French power groove outfit Rage Behind shares their newest song and a music video. The chorus hits the listeners with catchy melodies along with mid-tempo riffs and a hardcore break, “Through Wrath is a song that we love because it’s brutal but groovy, it’s raw, and you can hear all this energy until the end. It’s a song that talks about the unity we need to reach to succeed. We are always stronger together,” states the band. Rage Behind might be holding behind the mask, but they always deliver the message!
Rage Behind comments about the making of the video for the new music video “Through Wrath”: “We worked with pyros to simulate bullet holes, and Ed (drums) got burnt pretty badly. He ended up in the emergency room, we almost cancelled the filming of the video, but somehow, we managed to make it. He got the strength to make it through the end of the day despite his injury. ‘Through Wrath and Pain’, that’s what is all about.”
Summary: Story of the rise and the fall of a young man in Paris who dreamed to be a writer and became a journalist.
Year: 2022
Cinema Release Dates: 23rd June 2022 (Australia), 10 June 2022 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: TBA
Country: France, Belguim
Director: Xavier Giannoli
Screenwriter: Jacques Fieschi, Xavier Giannoli
Cast: Said Amadis (Matifat), Jeanne Balibar (Marquise d’Espard), Maryne Bertieaux (Eve), Candice Bouchet (Florine), Cecile de France (Louise de Bargeton), Isabelle de Hertogh (Berenice), Louis-Do de Lencqueasaing (Finot), Gerard Depardieu (Dauriat), Salome Dewaels (Coralie), Xavier Dolan (Nathan d’Anstazio), Jean-Marie Frin (Camusot), Eric Gueho (L’Argentin), Vincent Lacoste (Etienne Lousteau), Raphael Magnabosco (Antiochus), Andre Marcon (Baron du Chatelet), Eduard Michelon (Henri de Marsay), Jean-Paul Muel (Bargton), Jean-Francois Stevenin (Singali), Benjamin Voisin (Lucien Chandon/Lucien de Rubempre)
Running Time: 149 mins
Classification: M (Australia), TBC (USA)
OUR LOST ILLUSIONS REVIEWS
Alex First, David Griffiths, Jacqui Hammerton and Peter Krausz’s Minions: The Rise Of Gru Review:
French prog metal band Parallel Minds have just released their brand new album Echoes From Afar through M&O Music.
Two minds working together as one, united by a shared passion, a common vision and the drive to make their dreams a reality. Vocalist Stéphane Fradet and guitarist Grégory Giraudo came together with the goal of creating an incredible heavy metal band; a band that would know no boundaries and accept no rules.
This innovative blend of heavy, thrash and progressive metal was born.
Joined by Eric to support them in this task, they invite you on a musical journey of astonishing richness and diversity.
The band’s two albums were unanimously hailed by international critics (Around 80% of metascore on more than 40 reviews for each album). It was time for an even more ambitious sequel, and there it is: “Echoes From Afar” pushes all the boundaries in terms of songwriting, emotion, heaviness, and production. An album that cannot be tamed all at once, and will require many listenings to grasp its subtleties, although it is surprisingly ear-candy.
Follow them through the meanders of space and some of the best works of science fiction. Let yourself be carried away by these “ECHOES FROM AFAR”.
For fans of Symphony X, Nevermore, and Blind Guardian.
Take a listen to the band’s interview with Dave Griffiths right here:
Summary: Three young South African women must navigate the crumbling ruins of a colonial past when they become rangers in the Greater Kruger Park, South Africa.
Year: 2022
Cinema Release Dates: TBA
VOD Release Dates: TBA
Country: Germany, France
Director: Lena Karbe
Screenwriter: Tristan Coloma, Lena Karbe
Cast: Nil
Running Time: 81 mins
Classification: TBC
OUR BLACK MAMBAS REVIEWS
David Griffiths’ Black Mambas Review:
Being an active wildlife warrior myself this was one documentary that I didn’t want to miss at this year’s Sydney Film Festival. I first became aware of the Black Mambas and the work that they do several years ago in another doco but sadly back then they were only just mentioned. Luckily Black Mambas doesn’t do the same and instead explores the important work that these brave women do.
For the unaware the Black Mambas are a highly trained team of ‘security guards’ that are hired to patrol and protect the animals of the Greater Krueger National Park in South Africa. The Mambas main role is to make sure that neither hunters or poachers can make their way into the National Park and kill or harm any of the animals that call it home. What makes this crack squad even more intriguing is the fact that is made up of solely of women.
Directed by Lena Karbe (Chinese Dream) Black Mambas doesn’t just celebrate the fine work that this team do it goes deeper than that and not only shows the hard training they are put through but also explores the lifestyle change that the women who make up the Mambas go through to take on the job.
