2011 - MediaMikes

Interview with American Idol’s James Durbin

James Durbin was a contestant on season 10 of “American Idol”. James recently released his debut full length album titled “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”. Media Mikes had a chance recently to talk with James about his experience on the show and what it was like singing with Judas Priest.

Adam Lawton: What was the “American Idol” process like for you?
James Durbin: I originally auditioned for season 8 of the show however I was not in the right spot mentally at that time. I just wasn’t there what so ever in my life. During my time between the two auditions I started a family and really got my life and my priorities together. I was working at a Domino’s pizza and had put in for the day off so I could go an audition. No one knew that I wanted to be a singer. Everyone figured I was just going to be one of the joke contestants so my boss said I couldn’t have the day off. Two days before the audition the owners sat all the employees down and told us they would be closing due to not having any more money. Everyone was laid off and we weren’t doing very well financially at the time. My fiancé and I went to San Francisco and waited and waited to audition. I just ended up going for it and never looked back. I had no idea what things were going to be like once I finally got on the show. You do a lot of waiting in between rounds for your chance to sing and then it’s over. The show is almost like a marathon.

AL: Did you start off auditioning for the main judges?
JD: You actually have 3 pre-auditions before you are in front of the cameras. All that they really show on TV is the final round of auditions and tons of people in the stadium. They never show the first round where upwards of 20,000 show up to sing for 5 seconds in hopes of getting their opportunity.

AL: What was your initial reaction when you were told you would be singing with Judas Priest?
JD: I was told right after I sang “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” during the Top 24 guy’s week. Judas Priest had contacted the show stating they really enjoyed my performance and if I made it to the finale would I be interested in signing with them. I thought holy crap! It’s Judas Fucking Priest and they want to play with me. I was in complete shock. I still am.

AL: What can you tell us about your album “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”?
JD: The album is being released via Wind-Up Records and was produced by Howard Benson. The title comes from me looking back on moments in my life that I thought were disasters. However after meeting my fiancé and having a child those things that bothered me from the past I can now look back on them and see the beauty and the pain. Those events made me who I am today.

AL: What was the recording process like for you?
JD: Everything on the album is entirely new material. I enlisted the help of some writers who wrote songs specifically for me. They call it personalized song writing. All in all I finished the vocals in two and a half weeks as we were working with a deadline in place. I finished way ahead of time. The process of recording was really fun and learning about everything related to recording was great. I had never done anything of this magnitude before.

AL: Can you tell us about your involvement in the film “Different is the New Normal”?
JD: I was asked by a production team if I would be interested in talking to a young man by the name of Ariel Small. Ariel has tourettes syndrome and was in the process of making a documentary about himself. I immediately jumped on the opportunity. The film isn’t just about tourettes but it brings life to tourrettes and makes it well known. Ariel was inspired by me to make this film. I really respect that and am very honored. Meeting Ariel and seeing how much insight he has for such a young man was great. The title of the film actually came from one of my quotes.

AL: What are your plans for 2012?
JD: Surviving the Apocalypse. (Laughs) I am going to just keep living my dream of being able to sing and make a living by doing so. This really is a dream come true. Huge thanks goes to everyone who has helped me in the process especially my family and fans. I owe everything to my fans. I am working on securing the right tour for 2012 as album sales have been going well so knock on wood things will keep going well.

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Blu-ray Review “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”

Directors: Troy Nixey
Starring: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Bruce Gleeson, Eddie Ritchard
MPAA Rated: R
Distributed: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Running Time: 99 minutes

Film Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When you have a horror film, or any film, that is written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, you set your expectations very high. This film unfortunately disappoints and fails to delivers his usual charm. The film is a remake of the 1973 horror film of the same title but it doesn’t capture the same spark that the first film did. One of the film’s faults is that it is an R-rated film that plays like a PG-13 rated film.

The film follows a young girl, Sally, who moves to live with her father and his new girlfriend in a 19th-century mansion, that her father is restoring. During Sally’s exploration of the old mansion, she starts to finds out that creatures are living in the basement. Her curiosity ends up releasing them loose in the house and she finds out that they have a lust for little children.

I actually really enjoyed the performances from Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and specifically Bailee Madison. They all gave decent performances, especially for a horror film. I wish that they also didn’t show the creatures as much as they did. It could have been a lot more successfully if we didn’t have a close up on them each scene. The Blu-ray looks clear and definitely uses the dark scenes to deliver great picture. The sound also is great but I wish the film was more suspenseful because it could have benefited more.

