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The Longsands – Worlds Collide single review

Lucy Christian
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The Longsands – Worlds Collide single review

Worlds Collide is the latest single to be taken from this Newcastle indie band’s debut album Meet Me In The Spanish City.

Whilst the likeably catchy guitar laden chorus will repeat in your brain, the vocal content of The Longsands’ latest offering leaves a lot to be desired.

Worlds Collide is an easy tune that is sure to get a strong response at festivals but doesn’t appear to be strong enough to stand out from the crowd in the chart world. Overall, the result is a track that is reminiscent of some first attempts from popular English early 90’s bands and the fact that the band are influenced by old school rockers Ocean Colour Scene and Oasis will come as no surprise.

Whilst this song does offer some pleasurable easy listening, the lack of depth in the lyrics is evident and slightly spoils the end result.

Little Mix – Ready to Fly review

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Little Mix – Ready to Fly review

Little Mix made X Factor history last year when they became the first group to win the show. They were also the first girl group to do well in the competition after previous ones had failed to make it past the initial weeks. Perrie, Jesy, Jade and Leigh-Anne were put together during the boot camp stages of the competition and went on to win over the nation with their tight harmonies, bright personalities and impressive work ethic. As the group release their debut single Wings, they’ve also just released their first official book Ready To Fly.

Ready To Fly is a mixture of photos and text detailing the band’s rise to fame from the individual girls’ formative years through to the present day. Packed with stunning pictures by Dean Freeman (most famous for his work with the Spice Girls and David Beckham), the book is a colourful hardback with plenty to sink your teeth into.

Split into three sections (Life Before X Factor, Showtime, Life After X Factor) the book contains stories from each of the girls about their lives and experiences to date. In the first section there are plenty of photos of the girls as children showing what they looked like as babies and following their growth into teenagers. Each of the girls recalls their introduction to music and the realisation they wanted to become singers. As the book progresses they talk openly about their experiences on The X Factor and share their hopes for the future of Little Mix.

At the back of the book is a series of quick-fire questions allowing fans to get to know the girls even better. Hardcore fans of the group will pride themselves on storing up all the tidbits so they can impress with their inside-out knowledge.

Ready To Fly is the definitive guide to Little Mix and provides loads of back story on each of the girls that their fans will love. As brightly coloured and sparkly as the girls themselves, the book is a must-have for any Little Mixers out there. The sky is the limit for these four girls and Ready To Fly documents the first part of their incredible journey. We suggest you get yourself a copy so you can tell people you were a Little Mixer from the very beginning.

Society – All That We’ve Become single review

Lucy Christian
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Society – All That We’ve Become single review

All That We’ve Become is the first single from band Society. Any other information you may hear is purely courtesy of the rumour mill.

This soulful offering from the mysterious entity is a beautifully melancholic tale of lost love which doesn’t make you want to weep uncontrollably into your cornflakes.

Set to epic orchestral sounds, All That We’ve Become could quite easily be the latest Bond theme. In fact, closing your eyes will undoubtedly conjure up images of sensuous shadows swirling provocatively, or even the iconic seasons scene from Notting Hill. The mournful yet somehow matter of fact lyrics are sung by vocal talents that, paired with big band sixties style backing, fiercely echo Verve-like qualities and spectacularly resonate nostalgic melodies of a bygone era.

Who needs to know who the genius behind this song is, when the music itself speaks enough volumes to satisfy?

Bo Roberts interview

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Bo Roberts interview

Bo Roberts is more than just a pretty face. The former boxer has caught the attention of thousands of fans thanks to his work as a model, most recently appearing on the cover of Australian gay magazine DNA.

Bo is now turning his talents to acting and as he climbs the ladder of success, we caught up with him to talk about his career so far.

In our interview Bo gives us an insight into his work as a model, talks about his physique and shares his hopes for the future.

Hi Bo. Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. How are you today and where does this Q&A find you?

I am currently writing to you from Los Angeles, California. As of two weeks ago.

You came to our attention on the rather eye-catching recent DNA cover. Tell us about that experience.

The cover of DNA you are referring to was shot on an island called Fire Island, which is very close to New York City. Being accustomed to the NYC lifestyle with the constant pace and loud people everywhere, shooting on Fire Island was a relaxing getaway for a few days. The photographer I worked with, Kevin Mcdermott, was really fun to work with.

You’ve had quite the interesting journey to fame. We hear you used to be a boxer and cage fighter. How did you get into that?

My segway into competitive fighting came while I was working in law enforcement. To sum up my job, I monitored inmates and also worked as a riot squad member. I befriended a fellow officer and he introduced me to MMA.