The area around the National Park is crippled with poverty and it was quite a wakeup call for me to watch this doco and learn how becoming a Mamba changes these women’s lives. Often the women find that their families don’t want them to do the job because it is dangerous and also some people with rather extreme views see them as going against their own culture as they stop traditional hunters from getting access to animals for food.
In fact that is one of the most memorable moments that Karbe manages to capture with the film. Many directors would solely keep the focus of this doco to the bravery of the Mambas but Karbe goes away from that at one stage and actually interviews a hunter who feels that the Mambas are one of the reasons why his family goes hungry. He eloquently puts it by saying “God provided these animals for our food and it is my right to hunt them.”
It is moments like that throughout the doco that made me stop and think about what is really happening here and likewise I found myself drawn into the film as Karbe showed the home-life of one of the Mambas who has a husband who seems to have taken on an element of laziness due to the fact that his wife an support him with her wage.
Nonetheless this is a doco that allows its audience the opportunity to get a good look into the lifestyle of the Mambas and Karbe shows maturity as a director by showing the audience both the positives and negatives of that lifestyle. Black Mambas is well worth a look if you are interested in docos about animal welfare and about strong women who have overcome the environment around them to empower themselves.
What happens when a group of musicians get together and begin a project that sees them mix metal, jazz and Gregorian chants. The result is French outfit CKRAFT who are about to wow the world with their debut album Epic Discordant Vision on June 3rd.
CKRAFT’s debut album is a Jazz and Metal instrumental fusion, bonded together by the immortal melodies of the Gregorian chants. The record follows a blueprint made of heavy, crushing metal riffs, howling solos by Metal-influenced Jazz musicians, and ancient melodies crossing the centuries from Middle Ages to Metal Ages. The expectation is that “Epic Discordant Vision” will find its audience with Djent, Death/Technical/Progressive Metal fans, and also with modern Jazz aficionados that are touched by the unrestricted freedom and genuine expressivity of this music, and therefore, contribute to break the boundaries between music genres a bit more.
This week Dave Griffiths sat down and spoke to the band. You can hear the interview right here:
Marseille, France based metalcore stars LANDMVRKS return with »Lost In The Waves« (The Complete Edition), an expanded version of their highly acclaimed studio album, which includes prominent guest features, new music and exciting bonus content, due for release on March 18th.
The band have unveiled ‘Suffocate’, the second new track from the expanded edition, which features guest vocals from Bertrand Poncet of CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK!
»Lost In The Waves« (The Complete Edition) is full of surprises, including three brand new songs with famous features from DR€W ¥ORK of STRAY FROM THE PATH, Bertrand Poncet of CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK! and Anthony Diliberto of RESOLVE, as well as the full livestream set, which premiered on 2nd June last year.
LANDMVRKS’ was born in 2014 in Marseille, France. The band now consists of Florent Salfati on vocals, Rudy Purkart on bass guitar, Nicolas Exposito and Paul C. Wilson on guitars and Kévin D’Agostino on drums.
For two years, the band composed songs, recorded and started playing local shows by sharing the bill with bands such as FIRST BLOOD, MORE THAN LIFE and little by little, LANDMVRKS started making a name for themselves in the French metalcore scene. During this time, the band released a few singles and videos to help build up their fan base.
In May 2016, LANDMVRKS released their first album »Hollow« entirely produced by Florent Salfati and Nicolas Exposito. They decided to release this album independently, and went out touring on the roads of Europe to showcase this opus. They seduced their audiences with a modern metalcore style peppered with hardcore riffs and catchy choruses. This album helped secure them slots on big festivals, helping to strengthen their reputation.
In 2018, the band signed a contract with Arising Empire for their second studio album »Fantasy« and they demonstrate how successfully the band has managed to build their name and assert its own style.
During two years, they travelled the world, played in Japan, did some headlines tours and had the opportunity to have great European tours (While She Sleeps, Stray From The Path, Any Given Day).
LANDMVRKS are: Florent Salfati | Vocals Nicolas Exposito | Guitar Paul C. Wilson | Guitar Rudy Purkart | Bass Kevin D’Agostino | Drums
Summary: In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.
