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Unicycle Loves You

Highway Robbery

/ 50 votes

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Time

The Lightswitch

/ 2729 votes

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V8

Pain is the Cleanser

/ 240 votes

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Messinian

Burn It Up

/ 25 votes

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Dub Sonata

Revolution

/ 726 votes

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Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror

Xenon Pictures

Reviewed on Monday, October 01, 2007 by Joanna Muñoz

Taking a cue from “Tales of the Crypt”, Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror is a collection of stories where evildoers pay for their crimes. Though not actually acting in any of the short stories, Snoop plays quick double duty as the “Crib Keeper” who provides the introduction and a character named Devin who takes his own life so his little sister can live. This live-action movie is book ended with an anime introduction and finish that makes for an interesting take on a new way to present a horror film. This creative choice begs the question, is Snoop just a regular round the way guy who happens to put out random merchandise or is he a creative entrepreneur who takes information around him (i.e. the possible influence of what his kids are into) and incorporates it into his business ventures in order to make dough? In the end, this film is funny, at times gory, and downright entertaining. In addition, it has a bigger bottom line than most scary movies out there – it shows you that no matter what kind of situation you’re in, you always have a choice and how you live your life is entirely up to you. A morally driven scary movie? Not bad, Snoop - not bad at all.

The DVD is available nationwide at major retail stores and on-line merchants for under 30 bones.

Big Audio Dynamite : E=MC2 live

MVD Visual

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Elisa Padilla

The Clash are one of the most influential bands in history, but
Mick Jones wanted more. Jones quit The Clash in 1983, though in 1984, he continued his experimental journey by forming Big Audio Dynamite, a notable departure in styles from his previous band. Filmed in 1992 at the Town and Country Club in London before a sold-out crowd, E=MC2 captures the excitement and versatility of Jones’s post-Clash venture. Though only eight songs are performed, they don’t forget the U.S. Top-10 singles “Rush” and “The Globe,” and even close the show with an outstanding rendition of the Prince classic “1999.” All the dabbling in samples, hip-hop and electronica, accompanied by Jones’s familiar vocals, make this DVD a delight.

Dancehall Draft Picks 2007

VP Music Group

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Elisa Padilla

Draft Picks 2007 is sort of a split DVD. Half of it is music videos and the other half is a documentary all about the latest underground dancehall stars. Now I like dancehall, but I’m not too sure about the videos. Though most of them are mimicking American rappers, there’s still a lot of cheese (not meaning money) involved. The video compilation ends with by far the most amusing few minutes, “Dutty Wine” by Tony Matterhorn, which is complete with lo-fi graphics throughout. Opposite the videos, the documentary side is entertaining, with footage from live shows and studio time, as well as interviews with artists, producers and dancehall DJ ZJ Liquid, all giving insight to the underground dancehall scene in Jamaica. If you’re not up to par on your dancehall, watch this, and you might even start saying things like “big ups” and “mash it up.”

David Axelrod Live

Champion Productions/Mochilla Films

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Giselle Zado Wasfie

It’s hard to characterize David Axelrod—whose work as a producer, arranger and composer has crossed genres and greatly influenced contemporary culture. He sort of defies easy attribution. A white man raised in South Central LA, he grew up listening to R&B and jazz. DJ Shadow, Lauryn Hill, Madlib and Dr. Dre, the latter of whom used a part of Axelrod’s “The Edge” as the famous hook on “The Next Episode,” have all been influenced by Axelrod. But as this live DVD demonstrates, this man stands alone as the real deal. This concert was recorded as part of the 2004 Ether festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London. A rare performance of Axelrod’s solo work, it truly is a captivating experience, even when Richard Ashcroft comes out for a cameo, but there I go again using other arts to lend cred and context to Axelrod’s work.

The Decemberists

Kill Rock Stars

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Giselle Zado Wasfie

I want to like this band, but they annoy the shit out of me. Actually, let me rephrase that: They bore the shit out of me. They make me want to jab pencils into my eyeballs with their whiney carnival, Pacific Northwest bourgeois bohemian b.s.! But that’s just me. OK, I admit I actually spent some real time listening to their current release The Crane Wife, and actually enjoyed the Jethro Tull moments, the castaway journey and even lead singer’s Colin Meloy’s nasally voice, but for non-fans this DVD is basically one big Xanax. It features a live performance of the group at the Roseland Theater in Portland, OR (and by live I mean totally lifeless and uninspired). The Paris Before the War documentary is an embarrassment to my favorite film genre. And the music videos included just make me want to Zzzzz.

Gonzales: From Major to Minor

No Format

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Joshua Glazer

An early adapter and instigator in the electro-clash scene, Canadian native Gonzales has taken his tongue-and-cheek style from Berlin to Paris. He’s replaced his electro muse with classical music, conducting part piano lesson, part performance art pieces with the help of Daft Punk, Teki Latex, Jamie Lidell, Mocky and Feist. There’s also an explicative-laden press conference at the official German government press headquarters with Peaches that ends with a howling “G-spot” performance on the piano in the lobby. In an era when every deviation is conventional, it’s refreshing to find a musician who is truly finding his own way to misbehave.

Screaming Masterpiece

Milan

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Michael Vazquez

There’s certainly some memorable music on Screaming Masterpiece. From the furious opening sequence juxtaposing helicopter-cam footage of the fjords with the 1000-mile-an-hour slide of Sigur Rós’s “#8 a.k.a. Popplagio” to the absolutely devastating finale in which the country’s Official Head Pagan sings an 800-year old poem, accompanied by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra: Whoa. Along the way, a freestyling television personality demonstrates that Icelandic hip-hop can flow, Björk sings a siren song on the shores of Coney Island as her faithful massive goes off, and about two dozen other assorted bands rep every sound the director could squeeze into this 85-minute epic about a country in which something like one in every 20 persons is a musician. Watch this and you’ll start a new band.

Tats Cru: The Mural Kings

88 Hip Hop

Reviewed on Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Daiana Feuer

Since the ‘80s, Bronx-based Tats Cru have reigned as kings over a graff empire stretching across international waters, with their thrones embossed on the walls of the Graffiti Hall of Fame at 106th and Park. From trains to high-concept full-scale murals, Bio, BG183, Nicer, Sen2, How and Nosm hold it down on the streets and in the industry, commissioned by corporate giants like Coca-Cola, as well as by community projects and locals, to paint memorials for perished loved ones, the most famous being Big Pun—by way of Tats Cru member Fat Joe. The guys are proof that you can make your passion your life, and get rich while still keeping true to who you are and where you come from.