Paranormal Activity’s Oren Peli talks about his new film “Chernobyl Diaries”

Oren Peli is known best for his working on the “Paranormal Activity” series. Oren also produced last year’s amazing horror film “Insidious” and recent TV series “The River”. His latest project is being released on May 25th called “Chernobyl Diaries”, directed by Brad Parker (click here for our interview with Brad). Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Oren about not only producing this film but also co-writing.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you give us some of the films origin?
Oren Peli: I was killing time one day by browsing on the internet. While I was looking around I came across a link posted by someone who had gone to the city of Prypiat which is near the Chernobyl site. I guess in the last few years the town has been opened up as a tourist site. People can go there with a tour guide and walk around and take pictures. I had always known about the Chernobyl disaster but it never occurred to me that there was an abandoned town right next to it. The town was evacuated over night and left empty for 25 years. I thought it was sad but also fascinating. It was a great setting for a scary movie.

MG: How did this films writing differ from your previous work?
OP: In some aspects it was fairly similar. You start with a grain of an idea which you develop. You have to come up with the characters and the setting. Because it’s a horror movie you also have to think about what would be scary and how to put those scares into the movie. For me it was the whole idea that you are in an abandoned town where there is not supposed to be anyone or thing around. You become stranded in the middle of the night and you hear what you think could be a human scream from a distance. You now know that you are not alone. That is the core scare factor of the film.

MG: How did Brad Parker become attached to the project?
OP: After meeting with my producing partner we decided we were going to make the movie. We then joined forces will Phil Mason who financed the movie. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to direct the movie because my schedule would just not allow it. We met with a lot of directors that were very talented but some of them were not available and some we didn’t think were right for the genre. When we met Brad we were very impressed with his visual sense. We got along great and luckily he was the right guy for the job.

MG: What is your biggest challenge when working with a smaller budget?
OP: Low budget generally means you don’t have two months to shoot. You have to work in a smaller time frame. In this particular film one of the most important characters is the city. We had to make sure that we portrayed it accurately. We didn’t have an infinite budget for visuals and set building. We had to be very creative and smart in order to maximize our budget. It’s a challenge all around.

MG: Are you concerned at all about the film opening up against “Men in Black III”?
OP: I am sure “Men in Black III” will do very well but it’s a different audience. That film is more of a family film where ours is an R-rated hardcore horror film. The tradition of opening films on Memorial Day weekend has been very strong so I think all the films will do very well.

MG: What do you like most about producing films over directing?
OP: I think the main thing is directing islike a full time job. You are working on a film for a year at a time. When you are producing you are able to juggle several things at once. If I was directing “Chernobyl Diaries” I wouldn’t be able to do it because of all the other things I have going on. As a producer you are able to over think projects.

MG: What other projects are you working on next?
OP: I actually have a policy of not discussing any projects that I have in development. Sorry.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: activitys, chernobyl, diaries, film, oren, paranormal, ...

Brad Parker talks about directing “Chernobyl Diaries”

Brad Parker is making his directorial debut with the new film “Chernobyl Diaries”. The film is co-wrote and produced by Oren Peli, known for the “Paranormal Activity” series. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Bradley about working on the film and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us why you chose “Chernobyl Diaries” for your directorial debut?
Brad Parker: There were two things really. The idea of working with Oren Peli who is a great guy and sort of a master of suspense was very exciting. The other thing was the city itself. It was a place I had been aware of and had collected photos of the location thinking that someday I would shoot a film there. When we first met we hit it off and were instantly able to start talking about the city as a character. We got right into the nuts and bolts of production. The place and the man were the two main elements.

MG: So you had knowledge of the area prior to starting?
BP: Yes I did. I had sort of learned from my friend Mark Romanic that as I came across fascinating photos I should save them on my computer. I created an archive for when I needed a specific look for something. I was able to pull from the knowledge of the place through a photographic sense.

MG: What do you think was this projects biggest challenge?
BP: The biggest challenge I think was the amount of time we had to do the film. I met theproducers of the film about a year ago. I had a rough treatment of the film at that time and we were set to start shooting not too long after that meeting. We really got into production very quickly. We shot the film in about 20 days so that was probably the biggest challenge. It was a lot of fun but very hard at the same time. Some of the locations were challenging and there were a number of things going on in a few of the scenes.