The special features are slim but decent overall. There is a behind the scenes featurette, which consists of three parts. The first focuses on “The Story”, the second focuses on “Blackwood’s Mansion” and the last focuses on “The Creatures”. I feel that it covers all the proper grounds and gives decent insight into the films story and production. There is also a Conceptual Art Gallery included and it is actually decent, especially since it feels like it comes from Guillermo del Toro’s mind. Lastly, the film comes with the new instant streaming using UltraViolet digital copy.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: afraid, bluray, dark, review

DVD Review “Hostel: Part III”

Directed by: Scott Spiegel
Starring: Kip Pardue, Brian Hallisay, John Hensley, Sarah Habel, Skyler Stone, Zulay Henao, Thomas Kretschmann
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running time: 88 minutes

Film Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Alright so here we are at “Part III” of the Hostel series and surprisingly this series still had a lot of steam left in it and a bright future. Most of this praise needs to go to the film’s director Scott Spiegel, writer of “Evil Dead II” and writer/director of “Intruder”. Scott knows horror for sure and in fact actually produced “Hostel” and “Hostel: Part II” as well, so he has been invested in this series. What is great about this series is that they can just pick up and move to a new location and grab some new kids and it definitely works again in this film. What better of a location to pick-up and move to then VEGAS!

The third film in the franchise follows a group of guys going on a bachelor party to Vegas. The group gets swopped to a private party off-the-strip and that is where things go wrong, of course. The group gets taken hostage and are sent to their death to the highest bidder at an elite hunter’s club. The plot is similar from the from two films but puts a new spin on it. The film is backed with amazing gore and some really new kick ass kill scenes. That is really key for this franchise and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.

I hope this series continues because I could see many new opportunities. After enjoying the film, I was hoping for some decent extras but the DVD special features are disappointing with only a commentary track included. The commentary track though is with director Scott Spiegel and star Kip Perdue, it is informative and fun and definitely worth checking out. Horror fans should give this film a chance. I would say it falls in line with “Hostel: Part II”, so if you enjoyed that this will not disappoint.

Interview with Barbara Nedeljakova

Barbara Nedeljakova is known best for her role in the film “Hostel”. She has also been in a bunch of other genre films like “Children of the Corn: Genesis” and the upcoming “The Hike” and “Strippers vs. Werewolves” with Robert Englund. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Barbara over Skype and chatted about her roles to date and working with such great talent and directors.

Mike Gencarelli: Looking back on “Hostel”, what was the most challenging part for you on the film?
Barbara Nedeljakova: It was my first major role and I was new to the horror genre. The first scene we shot actually was my death scene. I think the whole story was a challenge. I wanted the audience to like me in the beginning and to be all sweet and innocent. The whole transformation to become evil and cold-blooded was interesting and challenging. To find the truth in a role in a good challenge to have.

MG: Tell us about working with Eli Roth?
BN: It was great experience. It is probably my best experience on a set. Eli is great and is very excited about being on a set and working with his actors. He makes you feel very confident. His energy was great and so fun to be around. When we were shooting bloody scenes, he was jumping around and all excited and has had such energy. I would love to work with him again definitely.

MG: Tell us about working on “Children of the Corn: Genesis”?
BN: It was a very small cast. We shot the film in a desert outside of Los Angeles. I play a mother of one of the boys and that was pretty interesting. Billy Drago plays my husband. He is this creepy preacher and I am his abused wife, right out of Russia. There is this couple that comes to our house and they have no idea what they are getting into. It was interesting playing a mom in this role and it was definitely a different kind of part.

MG: What can you tell us about your role in “The Hike”, directed by Rupbert Bryan?
BN: It is a very dark film and also very violent. They had a screening and I took a bunch of my friends and they left feeling sick. It is very realistic. It is a about a reunion of a few girls that haven’t seen each other in a few years and they go for this hike and, of course, everything goes bad. It is going to be for people who can take real gore.

MG: The film looks like a “Hostel” in the woods, tell us about the shoot?
BN: Yeah, there was a lot of dark and difficult scenes that we had to shoot in the woods at night. There was also a lot of bad weather and rain during the shoot. We also had to be some pick up shots like a half a year later back in the forest in the same outfits…in the snow. So yeah, it was a little challenging.

MG: Tell us about working on the film “Isle of Dogs” and when can we see it?
BN: “Isle of Dogs” is basically a story about a betrayal. It had a lot of fighting and drama scenes. The whole film is about chasing and we had a lot of stunt work, so it was exciting for me. I know they are currently editing and doing some re-cuts.

