W♥M

Which Witch

Mayfair Witches Read More Walking Dead Are you excited that The Walking Dead is back? New episode, "The Suicide King", is airing tonight on AMC. This is just an announcement that you can start your pre-order for The Walking Dead AMC …

Mayfair Witches
amc.com

With the final 11th season of Walking Dead just aired in 2022, AMC is shopping around for a new IP to bring in new viewers. To me, it looks like AMC decide to put their chips in Anne Rice. Their first effort was Interview with the Vampire, based on Rice’s 1976 novel.

I only know about this Interview with the Vampire story through the 1994 movie adaptation, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Between this movie and its sequel, Queen of the Damned, I can’t say that I was that interested in gothic vampires. I do eventually intend to watch the AMC TV show of Vampire… but, at the moment, I’m in no hurry.

However, I am very interested in the upcoming Mayfair Witches show, mostly because I’m in love with leading star Alexandra Daddario. She was amazing in The White Lotus and was the best thing in Baywatch (2017).

While Mayfair Witches is the second series in the Anne Rice universe, titled “The Immortal Universe”, you do not need to watch Interview with the Vampire to understand Mayfair Witches.

I have not read the novel, but I have some comic book adaption of The Witching Hour (with some great John Bolton cover art), so I’m somewhat familiar with the first novel.

It would seem that the new television series made some drastic changes to the story. First of all, they future jump the story, so everything takes place in the modern age (people talking about Uber driver and Minecraft just makes me cringe).

Another thing is they removed an important character in the novel: Michael Curry. Instead, AMC decides to create a new character called Ciprien Grieve, which combines Michael and Aaron Lightner.

I can’t say that after watching the pilot, that I’m that excited to see the rest of the series. The pilot doesn’t really clue you in where the story is going, why we should care about anyone, and what are the rules of these supernatural witches. The only thing it does is set up some of the main characters, primarily centered around Dr Rowan Fielding. Maybe it’ll get better with the second episode.

Mayfair Witches will air on AMC on January 8, 2023.

The Witcher: Blood Origin Read More The Witcher The second The Witcher season is upon us! Man, it’s been so long (the first season aired in 2019!), I have forgotten much of the first season. I do recall that I loved it… however the critics hated it because they just couldn’t follow the three different …

The Witcher: Blood Origin
netflix.com

Netflix’s The Witcher spinoff series, The Witcher: Blood Origin is universally hated by fans and critics.

There are several reasons why no one likes the new television series… from my perspective, it just comes down to a poorly written story… and completely unnecessary. It has nothing to do with the Witcher… and, in fact, if they remove that name in the title, you can just treat it as a dumb fantasy about some elves.

When Witcher star Henry Cavill announced that he is stepping down as the Witcher, I read it was because the writers of the series was not respecting the source material. Based on watching The Witcher: Blood Origin, I’m going to agree.

You see, the regular Witcher series are based on novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski. His story and characters are from Polish myths and legends, combined with J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth fantasy creatures of Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves.

Instead of adapting one of Sapkowski’s novels, the Blood Origin creators decides to make up their own story to explain the origin of The Witcher. That does sound pretty cool, but when you watch it, it’s pretty awful. It starts with two characters meeting randomly after a failed assassin attempt. Their journey takes them to find Michelle Yeoh, the last of the Ghost Clan, and then they randomly meet other characters who bumped into them walking in the road. The seven outcasts join forces to fight an evil empire… and accidentally created the very first Witcher.

While I don’t hate myself for watching Blood Origin, I think I could have just skipped this. I have enjoyed the regular The Witcher television show, and I love the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt… I just felt Blood Origin was a waste of everyone’s time, and not worthy of the Witcher name.

Read more Movies and Television.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Old Men

Read More Jason Bourne We just saw an advance screening of the spy action thriller film Jason Bourne, the fifth film in the Bourne film series, on Tuesday, July 26th at the AMC Southdale 16 in Edina. The new film reunites actor Matt Damon with writer/director …

Read more Movies and Television.

The Old Man
fxnetworks.com

Based on the 2017 novel by Thomas Perry of the same name, The Old Man is the new television drama thriller from FX. After its premiere on June 16, 2022, it was renewed for a second season.

The show is about an ex-CIA agent, named Dan Chase (played by Jeff Bridges), living off the grid for over thirty years. After killing an intruder with a gun and silencer, Chase realized he’s been compromised. He goes on a run, and that’s how the pilot starts.

There’s also the team trying to capture Chase, headed by FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Harold Harper (played by John Lithgow). Harper doesn’t really want Chase caught, but at the same time, he has to do his job.

The first few episodes will have you on your seat, I’m very engaged in this cat-mouse game.

What I don’t really like about the show, because it’s about 7 hours long (in 7 episodes), there are a lot of flashback and backstory that I really didn’t care for. There are actors, playing younger version of Chase and Harper, but all they come off is like trying to imitate Bridges & Lithgow (who has very specific speech patterns).

If you like spy drama, thriller, such as the Jason Bourne, James Bond, or Jack Reacher, you’ll like this television show.

Old Man
rljentertainment.com

Old Man is a new 2022 American thriller/horror movie by Lucky McKee from an screenplay by Joel Veach, distributed by RLJ Entertainment (formerly known as Image Entertainment).

The film is about a lost hiker (Marc Senter) who stumbles upon a strange old man living in the woods (Stephen Lang). It’s really a low budget film, so there’s just a lot of dialogue between the old man and the hiker. It’s clear that the old man is mentally crazy, why the hiker would still engage in conversation, it’s somewhat unbelievable to me.

The problem with the film is that you do not like either character, the crazy old man or the naive hiker… and when you don’t like the characters, it’s just so hard to root for anyone. Everything is answered in the end, all the mysteries are answered… but getting there, I’m not sure if it was worth all that dialogue.

It’s weird to see how Stephen Lang, is playing these old men, who you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. In Don’t Breathe, he plays an old blind man, who has his home invaded. Of course, it’s the invaders that should be worried, not the blind guy!

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC- December 19-31, 2022- Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Read More Rainmakers Kansas City based singer-songwriter, musician and painter Bob Walkenhorst, the lead singer of The Rainmakers, was making his first area appearance in five years.

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

We finally made it to Christmas week!

As expected, not a lot of national touring acts (that aren’t holiday-themed) but we’ll recommend LA rockers Classless Act coming to a new-ish small venue in Lawrence. Since activity has slowed, we’ll take these Previews all the way to the end of the year.

After a very busy concert year, NYE has a surprising lack of a national artist show locally, but see below for a few interesting ways to count it down and pop that champagne. Happy 2023!

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City metro December 19th-31st.

Monday Dec 19

CONTINUING: Kansas City Ballet Presents The Nutcracker December 7-24, Kauffman Center, $64.50-$258.50

An annual holiday tradition! The classic, Victorian-era story by E.T.A. Hoffman features Clara, the Nutcracker Prince, Dr. Drosselmeier and the Sugar Plum Fairy and is a magical theatrical experience wrapped with memorable costumes, grand sets, and captivating choreography. Thru Xmas Eve.

