Month: October 2014

MUSIC :: HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST FOLLOW-UP… “BOOM, BOOM… OUT GO THE LIGHTS?!?”

As a follow-up to Saturday’s “2014 Halloween Playlist” post, I wanted to clarify the last item on the list — the great Pat Travers live performance of his classic cover of “Boom, Boom (Out Go the Lights).”

I can almost hear you saying… “Wait… What? I can see the other songs on the list, but Pat? And last on the list? The heck?”

Before I get into its humorous reasons for inclusion here, let’s take a moment to address the controversy surrounding the lyrical content of the song. I do know this song has a dark origin. I do not condone that. Stan Lewis wrote the tune for Chess Records and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Little Walter had the first recording. The blues often had dark themes and so many songs are about some pretty awful stuff. That’s true here. I can only guess that Travers was ignoring all of that and only saw it as an opportunity to spur some awesome audience participation and shred the hell out of that guitar with an old blues rocker. Both of which are here in spades. OK? OK.

Back to the list. Why DID this song make it on and why does it have the honor of being in the final spot, wrapping the list?

Well, intrepid horror fans, that is a sacred Johnson Family Halloween tradition.

What is the universal sign for “we’re not home” or “we’re not open for business” on All Hallows’ Eve? Every kid knows that one without even thinking. Lights out.

Lights out? No one’s coming to THAT door. No candy. No deal.

The tradition started when we were living in a neighborhood famous for being awesome for trick or treating. We went through 15 bags of candy in the first two hours and we had already made an emergency run to the store. Crazy. The conversation went something like this ::

“At 9PM… ‘Boom, Boom…”

“Boom, Boom?”

“Yeah… Out go the lights. We can’t keep this up. We have to close up shop. I’m not going to the store again.”

“Why ‘Boom, Boom?'”

“You know… The Pat Travers tune.” (IMITATES SONG WITH RIDICULOUS GUITAR MOVEMENTS.)

“Oh yeah! Totally!”

Annnnd, so it began. We played it that night and it’s been on every Halloween mix CD or playlist since. Get out the air guitar, ghouls, and make it your new Halloween tradition.

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MUSIC :: MY HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST

As one might imagine… This time of year is “my jam.” Of course, I’m talking about Halloween season. Since a wee lad, I have just loved it, plain and simple. Though I do as much as I can to keep the spirit alive throughout the year, I’m totally “high on Halloween” for the entire month of October and every day, I try to celebrate the season in some way.

One small way I do that is through the power of music. Each year, I create a Halloween playlist that is in pretty darn solid rotation for the full month of October. From year to year, many of the same songs are carried forward. Some may fall off the list for a year or two. They’re not all “Halloween songs,” but they all have a tie, lyrically, stylistically or in name to the dark end of things.

I thought I would share this year’s playlist here at TSFP. Enjoy!

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I Have a Message for You ………. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Kingdom’s Coming ………. Bauhaus

This Is Halloween ………. The Citizens of Halloween

Be Comfortable, Creature ………. Explosions In The Sky

Hunting For Witches ………. Bloc Party

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper ………. Blue Öyster Cult

Game Of Death Theme Song ………. Buckethead

Monster Mash ………. Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

Masked Ball (1999 Extended Mix) ………. Jocelyn Pook

The Ghost of Tom Joad ………. Bruce Springsteen

Zombie ………. The Cranberries

Sukie In the Graveyard ………. Belle & Sebastian

Godzilla ………. Blue Öyster Cult

Zed’s Dead, Baby [Dialogue] ………. Bruce Willis/Centurian/Maria De Medeiros

Prince of Darkness ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic

Dracula From Houston ………. Butthole Surfers

Instrumental ………. Caitlin Moe

This Is Not a Dream ………. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Crossbones Style ………. Cat Power

