Mar 29

FILM – The Rum Diary – 4K

By Sam Turner

Johnny Depp reprises his role as lead in an adaptation of Hunter S Thompson novel following 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  In The Rum Diary the focus shifts from narcotics (although drugs are of course involved) to politics and alcohol.

The Rum Diary takes place in Puerto Rico where journalist Kemp (Depp) has landed a job for the island’s American newspaper.  Chaos ensues when the hapless hack befriends two equally heavy drinking ex-pats, descends further into alcoholism and gets embroiled in a shady island resort development.  Writer and Director Bruce Robinson channels Thompson’s anarchic style into a wonderfully frenetic adventure which takes our heroes from one drunken night out to the next whilst developing a thought-provoking and amusing plot.

Echoes of Robinson’s classic Withnail and I are present throughout from feckless Moburg’s tatty mac to a cacophony of quoteable lines (“Do not confuse love with lust, nor drunkenness with judgment”).  There are some truly memorable scenes such as Kemp and sidekick Sala trying to drive a car with no front seat and not get pulled over by the policeman whose face they had set fire to the night before.  The love story with the lovely Amber Heard drives the plot and our hero deeper into the scandalous plans of Aaron Eckhart’s dastardly Sanderson to buy an Island for only the rich to enjoy.  This brings about much contemplation and rage for Thompson’s mouthpiece Kemp and gives the film some intellectual weight along with generating much hilarity.

Robinson and BFF Depp have done Thompson, ‘enemy of bastards’, a proud service here whilst adding to their own impressive canons.  Watch the film, learn the quotes and feel the rage.

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Mar 29

FRINGE – Wyrd with Grace – HST – 4K

By Fiona Gardner

Wyrd with grace by Alexandra Knox is a dance work also combining a fusion of video art and an original music score.  This work first premiered at the Melbourne Fringe 2011, where Alexandra stated that she was successful with the turnout and outcome of the performance. For the 2012 production the choreography had changed significantly and Knox has had the the support of Adelaide based Tim Rodgers and the collaborative team Cy Gorman ( Video Artist) Rodney Bates (Lighting Design) David Browne (Costume Design) and Musical composers Daniela Lucchetti and Kwantum Physixs.

Wyrd with grace comes across as being a dreamer’s state of mind, to have the thought that becomes action (the evolution of dance), which comes across as a personal experience by Knox (herself an independent choreographer and dancer.) Alexandra delivers a solo work that is captivating and elegantly presented. The start and the end movements’ vocabulary were mainly on the ground, with the middle piece which was presented at the choreolab’s in theater season in 2011. Since Melbourne new ideas have evolved within the work, with the conception in the first and last sections.

Alexandra Knox is a beautiful lean dancer; her long legs make her presence on stage expand outwards encapturing the audience. The graphics that are displayed across her body create a stunning visual effect with the sensation of a Butoh (Japanese dance) setting. She moves across into her woven web, where the lighting effects seem to follow her on stage. Due to limitations of the lighting at the Holden Street Theatre, Rodney Bates has managed to pull something together that looks stunning.

An inspirational creative work, Alexandra is a beautiful dancer.

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Mar 25

FILM – The Hunger Games – 5K

By Anthony Nguyen

Based off of the internationally popular and successful book series written by author Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross, graces movie theatre screens this March in an adaptation to the first novel.

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, known as Panem, which is split up into twelve districts, every year the government randomly selects two tributes (one male and one female) from each district to face off against one another in a fight to the death until there is one survivor. The film follows the story of Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who volunteers to play in these ‘games’ in place of her sister.

With a large ensemble cast, it goes without saying that not only the leads, but the supporting cast, which mainly consisted of younger actors, portrayed their characters brilliantly. Lawrence in particular, displayed award-winning acting talents and achieves in bringing emotional depth into her character through the emotional and physical journey through the arena.

The film employs a great use of CGI, particularly in various scenes of the Capitol city. Greatly enhancing the visuals and allowing the audience to see the futuristic magnificence and eccentricities of the city as described in the novels.

