Photos by the lonely villein.

Has Banksy returned just in time for the LDN Olympics and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee?!
“A statement on child labour in the UK has appeared on the side of Poundland on Whymark Avenue in London with an underaged worker hard at work with a sewing machine creating some bunting (perhaps for the upcoming Queen’s Jubilee?). Although not confirmed as of yet by Banksy, the stenciling and style are all strongly reminiscent of Mr. B’s handiwork.”-Arrested Motion
Unfortunately, someone took the crepe banners…:(

It’s still kind of a secret that Bmore has an underground fashion scene, but we’re doing what we can to bring those unknown designers out into the light.
One of our FAVs is Je’ Liberated. He and his cru including the designer Betty Fashionopolis, fashion star Abdu Ali and national star and gay rapper GoDDM (all local icons in their own right) have done much to blow up the GLBT fashion and music scene.
So believe us when we say, you need to check this out! Bring your moms as well!

“This collection shows you that black and white doesn’t have to be bland and boring,” Je said. “The Liberated Factory turns black and white in to imaginary pops of color making it fun and daring vintage and very edgy.”

WHEN: SUNDAY MAY 13
6:00PM-9:00PM
ADMISSISON: $10
WHERE: 847 NORTH HOWARD ST

Here’s a little DDM for ya. Getcha in the mood…

Formed in 2005 while still at school, playing their own versions of Sex Pistols and Squeeze before writing their own material and showcasing it in the pubs and clubs of Dundee, Scotland where they are from.

The View released their debut album, “Hats Off To The Buskers” in January 2007 to positive reviews and favourable comparisons to The Libertines.

“Which Bitch?” was the 2009 follow-up to their debut which featured a collaboration with fellow Scot Paolo Nutini but was met with lukewarm reviews from critics.

“Bread And Circuses” was the band’s third studio album released in 2011 but charting at a disappointing #14 in the UK album chart with lead single, “Grace” failing to chart at all.

In preparation for “Cheeky For A Reason” release in July, The View are showcasing the album to both fans and critics alike this week – at Cottiers Theatre, an intimate venue in Glasgow tomorrow night and Hoxton Bar & Kitchen in London on Thursday.
The View are poised for a dramatic return to the UK music scene with a lot to prove with their forthcoming effort but they have never been a band to shy away from a fight – so fireworks are inevitable!

The View are also scheduled to tour this summer in support of their forthcoming effort including stints at Rockness and The Wickerman Festival as well as Glasgow’s 02 Academy.

“Cheeky For A Reason” is released on 9th July 2012 and will be preceded by single “How Long” on 21st May and a free download “Hold On Now” available on 15th May.

Banning together under the umbrella of May Day (the world’s Labor Day), members of Baltimore’s Occupy Movement and dozens of community groups, organizers, labor leaders and supporters organized marches yesterday that culminated with a demonstration of solidarity at McEldry Square at the city’s Inner Harbor.
photos by JMG

We look forward to the Spring for many reasons. Tulips, Maryland Film Fest (more on that later), tulips, MICA’s two day end of the year fashion shows and tulips .

This year, the students of MICA absolutely dazzled with their creativity and designs that seemed to float down the runway.
Think we’re kidding? Take a look for yourselves.
Lets get started:
First up is a selection from the MICA benefit show. The designers are:
Erik Clark and Amelia Stinnette
Allina Liu
Samantha Bloom
Michelle Kim
Evyn Fong and Kurina Sohn
Olivia Taliaferro

The following week saw the Milquetoast Experimental Fashion finals.

photos by Josh Sisk
The designers are:
Stephanie Santos
Giovanni Flores
Alexz Giocobbe & Jess Marx
Jacqueline Wadowski
Katherine Weintraub & Anna Strain
Georgia Caroline Milton

Yeah, we know. City Paper pretty much owns the film fest with their awesome (and hardworking) coverage. But every year we try to treat our small crew of readers to our picks which are, we hope, more in line with theirs!
So lets just get right to this shit:
Friday:

WANDA (Presented by John Waters)
Directed By: Barbara Loden
Hosted/Presented By: John Waters

