Actor Vincent Price was born in 1911, and would have been celebrating his 99th birthday if he was still alive today! World renowned for his distinct voice and unique charisma, he also graced us with horror essentials 'House of Wax' and 'The Fly'. His films have been satirized or remade continuously. Vince has even appeared in The Simpsons and sung with The Muppets. This diversity was further encapsulated through his readings of Edgar Allen Poe alongside Basil Rathbone. Amazing!
As a tribute to the godfather of horror, we've included a segment of his greatest works.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Friday, 30 April 2010
The Vice Guide To Film - North Korea.
You could say that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has two primary
obsessions: maintaining nuclear weapons capability as a means of
protecting his “hermit kingdom,” and thwarting pressure from outside
forces like from America and the rest of the industrialized world to
open his country to modern things like electricity… and he’s obsessed
with film. He loves movies. It’s rumoured that he has one of the
largest private film collections in the world. His favourite film is
Gone with the Wind and his favourite actress is Elizabeth Taylor. He’s
a film collector and bona fide cinephile, but he’s much more. He’s
everything really. He’s a director, a producer, a financier, a costume
maker, set designer, screenwriter, cameraman, sound engineer… and he’s
also a film theorist. His masterwork on aesthetics and practice is “On
the Art of Cinema” (written and published in the early 1970s). In it
he gives himself the humble title, “Genius of the Cinema.” He built an
extensive film studio in Pyongyang and when he couldn’t find someone
to make his film. He did what any self-respecting eternal leader and
great president would do, he kidnapped one.
Vice founder Shane Smith visits North Korea to try and penetrate the
Korean Feature Film Studio, the state-run film production facility
west of Pyongyang: a sprawling lot that at its height produced around 40 films a year.
obsessions: maintaining nuclear weapons capability as a means of
protecting his “hermit kingdom,” and thwarting pressure from outside
forces like from America and the rest of the industrialized world to
open his country to modern things like electricity… and he’s obsessed
with film. He loves movies. It’s rumoured that he has one of the
largest private film collections in the world. His favourite film is
Gone with the Wind and his favourite actress is Elizabeth Taylor. He’s
a film collector and bona fide cinephile, but he’s much more. He’s
everything really. He’s a director, a producer, a financier, a costume
maker, set designer, screenwriter, cameraman, sound engineer… and he’s
also a film theorist. His masterwork on aesthetics and practice is “On
the Art of Cinema” (written and published in the early 1970s). In it
he gives himself the humble title, “Genius of the Cinema.” He built an
extensive film studio in Pyongyang and when he couldn’t find someone
to make his film. He did what any self-respecting eternal leader and
great president would do, he kidnapped one.
Vice founder Shane Smith visits North Korea to try and penetrate the
Korean Feature Film Studio, the state-run film production facility
west of Pyongyang: a sprawling lot that at its height produced around 40 films a year.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
See cinema, in Russia.
So VICE have launched a doc on Russian Cinema...
A bit of blurb for you:
For 60 years, Russian film was dominated by the state-approved imagery
of Socialist Realism: stark scenes of the proletariat; working,
farming and soldiering. Making movies outside this milieu meant
risking life and limb at the hands of the KGB. When the Soviet Union
collapsed, and that threat diminished, Russian filmmakers released six
decades of pent-up creative energy. The films that emerged were an
insane mish mash of booze, violence, surrealism, and insanity. Thus
Parallel Cinema was born.
To learn more about this bizarre and wonderful school of film-making,
Vice’s Shane Smith travels to Moscow to interview the motley cast of
characters that founded Russian Parallel Cinema. We meet Gleb and Igor
Aleinikov, two of Parallel Cinema’s most prolific creators; Oleg
Kulik, who spent a year as a dog; Andre Silvestrov and Pavel Liabazov,
founders of Alcho-Cinema; and notorious “Necro-Realist” Yevgeni Yufit. Pretty weird.
