I really wanted this to be good, because so far I've only seen Sam Rockwell in some pretty darned respectable movies. The cast of Rockwell (Moon, Seven Psychopaths), Rosemarie DeWitt (Mad Men) and Jared Harris (Fringe, Mad Men) gave me hope. But alas, this was the biggest pile of shit (pardon my French) I've ever seen, at least in recent years.
It was ridiculous from start to finish, with dreadful child acting to boot. I'm not sure how close to the original movie this remake is, but if this was the plot of the original then that must have been horrendous too. Or perhaps the concept has just aged really badly and film makers should leave the past where it belongs?
I realise that this was a Sam Raimi film, and Sam Raimi traditionally makes pretty ridiculous films such as The Evil Dead. Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong, maybe I was supposed to be laughing all the way through... But then again, he did allow/help Fede Alvarez to murder his Evil Dead franchise in 2013 with a terrible "remake", so maybe this was a mistake in the same vein.
Possibly its only saving grace was that Sam Rockwell was bloody funny! He's an excellent actor who found himself horribly out of place in this train wreck. Seriously, don't bother.
I wasn't going to write anything about Saturday's mini festival at the Globe, Newcastle, but I realised there were a few highlights that just needed to be mentioned.
Starting the line up was a band named Killer Spiders. They are a new three piece hard rock band from somewhere in the local vicinity. As the first band to play they were able to set the standard for the evening, and they set the bar bloody high! It was a great performance. The frontman's vocals were fantastic and he expertly managed to multi-task in his role as vocalist and guitarist. The whole band were lively, enthusiastic and seemed happy to be there which is always good to see!
Iron Mass, a shock rock and metal band from Consett, put on an absolutely amazing show. Taking to the stage in masks, they really gave the audience something to look at. The opening bassline of their first song was enough to tell you the set would have you hooked. The three piece band worked seamlessly together and their performance was clearly in sync. The drummer gave 100% and you could tell, the songs were energetic and the pace was maintained throughout. The frontman's growling vocals worked excellently with the killer riffs from the bass and the guitar. Mid way through the gig the frontman faked suicide by cutting his throat on stage (with fake blood in case you're concerned), adding to the intriguing theatrical elements of the performance. The whole thing came together perfectly to be one hell of a gig!
Finally, the last band of the night, Velvoir, were unusual and amazing. I'm not sure that anyone knew what to expect when they took to the stage, but from the very start the singer stared us all down and gave it her all! The progressive and psychedelic feel to their hard rock was strangely calming - I could have stood and watched for hours. The bassist was excellent and you could really hear the impact the basslines had on the songs. The singer, wearing a blonde wig, full face of make-up and a fur coat, brought a really awesome vibe to the whole performance. She danced her ass off for nigh on the whole set, using the feather boa clad mic stand as a partner. With elements of Rocky Horror to bluesy funk... the important part was that they performed as if a million people were watching. Truly fantastic.
The other bands of the night all put on great performances, these were just my personal highlights. Well done to all involved! Including the fab sound guy, photographer and bar staff. You were all fantastic. :)
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www.facebook.com/IronMassBand / https://twitter.com/IronMassBand
www.facebook.com/velvoir / https://twitter.com/Velvoir