Main Title (From “A Nightmare On Elm Street”) ………. Charles Bernstein

The Thing ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic

Rock N’ Roll Murder ………. The Chesterfield Kings

Spider ………. Alain Johannes

Death Scene ………. Chuck Mangione

Reptile ………. The Church

The Exorcist – Tubular Bells ………. Crouch End Festival Chorus & The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Werewolves of London ………. Warren Zevon

Danse macabre, symphonic poem in G minor, Op. 40 ………. Cincinnati Pops Orchestra & Erich Kunzel

Straight To Hell ………. The Clash

Main Theme (From “Halloween II”) ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic

Siege and Investiture of Baron Von Frankenstein’s Castle at Wwisseria ………. Blue Oyster Cult

Kiss Me Deadly ………. The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Theme from The Twilight Zone ………. Cincinnati Pops Orchestra & Erich Kunzel

Darkness On The Edge Of Town ………. Bruce Springsteen

Nightmare On Elm Street – Main Theme ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic

Divinity Theme ………. Craig Armstrong & AR Rahman

Psycho – Main Theme / the Murder / Finale (Short Suite) ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic

Death Is A Star ………. The Clash

Ed Wood (Main Title) ………. City Of Prague Orchestra

Granite Mills ………. Cordelia’s Dad

New Twilight Zone Theme Closing ………. Bernard Herrmann

George Collins ………. Cordelia’s Dad

Spiritwalker ………. The Cult

Lullaby ………. The Cure

Organ Donor ………. DJ Shadow

One Foot In The Graveyard ………. The Chesterfield Kings

Cat People (Putting Out Fire) ………. David Bowie

Dr. Who on Holiday ………. Dean Gray

Spirit In The Sky ………. Doctor And The Medics

Main Title ………. Bernard Herrmann

Peace Frog ………. The Doors

Bodies ………. Drowning Pool

Bring Out the Gimp [Dialogue]/Comanche ………. Duane Whitaker/Peter Green/Revels

If I Had a Heart ………. Fever Ray

North By Northwest (Theme) ………. The Flemish Radio Orchestra

Tales from the Crypt Theme ………. Freeminstrel

The Carpet Crawlers 1999 ………. Genesis

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic

How To Be Eaten By A Woman ………. The Glitch Mob

Opening Credits ………. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Christine ………. John Carpenter & Splash Band

Twilight Zone ………. Golden Earring

Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol ………. Gomez

intro ………. gorillaz

Dig Your Grave ………. Modest Mouse

Sympathy for the Devil ………. Guns N’ Roses

Fur Elise – Beethoven Halloween Metal/Rock Guitar ………. The Halloween Machine

Grim, Grinning Ghosts ………. The Haunted Mansion

All You Zombies ………. The Hooters

A Message from the Future ………. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Creep (Live) ………. Ingrid Michaelson

Die ………. Iron & Wine

Organs On The Kitchen Floor ………. The Jealous Girlfriends

Eternal Life ………. Jeff Buckley

The Addams Family Theme ………. Freeminstrel

People Who Died ………. Jim Carroll

Ave Satani (From “The Omen”) ………. Jerry Goldsmith

In the Hall of the Mountain King (featured In Fritz Lang’s “M”) ………. Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

Demon John ………. Jeff Buckley

The End (Assault On Precinct 13) [Pt. 1: Disco Version] ………. John Carpenter

O Fortuna ………. The City of Prague Philharmonic & Crouch End Festival Chorus

Ghost ………. Michael Jackson

Theme (From “Halloween”) ………. John Carpenter

Demon Prince ………. Kreator

The Fear ………. Lily Allen

Halloween Parade ………. Lou Reed

I’ve Committed Murder ………. Macy Gray

Dress Me Like A Clown ………. Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s

This Is Halloween ………. Marilyn Manson

Thriller ………. Michael Jackson

H3 – Season of the Witch (Re-Mastered) ………. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Every Day Is Halloween ………. Ministry