MG: Tell us about your role of Raven in “Strippers vs. Werewolves” with Robert Englund?
BN: [laughs] Yeah, I just finished that one a few months ago. It is a horror comedy. It was fun. My role was a sexy but strong girl who takes the gun and shoot them in the balls. I had a lot of fun doing it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to be on the set the same day as Robert and didn’t get to meet him.

MG: What film did you recently film in London?
BN: I worked with the same director from “Isles of Dogs”, Tammi Sutton. The film is called “Whispers”. It is a mystery drama. It is a small cast. It follows two couples and a house. Not sure how much I can giveaway but there is a woman who recently lost her child. I am playing this Russian girl, who is a real bitch. Things go wrong and one by one we get picked off. It was a fun film to work on.

Film Review “Hugo”

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz and Ben Kingsley
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Rated: PG
Running time: 2 hours 6 mins
Paramount

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

High above the crowds in the Paris Train Terminal, young Hugo Cabret (Butterfield) tends to the clocks, making his way through a seemingly never ending maze of tunnels and catwalks. Orphaned after the sudden death of his father (Jude Law in a nice cameo), a clockmaker, Hugo is put in the charge of his uncle Claude (Ray Winstone), a heavy drinker who brings Hugo to live with him in a small apartment behind one of the great clocks. Apparently the knowledge of gears and springs runs in the family. When not spying on the comings and goings of the people below, Hugo is attempting to repair an automaton: a mechanical man his father had discovered at the museum where he worked and had brought home as a kind of father and son project. He only needs a few more gears and a mysterious heart shaped key to wind it up.

Based on the award winning book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick, the film is a faithful adaptation that unfolds beautifully thanks to its heart, director Scorsese. While the film is centered around the mechanical man, the main character here is the quiet owner of a toy shop (Kingsley, who should most definitely receive an Oscar nomination for his work) whose past is celebrated without his knowledge. To say more would give away a major plot point but when it’s revealed you realize that not only was Martin Scorsese the perfect choice as director, he might possibly was the only choice.

The cast is aces across the board. As young Hugo, Butterfield shines. His wide eyes taking in the world around him, while still projecting the sorrow behind them, Hugo is wise beyond his years in some ways. As the book loving girl he meets in the train station, Moretz (“Kick Ass,” “Let Me In”) continues to add to an incredible early career that puts her on the same track as Jodie Foster and Kirsten Dunst…a child actress that will seamlessly grow on screen before our eyes. Kingsley, who is surely this generations Robert Duvall (the man NEVER gives a bad performance) makes the character of Papa George come to life. Credit also to Sacha Baron Cohen as a local constable, Christopher Lee as the book seller and, in smaller roles, Richard Griffiths and Emily Mortimer. And though he doesn’t say a word, I should point out that the actor who plays early jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt is Emil Langer. I say this because he bears an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp (I heard more than one whisper during the film). Further confusing is that Depp is a producer on the film.

If I have one problem with “Hugo,” it’s that no one in authority seems to know that Uncle Claude is no longer working the clocks. You’d think that his paychecks would stack up in the office. Just a quibble but something that occurred to me.

DVD Review “The Summer of Massacre”

Directed By: Joe M Castro
Starring: Brinke Stevens, Nick Principe, Cleve Hall, Lisa Garcia, Lauren Boehm, Felipe Winslett, Scott Barrows, Tim Cooley
Distributed by: Breaking Glass Pictures
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 98 minutes

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Right off the bat, this film has an instant draw for me with the fact that it holds the Guinness World Records™ for “Highest Body Count in a Slasher Film” with a ridiculous 155 body count. The film heavily uses CG effects, which could normally be annoying but for this it sort of works. I am not sure how but this film has also received over 20 film festival awards including Best Horror Film, Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, Best Action Sequence, and Best SFX Feature. It is not the best horror/slasher ever but it definitely deserves some attention.

The man behind the “Terror Toons” series, Joe Castro brings us this very original anthology slasher film which follows eight different killers through five different stories. This film also includes a decent genre cast featuring Brinke Stevens from “Slumber Party Massacre”, Nick Principe from the “Laid to Rest” series, and Cleve Hall from “Nightmare”. The first stories follows the brutal beatings of a young man who then sets off a bloody rampage. The next story deals with a paraplegic girl as she heads out to kill her older, beautiful sister after she tries to murder her. Another story deals a woman who was raped 36 years ago by her biological father and after hiding for year he finds them. The next one follows a group of teenagers that are stalked in the forest. The last story features three serial killers that terrorize Los Angeles by murdering everyone in sight.