Tuesday Dec 20

Wednesday Dec 21

Classless Act, Dec 21, Lucia- Lawrence, $10

Don’t sleep on this one! - Formed in 2018 and consisting of five former strangers who met via social media (Derek Day-Vocals; Dane Pieper– Guitar; Griffin Tucker-Guitar; Franco Gravante – Bass; Chuck McKissock- Drums), the rising LA band is turning heads and catching ears!

Their debut single “Give It To Me” was released in summer 2021 and they quickly hit the road with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard on their Summer Stadium Tour.  New acoustic single “All That We Are” is one from the five unplugged song/video collection, due out this week, that also includes acoustic versions of their debut album’s (Welcome to the Show, released in June) stand-out tracks.

Local openers LYXE (pronounced “likes”) have released a new EP, following a few years (and a pandemic pause). The rock trio is comprised of frontman Ryan Wise (of The Sluts), AJ Knudson- bass; and Jimmy Girod – drums.

Kansas City Symphony Presents Elf™ in Concert Film + Live Orchestra Dec 21-24, Helzberg Hall, up to $148.50

The new classic holiday film (starring Will Ferrell) comes more to life with a live orchestral soundtrack!

Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, adult Buddy travels to NYC, in full elf uniform, to search for his real father. MPAA Rating: PG The entire run is nearly sold out, so get tix while you can!

Thursday Dec 22

Friday Dec 23

Christmas at the Crossroads benefit, The Truman, 11:00 AM, Free

Shelter KC’s annual celebration of Christmas serving adults experiencing homelessness. Last year, 70% of the people in attendance had not previously used our services. This premier holiday event offers fun, food, and fellowship with carnival-style booths, a traditional holiday meal, care package giveaways, and new this year, we are partnering with Operation Care International to provide new socks and shoes to those in attendance.

Radkey, Xmas Evil Eve, w Frogpond, The Many Colored Death and Drop A Grand, $18-$50

St. Joe’s favorite punk rock brothers, Dee, Solomon, and Isaiah Radke, and return en force, with a Xmas Eve Eve epic night of ROCK! “It's going to be a sleigher!,” they promise.

Saturday Dec 24

Christmas Eve with the Soul Visionaries, Granada- Lawrence, $10-$15

Bring in your Christmas with style as an area musical collective comes together to bring some soul classics (holiday-themed and otherwise) to the live stage – expect to hear familiar tunes from Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, the Stax Records lineup, and many more timeless songs that most of us know every word to.

Sunday Dec 25

Monday Nov 26

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dec 26-Afternoon & Eve, T-Mobile Center $39.50-$109.50

The multi-platinum, progressive rock group brings its 2022 winter tour, The Ghosts of Christmas Eve – the Best of TSO & More in for two shows on this Boxing Day, bringing a completely updated presentation of the multi-generational holiday tradition to 60 cities, including right here in KC.

TSO will give at least $1 from every ticket sold to charity and to date and some $18 million has been donated by the group.” A product of the imagination of TSO’s late founder Paul O’Neill (also from rock band Savatage), and his wife Desi, the rock opera features such favorites as "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," "O’ Come All Ye Faithful," "Good King Joy," "Christmas Canon," "Music Box Blues," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day." A second set containing TSO’s greatest hits includes “Wizards In Winter,” “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” and more.

Tuesday Dec 27

Wednesday Dec 28

Rainmakers, Knuckleheads, $20

After a successful Thanksgiving weekend show at the venue, the band returns for their Almost New Year's Eve Show. The classic KC original rock band, fronted by Bob Walkenhorst, which had a handful of radio of hits ("Let My People Go-Go", "Downstream", "Small Circles", more) in the late 1980s-90s in the US and Europe, especially Norway.

We caught them live back in June, in suburban Olathe, for their first show back from the pandemic and heard all the favorites that were all over Midwest rock radio. No word if bassist Rich Ruth will again make the trip from Nashville to play at this show, as he did in June, but it’s a nice show to finish the year with.

Thursday Dec 29

Friday Dec 30

Saturday Dec 31

NYE 2023, Uptown Theater, $55-$65+

NYE is packed with local talent including main stage DJ’s, yacht rock cover band Summer Breeze in the main Theater, 9-piece soul band The Freedom Affair in the Valentine Room, disc jockey DJ Thundercutz in the Encore, and a special drag show with Moltyn Decadence in the Cabaret Room.

Five open bars with drinks included, a video wall on the main stage as well as lasers, haze, liquid sky, and two photo booths. The Valentine Room will feature a craft beer lounge while the Mezzanine is transformed into a Margarita Cantina. GA-$55 in adv / $65 day of / Limited VIP $90.

Deadman Flats, Bottleneck- Lawrence, $15, (21+)

Five friends from KS– Alex Law (guitar), Matt Stambaugh (mandolin), Pat Watt (banjo), Sonny Sparks (bass) and Brody Buster (harmonica/guitar) playing experimental bluegrass by injecting it with their own flavor of hard-edged acoustic deathpunk. This energetic string band catalyzes outrageous outbursts of dance and foot-stomping with their bouncy, up-tempo outlaw anthems about women, whiskey and the simple things in life.(..so they claim...but sounds like a good time).

Support from Kansas City Bear Fighters, Chucky Waggs and the Company of Raggs

Emo Nite, Granada Theater- Lawrence - $20-$25

Who knew this was such a big thing?!

Founders and party organizers Morgan Freed and T.J. Petracca are committed to reviving the emo scene with a nationwide club tour. Fans can expect DJ-style sets featuring hit emo and punk tunes (think: blink-182, All Time Low, Dashboard Confessional, The Maine, and Good Charlotte) mashed with today’s pop and electronic songs. 

A similar (but different) event takes place mid-Jan at The Truman as well.

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Shawscope: Volume Two Review

Product Description Picking up where Volume One left off, this sophomore collection of Hong Kong cinema classics draws together many of the best films from the final years of the Shaw Brothers studio, proving that while the end was nigh, these merchants of martial arts mayhem weren’t going to go out without a fight! Armed with stunning special features and ravishing new restorations, this boxset is even bigger and bolder than the last one. We begin with kung fu master Lau Kar-leung’s instant classic The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in which his adoptive brother Gordon Liu achieved overnight stardom as the young man who unexpectedly finds spiritual enlightenment on the path to vengeance; Lau and Liu followed the original with two comically inventive sequels, Return to the 36th Chamber and Disciples of the 36th Chamber, both included here. Already established as a genius at blending dazzling action with physical comedy, Lau himself plays the lead role in the hilarious Mad Monkey Kung Fu, coupled here with Lo Mar’s underrated Five Superfighters. Next, we once again meet Chang Cheh’s basher boy band the Venom Mob in no less than four of their best-loved team-ups: Invincible Shaolin, The Kid with the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians and culminating in the all-star Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, co-starring Ti Lung and Fu Sheng. After Lau brings us perhaps his best high-kicking comedy with My Young Auntie, a playful star vehicle for his real-life muse Kara Hui, we see Shaw Brothers fully embracing Eighties excess in our strangest double feature yet: Wong Jing’s breathtakingly wild shoot-‘em-up Mercenaries from Hong Kong, and Kuei Chih-hung’s spectacularly unhinged black magic meltdown The Boxer’s Omen. Last but certainly not least, Lau Kar-leung directs the last major Shaw production, Martial Arts of Shaolin, filmed in mainland China with a hot new talent named Jet Li in the lead role; it is paired in this set with The Bare-Footed Kid, a reverent remake of a Chang Cheh classic with Johnnie To (Running Out of Time) in the director’s chair and Lau back on fight choreography duties, in arguably the ultimate filmed tribute to Shaws’ everlasting cinematic legacy. Read More Shaw Brothers As you know, I’m a big Shaw Brothers fan, and have personally own over 75 DVDs and Blurays. As I previously mentioned, unfortunately these movies don’t sell well in America, so many of these Shaw Brothers titles never made …