Legendary filmmaker John Waters has selected a favorite film to present within each Maryland Film Festival since their launch in 1999. This year he’s chosen Wanda:
Wanda was the only feature film (alongside a small body of shorts) directed by Barbara Loden. Loden began her career as an actress, perhaps best known for her stage and film roles for director Elia Kazan (Splendor in the Grass, Wild River), whom she later married. In 1970 she wrote, directed, and starred in this drama, raw and direct in its style, portraying a coal-town Pennsylvanian housewife who runs away with a criminal. Tragically, her life was taken by breast cancer in 1980, leaving us to guess what another feature film from Loden could’ve been.
Wanda premiered at the 1970 Venice Film Festival and played Cannes in 1971, and its reputation in film circles only continues to grow. Taken by many as emblematic of the renegade energy and open-minded exploration that characterizes the best of 1970s cinema, it stands today as an inspiration to a whole new generation of filmmakers.
It’s been a few years since Waters shared with us a film from the era when his own film career was in its incipient stages. As always, we can’t wait to hear what he has to say. (Eric Allen Hatch)
U.S.A. • 1970 • 102 minutes • 35mm

Lovely Molly

Ok. We’ll give Ed Sanchez (Blair Witch Project) one more chance. We weren’t big on his last entry Seventh Moon, we’re willing give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s an amazing talent, just had a bad run post-Blair Witch. So we’re going to reccy his new film, Lovely Molly.
Fraught with suspense and psychological tension, Lovely Molly uses western Maryland as its setting and frankly, it’s never looked so creepy. Returning to inhabit the family home in which she grew up, Molly (Gretchen Lodge) is an ex-addict trying to stay the course of recovery by moving back to the country and away from temptation. The recently wed Molly and her husband Tim (Johnny Lewis) embrace the opportunity for peace that country life provides, but that peace is short-lived. There is something lurking deep inside this old house that has other plans for Molly.
The film is anchored by an urgent and unsettling lead performance by newcomer Lodge, with equally excellent performances from her supporting actors Alexandra Holden (as Molly’s sister) and Johnny Lewis. As only experts of the genre can, Sanchez terrifies, titillates and thrills without resorting to the cheap shorthand of buckets of guts and gallons of blood. (J. Scott Braid)
U.S.A. • 95 minutes • digital

Vito:

We’re super excited for this doc on a gay activist pioneer.
Vito Russo was a true hero of the GLBT struggle, best known as the author of The Celluloid Closet, a co-founder of GLAAD, and an outspoken member of ACT UP. Despite leaving behind an amazing legacy, his story has been for years under-sung, a wrong finally corrected by this stirring and inspirational documentary.

Russo first came to prominence in the 1970s as a film lover who cultivated an encyclopedic and unprecedented knowledge of the treatment of gay and lesbian characters in cinema history from the silent era forward. That material coalesced first into a travelling lecture and eventually into 1981’s definitive volume The Celluloid Closet. Russo struggled for years to get his work published, a fight validated when it ultimately became a massive bestseller and the basis for the award-winning documentary of the same name. Simultaneous to his film scholarship, Russo became a passionate and unapologetic advocate for gay rights, AIDS awareness, and the goal of a strong and distinct (rather than assimilated and passive) GLBT culture. Brilliantly crafted by Jeffrey Schwarz (MFF 2009’s Spine Tingler! and the forthcoming I Am Divine), Vito is a heartfelt, informative, and emotional triumph. It stands alongside We Were Here (MFF 2011), The Times of Harvey Milk, and yes, The Celluloid Closet at the upper echelon of essential documentaries about the gay experience in the United States. (Eric Allen Hatch)
U.S.A. • 93 minutes • digital

ANY OF THE SHORTS PROGRAMS IN THEATER 3!

WUTHERING HEIGHTS:

This is prob our most anticipated film of the fest. We’ve been dying to see this version since hearing a review on the now defunct Guardian Movie Podcast. DEF a must see!

Andrea Arnold strips Brontë’s story down to its essence, and in the process relieves us from the showy, overly costumed and overly sappy adaptations that have been undertaken in the past. In addition, casting two actors of color (James Howson and Solomon Glave) in the role of Heathcliff (playing the character at various ages) teases out an element of racial tension only hinted at in the book, one that underlines the themes of class and social standing already explored throughout the story.
Excellent performances from both the younger and older versions of Heathcliff and Catherine (Shannon Beer and Kaya Scodelario) flesh out Brontë’s characters in a way previously unseen on the screen. The heartbreak Heathcliff feels is palpable, as is Catherine’s uncertainty at her decision. Setting is a key player too, with the harsh weather of the English moor providing the perfect backdrop for this tragic romance.
A tough, uncompromising look at the choices one makes between true love and comfort, and the consequences of those choices, Arnold’s Wuthering Heights (like its source material) possesses a fierce emotional impact that is hard to shake even when you’ve left the theater. (J. Scott Braid)
U.K. • 130 minutes • digital

