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    iSibeeta

    iSibeeta

    Games and Entertainment

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    From the makers of the smash-hit and critically acclaimed card game iKout, comes another fantastic...

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Amanda Palmer recommended Upstairs At Erics by Yazoo in Music (curated)

 
Upstairs At Erics by Yazoo
Upstairs At Erics by Yazoo
2008 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I got this in sixth grade. First of all, the artwork, with those two mannequins sitting at a table, was so weird. That by itself puts it into a class of its own, because most of the other records in my collection just had pictures of pop stars. The songwriting was so beautiful and so simple and so strong, but I was also really compelled by Alison Moyet's voice. Still to this day, I generally don't like chick singers – their high squeaky voices irritate me! But Alison Moyet, sort of like Laurie Anderson, had this really beautiful, growly, rough, bluesy, believable voice. When she sang, I just bought every second of it. I believed her. And the tracks are catchy as all get out. 'In My Room' is one of my favourite songs of all time – the band and I are working on a cover of it. I'm tracing back the genealogy of my new record, and it's in those early Yazoo records, along with Soft Cell and The Cars... what they were able to do with a couple of synthesisers and really simple chord changes, great melodies and believable delivery."

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
1975 | Comedy, Musical
I've reviewed a few musicals here and there, and always feel I need to make a comment about how I don't really like musicals in general... The Rocky Horror Picture Show is of course a huge tight wearing exception to this stubborn rule of thumb I have.

TRHPS is just a blast from start to finish. Richard O'brien's song writing is top notch - it's clever, catchy, cheesy when it needs to be, funny, and classy.
Pretty much every character is iconic, none more so than Tim Curry's Frank-N-Furter, easily the most sympathetic, enthralling, occasionally psychopathic mad transvestite scientist to ever grace a cinema screen - definitely in my top 10 movie characters of all time.
Beneath all of the absurdity is a solid narrative, that is equal parts weird and tragic, and manages to meld together B-Movie schlock, Universal Monsters vibes, dark comedy, rock n' roll, and cheesy horror, and does it all phenomenally well. It's a joy to watch all these years later.

Rocky Horror was ahead of its time in many ways, and is the ultimate cult movie. It's a damn masterpiece.
  
    Hellbound by Buckcherry

    Hellbound by Buckcherry

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    Album

    22 years since the debut self-titled record, Buckcherry keep the party going with ninth record...

    The Cocktail App

    The Cocktail App

    Food & Drink and Lifestyle

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    Based on the famous cocktails poster by Konstantin Datz, you now have the world’s finest cocktails...

The Prom (2020)
The Prom (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Drama, Musical
5
7.5 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Ruined by James Corden
The Prom is the latest film from Glee creator Ryan Murphy, adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name. It follows Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) who inadvertently causes her high school prom to be cancelled from wanting to attend with her girlfriend Alyssa (Ariana DeBose), in a school governed by a PTA that is very much against inclusion. Meanwhile on Broadway, four down on their luck actors (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden and Andrew Rannells) pick up on Emma’s story and decide to use it as a perfect opportunity to garner some publicity for themselves by showing their support.

The Prom is obviously a personal movie for director Ryan Murphy, after growing up in Indiana himself, but unfortunately he doesn’t quite manage to pull this off. The story has a very important message about inclusion and you can’t deny how powerful this is, but I don’t think it has been very well executed. Yes the entire film looks amazing, the colourful and flashy outfits look wonderful and add some much needed colour when the story moves from Broadway to Indiana. The songs too are good and toe-tappingly catchy, with ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ from Andrew Rannells being a particular standout for me, and I’d be lying if I said the glitz, glam and catchy songs didn’t make me smile. Newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman has a cracking voice and her performance here shows she’s definitely one to watch in future.

However this is where the positives stop. A large number of the songs sound the same and aside from the aforementioned ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ and the finale ‘It’s Time to Dance’, none of them are particularly memorable. The film is full of clichés and stereotypes and awkward dialogue and scenes – the cringeworthy and entirely unbelievable flirtation between Dee Dee (Streep) and Principal Hawkins (Keegan-Michael Key) is possibly one of the worst things I’ve had to watch in quite a while. The cast are obviously having a lot of fun with this and it shows in the musical numbers, but some of the characters and performances are entirely unlikeable. I know Dee Dee is meant to be a self obsessed narcissist, and Streep is hamming her up to the max, but she is a horrible character and I couldn’t abide her. Scenes with her that are meant to be comedic to me came across as awful and repulsive. Whilst she does improve over the course of the rather drawn out run time, I’m afraid the damage is done in the first 90 minutes. And I felt very sorry for Nicole Kidman, who aside from a Chicago-esque number, seems to have been entirely sidelined.

But the worst part of The Prom is the decision to cast James Corden as the gay male lead, Barry Glickman. What was Ryan Murphy thinking? I’ve never been a fan of Corden, but surely anyone watching this can see he’s a talk show host, not a Hollywood musical star? Not only is his American accent terrible, his performance is completely unbelievable and overly camp and outdated. How Andrew Rannells could bear to work opposite James Corden in this role when he could’ve shone as Barry I will never know. Had it not been for Corden, I probably would have liked this a lot more.

The Prom is a glitzy mash-up of old school Broadway and cheesy high school musicals, full of colourful catchy tunes, neat choreography and a powerful message, it’s just a shame the characters and some of the casting are lacking in the substance to make this anything better than average.
  
Renaissance Men by The Wildhearts
Renaissance Men by The Wildhearts
2019 | Indie
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Rating
Loud, heavy and exciting (3 more)
Stuffed with catchy hooks and singalong choruses
First new album in 10 years
Diagnosis could be the best song they've ever written
Best Wildhearts Album In Years
The wildhearts are the best British band you've never heard of. Their story is one of survival against the odds, as various members have struggled with loss, addiction, mental health and freak brushes with death. And despite all this the music they make still sounds like an allmighty shout of joy, even when lyrically it is crammed with righteous anger.
The easiest way to describe them is to imagine Metallica crossed with cheap trick or the beatles. The crushing heaviness and aggression is there, but always tempered with sunny pop sensibilities. It sounds mental but it's a style that will change your life for the better.
This new album finds the band in renewed vigour, having reclaimed original bassist Danny mccormack and recorded their first new album in a decade. They come out of the gates like a band half their age, seemingly out to prove they're still the best of their generation with the songs and chops to match.
Standout tracks include, Let Em Go, Fine Art Of Description, Diagnosis, Renaissance Men, Pilo Erection
  
The Greatest Showman (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
2017 | Drama, Musical
Modern musical, great songs, great choreography and costumes. (0 more)
Loved it!
Initially went to see this just to see Hugh Jackman in a less serious role (my previous experiences were Australia and the Marvels), and was utterly blown away by his performance.
The opening song was great and gave me chills, the whole film is upbeat, classy, modern and catchy. I rarely enjoy musicals but straight after seeing this one I bought the soundtrack it was that good. Hugh Jackman was great as PT Barnum and you really get a sense of his struggle for recognition and success and his drive to prove his worth to the world.
I have read a few reviews that describe this as too modern, and whilst I see what people are saying, I believe this appeals to a whole, new younger generation that need to be brought on board before the conventional musicals die out. Yes it is modern, however not unbearably so and the songs charted for weeks afterwards so public opinion suggests they are popular and I dont believe they are too modern for the storyline. I thought it was directed and choreographed incredibly well and would happily watch it repeatedly.
I may be biased however as I love most film that show achievement of lifetime dreams.