I’m so happy that Arrow Video finally released Shawscope: Volume 2 boxset. It’s been a long road… I pre-ordered the boxset in August 2022, so I can make sure it arrived for my birthday… unfortunately, the release was delayed. While I’m happy to finally get my hands on it, this is probably the last time I do pre-orders. It was such a long time, and, in addition, I paid full price. When the boxset was released, Arrow Videos did a sale on the item, punishing me for pre-ordering. Sure, Amazon refunded the difference, but next time, I think I’ll just wait for the product to come out.

This Volume 2 may actually be the last Shaw Brothers release from Arrow. I read the rumor that they only secure 26 titles from Celestial Pictures (the current license holder), and Arrow has released all 26 title through these two boxsets and two single releases (for Come Drink With Me and The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter).

The highlight of Volume 2 is clearly the The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin trilogy: The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin (aka Master Killer), Return To The 36th Chamber, and Disciples Of The 36th Chamber. Every film is unrelated to the previous film, they are only tied together by the title and also its star Gordon Liu and directed by Lau Kar-leung… sort of like how the Dollars Trilogy was tied together by its titles (even though none of the films were related but all were directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastman). With that said, you can enjoy and treat each of the 36th Chamber film as a stand-alone film.

For the price, I did have a little disappointment in Volume 2. Mainly I was really disappointed in the commentary for My Young Auntie, which only comes up on some selective scene, and not throughout the movie. If you are to do this, have other commentaries filling in the gaps, or maybe just hire someone who can talk throughout the whole film.

The worst special feature is the single-disc for My Young Auntie which features a full length “VHS copy”. What the heck? Why would you want or care for an inferior version of the film? The VHS copy of My Young Auntie is absolute garbage. You guys couldn’t put on a 1080p version of the film (from the original Celestial DVD release) or a 2k scan?

There were a few special features, mostly some made-for-television documentaries from 2003 called Cinema Hong Kong. If you’ve seen them in 2003, it’s somewhat disappointing.

Not really a terrible thing, but disc 5 and 7 has the same name when you put it in your disc in your bluray drive. Disc 7 does have the correct content (Mercenaries From Hong Kong and The Boxer's Omen), but it was very confusing when your computer pops up with the wrong titles.

Otherwise, I’ve been enjoying the Venoms-films, Invincible Shaolin, The Kid With The Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians, and Ten Tigers Of Kwangtung. The latter is not one of my favorite, as the film is told through flashbacks.

It’s also been a long time since I saw Magnificent Ruffians, and I thought I hated the film, but re-watching it on Bluray, it’s like seeing it for the first time. This is not a bad Venoms film. The film is about some homeless kungfu experts who befriended a fellow fighter. It’s like a series of misunderstanding, like Invincible Shaolin.

The most enjoyable film so far has to go to Five Superfighters. This plot is absolutely terrible, but it’s so entertaining. The story is a Kung Fu expert walks into town and beats up everyone for “their bad kung fu”. He runs into a teacher and his three students and kicks the snot out of them. So the students decides to seek out new masters and agreed to meet back in six months so they can take their revenge.

The last movie disc of this set has two films, which I don’t really consider as part of the heyday of the Shaw Brothers. They are Martial Arts Of Shaolin, starring a young Jet Li, and The Bare-Footed Kid, a 90s film, directed by Johnny To. You see, in the mid-80s, Shaw Brothers shifted to television production through their TVB production. Some films, such as Martial Arts Of Shaolin already began as a series, with Shaolin Temple in 1982, and Kids From Shaolin in 1984 (this film is awful)… so I can see that it could signal the end of the Shaw Brothers era.

The Bare-Footed Kid (aka Professional Fighter), to me, wasn’t even a Shaw Brothers film. It was produced by Mona Fong for Cosmopolitan Film (which is tied to Shaw Brothers somewhat). You can argue that it is a sequel or remake of Chang Cheh’s Disciples of Shaolin… but I still don’t even consider Bare-Foot as part of the Shaw Brothers. It’s a shame, because I would have prefered that they included a real Shaw Brothers film, like Bewitched, which was the prequel to The Boxer's Omen.

Speaking of which, The Boxer's Omen, is pretty gruesome. I’ve seen it before, on DVD, and I praised director Kuei Chih-Hung previously for his amazing Killer Constable. I love his Hex films, but perhaps did not love The Teahouse.

Rounding out the rest of the boxset are two soundtrack CD. If you love these films, you’ll really appreciate and recognize many of these background music. Hearing these songs will conjure up images of these Shaw Brothers films.

While this Volume 2 of the Shaw Scope boxset is worth it to me… I find it hard to recommend these boxsets to casual Shaw Brothers fans. It’s very expensive… owning both sets will set you back about $300, which is not cheap (especially if you might not enjoy half the films). For a diehard fan and collector, I don’t mind the price, because, let’s face it, some of these films won’t get a single release. I can see Arrow Videos re-visiting and re-releasing some of these titles in a standalone. For example, they could easily rake up some money if they release the 36th Chamber of Shaolin trilogy set or a Venoms set. I would re-buy it again!

I am hopeful that Arrow Videos will get more license and release a Volume 3 in this Shaw Scope series… but my heart tells me that there are not enough Kung Fu fans out there to justify a third set. For those interested, I suggest buying the Volume 2 to send a message to Arrow Video that we want a third volume!

Shaw Brothers Boxset (Arrow Video)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: November 19 to November 25

11/19 The Princess Bride ⏤ An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes at The Fitzgerald Theater

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

11/19/2022 Saturday

The Princess Bride ⏤ An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes
at The Fitzgerald Theater
first-avenue.com

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite films. It has the best sword fighting scene, and some of the best lines, such as “Inconceivable” by Vizzini and, of course, “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

Actor Cary Elwes will screen the film with an audience, and I’m assuming a Q&A with the actor.

If you love the film, this screening is a must… even if you own the DVD or Bluray.

