March Quick Picks and Pans

Klaus Schulze: Ballett 2 (2000)

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Klaus Schulze - Ballett 2

KS Canon 87

Track Listing:

1.	Atmosphère Concrète	07:35
2.	Hagi's Lament	30:12
3.	Wolf's Ponticelli	24:18
4.	The Smile of Shadows	12:06

Bonus Track:

4.

Trance 4 Motion

05:42

Notes:
(1) Wolfgang Tiepold plays cello.
(2) Thomas Kagermann plays flute and violin.

Rating: 5 Stars
Bonus Tracks: 4 Stars

This is the 87th solo album recorded by Klaus Schulze. It was originally released as the seventh album of the "Contemporary Works 1" box set.

"Atmosphère Concrète" is weak as an opening track, but I still give the album an overall rating of five stars. The music is slow and contemplative, less emotional than "Ballett 1". It's an album that helps me relax.

The bonus track is out of character for the album, an unnecessary addition just to get as close to the 80 minutes maximum as possible. There are no additional credits for the track, but based on the title I would guess that it's an unused Wahnfried track from the album with the same name.

"Ballett 2" was released as a solo CD in 2006. It's now out of print, but in 2017 it was made available as half of the double album "Ballett 1 & 2".

Kid with the Golden Arm (4 Stars)

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It's no coincidence that I've been watching so many Chinese films lately. I'm getting sick of the people around me blaming China for the Coronavirus. My ex-wife told me a few days ago, "After this is over I'm never going to a Chinese restaurant again". What a stupid thing to say! Even if China really is to blame for the Coronavirus (which I doubt), what good does it do blaming the hard-working restaurant owners in Germany? They don't sell bat soup. The most exotic meal I've ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant in Germany was Sweet and Sour Kangaroo. And it was delicious!

The first thing I'll do after the Coronavirus quarantine is go to a Chinese buffet and enjoy a large meal. If possible, I'll visit a Chinese restaurant in Schwäbisch Hall, because there are two restaurants that I prefer to any in Stuttgart. They're more expensive, but they have a better selection. For now, I'll just content myself with watching good Chinese films. Two months ago there was a special offer at Amazon.de in which I was able to buy Shaw Brothers films on Blu-ray for five Euros each. I jumped at the offer and placed a ridiculously large order. Now I'm finally getting round to watching them.

This is a completely different film to "The New Shaolin Boxers", that I watched yesterday. It was obvious to me that Fu Sheng was a skilled fighter, even if everything was choreographed. In "Kid with the Golden Arm" it doesn't look like genuine fighting at all. The fight scenes look more like ballet, with arms, legs and various weapons clashing stylistically in mid air.

It's unclear when the film is supposed to take place. It's kept deliberately vague. It could be any time between 1000 BC and 1800 AD. A shipment of gold is being delivered to a famine stricken area. Government agents have hired four skilled fighters (Hero Li, Miss Leng, Short Axe Yang and Long Axe Fang) to assist them, because a gang called the Deadly Valley wants to steal the gold. Deadly Valley's leader is the Kid with the Golden Arm. Actually his arms aren't golden, he just wears gold bracelets. Translation? He has four fighters in his gang: Man with Iron Arms, Silver Spear, Iron Fan and Copper Head. Wow! They sound like the villains from a super-hero film.

There's also a wild card. Sheriff Hai Tao turns up to oversee the transport, working independently of the others. His speciality is that he's always drunk. He pulls a wagon with enormous jugs of wine, as well as carrying several small flasks on his person. When he walks he staggers, but when he fights he's unbeatable. There have been a few martial arts films with drunken fighters. That seems to be a running joke, a contrast to the holy Shaolin monks.

It's obviously a low budget film. In the outdoor scenes we can see that the sky and clouds are painted on a wall. They didn't put in much of an effort to hide it. Didn't they think anyone would notice?

I've read that this is one of the most highly acclaimed Shaw Brothers films. That's surprising. To me it looks like a comedy romp. The fights are like a series of vignettes, strung together by a paper thin plot. Yes, there's a lot of violence. People die in the fights, but the battles are so surreal that it's difficult to take the deaths seriously. I enjoy the film, but I wouldn't call it one of the best.

The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for March 2020

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What a difference a month makes, and what a strange time to be living through. The UK, where I am based, is just past its first week of lock down but it is only really this past weekend I have felt what it is like to self isolate. The business I work at for my day job is classed as essential and so I am still heading into the lab and getting to interact with people during weekdays. On the one hand I am getting out the house, earning money, and able to really lose myself in my work, but on the flipside, I'm a die hard introvert so feel I am missing out on the few benefits this pandemic is bringing, namely blissful isolation! Plus I look at all my work colleagues the same way characters in zombie films look at people they suspect of having been bitten, anyone, me included could be unknowingly infected. Anyway, I seem to have a load of news this month, who knows if it is still relevant as the virus is bringing changes to all walks of life. Some news, especially pertaining to theatrical releases and film festivals I have decided to omit at this time.

Doom Eternal came out a week and a bit ago, I'm not finding much time to play it, but when I do I am loving it. Currently I'm around seven levels in and it is a total blast. Resident Evil 3 remake is due out on Friday, so I am desperately trying to zoom through the original in time for that, if need be I will delay playing the remake until the original is completed again!
This past weekend has seen me re-watching the six films of the Resident Evil series. I have a real soft spot for those films and have really enjoyed watching them once again. Saturday saw me get through Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Sunday I viewed Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil: Afterlife, while on Monday I watched Resident Evil: Retribution, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. For each of these I did a bit of editing on the reviews as well as added my current thoughts on the films. Onto the actual news!