Satin In A Coffin ………. Modest Mouse

Spooky ………. Money Mark

First of the Gang to Die ………. Morrissey

God Bless the Children of the Beast ………. Mötley Crüe

Hedwig’s Lament ………. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Exquisite Corpse ………. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Black Magic Woman ………. Santana

Lunatic Fringe ………. Red Rider

Psycho Killer ………. Talking Heads

Hell ………. Squirrel Nut Zippers

Cemetry Gates ………. The Smiths

Shrinking Universe ………. Muse

Dark Entries ………. Bauhaus

Season of the Witch ………. Donovan

Ghost Riders in the Sky ………. The Outlaws

Transformers Theme ………. Mutemath

The Siege of Justiceville ………. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Two-Headed Boy ………. Neutral Milk Hotel

Dyin’ to Live ………. OutKast

A Night On Bald Mountain (Featured In “Fantasia”) ………. New Symphony Orchestra of London & Sir Adrian Boult

Matchstick Murder ………. Tristen

Evil Woman ………. Parthenon Huxley

Oblivion ………. Patrick Wolf

Eyes of a Stranger (Original Full Length Version) ………. Payolas

I See Monsters ………. Phil Roy

Bad Businessman ………. Squirrel Nut Zippers

Penelope ………. Pinback

Spirits In the Material World ………. The Police

Dark Angel ………. Public Enemy ft. MC Lyte

Hangin’ Tree ………. Queens Of The Stone Age

Ghostbusters ………. Ray Parker Jr

The Horror ………. RJD2

All Die Young ………. Smith Westerns

Road Zombie ………. Social Distortion

The Munsters (Theme from the Munsters) ………. Soundtrack & Theme Orchestra

They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! ………. Sufjan Stevens

The Ghost Of You Lingers ………. Spoon

Ghost of Stephen Foster ………. Squirrel Nut Zippers

Abracadabra ………. Steve Miller Band

Under Cover of Darkness ………. The Strokes

O Death ………. Tim Eriksen

Demon Host ………. Timber Timbre

Paint It Black ………. W.A.S.P.

Slippin’ Into Darkness ………. War

Boris The Spider ………. The Who

Dead Man’s Party ………. Oingo Boingo

Bela Lugosi’s Dead ………. Bauhaus

Boom, Boom (Out Go The Lights) ………. Pat Travers Band

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Happy Halloween Season! Revel!

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FILM :: REVIEW… SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)

Another review from the world of dark cinema.

With each review, I am also sharing minimalist movie posters I have created for every film after watching it. ( More on my film poster project at large, here. )

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FILM :: SHUTTER ISLAND
YEAR :: 2010
DIRECTOR :: Martin Scorsese

shutterisland_horror

“What happened?”

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Bravo, Mr. Willard, as always.

But… Mike LaFontaine? In a “Shutter Island” review? What happened?

Indulge me.

I have been told may times over the years that, like Mr. LaFontaine, I have a signature phrase. Or more specifically, many of them. One person told me that “IT IS WHAT IT IS” would be on my tombstone. I have also been told “NOICE,” “THAT’S NOT IDEAL,” and so many others are my “thing.” In all honesty, I have mixed feelings about all of those.

One phrase, however, has come up consistently and it is something truly ownable. Something that I do proudly accept as my own and in the sitcom that I call “life,” it is one I keep returning to… “I WANT TO LIKE IT MORE THAN I DO.” Others that I have known have co-opted it and used it freely, invoking my name with each use. It’s an odd one, but really, so damned useful.

Why? The phrase is so useful because it says that there’s a lot to like about what’s being evaluated, but that it comes up short in some way. There are some things that are, or at least should be, working about whatever it is. Some success. BUT, despite that success, it is missing something essential at its core that would inspire me to actually LIKE it. I don’t hate it, but I certainly don’t actually like it either. It’s a nuanced, qualified and even partial dislike in 9 short words. Useful.

