Sorry.  Barley Creek Brewing Company, the Pocono Mountains’ original brewpub, was established in 1995 with a traditional Pennsylvania timber-frame barn raising.  And though our building is a little bit smaller than the White House, we have a lot of stuff the White House doesn’t have, like 600 personalized beer mugs hanging in our “living room,” a full canoe on top of our mug rack, a mailbox made out of a beer keg (the “alebox”), and an official whiffle ball stadium.  Plus, we have a BREWERY (!) where we MAKE OUR OWN BEER!  Hey, we’re sure the White House is a nice place and all, but we’re just saying… we’d rather be at Barley Creek.

Barley Creek Brewing Company

I recently got a chance to visit Barley Creek Brewing Company while visiting my family in Pennsylvania.  My Dad and I wanted to check out some (somewhat) local microbreweries, so we chose Barley Creek, in the Poconos, and Endless Brewing, near the New York state line (review coming soon for that one!).  Barley Creek is a brewpub and restaurant, and offers daily tours of their operation, so Dad and I went down and got an appetizer, ordered a couple of beers (I tried their Got Tommy 2X IPA which was one of my favorites for the entire day, Dad had a Weyerbacher Merry Monks which was also quite good), and waited for the tour.  When 12:30 rolled around, we were called up… as the only people to be on the tour!  It was a great experience, because we got lots of one-on-one (well, two-on-two, since it was Dad and I and two of the brewers) time to check out their operation, their lagering vessels, their nitrous system, and all around just a lot of cool stuff.  I was greatly impressed with the water system they have built at their location; the water leaving Barley Creek is cleaner than the water going in!  We also got a chance to sample a really wide variety of their beers, all extremely fresh: the aforementioned 2X, Intrepid Red Ale, Too Bitter ESB (an ESB with nitrogen which was very nice), Rescue IPA, Strawberry Kölsch (one of the best Kölsch’s I’ve had, not a style I usually like), Imperial Stout, and the beers below.  I really wish I could have taken home a bottle of the 2X, the Stout, the Kölsch, and the Too Bitter as well and review them all!

Navigator Golden Ale

About the Beer (from barleycreek.com):
One of our most popular brews. Navigator Golden Ale has a crisp, clean, nicely balanced flavor. We serve our Navigator a little colder than normal and give it a moderate carbonation for just the right finish. Navigator is the perfect brew to tame the fire in some of your favorite spicy foods. Try it with our Firehouse Chili or our award-winning hot wings.

Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 14

NAVIGATOR comes out of the bottle a mix of gold and copper that is truly beautiful to look at – one of the prettier beers I’ve seen in a while – and just LOOKS refreshing.  A vigorous pours yields a pretty light head of bright white, rather large bubbles that fade away quickly, and leave a small ring on the outside of the surface of the beer, and lightly laps the side of the glass with delicate lacing.  Taking it to my nose, I get a slight Hefeweizen like scent to NAVIGATOR; it’s got some banana notes and an overall mild bouquet.

Navigator: Golden Ale

On the palate, NAVIGATOR starts somewhat sweet, but not overly so, and ends slightly bitter.  It has a mild spice to it, and a Belgian undertone to the essence it brings. NAVIGATOR is not a tripel, but it is in the neighborhood… it’s almost like a tripel-light!  It’s very light, and refreshing, and would make a good summer-outside-on-a-hot-day kind of beer.  To add to this nice hot day note is the mouthfeel of the beer: NAVIGATOR is rich and slightly velvety without moving into being thick or heavy.  The carbonation on the beer is extremely light, and after the initial pour it becomes almost non-existent, and this lack of over-the-top bubbly helps to serve the mild, nuanced flavors well.