We’re giving love to The Windup Space who’s hosting numerous films this year. Get off Charles St. and peep this film at the popular bar/venue

Wild in the Steets:

Many centuries ago in the town of Ashbourne (in central England), the Shrovetide game developed. The two sides of the town, which is divided by the Henmore Brook, play each other in this grueling, two-day, mass football game which has nary a rule. One team is comprised of those that live north of the Henmore (Up’ards) while the other team is comprised of those living south of the Henmore (Down’ards). Starting on Shrove Tuesday and continuing on Ash Wednesday, the game rages in the streets from afternoon deep into the evening, only stopping for a quick pint at the local pub when a goal is scored.
This glorious tradition is explored in-depth in this thrilling and endlessly fascinating look at the Shrovetide Football phenomenon. Ashbourne is a community that truly functions as such (a rare bird in this day and age) and Wild in the Streets illustrates the importance that this tradition plays in maintaining and even strengthening this community’s bond. (J. Scott Braid)
U.K. • 82 minutes • digital

SATURDAY:

Yeah. One constant we look forward to is the 3D film on Saturday. This year, we get a musical….ummm…we’ll wait on our judgement.

Those Redheads From Seattle:

Amidst the Alaska Gold Rush, Mrs. Edmonds (Moorehead) arrives with her daughters Kathie (Fleming), Pat (Teresa Brewer), and Connie and Nell (the Bell Sisters)—all redheads except for one, all arriving from Seattle. Their arrival is met with some bad news, resulting in the women taking jobs in a saloon, typing, running a newspaper, and doing seamstress work. Drama, romance, and musical numbers ensue, all coming at you in 3-D.
There is a common misconception among film historians that Kiss Me Kate is the only 3-D musical, but Those Redheads From Seattle not only belongs on that short list, it was released a month earlier, making it the FIRST 3-D musical. (Skizz Cyzyk)
U.S.A. • 1953 • 90 minutes • 35mm

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA:

Istanbul-born Nuri Bilge Ceylan has emerged as a master of world cinema with such titles as 2003’s Distant (which won the Grand Prix at Cannes), 2006’s Climates (a personal favorite of this programmer), and 2008’s Three Monkeys. His films take place over the course of dark nights and stormy days, during which men brandishing easily-bruised egos travel desolate roads in search of some personal truth that may or may not be found.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia takes Ceylan’s aesthetic to the next level, adding what at first appear to be film noir notes as a police convoy transports a confessed murderer to the scene of the crime. They’re making the trip to collect a misplaced corpse, and wry comedy begins to rear its head as the countryside proves maddeningly homogenous, especially at night, and the convoy continually fails to find the right field, the right tree, and the right stream by which the body should still be located. Meanwhile, the various characters along for the ride – several policemen, a chief, a medical examiner, a prosecutor, and the accused – deal with the evening’s monotony by gossiping and teasing each other, as well as trading trivial tips about food, drink, smoke, and other indulgences.
As the evening threatens to turn to morning, comparisons to Kafka and even Waiting for Godot feel apt. And yet these characters and these visuals could only come from one person. Ceylan has created a cinematic world all his own, and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia may be its most rewarding realization yet. (Eric Allen Hatch)
Turkey • 157 minutes • 35mm

TCHOUPITOULAS:

Non-fiction film can take many different forms, with the boundaries that define it continually expanding via the invigorating visions of a new crop of filmmakers. The Ross Brothers excel at re-staking the boundaries of the form. Rarely does one encounter as fresh and vital a non-fiction film as this epic odyssey of discovery through the New Orleans night.
Second-time feature directors Bill and Turner Ross (of the extraordinary 45365) show us NOLA as we’ve never seen it before. Three young brothers set out from their home on the outskirts of the city, on a quest to visit that city’s heart. Given their age and the fact that their neighborhood is geographically isolated from the city’s core by the Mississippi river, the downtown area has remained largely off-limits for exploration, until now. The three embark on a ferry ride across the river to explore this forbidden land, affording us the privilege of accompanying them as they discover the exotic and restless inner life of the city they call home.
Although documentary at its core, this film enters a realm usually inhabited by great literature and the finest of narrative filmmaking. It is an American adventure akin to those of great writers like Mark Twain, and one that also possesses a savvy modernism. With Tchoupitoulas, the Ross Brothers have crafted a poetic ode to a recovering city and its people. (J. Scott Braid)
U.S.A. • 80 minutes • digital

COME BACK, AFRICA
Hosted/Presented By: Amy Heller and Dennis Doros of Milestone Film & Video

This is a little gem that needs to be seen.