MG: Your background is in visual effects. Did you get involved with any of that for this film?
BP: I did. I got involved by deciding where not to use visual effects. I have being doing visual effects work for so long that I have become aware of where effects work and where they do not. I had a limited budget so I had to figure out how to use that appropriately. I worked with my friend and former co-worker Mark Forker on the visual stuff. It was great to be out there with a friend and an ally. We are very like minded and I trust him. He and I see eye to eye when it comes to visual aesthetics.

MG: What do you think you were able to take from this shoot that you will be able to use in future projects?
BP: The experience of working with this group of actors. It’s kind of semi-improvisational which I really liked. I found it very liberating and it was a great way to work. Working on long takes was another thing I loved. That was a great way to shoot and get natural performances. I think I will be taking that with me for future shoots.

MG: Are you at all nervous about the film opening up against “Men in Black III”?
BP: It’s hard to say. I don’t know what to expect being this is my first film. I am a big fan of the “Men in Black” series. I hope people respond well to the film. I don’t know how we will do but I hope people like it.

MG: Do you know what your next project will be?
BP: I am in development right now with Bad Robot. My friend Matt Reeves is producing the film and it is being released by Paramount. I can’t really say too much about it just yet.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: brad, chernobyl, diaries, directing, parker, talks, ...

Derya Nagle talks about his band The Safety Fire and New Album

Derya “Dez” Nagle is the guitarist for progressive UK rock band The Safety Fire. The band just released their first full length album titled “Grind the Ocean”. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Dez about the new album and the bands upcoming US tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the new album?
Dez Nagle: The album is called “Grind the Ocean” and it is being released via Inside Out. We have a digitized version of the album as well as a hard copy version. This is our first full length album and we couldn’t be more excited to get the album out there.

AL: Can you describe the writing process for the album?
DN: We generally will start with one motif that we will develop into a whole song. Sometimes we will have a just a chord progression or a riff that we flesh out into a full arrangement. From there we all discuss where we want to take the song. The type of music we do makes it sort of difficult to start off trying to make ideas from the very beginning. Some of the ideas can be quite obscure and or abstract in conversation. It’s a lot easier to go along with the studio vibe and develop the ideas there. We usually will pre-produce those ideas and write everything else from there.

AL: Will we be seeing any music videos to accompany the album’s release?
DN: We did a video for the first single off the album titled “She’s Hammered”. The video has been out for a short time now and has gotten quite a bit of air time here in the UK. I think the YouTube release just recently hit 70,000 views. There also is an exclusive video people can check out on Guitarworld.com for the bands next single.

AL: What can you tell us about the concept for the new video?
DN: It’s very different from the normal kind of band performance. The video is based around Laurie drinking this peculiar drink which alters her perception. We like to have fun videos that have their own story line while keeping a connection to the song. We want people who watch the videos to have an appreciation for both the video and the music.

AL: Being from/based in the UK have you found it hard to break into new markets such as the US?
DN: I think being the type of band that we are makes us very proactive. We are always releasing new content and trying to engage our fans as much as possible. The internet has really broken down a lot of boundaries for what is possible. We have received a lot of messages and such via Twitter and Facebook from people who are excited to see the band. That has been really great. Even though we are from the UK we are always looking for ways to get into other new markets. Radio One here in the UK has helped the band a lot by playing our songs during the drive hours. That has really opened us up to a lot more people.

AL: How long will your tour in States run?
DN: We start at the end of March in Chicago and the tour runs through the end of April. All the dates of the tour are available on line so people wanting to check out the band can look for those and come and see the show. Once that tour wraps up we have been confirmed for some UK festivals dates. We will be at Sonisphere as well as another really cool festival called The Heavy Festival. We love touring and being busy.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: dez, interview, nagle

“Man on a Ledge” Blu-ray and Prize Pack Giveaway [ENDED]

THANK YOU FOR ENTERING, THE CONTEST HAS ENDED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EVERY WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!

The action-thriller MAN ON A LEDGE, featuring an all star cast, led by Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator: Salvation) as an ex-cop who escapes from prison to plan the ultimate heist: steal a $40 million diamond from a cutthroat businessman, and in the process prove his innocence. Hailed by critics as “a heart-pounding adrenaline rush,” the film will debut on Blu-ray and DVD on May 29th.

Media Mikes is excited to offer our readers a chance to win a great prize pack in order to celebrbate the release of “Man on a Ledge”. If you would like to win one of these great prizes below, all you have to do is “LIKE” our Facebook page and then post “Man/Ledge” or leave us a comment below if you don’t use Facebook. This giveaway will be open until Friday June 1st at Noon, Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household; all other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends, Media Mikes will randomly pick out winners and alert the winners via email.

