Driftwood DVD review (Orlando Weekly)

A horror movie based on the abuse at a prison-like “attitude-adjustment camp for troubled youths” starring Diamond Dallas Page (The Devil’s Rejects) and directed/co-written by Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs) holds a modicum of promise. Weaving supernatural elements into the already surreal and hostile environment engendered by these inhumane dumping grounds may seem unnecessary, but the idea of a ghost wandering the halls of a torture camp is generally a no-lose proposition. Unfortunately, Sullivan and his below-par cast of actors – most of whom come from shows like Laguna Beach and 7th Heaven, though star Raviv Ullman was the main character on Disney Channel’s Phil of the Future – appear undecided on their roles in Driftwood. Is it going to be a scared-straight look at the horrors of life on the inside of one of these teen-storage facilities? Is it going to be a spooky thriller? A profanity-laced tale about bonding on the inside and sticking it to an abuser? It’s all of these and none of these; ultimately, the thin production values, overblown acting and confused plotline make Driftwood little more than a contender for Lifetime After Dark.

First appeared in the Dec. 6, 2007 issue of Orlando Weekly.

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Khann: Tofutopia CD review (Orlando Weekly)

While Orlando-based Khann hasn’t (yet) taken to playing Wolves in the Throne Room–style shows out in forest clearings, the crustcore outfit’s path to acclaim has been decidedly different than that of other bands that share its ZIP code. Thanks to word of mouth garnered through skull-shatteringly loud house shows, the band was able to bypass the hustle-for-a-deal rat race most metal bands get locked into and went straight to releasing their first album on the nationally acclaimed Black Market Activities label, home of similarly extreme acts Ed Gein and the Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza. It’s a fitting home for Khann’s expansive abrasiveness; comprising songs as short as 30 seconds and as long as 9 minutes, Tofutopia shows off a careening and intense assault that, while complex, never comes across as self-indulgent.

While veganism and extreme metal don’t typically go together, Khann is one of a small group of bands who take the ideologies of crustcore punk and apply it to metalcore, resulting in complex and aggressive music that has a truly nonconformist message.

First appeared in the Dec. 6, 2007 issue of Orlando Weekly.

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Feed DVD review (Orlando Weekly)

This hilarious “documentary” of the run-up to the 1992 New Hampshire presidential primaries is an incisive political film. Not because directors Kevin Rafferty and James Ridgeway deftly communicate partisan points, but because this film exposes silly and shallow television-age campaigning. Compiled from behind-the-scenes recording of campaign machinations and raw satellite feeds, Feed mercilessly skewers the artifice employed by both parties in shaping the electorate’s view. Seeing candidates and pundits in the unguarded, unscripted moments just before and just after they’re seen in public only reaffirms what every sentient American already knows – politicians are conniving and artificial – but nonetheless provides plentiful hilarity. Had voters seen Bob Kerrey wrestle with a malfunctioning earpiece (and become supremely bitchy with the tech who’s trying to fix it), his candidacy would have been doomed even earlier. Conversely, Paul Tsongas’ down-to-earth off-camera demeanor is refreshing.

First appeared in the Dec. 6, 2007 issue of Orlando Weekly.

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Live Earth: Concerts in Crisis CD review (Orlando Weekly)

The first thought that comes to mind with this two-DVD/one-CD summary of the Live Earth concerts is, “Something’s missing.” After all, this event took place on 12 stages in various locations around the world with a wide variety of international performers. Yet this collection is less like a plea for a dying planet than a transmission from the Land of Same Old Same Old. There are many things this planet needs, but it definitely does not require this sad parade of overplayed songs to be foisted upon us. While the 36 DVD performances go more than twice as far as the CD in attempting to skim the top of the day’s events, it’s dull trudgery hearing KT Tunstall, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Keane, Wolfmother and every other well-known performer of the day run through their hits. Why not include M.I.A.’s performance? Or Xuxa’s? Or UA’s? Or Mando Diao’s, Yellow Magic Orchestra’s or Baaba Maal’s? Oh, because then there wouldn’t have been space for Bon Jovi doing “Wanted Dead or Alive,” the Foo Fighters running through “Times Like These” or Rihanna warbling “Umbrella.” And lord knows, we need to hear those songs a few more times. By culling a bland and ultimately boring “highlight reel” from the day’s events, the producers of this collection completely missed the mark – and the point.

First appeared in the Dec. 6, 2007 issue of Orlando Weekly.

Buy this CD at Amazon.com.