Zachariah (Zacharia Mgabi) is a black laborer with the simple goal of finding a job and bringing his family to the city. It’s 1959 in the black township of Sophiatown, and the racial-segregation policies of Apartheid permeate and stifle South African society. Zachariah’s uphill battle is compounded by convoluted permit requirements, leaving even sympathetic white employers reluctant to take a chance on him. He moves from the horror of the gold mines to construction work, spending his free time in the “shebeen,” semi-legal drinking spots where voices of dissent and the songs of Miriam Makeba are proudly heard.
The helplessness and frustration of Zachariah’s struggle is captured in a filmmaking style that’s been labeled “docu-fiction.” Director Lionel Rogosin (director of 1956’s On the Bowery and founder of Bleecker Street Cinema) cast non-professionals in key roles and creatively incorporated footage of miners at work, street musicians performing, and real citizens expressing social discontent. Rogosin and his South African collaborators duped the South African government into believing that their project was a commercial film about “happy Africans” singing and dancing. In so doing, they covertly created a beautiful and moving film about a culture at a pivotal point in the process of transforming itself.
Now vividly restored by Milestone Films, Come Back, Africa has earned accolades from such cultural figures as Harry Belafonte, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, and Charles Burnett. The breakthrough appearance of Miriam Makeba propelled her to international fame, and contributed to her being banned from South Africa for 30 years. (Eric Cotten)
U.S.A. / South Africa • 1959 • 85 Minutes • 35MM

V/H/S

We’ve been waiting to see this “scary movie” since it premiered at Sundance. It’s gotten great reviews and is a perfect horror film for a late Saturday night.
Made by a group of America’s most daring young directors,V/H/S frames its component films within an over-arching story of a group of petty criminals who are commissioned by a mysterious “client’ to retrieve an all-important VHS tape from an eerie house. After they break into the house, they find a cache of macabre home videos which they hope holds the tape they seek. As the larger group searches the house, several of the burglars take turns watching the videos. The tapes (each one comprising a segment of the film) mesmerize these ne’er do well viewers with gruesome footage of unspeakable acts, granting them unusual access to the darkest side of human nature. The initiation of each of the felons into this dark realm of spectatorship may hold dire consequences, beyond the potential legal wrangles for breaking and entering.

Each segment is thrilling on its own and proves even more so within the framework of the anthology. Each segment is thrilling on its own and proves even more so within the framework of the anthology. The over-arching story is directed by Adam Wingard (cinematographer of MFF 2011’s Art History), while one of the most wild and entertaining segments, The Strange Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger is directed by MFF uber-alum Joe Swanberg (director of MFF 2011’s Art History and Silver Bullets), working for the first time from a script which he did not author. Rounding out this chilling collection are 10/31/98 directed by the collective known as Radio Silence, Amateur Night directed by David Bruckner, Tuesday The 17th directed by Glenn McQuaid, and last but certainly not least Second Honeymoon by Ti West (The House of the Devil).
V/H/S is not just a fresh take on the omnibus film, it’s a generous helping of modern horror at its best. (J. Scott Braid)
U.S.A. • 115 minutes • digital

Sun Don’t Shine:

LOTS of buzz about this 16mm film. Here’s hoping it lives up to it!
Festival favorites Kentucker Audley (MFF 2011’s Bad Fever) and Kate Lyn Sheil (also of The Comedy, Empire Builder, and V/H/S, all screening within MFF 2012) star as a young couple pushed to the brink by extreme circumstances. As they drive through the sweat and murk of Florida, it becomes clear that they’re on the run—perhaps from their own miasma of ever-escalating jealousies and paranoia as much as from a shared terrible secret.