I enjoyed NAVIGATOR, especially for a style that is not one of my favorites.  Golden Ales are hit or miss for me; too many end up as an overpriced version of Budweiser, but NAVIGATOR is much more like a Belgian beer’s little brother. NAVIGATOR is great way to get a bit of the Belgian style without getting into the high ABV that a standard tripel normally packs, and on a hot day I take it hands down over the average American Adjunct Lager any day of the week.  Of course, I’d also take water over AAL any day of the week, but you get my point…

Overall 6.5 / 10

Beer Page: http://barleycreek.com/beerNavigator.php?id=1

Brewery site: http://barleycreek.com

Angler Black Lager

About the Beer (from barleycreek.com):
This Bavarian style lager coats the tongue with a complex, full-bodied flavor that hints of smooth chocolate. Try it with robust German food, smoked pork, or any kind of grilled meat.

Style: German Style Dunkel
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 16

Usually when I see the word “lager” I’m immediately on the defensive.  I just don’t like them.  Lager yeast usually eats up a lot more of the complexities of flavor that ale yeast leaves behind; a lager is often a lot more “crisp” and “dry” than an ale, but the ale will have a depth of flavor that is hard to achieve with a lager.  I’m not going to go into a brewing lesson here, but in general, ale = more flavor.  But not always.  ANGLER is a great example of a lager that actually maintains some pretty deep and interestingly complex flavor profiles, even though it is a lager… and that impressed me immensely! ANGLER pours a deep near-black brown with a creamy light tan head that dissipates pretty quickly and leaves nearly no lacing, but this is to be expected with a lager.  The scent rising out of the nonic is all coffee and roasted malt, big smoky scents without smelling like a smoked beer, a lot more depth to it than I was anticipating from this lager.

Angler: German Dunkel (Black Lager)

Taking that first taste, my mind goes a bit haywire, because my defensive walls are crumbling.  This is a lager I could actually… like.  It has some of the flavors you’d expect from what I’m smelling – coffee, roasty, deep flavors akin somewhat with a stout – yet it also has that dry crispness I expect from a lager, and a very mild hoppiness on the exit, just enough to remind you that there are some hops in the beer.  Where NAVIGATOR was like a tripel-lite, and ANGLER almost seems like a stout-lite; it has that big flavor profile, but a lot of the smaller nuances I’d expect from a stout are absent. The lagering process has made the flavor profile a lot more one-dimensional than it would be if it were an ale, which is not necessarily a bad thing; not everyone is into big flavors and not everyone will appreciate the complexities of a Russian Imperial Stout.  ANGLER would be a great stepping-stone for someone working their way out of AAL and into better beers, darker beers.

ANGLER looks thick, until you hold it up to the light and see how thin it really is.  The beer is meager and zesty in its body; while from across the room it looks like a stout, drinking ANGLER makes its lager heritage extremely obvious.  That lager body makes ANGLER a very easily drinkable beer, even though it is very dark and a bit heavier on the flavor profile, and like NAVIGATOR before it, this would be a good beer to help woo friends away from AAL beers and into a world of much better brews!

Overall 7.5 / 10

Beer Page: http://barleycreek.com/beerNavigator.php?id=2

Brewery site: http://barleycreek.com

Antler Brown Ale

About the Beer (from barleycreek.com):
This traditional English style brown ale is smooth as silk, boasting a sweet caramalt finish. A rich chestnut color, our Antler Brown Ale is mildly hopped. Check out the Antler tap handle…locally grown! This has been our most popular beer over the years, a winner of a gold medal at the Atlantic City Beer Festival and a bronze medal at the World Beer Championships. Try Antler Brown with hearty foods like sausage, burgers and steak. It’s also great with a wedge of sharp cheddar.

Style: English Brown Ale
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 12

In general, I’m not a fan of brown ales.  I think they are… well… kind of boring.  After the turn that ANGLER spun on lagers for me, I was hoping that ANTLER would have a similar effect on my opinion of brown ales, but unfortunately no.  ANTLER pours a rich mahogany brown that lets off some red tones when held up to the light, and is a bit more visually appealing than many brown ales I’ve had.  It’s capped with a fluffy off-white head that dissipates pretty rapidly and leaves just a bit of lacing behind.