Although the themes of the novel itself are very dark, with a strong emphasis on the violence and various deaths of adolescents, Ross should be commended on his fantastic job of toning down the violent scenes to suit a younger audience demographic. Although we do not see much gore, the film does not skimp away on the violence. The vicious (and bloody) horrors are very real and are more emphasized through the actors in the film which show that it is as violent as you can imagine.

The film goes for just over a lengthy 2 hours, yet the development of several characters seemed quite poor, especially for the supporting cast of the other tribute contestants. Though understandably would have proved to be difficult due to such a large ensemble cast. Additionally, the ending of the film seemed a rushed, and left many aspects that would be a little confusing to all but those who have read the books themselves.

Pleasantly for fans, the film is extremely faithful to the books with very few and insignificant changes. Ross delivers a fantastic film that would please not only fans but also people who have not read the books beforehand. The Hunger Games would be considered as one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade.

Kryztoff Rating     5K

Mar 21

FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL ADELAIDE 2012 – REVIEW

By Calen Vanstone

What a six months it’s been for music festivals. Kicking things off with Parklife and Stereosonic last year, through to Big Day Out, Soundwave and WOMADelaide this year. Each promised greatness, and only a few delivered. Future Music Festival offered a stellar line-up, including seasoned veterans Fatboy Slim and New Order through to contemporary radio stars like Jessie J and Tinie Tempah. Despite this, dance music festivals are rarely about the music, instead they are usually much more about the “experience”. However, with such respectable and unique acts performing here, I hoped otherwise.

The crowd was an interesting mix. As always, the young club-goers are the majority here, most heavily underdressed, which must surely only be to combat the hot weather. I mean the hundreds of girls who could have more effectively clothed themselves with a ball of string must have only had the heat on their mind. Sadly, no. I hate to begin on such a note, but unfortunately that is what most of the day entailed. Boys and girls who basically hit puberty on the way in were dropping like flies before midday. The rest of them, still either heavily intoxicated and/or tripping, looked like they had decided to recreate the Woodstock movie, as if directed by Paul Verhoeven.

I normally wouldn’t care, seeing they are usually not the type to encounter any other time unless you are one of them too. However, when these teens make up eighty-percent of the crowd, they are inescapable, and you wonder why they paid all this money to get so messed up and most likely forget what they have done all day. Regardless, I was here for the music and was determined to enjoy it as much as I could.

Jessie J was first up for me, performing with her full band on the main stages, thankfully right next to the entrance, so I could hear it all as I walked in. With a fairly decent audience trying their best not to be annihilated by the leering sun overhead, Jessie J was in total control, and has a fantastic stage presence. She is instantly likeable and is fun to watch regardless of musical tastes. To those unfamiliar with her, her song “Domino” has been blasted on the radio for months now, and would prove to be one of the few moments to truly enjoy, as the live sound wasn’t clear enough to properly attract anyone other than keen fans. It was a tight set that pulled all the right punches for a festival audience, but due to the searing temperature and nature of the festival, it was only briefly applauded, and just as soon forgotten. With a deserved later time slot, it would have been quite the opposite.

After going over the venue map I realised how vast this festival was, and was quick to venture down to check out the stages at the other end of the park. In particular, one featuring Seen N Destroy and Leah Mencel on DJ duties to name a few, that was aptly named “Foam-A-Rama” due to the large soapy foam pit at the base of the tower structure that housed the DJ decks at the top and two foam guns a level down, manned by two overly enthusiastic guys.

Back up to the main area, and after a quick toilet break I stopped off at arguably the best place in the whole festival, the Mazda tent. They provided free short massages, sunscreen, seating, phone chargers and a photo booth along with the obvious feature of shade. Other festivals take note.