Arrow Video released The Passion of Darkly Noon on Blu-ray on 23rd March. Philip Ridley's 90's cult classic stars Brendan Fraiser (The Mummy) as a young man who falls into a destructive rage after the death of his highly religious parents, Viggo Mortensen and Ashley Judd co-star. This release features a brand-new 2K restoration, and marks the films worldwide Blu-ray debut.
Blue Underground are set to release Zombie and Maniac on 4K UHD Blu-ray on 26th May. Both releases feature a whole slew of extras, Zombie and Maniac are both 3 disc limited editions.

A new clip has been released for Realm of Shadows. This is an anthology horror that stars the legendary Tony Todd (the Candyman and Final Destination franchises), Jimmy Drain  and Vida Ghaffari. All the stories in this anthology are said to be based on real events



Dark infinity's Tales For the Campfire 3 is now available on DVD. This is an anthology that stars legendary action star Mel Novak (Bruce Lee's Game of Death), and Dawna Lee Heising. It came out on 6th March exclusively from SCS Entertainment. It includes a bunch of extras, and even has a mini-poster included. This film is made up of five short films that include We One, Cole Canyon Creeps, The Prisoner, The Bitter Half and The Gateway.

Artsploitation Films have announced the acquisition of two new films. The Dead Ones is an American indie horror directed by Jeremy Kasten. In this one four outcast teens are made to stay at school in order to clean it after an incident they caused. However a gang who have stylied themselves on The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse have broken into the building and are hunting the four friends down.
Dead Dicks is about mentally ill man Richie who is shocked to discover himself reborn each time he tries to kill himself. This has been described as 'Cronenberg meets Brunel'. Check out the trailers for both of these ones.





Hex Studios have released a new video on their YouTube channel which is made up of a feature length video diary that covers the teams adventures at Glasgow FrightFest, obviously this must have taken place pre quarantine. They talk to the festival organisers and guests, as well as provide tips for filmmakers and show some behind the scenes stuff.



Multi-award winning actor/filmmaker Michael S. Rodriquez (Last American Horror Show) received the 'Directing Honor' at the Hanford International Film Festival in California on 7th March. He won the 'Director's Choice' award for his short horror Jack Incarnate (that reimagines the theory of Jack the Ripper and his crimes). The film previously also won 'Best Short Horror Film' at the festival, as well as at last years Los Angeles based Nollywood Film Awards Festival.

American Horrors has announced it is continuing production on its original TV series Groovey TV, Gorecast, American Horrors: The Lost Seasons, The American Horrors Intermission, Mission Terror and Horror Show. Founder and head of programming, Hart D. Fisher stated:
"I am personally bunkered down in the American Horrors studios and I'm prepared to ride this thing out right here, even if I'm the only one left to keep the horror streaming."

Frolic Pictures have announced the release of a whole bunch of double feature DVDs. From my experience with these I can say they are quite fantastic, at least the double feature I watched was pretty darn great. As always, there are far too many to list, some chosen at random include Ghosthouse/Firehouse, Kindergarten Ninja/Ninja Demon's Massacre, Winterbeast/Nudist Colony of the Dead, and The Witch Who Came from the Sea/The Bat People. The full list can be found here.

On the Trail of UFOs was due for release on 20th March, and to advertise this a final trailer was released. This documentary takes an in depth look at America's relationship with UFOs and follows investigator Shannon LeGro as she travels across the United States, going to such places as Area 51, New Hampshire and New York.



Dark electro-pop band Shadow Fashion have released a new single and video for their track Children of The Night. The band, who are said to appeal to fans of Depeche Mode, The Cure and New Order have created a song that speaks 'of the loneliness and isolation we have all gone through'. The video was shot in three locations, including the Houston Vampire Ball.



Horror rock band Saturday Nite Shockers have shown off their new video for the song Blessed Be. The inspiration for this video comes from The Craft as well as the historical Salem Witch Trials. The band say the theme of the song is one 'of self-pride despite the oppression or discrimination of others'.



Finally, please check out YouTube channel Collectors Detective. This channel reviews comics, as well as the occasional movie review and is hosted by Andrew Carr, who I can confirm is not only a comic book geek, but is also one who is passionate about the subject and gives out good recommendations. Check out his view on the DCeased mini series below, and if you like what you see then head to his channel and subscribe as he deserves way more subscribers than he currently has!



That is it for this month. When this pandemic initially arrived in the UK I was concerned that now really might not be the time for people to be watching horror, but I think it is actually the right time to be watching anything you damn well want. Escapism will be key for getting through all this and horror films are just as relevant as any other form of entertainment media as a means to escape the world. We are all missing seeing family and friends so any gateway out of this reality is a good one. So, be safe out there, wash your hands, stay the government approved minimum distance from people, and rejoice that at least the dead are not walking...yet!

S.H. Figuarts 1989 Batman (Michael Keaton) 15cm tall action figure Preview Pictures

Watch Movies TV -Pre-order Bandai S.H. Figuarts Batman (1989) action figure at BBTS (link HERE)

From the classic 1989 Batman film, the Dark Knight gets the S.H.Figuarts treatment. Standing about 6 inches tall, Batman boast a wide range of mobility and is loaded with all his gadgets.

Product Features: 5.90 inches (15cm) | Made of plastic | Bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Keaton's Batman | Eyes come to life with realistic coloring under a mask replicated with rubber like materials | Fabric cape | Fabric cape features support rods to recreate Batman's gliding poses

Box Contents: Batman figure, 2 Lower face parts, Alternate hands, Grapnel Gun, Batarang, 2 Shurikens, Parts to extend the cape

Scroll down to see all the pictures.
Click on them for bigger and better views.