There were no special features included on my screener but the retail copy includes the following: Director’s Commentary, Director’s Diary (Behind-the-scenes), Interview with Brinke Stevens, Cast Auditions, Director Joe Castro’s Childhood Massacre Short Film. Definitely packed with some good stuff. Overall this is just a fun ride that answers to no one and just goes nuts with itself.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: dvd, massacre, review, summer

Blu-ray Review “Puncture”

Directors: Mark Kassen, Adam Kassen
Starring: Chris Evans, Brett Cullen, Michael Biehn, Mark Kassen, Vanessa Shaw
Studio: Millennium Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 100 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

It is very surprising that a film like this was dropped direct to DVD/Blu-ray, especially when Chris Evans is at the top of his career and just come off playing the role of Marvel’s Captain America. This film is very deep and definitely heavy on the drama. Chris Evans delivers a pretty emotional performances and shows off those acting skills. Overall though the film fails to really delivers the entertaining factors for me. I enjoyed the story but I didn’t really become very attached to it.

The film follows lawyer and also drug addict, Mike Weiss (Chris Evans) and Paul Danziger (co-director Mark Kassen) as they take their law firm against the health care and pharmaceutical companies. They are underdogs in this battle to get safety needles but in all hospitals, after a local ER nurse is pricked by a contaminated needle on the job. Not only is Mike fighting the case…he is also fighting his own demons.

The special features are virtually non-existent. Though if you enjoy the film and are a fan of digital copies than it will be a plus for you as a free digital copy is included. There are also a few preview for other Millennium Entertainment films. Fans of Evans, should give this a shot for the acting and fans of law films should enjoy it as well.

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Blu-ray Review “Contagion”

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 106 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

With a stellar cast including Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow and a scary yet intriguing story, this film should have delivered but it didn’t. The acting is definitely fantastic and is the only redeeming factor in this film. The story was unable to connect all of its intertwining stories into one decent paced story. The story moves very slow and doesn’t express the thriller aspect of the events happening. When you have a film about global epidemic, I just would expect it to be a little more exciting. Unfortunately this film drags and is not exciting at all.

The special features includes in this set are good but not great. The first is called “Contagion: How A Virus Changes The World” is a decent featurette about the effects of the virus. “The Reality of Contagion” delves into the truth behind the films events and the cast talk about the reality. It is an interesting feature. “The Contagion Detectives” talk about how the cast was prepared for their roles and the people that helped them get ready. Lastly included is the UltraViolet Digital Copy for instant streaming, which is a great feature just too bad I am not looking forward to watching this film anytime again soon.

Synopsis: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne and Bryan Cranston, along with medical journalist Sanjay Gupta, explore the real science of global viruses and what they mean to the human race. The world is preparing for the next biological disaster…but is it too late?

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, contagion, review

CD Review: Biohazard “Reborn In Defiance”

Biohazard
“Reborn In Defiance”
Produced by: Toby Wright
Tracks: 13

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Reborn In Defiance” is the latest record from the legendary hardcore band Biohazard. The album is the first in 18 years to feature the bands original line up consisting of Evan Seinfeld, Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel and Danny Schuler. The album features 13 all new original tracks and produced by Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Metallica).

The 13 tracks contained on “Reborn In Defiance” are classic Biohazard NYC hardcore. Tracks such as “Your Disease” and “Waste Away” really showcase the bands growth while still staying true to the bands hardcore roots. Producer Toby Wright was the perfect choice for this album as he really pushes the sonic barriers of heaviness with this album. Evan Seinfeld’s vocal presence shines through putting the icing on the proverbial cake. Biohazard fans both new and old with truly appreciate this album. The only negative I could find really has nothing to do with the album and that being we won’t get to see and hear Evan perform these songs live on the bands upcoming tour.

Track Listing:
1.)    9_IIIX6.941
2.)    Vengeance Is Mine
3.)    Decay
4.)    Reborn
5.)    Killing Me
6.)    Countdown Doom
7.)    Come Alive
8.)    Vows of Redemption
9.)    Waste Away
10.) You Were Young
11.) Skullcrusher
12.) Never Give In
13.) Season The Sky

Click here for our interview with Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei and Danny Schuler

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: biohazard, cd, defiance, reborn, review

Interview with Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei and Danny Schuler

The legendary NY hardcore group Biohazard has a new album coming out in January titled “Reborn in Defiance”. Media Mikes had a chance recently to speak with Biohazard members Billy Graziadei and Danny Schuler about the upcoming release and their plans for 2012.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the new album “Reborn in Defiance”?
Billy Graziadei: We worked really hard on this album. It actually was a culmination of us coming together on the reunion tour. We had a lot of fun playing together again and everything just worked. We didn’t sit down and say we were going to make a record. It was just something that happened. I can’t wait to get the album out and play the songs live.