The giveaway packs including the following:
“Man on a Ledge” Blu-ray BD
Black Baseball Cap with Man on the Ledge logo
Black Coffee Tumbler with man on the Ledge logo

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: bluray, giveaway, ledge, man, pack, prize, ...

Film Review “Men in Black III”

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
PG 13
Running time: 1 hour 47 mins
Columbia Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

It’s been 10 years since Agent’s “J” and “K” have made our world safe from aliens. A lot of things have changed since then. A lot hasn’t. But when the fate of the world depends on things changing 40 years in the past, who you gonna call? No, not the Ghostbusters!

The original “Men in Black” was the second of three summer films that established Will Smith as a bonafide box office star (and a sure bet to open a film over the 4th of July). His young buck agent “J” played perfectly off of Tommy Lee Jones’ gruff agent “K.” “MIB 3” finds them just as we remember them. But MIB itself has changed. The new head of the agency is the lovely “O” (Emma Thompson). She and “K” appear to have a bit of a past but if that’s true she’s not saying. When a galactic menace named Boris the Animal ( played by “Flight of the Conchords” Jemaine Clement) escapes his lunar prison, intending to settle a long time score with “K”, “J” must travel back in time to 1969, where he again encounters “K” (a brilliant Josh Brolin). While there doors are unlocked and questions are answered.

A resounding return to the magic that made the original “Men in Black” so successful, “MIB 3” is what a summer movie should be: FUN! Well written and featuring some of the best effects on screen this year (my apologies, “Avengers”), the film also features some fine performances. Smith easily slips back into the wise cracking “J” while Jones has mastered the crusty old mentor role. The standout here is Brolin, who nails Jones’ mannerisms and vocal tics. Every time he calls Smith “slick,” hondo” or “sport” you almost expect to see Jones standing behind him. Clement is also solid in a role I never would have considered him for. His Boris the Animal (“it’s JUST Boris,” he hisses when addressed by his full moniker) is truly evil and much more suited to take over the world then Johnny Knoxville’s head in “MIB 2.” The visual effects are just as sharp, with 12 time Oscar nominee (and 7 time winner, including for the original “Men in Black”) Rick Baker and staff outdoing themselves.

Director Sonnenfeld keeps the pace moving smoothly while the script by, among others, Etan Coen (“Tropic Thunder”) and David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “Spider-man”) delivers the humor as well as an unexpected emotional payoff. As in the other films in the series, the production values are top notch with special credit going to cinematographer Bill Pope (the “Matrix” films, “Spider-Man 2 and 3”), whose lens seemingly captured a post card of New York City, circa 1969. Credit as well to long time Sonnenfeld production designer Bo Welch, whose attention to the detail of the late 1960s is outstanding.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: black, film, iii, men, review

Film Review “Chernobyl Diaries”

Starring: Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski and Olivia Dudley
Directed by: Bradley Parker
R
Running time: 1 hour 30 mins
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Blame “The Blair Witch Project.” Since that film came out in 1999, a plethora of “found footage” films has invaded the multiplex. Some of them (“Cloverfield,” the “Paranormal Activity” series) have been downright scary. Others, like the recent “Apollo 18,” have been anything but. Now we have “Chernobyl Diaries” which, thankfully, is no “Apollo 18.”

On a trip to Europe three young friends visit all of the major cities on the continent. London. Prague. Frankfurt. The trio is made up of Chris (McCartney), his girlfriend Natalie (Dudley) and their friend Amanda (Devin Kelly). The group ends up in Kiev, where they plan to meet up with Chris’ brother, Paul (Sadowski). The plan is to take a trip to Moscow. But the plans change when Paul enlists Uri (Dimitri Diatchenko), an “extreme tour” guide. Uri informs them that he can take the group to Pripyat, which is where the workers of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant and their families lived. They learn that, after the reactor meltdown a quarter century ago, the residents of the town were given less than five minutes to evacuate. It now stands as a town that time forgot, where because of the fallout, nothing can live. Almost nothing.

Best described as “I Am Legend” meets “Paranormal Activity,” “Chernobyl Diaries” is a pretty slick little film. The “Paranormal Activity” gene comes straight from the source as the film was co-written by Oren Peli, the writer/director of the original film. His script is solid here, with an unflinching look at what the effects of a nuclear disaster can be. In Pripyat giant bears and packs of dogs hunt in the woods while fish resembling the kind swimming near the nuclear plant on “The Simpsons” fill the lake. The city is also occupied by what appears to be a race of people that have mutated into night dwelling monsters.