Quick Sips - Escape Pod #722-725

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It's another full month of original fiction at Escape Pod. And not gonna lie, it's a bit of a strange month of stories as well, with tales of artificial lives and discoveries on distant moons, augmented veterans looking to live in a world of peace and people who've become unstuck in reality. There's a general...trippiness(?) to these stories, to the situations they reveal. People building wings and flying over an alien landscape. People trying to change the laws that govern multiple realities. People fighting back against a violent oppressive state with more violence. People seeking enlightenment through the advancing technology. But there are no shortcuts to be found here. Perhaps that, more than anything, links them all. There's no getting around the difficult truths and choices out there. But there are ways through, for those willing to put in the time and effort. To the reviews!

Stories:

“His Stainless-Steel Heart” by Jeff Reynolds (5993 words)

No Spoilers: Viktor is a former warmonger, a technologically enhanced soldier used to kill, who over the course of his military career has perished hundreds. Not that he remembers all of it. Between the memory wipes and everything else, mostly he is putting it all behind him, trying to slip away back into some remote part of the world to avoid the fighting and the killing. But a couple with an illegal pregnancy has a different plan. One that involves kidnapping him and coercing him to do one last mission. The piece is fast and brutal, a splash of action and blood mixed with an interesting future vernacular and style that lands for me somewhere between military lingo and punk slang. It’s an interesting if messy piece about war, trauma, and hope.

Keywords: Cyborgs, Body Modifications, Veterans, CW- Pregnancy, Heists

Review: It’s always interesting to me when stories build their own future “lingo” to accommodate a different feeling. In some ways it feels almost...retro? And I like how it works into this story about a soldier being pulled back into conflict after he had tried to leave it behind him. And how in some ways it’s about him finding out that he can’t just leave it all behind him, that whatever else happens, he’s going to be carrying it with him, has always been carrying it with him. It’s an action-y piece, to, that starts with a spot of calm and then gets progressively more and more chaotic. Of course, along with that I appreciate how the narrative voice starts off a bit loopy, a bit disorganized, and then becomes more and more focused as the actual violence increases. Viktor doesn’t really know what to do, what to be. But he does come to know what he’s good at, and maybe how he can use that to do some good. To start steering himself rather than just accepting orders. Rather than just being a weapon. Because if he has to be a tool of war, he maybe could be a shield instead. And, I mean, I’m not hugely into stories about this kind of redemption, where the focus is on his reform when he’s done a lot of bad shit that he now feels he has to in some way make up for. I get it and I think the story does a good job of it, but it’s a trope I’m just not all that fond of. Especially because it sees all this hope in a child that...is just going to grow up in the same system that produced Viktor. There is no real emphasis on facing the reasons he became a soldier, the pressures and the ways that the military abused him. The hope here is a generational kind, that maybe Viktor can use his fallen status to protect an innocent unborn baby. It’s just not a hope I connect with very much. But it’s a nicely paced and rendered military science fiction that makes for a rather heart-pounding read. Indeed!

“How Did it Feel to be Eaten?” by Amit Gupta (3687 words)

No Spoilers: Sam is a reporter come to a mountain outpost to investigate claims that those who go there can find enlightenment and reach Nirvana in a single human lifetime. It’s a claim that they go eager to disprove, to reveal as some sort of hoax or scam. What they find, though, is a kind of virtual reality that makes for a strangely compelling experience. And instead of debunking a myth, they end up plunging into an experience of reincarnation, suffering, and (perhaps) wisdom. The piece is strange but builds well, Sam guided through a myriad of lives, touching them and provoking them in different ways, pushing them forward on a path they don’t at first realize they’re on. It’s a deep, complex story, one that looks at time and virtual reality as spiritual tools that can act not as easy shortcuts, but routes nonetheless toward a better understanding of the universe.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Reincarnation, Journalism, Enlightenment, Teaching

Review: This is a wonderful story that explores the nature of time and wisdom, that creates in the micro and macro a cycle of lives Sam goes through on a road to greater awareness and peace. They start in disbelief, but there’s something compelling to the simulations, that can compress time so that in mere moments they can “live” as a plant, as an insect, as a person, as an inanimate object. And each time there are lessons to be learned. Not always only with the greater universe, but in relation to themself and their journey. They always start as a child, new, without knowledge of who they are, without knowledge of Sam. They are the beings in the simulations, and that’s how the piece is able to find this authentic balance, where Sam is able to surface from these experiences having gone through a sort of life and death, back to the between state where they can contemplate their life on a more profound level. Again and again and again they go, as rich and poor and everything in between, all the while hurting and learning through their suffering different things about themself. Until, finally, what they learn is peace, taken while experiencing extreme pain, a life without relief or power. They realize that they are caught in the cycle, that it exists outside of them, and it’s a really beautiful moment for them, captured in a lovely way by the story’s prose. It’s a philosophical piece, and while it might seem like a story summarizing various lives a person goes through in virtual reality wouldn’t be entertaining, for me it works. The language is great, and I really do liek the feeling it builds as Sam grows closer and closer to realizing the what and the why. Of realizing that this kind of living and dying isn’t a short cut, even as it technically allows a person to reach Nirvana in a single lifetime. But it takes as long as it takes, and the relative time is the more important. And the way that works, and the way Sam learns and changes, is just wonderful. It’s warm and it’s provocative, and it’s definitely worth spending some time with. A great read!

