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09Aug

[FILM REVIEW] BRAHMS: THE BOY II Review (2020)

Posted in Drama, Film, Film Genre, Home Page, Horror, Thriller | Leave a comment

 

Summary: When a family moves to the country to try and relax after a traumatic event their young son befriends a doll named Brahms with horrific results.

Year: 2020

Australian Cinema Release Date: 2oth February 2020

Thailand Cinema Release Date: 19th June 2020

Australian VOD Release Date: 19th May 2020

Country: USA, China, Canada, Australia

Director: William Brent Bell

Screenwriter: Stacey Meaner

Cast: Joely Collins (Mary), Christopher Convery (Jude), Katie Holmes (Liza), Daphne Hoskins (Sophie), Ralph Ineson (Joseph), Anjali Jay (Dr. Lawrence), Ellie King (Nanny Grace), Natalie Moon (Pamela), Keoni Rebeiro (Will), Oliver Rice (Liam), Owain Yeoman (Sean)

Running Time: 96 mins

Classification: M (Australia), 15 (Thailand)

 

 

OUR BRAHMS: THE BOY II REVIEWS & RATINGS:

 

Dave Griffiths’ Brahms: The Boy II Review:

While many might remember 2020 as the year attending a cinema became a thing of dreams, true horror fans may well remember it as the year when pleasant surprises in the genre just kept coming. At the start of the year horror buffs were perhaps most excited about new entries into the Halloween and A Quiet Place franchises, but what has surprised them the most has been just how good movies like The Invisible Man have ended up being.

Well now the next surprise in the genre has landed – a scary little flick by the name of Brahms: The Boy II. No this isn’t a horrific take on the life of a classical musician, this is the follow up to the under-rated 2016 film The Boy which told the tale of a creepy male doll, called Brahms, that made life hell for an unsuspecting nanny named Greta (Lauren Cohen – The Walking Dead).

In Brahms: The Boy II Greta is long gone but Brahms certainly hasn’t. Discarded outside of the now derelict Heelshire Mansion Brahms is discovered by the emotionally damaged Jude (Christopher Convery – Stranger Things) who has never recovered from seeing his mother Liza (Katie Holmes – Batman Begins) attacked during a house invasion.

While Liza and Sean (Owain Yeoman – The Belko Experiment) both seem disturbed by their son’s relationship with the creepy Brahms they try to not to intervene too much as they are wondering whether or not seeing their son in a happier place may lead to him once again talking. That may turn into a very deadly decision though when Brahms begins to tell Jude to kill anybody that he feels is a threat to their friendship.

It always felt a shame that the first film in this saga seemed to be largely ignored while other creepy doll films like Annabelle gained such a huge fan-base. Watching the franchise get even stronger with The Boy II just rams that belief home ever further. There is just something so uniquely simple but intensely dramatic about this series and director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) only enhances that feeling this time around. Given Bell’s terrific body of work over the past few years he could also probably be described as one of the underrated director currently working in Hollywood.

Bell’s directional style shows that he is a fan of old school horror and he manages to blend that into this modern day tale exceptional well. The use of the Heelshire Mansion set brings an eerie Gothic horror feel to the film and as the film goes on your realise that Bell can frame a shot to bring maximum suspense to his audience. This is never clearer than in a scene when Liza is talking to a family member while through the window behind her you can see Jude being antagonized and bullied by his cousin. While you at times can’t hear anything other than Liza’s conversation you know that all hell is about to break lose behind her.

Those that have seen Bell’s previous films will know that his movies are not always a comfortable watch. You will spend most of the film on the edge of your seat largely due to the fact that as a director who doesn’t exactly shy away from some confronting scenes. In The Boy II even the flashback sequence is likely to put some audience members on edge while the intense nature of the movie only increases as it we are left wondering whether or not Jude is capable of hurting his family on behalf of Brahms.

Also taking The Boy II far behind the B-Grade nature that many may expect is the brilliant acting of Kate Holmes and Christopher Convery. Holmes doesn’t let the fact that she is ‘just’ in a horror film get in the way of delivering a brilliant portrayal of a mother pushed to the edge by her sons ‘disability’ while Convery puts in an acting performance that shows why he needs to be considered one of the best young talents in Hollywood at the moment. Grouped together with his performance in DC’s Gotham and it is easy to see that this kid is going to be a star.

If you a true horror fan then don’t let Brahms: The Boy II slip under the radar. This intense and dramatic series is just going from strength to strength and is well worth a trip to the cinemas.