Next, it was back to the main stage for the latter half of Chase And Status’ set and about two songs of Skrillex. The former are a drum and bass/breakbeat duo who’ve been on the rise since their formation in 2003 and were an explosive alternative to most of the music provided today so far. Next was the greatly anticipated Skrillex, a.k.a. Sonny Moore formerly of post-hardcore act From First To Last, before hitting the big time with his move to dubstep. Those who read my review of Soundwave also understand what huge anticipation preceding an act’s set can do, especially one that doesn’t come close to meeting it. As I mentioned before, it took me two songs before I left. The thick steel wall of anticipation was met with bricks, and by bricks I mean ping-pong balls. When I brought this up with someone at the end of the night, they argued it was the best set of the day. He also admitted he was on pills all day. Must that be the only way to enjoy this kind of festival? Regardless, the boring opening minutes weren’t enough to keep me there to find out if it would get better, and knowing that Die Antwoord was to be on soon, I thought it best to go and get a good position for that.

Ah shade. The … tent was where the latest cult sensation would soon appear. After hearing out Oliver Huntemann’s closing half-hour, the same level of anticipation that I witnessed earlier was present here. However, I knew these guys would deliver. After witnessing “The Answer” (rough English translation of band name) at Big Day Out last year I knew everyone here would be in for a treat again. Unlike last time, many more were prepared for this. DJ Hi-Tek appeared, orange prison jumpsuits and signature mask in tow. Portions of the crowd were chanting “DJ Hi-Tek is gonna fuck you in the ass”, before he even started it himself. After a minute or so of this, it was time for remaining members Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er to get the party started. Kicking right into “Fok Julle Naaiers”, they jumped around the stage focusing all of their energy on every single person in the audience. New tracks, like the infectious “I Fink U Freeky” fit seamlessly with older favourites, in particular the one that started it all, crowd-favourite “Enter The Ninja”. For those not yet under the spell of Die Antwoord, they were easily converted. As for those devoted fans, it was a reassuring and enjoyably absurd forty-minutes reinforcing that the bizarre South African rap group are now much much more than just a big hit on Youtube. One of the other highlights was a hilarious tribute to Kevin “Bloody” Wilson from Ninja, who he credited as the man who taught him how to swear.

The sole reason I was initially attracted to this festival, before knowing Die Antword was to be featuring as well, was the promise of the one-and-only Norman Cook, or to most, Fatboy Slim, on our shores. Being an insanely big fan of his albums and DJing I was looking forward to this next ninety-minutes most of all. His second album You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby was the first album I ever truly got into as a kid, so when he arrived on stage it was all a bit overwhelming for me. A true legend of the dance world, who pioneered a particular form of breakbeat music that made its way into the mainstream, along with The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and The Crystal Method. He is best known for tracks “Praise You” and “The Rockafeller Skank”, and the memorable video clips that accompanied all his singles (Christopher Walken dancing around an empty hotel lobby anyone?).

The master of the decks provided us with arguably one of the most enjoyable dance music sets South Australia has ever seen, yet it seemed to go largely unappreciated. Several people made a fair point that they came to see him play his hits and were thus disappointed. I then realised they probably should have advertised better that it would be a “DJ set” on the posters and so on. I was lucky to know he is a DJ first and foremost, and as such I got exactly what I expected. However, it might have been a different affair then if everyone else was aware of this, too. Despite that, the people outside of the D-Barricade seemed to enjoy Cook’s set much more than those on the inside. I assume this was mostly due to there being more room to move and dance, but on closer inspection it was actually because the majority were older people. I’m not talking parent-age, I mean people who weren’t popping pimples and scratching their hairless nut-sacks between songs. These “older” people were the life of the party now. The crowd inside the barricade was on constant rotation, many leaving each minute, with new blood appearing at an equal rate. There was only a dedicated bunch that was sticking it out front of stage for the whole thing. I just couldn’t understand it. Other than the remarks about the lack of Cook’s singles being played in great length, it was the perfect festival set, current radio tracks chopped up and mixed together with some golden oldies and spat out again with such skill and enthusiasm for his craft, Fatboy Slim was providing us with a chance to relish what he has been the king of for two decades.