“The Season of the Storm” by Jonathan Edelstein (5958 words)

No Spoilers: Misozi and Elias (the narrator) are Zambian scientists and astronauts and the first humans exploring Titan. They’re there first in part because they’re there without all the bells and whistles, with the bare essentials and outdated tech, but taking the risk because it might mean getting ahead of the curse, what with every major space power building palatial compounds for when their humans arrive. And it might just have paid off, as the two (part of a larger Zambian team there) drive out to learn more about what might be a new lifeform they’ve discovered. One that could have untold uses...or one that might be leading them right into disaster. It’s a fun story of survival and innovation on a distant moon, in a very hostile situation, but where new and exciting things are possible--and hopefully not just innovative ways to die.

Keywords: Space, Exploration, Bugs, Storms, Accidents, Flight

Review: I like the feel that this team is out there because they want to be the first. Because they know that they’re the underdogs, underfunded and underestimated because it seems like everyone else has more tech, more experience, and more chance of success. What they do have, though, is scientific know-how and a definite hunger for discovery. Is it a hunger that might lead them to make less-than-safe decisions? Well... I mean, I don’t necessarily think that the story valorizes the abolition of safety standards or precautions. It’s not, to me, a story that complains that too much care taken to protect human life ruins science or anything like that. What I am saying is that there is something about human exploration that carries a bit more possibility for breakthrough, for really understanding what is going on. And where humans consent and volunteer to go into dangerous situations for the sake of exploration and knowledge, I do think that it’s not...immoral or unethical really to utilize humans in situations where the dangers are real, where the chance of disaster is not zero. Because humans are resilient, and sometimes can do things that are just...wow. As here, where the Misozi and Elias are able to get a very different and new perspective on the situation, snatching something joyous and beautiful and new from the jaws of death. And they are able to do that because they have the tactile feel of the environment, because they are able to feel the winds under their wings. Without that, it’s doubtful they would have been able to make the breakthrough they did. If they did, it might have been reached through meticulous and safe methods, though much slower. And sometime speed is important. Sometimes it’s worth the risk. And it makes for a thrilling and awesome read!

“Falling Through” by Steen Comer (5206 words)

No Spoilers: The narrator of this story has become a bit unstuck in reality. At least, things keep on changing. Mostly small things. Candy bars are different colors than he remembers. But not just different, but changed in all of time. His job shifts, or his apartment. What city he’s in. Things that let him know that it’s not Okay. That it’s not just a faulty memory or his imagination. It’s something that weighs on him, that’s a constant fear, especially when he meets and falls in love with Claire. He’s not the only one that is bouncing through realities, though. There’s another man who seems to be in the same boat. A man who ends up maybe having a plan for how to fix things. The piece is strange and heavy with grief and loss, the situation one of constant anxiety but the cure perhaps worse than the affliction.

Keywords: Alternate Realities, Relationships, Science, Time Travel

Review: I like the way this story plays out like a self-fulfilling prophecy, the grief that the narrator carries not just because they’ve loved and lost, but because in many ways it’s their own fault. Which is a complex situation, because it’s easy to go from that to getting into a situation where trying to lessen his own pain is somehow bad. When it’s not like he’s making up the situation. This isn’t anxiety, isn’t doubt or fear. Nor does it seem like it’s something internal to him, something that helps to define who he is. There doesn’t seem to be a way to reclaim this, to find a way of looking at it as anything but a burden, anything but something he wants to get rid of. At the same time, it might be that his fixation on the uncertainties and things he cannot control is something that he needs to work on productively, not because it isn’t a pain and a weight on him, but because there’s no way of getting around it. And that is something that resonates for me, that this might be a story not about managing a condition, but in navigating a world and situation where there is no “good” option. No way of waving a hand and having options that are actually “healthy.” All that is left is figuring out how to still live, how to still maybe be happy, or as happy as possible. And I think that’s where the story goes for me, where the character goes from hoping that there’s a way to “fix” everything, and then having to realize that there is nothing so simple as a “fix.” That it’s about how he lives, and about giving himself, past or present or future, the greatest chance of being happy. It’s a strange story but one that cycles nicely, that might be stuck in a loop but might also be on the verge of starting something new. It’s a heavy story for me, but not one without hope. And though a lot of it is about reaching back for what has been lost, that reaching back also becomes reaching forward, and holding on, and all things in between. A great read!

---

Netflix: 3 Mini-Reviews: SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL, 6 UNDERGROUND, FRACTURED: Attention on Action Actors

Watch Movies TV - March 31, 2020

SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL

Director: Peter Berg
Writers: Sean O'Keefe, Brian Helgeland

Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) was a Boston policeman who was thrown into prison for assaulting a high-ranking officer named Boylan (Michael Gaston). Upon his release five years later, he bunked in the home of his old friend Henry (Alan Arkin), with a heavyweight MMA fighter named Hawk (Winston Duke) as his roommate. Coincidentally, right on the night of Spenser's release, Boylan was murdered and another young officer was accused of killing him.

I thought this was a remake of old TV series "Spenser for Hire" (which starred Robert Urich) which was also about a Boston cop. Turned out this Spenser was the same character created by Robert Parker, but this adventure was based on a book by the writer who continued the series after Parker, Ace Adkins. This is director Peter Berg's fifth film with Mark Wahlberg in a row. Wahlberg is so at ease in this type of serio-comic action character, it felt like he had done him several times before. It was the supporting characters Hawk, Henry and Spenser's old girlfriend Cissy (Ileza Schlesinger) which give this a more distinctive flavor. The way the characters were built up, this felt like the pilot of a possible continuing franchise. 6/10. 