Antler: English Brown Ale

Taking a whiff, there is just not too much there.  There is some nice maltiness, and a bit of nice medium body to the aroma.  It is not heavy, not roasty, and overall it’s just not a whole lot of anything.  There is something in the scent I can’t quite put my finger on… it’s not unpleasant, but it’s not something I can really figure out either.  The taste is a pretty average brown ale flavor to me; the malt has a medium balance to it, neither too dark and astringent nor too light and golden.  There are some hops on the back end, not much bitterness, and almost no hop aroma to speak of.  The flavor has just a hit of nut – like walnut or hazelnut – and a very mild caramel undertone, which I wished were more pronounced.

ANTLER is pretty thin and smooth, with very light carbonation, and not nearly as substantial as it looks.  The body of the beer was not too much heavier than water, which for many would be a good thing; this makes ANTLER a very easy to drink beer, if this is your style.  For me, brown ales are just not something I really enjoy, and ANTLER didn’t do too much to change my mind.

Overall 5 / 10

Beer Page: http://barleycreek.com/beerNavigator.php?id=3

Brewery site: http://barleycreek.com

Major Cast:
Dorian Dardar as Dorian Hudson, Aspen Steib as Erin Smith, Jamie Teer as Mary-Ann

Special Features:
None

Written and Directed by Dorian Dardar

Film noir (\-ˈnwär\), noun: a type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and foreboding background music (from Merriam-Webster). Noir is a tough to define genre, but it is most commonly associated with films from the 40’s through the 60’s that have some common characteristics. They usually deal in the world of crime, often with a private investigator or a detective as the protagonist, have a femme fatale, have witty dialogue, feature a lot of voice-over, and are most prominently characterized by their striking visual style. “Film noir” literally means “black film” in French, and was coined by Nino Frank, a French critic, in 1946; the visuals are obviously a huge part of this genre, and if you’ve ever seen a noir (or even most neo-noirs, like BLADE RUNNER, attempt to keep this high contrast, striking visual style even if they are not in black and white) you’d know it. Now that we all (kind of) understand what a noir is, is JUST ANOTHER NOIR a noir? Kind of.

One of the many very-oddly angled and composed shots from throughout JAN

JAN has some of the aspects of the genre for sure. The main character, Dorian Hudson, is a private investigator. Erin could be considered a femme fatale (defined by Merriam as “a seductive woman who lures men into dangerous or compromising situations”). There is some voice over. So… there are some aspects of the noir. On the other hand, there is a lot missing. The dialogue is occasionally witty, but must of the time falls flat, and the visual aspect is not there at all (film grain effects don’t count), as there is no heavy contrast lighting, no highlighting of eyes or shots through mirrors or windows to speak of, no striking visuals. And the “foreboding background music” was pretty much non-existent. So I’d have to vote “no,” this is not a noir, it is not a neo-noir, and it is at best a knock off of the genre that gets some bits right and a lot wrong.

Story-wise, I didn’t totally dislike JAN. It has your average noir like tale – sexy lady hires a dick to find her brother that has turned up missing – and while the plot doesn’t do too much out of the ordinary, what it does it does relatively well. The problem is that this plot is just that: ordinary. It’s not a parody of noirs, it’s not twisty enough to really get me into the story and really deeply want to know what happens next (or for that matter, care), and it’s just run-of-the-mill average not-too-mysterious-mystery. One turn really pissed me off; towards the end all of a sudden Dorian explains to the father of his employer everything that happened… which he never discovered within the context of the film. Huh? When did he find this stuff out, and if he did find this stuff out why wasn’t it important enough to make part of the film, especially when we can spend time with his little old lady Tai Chi class in the park?

Somehow, the crime boss (in the hat) has risen in the ranks of evil and taken of the city of NOLA by age 28, apparently.

