Sunday, 24 March 2013

365 in 365

Film No 20
The Couch Trip
another in the long line of Dan Aykroyd films from the 80`s where essentially he plays a douche, but ultimately a supposedly likable douche, but still a douche, in this one he plays a con man faking insanity to land himself in the much more comfortable confines of the state institution instead of the local state prison.
After his ruse is rumbled by the institutions head shrink he has to come up with an escape plan, which consists of him assuming the role of the head shrink and moving cities and dealing out expletive laden "tough love" as a radio psychologist with a call in show.
Ultimately your enjoyment of this film will hinge on whether you like the idea of a con man pulling the wool over peoples eyes and triumphing over the law, after all the main character is a criminal and he uses the system to his own devices and abuses pretty much everyone around him, and yet I believe we are still supposed to like this abhorrent character.
Yes it does have a few giggles but the problem is that the main character is just too awful to like.
Sorry Dan but you dropped the ball here.

Film No 21
Mandsome
A documentary style film about male grooming.
not really that much more to say, its an interesting enough look into men and the efforts they go to to make themselves look and feel good about their appearance.
I think they were hoping to reveal some massive hidden truth about men and the lengths they go to, but all they really do is tell us what we already know, men take pride in their appearance.
some men take too much pride in their appearance and some men just dont make enough effort.
wow, well done guys, that was an hour and a half of useless info that i really didnt need to know about.

Film No 22
King of Kong
another documentary film, yes i was just rolling along the same line on Netfilx this evening!
this one focuses on the ongoing battle to have the top score ever on an arcade machine copy of Donkey Kong.
this is a fantastic film, the sort of story legends are made of, and it was a story that was long overdue a public outing, as such the guys involved are really lovely characters, as we have our underdog and the long standing high score holder perfectly playing the villain through his arrogance and doucheness.
i just hope that these guys really are like their representations in this film and havent hammed it up for the camera!
that said, i hope Billy isnt that much of a bell-end!

Film No 23
Stag Night of the Dead
oh dear lord this is a truly terrible film, and its a shame as the idea is actually quite good.
the idea that in the not too distant future and after a zombie outbreak that has been contained and controlled a shady company called Zomball has a small collection of zombies that it keeps for its own uses, the main use being part of a weekend gaming experience, think of it as paintball with zombies! except in this game you zap them with electricity firing weapons.
enter our group of lads, oddly still bringing the stripper with them?, on a stag night and up for the fun and challenge of a weekend shooting zombies.
things go wrong as is expected in these sorts of films, relationships are tested and some of them die.
pretty much par for the course for every zombie movie ever made.
the only trouble here is that despite the interesting premise and set up, everything else about this film is awful.
truly terrible special FX, atrocious acting, mind numbing soundtrack, sleazy direction (muchos lingering on the stripper!) all combine to leave a shallow and dull film that promised so much.

Film No 24
Candy Stripers
Ugh another awful alien invasion body snatchers style film.
this one involving aliens taking over the bodies of a seemingly never ending populus of attractive Candy Striper staff at a hospital.
This film is just horrendous, the cast are just pointless bland annoying american teens lined up for death, but none of them die quick enough for my liking, i get the feeling we are supposed to like at least 2 of them but it just doesnt happen, they are all very very annoying and personally i didnt want any of them to survive.
the FX are ok , but pretty much everything else falls flat on its face, ultimately where this film fails is the awful script that gives none of its main characters any redeeming features, as such you have no care for any of them to survive, therefore making the film redundant.

Set List 16/03/13

Epitaph Records Special
This week I decided to do something a little special, an entire show dedicated to what is probably the most influential show on my musical existence, were it not for this label I dont know where I would have ended up! As such the whole 2 hours are dedicated to artists past and present from the Epitaph roster.