6 UNDERGROUND

Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese

An American billionaire faked his own death, called himself One, gathered an extraordinary team of skilled "ghosts" who were willing to completely lose their identities to work with him in extraordinarily dangerous missions. Two (Melanie Laurent) was a spy. Three (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) was a hitman. Four (Ben Hardy) was a parkour thief. Five (Adria Arjona) was a doctor. Six (Ben Franco) was a driver. Together, they worked on an elaborate plot to overthrow Rovac (Lior Raz), the brutal dictator of Turgistan, and replace him with Murat (Peyman Maadi), Rovac's erudite brother.

Being by Michael Bay, this film was one explosive action scene after another from beginning to end, accompanied by a frenetic loud pop music soundtrack. There are frenetic scenes of physics-defying car chases, gory injuries and senseless deaths. The impossible scenes of precise parkour (especially that when Four was jumping from one steel column to another) were breathtaking to watch. One was a dapper Deadpool-like character who had comedy and violence as only Ryan Reynolds could deliver. His testy interactions with the "Mission Impossible"-like team beside him also added to the popcorn entertainment value. 6/10. 

FRACTURED

Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Alan B. McElroy

Ray Monroe (Sam Worthington) was on road trip with his wife Joanne (Lucy Rabe) and daughter Peri (Lucy Capri). During a rest stop along the way, a freak accident caused Ray and Peri to fall into an open construction site sustaining injuries. Ray went to the nearest hospital where Peri was assessed to need a cranial CT scan to rule out a hematoma. However, when Ray woke up from a deep nap in the waiting area, Joanne and Peri were nowhere to be found. To make things even more confusing for Ray, the hospital had no records that they were even there at all.

This entire film made me queasy and uncomfortable the whole time. There were many scenes where I could not bear to look at the screen because of the extreme tension it was delivering. Even in that first scene alone with the family driving in the car and during their rest stop, I was a nervous wreck. The atmosphere of uncertainty was wound so tightly, you never really knew how it was going to end until that climactic reveal. The gore shown in those final scenes were not even necessary to . The slick slimy script, suspenseful editing and gritty lead performance by Sam Worthington elevated this one over other similarly-themed thrillers. 8/10. 

Klaus Schulze: Ballett 1 (2000)

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Klaus Schulze - Ballett 1

KS Canon 86

Track Listing:

1.	Getting Near	10:43
2.	Slightly Touched	29:32
3.	Agony	35:30

Notes: Wolfgang Tiepold plays cello.

Rating: 5 Stars

This is the 86th solo album recorded by Klaus Schulze. It was originally released as the sixth album of the "Contemporary Works 1" box set. There were four Ballett albums, the sixth to ninth albums of the box set, but Klaus considers them to be one piece of work. If CDs had been designed to hold 320 minutes of music instead of 80, they would have been a single album.

Before anyone complains about me misspelling ballet, Ballett is the German spelling.

The album is named in honour of Klaus Schulze's mother, who used to be a ballet dancer. This was the first solo album that he recorded after her death in 1998. He unites with Wolfgang Tiepold, who already appeared on his solo albums "X", "Trancefer" and "Audentity". This is exciting to me, because it's my opinion that of all the musicians he's worked with, Wolfgang Tiepold and Harald Grosskopf were his best partners. They're both outstanding musicians in their own right, but they can contribute to Klaus Schulze's music without stealing the limelight. Harald Grosskopf only played on four albums from 1976 to 1978, but the musical connection with Wolfgang Tiepold has continued over the years.

"Ballett 1" was released as a solo CD in 2006. It's now out of print, but in 2017 it was made available as half of the double album "Ballett 1 & 2". It's a must buy for any serious fans of Klaus Schulze's music. It may not be as exciting as some of his early albums from the 1970's, but the emotional depth is breathtaking. The cello on "Agony" brings tears to my eyes.

The New Shaolin Boxers (4 Stars)

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A question for my Chinese readers: what does the Chinese title of this 1976 film mean? The official English title, "The New Shaolin Boxers", doesn't make sense. It seems totally irrelevant to what actually happens in the film.

Zhong Jian is an idealist young man. He fights injustice wherever he sees it. If he sees a woman being attacked he rescues her, and if people refuses to pay in his uncle's restaurant he beats them up. The trouble is that he does more harm than good. What's the point of forcing someone to hand over ten dollars for a meal if a dozen tables and chairs are shattered in the fight?

Despite the criticism, Zhong Jian doesn't change. His martial arts teacher, Master Zhou, sends him to learn a fighting skill called Choy Li Fut from an old monk.

Why does the training with monks always involve carrying buckets of water up hundreds of steps? Just asking. Is it really essential, or are the monks just too lazy to fetch their own water?

When Zhong Jian is visiting the village he hears that his former master has been killed by a local gang leader. He tells the monk that he wants revenge, and that's the only person he has on his side. He's taught essential fighting skills.

Fu Sheng, the actor who plays Zhong Jian, was only 21 at the time he made the film. His first acting experience was as an extra in "The 14 Amazons", and his talent was immediately recognised. After only four years, this is his 16th film. It looked like he was going to have a big career. He could have become one of the biggest Chinese stars of the 20th Century, but he died at the age of 28 in a car accident. We can be thankful that we have 43 films to remember him.

In the pre-credits scene, Fu Sheng demonstrates Choy Li Fut for uninitiated viewers like me.

Once more, I'm curious about the accuracy of the translations. I welcome my Chinese readers to leave comments below.