Tour Dates

10/07/2022 Chico, CA Laxson Auditorium
10/08/2022 Sacramento, CA Crest Theatre
10/16/2022 Syracuse, NY Crouse Hinds Theater
11/19/2022 Saint Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theater
11/26/2022 Wallingford, CT Toyota Oakdale Theatre
11/27/2022 Medford, MA Chevalier Theatre
12/09/2022 Omaha, NE Kiewit Hall
12/10/2022 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
02/04/2023 Red Bank, NJ Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre

11/19 The Garden with Machine Girl at First Avenue

11/19/2022 Saturday

The Garden
with Machine Girl
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

The upcoming The Garden show got a venue upgrade. They will now play the bigger First Avenue, originally from the Fine Line. The experimental rock/punk duo (twin brothers Wyatt & Fletcher Shears) is touring in support of Horsesh** on Route 66.

Machine Girl to open.

Tour Dates

10/22 – Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young Festival
10/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young Festival
10/26 - Pomona, CA @ The Fox Theater
10/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
11/08 - San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater
11/10 – Dallas, TX @ Studio at The Factory
11/11 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
11/12 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11/15 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
11/16 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
11/17 – Detroit, MI @ Eastern
11/18 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
11/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
11/20 – Omaha, NE @ Slow Down
11/21 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
11/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
11/26 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
11/27 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
11/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
11/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
12/01 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst

11/20 The Happy Fits with Daisy The Great and Phoneboy at First Avenue Read More Daisy the Great Openers Daisy the Great are actually a Brooklyn-based duo, fronted by Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker who made waves last fall when they teamed with AJR on the song, “Record Player”, a re-worked version of their own 2017 folk-pop song. ...

11/20/2022 Sunday

The Happy Fits
with Daisy The Great and Phoneboy
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Lively alt/indie-pop trio The Happy Fits will headline First Avenue on November 20, in support of their highly anticipated third studio album, Under the Shade of Green.

All the US dates will feature Daisy The Great and Phoneboy as support acts.

Tour dates:

Oct. 17 - Glasgow, UK - Attic
Oct. 18 - Manchester, UK - Night & Day
Oct.. 19 - London, UK - Colours
Oct. 22 - Berlin, DE - Pratchwerk
Nov. 9 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
Nov. 11 - Washington, DC - Union Stage
Nov. 12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall
Nov. 13 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall*
Nov. 15 - Detroit, MI - El Club
Nov. 16 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe
Nov. 18 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall
Nov. 19 - Chicago, IL - Metro
Nov. 20 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
Nov. 22 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
Nov. 23 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Nov. 25 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Nov. 26 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
Nov. 29 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall
Nov. 30 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
Dec. 1 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda
Dec. 5 - Dallas, TX - Trees
Dec. 6 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn
Dec. 7 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
Dec. 9 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
Dec. 10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Dec. 11 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
Dec. 13 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
Dec. 14 - Washington, DC - Union Stage
Dec. 16 - Boston, MA - The Paradise Rock Club
Dec. 17 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Dec. 18 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA*

* without Daisy The Great

11/25 Raffaella with Hank and Ryann at 7th St Entry Read More Raffaella New York’s Raffaella (with live backing band bassist Charlie and drummer Alonso) opened up the show with a very brief 30-min set. This was the singer/songwriter’s first time in Minneapolis, and she started her set with her first single, “Bruce Willis” …

11/25/2022 Friday

Raffaella
with Hank and Ryann
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Recently Raffaella released her new single/video for “Grown Up”, directed by Nathan Castiel.

Raffaella (30 Sep 2019)

We saw Raffaella in Sep 2019 and wrote, “New York’s Raffaella (with live backing band bassist Charlie and drummer Alonso) opened up the show with a very brief 30-min set. This was the singer/songwriter’s first time in Minneapolis, and she started her set with her first single, “Bruce Willis” (which she jokingly called it “yippee ki-yay motherf***er”). Although she’s still very new to the music scene (with only one EP called Ballerina released in August 2019 via Mom+Pop), you can tell that she’s been performing for a while now. It probably won’t be long until she’s back in town, and with a strong audience support, given that she’s won over quite a few fans in the audience.”

Although it was her first time in Minneapolis in 2019, she quickly adopted the city as one of her “two hometowns”, as mentioned below. Minneapolis must have been very good to the singer.

Hank (aka Sara L’Abriola) and Ryann to open. Ryann is the moniker for New York-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Victoria Ryann Zaro, who is also in the band Peach Fuzz.

Raffaella writes:

:)my first two headline shows in my two hometowns lucky to have my wickedly talented friends Hank, Ryann & Nick Cianci joining whatta dream !! TIX on SALE this FriDaY

tickets at https://raff.world.

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC- October 17-23, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Read More Mumford & Sons After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold-out shows. …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Fall leaves, pumpkin spice, and a continued Rocktober! Temps may have cooled, but the music is still hot, so get out and see a show while the weather still permits.

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence, KS metro October 17th-23rd.

(Several artists are still requiring precautions for entry, so check with the venue and/or assume vaccination proof, might still be required)

Monday Oct 17

Illuminati Hotties, Oct 17, recordBar,$20

Illuminati Hotties have announced a fall tour, running through North America in October and November. The cleverly named LA indie punk band led by Sarah Tudzin had a new album Let Me Do One More, released just over a year ago, but has also since released some non-album songs. Enumclaw and Olivia Barton slated to open.

Tuesday Oct 18

Marcus Mumford with The A’s, Midland. $29.50-$79.50

The Mumford & Sons front man hits the road in support of his debut solo album ‘(Self-Titled)’, which was out on September 16 (via Island Records), with lead single, “Cannibal’. Produced by Blake Mills, the record features Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo and Monica Martin and he was one of the featured performers of last weekend’s Hulu stream of Austin City Limits Festival.

Live, he plays 3-4 Mumford & Sons favorites as well as a few New Basement Tapes songs (a Dylan-related project he participated in), including “Kansas City”, which should be a treat to hear locally.

Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Daughter of Swords’ Alexandra Sauser-Monnig are both members of Mountain Man and they’ve now come together for a new band called the A’s. Their debut album, Fruit, is out via Psychic Hotline and features covers of folk songs, lullabies, ballads, and more.

Turnstile w JpegMafia, Snail Mail, Uptown, $35-$99.50

Now on their Love Connection Tour, Turnstile still has fans talking about their previous local appearances this Spring supporting latest album, Glow On. The new shows feature support from fellow Baltimore-ans Snail Mail and Jpegmafia.

Turnstile had previously wrapped up a North American tour where every show on that tour sold out way ahead of time and with a solid triple-bill, have graduated to bigger venues. We caught Snail Mail headlining earlier this year and the show looks to be some joyous organized chaos, a celebration of Baltimore area bands, and a chance to experience acclaimed new music from three different genres.

Wednesday Oct 19

Kurt Vile w Julia Shapiro, Liberty Hall, $36-$45

Philadelphia-based rocker is touring on his new album, "(watch my moves)," bringing his backing band The Violators along for a round of 2022 dates. He’s worked in a Silver Jews cover into the setlist of recent shows and we caught him back in May in Minneapolis. Special guest is Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt.