The dialogue was not up to par for a noir. A noir has a certain panache, a certain delivery style, a certain twang to it, and overall JAN was absent of this. There were moments that were nice, and almost got the dialogue to this point; occasionally JAN actually got a laugh out of me with the turn of phrase, but these moments were few and far between and in a true noir that witty turn of phrase should be coming with machine gun repetition. It doesn’t help that the delivery of the lines was not up to the proficiency level it would need to be to elicit that feeling that the old noir’s have; it takes both a good script and great delivery of that script to make the dialogue in a noir shine.

I realize that JAN is a nearly guerilla-style film – much was shot on the streets of New Orleans, and I’m sure there were no permits or oks to do so – but still, the production values really dragged the film down in a lot of places. The fact that it was shot on not-the-greatest digital camera is not bad for me, I can get around that, but trying to cover that with video effects really took me out of the film. For the first good bit of the film, JAN goes back and forth between “film grain,” a “sepia” like tone, and some “surveillance” shots. This didn’t add anything to the movie, at all. What it could have used, if it were going to have some fake digital effects, was some high-contrast black and white! There was one more HUGE peeve that took me right out of the story (and as a filmmaker you need to avoid anything that takes your audience out of the story) and that was Dardar’s digital censorship. There were multiple shots where there were obviously logos or titles that were not licensed for use, and instead of taking the time to remove them or creatively cover them during the shooting process, he covered later with very strange digital blurs that make it look like an old episode of COPS gone crazy. As a no-budget filmmaker, preparation is hugely important, you can’t “fix it in post,” otherwise it looks horrible. Like this.

Don’t look on the left side of the screen. There is nothing to see here.

Don’t get me wrong: JAN was not all bad. It had some good ideas and some good bits here and there. While the plot was not super-original, it was done well, and the addition of the martial arts aspect was a bit different. The acting was overall not great, but Steib gave a great performance, and Dardar had his moments where I got into his character (I probably would have been able to appreciate the character and his acting more if there were not so many distractions – e.g. the “censorship” – while he was on-screen). The fight scenes were not good, but they were ambitious and I have to give Dardar credit for that. Also, he managed to get some important genre staples into his film that will help most any low-budget film: boobs and blood. As shallow or silly as it sounds, these factors are often very important if you have a film at this level that wants to have any chance to getting seen; Dardar was able to get a nice-looking girl topless so that’s a pro on the boobs front, but the blood was pretty minimal and there were no “effects” really to speak of to go along with it, which is kind of expected if you are going to get blood into a low-budget film. The music that was in the film was overall pretty good (except for one track that had a lyrical delivery of odd talking/screaming), but really just wasn’t what a noir should have. The dialogue was ADR, which was actually a really nice touch for such a low-budget film; the vast majority of the dialogue was crisp and very easy to hear and understand. Unfortunately this also added some of its own issues: there were parts where the dialogue was seemingly recorded in a bathroom and sounded that way even though the scene was outside, and many other places where it didn’t quite match up to what was on screen (which again takes the viewer out of the experience), but again I have to give props for taking the chance on ADR with no-budget.

Ninja!

Overall, I just couldn’t get into JAN. To begin with, it is playing in a genre with very specific rules, but not living up to its requirements, so right away I had a hard time with getting into the movie. Then there were a lot of distractions and issues that pulled me out of the viewing experience once I actually started to get into it. There were some silver linings to JAN; I can see that there is some talent and certainly love of cinema, and it was nice to see an attempt at a genre I don’t get sent to review, well, ever. With some better planning, some better aesthetic decisions, and some better casting, JAN could have been a much better film.