Fu Sheng
20 October 1954 – 7 July 1983

Quick Sips - Beneath Ceaseless Skies #300 [part 1]

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Art by Flavio Bolla

There’s no rest for the wicked reviewers out there as a third special issue in a row drops at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, this one celebrating the milestone of issue #200! The first half alone is over 36k words all told, so I’m definitely going to be breaking the issue up into two parts. Covered here are stories that look at stories that are anchored by change and upheaval. By complicated politics that intersect with messy family situations. And they feature characters with missions. Some rather humble--to finish a miniature-and some very large--to find a city of the gods. There are spills and chills aplenty, and so much to get to, so let’s dive right in to the reviews!

Stories:

“The Hummingbird Temple” by C.C. Finlay (14941 words)

No Spoilers: Lin is the last of nine siblings in line for the throne. As such, she keeps mostly out of court politics, knowing that she doesn’t have much in the way of clout and would serve mostly as someone else’s pawn. So she escapes to the world of miniature architecture, building out of hummingbird bones and other very small materials to bring her visions to life. And then her father, the Dynast, is killed, and the palace, and city, ignite. Kuikin and Vertir are agents of one of the country’s chief administrators, and used to some unsavory tasks. Finally used in the city, it’s a chance for a bit more luxury as they hunt down some corruption to either punish or reward (or most likely both). but when all hell breaks loose, it’s time for them to roll the dice with how they want to handle the sudden upheaval. It’s a tightly paced and tense adventure as the two viewpoints (Lin and Kuikin) jump back and forth, giving a vivid picture of a battle for succession that’s bloody and intense.

Keywords: Royalty, Assassination, Spiders, Birds, Architecture

Review: For a story that feature a good deal of architecture, it’s probably no surprise that a lot of care seems to have gone into the structure and plotting of the piece, moving the characters around in a rather dangerous dance. The world building and character work are also strong, though, showing enough to carry across the implications of a sudden royal succession, probably a plot by one of the heirs that quickly runs into all the different plans that exist among the royal family. From everyone but Lin, who has tried to ignore all of it. And I do like that she’s more interested in her models than with what’s happening outside. At least at first. And how she’s able to keep her wits about her when everything goes to shit. Also her giant spider is adorable. I like that she’s so unsentimental, deeply aware of how fragile her position is and making no illusions about it, just pushing forward to try and live something of a life. It makes her a little brutal but mostly just prudent. And it keeps her alive. Some of the characters have a bit of a familiarity, perhaps, in that they fill somewhat standard fantasy roles, and we don’t get too deep in their motivations or lives beyond what’s needed for the action going on. Still, they are distinct and give the action more room to shine. And I do like how the piece ties in the idea of luck and ruin, of gambling and doing the “right” thing. Most of the characters act to survive but also take chances to help others. And in that they sort of make their own luck, coming out of the chaos of the night (chaos is opportunity, after all) in a position unexpected but not unwanted. And for me it’s a fun and solid fantasy romp that’s one and done but feels like fleshed out enough that it could be a part of a larger world and story, balancing scope and impact to nice effect. A great read!

“Uzumaki of the Lake” by Richard Parks (3666 words)

No Spoilers: Lord Yamada and his priest, Kenji, have become perhaps a bit stir crazy with their light duties at home when they receive a request to investigate an argument between two lords surrounding a lake that used to be one’s territory, and is now the other’s. Now a ghost has appeared, escalating the disagreement, and giving Yamada and Kenji, who are both used to dealing with supernatural issues. The piece is something of a mystery, brisk and covering some political as well as spiritual ground. Yamada and Kenji and friends, comfortable with each other and not outwardly keen on putting their noses into conflict but inwardly perhaps just a bit too eager to dig their teeth into a substantive problem after spending too long with too trivial matters.

Keywords: Spirits, Lakes, Rivalries, Diplomacy, Dragons

Review: This is a neat little story about a mystery at a lake and a pair of feuding lords and the possibility of a sleeping dragon. It leans fairly heavily on tropes it evokes, counting on that to utilize a setting broadly stroked and populated largely by men either doing their bureaucratic duty or trying to get out of it. All in a world where ghosts and demons aren’t exactly uncommon, at least for those who make a point of seeking them out. The central mystery is a fairly interesting one, made trickier by the tense political situation. Yamada and Kenji seem well used to walking the line they do, tasked by the central government to look in on the things bubbling up with the local lords. Presumably they’re there to do something about the ghost, but their true purpose is to keep the peace, which is made a lot trickier when both of the local lords seem to want conflict. The resolution isn’t entirely complicated, though--nor is it really magical or supernatural. Yamada and Kenji make short work of what’s going on and in a lot of ways the story is about how a worse situation is avoided. It’s quiet, and the stakes, while they aren’t incredibly low, aren’t super high, either. Amusingly for me, at least, is that the story features these guys who so obviously want to get involved in something complicated because they’ve been bored and under-utilized, and the mystery revolves so quickly. It’s like they’re hoping it’s going to be more than it is, and while the ending has a nice feeling to it, there’s also a sense that it wasn’t really enough to get them full invested, and that they might be looking for more to volunteer for, which might in turn lead them to make some decisions, and possible mistakes, that they wouldn’t have otherwise. A fine read!