Bad Religion - We`re only gonna die(from our own arrogance)
Atmosphere - Bird sings why the caged I knows
59 Times the Pain - Calling the public
Tiger Army - Incoporeal
Rancid - It`s quite alright
Dwarves - Everybody`s girl
The Bouncing Souls - True believers
Voodoo Glow Skulls - Stranded in the jungle
NOFX - Olympia,WA
Zeke - Evil Dead
Flogging Molly - Whats left of the flag
The Beatsteaks - We have to figure this out tonight
Dropkick Murphys - Heroes from our past
New Bomb Turks - Automatic teller
Hot Water Music - Wayfarer
I Against I - Ordinary fight
Pennywise - The world
Downset - Pure trauma
Madball - Hold it down
Bad Religion - The defense
Bad Religion - 21st Century (digital boy)
Bad Religion - American Jesus
Bad Religion - The biggest killer in American history
Alkaline Trio - I wanna be a Warhol
The (International) Noise Conspiracy - A new morning,changing weather
Transplants - Quick death
Motion City Soundtrack - Don`t call it a comeback
Bombshell Rocks - Warpath
Vision - Close minded
No Fun At All - Lose another friend
Pulley - Gone
All - Worlds on heroin
Millencolin - Fingers crossed
The Offspring - All I want
The Distillers - I am a revenant
H2O - Everready
F-Minus - Sweating blood
Death by Stereo - Wasted words
Bad Religion - Prove it

a show that I am stupidly proud of! and easily the most tunes I have crammed into one show, I hope you enjoyed it, if you even half as much enjoyed it as much as i did making it, then you had a pretty darned good 2 hours!
if you missed it, then you can catch it again here..........
http://www.mixcloud.com/spikeyben/16-march-2013-epitaph-special/

Set List 09/03/13

The Girly Show
Essentially a show dedicated to the ladies in my life and world of music!

Emily Curtis - What`s it for?
Robyn - Indestructable
Hooverphonic - 2Wicky
Digital Daggers - The Devil Within (piano version)
Kosheen - All in my head
Melissa Williamson - You`re not here
Origa - Date of rebirth
DEMO OF THE WEEK
Rake Garden - Tender Sugar
P!nk - Trouble
No Doubt - Hella Good
Prodigy - Hotride
Skunk Anansie - My ugly boy
The Gathering - Sand & Mercury
In This Moment - A star-crossed wasteland
Lullacry - Crucify my heart
Lacuna Coil - Our Truth
Whorse - Call me out
NY Loose - Apathy is golden
Genitorturers - Public Enemy #1
Blood Stain Child - Stargazer
COVER OF THE WEEK
My Ruin - Tainted Love
The Birthday Massacre - Red Stars
Garbage - Control
Itch - Enigma
Royal Thunder - Whispering World
Otep - Ghostflowers
The Distillers - City of angels

Another great show that I really enjoyed putting together, I hope you guys enjoyed listening to it
If you missed it, you can hear it all here.....
http://www.mixcloud.com/spikeyben/march-9th-2013-the-girly-show/

Sunday, 10 March 2013

Setlist 02/03/13

in a rather ska tinged show i went for the bouncy throat!!!

smash mouth - walking on the sun
no doubt - just a girl
minimal damage - writers block
the offspring - the worst hangover ever
bombshell rocks - tonight i`m burning
l`ondes - ricordati di urlare
voodoo glow skulls - say goodnight
the sovereigns - no one can with this fight
rancid - time bomb
can`t bear this party - its U between T & V
bad religion - broken
SFH - more punkrock
koffin kats - graveyard tree II
boxing fox - friends for life
royal republic - you ain`t nobody(till somebody hates you)
sublime - santaria
the gathering - liberty bell
IN FOCUS
garbage - tell me where it hurts
garbage - blood for poppies
garbage - silence is golden
garbage - push it
garbage - run baby run
garbage - queer
garbage - stupid girl
garbage - it`s all over but the crying
COVER OF THE WEEK
metallica - die,die my darling
3 colours red - beautiful day
rob zombie - return of the phantom stranger
rammstein - keine lust
the alchemist - single sided
killing joke - eighties

another great show that i had amazing fun putting together, i hope that anybody who listened enjoyed as much as i did!
if you missed it then you can stream the show in all its glory here...
 http://www.mixcloud.com/spikeyben/2nd-march-2013/
please feel free to rock out all over again and i`ll see you all soon!

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Set List 23/02/13

Another week has drifted on by and I got let loose on the airwaves and at you all!
This is what I played for you all.

