Author: Antonio Díaz

Categories
Cinema DVD

Sinä Elävä

{mosimage}“You, the Living” is the new film by Swedish director Roy Andersson.

 

From Sweden comes this movie, highly praised for the critics, as far as I have seen before putting my hands into reviewing it. Roy Andersson displays here a collection of situations, 50 or more, that have as common features a depressing atmosphere. Beings that feel trapped by their lives, with dreams that do not come true, and with surrealistic situations, are displayed in front of our eyes. It reminds me a bit of the style you can see in the great British animation series Monkey Dust. But while in that series, I cannot avoid to laugh my ass off, certainly this Andersson s movie resulted boring in the end. I lost concentration after the first twenty minutes, and my girlfriend did not even want to continue watching it until the end.

 

Maybe you need to have been born in a Scandinavian country to fully appreciate Andersson s irony, but for me basically the film did not mean much in the end. Many cinema critics who love to masturbate their minds with indie cinema will find the film delightful, but for me the most important thing is that a film is able to transmit something. And this Sinä Elävä just got me as cold as the chilly Swedish weather portrayed all over the film. If you are able to discover something in the film that I could not, I congratulate you.

 

Rating 2/5.

Categories
Albums Music

Iced Earth – The Crucible of Man

{mosimage}The long-awaited second part of Something Wicked Part 1 is out in the market.  

The long-awaited second part of Something Wicked Part 1 is out in the market.  

The American metal heads Iced Earth, that enjoys almost the status of gods in countries like Greece, or what is the same, Jon Schaffer and his boys, are back, This album was kind of special because of the returning of Matt Barlow on the vocals (it seems that the life as policeman did not totally satisfy him) instead of Tim Owens.

 

Many foresaw this as a return to the old sound that encumbered the band at the end of the 90s, like with the super album Something Wicked This Way Comes, but truly said, this new Crucible of Man has more to do with the last 2 albums, meaning that is Schaffer who decides the destiny of Iced Earth, and what side to take when facing a new project. Long epic songs, that start with a promising intro, full of beautiful background voices: In Sacred Flames, but becomes more and more predictable and a bit boring. There are a couple of good shots that will remind you of the old Iced Earth sound, like the marvelous I walk Alone where Barlow´s voice is at his best, or Sacrificial Kingdoms with a great instrumental work by the whole band, but in general, the album can be received with a bit of disappointment after the high expectations that had rose.

 

The same that the sad sound of the Epilogue that closes the album, Iced Earth needs to find his way in future works if they do not want that their die-hard fans live just on their older albums.

 

Rating 3/5.

 

 

Categories
Albums Music

Laura Vuotilainen – Palaa

{mosimage}New album by the well-known Finnish artist from Jyväskylä.

 

Laura Vuotilainen is a well known singer in Finland, but probably outside her native boundaries, many people do not know much about her.

 

A former participant in Eurovision contest, in 2002 in Tallinn, she has hosted also her own TV show. She has a dilated career as musician, although maybe she can be a bit too “old fashioned” for the new generations of listeners who prefer to hail the incoming youngsters musicians from TV shows like Idols.

What you will find here is a collection of easy-listening songs, with the sensual voice of Laura featured all over the 10 tracks. If you want to have a soft approach to Finnish music, certainly songs like Monta Monta or Villiviini can be good options while holding a party at home with some friends. But the album does not take any risks, so here there is no place for surprises or improvisations.

Surely Laura will sell a good handful of albums among the adult Finnish audience, but there is not much left to excitement for young people who want to experiment new sensations in Finnish pop. Not a bad album, but just another album of Laura Vuotilainen, no more, no less.  

Rating 3/5.

Categories
Cinema DVD

No country for old men

{mosimage}Coen brothers strike back with another superb title. One of the DVDs of the year.

 

Ethan and Joel Coen have gone though a consistent career, able to create a personal trademark in their films. Most of the good features you can see in some of their previous masterpieces are here again in this superb No country for old men. The acting skills of the three main characters, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones are simply fantastic; especially Bardem here is at his best. Not just because I am also Spaniard, but I think everybody must admit that here he really achieves a great performance as the assassin Anton Chigurh. Even the resurrected Woody Harrelson plays his part nicely in the plot!  