Overall 4 / 10

JAN on the IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069818/

JAN for sale: https://www.createspace.com/320853

JAN site: http://badninja9.com/JustAnotherNoir.html

Just Another Noir (2011)

Musicians:
Josh Northrup, Sean McCullum, Mike McDonald
To those who don’t immediately recognize the sample, the opening (and for that matter, the exiting as well) track from Break Your Legs’ GHOSTCORE, “HAIL SATAN!,” might be a bit scary and off-putting.  For those that do recognize it as being from the flick that (arguably) made horror a respectable, noteworthy genre, ROSEMARY’S BABY, know that these lines were selected for deeper reasoning than just getting a rise out of your parents when you throw it on the stereo.  I see it as a way of saying “pay attention!” without having to just come out and literally say it… plus any CD that bookends with samples from tow of the greatest (and most well-respected) horror flicks made (the exit samples THE SHINING) immediately has cool points in my book.

It’s apparent – directly from the song titles initially and then cemented by the lyrics – that Break Your Legs has a sense of humor, and do not need to be feared as the quasi-satanic kids the opening track makes them out to be.  I loved “Laundry Ghost,” in which the singer (can’t tell you whom did what as there does not seem to be any info out there on the ol’ interwebs anywhere that really gives much info on these guys… do they really exist?) cries: “Fuck you ghost!  Because you’re stealing all my clothes,” which finally explains the one-lost-sock syndrome.  Just the titles alone – “My Best Friend Died in That Hat,” “The Ballad of Manwolf Sharkpuncher,” “If Silence is Golden, This is Fort Knox,” “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Shut the Fuck Up,” “Every Rose Has It’s [sic] November Rain (On a Prayer)” – have more wit and fun built into them than a lot of entire albums I listen to.

I don’t know what to say about this other than “I stole this from BYL’s Facebook page.”

Musically, GHOSTCORE takes me to 1997.  It’s a time when I was listening to a lot of local PA / NJ punk rock bands (Bigwig, The Overdrives, NJ Joystick, other bands you’ve never heard of…) and seeing shows at community centers, public parks, and house parties.  It was a time when I’d throw down $3 for a tape and get a split by two bands I’d never heard of before (or since), but met and hung out with that day.  It was raw, it was DIY, it was punk-fucking-rock… even when it was poppy.  THAT is what I get from GHOSTCORE, that feeling, that time.  GHOSTCORE is musically, aesthetically, and theatrically very similar to a lot of the stuff that I had the opportunity to be exposed to back then, and the fact that GHOSTCORE is being sold on purple cassette tape makes that connection even more valid.

Break Your Legs makes lo-fi, DIY, punk rock.  They are heavy, but not too heavy, they are fast, but not too fast, and they are crass, but not overly offensive.  Musically I enjoy most of GHOSTCORE, a lot because it does take me back to that time in m past.  If you don’t dig NoFX, Good Riddance, No Use For a Name, or Lagwagon, you’re probably no going to get too much into GHOSTCORE; if you do, then pick this album up now (or, 4/30/13 when it goes on sale)!  Like most somewhat poppy punk rock, much of the album is somewhat similar musically, but there were a few tracks that stood out from the crowd.  I especially enjoyed “Brace Yourself, Chick,” “If Silence is Golden, This Is Fort Knox,” and “Whiteboard,” because they do things just a bit different from the rest of GHOSTCORE without being completely on a different page.  The recording is decidedly lo-fi, and overall I think this adds a degree of charm and authenticity to the music.  My only real complaint about the garage-rockedness of GHOSTCORE is the vocals; I really wish a little more money went into a better mic.  A lot of the lyrics are lost in the sonic mud, and I know I’m missing some funny, fun stuff.

I assume this is the 3 guys… I ALSO stole this from their Facebook page.

Overall, I really enjoyed GHOSTCORE.  I that it is an introduction to a band that has a pretty unique voice and does things their own way; Break Your Legs are a throw back to an era when “punk rock” wasn’t ballads played on acoustic guitars or developed into Broadway shows.  I hope to see GHOSTCORE get Break Your Legs some more exposure and get them out of “house party band” status and get them up to playing some bigger venues… like bars!  People need to hear this stuff.  Plus, they like horror movies, so I like them.