Absent Distance - Asteroid
The Tea Party - The Bazaar
To My Surprise - Sunday
3 Colours Red - This is my Hollywood
Metallica - 2 x 4
Corrosion of Conformity - Redemption city
DEMO OF THE WEEK
Harvester - Atom splitter
Floodgate - Through my days into night
Audioslave - Show me how to live
Monster Magnet - God says no
Ash - Clones
Royal Republic - Save the nation
FIGHT CLUB
Green Day - Chump
The Offspring - What happened to you?
Rancid - Roots radicals
Green Day - In the end
The Offspring - Gotta get away
Rancid - Ruby Soho
Green Day - Basket case
The Offspring - It`ll be a long time
Rancid - Avenues and alleyways
Green Day - Welcome to paradise
The Offspring - Come out and play
Rancid - Timebomb
Fightstar - Fear of the dark
Kilgore - A lullaby for your casket
Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
Lacuna Coil - trip the darkness

Another great show stuffed to the gills with great tunes and a storming fight club.
I hope everybody enjoyed the show and that you all have a great week, and if you missed it you can stream this (soon!) and some previous shows from my Mixcloud page! http://www.mixcloud.com/spikeyben/

Thursday, 21 February 2013

Setlist 16/02/02

A bit behind schedule this week, should have had this up days ago!!!

The Datsuns - Lady
Jet - Are you gonna be my girl
The Hives - Hate to say I told you so
Royal Republic - Save the nation
The Cult - She sells sanctuary
Eso - Brand new suit
Alkaline Trio - Stupid kid
DEMO OF THE WEEK
The Sovereigns - Jump!
Boxing Fox - Good old times
Capdown - Cousin Cleotis
Autopilot-Off - Make a sound
Hate Gallery - Truth about you
Metallica - I disappear
Intronaut - Milk leg
FIGHTCLUB
KoRn - Falling away from me
Linkin Park - Points of authority
KoRn- Blind
Linkin Park - Faint
KoRn - No place to hide
Linkin Park - The catalyst
KoRn - Narcissistic cannibal
Linkin Park - castle of glass
Machine Head - Hallowed be thy name
Skindred - Selector
Bullyrag - Jump up in a fashion
Deez Nuts - Band of brothers featuring Sam Carter
Queens of the Stone Age - The lost art of keeping a secret
System of a Down - Chop suey

another great week chocker block of great tunes.
I hope anyone and everyone who listened enjoyed the show.
And in other news I have opened a Mixcloud account, where are of the shows are going to become available for you to listen to as and when you choose.
At this point in time the only one available is the show from the 2nd of February but hopefully over the next couple of days the rest of this months shows will be uploaded and then on a weekly basis from here on.
Should you want to listen you can do at http://www.mixcloud.com/spikeyben/

Monday, 11 February 2013

365 in 365

Film No 16 Youth in revolt
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coming of age stuff with michael cera effectively indulging his inner psycho nut bag in an attempt to win the heart of his summer fling sweetheart.
nice tight script, well etched out characters, some fantastic dialogue and an ingenious story about the lengths some teenage boys will go to get their end away!
Film No 17 Labor Pains
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this is a pretty bad film, lindsay lohan fakes a pregnancy to keep her job working as a secretary to a douchebag.
this much like a lot of recent rom-coms is horrendously predictable, but where it works, and it does work is the great performance of lindsay lohan as the titular character.
yes some of the jokes are old, and more than a little obvious but the story is simple and yes very throw away but its easy to watch and should raise a few giggles along the way.
Film No 18 Teen Witch
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this was quite clearly a pre cursor for sabrina the teenage witch, but where that was smart,clever and funny this is none of those things.
it has truly awful soundtrack cheese and tack just ooze from every pore of the screen, this is a car crash of film making, there are no redeeming features to this film, except that it eventually ends.
the acting is terrible, the script is bland and lifeless and time has not been kind to it, you remember the saying that the 80`s was the decade that taste forgot, this film exemplifies why the above statement is so painfully true.
avoid this and watch several episodes of sabrina instead, you will be much much happier.
Film No 19 Jackass 3
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you gotta know the score by now, these idiots run around hitting themselves and each other in the process of  a number of pranks and stunts, as they attempt to destroy themselves all in the name of entertainment for us the viewer to watch and wince as they endeavour to keep us interested by hurting themselves in more and more extreme and imaginative ways.
the law of diminishing returns is remarkably prevalent here, as the joke is starting to wear a little thin, they guys look old and tired and the stunts just dont really do much to dazzle the senses, at least not like they used to, the guys have now become victims of their own success by generating a slew of imitators who have now surpassed their bone crunching efforts with ease, making these gents seem a little tame in comparison.
that said there are still some very funny moments, the giant hand high five prank is exceptionally funny, as is them dropping bam into a room full of snakes, but sadly there are too many stunts that you just watch.
the point of these shows is to make you feel sick and wince in pain with them as much as it is to point and laugh at them, but rarely does this the third film scale those once frequented dizzying heights.
shame really, but i think its time for knoxvillle and co to hang up their boots and move on.