A bit of blurb for you:
For 60 years, Russian film was dominated by the state-approved imagery
of Socialist Realism: stark scenes of the proletariat; working,
farming and soldiering. Making movies outside this milieu meant
risking life and limb at the hands of the KGB. When the Soviet Union
collapsed, and that threat diminished, Russian filmmakers released six
decades of pent-up creative energy. The films that emerged were an
insane mish mash of booze, violence, surrealism, and insanity. Thus
Parallel Cinema was born.
To learn more about this bizarre and wonderful school of film-making,
Vice’s Shane Smith travels to Moscow to interview the motley cast of
characters that founded Russian Parallel Cinema. We meet Gleb and Igor
Aleinikov, two of Parallel Cinema’s most prolific creators; Oleg
Kulik, who spent a year as a dog; Andre Silvestrov and Pavel Liabazov,
founders of Alcho-Cinema; and notorious “Necro-Realist” Yevgeni Yufit. Pretty weird.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Gig Review: Fools Gold-Madam Jojos
8.8
When first I saw the videos of Fools Gold on youtube, I became subsequently distracted by the stone roses for all eternity. So based on a single viewing of "Surprise hotel" I thought they were pretty okay. Nothing out the ordinary, but reasonably audible.
After the slight inconvenience of being held out in the cold by the club, next to a luxurious and seemingly warm massage parlour. FG played out what can only be described as a stropazz (street, pop, jazz) fusion until they triumphantly left the stage in style-via the audience! If you are after a feel good folk gathering, look no further.
The band members utilize an inherent mix of cultures, from western to African. Lead guitarist Lewis Pesacov told IAMSOUND RECORDS "There is definitely an element to our songs that makes people want to dance, but there is also something deeper and more purposeful going on, maybe even akin to the early spirit of The Smiths - kind of like as if Congotronics were fronted by Morrissey."
Watch them dive into the audience...
When first I saw the videos of Fools Gold on youtube, I became subsequently distracted by the stone roses for all eternity. So based on a single viewing of "Surprise hotel" I thought they were pretty okay. Nothing out the ordinary, but reasonably audible.
The band members utilize an inherent mix of cultures, from western to African. Lead guitarist Lewis Pesacov told IAMSOUND RECORDS "There is definitely an element to our songs that makes people want to dance, but there is also something deeper and more purposeful going on, maybe even akin to the early spirit of The Smiths - kind of like as if Congotronics were fronted by Morrissey."
Watch them dive into the audience...
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Gig Review: These New Puritans-Bush Hall
10
Live and BANGING. Just that massive "Alive" logo on Jack Barnett's forearm, wasn't enough to persuade you that TNP are still kicking, go to one of their shows.
It's annoying that most people don't see TNP past tracks like Elvis, and a lot of the fan base already seem bored by them. Following a lame request from a heckler in the audience, I was quite pleased they seemingly forgot to play it. Radiohead adopted this method a while back, and it seemed to work.
Friday, 22 January 2010
VICE & Chomsky.
Here is a new video VBS made about Noam
Chomsky.
He is a political activist, who also delves into philosophy and language. He is also "one of the eight most frequently cited authors of all time".
"He's interviewed by Kate Albright-Hanna, the Director of Video for New Media during Barack Obama's presidential media campaign. They discuss everything, from Chomsky's team-up with the band Bad Religion to the potential dangers of "Obama’s Army" and his hopes for the future". -VICE
This is a very radical and unusual vid, well worth the view!
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Gig Review: Tickley Feather-Cafe Oto
7.8
Anyone looking for free instruments with fluffy bits, banter and good support bands should see Tickley. It was somewhere between a brawl and sit down gig, nobody went pranced about like a geriatric with a new hip. But there was a standing fixation and welcome heckle.
Somehow these "scratchy bedroom probings"-PF were pretty calming.
Annie Sachs has a style all of her own.
Anyone looking for free instruments with fluffy bits, banter and good support bands should see Tickley. It was somewhere between a brawl and sit down gig, nobody went pranced about like a geriatric with a new hip. But there was a standing fixation and welcome heckle.
