by Sebastian Kluth
I was surprised to read many negative things about this live album even before it was released and when people could only listen to two singles. Some people claimed that no one needs yet another Iron Maiden live record. Others mentioned that the band...
Deliver Us from Evil is a conventional supernatural horror film that still manages to convince with very good acting performances, moody atmosphere and sinister locations. The plot revolves around former soldiers and their entourage who are behaving erratically...
Graveyard of Honor is one of the best and most influential Japanese gangster movies ever made. If it had been more popular abroad, this movie might have the same reputation as The Godfather, Once Upon a Time in America and The Untouchables have today....
Ladybaby is one of the most intriguing idol groups that has gone through significant changes in its career. The band formed back in 2013 but only released its first official song two years later. This first single called ''Nippon Manju'' was an instant...
From a House on Willow Street is a supernatural horror movie that oozes with atmosphere but comes around with a very exchangeable plot that has been used over and over again in similar ways in the horror movie genre. The film revolves around four young...
It's simply great to return to the cinema and watch a new movie for the first time in half a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to this, it's not just any movie but the new film by British cult director Christopher Nolan who has just celebrated...
Shinjuku Outlaw is a direct-to-video gangster movie directed by legendary Takashi Miike. This is only his eighth movie early in his career and the film doesn't have the content, effects and flow of later Yakuza masterpieces such as Shinjuku Triad Society...
Nine Inch Nails' second Ghosts record, released simultaneously with the first, third and fourth parts, looks quite similar to its predecessor on paper. Once again, we get to listen to nine tracks. The track lengths vary between one minute and a half and...
Schönberg is a Japanese symphonic power metal quartet. Its first record Splendid Rosa Birth ～華麗なるロサ、誕生～ comes around with thirteen songs, including five instrumental tracks, with a total running time of forty-four minutes. The entertaining record convinces...
The Haunted, also known as The Tag-Along, is a highly entertaining Taiwanese horror movie. An elderly woman from a vast apartment complex has mysteriously disappeared and her worried best friend starts having strange visions and hearing weird noises....
Battle of Jangsari is the second part in a loose trilogy about the Korean War that started with the brilliant Operation Chromite three years before this film. It tells the story of a group of students who only had a few days of military training that...
Random Acts of Violence is a highly experimental low budget pseudo-documentary satire that I've picked up for three bucks some time ago. The story revolves a young adult of British origin living in New York City who is getting tired of gentrification....
Kung Fu League is a quirky Hong Kong action-comedy movie that goes back to the genre's golden era in the late eighties and early nineties. You will only fully appreciate this film if you are familiar with those movies as the four characters from the past...
Invasion of Astro-Monster is the most creative, diversified and entertaining entry in the franchise in the sixties along with cult movie Mothra vs. Godzilla. The story revolves around a Japanese and an American astronaut who encounter extraterrestrials...
With the seventh entry in the franchise, entitled Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, the Godzilla movie series definitely enters adventure film territory. The beloved lizard also moves away from being considered a dangerous antagonist and becomes an earthly...
Godzilla vs. Hedorah is the eleventh entry in the franchise and certainly one of its most experimental and memorable films. New director Banno Yoshimitsu incorporated quite a few ideas into the film that were on the pulse of time in the early seventies...
Eyecatch Junction is the first official movie made by famous director Miike Takashi. Just like many of his later works, this obscure V-cinema flick from the early nineties vividly combines genres that seem to be incompatible for Western audiences. This...
Godzilla vs. Megalon is the thirteenth entry in the Godzilla franchise and once again a family-friendly movie directed by Fukuda Jun. The film wasn't even supposed to be a Godzilla film in the first place and was intended to focus on the adventures of...
The Captain is a Chinese action-drama inspired by real events that occurred less than a year and a half before this film was released. One has to admire how quickly, professionally and precisely the three production companies have written a tight script,...
The Witness is an excellent South Korean psychological thriller. The story revolves around a man who kidnaps a young woman who manages to escape but gets beaten to death in front of a modern apartment complex. A young family father witnesses the incident...
Metallica's Through the Never was a commercial failure but is a very interesting movie that would have deserved more recognition. The movie revolves around a roadie who is sent on a mission to fuel a stranded truck in order to deliver a crucial item for...
A first look at the grisly cover artwork and the tongue in cheek title of this extended play seem to indicate that this Mexican trio could be a grindcore band. However, the band name being a reference to Helloween is actually more accurate since Victim...
Opening act: Battle Beast Set list: 1. Unbroken 2. Straight to the Heart 3. The Golden Horde 4. Eden 5. No More Hollywood Endings 6. Bastard Son of Odin 7. King for a Day 8. Beyond the Burning Skies Second band of the epic night: Sonata Arctica Set list:...
DragonForce's Extreme Power Metal is a quite misleading album title. Without abandoning its trademark guitar duels and keyboard sounds, this album is one of the easiest to digest in their discography. It offers several mid-paced tunes and a few quirky...
Ladies and gentlemen! Today, I have completed my epic ice hockey weekend by assisting the home opener of the Ottawa 67's against the Peterborough Petes. The game was very intense and enjoyable to watch despite a tough 3:2 loss by the home team. The crowd...