 

 

 

 

Average Subculture Rating:

 

 

IMDB Rating: Brahms: The Boy II (2020) on IMDb

 

Other Subculture Entertainment Brahms: The Boy II Reviews:

You can also find our review for Brahms: The Boy II that ran in The Phuket News here – https://www.thephuketnews.com/brahms-the-boy-ii-delivers-horror-classic-76369.php

 

Trailer:

08Aug

[MUSIC NEWS] GARMARNA Announce New Album

Posted in Alternative, Home Page, Music, Music Genre, Music News, News, Rock | Leave a comment

Swedish folk rock pioneers GARMARNA have announced the details of their upcoming record ‘Förbundet’. The record is slated for worldwide release via Season of Mist on November 6. The cover artwork and tracklist can be found below.
GARMARNA comment: “It’s our absolute pleasure to finally present our upcoming album, ”Förbundet”.

Recorded and produced by Stefan Brisland-Ferner and co-produced and mixed by Christopher Juul, the new album is a dark, confident, coherent and hard hitting folk-album that we are extremely proud of. It was made possible with the generous contribution of our Kickstarter backers and it’s been painful not being able to share the result until now.

Throughout the years, we have tried to push the envelope what traditional Scandinavian story telling could mean musically. On the new album, it’s going full circle. Establishing an inspirational working relationship with Christopher Juul (Heilung, Euzen, Valravn) and releasing the new album on Season of Mist, we are starting fresh on new ground. Fully embracing our past we use everything we learned along the way, carving ourselves a new niche for the future.

Artwork artist is Axel Torvenius, a Swedish sculptor, illustrator and designer. A mutual admiration led to talks about a collaboration even before we thought of the new album. In finding out what the album was going to be like, it felt natural to bring Axel’s dark, beautiful and decadent take on folk lore and pagan imagery to the table.

Axel: “To be able to work with Garmarna and contribute with visual art for this coming release has been an absolute privilege and pure bliss. As a long time fan of Garmarna I have always been fascinated by their rich and deep soundscapes, which is connecting the folklore tradition with more modern tunes, still using traditional Scandinavian instruments, is creating a mesmerizing mix of dark, joyful music. Pure magic. In the illustrations I have been trying to capture some of this darkness and some of this modern folk I hear when I listen to them. This new album is def one of their strongest yet ( I have been listening to them since 1994) and as a fan I can assure no-one will be disappointed.”

We can’t wait to bring ”Förbundet” to the world. Thanks for your patience and support!”

 

06Aug

[MUSIC INTERVIEW] DEEP PURPLE Interview

Posted in Home Page, Interviews, Music, Music Genre, Rock | Leave a comment

 

After being with legendary rock group Deep Purple since 1969 you could forgive Roger Glover for being a little ho-hum about the release of a new album – after all Whoosh! will be his twenty-first album with the Hall Of Fame listed band. Instead when I get the opportunity to talk to him about the album I find out he is just as excited as he would be if this was the band’s first album.

“There is that magical moment between finishing an album and releasing it,” he says as we talk about how he is feeling at the time. “Of course this has been a slightly longer one because of the virus, but during that time it is still ours. Then when it is released it is not ours anymore, it is out there in the world on its own – coping the best it can. It is nothing to do with us anymore.”

“So yes at the moment there is still that magical moment,” he says with a slight chuckle. “I am still hanging onto this little treasure that nobody else knows about at the moment. But then it comes out and then it is anybody’s business.”

Yes, as they say nobody can dodge Covid-19, not even a multi-award winning band like Deep Purple. While their fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of the album (it was originally due out in June) they now have to wait until early August before the album will drop.

“It was the record label’s decision,” explains Glover. “It was pushed by three or four months because basically there would be no shops open. That would mean the only way that you would be able to buy the album would be by downloading it, but a lot of our core audience prefer the physical thing – either the actual album or the CD – and seeing that they couldn’t buy those they pushed it back.”

“I mean music stores are already doing it rough,” he says continuing. “The whole music business is in turmoil. Streaming and downloading has become the thing but we are one of the older acts that still believe in albums. To me an album is a sign-post to the state of the band at that particular year and that is important to us and I think that it is important to our fans.”

 

Whoosh! Is out on June 12th through earMusic. You can listen to our full interview below.

30Jul

[FILM NEWS] LOWDOWN DIRTY CRIMINALS Trailer Released

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, News | Leave a comment

The trailer for New Zealand’s newest comedy crime caper Lowdown Dirty Criminals has today been released ahead of its nationwide theatrical release on August 20 by Monster Pictures.