Somehow these "scratchy bedroom probings"-PF were pretty calming.
Annie Sachs has a style all of her own.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Gig Review: Maher Shalal Hash Baz-King's Place
9
Best gig ever, from an absolute fave. Rotating heads, clever lyrics, and box mind fuck. What more can an audience need? It's also reassuring to see KP take a leap out of the ordinary!
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Music Review: Owls-Anyone Can Have A Good Time
6.1
Woodist style, strum/folky wails from an animal inspired group. Not the most inventive of ideas, but Owls were born around 8 years ago. Interestingly enough they only lasted one. Considering this style was only publicized (mainstream) relatively recently, with the arrival of Deerhoof, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Deer Tick and so on. It is only fair to give these guys a whirl. If you are already familiar with owls, it's also worth noting guitarist Victor Villareal and bassist Sam Zurick's invention Ghosts and Vodka.
Woodist style, strum/folky wails from an animal inspired group. Not the most inventive of ideas, but Owls were born around 8 years ago. Interestingly enough they only lasted one. Considering this style was only publicized (mainstream) relatively recently, with the arrival of Deerhoof, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Deer Tick and so on. It is only fair to give these guys a whirl. If you are already familiar with owls, it's also worth noting guitarist Victor Villareal and bassist Sam Zurick's invention Ghosts and Vodka.
Music Review: Duo505-Tsip Tsap
7.7
"Duo505 is a collaboration between Bernhard Fleischmann and classically trained multi-instrumentalist Herbert Weixelbaum, an experiment that blends the level-headedness and ambient tendencies of Fleischmann with Weixelbaum’s insistence on disgruntled guitars, slices of distortion and a Lo-HIFI sensibility." -Last FM
Bearing slight resonance to a rave party in Camberwell, where everybody is on E and the night is in need of some euphoric extension. Duo505 cut the atmosphere, like a static floating dove. They only seem to end as far as ones imagination, so grab some jellybean covered technics and start visualizing. If you also enjoy trippy Asian electro, check out YMCK.
"Duo505 is a collaboration between Bernhard Fleischmann and classically trained multi-instrumentalist Herbert Weixelbaum, an experiment that blends the level-headedness and ambient tendencies of Fleischmann with Weixelbaum’s insistence on disgruntled guitars, slices of distortion and a Lo-HIFI sensibility." -Last FM
Bearing slight resonance to a rave party in Camberwell, where everybody is on E and the night is in need of some euphoric extension. Duo505 cut the atmosphere, like a static floating dove. They only seem to end as far as ones imagination, so grab some jellybean covered technics and start visualizing. If you also enjoy trippy Asian electro, check out YMCK.
Music Review: Little Vic-Sister Morphine
7.2
Want some earworms?
On my first listen, this song felt fresh to me. It carried those retro "electric relaxation" vibes with a spark of talib/premo-esque production, it's not the best hip hop alive. But it's better than most I've waded through in recent times. Anyone that's been a fan of hip hop for the last ten years, and appreciated (MF DOOM, Mos Def) will love this. What's endearing about LV's sound, is that he provides a complete sense of escapism.
Want some earworms?
On my first listen, this song felt fresh to me. It carried those retro "electric relaxation" vibes with a spark of talib/premo-esque production, it's not the best hip hop alive. But it's better than most I've waded through in recent times. Anyone that's been a fan of hip hop for the last ten years, and appreciated (MF DOOM, Mos Def) will love this. What's endearing about LV's sound, is that he provides a complete sense of escapism.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Gig Review: Passion Pit-KOKO
5
This gig was exactly what I had predicted, when I first arranged to see Passion Pit last summer (having followed them a year). Sadly by the time I got to the performance, they had become known to every Fred, Freda and Frank. Unfortunate, but as mentioned previously not unexpected and it isn't hard to understand why. Whilst the high pitched vocals resounding from Michael Angelakos are not to every taste, they do carry a synth oriented malleable club sound. The set was based on interaction, arms flailing, jumping and brashly reciting lyrics.