Some acid humor and astonishingly shocking visual sequences make you get literally stitched to your seat during the whole movie. The Coen brothers also play successfully with the lack of music to empower the oppressive atmosphere of those dusty corners of the deep America.

 

If a friend asks you about advice before watching this film, it is a bit difficult to describe what this movie is really about. That is maybe the magic of the Coen brothers, to leave you with the feeling of having assisted to a masterpiece that cannot really be transcribed into simple words.

 

Rating 5/5

Categories
Cinema DVD

Into the Wild.

{mosimage}Follow the trip of Chris McCandless to a new solitude life in Alaska.

I have encountered feelings towards Emile Hirsch. During this movie, sometimes he seems to give a very nice portray of his character, Chris, but some others he simply annoys me; something similar to what happened when I saw him in Alpha Dog. In any case, Into the Wild is quite an interesting movie to see. Based on true events, and in the book by Jon Krakauer and directed by Sean Penn, we assist through the movie to the existential trip of the young Chris, leaving all his past life in search of a new existence where the materialistic things are not the important ones. Farther than the reasons of Chris to do that, the more interesting parts of the movie are his encounters with other characters, and the mark that they leave on each others.

 

The movie wisely mixes drama and comedy, and there are some astonishing sequences where the nature is very present. But it is difficult to understand the utter motivations of Chris during his trips, and without the understanding and the identification, it is complicated to fully enjoy his wanderings around USA without feeling a bit uncomfortable and critical.

 

Maybe it is an excellent movie to watch more than once, because the first time will leave you still wondering if you liked it or not. At least it is good that a movie can make you reflect.

 

Rating 3/5.

 

Categories
Cinema DVD

The Spiderwick Chronicles

{mosimage}Based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, here comes a new fantasy story!

 

Well, it is difficult for whatever fantasy title based on a book in the past years to compete with the excellent trilogy of Lord of the Rings. Titles like the Golden Compass have not passed the test to improve Jackson’s masterpieces…neither this Spiderwick Chronicles. In any case, the film is not so pretentious and just turn to have an easy plot to follow and some good special effects, but without an overdose of them.

Probably the little ones of the house will enjoy it pretty much, but for the grown up audience, this can be a bit too boring and predictable. In any case, the work of the children is good, and it has a very nice and funny final scene when the evil boss is finally defeated by one of the friendly fantasy creatures (that we are not going to reveal to ruin the final).  

If you have children at home, it can be a good option to make them sit in front of the screen for a couple of hours. If you are looking for fantasy films to enjoy yourself, maybe this product will end up being a bit too simple for your taste.

 

Rating 3/5.

Categories
Interviews Music

The white wise lion is back

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Talking about White Lion is talking about one of the most influential bands during the golden era of the rock of the 80s. I remember when I was just a young teenager who listened to them compulsively, rewinding their cassette time after time. Now, the band is on tour and with a new album released, and we had the great luck to contact Mike Tramp, their singer and “alma mater”, who answered our questions between gig and gig.

Thanks for collaborating with us Mike. How is the European tour going so far?

My pleasure! The tour is going great as it is always nice to see and hear that White Lion is still alive and appreciated by the rock fans. But it is a shame that we didn't get to go to Finland as there are many White Lion fans there. We just never got an offer to play there and the fans should know that it's not us saying no.

Is there any gig or venue you specially liked or remembered?

You know, I really try not to make any country, city or venue more special than another. But of course every time we get play a new territory it is a great victory and it is special.

You have played and will play in most of the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, Sweden) and unfortunately the tour does not touch Finland. But you are these days in my native country, Spain. What can you say about your stay there?

Oh Spain has been wonderful to the return of White Lion, the fans are great and when I hear them sing along to every song, I know that they have been fans from the beginning. I love Spain very, very much.

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Some Scandinavian people say that Finland is a country different to the rest of the Scandinavian ones. What do you think, being you Danish? Have you visited Finland in the past?