Year: 2021
Cinema Release Dates: 6th January 2022 (Australia), 31st December 2021 (Thailand), 26th December 2021 (UK), 22nd December 2021 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: TBA
Country: Germany, UK, ,USA, France, Italy
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenwriter: Matthew Vaughn, Karl Gajdusek
Cast: Ross Anderson (Corporal Johnstone), Robert Aramayo (Sergeant Major Atkins), Gemma Arterton (Polly), Lucia Jade Barker (Grand Duchess Olga), Joel Basman (Gavrilo Princip), Todd Boyce (Dupont), Daniel Bruhl (Erik Jan Hanussen), Callum Chiplin (Declan Nell), Ron Cook (Archduke Franz Ferdinand Of Austria), Max Count (Young King George), Charles Dance (Kitchener), Dora Davis (Grand Duchess Maria), Harris Dickinson (Conrad Oxford), August Diehl (Vladimir Lenin), Barbara Drennan (Sophie, Duchess Of Hohenberg), Ralph Fiennes (Orlando Oxford), Rosie Goddard (Grand Duchess Anastasia), Matthew Goode (Morton), George Gooderham (Young Tsar Nicholas), Tom Hollander (King George/Kaiser Wilhelm/Tsar Nicholas), Djimon Hounsou (Shola), Rhys Ifans (Grigori Rasputin), Neil Jackson (Captain Forrest), Branka Katic (Tsarina Alix), Ian Kelly (President Woodrow Wilson), Alexandra Maria Lara (Emily Oxford), Nigel Lister (Arthur Zimmerman), Molly McGeachin (Grand Duchess Tatiana), Kristian Wanzl Nekrasov (General Ludendorff), Emil Oksanen (Young Kaiser Wilhelm), Valerie Pachner (Mata Hari), Alexa Povah (Queen Victoria), Alexander Shaw (Young Conrad), Alexander Shefler (Tsareich Alexei), Alison Steadman (Rita), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Archie Reid), Aaron Vodovoz (Felix Yusupov), Toby Woolf (Young Conrad)
Running Time: 130 mins
Classification: MA15+ (Australia), 18 (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)
OUR THE KING’S MAN REVIEWS
David Griffiths’ The King’s Man Review:
One of the best franchises to have surfaced over the past decade has been the very British King’s Man franchise. A kind of mix between James Bond and a Quentin Tarantino film the original film not only made Taron Egerton a household name but also introduced the world of a cinema to a secret organisation that could even see Colin Firth lay waste to a room full of villains.
A second film soon followed and of course fans of the franchise soon started to ask more and more questions about this society and how it began. Well now those questions are answered as writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) returns to the universe with a prequel aptly titled The King’s Man.
The film chronicles the early days of The King’s Man organisation as widely respected pacifist Orlando Oxford(Ralph Fiennes – Schindler’s List) works with his hired help, Polly (Gemma Arterton – Clash Of The Titans) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou – Guardians of The Galaxy), to investigate a cabal that he believes he is working to keep World War I continuing as long as they can.
While the cabal, which is headed by Morton (Matthew Goode – Stoker) and aided by the likes of Rasputin (Rhys Ifans – The Amazing Spider-Man), are playing out their cunning plan Orlando finds himself wanting to try and end the war anyway he can after his only son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson – Beach Rats), expresses an interest in enlisting.
The term prequel when it comes to an established franchise is often a scary notion but Vaughn has delivered an absolute classic with this film – it is easily better than the second film and gives the audience a great insight into the organisation and the characters that started it.
The power of this film though is that Vaughn is more than willing to try various things throughout the film. Yes, the traditional action sequences that made the first film so special are back, but added to that is the fact that Vaughn has a real handle on characterisation this time. Then there is also the brilliant screenplay, which is co-written by Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion), which goes from tear-jerking moments to laughs with ease and is never afraid to mix genres as well. The scene in which a trio of king’s men take on Raputin has just the right mix of comedy and action and is one of the best cinematic moments of the year, as is one of the film’s biggest twists that we unfortunately can’t talk about here as it would be a spoiler for a major plot point.
The strongest point of this script though is the relationship that Vaughn stets up between Orlando and Conrad. The dynamics between the two shift from a relationship made up care and respect through to a combative nature that makes both explore their views on the Great War. Even better is the fact that Vaughn moves away from Hollywood tropes to bring a close to the storyline that is a sheer stroke of screenwriting genius.
To the credit of the screenwriting team there are no wasted characters in this film either. While a lot of focus is placed on Orlando and Conrad that doesn’t mean that that characters of Polly and Shola are left lacking. Both have enough characterisation to make them interesting enough characters and most audience members will find that the hint that there may be a follow-up film to this one very welcoming.
The brilliant acting performances here though belong to Ralph Fiennes and Rhys Ifans. Fiennes is an acting force in this film – delivering both action and dramatic scenes amazingly well and he is well matched alongside a nearly unrecognisable Ifans playing the notorious Rasputin. The fact that Ifans is able to make the character comical while remaining a fearful villain is credit to both actor and screenplay.
The King’s Man will be loved by fans of the franchise and newcomers alike. The right mix of action and characterisation make this a memorable film while the amazing screenplay and characterisation make this a worthy entry into this already brilliant franchise.
