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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Wolves of Savin Hill (2014) in Movies

Aug 16, 2019

The indie movie, The Wolves of Savin Hill is a very fine directorial debut for John Beaton Hill. He also wrote this story where sentimentalities and brutality clash between two best friends who have lost touch over the years. In their youth, they made a promise youth that now haunts them as they are adults. In what results is a trial of what’s left of their friendship. In how this film treats the subject matter is like that of silent lucidity.

In what they have become, Tom (David Cooley) stayed in Boston only to grow up to be an alcoholic troublemaker and Sean (Brian Scannell) relocated to Los Angeles with Tom’s sister Emily to eventually work the beat as a cop with an axe to grind. Anyone who tries to mess with him often got the end of the stick. But when Emily is found dead and news reaches home, Tom goes to LA to confront Sean. The web of deceit he finds himself in is more than he can handle.

Cooley and Scannel deliver strong performances. The plot only gets stranger at every succeeding moment, and the draw this film creates gets viewers invested into wanting to understand the psyche of each of these leading men. Hill crafted a nicely enticing film that wraps two time periods together to reveal the darkest nature of what friends are willing to do for each other. The flashbacks are far more interesting than the now.

To reveal anymore information will only spoil the causality of how these two have to contend with each other. When this film hits more festivals, viewers can discover for themselves in what human nature means according to this filmmaker. The hills have eyes and what he sees may not be necessarily good.

Kudos

Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Symbolism by Caracol in Music

Jul 10, 2019

Caracol is a bilingual singer-songwriter based in Montreal, Canada. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her “Flooded Field” single featuring Illa J (brother of the late Jay Dilla).

“I could be your island. Headlights in the distance reaching out in silence if you won’t tell me how the water came. How can I really get you out of it? Your heart is a flooded field. Tell me what it means. Don’t know how to get to you.” – lyrics

‘Flooded Field’ tells an interesting tale of a supportive woman who wants to comfort her significant other.

Apparently, he has built a wall, so she doesn’t know how to get to him. But she has patience, therefore, she urges him to open up so she can nurture him with love.

‘Flooded Field’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation flavored with an electro-reggae aroma.

‘Flooded Field’ is a featured track on Caracol’s latest album, entitled, “Symbolism”.

The 11-track project sums up her past musical experiences and her beginnings as a percussionist and back-up singer in reggae bands.

Also, it highlights her work as a sound engineer in film music and her presence in the songwriting community and pop music writing camps.

Her “Symbolism” adventure began when she met producer Joey Waronker during a creative trip to Los Angeles.

After falling in love with her demos, he decided to work with her, and during the recording process, Caracol reached new heights.

Caracol was recently nominated at the Canadian Indie Awards in the Electronic Artist of the Year category.

Her music influences include Santigold, Lykke Li, Grimes, Beach House, Wild Belle, and Portishead.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated The Silent Second in Books

Jan 16, 2020

Good, but Not the Tone I Was Expecting

Chuck Restic has spent twenty years in HR, and he’s good at his job – making sure employees get along so they don’t sue each other or, more importantly, the company. That’s how he first meets Ed, who has had a complaint filed against him. Ed seems like a nice guy, and their meeting goes well, but then Ed disappears a couple of days later. A plea from Ed’s family to figure out what happened to him intrigues Chuck. He’s recently separated from his wife, and he wants to do something to fill his time away from work, so he uses his boredom as an excuse to start poking around. The trail quickly leads to real estate around Los Angeles, but how could that have led to Ed’s disappearance?

I’d seen the author speak at a library event a while ago, and I thought this book sounded like fun. While I certainly enjoyed it, I found the book to be darker in tone than I was expecting. There were a few laughs when Chuck was in HR mode, but for the most part, this felt more like a hard-boiled book. But that’s my only complaint with the book. I really did like Chuck – in fact, I could identify with him a bit too much. (Maybe that was part of my problem.) The rest of the cast are just as strong and become well-rounded people as we learn most about them. The plot was great with plenty of twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. The book was light on foul language and didn’t get too graphic with the violence or sex, which I most definitely appreciated. This is a solid debut, but pick it up when you are in the mood for something on the darker side.