Well people always say silly things and most don't know shit. Every country has their special thing. I have only played Finland/Helsinki once in 1993 with Freak of nature and hope to come back next year with White Lion, we have to play there.

How does it feel to be again recording a studio album for White Lion after 16 long years?

The thing that was interesting was writing the songs as I had not written those kind of songs for many years and I truly enjoyed it, I could feel I was hungry again and not tired and bored. Going into the studio is just routine; the real fun part is the pre rehearsals when the songs are get worked out to the final detail.

I was hungry to write songs for White Lion again" -Mike Tramp-

What can you tell us about this new Return of the Pride, what can the listener expect when having the CD in their hands?

I hope that the listener will recognize the trademarks of White Lion and at the same time hear the natural progression of 16 years have added to the band and with that find something fresh without stepping away from what the band stands for.

Any special favorite track in the album?

Sangre de Cristo and Battle at little big horn, both to giant epics. It is nice to be free to just let song be as long as it needs to be and have as many parts in it as what feels right. This is not American Top 40 anymore and this is not MTV. It's just rock'n'roll with no rules.

I got the CD of Crimes of Passion, the band opening for you during this tour, and I liked it a lot. What opinion do you have of the guys?

They are my friends first of all and that is why they are with us. At the same time they are a good band who is not afraid of hard work that is also why they are with us. I wish them all the best luck and anything I can do to help them I will.

{mosimage}What activities were you doing after White Lion was dissolved in the 90s until the comeback in 2007?

I recorded 3 albums with my new band Freak of nature and toured the world. Then I did 4 solo albums and a double live album. I have children and I moved from the USA to Australia. Oh yes I have been busy!

What things have changed and what things remain the same from the 80s in your life as musician?

Back then you were part of rock'n'roll evolution, things were changing before your eyes, life were moving fast, while you were the one changing it.Today I am very aware of everything I do, I am experienced and prepared for anything that comes at me, this is a place I know well, I have been here before, I have been here many times, I am an old wise Lion.

You are the only original member left in the band. Are you afraid people can consider this like Mike Tramp´s project instead of a White Lion´s project altogether?

No. But you can ask David Coverdale or Dave Mustaine what they think. We are rock'n'rollers and that is not a job, but a life style. Why should I not carry one with something that I built way before Vito came around? If people have a problem with it they can stay home and not buy the album it is that easy. There are hundreds of bands out there; some don't even have any original members in it.

Future plans? Anything you want to add for the readers and fans?

I play rock'n'roll, it is my life! We still have more White Lion touring this year and new White Lion DVD next year, and we are also working on a new album.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Vantage Point

{mosimage}The central square of the city of Salamanca becomes a battlefield with the arriving of the president of the United States…

Being the action shot in the Spanish city of Salamanca, I was especially motivated to watch this movie. But after the first minutes, my attention became dissolute. The initial attack and the sequences of the bomb exploding are visually shocking, but later the big possibilities that the plot offers to make a good film are wasted. The facts are told and re-told from different points of views of the people participating in trying to save or kill the President of USA during his visit to a conference in the city, and so much rewind becomes to be pretty annoying. The cast lists very good names like Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver or the Spanish Eduardo Noriega, but most of their appearances get pretty wasted and without rhythm with so many flashbacks all the time. For example, Sigourney Weaver appears at the beginning of the film, and then… nobody exactly knows what her role is there anymore… Forest Whitaker s acting skills are also basically wasted there, and his friendship relation with the little Spanish girl is forced and not plausible, nobody would believe that after a conversation of 5 seconds he must become  her personal guard angel.  

Eduardo Noriega is an excellent Spanish actor who could have given a much better performance than just the simple role of being chased during all the film for ending up shot. And so on, so on… There are not even nice twists in the end of the movie, something that for example another film full of flashbacks like Memento mastered; the bad guys soon are discovered to be really bad guys and the good guy is the typical American hero who will solve the situation just shooting around to the evil terrorists.

Resuming, a very disappointing movie. My advice is that you better try with another movie if you are tired of the typical action films that lead nowhere. And by the way, as a remark, the Spanish security forces do not usually speak so good English. They must have taken intensive language lessons while I was outside living in Finland.  

