Muscle (2019)

Muscle is a bleak Noir mindf**k twisted story from writer / director Gerard Johnson, his follow-up to the dark violent Hyena (2014), very close to the estethics of NWR (Nicholas Winding Refn)'s Pusher trilogy. A very risquee film, also because it's  shot in gritty black and white, it's violent and with graphic sexual scenes and filled with toxic homoeroticity.

Set and filmed in Newcastle, it's the story of an alpha male and a wanna-be alpha, told through the means of bodybuilding in the local gym (Atlantis). And a gradual and slow descent into hell. 

With a great soundtrack by Gerard's brother, Matt Johnson from the cult group The The, including the Manfred Mann's 1969 song, Mister You're A Better Man Than I, and on the end credits a great The The song, I Want 2 B U.

The performances are stellar, Craig Fairbrass, B muscle actor as Terry and Cavan Clerkin as Simon. Johnson's attired actor, Peter Ferdinando (Tony, Hyena) and the upcoming Odyssey, has a supporting small part. 

Not for the faint at heart ;)

Empire review here

4 out 5, 8 out 10 !

Life, Death and Dennis Hopper by The Waterboys -Out now !!!

 Finally ! On April 4, the most expected album (in any sense, and for me in special) by Mike Scott's The Waterboys is out. I announced here on Jan. 8 2025.

What a Treat !!! 25 songs (you can find 'em all on Youtube here, spotify and other patforms), featuring an array of guests, from Steve Earle to Bruce Springsteen and Fiona Apple. 

Vignetes about Golf (Hooper's latter passion), The Last Movie (his doomed film), Andy (Warhol), Michelle (Phillips), Frank Booth (from Blue Velvet), Terry Southern (who wrote Easy Rider), etc. Including a fake trailer for a biker movie, "Freaks on Wheels", a la Tarantino's latest films. 

Post-modern, cool, eclectic, funky, groovy, mad -as Sir Dennis was ;) A wonderful heartfelt tribute, about the times and of Wild Pop Americana and one of True Legends of the Movieland (und more). 

Reviews here:

MOJO -4 stars

Uncut -4 stars

Under The Radar  -75 %

Rolling Stone 

Metacritics -78 %

**** 1/2 out of FIVE. 

Life, Death and Dennis Hopper Track List 

(where there are links you find the videos). 

1. Kansas (featuring Steve Earle)

2. Hollywood’55

3. Live In The Moment, Baby

4. Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights

5. Andy (A Guy Like You)

6. The Tourist (featuring Barny Fletcher)

7. Freaks On Wheels

8. Blues For Terry Southern

9. Memories Of Monterey

10. Riding Down To Mardi Gras

11. Hopper’s On Top (Genius)

12. Transcendental Peruvian Blues

13. Michelle (Always Stay)

14. Freakout At The Mud Palace

15. Daria

16. Ten Years Gone (featuring Bruce Springsteen)

17. Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend (featuring Fiona Apple)

18. Rock Bottom

19. I Don’t Know How I Made It (featuring Taylor Goldsmith)

20. Frank (Let’s Fu*k)

21. Katherine (featuring Anana Kaye)

22. Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper

23. Golf, They Say

24. Venice, California (Victoria)/The Passing Of Hopper

25. Aftermath

 

RIP Val Kilmer

First time I saw him in Top Secret back in the early 80's video days (& nights).

My favorite Val Kilmer part is in Mann's masterpeice of American Noir- Heat

with a soft spot for Mamet's Spartan.

He was blamed for the catastrophe that was Island of Dr. Moreau, with a mad Marlon Brando and a Mini me. Richard Stanley is over that one, John Frankenheimer is gone, like Marlon and Val now.

Val was cool in Ron Howard's Willow (sword & sorcery way before LOTR & epigons la GOT).

He was Iceman, "the wingman" in Tony Scott's seminal Top Gun. Also his last part on screen was in Top Gun 2, a cameo where he became Admiral Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.

He was a beautiful crazed Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors

Val did a Batman (Forever)

A Simon Templar-The Saint (in Moscow)

Doc Holiday (in Tombstone).

-also Kill Me Again & Thunderheart (thx, Andrei ;)

A great comeback film, with Robert Downey jr. was Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, that me and Andrei saw in the world premiere in Cannes in 2005. And we loved it !!!

and a great parodic part in McGruber (2010) as the evil baddie ;) Cunth. 

Long suffering from throat cancer he made a comeback in the headlights with the intense documentary VAL (2021) , in the official Selection in Cannes Film Festival. He died, age 65, on April 1st 2025.

RIP Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain for me was Edmond Dantes, Aramis, Jason Bourne, the Shogun and my faved, Allan Quatermain. Twose two cheesy movies from the late '80's, featuring young Sharon Stone and James Earl Jones, Herbert Lom and Henry Silva. B movie Heaven & Royalty. Unfortunately the second Quatermain flick was such a flop they never completed a Trilogy :). 

The character, an Indiana Jones adventurer, but more Camp, was based on the  H. Rider Haggard character from his Pulp novels. Ironically, Indy was inspired originally also by Alan Quatermain. The character was resurrected for Sean Connery in the malignant The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/LXG (2003), which convinced Sir Sean to retire from acting...

Richard Chamberlain was more one of my mother's favorites, than mine. She watched the Thorn Birds on the video dayz (& Nites;) 

He died March 29th 2025 at 90 years of age. RIP...