You can now spot the band across the pages of every public indie magazine as "the ones to watch" and hear samples of "make light" splashed between the clips on sky sports. R.I.P. PP.
This gig was exactly what I had predicted, when I first arranged to see Passion Pit last summer (having followed them a year). Sadly by the time I got to the performance, they had become known to every Fred, Freda and Frank. Unfortunate, but as mentioned previously not unexpected and it isn't hard to understand why. Whilst the high pitched vocals resounding from Michael Angelakos are not to every taste, they do carry a synth oriented malleable club sound. The set was based on interaction, arms flailing, jumping and brashly reciting lyrics.
You can now spot the band across the pages of every public indie magazine as "the ones to watch" and hear samples of "make light" splashed between the clips on sky sports. R.I.P. PP.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Gig Review: Micachu & The Shapes-SCALA
5
I really dislike this venue, the gig started off well and the support bands were great. However, halfway through a group of chavs decided it would be an idea to "pop in" and have a boogie. It was painful to watch. The smoking area was cool, and I did bump into Dave Okumu a good few times. The actual performance was good, if a little packed out at the end. In brief, see Micachu but not at the Scala.
I really dislike this venue, the gig started off well and the support bands were great. However, halfway through a group of chavs decided it would be an idea to "pop in" and have a boogie. It was painful to watch. The smoking area was cool, and I did bump into Dave Okumu a good few times. The actual performance was good, if a little packed out at the end. In brief, see Micachu but not at the Scala.
Friday, 18 September 2009
Film Review:The Informant!
6
So it appears after six years of Los Campesinos! I'm still drawn to exclamation marks like a moth to inevitable incineration. I'll tell you why, this film was something else.
After being dragged down to the great big odeon, I wanted to hide in the popcorn machine in fear of actually having to view twilight(better version, and ST). Thankfully, it was sold out and the manifestation of jedward viewing teens were happily packed like battery geese into that single screen. Delaying us by twenty minutes or so? I cooled down by soaking up the Where The Wild Things Are poster.
By the time we arrived inside I wanted to scream with excitement, in fact I did, lots. Sssshhhh! "IT'S EMPTY".
That's right BIG new Matt Daemon release and no people. Rarely recessions and my off key taste (can be useful). The film was just that.
Without doing a spoiler on you, it involves the seemingly mundane against the extraordinary. In fact, let's just call it mundane so you wont expect much. I give it 6...or do I?
For additional entertainment, bring someone dumb and temperamental if you can.
So it appears after six years of Los Campesinos! I'm still drawn to exclamation marks like a moth to inevitable incineration. I'll tell you why, this film was something else.
After being dragged down to the great big odeon, I wanted to hide in the popcorn machine in fear of actually having to view twilight(better version, and ST). Thankfully, it was sold out and the manifestation of jedward viewing teens were happily packed like battery geese into that single screen. Delaying us by twenty minutes or so? I cooled down by soaking up the Where The Wild Things Are poster.
By the time we arrived inside I wanted to scream with excitement, in fact I did, lots. Sssshhhh! "IT'S EMPTY".
That's right BIG new Matt Daemon release and no people. Rarely recessions and my off key taste (can be useful). The film was just that.
Without doing a spoiler on you, it involves the seemingly mundane against the extraordinary. In fact, let's just call it mundane so you wont expect much. I give it 6...or do I?
For additional entertainment, bring someone dumb and temperamental if you can.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Gig Review: We Have Band-ICA
5.1
I like We have Band, in that everything about them is deliberately stupid. Strangely enough comedians notably have a higher IQ than the rest of us. On "you came out" the lyrics are comedic genius:
"you came out
and you were wasted
you went home
and turkey basted"
The language is broken, slang like, creative and funny. We Have Band make a statement on consumption, and how people will follow/buy into ridiculousness. The irony being in order to get this, so would have to follow them. If you don't have the ability to mock yourself, don't bother.
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