Bo Roberts

How did you make the transition to being a model? Is that something you always wanted to do?

I never had any aspirations of becoming a model. The way it happened was interesting, I think. I left my home and everything I had known chasing the concept of true love down to Florida. After changing my Facebook status to FL, I had a few photographer contact me, which I shot with mostly for fun for my ex. It wasn’t until Luis Raphael had contacted me, the 3rd time due to my stubbornness, that I agreed to work with him. Luis said he would pay for my food and gas and hotel and I could bring my lover down to shoot and enjoy Miami for an evening. Leaving me with no reason to say no now I drove down and shot with him. Luis said he was willing to pay the money because he knew I had something special and he wanted to help me get noticed. The photos from him were the first time I had ever seen my self in a “good model shot”. His lighting, and me losing some weight really looked nice. A few weeks later Luis called me up and told me a magazine called DNA wanted to use a photo and he needed my permission. I said yes and that is also the backstory why my personal Facebook page has been and always will be the photo of me in the black shorts with MMA gloves on and of course, Luis Raphael’s name at the bottom.

There’s lots of photos of you floating around the net and we can see you’ve got a fantastic physique. Tell us your working out secrets.

Workout secrets, I do not have “secrets” per say. I lift with the reverse pyramid; Start heavy and only drop the weight when I cannot finish a set. Keep dropping weight until you are basically lifting nothing. I also eat for fuel, not for fun. Also, switching up the lifts I do, as well as, the entire gym experience, as in cross fit for a week then power lifting, then only cardio etc etc. I hit the full range of motion, eat very healthy, while still enjoying pad thai here and there, and take my vitamins.

How comfortable are you with flashing the flesh and stripping down for photoshoots now? Did it take some getting used to?

I have competed in athletics since the youngest age possible. Always having eyes on me, I’m comfortable in that environment. When it comes to shoots where I need to get in the “sexy” mind frame, it really is the kiss of death when there is someone with a camera phone or a photographer that is creepy. Rick Day comes to mind with helping me describe this. I have shot with Rick one on one in his home and in my underwear. He told me, that he is an open gay male who is taking photos of a hot guy oiled up in his underwear trying to be sexy. Based on that, Rick is going to give compliments/comments. Yet when I had to change, he would leave the room and ask me to come get him when I’m ready. That is the exact situation I need to feel comfortable in what I’m doing, vs. the photographer that wants to watch me change, apply the lotion to my legs because they don’t want my hands oily? wtf. Basically it all comes down to being professional.

Bo Roberts

Your good looks and body has got you a lot of attention from men as well as women. How do you deal with the attention from your gay fanbase?

I’m perfectly fine with the attention from my gay fans. In fact, most of my friends living in NYC are gay men. Just like the professional vs. unprofessional photographers, if you are a creeper then you can get lost. Other than that I’m drawn to open minded artsy type of people. They seem much more receptive to change and new things, which keeps things interesting.

Earlier this year you starred in the short Wonderland. How did that opportunity come about and what was the experience like?

Wonderland came about after I was contact by Braden Summers. He said I had the look he was going for and had seen some of my other work and thinks it would be a good fit. We enjoyed working with each other and have actually just completed another project called Twisted Country. I enjoyed working with Braden. Twisted was initially started off as a comedy before it was changed into a drama. It then turned into a dark drama with a twist, hence the name, but finally was pulled back to what it is now. Being able to work with Braden on that level really allowed more creative thoughts to happen.

Acting is something you’re looking to pursue further. What kind of projects interest you and why?

As far as acting goes, I want to work on shooting all across the genre spectrum. I’ve noticed that I can break into drama the easiest but would also like to have some fun in comedy, since my actual persona is pretty off the wall and goofy.

Bo Roberts

Describe your ideal role to us? What kind of character would you play and in what kind of movie?

The ideal role for me? I think that may shift in time. Now I believe my background can help me land a part in an action movie. Once I shoot that I will look to do a more romantic movie. Once I have guys liking me from the action and women liking me from romance, I would like to land a very dark drama movie and hopefully have everybody agreeing that they can’t wait to see what I do next.

What plans do you have for the rest of 2012?

From now until the end of 2012 I plan on beginning to let people know I also act. Not just focusing on short films but also start auditioning to be placed into features that hopefully we can all go to a theater and watch.

For all the latest from Bo follow him on Twitter @ActorBoRoberts and head over to Facebook to Like his pagewww.facebook.com/BoRobertsFANS

Benedict Garrett interview

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Benedict Garrett interview

Big Brother was back on form this year for its second outing on Channel 5. Full of colourful characters and plenty of controversy, the show won back a portion of its fanbase.