St. Lucia, The Truman, $27.50-$55

The new album, Utopia I EP just arrived on October 7, with lead single “touch” released ahead of that for this electro-pop band led by Jean-Philip Grobler, a South African based in Germany. (with his wife, and they even had a son during the pandemic).

“In a way, this is my personal rebellion against the darkness of the world,” states Jean-Philip. “From the beginning, the name St. Lucia came from me making escapist music. In South Africa, there’s a place called St. Lucia, and it’s similar to the island in the Caribbean because it’s where you escape. It’s utopia. There are many ideas of utopia, whether it means virus-free or a virtual tech utopia. It’s easy to feel depressed these days, so I’m trying to bring something joyous to the world.”

In This Moment w/ Nothing More, Sleep Token, Cherry Bombs, The Midland. $29.50-$49.50

Since coming to life in 2005, gold-selling hard rock provocateurs In This Moment have presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of a similar “mother” figure front woman Maria Brink- joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel, and Kent Dimmel.

Alternative Press claimed, “Maria Brink is the Lady Gaga of the metal world” and went on to add, “Ritual (their 2017 album) flourishes as the metal love child of art-pop, gospel, Morrissey and Johnny Cash that the world didn’t know it needed until now.” Newest album, Mother [Atlantic/Roadrunner] is a 14-track opus featuring lead single “The In-Between”. Arrive early for the numerous support acts on this full evening of new rock.

Trash Taste, Folly. $45-$145

The Trash Taste Boys- Joey, Garnt, and Connor arrive on stage as they talk, rant, and discuss about everything and anything. Aka Gigguk, The Anime Man, and CdawgVA, they’ve built up a healthy following on YouTube and Twitch channels as well as with their podcast.

Thursday Oct 20

Swan Lake: World Ballet Series, Folly Theater, $35-$105

A part of the World Ballet Series, Swan Lake will be performed live by a multinational cast of 50 professional ballet dancers. See the Dance of the Little Swans, count the 32 fouettés performed by the Odile and immerse yourself in Tchaikovsky’s musical score. The production features detailed, hand-painted sets as well as over 150 radiant costumes.

Friday Oct 21

Sister Hazel w Spin Doctors, Oct 21, Ameristar Casino, $45-60

A rewind back to the indie 90s show, Spin Doctors have more than 12 million albums sold and a Grammy nomination while Sister Hazel is known for topping the charts in the late 90’s with hit “All for You,” and other hits.

Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and Hanover Big Band, Oct. 21, Yardley Hall. $15-$49

Founded in 2003, KCJO is one of the nation’s preeminent big bands, performing classic and original repertoire in a variety of settings. In 2013, Clint Ashlock was named Artistic Director and conductor and the KCJO supports music education, also hosting masterclasses conducted by their visiting artists, in addition to school programming.

The Hanover Big Band incorporates all styles of big band jazz. The soloistic freedom of the arrangements showcases the charisma and excellence of their musicians. Their repertoire includes Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman, as well as contemporary compositions (They play KC Bier biergarten Oct 17 and Knuckleheads Oct 18 as well) and watch the two entities join forces in a fun competition here.

Real Talk Comedy Tour featuring DeRay Davis, B. Simone, Rickey Smiley, more, Cable Dahmer Arena- Independence. $63.50-$183.50

Urban comedy’s best comedy voices join together for a night of laughs.

Miyavi, Knuckleheads, $25-$100

The Japanese guitarist is gaining recognition around the world for his unconventional style of playing the guitar—not with a pick, but with his fingers and his “slap style”. We’re fans of innovative guitar playing, as evidenced when we saw three prominent fingerstyle players at a show earlier this summer. Newest album is last fall’s Imaginary and the show is recommended for any guitar aficionados.

Pecos & The Rooftops, Uptown. $19-$40

A close knit group of friends from Texas that came together while in college in Lubbock. The country rock band is Pecos Hurley (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Brandon Jones (Rhythm Guitar), Zack Foster (Lead Guitar), Kalen Davis (Bass), and Garrett Peltier (Drums).
 Their latest EP, “Red Eye” was out in early 2020, but new music is promised soon, so hope to hear a preview.

Saturday Oct 22

California Honeydrops, Knuckleheads, $27

The Bay Area blues, R&B and funk band celebrate their 14th year together with the release of their latest studio effort, “Soft Spot” just released on October 7. The LP follows the release of their cover album, Covers From The Cave, two live albums, and a first double-album.

Led by vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski, their diverse musical influences include R&B, funk, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second-line, expect an energetic dance party vibe. Special guest Scott Pemberton.

Highly Suspect, The Midland, $29.50-$39.50

On their Midnight Demon Club Tour, we caught the Brooklyn rockers last month on the first show of the tour, thrilled to be playing live again in shows initially scheduled for Spring 2020. The multi-GRAMMY® Award-nominated and gold-certified band - Johnny Stevens [vocals, guitar], Ryan Meyer [drums, vocals], Rich Meyer [bass, vocals], Matt Kofos [guitar] and Mark Schwartz [synths] have a new record, The Midnight Demon Club, on Roadrunner/FRSKT and even worked in a QOTSA cover into the set we caught live. Tiger Club to open.

“A New World: Intimate music from ‘Final Fantasy” Folly. $46-$80

From the team that brought you Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY, the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE: Orchestra World Tour, NieR: Orchestra Concert, and more, AWR Music Productions is presents a new program of music to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of FINAL FANTASY. Under the direction of Eric Roth, the New World Players chamber ensemble perform exclusive arrangements from throughout the FINAL FANTASY series in the personal style of this outstanding musical production.

Napoleon Dynamite Film Screening/Conversation, Yardley Hall $25+

A fan-favorite film screening, audience Q&A and moderated discussion by Lonita Cook, film critic at KCTV-5 with Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez. The evening promises to be a celebration of the comedy classic that made Napoleon Dynamite, LaFawnduh and Pedro household names. Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro) and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) have plenty of behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes. VIP packages available.

The Sponges with N2N, Aura. $20

Electronica EDM act comprised of Nik Eaton and Ryan Slepin with new singles, “Shake It” mixing heavy bass and electro blips, and “Volume” feat. Griz.

Grupo Firme,T-Mobile Center,CANCELED

Sunday Oct 23

Dead Poet Society, Bottleneck- Lawrence,$17-$20

LA via Boston alt/indie band is out on their The Tour That Never Ends with support from their label mates BRKN LOVE, in between supporting Highly Suspect for their fall headline run. A deluxe edition of their latest record “-!-“was just released, featuring extra acoustic and live tracks.

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Asian invasion: Pinoy Joy! Filipino heritage musicians taking over music

Read More Beabadoobee The Truman. $20-$25 aka Beatrice Laus, this Filipino/British breakout bedroom-pop artist put out a new EP, Our Extended ....

Read more Asian Invasion

In a mini-musical revolution of sorts, artists of Filipino heritage are enjoying their best year to date, dominating this year’s GRAMMY Awards (as the LA Times had noted in a detailed article here) and are amongst the best-known and popular performers of today.