Every aspect of this production is top-notch, from the perpetual-motion-machine performances by Audley and Sheil to the moody and evocative 16mm cinematography. As with the beautifully abrasive provocations that are The Brown Bunny and Frownland, Sun Don’t Shine seems to spring simultaneously from some ecstatic 1970s cinema wasteland and the present-day vanguard, even as it mounts a winning case for its own timelessness. Recently revived cinema treasures like Zulawski’s Possession and Loden’s Wanda (John Waters’ pick for MFF 2012) are other rare anchors of orientation for this free and unfettered work.
Fresh from its world premiere at SXSW 2012, Sun Don’t Shine is a film that needs to be seen and discussed. (Eric Allen Hatch)
U.S.A. • 82 minutes • digital

Sunday:

The Black Balloon:

Ahhhh…Sunday morning couldn’t be any nicer thanks to this collection of shorts.
In a remarkably short period of time, Josh and Benny Safdie have built a rich and distinct body of work. Perhaps best known for Daddy Longlegs (MFF 2010), their films are characterized by a deep reverence for independent film history, wonderfully offbeat humor and characters, and an uncanny ability to capture on film the overpopulated bustle and rugged individualism that is New York City life.
All of these traits are very much at the fore for their sublime new short The Black Balloon, the story of a balloon accidentally set loose by its owner, launching a majestic and comic journey across a metropolis.
The Safdies have curated a program of classic, balloon-themed shorts, appropriate for all ages, that compliment their latest work. Included in this program are:

The Black Balloon (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2012, 21 minutes)
The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956, 34 minutes)
The Balloonatic (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline, 1923, 22 minutes)
The Pincushion Man, a.k.a. Balloon Land (Ub Iwerks, 1935, 7 minutes)
Program Running time: APPROX. 84 Minutes • 35mm

Yeah. If there’s one thing the MDFF does that is truly awesome, it’s choosing a closing night film. Miss The Hurt Locker? We did and had to wait almost a year to see it on the big screen. This year looks to another a home run.

DARK HORSE

Directed By: Todd Solondz
Hosted/Presented By: Todd Solondz
Starring: Jordan Gelber, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Christopher Walken, Justin Bartha, Donna Murphy, Mary Joy

With two back-to-back masterpieces, Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) and Happiness (1998), Todd Solondz established himself as the new standard-bearer for American dark comedies—or, as he calls them, “sad comedies.” Bold, provocative, and hilarious, his body of work finds humor and insight in our deepest neuroses, pains, and misdeeds. With Dark Horse, Solondz has delivered not only his greatest film since those twin ‘90s classics, but his most accessible work yet.

Abe (Jordan Gelber), is a petulant and selfish man-child who, firmly on the far side of 30, still lives at home, working for his father and collecting toys. Deeply lonely yet full of blustery delusions of grandeur, Abe aggressively pursues troubled beauty Miranda (Selma Blair). In a moment of weakness, she goes along with his advances, built around his grandiose vision of a life together in his room full of collectibles. This stroke of good fortune surprises no one more than Abe’s long-suffering parents (a note-perfect pairing of Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken)—until, that is, things begin to unravel.

With great pride, Maryland Film Festival presents Dark Horse as its 2012 Closing Night selection. It’s a hilarious new vision from an American film master that playfully interacts with his earlier films even as it boldly paves new ground. (Eric Allen Hatch)

Whelp, that’s about it for us! Enjoy the fest and get your tix here! Support the Maryland Film Fest .

That is the kind of band Siphon are, a three piece rock band from the south of Scotland. Siphon have toured Scotland playing venues in places such as Glasgow, Dumfries and Dumbarton. Once they step foot on stage they control the crowd whether it be from their catchy, melodic riffs or their stage presence

Throughout the gig the band had fun on stage whether it was from frontman Doog Hunter’s energy on stage or Ash Hart’s guitar soloing, spitting distance from the crowd. The stage was set up to resemble their music video “Hold This Minute” with various spotlights poking though the holes of a black canvas in front of the stage. The unique set up of the stage put Siphon on par with professional bands like Guns N Roses and Aerosmith.

Technical difficulties plagued the set and slowed the gig down but the band played on regardless!

Siphon demonstrated great musical talent with all their songs especially from frontman Doog Hunter who effortlessly switched from guitarist to vocalist. Once their problems had been fixed, they made up for lost time by jamming out some chords and Hunter improvised a solo to compensate fans. Their impromtu jam session on stage showcased both their musical ability and their relationship as a band being able to feed off of each others energy.

Siphon create a memorable show by displaying huge zest on stage and getting the fans involved in their music. Their ability to shake off their technical hitches and continue with their set earned Siphon the respect of their fans and is what makes them stand out from most bands across Scotland

The Raven, which opens today in theaters is, sadly, not the Olde Baltimore or the Poe film we have been waiting for. While the first half of the film is exciting with its twists and turns and is packed with Easter eggs for Poe fans, it never really grasps the tight paranoia that Poe brought to his stories.

