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movie reviews

CD Review: ‘The Opiates’, Thomas Feiner; Anywhen

by C J Davies

Talk about your long gestation periods – The Opiates, the third and final album from Swedish collective Anywhen, was originally recorded in 2001, and subject to an extremely limited release in February of that year.

So why are we mentioning it now? Well, The Opiates has aged sufficently enough to reach ‘lost classic’ status, and – following a rediscovery by ex-Japan mastermind David Sylvian – is all set for an updated and expanded re-release, courtesy of some reworking by vocalist Thomas Feiner.

Please. Stay where you are. We know the connotations that the term ‘lost classic’ has – you probably can’t help thinking of some scratchy Bob Dylan bootleg heralded as ‘the ultimate live experience’ or thirty-seven minutes of Syd Barrett farting that some wag has labelled ‘a transcendent psychedelic journey lost for several decades.’

Talk about your long gestation periods - The Opiates, the third and final album from Swedish collective Anywhen, was originally recorded in 2001, and subject to an extremely limited release in February of that year. So why are we mentioning it now? Well, The Opiates has aged sufficently enough to reach 'lost classic' status, and - following a rediscovery by ex-Japan mastermind David Sylvian - is all set for an updated and expanded re-release, courtesy of some reworking by vocalist Thomas Feiner. Please. Stay where you are. We know the connotations that the term 'lost classic' has - you probably can't help thinking of some scratchy Bob Dylan bootleg heralded as 'the ultimate live experience' or thirty-seven minutes of Syd Barrett farting that some wag has labelled 'a transcendent psychedelic journey lost for several decades.'
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DVD Reviews: The Kite Runner

by hecklerspray staff

Don’t let the bookworm prestige of the title or the two-hour plus running time dissuade you from The Kite Runner.

It’s one of those rare ‘issue’ films that remains an enticing and emotionally electrifying viewing experience that may restore your faith in cinema after the distracting memory left by that turgid Indiana Jones encounter you had a few weeks back.

The story commences in 2000 San Francisco, where a young Afghan writer receives a mysterious phone call from someone in Pakistan telling him that he has a chance to redeem himself.

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Album review: I’m Not There OST, Various artists

by Tom Atkinson

Cover versions can be tricky little buggers. Rather like movie remakes, they can sometimes surpass the original (Heat), just about offer a flattering copy (The Ring), or completely murder the hell out of the original and leave all fans of it employing small animals to scratch out their eyeballs (Get Carter).

Songs are a lot shorter than your average film though, and therefore, should be a lot harder to make a mess of. Although not if you’re Mark Ronson, whose grindingly shit (and admittedly incredibly successful) take on covers involves simply a jaunty rhythm and a trumpet. Again. And. Again.

Anyway, whatever the failings of the twat in the hat, you surely can’t go wrong with an album packed full of Bob Dylan belters can you? Well, maybe in some ways you can.

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DVD Review: Freebird

by hecklerspray staff

Any film that has the balls to cast the usually well-versed and impeccably attired Peter Bowles as a lumbering, foul-mouthed, pot-smoking, cockneyfied old timer deserves some credit.

Unfortunately he’s only in it for the first five or so minutes (he passes out amid a mist of intoxicating weed), and it’s therefore left for the younger likes of Phil Daniels, (ace in Quadrophenia) Gary Stretch (Dead Man’s Shoes) and co to carry the film to its mortal doom.

Freebird is a road movie of sorts that wants to be the British comedy answer to Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider but doesn’t have the inspiration, charm or guts to carry any fleeting comparison to that vintage biker film.

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Movie Review: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

by hecklerspray staff

19 years it’s been since the fedora wearing, wise cracking, whip snapping Indiana Jones last graced our screens, and so his return comes with as much trepidation as it does excitement.

It also makes Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull a hard film to write a review for – it’s not often that a beloved franchise from your childhood gets a sequel made this long after its original trilogy was closed. Let’s not forget how the Star Wars prequels were wasted opportunities.

So does Indy 4 shine like the Ark of the Covenant? Or does it stink like a 700 year old knight?

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Hecklergigs: A Place To Bury Strangers, The Legion, 8/5

by hecklerspray staff

‘Bring earplugs’ they said. ‘Stand at the back’ they said. ‘They’re the loudest band in New York’ they said.