Summary: Buster Moon and his friends must persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of a new show.
Year: 2021
Cinema Release Dates: 26th December 2021 (Australia), 13th January 2022 (Thailand), 28th December 2021 (UK), 22nd December 2021 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: TBA
Country: USA, France, Japan
Director: Garth Jennings
Screenwriter: Garth Jennings
Cast: Eric Andre (Darius (voice)), Bono (Clay Calloway (voice)), Adam Buxton (Klaus Kickenklober (voice)), Bobby Cannavale (Mr. Crystal (voice)), Julia Davis (Linda Le Bon (voice)), Taron Egerton (Johnny (voice)), Halsey (Porsha Crystal (voice)), Garth Jennings (Miss Crawly (voice)), Scarlett Johansson (Ash (voice)), Tori Kelly (Meena (voice)), Nick Kroll (Gunter (voice)), Matthew McConaughey (Buster Moon (voice)), Nick Offerman (Norman (voice)), Chelsea Peretti (Suki (voice)), Jennifer Saunders (Nana (voice)), Peter Serafinowicz (Big Daddy (voice)), Pharrell Williams (Alfonso (voice)), Reese Witherspoon (Rosita (voice)), Letitia Wright (Nooshy (voice))
Running Time: 110 mins
Classification: PG (Australia), U (UK), PG (USA)
OUR SING 2 REVIEWS
David Griffiths’ Sing 2 Review:
One of the most charming kids’ films to have surfaced over the past few years was Sing. With so much mindless family entertainment around these days it was nice to find a film that not only entertained but also taught valuable lessons and had a story that even adults could become engrossed in. Then of course there was the film’s originality and a soundtrack so great that even until this day kids at schools right across Australia ask for it to be played for them.
Of course he danger of the first film being so good was the fact that perhaps that the sequel couldn’t live up to expectations, but cast any worries about that aside because Sing 2 is equal to its predecessor in every single way.
This time around we find Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughy – Dallas Buyers Club) happy that his theatre is running successful shows that are gaining critical praise while showing off the talents of his cast and pleasing audiences. However, Buster soon realises that he wants more after a talent scout Suki (Chelsea Peretti – Parks & Recreation) tells him that his show and cast are not talented enough to take the next step and perform in the big city.
Soon Buster sneaks his crew into an audition for world famous producer Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale – Ant-Man) who at first is not impressed by the audition but changes his mind when Gunter (Nick Kroll – Sausage Party) pitches the idea of a sci-fi spectacular which would feature reclusive star Clay Calloway (U2’s Bono). Crystal jumps at the idea but tells Buster he needs the show up and running in three weeks or he is going to throw him off the roof-top of a high rise.
Buster jumps straight into putting the show together but soon comes across issues. Johnny (Taron Egerton – The Kingsman) can’t dance, Rosita (Reese Witherspoon – Cruel Intentions) has a fear of heights, Meena (Tori Kelly – Sing) has no chemistry with her on-stage romantic leading man, Porsha Crystal (Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power) joins the cast but can’t act and Ash (Scarlett Johansson – The Avengers) has the hardest job of all – trying to convince Clay to come out of hiding and return to the stage.
There is just so much to love about Sing 2. First of all director/screenwriter Garth Jennings (The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) makes sure that no character here is left without anything to do. It is almost feels like every character has their own short film that sees them overcoming the obstacle placed in front of them and somehow all of those storylines come together brilliantly to deliver something bigger. Nothing feels left out but also at the same time the film never feels crowded with too many plot-lines.
With Sing 2 Jennings also finds the right mix of genres as well. Like the original film in the franchise there are times when the film is deeply emotional and dramatic and then there are other times when Jennings gets a laugh from a great comedic line or a piece of slapstick. Jennings is a true creative genius as he seems to know when is the right time for each mood throughout the film and he never misses a beat.
Then there are the general ‘life lessons’ held within the film’s plot. Once again this franchise manages to bring a range of different lessons to the forefront without feeling like the film is trying to push an agenda onto its audience. Important lessons about never giving up on your dreams and overcoming your fears are explored in nicely presented ways while the film also features an important lesson about how sometimes those on top of the fame game are not always the nicest people to have to deal with. Once again the fact that all of that comes together in a film that is an entertaining as Sing 2 just goes to show what a talented filmmaker Gareth Jennings really is.
Sing 2 really is a fun ride for the entire family. Kids will be left in awe at the bright colours, action and kid-friendly storyline while adults will warm to the deeper messages that are hidden away under the surface. Then of course there is the amazing soundtrack, featuring new music by U2, which will have the whole family singing along. I don’t know how he does it but once again Gareth Jennings has delivered a well-rounded and entertaining family film that is guaranteed to become a favourite.
