[UPDATE] The Year Ahead, A New Alias, & Sub-Zero Frequencies

Damn, it’s been ages since I last posted here! But with a new year, comes a whole new set of sounds. And for 2011, I’m headed in a new direction, or back to an old one so to speak. On top of my usual progressive and tech house sounds, I’m going to be introducing a new …

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MIFF Review :: Green Days [Iran]

Green Days [Iran] A documentary that incorporates fictionalised narration into real locations and situations, ‘Green Days’ follows a young Iranian girl who seeks to regain her faith in a system that once was with the upcoming 2009 election. Whilst I thought the content of the film was interesting, and there were quite a few things …

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MIFF Review :: My Joy [Germany]

Day 4 of the Melbourne International Film Festival has concluded! And today’s agenda included four films for review! – My Joy [Germany] ‘My Joy’ follows the journey of a truck driver through the Russian countryside, and his encounters with various characters that are It was such a shame for this film, as it had a …

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MIFF Review :: Rubber [France]

The first horror flick of MIFF for me! I’m a big fan of the genre, so I’ve selected a couple from the list this year. The first just so happens to be written and directed by a well known DJ / Producer by the name of Quentin Dupieux aka Mr Oizo (Yes, ‘Flat Beat’ it …

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MIFF Review :: Love In A Puff [Hong Kong]

Due to delays in the MIFF schedule, we missed a few minutes of the start of this film, but it was easy enough to pick up from where we started. – Love In A Puff [Hong Kong] ‘Love in a Puff’ is a light romance / comedy about two people who meet during a cigarette break, and …

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[UPDATE] The Year Ahead, A New Alias, & Sub-Zero Frequencies MIFF Review :: Green Days [Iran] MIFF Review :: My Joy [Germany] MIFF Review :: Rubber [France] MIFF Review :: Love In A Puff [Hong Kong]

May
20

[UPDATE] The Year Ahead, A New Alias, & Sub-Zero Frequencies

by DJmarkMajor

Damn, it’s been ages since I last posted here! But with a new year, comes a whole new set of sounds. And for 2011, I’m headed in a new direction, or back to an old one so to speak.

On top of my usual progressive and tech house sounds, I’m going to be introducing a new alias to the fold, which will focus on a sound I haven’t played with in many, many years: Trance. I’m pretty excited too, as the sound has really come back together in my opinion. So in the coming weeks, I’ll be announcing my new trance project via my podcast on iTunes. So stay tuned!

But back to the Progressive Front, on June 12 I will be playing my first set of the year alongside a huge and diverse lineup of artists at SUB-ZERO FREQUENCIES. It’s going to be a huge gig, so get in early for tickets!!!

For more details and where to buy tickets, check out the event Facebook page or the flyer below!

 

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Jul
26

MIFF Review :: Green Days [Iran]

by DJmarkMajor

Green Days [Iran]

A documentary that incorporates fictionalised narration into real locations and situations, ‘Green Days’ follows a young Iranian girl who seeks to regain her faith in a system that once was with the upcoming 2009 election.

Whilst I thought the content of the film was interesting, and there were quite a few things I didn’t know about the 2009 election in Iran, I was disappointed in the compiling of the information. The mobile phone footage, although necessary to show the aftermath of the election, would have been better if the audio was cleaned up a little more. I also thought there were quite a few times where I thought certain things could be elaborated on with some background information, or cut down because I felt it slowed the pacing right down.

However, this problem could be argued by the style in which the film is shot. Being told as a narrative rather than a presentation of the facts / theories, there were some fantastic conversations (as many of the ‘interviews’ were presented) from the various supporters of the opposition candidate, and the shots of the days leading up to the voting were all full of energy.

The lead character, Ava, is charismatic and believable, but also over the top in her actions thanks to her background in theatre. It’s a great mix which for some might detract from the overall feel of the film, but I thought assisted in creating a contrast between her thoughts and the general atmosphere around her.

It’s an interesting viewing, as it is presented a little differently to most documentaries out there, but it may not be for everyone.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

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Jul
26

MIFF Review :: My Joy [Germany]

by DJmarkMajor

Day 4 of the Melbourne International Film Festival has concluded! And today’s agenda included four films for review!

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My Joy [Germany]

‘My Joy’ follows the journey of a truck driver through the Russian countryside, and his encounters with various characters that are

It was such a shame for this film, as it had a brilliant opening act. The interwoven stories that lead back to Gregory (the truck driver) as he travels the countryside, are thoughtful and interesting, whilst not tearing too far away from the central plot. The characters he meets are also compelling, they are all mysterious, with only hints to their backgrounds revealed, but enough for you to establish their motives.