 

Rating 2/5.

 

Categories
Albums Music

I hate Kate – embrace the curse

{mosimage}We don’t know what Kate did to be hated like this, but sure we know that the Californian guys are able to provide some awesome lyrics.

 

From Huntington Beach in California comes this original band with a good load of power pop that turns to be in some songs pretty danceable. Listening to their new album, embrace the curse, during the first couple of songs I had the impression that they could share some features with the Australian the Wombats, but I hate Kate goes far beyond the simple formula of just offering easy listening songs to forget about worries, and are able to compose intelligent and wonderful pieces like the funny I´m in love with a sociopath or the romantic It’s you.

The band has been around for 3 years now, and it is comprised of Justin Mauriello (vocals/guitar), Scott Hayden (bass) and Jeremy Berghorst (guitar). Step by step, they have gained a reputation touring around USA and recently they also had the chance to play a visit to Japan.

We wish good luck to the Californian guys, and hope that in a near future they will be able to visit Europe and delight us with some kickin´pop-rock.  

Rating 4/5.

Categories
Albums Music

Haloo Helsinki! – Haloo Helsinki!

{mosimage}The band from the Finnish capital features their debut album during this August, followed by an extensive tour around Finland.

Coming from the capital, there is no wonder that the introductory track of the album is named after the band: Haloo Helsinki!. A good representative track of what you can expect later: the voice of Elli singing lyrics for a youthful urban audience. At some point it feels a bit like the singer is a younger version of Maija Vilkkumaa, with the record company EMI making an effort to catch teenage audience around the country. The rest of the members of the band are Jere and Leo on the guitars and Jukka on the drums.

 

Do not misunderstand me. For being a debut album from a young band, Haloo Helsinki! sounds pretty cool. The production work is nice and some songs are really catchy like Yksinäiset or Perjantaina. It is just the feeling that the Finnish market is a bit overwhelmed with bands and female singers with similar style. Sure Haloo Helsinki! will leave a good feeling when appearing on live gigs and festivals together with the bunch of the other pop-rock Finnish bands aimed at youngsters, but it will be difficult that they can head out unless they are able to find a bit more personal style and “trademark”.  

Rating 3/5.

Categories
Albums Music

Automatic Eye – Don’t let the past come between you and your happiness

{mosimage}With this philosophical title the Finnish guys introduce us their new studio album full of good indie pop.

 

Indie Finnish music scene is not as strong as hard rock and heavy metal scene, but surely it has improved a lot in the recent years with fresh bands like Brightboy or the invasion by the record label Fullsteam. What we have here is (thanks god some diversity…) not another band “made in Fullsteam”, but a group of 5 guys that started 3 years ago with this project and are at the present day signed with Pyramid/Johanna Kustannus, releasing their debut album after having gained experience in the international music scene.

Actually, we recently talked to you about the Californian guys from I hate Kate, and saving the distances, there are some resemblances between both bands: they have been around for the same time, they both gained a good reputation in Japan and they both have new albums with excellent lyrics. As an example, listen to Weakness for Welfare or Brand New Beginning from the Finnish guys, and be ready to enjoy.

Maybe the compulsory melancholic mood is here more constantly present than in the Americans I hate Kate, but certainly Automatic Eye deserves to be recognized far beyond the frontiers of Finland. We hope that they can get a good push of promotion and show the world that in Finland there is also space for a good indie pop scene.  

Rating 4/5.

Categories
Interviews Music

Take a shot of Lovex

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With just a couple of albums released, Lovex is certainly fighting hard to find their own place in the heart of Finnish and foreign rock fans. Last year they were very close to represent Finland in the Eurovision finals, and now they are scoring high in the charts with their new album Pretend or Surrender. Not mentioning the sex appeal of the vocalist Theon among the young female audience

Lovex has just finished their gig at Tammerfest, and while Apulanta is getting ready to assault the stage, I head to the backstage to have a talk with the guys from Tampere. What started as a quick meeting for a short interview turned into a funny long night spending time with them; people down to earth who enjoy the same things that the rest of the young people: to sit in a park sipping a beer, a good conversation and watching the concerts of the other bands. I sit now with Theon, the vocalist, Jason, the bass player and Sammy, one of the guitarists, who kindly answered the questions, but during the next few hours I will have the chance to chat with all the members of the band.