Poe, played with bombastic aplomb by John Cusack (Say Anything, Hot Tub Time Machine), has a serious case of writer’s block towards, unknown to him, at the end of his life. His newspaper refuses to print his reviews and his editor calling for more grist and gore along the lines of the Pit and the Pendulum and his personal life is in shambles as he’s unable to marry the society woman, Emily played by Alice Eve (Entourage, She’s Out of My League)  he loves. That is until a serial killer begins a murder spree in the city based on his penny dreadful tales.

When we meet Poe, he’s in a Baltimore tavern about to be thrown out. He screams his name again and again and challenges any of the besotted punters to finish a line from The Raven. Got it? Now there’s no doubt that Cusack is Poe. Who wrote The Raven. Seriously, this was the worst scene in the film.

A few murders in (The Pit and Pendulum, which takes the life of Poe’s rival critic, is one of the best/goriest scenes in the film), Baltimore police detective, played by Luke Evans (The Immortals, Clash of the Titans), decides to call on Mr. Poe as a possible suspect.
Where Cusack’s Poe is all over the place, he’s clearly not cut out for period pieces, Evans’ detective Fields is a subdued, clinical and fascinating to watch. He’s one part Sherlock Holmes and one part Dirty Harry in full on terse line delivery mode.When the pair are on screen together, it’s clear that American actors of a certain age aren’t very good in olde roles.

After checking a few of his alibis and at the urging of a subordinate, Evans brings Poe on as a consultant. And the game is afoot. As the killer acts out murders based on Masque of the Red Death, Pit, Buried Alive etc…Poe and Fields rush around Baltimore, which we know because someone is always yelling “BALTIMORE POLICE!” and “THIS CAN’T HAPPEN IN BALTIMORE!”, trying to thwart the caped mystery man.

In the best scene in the film, the killer manages to get into a masked ball and kidnap dear Emily as her father, Poe and Fields (who aren’t exactly McNulty and Bunk Moreland)  look on. It’s after the kidnapping that the killer finally sets his demands. Poe is to…write more stories. This is where the film falls apart.

The unsatisfying ending reminded me of another mediocre thriller, The Bone Collector. In that film the killer leads Denzel Washington and Angie  Jolie on a twisty chase that ends with an embarrassing thump and a lot of pissed off viewers. Same here. I didn’t buy the end of The Raven one fucking bit, but the ride getting there was quite fun.

There was one interesting point about the film that didn’t occur to me until much later. It begins and ends with Poe on that park bench where he would be found dead. It occurred to me that this was all in his head. One final story to keep himself alive a little longer.

Raven is far from perfect, but if you’re from Bmore it’s worth a checkout. The crew did pay  attention to detail by having the city’s seal on the walls of the police station and the police badges, which was a nice touch, but  I had no idea the city had a  sewer system to rival Vienna’s ala’ The Third Man.

To director James McTeige’s (V for Vendetta) credit, he refrained from making either Poe or Fields some sort of 18th century superhero as Guy Richie did with Holmes. The Raven is a tight little thriller that says goodbye to the Spring as The Avengers dive in to blow up the major Summer releases are about a week away. That being said,  I have no idea why they decided to release this dark and gloomy film in the Spring. It’s clearly suited and would have performed better (I’m predicting a bomb here) in the fall or winter.
To the film’s credit though it DID make we want to go to the library and reread Poe’s greatest hits.

Poe is a hard character to put to film and I suspect after the failure of this film to catch on, you will see him nevermore. Sorry. I just had to. At least once.

Roll trailer!

Various Cruelties were the scene at Glasgow’s ABC on Monday night as part of their UK tour. Their blend of indie and groove creates a unique and exciting sound which is both entertaining to listen to and fun to watch.

Each member of the band has their own style and ability which comes together making their melodies memorable and contributing to a better show; no simple rock slow beats or root notes from this rhythm section.

Drummer, Dean Valentine Smith utilised every part of the kit making his own style of rhythms and progressions from the various sounds he creates while bassist, Adam Coney had his moments with the main riff not hiding beneath the shadow of guitarist, Beanie Bhebhe, together creating a question and answer type melody making their sound fresh and unique.

Singer, Liam O’Donnell evolved from guitarist to frontman throughout the gig showcasing his skills as both a guitarist and a showman. O’Donnell was confident in marking his territory onstage and casually chatted with the crowd; even managing to laugh off his mistakes.

Various Cruelties conducted themselves in a professional manner without forgetting to enjoy themselves and have fun with their fans bringing something new to the indie scene making them a band worth seeing over and over.