Dozens of artists of Filipino heritage include Apl.de.ap of Black-Eyed Peas, H.E.R., Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Bruno Mars, Neal McCoy, Olivia Rodrigo, and Toro y Moi (among many many more).

Here are a few others we put in the spotlight:

BEABADOOBEE

https://www.beabadoobee.com

After five previous EPs and a successful debut full-length, aka Beatrice Kristi Laus released her sophomore effort, Beatopia this July, to even greater acclaim. The UK artist was born in Iloilo City, Philippines before moving to London as a small child.

We caught her live this summer as part of the final :( Rock the Garden concert and she starts a mostly sold-out UK/IE Tour Oct 4 in Dublin, before returning to the States for a few shows, including Minneapolis in November. Don’t worry KC fans, Bea plays there in early April 2023 (shhh)!

(Arrive early on those UK/IE dates to catch NYC [London-based] four-piece Pretty Sick, grunge leaning alt-rockers whose debut full-length, Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile is out 30 Sept on Dirty Hit, and they'll be in the US headlining club shows in Oct/Nov.)

2022 Tour Dates:

OCT 4 Olympia Theatre Dublin, Ireland OCT 5 Ulster Hall Belfast, UK OCT 7 O2 Academy Bristol, UK OCT 8 UEA Norwich, UK OCT 10 Rock City Nottingham, UK OCT 11 NX Newcastle upon Tyne, UK OCT 13 Manchester Academy 2 Manchester, UK OCT 14 Foundry Sheffield, UK OCT 15 Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow, Scotland OCT 17 CHALK Brighton, England OCT 18 Engine Rooms Southampton, UK OCT 19 o2 Academy Brixton London, UK OCT 25 9:30 Club Washington, D.C. OCT 26 9:30 Club Washington, D.C. OCT 28 Brooklyn Steel Brooklyn, NY OCT 29 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA OCT 31 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA NOV 1 Underbelly Jacksonville, FL NOV 2 Jannus Live St.Petersburg, FL NOV 3 The Beacham Orlando, FL NOV 5 Republic NOLA New Orleans, LA

NOV 6 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX NOV 7 Granada Theater Dallas, TX NOV 8 Emo's Austin Austin, TX NOV 10 Sunshine Theater Albuquerque, NM NOV 11 The Van Buren Phoenix, AZ NOV 12 The Novo Los Angeles, CA NOV 14 The Observatory Santa Ana, CA NOV 15 The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA NOV 16 The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA NOV 21 The Moore Theatre Seattle, WA NOV 22 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC NOV 23 Roseland Theater Portland, OR NOV 25 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT NOV 26 Summit Music Hall Denver, CO NOV 28 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN NOV 29 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL DEC 1 HISTORY Toronto, ON DEC 2 Club Soda Montreal, QC DEC 3 Empire Live Albany, NY DEC 4 Roadrunner Boston, MA

FANNY

https://fannyrocks.com

Early 70’s legends, Fanny was the first all-female rock band signed to a major record label with a multi-album deal, recording five albums, but never truly breaking through.

The four-piece band was co-founded in the Bay Area by June and Jean Millington, sisters born in the Philippines to a Filipino woman and an American naval officer.

Film Society KC in partnership with Midwest Music Foundation and the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City on Oct. 5 hosts a live performance at recordBar from Fanny+ featuring June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins

Additionally, a Kansas City screening of the documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock will be shown at Screenland Armour on Oct. 4^th with bandmember Q+A following.

More info/tickets:

Fanny+: Live in Concert Tickets, Wed, Oct 5, 2022 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

 

 

EZ MIL

https://ezmil.com

aka Ezekiel Miller was born and raised in Olongapo City, Philippines and is a rising Filipino American rapper/singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer and is the first Filipino artist to sign a contract with Virgin Music Hollywood | UMG.

Second studio album DU4LI7Y (Duality), was released to wide acclaim, but he was forced to recently cancel his Panalo Homecoming concert in Olongapo City, due to promotor issues.

Latest singles are “Will You” and “27 Bodies” and he was a featured performer at the Filipino-centric London music festival, 1MX this past July.

grentperez

grentperez (komi.io)

The indie DIY soul singer-songwriter grew up as the youngest of three kids in a Filipino family based in Sydney and at 12 years old, posted his first video to his YouTube channel and has been releasing his own music ever since.

His new project, the genre-blurring compilation, Trail Mix Tape (out Sept 30 via Fast Friends) includes recently released single "Ego” and he has shared the bill with K-pop artist Eric Nam, mxmtoon, and more.

Tour Dates

SEP 30 *Adelaide, Australia
OCT 01 *North Fremantle, Australia
OCT 04 supporting mxmtoon Melbourne, Australia
OCT 05 *Sydney, Australia
OCT 06 supporting mxmtoon Sydney, Australia
OCT 08 *Auckland, New Zealand
OCT 09 supporting mxmtoon Newstead, Australia
NOV 01 *Berlin, Germany
NOV 04 *Paris, France
NOV 05 *Amsterdam, Netherlands
NOV 06 *London, United Kingdom
NOV 07 *London, United Kingdom
NOV 14 *Los Angeles, CA
NOV 15 *Los Angeles, CA
NOV 16 *San Francisco, CA
NOV 17 *San Francisco, CA
NOV 19 *Toronto, ON
NOV 21 *New York City, NY
NOV 22 *New York City, NY
Dec 31 - Jan 01 nye in the park Chippendale, Australia

* = i'm cool, i promise World Tour dates

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Shaw Brothers in 2022, part 3

Read more Movies and Shaw Brothers.

Description When former Shaw Brothers executive Raymond Chow founded rival studio Golden Harvest in 1970, he quickly teamed up with “Jimmy” Wang Yu – Hong Kong’s first kung fu superstar and formerly Shaw’s biggest box office draw. Bringing over his peerless talent for taking on all foes with one hand tied behind his back, Wang wrote, directed and played the title role in one of his most unmissable kickass classics. From the legendary star of One-Armed Swordsman and The Chinese Boxer comes… One-Armed Boxer! Yu Tian Long (Wang) is the best fighter to come out of his local martial arts school, but when he crosses the ruthless leader of a local crime syndicate, the big boss’ brutal bevy of deadly killers make mincemeat out of the school and everyone inside. Now the only survivor of the massacre, and short of one appendage, Yu is gifted a powerful elixir that promises to give him the strength to take swift revenge on the army of assassins, each representing the most lethal forms of fighting from across the Eastern hemisphere. Proving once and for all that you only need five fingers of death to get the job done, Wang would later reprise his role in the infamous sequel Master of the Flying Guillotine, but it’s the dementedly inventive original where he’s arguably at the height of his powers. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS 2K restoration from the original elements by Fortune Star High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation Original lossless Mandarin mono audio, alternate Mandarin soundtrack and original English dubbed audio Optional English subtitles, plus hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub Commentary by Frank Djeng from the NY Asian Film Festival Career retrospective interview with Wang Yu, filmed in Nantes in 2001 and never released before, courtesy of the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive Trailer gallery, featuring the original Hong Kong theatrical trailer, a US TV spot (as The Chinese Professionals) and over half an hour of trailers for other Wang Yu classics including One-Armed Swordsman and Master of the Flying Guillotine Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady Read More Shaw Brothers Thankfully, their latest release for Jimmy Wang Yu’s The Chinese Boxer, is available domestically in the USA (their first simultaneous UK and US release). …

ONE-ARMED BOXER (1972)
arrowvideo.com

For those not familiar with what’s going on with Shaw Brothers and their competitor, Golden Harvest, we are currently getting their movie back catalog released in Bluray to the English market (America or UK)… which is exciting, because for many of us, this will be the first time we are seeing these films in glorious HD.