“Bound by Sorrow” by Maurice Broaddus (18858 words)

No Spoilers: In a rather interestingly nested story, Dinga is a warrior on a journey to deliver his dead sister to the Dreaming City, a city where gods still live. Accompanied by the irreverent bard Gerard, Dinga’s journey is punctuated by stories, his own and those he encounters, which illuminate his life and his mission and the mythology all around him. It’s a story very much about grief, and power of confronting grief in different ways. There’s an epic sweep to the piece a deep history that might be historical (fantasy), building this very living feel of each layer of story, reaching forward through time from Dinga to the reader, and perhaps beyond. It’s a story that unfolds and unpacks a lot over its novella length, but never loses sight of its thematic core of grief, death, dreams, and choices.

Keywords: Gods, Journeys, Family, Burdens, Cities, Death

Review: I like how the story takes on, well, stories, and the power of them, the power of witnessing certain things as a way of processing and giving models for dealing with feelings. One of the key scenes of the story hinges on one such moment, where Dinga is witnessing a death that means so much to so many people, and through that he is able to better access his own feelings regarding the death of his sister, the death he’s been in many ways running away from even as he’s carrying it with him, in a literal and metaphorical sense. And the story, then, becomes a way for other people to witness that, layering this message, bridging the gap from Dinga out to the reader in a rather interesting and robust way. It gets at the power of stories to help people process, to help people organize their feelings and interrogate their desires and actions. Through examining emotions in others, it becomes a bit more possible to recognize them in ourselves, and maybe begin to deal with them. And otherwise, the structure of the story provides for a complex and intricately woven story of adventure and loss, family and care. Dinga is a warrior, knows how to deal with his problems with a blade, but he’s also someone grieving, and doing so with his friend. The dynamic between him and Gerard is great, the two so close while maintaining this rather grumpy bickering. There are times when they are able to get around that, where they are able to speak without all the barriers and dance, where they can actually talk about what’s happened. But they also get into a lot of trouble, which is it’s own way of dealing with things, or not dealing with things really, because it leans back on what is familiar and denies the huge change that has them so shaken. But it also makes it fun to read about, cutting the philosophical moments with humor and action. And all in all it’s a wonderfully realized world and story, the characters diving through the nested narratives in order for the complete picture to reach out for the reader, making a more meta statement on what it means to read a story, and why it is important, even sacred. It’s a powerful read very much spending some time with!

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Documentary Spotlight: Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

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The Claws Are Out

by robotGEEK

We all know the story by now. While technically a hit, Freddy's Revenge ultimately became the film in the franchise that fans considered their least favorite, which honestly surprises the shit out of me because I can't and have never sat all the way through Part 5: The Dream Child. It's just so awful. But I've always enjoyed Part 2: Freddy's Revenge, even when none of my friends did. I've always felt it was made surprisingly well, considering it was coming off the heels of one of the biggest horror films in history. But I was usually alone in those feelings. And I was made all the more aware of those feelings when I showed it to my wife and she just did not care for it at all.

But we all know what ultimately happened. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge would gain notoriety as the "gayest horror film ever made", something I was completely unaware of until recently. Whether intentional or not (depending on who you ask), it was loaded with subtle and not so subtle gay subtext and has since become something of an "experience" in the LGBT community, who feverishly embraced it in the same way so many have embraced The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Mark Patton played the lead in Freddy's Revenge, and while it was supposed to be his big Hollywood break, it instead derailed it completely and because of the fallout, he vanished from the film business, and well from society as a whole. In fact, when they made the excellent documentary on the Elm Street franchise, Never Sleep Again, the filmmakers found it almost impossible to find him, having to resort to a private investigator who found him in the most unlikeliest of places on the planet, completely unaware of the cult status that his ill-timed and ill-fated breakout role had gained since that release all those years ago in 1985.

With the release of that documentary, there was new and massive interest in just what the hell the filmmakers were really thinking when they made that film. Was the gay stuff on purpose? Was it even really there, or was it just something people wanted to see? Again, that all depends on who you ask, as every single person from the actors to the filmmakers behind the camera will give you a different answer. Mark Patton suddenly found himself famous all over again, but this time he was going to take advantage of it and use his newfound celebrity to bring a spotlight to something that has haunted him for decades, and changed the course of his life forever.

Filmmakers Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen have created a completely engrossing and thought-provoking documentary around Mark Patton, his life as an up and coming actor, his big breakout role that was supposed to launch his career in Hollywood, to his life as a closeted gay man in an industry that was not very accepting of that at the time, to his walking away from Hollywood and the spotlight forever. That is until Never Sleep Again revived it, only to a much different degree.

While Scream, Queen! does primarily focus on Patton's experience making that cult classic film, it also puts a lot of focus on the industry as a whole in the mid 80's, where AIDS and HIV was at it's peak and fast becoming an epidemic. If you were gay and an actor, you couldn't simply live as a gay man. You had to pretend and fool the public into thinking you were straight, or else you weren't getting cast in anything. Not to mention the naive and downright ugly side of peoples prejudices towards the subject back then. I mean, it was bad, and studios, actors and companies would impose ludicrous rules that will leave your jaw dropped to the floor when you hear about them in this documentary. To think that that was a world we lived in once upon a time seems shocking to me today, but for so many people in the industry, it was such a sad and tragic reality.

What I loved so much about this was that they tackle all of that prejudice and hate and make us all face it in such a way that it's almost a sympathetic hour and a half crash course on the film industry, and how far we've come since then. Of course, that's not all it's about, just one of many layers Scream, Queen! presents to us. Another one is Mark Patton's ability to take something that caused him so much pain, and use it as a teaching tool to others, where he tours the world using his newfound celebrity status teaching people about HIV and AIDS in an entertaining and fundamental way who's goal is to help people rather than be preachy about it.