Though some of the scares are telegraphed the majority of the film is pretty intense. Credit a strong cast, a keen eye by first time director Parker and a production designer who has managed to bring, excuse the pun, a dead town to life. The set pieces are impressive as are the visual effects. If you’re looking for a fright this holiday weekend you could do much worse then “Chernobyl Diaries.”

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: chernobyl, diaries, film, review

Emma Fuhrmann talks about working with Morgan Freeman & Rob Reiner in “The Magic of Belle Island”

Emma Fuhrmann stars opposite Morgan Freeman in the upcoming Rob Reiner film “The Magic of Belle Island”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Emma recently about her role in the film.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the film “The Magic of Belle Island”?
Emma Fuhrmann: The film is about Morgan Freeman’s character Monty who moves in next door to where my family lives. My character becomes very intrigued by Monty and seeks his help with a few things. In the end our lives are changed by happens over the course of the summer. It’s about our journey together.

AL: Can you tell us a little more about your role?
EF: My character’s name is Finnegan O’Neil. She is the middle daughter in a family with three girls. She is sort of the tom boy type and likes to be outside.

AL: What was it that interested you in the role?
EF: My agent had sent me the script and after reading it I thought the character would be cool to play. I live in Texas so I ended up doing a video audition. Around 2 or 3 weeks later I got a call from my agent saying that Rob wanted to see me. I flew to New York and a couple hours after the audition while waiting in the airport I found out I was offered the role.

AL: What was your first response when you found out you had gotten the role?
EF: I wanted to scream but I couldn’t scream because I was in the airport. I just started crying.

AL: What was it like working with Morgan and Rob?
EF: It was such an amazing experience. Everyone was so nice. I remember one day Rob and Morgan were singing all these songs together and it was really funny. They were actually really good singers.

AL: Was there anything difficult about the role?
EF: I had to yell at Morgan in one of the scene and it seemed kind of weird that I was yelling at Morgan Freeman. The rest of the scenes were pretty easy as I am a little like my character.

AL: What do you think you learned from working on this film?
EF: I learned a lot from watching Morgan. He would stay in character all of the time even when we weren’t shooting. He played his character so well. I learned that it’s important to always stay in character. It’s help a lot. It was really fun watching those guys work.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: belle, emma, freeman, fuhrmann, island, magic, ...

Max Charles chats about playing Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spider-Man”

Max Charles is only 8-years old but is having on heck of busy year. He is co-starring in “The Three Stooges” and even playing the role of a young Peter Parker in this summer’s reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man”. He is also voicing Sherman in the upcoming animated film “My Peaboy & Sherman”. Max took our sometime to chat with Media Mikes about this busy year and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about experience on the film “The Three Stooges”, must have been a fun time?
Max Charles: “The Three Stooges” was so much fun to film. We were in Atlanta all summer and since my scenes are with Will (Sasso), Sean (Hayes) and Chris (Diamantopoulos), I got to hang out with them in the green room. They are so funny and we were always laughing even in between scenes.

MG: What did you enjoy most about playing the young orphan Peezer?
MC: Peezer is the Three Stooges little buddy so that was fun!! I really like the character because he seems like a nice and fun kid. He really cares about his friends especially his best friend Murph. Peezer also encourages the Stooges to do the right thing and try to save the orphanage.

MG: How was it working on the upcoming “The Amazing Spider-Man” and playing a young Peter Parker?
MC: Amazing!! I still can’t believe I am Peter Parker and got to work on this film! The Amazing Spider-Man was my first feature film so it will always be REALLY special to me. Whenever I saw Andrew on set he would come over and sit with me and we would talk about the movie and acting. I thought that was really cool. When we were in New York filming we saw him riding his bike when we were walking in our hotel and when he saw me he rode over to talk to me. Nice is cool!

MG: Was it exciting to play such a notable superhero?
MC: Spider-Man has ALWAYS been my favorite superhero! When I was like three years old I was even Spider-Man for Halloween! I think I wore that costume ALL YEAR! I had NO idea I would EVER get to be Spider-Man in a movie!

MG: You are set to voice Sherman in the upcoming animated film “My Peaboy & Sherman”, tell us about that?
MC: Sherman is a GREAT character and SO much fun. He has a big heart but he seems to accidentally get in a ton of trouble. Mr. Ty Burrell plays Mr Peabody who is a very smart Dog who is always getting Sherman out of the trouble he makes. It’s awesome because they get to travel in a time machine and go to fun places. Sherman would be a fun kid to be friends with!