Well ‘they’ get top marks for believing the hype, but they could also require after-hours schooling for a little reality, because if A Place To Bury Strangers are the loudest band in New York then the city that never sleeps is in line for some well deserved shut eye.

It may be the aural abilities of The Legion, Shoreditch’s nearest thing to an alpine ski bar, but even stood close to the stage with ears unplugged, our tympanic membranes remain intact and not even a drop of blood trickles from our auditory canal.

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Movie Review: XXY

by hecklerspray staff

It’s a tough life being a teenager.

One minute you’re a clear- skinned, sweet little bundle of naïve curiosity, the next you’ve got a face like an angry dot to dot, your parents have become inexplicably infuriating, and you want to hump everything in sight even if you’re not quite sure why.

Tough indeed, but not quite as tough as having all of those things and being a person of indeterminate gender born with both male and female sexual organs. So not only are you getting the hormonal explosion of one gender, you’re having to deal with all the problems associated with both as well as the lovely people calling you a freak and parents who don’t know what to do.

That’s the situation for Alex, anyway- the young lead of this brave Argentinian film from female director Lucia Puenzo.

It’s a tough life being a teenager. One minute you’re a clear- skinned, sweet little bundle of naïve curiosity, the next you’ve got a face like an angry dot to dot, your parents have become inexplicably infuriating, and you want to hump everything in sight even if you’re not quite sure why. Tough indeed, but not quite as tough as having all of those things and being a person of indeterminate gender born with both male and female sexual organs. So not only are you getting the hormonal explosion of one gender, you’re having to deal with all the problems associated with both as well as the lovely people calling you a freak and parents who don’t know what to do. That’s the situation for Alex, anyway- the young lead of this brave Argentinian film from female director Lucia Puenzo.
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Hecklergigs, The Futureheads @ The Royalty, Sunderland, 01/03

by Matthew Laidlow

When bands get big and famous, they tend to shun the grimy pubs and seedy back ally clubs. Instead of playing for a crowd of seven pissed old men who are more annoyed that you’re unsettling their darts night you elevated to superstar venues.

From playing horrible branded beer based academies, arenas and festivals, it’s a great milestone for any band, The Futurehead’s are no exception. After gigging around the North-East for to long, they finally got their spring bored to stardom with Hounds Of Love.

However, The Futureheads tonight played a very special and unique gig. In association with lovely tasting Gaymers cider and Channel 4, they aimed to take bands back to their hometown roots. And hecklerspray was there to see the band rekindle their love for Sunderland and play an intimate set for a handful of lucky competition winners.

When bands get big and famous, they tend to shun the grimy pubs and seedy back ally clubs. Instead of playing for a crowd of seven pissed old men who are more annoyed that you’re unsettling their darts night you elevated to superstar venues. From playing horrible branded beer based academies, arenas and festivals, it’s a great milestone for any band, The Futurehead’s are no exception. After gigging around the North-East for to long, they finally got their spring bored to stardom with Hounds Of Love. However, The Futureheads tonight played a very special and unique gig. In association with lovely tasting Gaymers cider and Channel 4, they aimed to take bands back to their hometown roots. And hecklerspray was there to see the band rekindle their love for Sunderland and play an intimate set for a handful of lucky competition winners.
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Hecklergigs: Cut Copy, Scala, 23/4

by hecklerspray staff

There are many things that can stir up a sense of dread at the opening stages of a gig.

Poorly-judged chemical consumption, signs reading ‘Carling only’, or The Others as a support act are a few, but a wanker in a trilby and sunglasses (indoors) is just as effective.

For this reason, the start of Wednesday’s Cut Copy gig was an apprehensive one, but this man’s presence can be easily explained.

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Album Review: Tindersticks, ‘The Hungry Saw’

by C J Davies

If you know Tindersticks, you’ll be more than familiar with the world they inhabit.

It’s a sonic landscape of occasional desolation, soothing melancholy and introspective melody, all hazed out through a 3am red-wine-and-cigarettes blurry filter. In short: if you’re looking for an album to soundtrack the million-plus hours of GTA IV rampages you’re going to be enjoying from Tuesday, you need to search elsewhere.

If, however, you’re looking for a haunting, swelling, oddly fitting mixture of the stripped-back and the orchestral, then The Hungry Saw – Tindersticks’ first album since 2003′s Waiting For The Moon, and the seventh in their catalogue so far – may just float your boat nicely.

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