AL: Did you guys try any new approaches to the recording process?
BG: To be honest we had all kind of forgotten how to do everything. It had been so long since we all worked together we just didn’t know how to approach things. It was interesting to figure out how to all work together again.

AL: Have you guys settled on a favorite track off the album yet?
BG: I think they are all our favorites. I don’t think they would be on the record if we didn’t like them. Time will tell as to which songs will stand out the most.
Danny Schuler: Some songs just have a different vide when you play them live while other work better just listening to them on a CD. There is a certain energy level with the band that we like to keep around 10 or 11. We will just have to see.
BG: I remember after doing our first album in 1990 we had been touring and writing new songs for what would be our next album. We played some of them live and you could just tell they were different from our previous songs but they still fit. The songs on “Reborn in Defiance” I think have that same feeling. We are pretty excited.

AL: What are the release date/plans for the album?
BG: January 28^th the album will be available worldwide.
DS: The record will actually hit Europe first. We have been talking about doing some cool release things here in states. We love vinyl and it would be cool to see the album released that way however we will have to wait and see. Everything will start unfolding in the coming weeks.

AL: Can you tell us what Evan Seinfeld’s involvement is with the band these days?
BG: The album was recorded with the original band lineup. We actually recorded the album at the end of the reunion tour. We finished this album around spring time of 2011. Evan called us out of the blue in June and quit the band for personal reasons. We love what we do and decided to keep on going. I look at it now as this being a different era. The time frame is a little confusing but we just wanted to leave the record as it is.

AL: What will the tour line up look like?
DS: We are going to have someone else there with us.
BG: We have been touring with a friend of ours lately. We took him to China with us recently and we also did some shows in the UK. I think the back and forth Biohazard vocals are something that we all love and can’t do without.

AL: Going back into your guys history can you tell us how you got hooked up with the rap group Onyx?
DS: It was kind of a natural thing. We were managed by Def Jam back in the late 80’s early 90’s. We were pretty much the only heavy white band that was a part of their company for awhile. People didn’t like us too much because we were a real street band. We weren’t silly or anything. Billy had been approached about doing a remix of the song “Slam”. I don’t know how that quite happened but I did play drums on the track and some of us were in the video. That led to us doing some shows with Onyx as well as working on the soundtrack for the film “Judgment Night”. We got along well those guys and we were all from NY. There were a lot of parallels with what we were saying and with what hip hop was saying through our music.
BG: We got to work with Jam Master Jay through the “Judgment Night” film and that was really cool for us. We had grown up with bands like Iron Maiden, Agnostic Front and The Sugar Hill Gang. Everything seemed really natural for us. Where we were coming from was very similar. We never sat down and said “hey lets mix what you do with what we do”. We were friends and put some tracks together. After we did some other tracks with Cypress Hill and House of Pain we stepped aside and let Limp Bizkit collect all the money off that style. (Laughs)

AL: What are the rest of the plans for the band into 2012?
DS: We are doing the first group of shows here in the states with Madball. That kicks off towards the end of February. From there we go to Australia to do the Sound Waves festival. It’s going to be a lot of fun as we have five or 6 big festival shows across Australia. We have a short break and then we are going to start planning U.S. and European festival dates for the summer. We will probably make it back to South America as well this year.

Click here for our CD Review: Biohazard “Reborn In Defiance”

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: billy, biohazards, danny, graziadei, interview, schuler, ...

DVD Review “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy”

Directed by: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Lake Bell, Michelle Borth, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine, Lindsay Sloane
Lucy Punch, Will Forte
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Running time: 98 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

With a title like “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy”, it is easy to expect a lot from this movie, but at points it really plays it too safe. The film though definitely packs one of the best comedy casts of the year. Jason Sudeikis, Nick Kroll and Tyler Labine definitely rocks the house in the comedy department and Lake Bell is always a pleasure to watch. Will Forte and Lindsay Sloane are a great duo and deliver a few good laughs. If you are a fan of TV show “Children’s Hospital” and its cast, then you will definitely dig this film. The highlight scene though is easily the orgy party with David Koechner and he steals the show like always.