Hello guys. Thanks for your time after the concert. How was the gig?

Theon: It was pretty fine. Tampere is our hometown is it is always nice to play here. There were quite a lot of people.

I made this same question to Jonne of Negative: How is to live in Tampere?

Theon: Well, I was born here and lived here ever since so, I don t know much about other places but…well, it is not the biggest city but it is not a small one in Finland. Winters are pretty much the same all around Finland, cold and sometimes even the summers are quite cold. But I think that Tampere is one of the best places in Finland, definitely.

Can you explain a bit more how was the beginnings and formation of Lovex?

Theon: Actually Sammy, Jason and Vivian were the founders of the band. It was in 2001 and then Christian, Julian and me joined the band a few years later.

Sammy: I knew Theon before and I asked him to join the band. Actually I did not know Christian before he joined the band and Julian was a friend’s friend’s little brother.

What can you tell us of your new album Pretend or Surrender, compared to your previous one Divine Insanity?

Theon: Well, I think our new album sounds a bit more confident and a bit more diverse, maybe a bit heavier than the one before. Guitar sounds are rougher. Everything has gone forward.

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You have also a new video for the song Turn, which is a bit a kind of mix between Sin City and Kill Bill s concepts. How did the idea come up?

Theon: We wanted to make a different kind of video, where we do not only appear playing the instruments and the whole theme of Sin City was already present in the artwork of the CD cover so we extrapolated to the video.

In your music there is a clear influence of the rock from the 80s and you also released in a single a cover of Runaway from Bon Jovi. Why that song?

Sammy: Well, we had played that song like in 100 gigs. I think that is the one song that we all liked back there, but we have played it so many times that it does not feel the same anymore.

Jason: Yes, we had played the song so many times that we thought it would deserved to be recorded live and release it with the single.

You were in Japan a couple of months ago. How was the experience in the Asian country?

Theon: It was an amazing experience there!

Sammy: So different culture!

Jason: When we have been in Germany or Austria, you still feel identified with the European stuff, but Japan and Asia… it is a whole different.

Theon: We had 2 good gigs there, and a couple of nights out. We had a whole free day for ourselves to visit Tokyo.

Sammy: Quite different from Finland, that you do not find so many people here, and so many million inhabitants in Tokyo!

About your visits to play in Germany and Austria, do you use it as a kind of “key” to conquer other markets in Europe?

Theon: Well, we have nothing against other countries, but certainly there we have many fans and the media help to promote a lot, like Viva channel for example. There has been some discussion about playing and promoting more in other countries like Mexico or Spain

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A great part of your audience is young female teenagers. Are you afraid that you can get this label of “rock band for teenagers”?

Theon: Not really. We do the kind of music we like. Of course we have many young girls in the audience but also more adult people. We basically do music for whoever wants to listen to it.

Sammy: For example in the concerts in Germany audience was a bit older than here in Finland.

Last year you were very close to represent Finland in the Eurovision contest. At the end you ended up in third position after Hanna Pakarinen and Thunderstorm. Now, 1 year after that happened, how do you feel about it?

Jason: Well, we are still angry at it…hehehe. Well, honestly, it was disappointing. Of course it would have been very good for promotion that is what we were looking for. But well, even though things worked well, and some minutes after we knew we had not won we just thought “well, we have not won, so what the fuck!!!” So we just grabbed some bottles and drank and had a good time and forgot about it.

Anything you want to add for our readers?

Jason: Well, the first single Take a Shot was the most played song in Finland for several weeks. We are quite proud of that.

And the “official interview” ended up, but not the night with the guys. One invitation to one beer leads to another… and well. The story continues as many Finnish stories go on: with a hangover next day. But I want to thank the guys for a good evening of music and fun, and especially to Jason who was very friendly with Finnish and foreign fans whenever they approached to talk to him and to Mika (the official mobile phones and booze provider of the band). Lovex have got one more Spanish fan from now on!