One of our favourite contestants this yeart was Benedict Garrett who lasted three weeks in the house but managed to divide opinion. The pornstar/actor/teacher/father made as many enemies as he did fans simply by being himself.

We caught up with Benedict to talk about life in the house, find out all about his new play Up4aMeet and to discuss the hate he receives on Twitter daily. Check out what he had to say in our frank and honest video interview.

Up4aMeet plays at Waterloo East Theatre from September 4th – 22nd. Get tickets and find out more

Film4 Frightfest: The Possession

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Film4 Frightfest: The Possession

Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is just getting back on his feet after divorcing his wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick). The former couple are trying to keep the lives of their two young girls normal, sharing custody and maintaining a civil relationship. Clyde takes the girls to his new house and they pick up some new things for it from a garage sale. The youngest of the two girls Emily (Natasha Calis) picks up an antique box and soon becomes obsessed with it. As the days pass Emily’s behaviour becomes increasingly more worrying and soon Clyde begins to realise that his daughter may be possessed.

The Possession received its European premiere today at Frightfest and comes from producer Sam Raimi. Like Drag Me To Hell, the film is inspired by legends and at the beginning it tells you it’s based on a true story; it’ll depend how much you believe in supernatural myths as to how much you read into that. The movie opens with a rather terrifying 10 minutes that throws you right into the spirit (pardon the pun). The setup doesn’t take too long and once it’s done the scares and jumps come frequently. We’d actually go as far as to say it was the scariest film we’ve seen all weekend at Frightfest.

If you’ve seen any other possession films (e.g. The Exorcist, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) then you’ll feel like you’re treading over old ground. It’s fair to say that The Possession isn’t the most original film you’re likely to see in your life but it’s got plenty to enjoy about it. The scares are genuine and we were sat next to a particularly jumpy woman who barely remained in her seat throughout. There’s a lot of visual horror too and if you’re afraid of bugs then you’ll be terrified throughout this movie.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has really stepped up to the leading man mantle in recent years and he’s wholly believable as the patriarch in this movie. He’s manly enough to make the women swoon and butch enough to make men want to be more like him. He plays Clyde as a man trying to do right by his family whilst still smarting from his divorce. His performance is solid and we hope this role leads to many more in the genre. The standout in the film is youngster Natasha Calis. She really throws herself into the role and delivers a more and nuanced performance. She’s also seriously scary. Grant Show (remember him?) turns up in a small role as Stephanie’s new dentist boyfriend and he has a bit of fun with the part.

The Possession is unlikely to win any awards (although visually it’s a treat) but it’s a good old-fashioned scare-fest that should be wheeled out for an annual Halloween viewing. It was the perfect film to show near the end of Frightfest and one that we’ll be picking up a copy of on Blu-ray in the months to come. It’s not particularly original but it’s shot, acted and directed well with plenty of decent scares. What more do you really want from a horror movie?

Film4 Frightfest: Chained

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Film4 Frightfest: Chained

Tim (Eamon Farren) is kidnapped along with his mother Sarah (Julia Ormond) when he’s only 9 years old by serial killer taxi driver Bob (Vincent D’Onofrio). Taken to Bob’s secluded house, Tim is imprisoned after his mother is murdered and forced into help Bob cover up his spree of murders. As the year’s pass, the two get into a familiar routine with Bob using Tim to look after him. Chained to the wall, Tim hasn’t had freedom since he was kidnapped and Bob promises to unchain him if he sleeps with a girl and turns killer too. Will Tim manage to escape his captor or will he fall foul to the dark side that Bob is luring him to.

Jennifer Chambers Lynch’s new film Chained was one of the most anticipated films of Frightfest and it received its UK premiere earlier today. We’re pleased to say that the film didn’t disappoint as it brought to life the dark and sinister story that its synopsis promised. The film opens with the disturbing kidnapping of Tim and his mother both shocking and terrifying the audience in the process. The fear factor never lets up as Bob continues to bring women of all ages home to rape, torture and kill. There are so many disturbing moments in the film that it’s definitely not one for the faint-hearted and anyone who can’t tolerate the darker side of the horror genre should stay well clear.

Director Lynch injects her style into the film and the way she portrays and establishes the relationship between Tim and Bob is quite remarkable. Bob renames Tim to Rabbit early on in the film likening him to a caged animal. Lynch grows the relationship between the two making their interaction believable despite the horrific situation Rabbit finds himself in. She veers away from the gratuitous exploitation route that this film could easily have taken – and in the Q&A after she mentioned that the original script was more torture-porn than psychological suspense thriller. We think she made the right decision because the more subtle approach definitely struck more of a chord with us.