The film follows Eric (Jason Sudeikis) and his group of friends who hold theme-events at his father’s (Don Johnson) house in the Hamptons. When Eric finds out that his dad plans to sell the house, they decide to have one last big party and it would be an orgy. The group spends the next few weeks till Labor Day preparing and getting ready for the big night. Can the group go through with this or will they chicken out?

The unrated cut of the film adds about 3 extra minutes to the film but doesn’t add too much more to the film. The bonus features included on the disc are a very funny commentary from co-writers/directors Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck and Jason Sudeikis. There is also a bunch of deleted scenes running about 15 minutes and they are decent watches and are really more like extended scenes. There is a very funny gag reel, which I wish was longer. “How to Film an Orgy” is a decent but short 9 minute behind the scenes featurette. Overall I would say I enjoyed this film and would recommend it.

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“Evil Dead” Interview Series

Who doesn’t love “The Evil Dead” series? Since 1981, these films has changed the way that horror films where made and have become a few of the biggest cult classics of our time. This also formed the birth of Ashley J. Williams aka Ash played by Bruce Campbell. Media Mikes has been interviewing various members from “The Evil Dead”, “Evil Dead II” and “Army of Darkness” over the last few months to bring you this amazing series. Please enjoy and leave comments.

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Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: dead, evil, interview, series

Interview with Danny Hicks

Danny Hicks is known for playing Jake in “Evil Dead II” and Bill Roberts in “Intruder”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Danny about working on “Evil Dead 2”, working with Sam Raimi all these years and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: What would you say was the most difficult part of working on “Evil Dead 2”?
Danny Hicks: I would say the temperature. It was very hot and when you see close up shots of us that sweat is real it’s not spray on. We were in a gymnasium at an abandon school in North Carolina and they had built a two story long cabin so they could have a basement. We shot on the second floor of the cabin and it was summer time in North Carolina so it had to be 120 degrees in there. They had to keep the air conditioning off because it would mess with sound so that was probably the most difficult part of the shoot. The shoot was also pretty physical as well and we beat each other up. Bruce kicked me in the nads real hard once as we were shooting the scene where I hit him in the head with the shotgun. He fell off the porch and when he did his foot came up right between my legs. He connected really hard. So hard that as soon as Sam called cut I threw up all over everything. That was interesting.

MG: Tell us about working on the film “My Name is Bruce” with Bruce Campbell directing you?
DH: It was fun. We got to right our own parts and pretty much do whatever we wanted to do. Just before we started shooting he asked what I was going to do and I told him but then he decides to throw in that my character was gay. Bruce says action and I was trying so hard not to laugh that I think I peed myself just a little bit. I had worked with Bruce before doing some audio stuff for his books but this was the first time working with him as a film director. He is very focused and serious which is something you wouldn’t guess by watching his movies.

MG: Most of the cast from “Evil Dead 2” also worked on “Intruder”, including Sam Raimi in an acting role, tell us about working on that?
DH: It was fun but for me it was very difficult. It was very physical as I did a lot of my own stunt but it was interesting to work with Sam as an actor. Most people don’t know he is an actor but he is very good. I think the best part of the film was I got to kill half the Raimi family! (Laughs) It was fun.

MG: How was it working with Sam Raimi as he grew from “Evil Dead 2” to “Darkman” to “Spider-Man 2”?
DH: As far as I know Sam hasn’t changed a bit. “Evil Dead 2” was like a $3 million dollar movie and “Spider Man 2” he had some bigger toys to play with but he was same guy on both films. Sam likes to torture his actors and become part of the scene. That scene where spider man is holding the train back Sam instead of watching the monitor was standing in front of the wind machine throwing pieces of wood and gravel into the wind so it’s hitting us in the faces. (Laughs) Sam hasn’t really changed and he is the same guy I met in 1985.

MG: Tell us how you got started working with Michael Kallio on “Paranormal, Burbank” & Koreatown”?
DH: “Koreatown” was not a very good experience for me. We worked really hard for a few days and then I was cut out of the movie by the producer. I guess I am in the DVD version in the deleted scenes section but I have never seen the movie as it was not a pleasant experience. Michael is great to work with though. For “Burbank” Michael called me up and asked if I played guitar. I told him I did but I wasn’t that good and that’s how I got the role. He cut out most of the guitar stuff but it was really fun to do. It’s a wacky series.

MG: What was your involvement with the TV series from early 90’s “Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero”?
DH: They promised me that it would never air in the United States! (Laughs) I grew up on the original version of “Ultraman” but I actually got to say “Ahh it’s a Monster!” which is in every bad Godzilla movie ever made. I did that line with all the grace I could muster.

