Thursday 26 March 2015

PSA: Themes, Themes and even more themes!


So I thought I’d try and get this blog on track…finally! So I’m going to attempt to give each day a theme and post up regular content…hopefully.

So without further ado my proposed themes for the week!

Mondays: Metal Mondays (A look at new/upcoming metal artists…or something along those lines)

Tuesdays: Creature Feature Tuesdays (Horror Reviews! Gaming and or Films!)

Wednesdays: Whiplash Wednesdays (I’ll take a look at stuff that’s out of my comfort zone…yeah)

Thursdays: Tasty Thursdays (Food, food and more food)

Fridays: Forget-Me Not Fridays (A look back at the past and comparing it to the present…umm like seeing how horror films…like The Devils Rejects have weathered over the last 10 years….spoiler)

Saturdays and Sundays: Washout Weekends (My picks and stuff that is current and may have been missed during the week)

So yeah, I’ll try and keep this all on track over the next coming weeks. If I write any articles that are out of sync with the theme but are of dire need of distribution I’ll pop them up anyway.

Hopefully there’s a little something there for everyone!

Want to keep up to date with what's been posted and when? Watch out on Twitter @TGaravan


Later!

Sunday 22 March 2015

Movie Review: Clown

Clown Review

By Tom Garavan

Adding just a little to the coulrophobia in the world is Clown. And yes, coulrophobia is the fear of clowns…well I’m not quite sure but apparently consecotaleophobia is a fear of chopsticks, the more you know…but I digress.

Now I must admit, I’ve been looking forward to this flick…well since I heard about it a few months back. The horror scene has been a bit dry these last few months and seriously…I can only watch The Evil Dead so many times…actually I have no limit…I’m doing it again aren’t I? I must say though, Clown satisfied my horror taste buds…for now.

Directed by Jon Watts and written by Watts alongside Christopher D. Ford. Clown stars a nice little cast including; Andy Powers (Oz, In Her Shoes), Laura Allen (Hysteria, Mona Lisa Smile) and Peter Stormare (22 Jump Street, Prison Break). It’s actually a hard toss-up between Powers and Stormare for who did the best job. They really only feature in a long scene once or twice together in the film and the rest it’s either one or the other…they both did a fantastic job.

It also has to be popped in that Eli Roth also worked on the production of this movie, which has to say something about it's standing. As a rising director, Watts must be commended for this addition to the horror scene.


Anyway the story! Clown is basically a movie about not putting on other people’s clothes…especially when you find them in a musty old basement…in an ominous box…and it’s a freakin clown costume! The story focuses around Kent McCoy, a doting father who wants to give his son the best birthday possible, so fills the role of the missing clown himself by becoming the clown himself with a costume he stumbles upon. It is soon revealed that the costume is much more than it seems and Kent’s life is thrown into chaos when the true legend of the clown is revealed. 
Its all fun and games until the suit doesn't come off

We’ll keep this short and just say…unless you want to get possessed by some clown skin and have Peter Stormare attempt to decapitate you at any opportunity…do not put on random clown suits.

Now from a horror perspective…the story was an ace. Seriously, Watts has done a fantastic job creating a creepy lore behind clowns. The costume was put on at least 20 minutes into the film and I was wondering how they’re going to fill it out and to be honest my mind wandered a tad in the middle but the majority had me hooked. I guess I was just craving a little more Stormare and Powers.
Clowns carry a creepy vibe with them as it is enough but the whole idea of this film was fantastic. Stuck in a costume, slowly becoming a demon…me likey.  There’s a particular scene in a kids funhouse where the now fiendish McCoy is skulking around…seriously…The Wacky Warehouse will never be the same.

Ouch incoming
The squeams and gore glisten in when McCoy starts trying to remove the suit from himself. Rather having pain administered to victim, he’s doing it to himself (this time) and its squeamishly good at times…specifically the removal of the nose…seriously, ouch.

Powers and Stormare were probably my favourite parts to this film. Powers did a fantastic job as a man being torn apart, mentally and physically. His performance really added a psychological horror aspect to the movie. Whilst Stormare, the crazy cook who for some reason knows about creepy clown lore. He just has that sort of gritty voice that makes you think…my god this dude may be crazy…but damn he has a point. 

I also have to say Laura Allen does a fantastic job too. She’s torn between being the devoted wife, but also the protective mother. A particular scene in the woods really emphasises this…you’ll know it when you see it.

My biggest qualm with the movie has to be the ending. It was just a sort of anti-climax and rather typical. Come on Watts, shake it up just that little bit more, please.