It took less than a minute for the applause to die-out after Cook left the stage. To be fair, it had been like that all day. Only Gym Class Heroes broke that tradition, thanks to what I heard was a great set by them, that I was only able to witness from my position waiting for Die Antword. Another notable tradition of the day, which was also brought up by the aforementioned Leah Mencel on Twitter, was that most of the big acts were borrowing heavily from other performers from the day. Also, it’s worth mentioning each stage had “host DJs”, like the Stafford Brothers at the main stage. It seemed as though they were not there to necessarily keep the flow going between sets but for a much simpler purpose, to not bore people. It was if a minute without a steady dance beat was criminal. One drunken wanderer, talking to one of his mates after it had all finished, summed it up simply, “it’s so weird not having DOOF DOOF in your ear”.

The exit to the main stage barricades were now host to large puddles because of some poorly aimed water taps, and thanks to the lighting situation, were invisible to many as they left the area. Waiting for Swedish House Mafia, I was able to witness everyone who failed to see the mud puddle, and was surprised at how few people actually cared about their new brown-coated legs. Despite everything I have said about the attitudes of audiences today, people were clearly enjoying themselves one way or another, even if they are all mostly on acid or ten-standard drinks down.

The mud. The foam. The alcohol. The near-nakedness. By the time Swedish House Mafia (consisting of the three best European house DJs at the moment Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso) had started it was like Adelaide was hosting it’s own little Ibiza. Over the next thirty minutes the atmosphere changed dramatically. I soon realised what was going on. It was nine-pm. Swedish House Mafia were headlining the main stage, where every single one of the young teen club-goers were now getting their final chance to let loose. Over in the … tent was the eerie, Aphex Twin and ex-Joy Division-ers, New Order next door at the … Stage where the remaining fragments of the Future Music Festival-goers were now residing, those who would never be caught out at a club cranking Rihanna and David Guetta if their life depended on it. A balance had now ensued and strangely enough made this the best part of the night. Everyone was in their place, enjoying whatever they wanted, in whatever capacity. Calmness was never a word I thought I would have used to describe it, but there was this sense of peace, much more akin to the vibe at WOMADelaide.

I stuck it out for another thirty-minutes, checking out the previously mentioned Aphex Twin and New Order each, before heading out. Personally, it was hard to top Fatboy Slim’s sunset set, especially as he was the main reason I was there in the first place, but the three headline acts I briefly witnessed were all solid, and hitting the right mark with their audiences. As I left, I was still irked about what seemed like a lack of respect shown for the big names, yet very few people seemed to be having a bad time. Maybe this can serve as a warning to those who are yet to attend and are curious about these kinds of festivals. Sure big names may well mean a really solid DJ set, and you’ll be lucky every so often to see a group like Die Antwoord doing their thing, but if you’re going for the “music”, you’re largely better off hanging out with your mates and turning the “crossfade” setting on your iTunes on. It will be a lot cheaper too. Unless plastered half-naked people and foam pits are your thing… actually, now that I think about it, maybe I’ve been looking at this the wrong way…

To check out pictures from the day, go here http://www.kryztoff.com/RAW/?p=5264

Follow Calen on Twitter, @CalenVanstone

Mar 21

Bickfords Now Offers Cranberry Juice Cordial

The tradition continues with Bickford’s Cranberry Juice Cordial
Renowned for their purity and quality, the tradition continues with the launch of Bickford’s new Cranberry Juice Cordial, bringing a fresh new taste to the portfolio.

This innovative beverage launch forms the most recent extension of Bickford’s’ 136 year old Cordial range and comes at the peak of summer when refreshment will be top of mind for Aussie consumers.

With no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners, Bickford’s Cranberry Juice Cordial is made with 25 per cent real cranberry juice and delivers a refreshing balance of tartness and sweetness. Unique to the Australian market and true to the rest of the Bickford’s range, it delivers high refreshment value and adult taste appeal, with the flexibility of mixing to suit individual taste preferences.