MG: What do you have currently planned upcoming?
DH: I worked recently with Ted Raimi on his new web series called “Morbid Minutes”. I don’t know when it’s going to come out but it’s supposed to be soon. It’s a series of stories which will be about a minute and a half and they are going to be in 3-D. How they are going to do that I don’t know. Ted really surprised me. He has a different style than his brother but he is very good. I am going to be at a few upcoming conventions such as Comic-Con as well as one in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In late November I am going to start work on Sam’s new movie. From what I am told it’s supposed to be the most expensive movie ever made in Michigan. I really love working with Sam.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: danny, hicks, interview

2011 DVD/Blu-ray Reviews

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy	African Cats	Amazonia	Ancient Aliens: Season One
Ancient Aliens: Season Two	Animal, Whores and Dialogue: Breakfast with Hunter, Vol.2	The Anniversary at Shallow Creek	Assassins Creed: Lineage
Astron-6 Collection	Asylum Seekers	Arthur	Atrocious
Barney’s Version	Beauty and the Beast 3D	Bellflower	Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Beyblade: Metal Fusion- Volume 4	Bizarre Bazaar	BKO: Bangkok Knockout	Black Zoo
Blackthorn	The Bleeding House	Blitz	Blue Sunshine
Bodyguards and Assassins	Bolt 3D	Cars 2 3D	Challenge of the GoBots: The Original Mini-Series
Chicken Little 3D	Clash	Clash of the Gods	Climate of Change
The Coffin	Cold Fish	Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop	Crazy, Stupid, Love
Criss Angel: Mindfreak- Season 6	Cropsey	Dawning	Deep Purple + Orchestra: Live At Montreux 2011
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame	Devil’s Playground	Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series	Doctor Who: Series 6, Part 1
Dolphin Tale	Dragon’s Lair: The Complete Series	Drinking Made Easy: Season 1	Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World
Exit 33	Exporting Raymond	The Exterminator	Final Destination 5
Fire on Conscience	Flipped	Forget the Film, Watch the Titles!	Frankenhooker
Fright Night 3D	Frosty’s Winter Wonderland	G-Force 3D	George: A Zombie Intervention
George A. Romero Presents: Deadtime Stories– Vol.1	George A. Romero Presents: Deadtime Stories– Vol.2	Gettysburg: Director’s Cut	Gift of The Magi
Gods and Generals: Extended: Director’s Cut	Gnomeo and Juliet 3D	God Bless Ozzy Osbourne	Grave Encounters
Green Lantern: Extended Cut	Griff The Invisible	The Guild: Season Four	Hall Pass: Enlarged Edition
The Hangover Part II	Happiness is Peanuts: Snow Days	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2	The Help
The High Cost of Living	HitRECord Recollection Vol. 1	Hobo With A Shotgun	Hollywood Party
Hostel: Part III	The Hour: Series 1	Housewife	How The Earth Was Made: Season 2
The Human Experience	I Ride	I Am Nancy	Ingredients
Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul	Intruder	Jackboots on Whitehall	Jessika Rabid
The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones	Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story	The Kids Grow Up	The Kids in the Hall: Complete Series DVD Megaset
Klown Kamp Massacre	The Last Circus	Lemmy	Let’s Talk About Sex
Life, Above All	Life After People: Season 2	Lindsey Buckingham: Songs From the Small Machine- Live in L.A.	The Lion King 3D
The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 2	The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition	The Love We Make	Maniac Cop
Mars Needs Moms 3D	Meet the Robinsons 3D	Midnight in Paris	Moby Dick (2011)
More Brains! A Return To The Living Dead	Mortal Kombat: Legacy	Neverwhere: 15th Anniversary Edition	Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated
Night Watch	The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D	Ninjas vs. Vampires	Off the Boulevard
Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy- Volume 1	Our Idiot Brother	Page One: Inside The New York Times	Panic Button
Pearl Jam Twenty	The Perfect Host	Peter Gabriel: New Blood- Live in London 3D	The Phantom of Hollywood
Phase 7	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D	Placebo: We Come In Pieces	Planet Earth: Special Edition
Point Blank	Queensrÿche: Mindcrime at the Moore	Rammbock: Berlin Undead	Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Ray Charles: Live in France 1961	Reckless	Red Riding Hood: Alternate Cut	Red vs. Blue- Season 9
Repo Chick	Rice Field of Dreams	The Rite	Road, Movie
Robotech: The Complete Original Series	The Rolling Stones: Some Girls- Live in Texas ’78	Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops	The Santa Incident
Secrets in the Walls	See What I’m Saying	Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season 1, Volume 3	Scream 4
The Smurfs 3D	The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure	The Smurfs Holiday Special	Something Borrowed
South of Heaven	Storage Wars: Season One	Strigoi	Sucker Punch: Extended Cut
Superheroes	Sweet Hostage	Switched at Birth: Volume One	Tactical Force
13 Assassins	Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures- Volume 3	Toy Story 3D	Toy Story 2 3D
Toy Story 3 3D	Trancers: The Ultimate Deth Collection	Trollhunter	True Legend
Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil	‘Twas the Night Before Christmas	Underwater Universe: Season One	The Universe: The Mega Collection
The Universe: Our Solar System	The Universe: Season 5	The Universe 3D: 7 Wonders of the Solar System	Unknown
Usher: OMG Tour- Live From London	Vanishing of the Bees	Virus X	Waiting For Hockney
The Warring States	What Women Want (2011)	When Strangers Click	Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory: Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Winnie The Pooh	Yellowbrickroad	Young Justice: Volume Two

