Sunday, October 26, 2008

Doomsday on DVD

I caught this over the weekend. It's a really enjoyable movie in the Road Warrior mode. I have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and this is definitely a worthy addition to the genre.

New Cradle Of Filth!

The new Cradle of Filth CD, Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder">, is in at the station.

Here's the first video from the CD: Honey And Sulphur.


Find more videos like this on Cradle Of Filth

Rush Geeks on CBC's OUTFRONT

Here's a short radio documentary on Rush fans, produced by the CBC for their OUTFRONT show.

Saturday, October 04, 2008



Master Of Disguise saw Lizzy Borden step out of the safety zone of a band and release an album as a solo artist. Like most of Lizzy's work, the album is pretty uneven--some absolute gems scattered among some competent but uninspired filler. "Love Is A Crime" is definately one of the former: Not only the best song on the album, but one of the best Lizzy Borden songs period.

Until today I never knew that there was an accompanying video, and I thought I'd share it with you. It's not particularly original (especially for such a visually-oriented band), but is noticable for two reasons. The first is that Borden managed to create a mainstream video for a song about phone sex. The second is that it exemplifies Borden's ability to make albums and videos of a high quality that belie their low budgets. Ratt or Motley Crue would have spent 10 times what this video likely cost--probably with half the final result.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Azumi (repost)

Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, of Versus infamy, Azumi is a period piece following the adventures of a young orphan girl turned assassin as she and her nine male companions grow up and train together, preparing for the "final assignment".

Based on a manga by Yu Koyama, the film stars Aya Ueto as the title character, a role she pulls off very well. For those who know Kitamura only from his tongue-in-cheek, ultra gory "Versus", this movie is going to come as a bit of a shock. Although there is a lot of action, and Kitamura never flinches from showing just how messy sword fighting can be, there is more to this movie than sheer visceral overkill. In fact the gore that appears is seamlessly and (almost) tastefully integrated into the story. Seldom is it gratuitous.

This move just looks damn good! The costumes, sets and overall cinematography give Azumi a lush, epic feel that belies a comparatively modest budget (compared to say Hero or House of Flying Daggers). The acting is competent and fits in well with the story, and the script moves along at a brisk pace without feeling rushed.

I would heartily recommend Azumi for a an interesting night’s viewing-and if you are up for a double feature thrown on Jet Li’s "Hero". The movies dovetail perfectly, each showing a similar story in a completely different yet equally satisfying way.

Programming Note

Saturday's my birthday and my lovely wife has arranged a party for me.

This means I won't be on the air, but fortunately Jay Way, host of CFRC's "Way Past Midnight" show has kindly agreed to fill in for the evening.

Thanks to Jay, and I hope the show goes fine. Enjoy!