Bickford’s Senior Brand Manager – Jodi Pope says, “Cranberry commands approximately 75 per cent of the premium juice segment, and with the brand’s existing association with quality cranberry products established through our Bickford’s Premium Juice range, there was a wonderful opportunity to extend this to cordial.”

Cranberries are known to be a powerhouse of antioxidants and as such have become a popular and on-trend super fruit commonly associated with a range of naturally occurring health promoting benefits. This super fruit status gives it a ‘premium’ image, well aligned with the Bickford’s brand positioning of proud tradition and premium quality.

Typically targeting the adult sector of the market, this delicious new Bickford’s variant will not only increase satisfaction amongst existing consumers but is intended also to broaden brand appeal amongst a younger demographic who associate cranberry with high-end cocktails and vodka mixes.

“We want to offer something new and exciting to existing consumers whilst at the same time attract a slightly younger demographic and encourage their transition from regular cordial to premium cordial,” says Pope.

Not only is it the ultimate summer refreshment when mixed with plain water or soda, Bickford’s Cranberry Juice Cordial is also the perfect addition to a range of mouth watering cocktails such as a Summer Sangria and Passionfruit Cosmopolitan, creating new inspiration for in-home-entertaining. A number of trendy bars and night spots have also been quick to incorporate Bickford’s Cranberry Juice Cordial into their cocktail menus.

Also joining the Bickford’s Cordial portfolio is the new Bickford’s Diet Lemon Lime and Bitters Cordial, which was launched following overwhelming success of Bickford’s Lemon Lime and Bitters Cordial and the increasing consumer demand for diet versions of the Bickford’s Cordial range.

Whilst Lime Juice Cordial remains the flagship of the brand, Bickford’s is proud to introduce these latest flavour additions to its iconic portfolio, which commands 63 per cent value share of the premium cordial segment.

Check out Bickford’s Cranberry Juice Cocktail recipes Here

Mar 21

SA Group in Hunt for World Song Title

A local Aussie Indie Pop Band, Echo and the Empress of South Australia join just four other artists from around the world in the nomination for best Pop Song Category in the 11th Annual Independent Music Awards. In total there are more than 300 exceptional self-released and independent label artists, as well as former major label acts named today by Music Resource Group (MRG) as Nominees in The 11th Independent Music Awards (The IMAs), the influential awards program for independent bands and fans.

Echo and the Empress is nominated for their song Balloon, among an eclectic mix of established artists and emerging artists.

Representing the broad spectrum of today’s global independent music scene, the Nominees in over 70 Song, Album, Music Video and Design categories were culled from thousands of submissions from North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe.

Winners will be determined by a panel of 77 influential artist and industry judges including:

Keith Richards, Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Suzanne Vega, Joshua Redman,Tori Amos, Michael Franti, Bettye LaVette, Del McCoury, Ozzy Osbourne, Shelby Lynne, Alan Light (Live From The Artists Den), Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour), Bill Bragin (Lincoln Center), Sara Beesley (Joe’s Pub), Chris Diaz (Knitting Factory Entertainment), and Evan Schlansky (American Songwriter). The results will be announced in April 2012.

In addition to industry-determined Winners, music fans from around the world have until Friday, July 20, 2012 to cast their votes at The IMA Vox Pop Jukebox to determine the fan-selected program winners.

The Independent Music Award Winners will be promoted to nearly 1 billion music fans worldwide.

Details and complete list of Nominees and Judges available at TheIndependentMusicAwards.com

More information on the Echo and the Empress nomination is available at: http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/11th/Song/Pop

Also check out Echo and the Empress website

Mar 21

FRINGE – Allegoria Sacra – AES+F – Art Gallery – 4.5K

Opening night of the Fringe welcomed in the Art Gallery’s latest big ticket purchase, a print of Russian photographic collective AES+F’s Allegoria Sacra. On that night it was shown twice on a massive screen out the front of the Gallery towards North Terrace, giving Fringe patrons the visual feast denied them by the trashy parade that preceded it down King William Street.