2010 DVD/Blu-ray Reviews

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Filed Under: Movies Tagged With: 2011, dvdbluray, reviews

2011 Film Reviews

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas	The Adjustment Bureau	The Adventures of Tintin	Anonymous
Arthur	Arthur Christmas	The Artist	Bad Teacher
Battle: Los Angeles	Bereavement	The Best and The Brightest	Beware the Gonzo
Biutiful	Bridesmaids	Buck	Captain America: The First Avenger
Carnage	Cars 2	The Change-Up	Chillerama
The Company Men	Conan The Barbarian	The Conspirator	Contagion
Country Strong	Cowboys and Aliens	Crazy, Stupid, Love	Creature
The Debt	The Descendants	The Dilemma	Dolphin Tale
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark	Drive	Fast Five	Final Destination 5
The 5th Quarter	5 Star Day	Fix: The Ministry Movie	Footloose
Friends with Benefits	Fright Night	Ghostbusters	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Glee the 3D Concert Movie	Golf in the Kingdom	Good Neighbors	Gnomeo and Juliet
The Green Hornet	Green Lantern	Hall Pass	The Hangover Part II
Happy Feet Two	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2	Hobo With a Shotgun	Hop
Horrible Bosses	Hugo	The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)	I Am Number Four
The Ides of March	The Illusionist (2011)	IMAX: Born To Be Wild 3D	Insidious
InSight	J. Edgar	Jack and Jill	Janie Jones
John Carpenter’s The Ward	Just Go With It	Just Like Us	Kung Fu Panda 2
Larry Crowne	The Last Rites of Joe May	Like Crazy	Limitless
The Lincoln Lawyer	Lucky	Magic Trip	The Man on a Train
Mars Needs Moms	Martha Marcy May Marlene	The Mechanic	The Mighty Macs
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol	Moneyball	Mr. Popper’s Penguins	The Muppets
My Week With Marilyn	No Strings Attached	Ong Bak 3: The Final Battle	The Other F Word
Paul	The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	Pound of Flesh
Puss in Boots	Quarantine 2: Terminal	Rango	Real Steel
Red Riding Hood	Red State	Rise of the Planet of the Apes	The Rite
Road to Nowhere	Rubber	The Rum Diary	Sailcloth [Short]
Saint	Scream 4	The Sea Is All I Know [Short]	Shame
Shark Night 3D	Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows	Shut Up, Little Man!	The Smurfs
Source Code	Sucker Punch	Super	Super 8
The Swell Season	Take Me Home Tonight	The Thing	13 Assassins
30 Minutes Or Less	Thor	Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy	Tower Heist
Transformers: Dark of the Moon	The Tree of Life	The Troll Hunter	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1
Unknown	War Horse	Warrior	The Way
What’s Your Number	Winnie the Pooh	The Woman	X-Men: First Class
Your Highness

2010 Film Reviews

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Filed Under: Movies Tagged With: 2011, film, reviews

Page 1 of 69

Year: 2011

Interview with American Idol’s James Durbin

Blu-ray Review “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”

DVD Review “Hostel: Part III”

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Interview with Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei and Danny Schuler

DVD Review “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy”

“Evil Dead” Interview Series

Interview with Danny Hicks

2011 DVD/Blu-ray Reviews

2011 Film Reviews