Currently, the rights holder for Golden Harvest is Fortune Star, who licensed old Golden Harvest films to Eureka Entertainment in the UK. Eureka is releasing the classic Kung Fu films under their Eureka Classic line, which is on a budget pricing model with no special features… and no interests in bringing their titles to America.

Thankfully, Arrow Films will be releasing selected Golden Harvest films to the U.S. market, starting with One-Armed Boxer. So far, they’ve only released Shaw Brothers films: Shaw Scope Boxset, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, and Come Drink With Me… so seeing Golden Harvest on their release list is making me very happy.

One-Armed Boxer is one of the best film that Jimmy Yu ever made. I previous mentioned this title when I heard that Yu had died in April 2022.

Anyway, I finally bought the film earlier this week. I didn’t pre-order the title, so when it was released on May 24, 2022, it was out of stock. I wasn’t exactly sure it was completely sold out - given the limited run of these films due to lack of interests (I’m sorry but Americans don’t like to buy foreign films)… but thankfully, the Bluray was back in stock in July 2022.

So, I’m very happy to now own One-Armed Boxer. This film is amazing, given that it came out in 1972 (it was released in America in 1973). It had all the great elements that you see in later Kung Fu films, including really wacky villains… and it laid the groundwork for my favorite Jimmy Yu film, Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976).

The story of One-Armed Boxer can be broken into two parts. The first part is about the two rival martial arts school - the Hook gang and the good Ching Te school. When the two masters of the school meet and the Hook gang was defeated, they decide to hire professional fighters to take out their rivals. So enter “The Chinese Professionals” (which was the alternate title): a Karate champion and his two students, two Tibetian lamas/monks, two Muay Thai fighters, a Judo master, a Taekwondo master, and a Yoga expert.

The Karate champion looks like he is a vampire, based on his two fangs and his unusual fighting style (which does not look Karate-esque at all). But ultimately he was the person who chopped off Jimmy Yu’s arm, and destroying the entire Ching Te school.

The second part of the film is about Yu’s recovery and learning how to make his remaining arm a deadly weapon. Yes, there is a montage, but it’s done through still photographs. Once Yu finished his training, he sets out to kill each of the hired fighters to take his revenge. The fight sequences were very entertaining, and overall a very enjoyable movie.

The sequel, Master of the Flying Guillotine, is, in my opinion, the superior film. After Yu killed the two lamas from Tibet, their master, a blind monk with a pocket version of the flying guillotine seeks revenge for his students. Master of the Flying Guillotine has everything that One-Armed Boxer had, but throwing in even more “Street Fighter” characters and the guillotine.

THE FLYING GUILLOTINE PART II (1977)
88-films.com

Speaking of guillotine, The Flying Guillotine Part II is coming out on August 8, 2022, via 88 Films. This Bluray is made available to the US and UK market and limited to 3,000 pieces. Naturally, I will be pre-ordering the title closer to the date, if I don’t forget.

I already own all the Flying Guillotine movies on DVD via Celestial Pictures (Hong Kong), but also some titles via Dragon Dynasty (USA). It’s weird that 88 films will release part 2 before they release the original, first film. I can speculate that they don’t have all the special features ready for the first film - maybe it needs a new artwork, maybe it needs a commentary … or perhaps they just don’t have the rights to it, seeing as, perhaps Arrow Films could have outbid them. Who knows? I just know that the first film is so important, that it needs to be released on Bluray.

Since I have already seen Flying Guillotine Part II, I can tell you that the main character developed an anti-guillotine defensive weapon… which is basically an umbrella! It’s a fun film, and I love the engineering to all the weapons.

MARTIAL CLUB (1981)
88-films.com

For some reason Martial Club was delayed to the US market… Amazon told me it was going to be mailed to me on July 30th, but somehow, they sent it to me today (July 24th). So I have not had a chance to watch it.

I did open the Bluray and admiring the nice slip case (matted, not glossy anymore), with a booklet and fold-out poster. I love all the extras, keep it coming.

Note: The spine number is #34, which is late, considering #35 already came out months ago.

I know there are a lot of Lau Kar-leung fans out there, I’m just not one of them. I think his film are more on the comedy-side, and I take my Kung Fu films seriously. That’s just my preference. As a martial arts film enthusiast, I don’t mind owning any Lau Kar-leung, but I just don’t go to his films when I recommend or want to watch an old film.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Shaw Brothers in 2022, part 2

Description Though featuring the Shaw Brothers custom brand of martial arts mayhem, HUMAN LANTERNS also taps into the early 80s craze for the American slasher film and the earlier Hammer horrors by providing a grisly take on the serial killer feature in an inimitable Hong Kong style. When an unbalanced craftsman decides to get revenge on two Kung Fu masters by creating special lanterns constructed from the human skin of their dead relatives, all hell breaks loose in this gruesome tale of bloody retribution. Taking its inspiration from movies like Psycho and real cases like Ed Gein, HUMAN LANTERNS is clearly not for the faint-hearted with its over the top gore and sadistic qualities but this slice of darker than dark fantasy still manages to be both wonderfully horrible and impressively entertaining. Read More Shaw Brothers Thankfully, their latest release for Jimmy Wang Yu’s The Chinese Boxer, is available domestically in the USA (their first simultaneous UK and US release). …

It seems that 88 Films is the only company releasing old classic Shaw Brothers martial arts film on a monthly/regular basis. I know that Arrow Video also has the license, but so far they’ve only release three items: Shaw Scope Vol 1, Come Drink With Me, and The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter. That was in December 2021, and April 2022… meanwhile, 88 Films has released about one Shaw Brothers title per month. So far, they’ve released five titles since 2022… with three more listed below.

I own or am planning on buying all of them, of course, and will be reporting when more Shaw Brothers titles are announced. Please, more Venoms and Chang Cheh titles.

Continued from Shaw Brothers in 2022.

Human Lanterns (1982)
Release date: ‎ June 7, 2022

I got the Bluray of Human Lanterns from Amazon in mid-June, so I haven’t had a lot of time to really get into it. I never liked the horror (with Martial Arts) film, but it’s one of the first Shaw Brothers DVD I purchased from Celestial Pictures (I would later buy the US version).