Overall 7 / 10

GHOSTCORE for sale: http://pleasebreakyourlegs.bandcamp.com/ (as of 4/30/2013)

GHOSTCORE site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Break-Your-Legs/139516112778917
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bananastand-Records/349880458449115

Break Your Legs: Ghostcore (2013)

Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling

Small Batch #5

About the Beer (from drinkrangercreek.com):
Our newest small batch release is a pecan smoked Doppelbock lagered in our own bourbon barrels for a short time. This deep mahogany, full-bodied brew has aromas of nutty smoke and stone fruit, with flavors of rich malt, dried fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, and oak. A portion of the malt was smoked by hand at Ranger Creek with Texas pecan wood in our very own Texas malt smoker. The beer was then lagered for 2 months in Ranger Creek bourbon barrels. Bottles will age and mellow nicely for up to 10 years if stored properly.

Style: Pecan Smoked Doppelbock
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: Unlisted

When I found out that the first beer I was going to review for local San Antonio brewery Ranger Creek was smoked, I was a bit concerned. I’ve never liked rauchbier of any sort, and all I could think of was “man, my first review is going to be a negative one!” I really didn’t want this to be the case, as Ranger Creek is a really awesome brewery that has just recently procured a bottling line (via Kickstarter crowd funding), and should soon be moving from their very limited releases – there are two beers you can regularly buy from them in bombers right now, LA BESTIA AIMABLE and MESQUITE SMOKED PORTER, and then there are the SMALL BATCH series that are bottled once and then never again – into a more wide share of the Texas beer market. My worries were unfounded.

SMALL BATCH #5 pours a deep mahogany brown – a porter-esque near-black that is richer than most doppelbocks I’ve had – and is topped with a off-white head that very nicely balances the dark body. The head recedes pretty quickly, but leaves behind nice lacing on the glass. A sniff reveals what I thought it would: smoke, but right behind it are some scents I really didn’t expect: a little wild funk. Upon reading some more about the beer, and seeing that it is aged in Ranger Creek’s own bourbon barrels (they are a “brewstillery,” they make both beer and whiskey) the funk makes more sense. What I was kind of surprised to not smell was the maltiness; there is some malt backbone to the nose, but not nearly as much as one would expect from the rich color of the beer.

Small Batch #5: Pecan Smoked Doppelbock

My first sip threw up the red flag, as it was all smoke… but the smoke receded quickly and was not overpowering at all. I was afraid that like most the other rauchbiers I’ve had that this would be just another beer that tastes like someone threw some liquid smoke in the mash tun; most are so overpowering in their smokiness that all of the other flavors are dulled or left by the wayside. Thankfully, that is NOT the case with SB#5. The smoke is there, especially on that first sip, but it is restrained and nicely fits in with the rest of the flavor profile. The main part of the flavor is a medium roasty malt, nothing heavy like a porter or a stout, but most certainly a bock. SB#5 is dryer and crisper than most of the doppelbocks I’m familiar with and is less sweet than I’d usually expect for the style, and I think this works very well to help tone down and balance the smoky flavor the pecan wood imparts. The bourbon barrels help impart just a touch of bourbon flavor, but more so the time in the wood adds some cinnamon and light vanilla to the flavor profile, as well as just a touch of sour / funk. The smell would make me think this part of the flavor would be stronger, but the funk is very mild, and just a nice accent to the overall flavor of SB#5 rather than a major player in the concert.

