Wednesday 29 April 2015

Flavours of the Month: April 2015...

There's been a pervasive amount of Rob Zombie scattered throughout my April 2015, from his music (solo efforts and early White Zombie) to some of his cinematic outings such as "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" ... but that's just a little of what's been tickling my fancy for entertainment.

Click "READ MORE" below for this month's looks, sounds, vibes and flavours...

LOOKS:

Last Man On Earth: Season 1 - one of the best new comedy shows out there with a quality cast lead by Will Forte and Kristen Schaal. Inventive, fun, and beautifully performed. The great news is there's going to be a second season!

Better Call Saul: Season 1 - similar to the first season of Breaking Bad, the first season of Better Call Saul is all about setting things up. However, the difference was that BCS' premiere season seemed to lack an overall purpose or target - it was exploratory, but it didn't have the defined character motivation of BB. That said, they are two different shows, albeit with similar styles, and I have thoroughly enjoyed BCS' first season. Roll on season 2!

Inside No.9: Series 2 - Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's series of twisted stand alone tales returns, mixing subtle British comedic sensibilities with well-crafted stories that keep you guessing until just before the credits roll. Highly recommended viewing, and especially so for anyone familiar with their work.

Brickleberry: Season 1 - described as a mix between Family Guy and South Park, I can see the relation to the former, but not the latter. It's rarely clever enough to even be within reach of South Park's worst moments (which are rare), but easily slots in beside the more crude 'offensive/gross for the sake of it' style of Family Guy. It's just come to the UK (having just been cancelled in America after three seasons), and while it's far from great, it's good enough for a throwaway bit of entertainment once or twice a week.

Interstellar (Blu-Ray) - more grand scale intelligent sci-fi, please, but did they really have to use the same piece of music from the soundtrack THAT many times in the extra features?! Review here.

Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall - the release of the Spectre trailer got me all hot and bothered for Daniel Craig era Bond.

Game of Thrones: Season 5 - it's going to be a bit naff watching one episode a week after barging the previous four seasons over the Christmas holidays, but now that The Walking Dead has finished for the season I've got another obsession to dive straight into ... which is nice.

Mad Men: Season 7B - the final seven episodes, after a year long gap split the season in half (much like what AMC did with the last 16 episodes of Breaking Bad). The last couple of seasons had shown signs of meandering at times, but so far these last doses of Don Draper & Co have some real oomph to them - things are being wrapped up and there's no time to waste.


SOUNDS:

White Zombie "Gods On Voodoo Moon", "Psycho-Head Blowout", "Pig Heaven", "Soul-Crusher", "God Of Thunder", and "Make Them Die Slowly"

Rob Zombie "Hellbilly Deluxe", "The Sinister Urge", "Educated Horses"

Vercetti Technicolor
- particularly the tracks "Boiling Point" and "End Titles Theme" (from "The Editor" by Astron 6) and "L'incubo Senza Fine".

Lazerhawk "Redline"

The 69 Eyes "Devils", "Angels"

Alice Cooper "I Am The Future"

MNDR ft. Killer Mike "Lock & Load"
- a groovy remix (with added lyrics) of one of the pieces from the GTA V soundtrack, which featured on the PC trailer.


VIBES & FLAVOURS:

"Crime Wave" by James Ellroy - another collection of short stories, novellas, and reportage from the demon dog of crime fiction. A fascinating selection, including another (somewhat overcomplicated) tale featuring Dick Contino, as well as two doses of Danny Getchell - an alliteration-crazed character inspired by Danny DeVito's portrayal of Sid Hudgens in L.A. Confidential. The extensive use of alliteration in the latter proves to be on one hand a stand out piece of styling, but on the other a tricky read that tends to trip you up repeatedly (like one long tongue twister).

"Virtue Ethics" - a new educational DVD project is underway. It's a continuation of the previous one in that the individual films highlight the essentials of differing theological theories.

South Park: The Stick of Truth (Xbox360) - in spite of the frustrating (and frequent) load screens, this is a laugh riot for any South Park fan. Playing this game is like stepping into an episode of the TV show, and the sheer volume of detailed references to the show is astounding. I may have come to it a bit late, but I'm very glad I got there eventually! Still bashing my way through it, but so far consider me thoroughly impressed.

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