A Scene for AES+F's Allegoria Sacra

Inspired by Giovanni Bellini’s 15th century painting of the same name, this third and final part of their trilogy about the dilemmas of the modern world gives viewers all the sensations that the two previous parts have (Last Riot, seen at the Jam Factory four years ago and The Feast of Trimalchio last year) including big, thunderous background music, an array of delightful (semi clad) subjects and those peculiar stilted turning head movements arising from the extraordinary technology used.

This Allegoria Sacra is centred about a very modern form of purgatory – being stuck in an airport transit lounge waiting to move from one world to the next. Laced within the story are futuristic scenarios, images of idolised youth, fashion, progress and wealth that raise as many questions about their substance over form as it does about where to next for us all. Throw in some scenes from a rain forest and a golden centaur and for 30 minutes one is immersed in a cauldron of desire, revulsion, envy, shock, humour and wonder.

Inspired by this, Bellini's Allegoria Sacra (circa 1490)

Compared with the two previous (aforementioned) works, not much new in terms of imagery or technology happens here – the tens of thousands of photographs used to comprise the moving images we see are as big and bold and as rich with metaphor as they are imagination as the previous works. But that is not meant as any form of criticism but rather an inducement for those have enjoyed AES+F’s previous works when here to roll up while it is still on its first public viewing (til 3rd June).

The big difference now of course is that this time we have a copy of our own. Well done to the Art Gallery and its donor patrons on the purchase.

Mar 21

FRINGE – Jason Byrne – Arts Theatre – 2.5K

Demographically, Jason Byrne is a little out of the norm for a stand up comedian. Around 40, he is married and has children, thus removing from his repertoire the usual jokes about messy house mates and the troublesome girl friend.

His act started brightly with thunderous Straussian music and a funny Irish jig, as a nod to his heritage. With a stage full of props, Byrne then moved onto traverse some familiar topics, including some enjoyable moments about the quirks of Adelaide and incorporating the new (it seems) British joke of treating responses from the audience as if there were the unscriptable rantings of a unique bunch of mad people.

However, while all this seemed to be progressing well, like too many other comedians, Byrne then saw a need to descend (or was it plunge) into 10 hard core minutes of vagina jokes – like why?

I see The Advertiser likes to deal with these moments by euphemistically describing them as either the ‘idiosyncrasies’ of the artist or through suggesting the show is not suitable for grandparents.  Simply put, the humour at these moments is crude and boorish.

Kryztoff Rating  2.5K

Mar 20

Future Music – Adelaide – Images

Nobody posts as many images from the music festivals it attends than Kryztoff, including over 600 faces of those who attended.

Kryztoff’s images from Adelaide’s Future Music Festival in 2012 can be found at the following:

The Bands

The Fans – Pt 1

The Fans – Pt 2

From The Foam Stage

Enjoy

Mar 19

FESTIVAL – St John’s Passion – Adel Town Hall – 5K

By Ben Nielsen

J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion (St John’s Passion) BWV 245 is an extravagant musical representation of the Passion as told in the Gospel of John.

Featuring a vocal ensemble comprising members of the Adelaide Chamber Singers and the Sydney Chamber Choir, 17 piece chamber orchestra and an ensemble of soloists; the exultant work was expertly directed by Carl Crossin.

The performance was a sumptuous feast, typifying the musical style and themes of the baroque period. The opening passage in particular was a display of power and triumph, an intensity that remained for the duration of the nearly two hour performance.

It is hard to pick fault with the spectacular performance; the combined ensemble certainly justified its collective array of awards and critical acclaim. Particular mention must be made of Robert Macfarlane who made an immense contribution as a main soloist. Not only was his musical ability exceptional, but also his stamina and endurance.

Having already performed in Bernstein’s Mass, and Ennio Morricone Live, The Adelaide Chamber Singers’ involvement in the 2012 Adelaide Festival has been a showcase of versatility, inexhaustible energy and consistent excellence. St John’s Passion was no exception, and was an absolutely magnificent and empowering performance.

Kryztoff Rating  5K