MG: What do you like most about voice work?
MC: Voice work is great because you can get crazy with your voice and acting. I like getting into the character when we are recording a session instead of just standing there saying the words. They said they are getting some pretty funny behind the scenes footage too.

MG: What other projects do you have planned upcoming?
MC: I play Max Weaver in an ABC comedy pilot called “Down To Earth”, so we hope that gets picked up for Fall. It’s a really funny show. I’m working on “Peabody and Sherman” right now and doing several voices for other tv shows like “Family Guy”, “American Dad” and “Robot Chicken”. I have a movie called “Unstable” coming out soon that I am one of the leads in and I did a guest spot on “Scent of The Missing” for TNT and I got to play the missing. I’m also working on some music with my brothers.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Featured, Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: amazing, charles, chats, max, parker, peter, ...

A Sound of Thunder’s Josh Schwartz talks about new album

Josh Schwartz is the guitarist for the Washington D.C. based rock/metal band A Sound of Thunder. Media Mikes recently had a chance to talk with Josh about the band’s new album titled “Out of the Darkness”.

Adam Lawton: How would you describe the new album?
Josh Schwartz: I consider “Out of the Darkness” a “classic heavy metal” album, but not in the way the term is being thrown around in the metal scene these days, which usually refers to NWOBHM style bands.  When I think “classic metal”, I think of the days when metal was not so separate from mainstream rock ‘n’ roll, when bands like Black Sabbath and Yes could tour together, and you could put something heavy and evil on the same album with a ballad or a classical guitar piece, and not be considered a sellout. Nobody questions that “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath or “Killers” by Iron Maiden are classic metal albums, even though “Planet Caravan” and “Prodigal Son” aren’t really metal songs at all.  It seems like it’s harder to get away with doing melodic music in metal these days, unless you’re a prog-metal band or have operatic vocals.  I don’t consider us a prog-metal band; I consider us a classic heavy metal band with some minimal elements of prog-rock (not prog-metal) thrown in. We definitely aren’t an operatic band though Nina is belting it out like Dio or Bruce Dickinson.

AL: What is the band’s writing process like?
JS: Generally I will write all of the music, either during rehearsal jams or on my own. We arrange songs as a group and either Nina or Chris will write the lyrics.  Everyone in the band does write music to some degree. Jesse wrote the bridge to “The Day I Die”. “The Night Witch” started with a vocal melody written by Nina and Chris wrote the vocal melody for “This Too Shall Pass”. Nina will often throw a simple idea at me that I can use as a starting point for the music.  For “Calat Alhambra”, she asked me to write something in a Spanish/Flamenco style. For “Kill That Bitch” she asked me to write something in the style of Accept (not sure I succeeded there or not!).

AL: Did you take any different approaches to recording this time around?
JS: Yes! Our debut EP “A Sound of Thunder” and first full length album “Metal Renaissance” were both recorded on analog tape, mostly without a click track, and with minimal overdubs and vocal harmonies.  They were both self-produced.  For “Out of the Darkness” we worked with a producer for the first time. Kevin “131” Gutierrez (Shinedown) produced the album and recorded everything in ProTools.  While we did sacrifice the vintage analog sound a bit, this allowed us to get a much more powerful, crisp sounding record. It also made it much easier to add more vocal harmonies, keyboards, effects, etc.  Recording digitally is just much faster and cheaper which is obviously a consideration.  Some day we may go back and do an all vintage analog sounding album similar to the “Ghost” record.

AL: Is there a track off the albums that you are most looking forward to playing live?
JS: We are excited to add “Discovery” to our set. “Discovery” is a bit of an epic, at almost nine minutes. The song features keys, a string quartet, and lots of guitar and vocal harmonies.  It’s been a challenge arranging it so that we can pull it off live as a power trio, but I think we’ve done it.  Our drummer Chris switches to acoustic guitar for part of the song, which has been a great live moment for the crowd thus far.  We’ve also added some extended guitar, vocal and piano improv with our bassist Jesse switching to piano for a bit.  We play a lot of our heavier stuff live but “Discovery” will be more of a nod to classic rock with its extended length and improv sections.

