the ambient offerings are meant to soothe as opposed to jar, a formula consistent with the wider genre of non-threatening ambient electronic music. The 14 tracks on sleeplaboratory4.0 lean heavily toward an aesthetic of lo-fi fuzziness and tape-saturated warmth. Many of the individual songs are indistinguishable from one another, or rather, transition without any great pronouncement, clearly a desired effect of trying to put listeners to sleep. I must confess that after repeated listens, I did not succumb to the laboratory’s wishes, though that is no slight on the part of the compilation. There is simply too much textural breadth on sleeplaboratory4.0 to send the act of listening into an unconscious drift.
A Moment of Romance is a 1990 action/ romance movie directed by Benny Chan (New Police Story, Raging Fire and The White Storm) and starring Andy Lau (Internal Affairs, House of Flying Daggers and The Warlords), Chien-Lien Wu (Eat Drink Man Woman, The Phantom Lover and Dragon Town Story), Man-Tat Ng (Shaolin Soccer, Fight Back to School and God of Gamblers Part 3: Back to Shanghai) and Kwong-Leung Wong ( The Killer, City on Fire and Prison on Fire).
Between 1979 and 1980 Italian horror cinema exploded in an orgy of blood, guts, gore and depravity. Two iconic films in particular were deemed to be responsible for this explosion of splatter, Lucio Fulci’s Zombie Flesheaters (1979) and Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980) took the Italian horror blueprint of stylishly violent chillers and ramped up the grand guignol to 11 to create a new breed of gruesome and gory movies that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on screen.
From the early 80’s The Inconfessable Orgies of Emmanuelle is a hedonistic softcore drama from prolific euro cult director Jess Franco. The film's fleshy unfold is often set within an air of vapid disquiet- with some wonderfully nuanced acting, moodily arty shot choice, and a soundtrack that seesaws between wavering off-key synth scaping/ easy listening & pared back Spanish guitar music to rather impactful results. Here from Severin is a Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in a new HD print of the film, interviews with both Franco expert Stephen Thrower & the director himself, and the next chapter in the ongoing In The Land Of Franco series- which finds Mr Thrower touring film sites.
From the early 1950’s Devil Girl From Mars is a British slice of low-budget Sci-Fi. It regards a decidedly stern & black leather glad humanoid Martian landing near an isolated Scottish inn, with a plan to invade London to gather human males to breed with. Here from Studiocanal's Cult classic series is a new Blu-Ray release- with a new commentary track, interview, and art cards.
Defleshed Exhumation is the third full length in four years from the Romania death outfit, Necrotum. In addition to slamming out three heavy, vile full lengths, the band has also released a number of shorter length releases, proving that they came here to punish ears and destroy speakers. This newest from Momento Mori sees nine brutal and heavy tracks blasted forth in an inspired continuation of late 90's death, picking up where legendary acts left off.
The Definitive Solar Collection is a three-CD set bringing together the cream of the crop from Lakeside’s late 70’s/ 80’s output. They are a nine-piece funk, soul, R&B project from Dayton, Ohio - who have been active( in one form or another) since 1969, and apparently do still pop up for reunions from time to time. As you’d hope/ expect this is a very groovy, buoyant, and at points decidedly cheesy collection- which is guaranteed to get your feet tapping, and your hips swinging.
Swiss-Philippine Annie Aries is a true musician; one who is not afraid to play with diverse genres as she shifts effortlessly between dance, minimalist techno and just plain minimalist. Her approach to music is textural, enhanced by a focus on live performance and guided by her instrument of choice, a custom-made modular synth that underscores her construction of multi-layered soundscapes currently sitting at the core of her latest release, It’s Not Quiet in the Void.