There are very few Shaw Brothers horror that I like. I like the Black Magic films, Boxer’s Omen and Bewitched is just the best. The more gruesome, the better, in my opinion.

The problem with Human Lanterns is that it’s a little tame compared to some of the other Shaw offerings. The human skinning looks bad, I think it’s cheesy… but everyone seems to think it’s gruesome. Boy, wait until you see Bewitched, it will blow away anything in Human Lanterns.

The audio commentary by Podcast On Fire (an obvious nod to City on Fire) wasn’t amazing either. I just thought it was a boring commentary. The worst is the interview with director Lau Wing. The audio is terrible. It is almost unwatchable with the sound. I suggest just putting on the subtitles and turning the audio off.

For casual Shaw Brothers fan, I wouldn’t recommend Human Lanterns. Personally speaking, I wouldn’t recommend this, even if you love horror film. It’s not a great horror film or a good martial arts film.

For those collecting the Shaw Brothers series, like myself, you’ll need to buy this. For the first run, it has all the standard 88 Film stuff: a nice slip case, new artwork, reversible poster, and booklet. You may not get the slip case and poster in later re-issues, so be sure to grab the Bluray now.

Also, this is just my opinion, but I really don’t care for the artist creating all these new 88 Films covers. I wish they would hire a different artist… maybe look at who Arrow Films hires for their art.

Hero (1997)
Release date: ‎ July 5, 2022

This is a title that I didn’t care for… first of all, it’s a late-90s Shaw Brothers film, which meant that most of their star directors and actors from the 70s and 80s have already gone on to doing other things. Also, this film is this is basically a rip off of Chang Cheh’s Boxer from Shantung (1972), but re-done for the modern (90s) audience. It doesn’t outshine the original, so, I suggest just buying the original film and call it a day.

Even the reviews, from Sandra Chang on Amazon said, “This is one, awful movie...the editing ruins the movie! The flow of the movie is interrupted with abrupt scene cuts. Certain scenes are sped up and look ridiculous. This is one of the worst edited movies I've ever seen...it's almost unwatchable.”

Still, because I’m such a loyal Shaw Brothers fan, I will buy this title when it comes out, July 5, 2022.

Martial Club (1981)
Release date: July 19, 2022.

So Martial Club is coming. It’s a Lau Kar-leung, so it tends to be on the comedy-side. It’s not one of my favorite film. I was always more of a Chang Cheh fan, anyway.

I previously own Martial Club on the US DVD and Hong Kong DVD, so I’m looking forward to the high definition treatment.

Description

A gloriously typical entry from Shaw Brothers, Martial Club starring Kara Wei (THE BRAVE ARCHER 2 and MAD MONKEY KUNG FU) and Gordon Liu (THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN) and directed by Lau Kar-Leung (LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA), affords us a fast-paced, cleverly choreographed piece of martial arts fun combining many elements that lovers of this kind of cinema will be more than appreciative of. Rival fight schools, an old master and beautifully designed set pieces tumble together in a colourfully kinaesthetic unceasing parade of flying fists and action set pieces. Bonus features include: Limited Edition Collectors Booklet with Behind the Scene Photos and writing by Critic and AuthorBarry Forshaw, Limited Edition Slipcase with new Artwork by Kung Fu Bob O'Brien, Reversible Artwork, Interviews with Hung San Nam and Tony Tam, Interview with Johnny Wang, ‘Kung Fu and Dancing’ - An Interview with Robert Mak, Audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, ‘Instructors of Death’ Trailer, Instructors of Death - Grindhouse Presentation, High Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio, 2.0 DTS-HD MA Mandarin Soundtrack with newly translated English Subtitles, 2.0 DTS-HD MA English Soundtrack

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Strange Tales: Men and Crimes of the Future

Men (2022) Read More Alex Garland I am a big fan of A24, the film distributor/producer, ever since Alex Garland’s excellent film Ex Machina in 2015. To be fair, I’m a big Garland fan, owning all his films, including Dredd (owned this twice!), 28 Days Later …

Men (2022)
a24films.com

I love Alex Garland, I love A24, so naturally, I sought out this film. Men is a folk horror film. The Green Man element (the nature part) of the film really reminded me of former horror films like The Wicker Man and Midsomer… all under that folk horror subcategory.

Men is about a woman named Harper Marlowe, who is trying to heal and cope after her husband’s suicide. She goes on holiday at a nice quiet Cotson manor in a small village.

It’s anything but a relaxing stay, as slowly it becomes a horror story about a woman trying to survive all alone. At first, it’s just small, everyday out of place things, like seeing a shadowy figure on the other side of the tunnel. Seeing a naked man outside of an abandoned structure. Those kind of weird unsettling things.

While the first half of the film is slow-burning horror… the second part is more intense and in your face. It’s clear that someone, or perhaps something supernatural, is stalking Harper. Is it in her head or is it real?

Personally speaking, I would have prefer if the movie would have been vague about reality vs the supernatural… but at the end, it’s all supernatural, especially the end with the various birthing.

To me, how I interpreted the film, that the whole thing was in Harper’s head, down her her crashing her car.

Like Garland’s previous Devs television show, I thought the title was bad. My thoughts for Men is the same… the name is just a bad name for a horror film. I know it’s cliché, but they could’ve just called this A Haunting at Cotson Manor, and it would’ve been a better title.

Crimes of the Future (2022) Read More David Cronenberg I'm a big David Cronenberg fan, owning many of his releases on DVDs (including Rabid, Fast Company, The Brood, Videodrome, The Dead Zone, The Fly, Crash, Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises) so I'm really in no hurry to make …

Crimes of the Future (2022)
crimesofthefuture.film

I love David Cronenberg and own many Cronenberg films, including Scanners, Videodrome, and The Fly. I even thought eXistenZ was genius, but for whatever reason, Crimes of the Future didn’t sit right (pun intended for the weird chair in the film) with me.

I actually own Cronenberg’s student film Crimes of the Future from 1970, but it’s not related to the 2022 film… it only shares the title. In this new film, it’s about how humans have evolved beyond or adapted to their polluted environment.

The story is about this guy named Saul Tenser, who has this syndrome, where his body develops new organs. They would constantly remove these new organs and use the surgery as performance art. The whole thing is weird… but it’s definitely a Cronenberg concept of using surgery as a metaphor for sex (like how he used car crashes as sex in Crash).

While I think the concepts and ideas are interesting, it doesn’t make for a good story, in my opinion. The story doesn’t really go anywhere and it just felt boring to me.

Personally speaking, I wish Cronenberg would do more of a eXistenZ sequel, or expand, on the video game/reality story. You can certainly explore more and go further, because it’s a brand new world of Cronenberg’s creation and not bound by rules of the earth… even if it’s in the future.

If you’re looking for a fresh Cronenberg perspective, I suggest checking out his son, Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor. This is a hard-core science fiction/horror film that is a lot more exciting than Crimes of the Future. If you want to stay in the David Cronenberg films, I suggest watching Videodrome and Scanners… they are classic Cronenberg.

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