AL: What are your tour plans for this year?
JS: We’ll be going out on our most extensive tour yet in May.  It’ll be 12 dates in a row, ranging from Washington, DC to St. Paul, MN,  Aside from that we always like to keep busy playing at least 2-3 shows each month closer to home. We may look into another small tour of the south or the north-east later in the year. We’ll be recording a new album over the summer so that probably won’t happen before the fall.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: interview, josh, schwartz

Blu-ray Review “Coriolanus”

Directed by: Ralph Fiennes
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Running Time: 124 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I haven’t seen an Shakespeare adaption this good since “Titus”. The story of “Coriolanus” has been revamped and brought forward into modern times. Ralph Fiennes is not a good actor…he is an amazing actor. I mean have you seen him in the “Harry Potter” series and even Hades in “Titans” series. I know he’s won awards for other films in the past but those are my favorites. If you know the story then you know it is not for the squeamish. This film is bad-ass and is a mix of “Rambo” and “Fight Club”, with the dialogue of Shakespeare.

“Coriolanus” is also directed by Fiennes, job well done for sure. Fiennes is also not alone is this film though he is backed by a great supporting cast including Gerard Butler (“300”), Vanessa Redgrave (“Letters to Juliet”), Brian Cox (“Super Troopers”), Jessica Chastain (“The Help”) and James Nesbitt (“The Way”). It is a real team effort with this film and everyone pinches in there’s and more.

The story of “Coriolanus” is one of honor and betrayal, what else would you expect from Shakespeare. It follows Caius Martius aka Coriolanus (Fiennes), who is a Roman General, put up against his people who both respect yet fear him. Coriolanus, fed up against his power-hungry mother (Redgrave) and being rejected by his own people, starts a riot that gets him expelled from Rome. After being banished, he joins up with his enemy Tullus Aufidius (Butler) in order to get his revenge and meet his own destiny.

The Blu-ray presentation is very impressive. The 1080p transfer looks great and the audio sounds great with its DTS HD-MA 5.1 track, especially with the action scenes. The special features are not amazing but decent. There is a interesting/in-depth commentary from director/star Ralph Fiennes, I really love listening to him talk. Lastly there is a decent featurette “The Making of Coriolanus”. This release also comes packaged with a DVD a long side with the Blu-ray disc.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, coriolanus, review

Borknagar’s Oystein Brun talks about new album and tour

Oystein Brun is the founding member of the Norwegian progressive black metal band Borknagar. The band released their 9th studio album titled “Urd” on March 26th via Century Media Records. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Oystein about the release and the bands plans for the upcoming tour season.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about the band’s new album “Urd”?
Oystein Brun: The album covers a wide range. It is progressive, epic and metal. It’s all those things combined with the bands trademark sound. We have gotten some really amazing feedback and are very excited. I think we took a step further production wise with this album and we are very happy with how it turned out.

AL: How does this compare to some of this the bands previous work?
OB: I think the production element of the album really shines. Some of our previous releases really lacked the production that should go along with the type of powerful music we play. With the new album we really did take a huge step. Everything on this album feels really satisfying. The band this time also had a great process and we all took a step up. It was great being able to have our hands in all the different aspects of the recording process.

AL: Does the band do any pre-production prior to going into the studio?
OB: I will generally come in with my songs and the other guys in the band will bring in their songs and we start there. This time around we spent a lot of time on the recording process. I think we spent around 6 months just on the recording process itself. We tried different ideas which made things nice. We didn’t have a time crunch or anything so we were able to spend quite a bit of time on the various stages.

AL: What has it been like returning back to Century Media Records?
OB: We were with them back in 1996 when the band was first signed. We did 6 albums with them during our first signing but after those we decided to just try something new. We wanted to try working with some different people. We started to notice that our material was becoming harder to get in certain areas of the world. At the end of the day things just weren’t working. We have shared so much history with Century Media that it has been really great coming back to that label. They know how the band works and have helped get everything back on track for us.

AL: Have there been any talks of touring?
OB: There have been of course talks. (Laughs) First and for most we like to create music. The big issue for us right now is that we don’t want to tour that much. We all have things outside the band and some of us have small babies at home. We will try to do something as I would love to go back to some places in Europe.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: brun, interview, oystein

Kimberly Lacy talks about HGTV’s “Curb Appeal”

Kimberly Lacy is the project manager on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” formally known as “Curb Appeal: The Block”.. She is also attending this year’s Central Florida Home & Garden Show May 25-27th, 2012. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Kimberly about working on the show and also about the upcoming event.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your involvement with the “Central Florida Home & Garden Show”?
Kimberly Lacy: I’m coming to Central Florida Home and Garden Show as a presenter and Consumer. As a presenter I plan to inspire and motivate the “average” Do It Yourself’er with easy, budget conscious tips and ideas to get them well on their way to becoming the rock that needs to be turned over to one of the Jewel’s in their neighborhood.