At the heart of Chained is two remarkable performances. Vincent D’Onofrio has made a name for himself playing oddball characters but he’s at his most terrifying here as Bob. He seems so ordinary yet at the same time is absolutely menacing. Much of Bob’s backstory comes out throughout the movie and D’Onofrio uses that material to scare the hell out of the audience. Eamon Farren on the other hand plays Rabbit/Tim in a very restrained and considered way. He reacts practically rather than emotionally to the situation he’s in. His interaction with D’Onofrio’s Bob is really powerful.

Chained is by no means an easy watch but it’s a triumph of film-making. The subject matter will certainly not be to everyone’s taste but Lynch has created a movie that will affect you long after the final reel. In the hands of a less capable director this could easily have been a very different film but Lynch controls it putting the right emphasis in the right places. As much an exploration of unspoken love as it is an unpleasant musing on the sinister side of some people, Chained is a remarkable film that captivates, engages and emotionally moves you.

Film4 Frightfest: After

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Film4 Frightfest: After

Freddy (Steven Strait) and Ana (Karolina Wydra) meet by chance on a bus back to their hometown of Pearl. As they get to know each other the bus they are travelling on is hit by something. The next thing they know time has moved on and they wake up at home. Soon they discover that they are the only two people left in their town and a black smoke is encircling them threatening to take over the town. As they struggle to discover what is going on, their pasts return to provide clues about how to get out of the nightmare they are trapped in. Will they defeat the black smoke and return to their normal lives?

After is the new movie from Ryan Smith and received its UK premiere today at Frightfest. Advanced word was incredibly mixed but we liked the sound of this alternative creature feature. Sadly despite an intriguing opening, the film soon falls to pieces and hovers around mediocre. Whilst the premise is definitely a worthy hook, it’s as if the writer/director didn’t quite now what to do to turn it into a satisfactory story. Borrowing elements from Pans Labyrinth and Silent Hill, After is a mish-mash of genre movies that lacks a cohesive or engaging story.

In the first half of the movie you are genuinely interested to find out what’s going to happen to Freddy and Ana. Pretty much everyone, including ourselves, saw the twist coming a mile off, so the second half didn’t pack the punch it needed to. Logic tells you there’s only two ways the movie could go after the first 15 minutes and anyone expecting a seriously clever twist will be sorely disappointed. There is some genuine tension when Freddy and Ana venture into the black smoke for the first time and the creature that follows them for the second half of the movie is quite scary (until you actually see it).

Quite a lot of things don’t make sense in After but one of the most baffling is how Ana transforms from an American little girl into a Polish woman. Karolina Wydra – best-known for playing House’s wife in the hit show’s last season – puts in a decent performance but her accent doesn’t convince as American. She’s also hampered by some truly hideous dialogue and unfortunately many of her lines had the audience in hysterics. Steven Strait seems to have borrowed Keanu Reeves’ vacant expression for his turn as Freddy and he’s just not that great.

By the end of the movie the majority of the audience was laughing hysterically. The combination of random story, corny dialogue and an ending worthy of a bad soap opera means that After never rises above mediocre. We’ve seen a lot of films at Frightfest this year and we’d definitely rank this one near the bottom of the pile. Sounds good on paper but in practice it’s pretty awful.

Film4 Frightfest: Sleep Tight

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Film4 Frightfest: Sleep Tight

Cesar (Luis Tosar) works as a concierge at an upmarket apartment block in Barcelona. Despite appearing polite and friendly, Cesar is actually a sinister, deeply disturbed man who sneaks into the apartment of the beautiful Clara (Marta Etura) at night. As he gets himself into a routine with Clara, which she is unaware of, Cesar is furious when her boyfriend starts to get in the way. Soon things spiral out of control and Cesar must cover his tracks to avoid being found out. With the police suspicious of him, and a young girl down the hall witness to his night-time routine, time is running out.

Sleep Tight is a masterclass in suspense from Jaume Balaguero that takes pointers from Hitchcock and Polanski. Enjoying its UK premiere today at Frightfest, the taut-thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat as Cesar’s actions get more and more sinister. The way in which Cesar’s obsession with Clara grows is intriguing and disturbing, and it soon becomes clear that he’s got more than a little crush on her. Lingering camera shots of Cesar lying under Clara’s bed whilst she’s in it serve to unsettle the audience but it’s what he does when she’s fast asleep that’s really despicable.