Directed by Paul Murphy (Second Hand Wedding, Love Birds), the film features an all-star cast led by James Rolleston (Boy, The Breaker Upperers) and Toi Whakaari graduate Samuel Austin. The lead duo are joined by Rebecca Gibney (Wanted, Packed to the Rafters), Robbie Magasiva (Sione’s Wedding, Wentworth), and Cohen Holloway (Hunt for the Wilderpeople).

Produced by Lowdown Productions and written by David Brechin-Smith (The Insider’s Guide to Happiness, The Cult), Lowdown Dirty Criminals follows two young men in search of a better life, encountering unsavoury situations and people along the way. When Freddy (James Rolleston) loses his job, he and his best buddy Marvin (Samuel Austin) naively conclude a life of crime may lead them to the wealth and standing they desire.

But when they mess up their first job, a sequence of hilarious and violent events snowball out of control, leading them to their most intimidating enemy yet, The Upholsterer (Rebecca Gibney). The ensuing chaos caused by her two henchmen Semo (Robbie Magasiva) and Roy (Cohen Holloway) on their hunt to find the boys forces them to reconsider their careers as criminals.

Excited to get back onto the big screen as a lead and bringing the same charm and innate sense of humour he brought to BOY, James Rolleston comments on the film: “I could imagine myself playing the character of Freddy as soon as I read the script. It was absolutely awesome working with such a talented cast and crew. There were a lot of laughs on set and I’m really grateful to be a part of such a fun film.”

Robbie Magasiva adds: “I can honestly say I have never had so much fun on set – we were constantly laughing. This cast and crew put a smile on my face every day.”
For Logie award winner Rebecca Gibney, the role of The Upholster, changed from a male to a female with her in mind, was unlike anything audiences have seen her in. In fact, it was the first time in her career she has said the F-word on screen. “The script is so wonderful, it just jumps off the page. I’m relishing every line I have to say!”

Director Paul Murphy is also looking forward to sharing the film with Australian audiences, commenting: “Bringing Lowdown Dirty Criminals to life on the big screen was an absolute joy right from the start. It was a privilege to work with such a stellar cast and crew and I’m confident audiences are going to love this buddy-comedy and its eclectic characters.”

Filmed on location in Wellington, Lowdown Dirty Criminals is financed by the New Zealand Film Commission, with additional support from Avalon Studios, Global Film Solutions and Hell Pizza. It is produced by Robin Murphy and Sadie Wilson for Lowdown Productions, and executive produced by Catherine Fitzgerald (Bellbird, OneThousand Ropes, The Orator). The film is distributed in New Zealand and Australia by Monster Pictures with international sales handled by MPI Media Group.

29Jul

[MUSIC INTERVIEW] POP EVIL Interview

Posted in Home Page, Interviews, Music, Music Genre, Rock | Leave a comment

 

2020 has been a strange year for American hard rock band Pop Evil. It should have been a year when they were extremely busy. They have a new album coming but instead of being out there on the road Covid-19 has seen them become restricted to just releasing singles for their fans. Mind you the release of singles like “Work” and “Let Chaos Reign” have made fans very excited… and that is something that lead singer Leigh Kakaty is very aware of when we catch up with him.

“All these songs were written way before the pandemic hit,” says Kakaty as we talk about the fact that their themes almost make them a soundtrack for what we are going through at the moment. “So it is very interesting how songs can almost predict the future in a way. These themes are hitting hard now, they are hitting harder now then what they even did back then.”

That discussion leads us both to start talking about the foundations of these tracks. “They all came out of the writing process of what is going to be out sixth studio album,” he explains. “I just went out and the band really trusted me this time. They don’t write a lot of lyrics so I just needed to go out and write, but to also go out and see where my mind was. So I was out in LA and I just thought ‘you know what we really have to go hard on this record… it is a statement record.’ We’ve done five albums so I knew that we needed to weed out the crap and amp up the stuff that we had done well.”

“The one thing that I knew that I wanted was infections guitars,” says Kakaty continuing. “When we go back over our back catalogue you can hear that the choruses are very alive but there are also a lot of words… so there is not much of an opportunity for the music to do the talking so I decided that this time around that I really wanted everything to be very guitar driven.”

 

“Work” and “Let Chaos Reign” are out now. You can hear the full audio interview with Pop Evil above.