Unfortunately, the moment the second act arrives, the pacing of the film collapses in a heap. The interwoven stories are now brought to the foreground, and it’s almost as if the writers had completely forgotten about Gregory. I felt as if an number of important scenes were missing from the middle of the film, as it opened a huge hole in the plot, and in turn absolutely destroyed the whole point of the finale. Scenes also drew out too long in the second act, and our lead character has gone from an interesting face to a downright boring one. The same could be said about the second act encounters too, as the characters involved felt absolutely random and did not convey any sort of motivation that the first act encounters did.

It was a real problem for the film because by the time the third act arrived (which had a good ending if you can identify the whole point of it), it was too late to recover. And it’s a shame, because I would have rated this film much higher had it not been for that.

Score: 3 out of 5

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Jul
26

MIFF Review :: Rubber [France]

by DJmarkMajor

The first horror flick of MIFF for me! I’m a big fan of the genre, so I’ve selected a couple from the list this year. The first just so happens to be written and directed by a well known DJ / Producer by the name of Quentin Dupieux aka Mr Oizo (Yes, ‘Flat Beat’ it is).

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Rubber [France]

I was really surprised that this film about a murderous tyre with psychokinetic powers, had a much larger theme in the movie. Following the concept of ‘No Reason’ for a lot of random occurrances in films (in an amusing speech at the beginning of ‘Rubber’), the story strictly abides by this. Even in it’s absolute absurdity, all you could do is remember that one simple answer to your question: ‘No Reason’.

The film jumps around all over the place, even taking the characters out of the film (so to speak), but somehow it remains coherent enough to follow with the help of useful comments from ‘the audience’ throughout the progression of the plot. It’s really just a mish mash of ideas, all collaborated together as an experiment.

The effects are pretty well done, drawing inspiration for B-Grade classic gore films, and the tyre manages to offer some idea of how it feels from simple ‘gestures’. Put simply, it’s out there. Unfortunately in that regard, the film does not try anything new to add to the genre, instead playing it safe with stuff we’ve already seen.

To conclude, I’m sure that there will be a lot of people that won’t appreciate the film for what it is, but for me, I could summarise the entire film in one line… ‘It’s so bad, it’s good, and why? No reason.’

Score: 2.5 out of 5

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Jul
26

MIFF Review :: Love In A Puff [Hong Kong]

by DJmarkMajor

Due to delays in the MIFF schedule, we missed a few minutes of the start of this film, but it was easy enough to pick up from where we started.

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Love In A Puff [Hong Kong]

‘Love in a Puff’ is a light romance / comedy about two people who meet during a cigarette break, and the story of their relationship growing with each encounter.

The film is broken down into two sections: the scenes with the main characters and their conversations, and the scenes where they are being interviewed on their relationships (both past and present). Fortunately, the two blended in well together, and helped elaborate on their thoughts throughout the movie.

There really isn’t too much to say about the film, it reminds me a lot of other romantic comedies, with the exception of the location and culture. The dialogue was interesting and felt really casual rather than trying to dwell into things to deeply. It was a simple film, and went about it’s way safely through to the end.

‘Love in a Puff’ is an enjoyable film, and for me, to see the lead actress again after her performance in the horror flick ‘Three Extremes… – Dumplings’ was great. I am sure that this film will likely get remade into a hollywood format one day.

Score: 3 out of 5

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Jul
26

MIFF Review :: The Housemaid [South Korea]

by DJmarkMajor

I’ve just concluded the third day of the Melbourne International Film Festival with three films, but there is still a long way to go!

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The Housemaid [South Korea]

Unfortunately I cannot draw comparisons with the original that this film was remade upon, but thanks to a Q&A with the director, I was elaborated on the differences that he decided to incorporate.

The story tells of a newly hired housemaid into a rich family’s home. Everything seems perfect until she begins an sexual affair with the husband, which leads into a dangerous game of secrets and truths between all the members of the household.

I have to commend the director of the film, Im Sang-soo, for an amazing job. Much of the camera work is so perfectly placed that it sets the scale of the house in it’s entirety, but also delivers some really dramatic moments, and clearly showing the contrast of all the relationships between the characters. There is a defined sense of differentiation between the classes, but also between the generations.

Each cast member shared the limelight, but I have to say that the older housemaid was exceptional; Her timing and ability to play the right part alongside her co-stars hit me in the all the right spots. I was laughing one moment with her wit, but also sympathetic to her deeper emotions living in an upper class household.

I might add that the final scenes are surprising to say the least (and at first a little confusing), and for those of you that pick the references to the final events will understand a deeper meaning in the scope of the film.

It has been the top of my list thus far at the MIFF!

Score: 5 out 5

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Jul
24

MIFF Review :: The Robber [Austria]

by DJmarkMajor

To conclude the second day of the Melbourne International Film Festival, here is the second review!