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Albums Music

Land of Tales – Land of Tales

{mosimage}The Finnish guys feature their self-titled debut album with a sound that will remind you of the rock from the 80s.

 

Land of Tales is a band led by Kristian (Juhan Kontu) on the vocals and guitar and Palle (Harri Lehtonen), and certainly you can notice that when listening to their debut album, because it is the keyboards and the guitar riffs the ones that steal the show here to the other instruments. The other two members of the band are Sami on the Bass and Sami O. on the drums.

It seems that looking back to the American sound of the 80s, with so many nice melodic bands, is becoming a trend in Finland. If few weeks ago we were talking to you about the virtues of Brother Firetribe, now Land of Tales seem to follow the same path. Although being their first album, the musicians are experienced in the music business. Kristian and Palle have been playing together for 15 years in a previous band called Naiskala. About the record, it certainly has everything you can expect if you like the genre: catchy lyrics, some excellent cutting riffs, good melodies, nice vocals skills by Kristian and a couple of songs that can work perfectly as hits like the introductory Silence or the blowing Slow Waters. Outlander could fit perfectly in the soundtrack of a Hollywood romantic comedy.

An album easy to listen and easy to like. Let´s see what Land of Tales will offer in follow-up projects, but the first impression is certainly very positive.  

 

Rating 4/5.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Tummien Perhosten Koti

{mosimage}One of the Finnish titles of the year, a heart breaking drama that take us to the island of the dark butterflies.

Opposite to the title, in the island where the youngsters try to overtake their problems you won’t see many butterflies flying around. But you will surely appreciate the darkness of tormented souls wandering around, looking for a reason to live on.  

As you will notice while watching it, this movie is certainly not the best one to cheer you up in a bad day. Personally I felt quite depressed after watching it; something bad happens every 10 minutes, and there are not many happy moments to compensate the drama surrounding the characters. That does not mean anyway that the movie is bad. I enjoyed pretty much the excellent acting of Tommi Korpela as Harjula, the director of the institution in the island, and the young Niilo Syväoja as Juhani, both of them perfectly complemented by Eero Milonoff, who after Ganes, is becoming a safe value to count with in whatever Finnish movie he appears. The list of secondary roles also counts with the presence of well known Finnish names such as Kati Outinen or Matleena Kuusniemi.

A tough movie but endorsed with a positive message of hope in the end. Certainly Finnish cinema and its melancholic atmosphere is not the most appropriated one if you like light-hearted movies, but hey, that is why this is Finland, isn’t it?  

 

Rating 4/5.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

{mosimage}Follow the funny life story of Dewey Cox, a fictitious musician who will overcome difficulties to become a super star.

Biographies of famous musicians have been quite trendy in the past years in Hollywood, like Ray (2004) or Walk the Line (2005). Now the rise and fall topic takes a more humoristic approach with this new comedy directed by Jake Kasdan, with John C. Reilly as the main character. Reilly has appeared in secondary roles in many comedies and successful movies during the past years, such as Gangs of New York or Talladega Nights, and it is nice to see him taking up the main role. Not an easy task to perform a character from the age of 14 to 71. During his personal trip through life, he has the chance to share stage with most of the music legends, and sarcastic and hilarious situations never stop.  

But apart from the compulsory doses of dumb situations that all good comedy must offer, it is admiring how Reilly masters his character in a way that we can really feel identified with him as if a real musician would perform in front of our eyes, and not just a funny imitation. In a way, Dewey Cox, with all his eccentricities, looks plausible for the audience, because that is what it is expected in a life of a rock star: excesses, mischievous behavior but overall a huge sensitive heart.

 

Maybe it will not make you laugh like a crazy madman, but it is a fresh comedy and pretty recommendable to music fans. It also made me pretty happy to notice the presence of legendary bluesman “Honeyboy” Edwards, whom I had the pleasure to meet last year in Estonia; together with him a long list of real musicians that wanted to join the party like Eddie Vedder or Jewel, and some other surprises with cameos of famous actors uncredited.

 

Rating 3/5.