Overall I have to say I enjoyed Clown. Watts did a great service to the horror scene so far this year. Aside from the ending the film is a must-see for anyone craving a horror fix. It’s a great new take at an old theme…all I have to say is that with all the fresh ideas and creativity…I would have liked to see a more unique ending.

On that note….seriously…do not put on random clown suits. I’m not clowning around here…yup mandatory bad pun, I’m done!


If you’d like to stay in the loop with news and reviews, follow me on Twitter @TGaravan or just stay tuned here!

Movie Review: The Atticus Institute

The Atticus Institute Review


By Tom Garavan

The Atticus Institute is a 2015 mockumentary style psychological thriller. Through the use of interviews, photography and found-footage we are given a glimpse into the strange occurrences that took place in an institute, one dedicated to the study of clairvoyance and telekinesis. 

Written and directed by Chris Sparling, also screenplay writer for the cult-hit ‘Buried’, The Atticus Institute is a good start to this year’s psychological-thriller scene. 

It doesn’t rely on cheap thrills to unnerve an audience, this is something that has been far too prominent in horror and thriller films of late. TAI really works in a fluid motion that really gels well with the mockumentary style. We are introduced to the characters and the eerie Judith, who comes to the facility and soon appears to have very unique and terrifying powers. If Carrie and The Quiet Ones had a one-night stand, this would be the demonic offspring. 

A qualm about the film is that it ‘stars’ William Mapother (Another Earth), however, although the foreshadowing of the story’s sub-plot is about what later incidents happened to him. Most of his actual performance is minor line found footage scenes and photography shots. 

The true star of this movie is Rya Khilstedt, who played the female antagonist; Alice, in Home Alone 3. Her performance was quite unsettling and detached. Even from the beginning you thought there was something wrong with her and this progressed further as the story played out. 

As mentioned. This film doesn’t require the infamous jump-scare, which so many popular films have come to rely on. It focuses on suspense, you know something is going to happen, but you’re not quite sure what. When a film makes you hold your breath in anticipation, you know it’s doing its job right. 

I definitely recommend giving this one a look!

Sunday 8 March 2015

Leo Moracchioli-Making Pop Sound Good

The man himself (From his Patreon Page)
Rocking right into this review is someone I recently stumbled upon during a recent YouTube adventure. Leo Moracchioli can only be described as a magician when it comes to all things musical. I mean….he made Anaconda sound amazing.

Based in Norway, Leo does equipment reviews and operates his own studio. However, his music covers will be the topic of this post!

Bringing a seriously epic (and yes the talents of this man are deserving of that word) metal twist to popular songs.  Writing this review is somewhat cumbersome as I’m currently listening to his cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ and my sweet potato, is it hard to stop moving to.

It has to be said that Leo really brings a great vibe and atmosphere to his work. Primarily using YouTube to post his music video covers, you can honestly see the energy he puts into it all. Playing all of the instruments himself. Leo operates from his own studio, Leap Frog Studios, where he produces his high quality video and audio content.

He truly draws in an audience by bridging the gap between popular music (Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Sia etc.) and some truly great metal. To be honest, I’m usually out of the loop with the current trends of music…but Leo is dragging me back in. He’s sort of like the Pied Piper lulling us along with a Jackson King V…towards an unknown world…and you know what? I don’t care, he’s freaking addictive to listen to.

His vocal range is fantastic, hitting some seriously fast beats with clean and hard vocals. You can tell he has a good voice for metal through the way you can literally hear how much fun he is having. His voice is truly just another instrument that he has mastered. I say this about a guy who’s video cover for ‘Can’t Touch This’…begins on a toilet. But hey! He also does acoustic covers too, thankfully his ‘Toxic’ one…was not performed in any facilities other than his studio!

Fare freaking dues to the dude too. You know, he’s created some fantastic music covers and you can tell the quality of his studio and skills through the audio that he produces.

Feel like listening to some Taylor Swift with a seriously good metal twist? How about…yes…some Justin Bieber? Leo Moracchioli has got you covered. His style is truly fun and something people should try out! He also operates his studio for band recordings, video and also live music.

This review is sort of like trying to explain a Zero Punctuation review. You have to kind of see and hear it to experience it.

So without further ado here is a link to his YouTube: Linky
His Patreon Page: Linky
And Website: Linky


Hope this gave you a flavor of what Leo is up to. Check him out!

To finish off this review is the single qualm I have with what Leo has produced...he hasn't tackled 'Blank Space' or any One Direction songs yet!

Anyone who wants to be kept in the loop with any other work I'm working on feel free to follow me on Twitter @TGaravan or just stay tuned here!