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The Robber [Austria]

When you go into a film that is based on real events, you always wonder how much it will deviate the source material, or how over dramatised or crazy it gets. In the case of ‘The Robber’ it didn’t feel over the top, and presented itself as is: A sequence of events that followed Johann Rettenberger, a convicted bank robber that is recently freed, only to return to his habits.

The film is initially slow to come off the ground, as you slowly learn the background of Rettenberger as both a bank robber and marathon runner, and how the two come together over the course of the story. There are long pauses and silences in many of the scenes, and it becomes a little frustrating as at times it feels like the film isn’t going anywhere.

But once things start to piece together, and in turn the first bank hold-ups begin, the speed and sense of urgency kicks into gear. It’s a good change, and the long pauses that harmed the beginning really help to break up the tension, and allow you to recollect yourself and realise the motivations behind Retternberger’s actions.

Most of the supporting characters felt underused and forgettable, and whilst I thought the lead was appropriate to be calm and collected for most of the film, I didn’t enjoy the lack of other emotions. It’s a shame, because it’s not until the conclusion that you really feel for Rettenberger, with some well crafted and drawn out scenes. I do have to commend the actor’s fitness level, because there was definitely a lot of running involved.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

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Jul
24

MIFF Review :: Air Doll [Japan]

by DJmarkMajor

Well it’s been a while since I last posted (again), as I have not upgraded my DJ gear, so I thought I’d utilise the site in the meantime to post some other articles of interest! It just so happens that the Melbourne International Film Festival has started, and I’ve gotten a big lineup of films to catch, so I’ll give updates on my reviews here. You can also check them up on Facebook via the ‘Notes’ tab on my profile, or a quick score on Twitter. Here is the first! Enjoy!

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Air Doll [Japan]

A great film to start off this year’s festival experience, ‘Air Doll’ begins with a light hearted journey of the city and how we live everyday life, based on an existing manga. You could sense that everyone had a smile on their face while the lead actress, Bae Doona, convinced us of her progression in character development, as a sex doll coming to life in the world, but also as she sees the amazement in such things we take for granted. But as the film continues, it dives deeper and brings about the way humans desire the need for a connection to another, which leads to a shocking conclusion.

What amazes me after watching quite a few Japanese films, is the ability for some really perverted concepts to be forgotten when you look at the greater scope of the film. ‘Air Doll’ is a good example of this, as the film starts off in such a way. But I did enjoy the moments when you are reminded of the fact that the lead is a doll (without going into specifics).

The film’s pacing is executed very well, allowing you to explore the scene further, and I appreciated the minor details that both the characters and settings have to offer. I also loved the way the director managed to capture the way human relationships have a lasting effect on us, both positively and negatively.

Score: 4 out of 5

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Apr
20

[PODCAST] ‘Systematic’ now on iTunes!

by DJmarkMajor

I’m happy to announce that iTunes has approved my podcast ‘Systematic’, and you can now download all of my episodes there!

Also, you are now able to subscribe to the podcast from iTunes, and as I’ve uploaded new issues, they will be automatically sent straight to your player! Finally, I will make a direct page will all the track listings so there is no needed searching required for individual posts.

Here is the link to the page (This will open iTunes and show the details there), where you can download my episodes separately or subscribe!

iTunes – DJmarkMajor presents ‘Systematic’

Issue 007 is still in the pipeline, but I will hopefully have it out at the start of May, as I’m upgrading to a DVS setup. No more burning CDs!

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Apr
18

[UPDATE] April 18, 2010

by DJmarkMajor

So there have been a few changes made to the website, the most noticeable of these being the cosmetic change. Here is a short list of what I’ve adjusted.

  • An update list for my ‘Systematic’ Podcasts is now featured.
  • A direct link to my Twitter page and RSS feed now appears along the main link bar.
  • Inclusion of a tabbed navigation bar so you can refine your searches on the site.
  • Added a fan box to my Facebook page and a status update box to my twitter page.
  • Integration of SoundCloud into my blog posts. This will be slowly implemented over time.
  • Two new sections, ‘Folio’ & ‘Photos’ have been added.
  • Updated some of my existing mix covers.

Thanks to digitalnature for providing the template to this blog design! You can check out his page at http://digitalnature.ro.

Off-site, I’m waiting for my ‘Systematic’ Podcasts to be approved on iTunes, and from there you’ll be able to subscribe to the series, and be able to download them as they arrive! The initial upload will include five of my six original episodes, with the seventh episode currently in the works. Expect to see some hot tracks in the upcoming mix! I’ll also be utilising SoundCloud’s facilities to provide another download location of my other mixes.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the first set of updates! I’ll be back soon with the details on my podcast as the news hits home!

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