MG: Tell us what you enjoy most about working on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal”?
The thing that I love the most about working on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” is that it doesn’t seem like much of a job. Don’t get me wrong it is a job and it hard work but the instant gratification and appreciate from the Homeowner’s makes it all worth it. It get’s more rewarding everyday and every homeowner I meet. I can be myself and considering I was born to turn Frown’s upside Down, It’s my way of paying it forward and building community.

MG: Working as Project Manager on the show, what is your process when approaching a new job?
I approach a new job with an open mind and the “Can Do Attitude”, I don’t worry. All with knowing and keeping the budget for the project in mind. The budget can easily make or break the job. With that being said, when scouting neighborhoods for the perfect candidate to be a neighbor makeover, we only choose homes that we can give the homeowners and viewers a dramatic before and after with clean up, trimming and pruning, paint, and landscape and still staying within a $1,000 budget.

MG: Any fun stories from behind the scenes that did not make it to the show?
That’s funny! There are always so many fun stories from behind the scenes that don’t make the show. These stories include the crew that work with us behind the scenes. We were working in Oakland, it was a bright and sunny day and every one was in a good mood. We had empty Burlap sacks, which had pebbles in them, laying around and I (being the life of the party) had the bright idea to put on a potato sack race. We even had the human wheel barrel race going on. We created the lanes and finish lines for the races with bags of soil and mulch, pots and paint pails. It was a really good time and we filmed it on my flip cam.

MG: When can does the fourth season of “Curb Appeal” start and what can we expect?
The name of the show has changed from “Curb Appeal: The Block” to “Curb Appeal”. The shows time has also changed from 8:00pm to 5:30pm on Saturdays. So set your DVR’s, it may be hard for people to make it home at 5:30pm on Saturday. The show airs on March 31, 2012. The fifth season will roll in right after so no one will be without their favorite show, “Curb Appeal”. The fourth season is the last season we have Chip on the show and we are having a lot of fun, as per the usual and creating some spectacular makeovers. We are in the San Francisco Bay area, so there are several different types of architecture and John is able to create some serious never seen before designs.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: appeal, block, central, curb, florida, garden, ...

Marduk’s Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson gives a sneak peek about new album

Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson is the guitarist/ founding member of the legendary black metal group Marduk. The band is set to release it’s 12th studio album titled “Serpent Sermon” in early June of this year. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Morgan about the bands history and what we can expect from the group’s latest offering.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us a brief history of the band?
Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson: It can be tough to sum up a 22 year career. We started in 1990 wanting to push the limits of what was being done at that time. We have our 12th studio album coming out this month to add to the other albums and DVD’s we have put out. We have been spreading our message across most parts of the world for quite some time now. We just keep marching all over.

AL: Did you ever envision a 20+ year career with the band?
MSH: The same time we started the band we were expanding and getting more into what we were doing. Things around us were also expanding. We were pushing the limits of what had been done previously and while doing so we realized there were no limits. We just kept going with making our visions come to life. Over time we started to see things in a broader way. That kept us going.

AL: Other than the bands lineup changes. Have you noticed any other changes in the band?
MSH: Not really. Music has always been written in a variety of different ways. Nothing comes to you the same way as another. Sometimes we can base a whole album of a single title. We go where things take us.

AL: How would you describe the band’s new album “Serpent Sermon”?
MSH: I think it is a very good reflection of the band in 2012. This album has everything an extreme heavy metal album should have. The last few albums we have done have been very focused around the themes of death and decay. This album is a return to the diabolical decent of what black metal really is about. This album is I think maybe more focused on that than the previous 2 release. I think the title really speaks for the whole album. We really had a vision behind this album and want people to know the meaning of the album’s title.

AL: Are there video plans for any of the albums tracks?
MSH: We just finished a shoot for the track “Souls of Belial”. I think it will start airing the beginning of May. We have a few things left to finalize but I think this video is a good reflection of the spirit of the song.

AL: What are the exact release plans for the album?
MSH: I think it is coming out in Europe around the 29th or 30th of May and in the States during the first week of June. There is about a week difference between the release dates across the world.