Throughout the documentary, there is a villain, and it's not Freddy Krueger, but rather the writer of Freddy's Revenge, David Chaskin (The Curse, I, Madman). Chaskin has never been 100% truthful about his role, however big or small, that the gay subtext played in the film was intentional or accidental. In some interviews he says it was intentional, and in others he claims it wasn't. There was even an ill attempt at a humorous quote that only made it so much worse when taken out of context. Patton has always blamed Chaskin, more than anyone else, for his downfall, for his exile from Hollywood, and he uses the documentary as an opportunity to get the truth, to hear the words from David Chaskin himself.

To say this is an important documentary is an understatement, not only for horror fans, or fans of Freddy's Revenge, but also for the LGBT community, who wholeheartedly embraced the film and all of it's gayness to such a degree that it's more popular now than it ever was. It's also an important and quite eye-opening documentary about prejudices against the LGBT community, not only within the film industry, but in everyday life. It's an eye-opening film experience and one I won't soon forget.

Ultimately Mark Patton has gained newfound success as a motivational speaker and activist and travels the horror convention circuit regularly meeting and greeting eager fans who get to embrace in person, for some, their first gay role model.

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is currently available to rent on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play and Vudu. You can also purchase it on DVD from any number of your favorite online retailers.

Social Distancing & Mental Health Amidst COVID-19

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By Waiching 

As things stand as of now, these are (still) difficult times that we are living in and most of the world's societies are at a distance, with the killer Coronavirus taking a hold of and taking away people's livelihoods. But those concerns don't just refer to the physical aspect, it also has exacerbated theirs and my very own mental health. 

When you socially distance - or to be more exact, physically distance, you stay at home and interact only with the people you live with. When you go outside, or at your workplace, you need to stay 6ft away from them at all times.

It is a tremendous battle and one that can be so massively disruptive, it becomes a struggle for many of us, who at this time are pondering when on earth this will come to an end and when a vaccine is readily available to all. Whilst we must be physically distant to each other, to help prevent the spread of infection, it is still important not to abandon all social contact and connection with our peers, friends and family. Social distancing measures are put in place to reduce the proliferation of COVID-19, and to a degree, from a medical and physical standpoint, these are working. 

However, research has also shined a light on how being isolated and secluded can have an adverse impact on one's mental health. Whilst isolation is every introvert's fantasy, social distancing measures also has dire consequences: for those of us who are depressive, suffer from anxiety or have any other underlying mental and/or emotional health problem, social distancing can trigger the likes of depression and PTSD, as well as various mood swings. 

Face-to-face contact and communication are things with which, we as humans, are hardwired to a) have emotions, b) to sense and express those emotions and c) to reach out to others. The ability to contact and reach out to others in need and support by undertaking hobbies or interests, spending time with them, working alongside them helps reduce our sense of disconnection and despair and replaces it with joy, a sense of belonging and the feeling that you matter to them. And yet these are the same things, as well as the hugs, holding hands, that have been taken away from us as they carry a health risk.

Here, we are not self-isolating, we are not socially distancing ourselves and isolating others around us out of choice, but out of necessity to preserve our physical health - and yet this shouldn't be at the expense of our emotional well-being. What social distancing gives and offers to us on one hand, it also takes away with the other, and sadly not only is that unfair, it goes to show that it has its cons, as well as pros. Your mental health shouldn't be compromised.

Coronavirus has had an impact on global travel, airlines, stores that have to shut up shop until this is over, schools have been closed off, major events have been cancelled and rescheduled at a later date, and the alarming stats of victims go up every single day. But with mental health, it is the one grey area many have overlooked and wherein people have taken their own lives, they have also seen their mental health levels deteriorate, and right now, their voices are not being heard. 

At work (seeing as my line of work can only be carried out at my workplace - although with cleaning I do this at home when I have to), this poses a substantial challenge; the dread of being stuck in this lockdown with no end in sight until say Sept of this year, and trying to adhere to these social distancing measures, all whilst managing my mental health and emotions is a tall order. I am having to socially distance myself from my colleagues and as a depressive myself, this can take a toll on my own emotions and mental health. As I feel more isolated, I sense further anxiety and a growing frustration that comes with the unintentional 'brush off', and longing for that connection that I am used to receiving, seems distant. At times, I feel helpless, not knowing what to do that my energy levels wear off. I cannot approach them or come into contact with them on a physical level; coupled with the fact that regular and daily duties have been minimised, means I have to think outside the box and come up with other ways to keep myself occupied, work-wise. The realisation with this is that I am thinking along the lines of what I am being forced to do and what I won't have access to: for me, I am forced to go to work, otherwise, I don't get paid, but I won't have access to certain things that would have been available, had it not been for the terrible impact of this pandemic. For some, whilst being at work can be a good distraction from being stuck at home, others like myself who are depressed or endure panic attacks, the fact that I can't hug or console my workmates or approach them, make it more of a burden. & with that, we deprive ourselves of the one thing that keeps us together, and that is interaction, but not any old interaction; rather good positive interaction. 

We are fortunate to live in this day and age whereby the internet and social networking and messaging, even video calling via Skype, Google Duo and Zoom, for instance, are available to us; thus, when it comes to active communication, we must take full advantage of these platforms and make the most out of them as and when we can and to get a hold of our loved ones and dearest. Social networking and social media have often been the brunt of criticism for many years, but during this time of worry, panic and fear and despite the (mis) information from all quarters, the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have the potential to help enable users to dispel the negative associations that have been banded around with social media, and thus forth, there is no better time than now to put aside those worries and fears.