Annnd, that brings us to my review of “Shutter Island” and forms the bond with Mike LaFontaine. I really have to invoke my catchphrase on this one… “I WANT TO LIKE IT MORE THAN I DO.”

I found myself saying that several times while I watched this film.

What’s to like here?

There’s no question that Scorsese is doing his best Hitchcock impression here and it’s a solid one. He handles the material with a sure hand, leading us through the story’s twists with a careful, deliberate touch. It does work… And though we’re not really getting Hitch, it’s a pretty reasonable facsimile.

The film is also well cast. Top to bottom, this is an immensely talented group that clearly know their craft. DiCaprio is obviously at the center of this group and he too seems to be attempting to pay tribute to the Hitchcock greats, conjuring echoes of Jimmy Stewart in his legendary Hitch roles. Of particular note in the remaining cast are Kingsley, who turns in the film’s most creepy and diabolically successful performance, von Sydow, perfectly suited for his part in the serpentine drama of the film and Williams, who brings a truly beautiful-but-unplugged sense of psychopathy to her turn as Dolores.

Robert Richardson was the DP on “Shutter Island” and his cinematography for the film is immensely successful. The film is gorgeous to watch. The best cinematographers are able to use their skills as a clear storytelling device, making the camera almost like another performer, underscoring and shaping the tale being told through the film. Richardson is able to do that here and it really works so well.

Well… Jeez, Dave… That’s an awful lot to like. So, where does “I WANT TO LIKE IT MORE THAN I DO” come in?

I have mentioned Hitchcock so often in this review because of the obvious homage that this film is to his work — from “Psycho” to “North by Northwest” to “Spellbound” to “Notorious” and “Vertigo” (in a BIG way), there are lifts and nods all over the place. Soooo, it helps to compare “Shutter Island” to its inspiration to see the differences and why I think the film falls a bit short.

It’s about emotional resonance. Though the film is competent on so many levels (even downright masterful on a few), it never really makes us care. When I watch those Hitchcock classics I mentioned, I’m not just a spectator. I am compelled to invest on a passionate, sympathetic level in those stories and charaters. That’s absent here.

The film becomes the beautiful, well-dressed, successful date that just doesn’t stir your heart. It SHOULD work. You SHOULD be head over heels. But you just don’t feel it. There’s no flame.

In all, “I WANT TO LIKE IT MORE THAN I DO.” It’s so unfortunate, because it’s a beautiful, well-cast film. It just didn’t make me care.

strangelogoforblog_3_stars

 

RATING ………………. 3 STARS

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FILM :: BEST OF HORROR SHORTS… “THE JUMP”

filmshorts

Hats off to Charles Huettner for this week’s Horror Film Short at TSFP. He created it as a part of the Late Night Work Club’s collection of shorts entitled “Ghost Stories.” All of the pieces in the collection could easily be featured here and I will be selecting some others as a part of this series, but Huettner’s “The Jump” is worth singling out in particular.

This gorgeous little animated piece captures everything I love about where animation has gone and is headed. Atmospheric, indie, stylistic and above all… INTERESTING, work like this is a hot poker in the eye of all of the hyper realistic CG monstrosities that so many studios are churching out. There’s a place for that too, but I think there is just so much artistic intent that shows through here. And that’s just the style of “The Jump.”

The story itself is quite elegant with very strong storytelling drawing us into it. This is how so many shorts used to be. I remember running to my local indie theatre, The Little in Rochester New York, in my formative years for now classic short animation festivals. So many were mysterious and intriguing from “the get” with a strong sense of “questioning” in the early seconds that pulls the viewer in. So often, that quality of discovery can be lost in technique or heavy handedness these days. Huettner doesn’t lose that focus here. “The Jump” is a wonderful little ghost story, wonderfully told.

I really have to give big ups on sound design here as well. The sound, in turns, reminded me of the masterwork “Akira” and even Miyazaki a bit.

In all, a tour de force, and I’m thrilled to share it.

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