AL: What are the tour plans for the album?
MSH: We are still on the process of finalizing everything. There will be a lot of dates being announced shortly. The plan is to start around May 11th. The tour is going to take us to places like Russia and Siberia. From there we will hit Puerto Rico, the United States and Canada before returning to Europe at the end of June. We have some festival dates in the works as well as a headlining European tour. The headlining tour will be around 40 dates. It’s going to be intense!

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, hakansson, marduks, morgan, peak, sneak, ...

Blu-ray Review “The Grey”

Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Running Time: 117 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out 5 stars

Liam Neeson is definitely one bad-ass son-bitch. He proved it recently in “Taken” and “Unknown” and again in this film ‘The Grey”.  This film is the perfect thriller from the moment it starts and really nails the aspect of isolation.  The locations where this film was shot was absolutely beautiful to look at and I found myself just staring.  The pace is slow moving but really gets deep into its characters and leaves you at the edge of your seat.  Also be sure to stay through the credits for a cool bonus scene!

The story follows a group of oil-men, who become stranded in the remote Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. Ottway (Neeson) leads the group of men, who are forced to survive against a pack of grey wolves who are stalking them.  They have to use more than just brute strength in order to outsmart these vicious pack of wolves in order to survive.

This release comes in a Two-Disc Combo Pack with the Blu-ray and DVD.  As well as a digital streaming copy using UltraViolet service.  The video looks absolutely perfect in its 1080p transfer and wonderful aspect ratio of 2.40:1.  The audio is also perfect with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, you literally almost feel every gust of wind and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.    The special features though are lacking.  There is a decent and information commentary track with director/co-writer Joe Carnahan and editors Roger Barton and Jason Hellmann. Lastly, there is also twenty plus minutes of deleted scenes, which are definitely worth checking out.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, grey, review

Dorian Missick and Kate Kelton Join Third Season of SyFy’s Popular Series Haven

DORIAN MISSICK (SOUTHLAND, THE CAPE) AND KATE KELTON (HAROLD AND KUMAR, AMERICAN PSYCHO 2) JOIN THIRD SEASON OF SYFY’S POPULAR SERIES HAVEN

SEASON 3 OF HAVEN PREMIERES FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

NEW YORK – May 18, 2012 – Dorian Missick (Southland, The Cape) and Kate Kelton (Harold and Kumar, American Psycho 2) will join the cast ofSyfy’s popular series Haven in recurring roles when the show returns for its third season beginning Friday, September 21 at 10PM (ET/PT).

Kelton portrays the spirited and fierce “Jordan McKee.” She’s a waitress at “The Gun & Rose Diner,” and also an influential member of a mysterious organization of “troubled” people whose identity is known by the distinctive tattoo marking its members. 

Missick plays “Tommy Bowen,” a street smart Boston detective who comes to Haven investigating a suspected serial killer case. A shrewd, calculating policeman, he’s also a fish out of water, completely mismatched with this L.L. Bean world.  

Season three of Haven picks up immediately following the events of the gripping season two finale with Audrey having been brutally kidnapped; Nathan (Lucas Bryant) warned against pursuing a romantic relationship with Audrey; and Duke (Eric Balfour) seemingly engaged in a fight to the death with Nathan after he discovers his family lineage is to kill Haven citizens with troubles.

Haven, based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King, follows former FBI agent Audrey Parker, who becomes a cop in the small town of Haven, Maine, and soon discovers the town’s many secrets, which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past. 

From leading independent studio Entertainment One (eOne), Haven is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

The creative team behind Haven includes executive producers John Morayniss (The Firm, Hell on Wheels) from eOne Television and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, Greek) of Piller/Segan/Shepherd and Matt McGuinness (Journeyman, Dark Blue) as well as Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone), who also developed the series.

Haven is produced by Entertainment One and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on Universal Networks International’s channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany’s Tele München Group (TMG) for the television rights in Continental Europe.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com) and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content.  The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.  Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 20,000 film and television titles, 2,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

About Universal Networks International
Universal Networks International, the global channels division of NBCUniversal, is one of the world’s premier entertainment networks, delivering quality content and compelling brands to 150 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.  The portfolio includes the brands Syfy, Universal Channel, DIVA Universal, Studio Universal and 13th Street Universal and now, with the acquisition by Comcast Corporation, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network and Golf Channel. These brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe.  Universal Networks International also operates Movies 24 and has an interest in the KidsCo joint venture.

About Shaw Communications Inc.

Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 18 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: TV Interviews Tagged With: dorian, haven, join, kate, kelton, missick, ...
« sdf
Previous
Page 74 of 118
Next
Next Page »