What works so well about Sleep Tight is the rich character development. From the multi-faceted Cesar to the seemingly shallow Clara, every character evolves throughout the movie. It would have been easy to make a movie like this and paint all the characters as two-dimensional but that’s definitely not the case here.

Luis Tosar is simply magnificient as Cesar. His performance is nothing short of a tour-de-force and he has a menacing edge that is deeply unsettling. Tosar’s performance makes it impossible to fully hate Cesar despite all of the horrible things he does. Instead he humanises the character as someone who simply cannot be happy and it’s his unhappiness that makes him act in the way that he does. Marta Etura is equally strong as Clara. She plays the character in a naïve and carefree way and she simply cannot see the bad in Cesar, despite what her boyfriend’s suspicions say. Iris Almeida steals the film as the pesky Ursula who bribes Cesar in order to keep his secret. Her performance is fantastic and she has a bright future ahead.

Sleep Tight is a disturbing but deeply rewarding cinematic experience. From the rich direction through to the powerhouse performances, it doesn’t set a foot wrong. Stylistically the movie recalls the greatness of Hitchcock and it has a jaw-dropper of a final scene. Horror it may not be, which is odd considering it’s showing at Frightfest, but magnificent it certainly is. Sleep Tight will ensure you don’t get a wink of sleep next time you’re home alone. Just remember to check under the bed before you go to sleep.

Film4 Frightfest: The Thompsons

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
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Film4 Frightfest: The Thompsons

The Hamilton family return under the new name The Thompsons. The vampire family find themselves in England seeking out the Stuarts, another group of blood drinkers that can help them rebuild their lives after having to flee America following a bloodbath. Francis (Cory Knauf) is the first of the family to locate the Stuarts in Ludlow and soon finds that the family may not be all they seem. With their daughter Riley (Elizabeth Henstridge) as his only ally, Francis must discover what the Stuarts are up to before the rest of his family become their latest victims.

The Thompsons is the sequel to the 2006 cult classic The Hamiltons and enjoyed its UK premiere today at Frightfest with the producers and many of the cast in attendance. The budget for this sequel has clearly been upped and the production looks fantastic. Mixing drama with elements of horror, The Thompsons follows the template laid out byThe Hamiltons providing a satisfying progression for the characters. The main focus of the movie is Francis with his siblings playing secondary characters. From the opening scene where we see him trapped in a box, he tells the story of his encounter with the Stuarts recounting the bloodbath in America that forced his family to flee from the authorities.

The initial scenes with the Stuarts are fantastic. Francis enters a quiet pub in Ludlow and is immediately but unknowingly acquainted with Mother Stuart (Selina Giles), Father Stuart (Daniel O’Meara) and their beautiful daughter Riley. Francis reveals himself to the family when he panics and kills a constable who recognises him. It’s not until Riley’s brothers Cole (Sean Browne) and Ian (Tom Holloway) return that Francis realises that he’s stumbled upon the family he’s been looking for. The build-up to the two families meeting is the main hook of the movie and as Francis gets in too deep, his siblings start to flock from far and wide to join him.

The performances across the board are stellar. Cory Knauf carries the weight of the Hamiltons as Francis. He gets the most to do and certainly the most screen-time. His performance is subtle yet captivating and he makes for a convincing lead. His immediate chemistry with the gorgeous Elizabeth Henstridge is electric and the two actors spark off one another. Sean Browne, who we recently saw on stage in The Great Gatsby Musical, pops up in the supporting role of Cole Stuart – the ruggedly handsome brother of Riley. After seeing him play such a charmer on stage it’s fun to see him play the complete opposite in this movie. He makes quite the impression and we’d like to see him take on even meatier roles in the future. Also worthy of note is Selina Giles who is fantastic as Mother Stuart. She effortlessly moves from lovely to nasty as the matriarch of the Stuart clan.

The only disappointment really is that the wonderful Samuel Child doesn’t get a whole lot to do. In The Hamiltons he was superb and had a much larger part and we wish he’d had a bit more to sink his teeth into in this movie. Child is a superb actor and the small screen-time he gets is an injustice. Similarly Mackenzie Firgens and Joseph McKelheer are underused as the troublesome twins Darlene and Wendell.

The Thompsons is a worthy successor to The Hamiltons and despite the 6-year wait, it’s a triumph for The Butcher Bros (aka Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores). With a strong cast, a refreshingly original storyline and some seriously good fight sequences, The Thompsons has been our highlight of Frightfest so far. It also puts paid to the recent depiction of vampires as romantic desperados (a la Twilight) and takes them back to the raw primal instinct of feeding off humans to live. Fingers crossed the Hamiltons return in a third instalment soon.

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