SB#5 is a much lighter and thinner beer than its look would make you realize, and this goes well to life the flavors; if it were heavy like a stout, or like you might expect to look at it, it would drag down the delicate interplay of flavors that are some complex within it. SB#5 also has a very thin and zesty carbonation that calms down pretty quickly, but these light bubbles again lift the flavors and help them from being to heavy on the palate. This is a very easily drinkable beer, much more so than I would have ever ventured to guess for a rauchbier. It would make a fine accompaniment for a steak or some game for dinner, something with stronger flavors to go with the stronger overall profile of flavors that SB#5 brings. While I enjoyed this beer fresh, I am looking forward to see how this ages. The Small Batch series are all made with aging in mind, and are wax-dipped to attempt to facilitate better seals in your cellar; I think that with some time on this one the funk will play up a bit stronger and that’s a flavor I enjoy.

Overall 7.5 / 10

Beer page: http://www.drinkrangercreek.com/san-antonio-brewery/small-batch-series-no-5/

Brewery site: http://www.drinkrangercreek.com

La Bestia Aimable

About the Beer (from drinkrangercreek.com):
In 1685, the explorer La Salle claimed Texas in the name of France, landing at Matagorda Bay on a ship called the Aimable. In honor of Texas’ French and Mexican heritages, we created a complex Belgian-style ale with a name to match: La Bestia is Spanish for “The Beast,” while Aimable is French for “friendly.” This devilishly friendly dark strong ale has a rich, complex nose of deep berry and fig with cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper spicy notes, and a superbly drinkable body full of rich, dark fruit flavors. The use of Texas honey and a well-attenuated body in the Belgian abbey tradition make this beer superbly drinkable despite its high alcohol content. La Bestia Aimable pairs well with carbonade, lamb, game and fowl, rich cheeses such as triple-crème and Gorgonzola, as well as decadent desserts like sticky toffee pudding, dark chocolate and raspberry cake, and tiramisu.

Style: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale
ABV: 9.4%
IBU: 25

This beer I have enjoyed quite a few times before, and is probably the Ranger Creek brew I am most familiar with. LA BESTIA AIMABLE pours a medium brownish-red with a vigorous light-tan head that sticks around for a long time before slowly fading to a ring of bubbles that coat the inside of the glass and leave behind nice lacing. Held to the light, a deep burnt orange shines through the brown. The nose on LBA reveals its Belgian roots, as the Belgian yeast / ester scents dominate. Some dark fruits, cinnamon, and allspice follow that scent, along with a bit of alcohol coming through.

La Bestia Aimable: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

The taste is much what one would expect from the smell: it opens with malt intermixed with fig and raisin flavors, and on the backend you get the honey that makes LBA a bit different than your average dark strong ale. These flavors are all pinned to the “standard” Belgian flavors, and if I had to place this in a style I would venture to call it a quadrupel. On the exit, there is a bit of alcohol, but not enough to be bad just enough to warm the belly in a pleasant way.

LBA has a medium body, and a very light mouthfeel that makes it easy to put back, despite it’s near 10% alcohol content. The carbonation is present but not over the top, but it is very present and the bubbles tight, which adds to the mouthfeel and the ease of drinking. This is a very drinkable beer for its strength, and LBA would be a great introduction for anyone looking to try to move up to a Belgian beer from lighter styles as it is most definitely a strong dark Belgian beer, but it has the lighter body and mouthfeel that makes it a bit easier to step up to. For its color and its strength, LBA is a very easy to drink, easy to enjoy beer, and I greatly enjoy it.

Overall 8 / 10

Beer page: http://www.drinkrangercreek.com/san-antonio-brewery/la-bestia-aimable-2/

Brewery site: http://www.drinkrangercreek.com

Musicians:
Turtle (Vocals), Zack (Vocals), Dutch (Guitar), Roe (Guitar), Jay (Bass) Bucky (Drums)

Like BLOODSTONE (review here) before it, THE POWER is here to rock your face off.  It doesn’t just take it off, it then proceeds to set your face on fire and toss it out the window.  These dudes understand how to ROCK.

When Darkness Falls is a six-piece metal band with two lead singers that allows them to work both the screamed and sung avenues of metal.  Musically, WDF is heavy, fast, thrashy metal, driven by the onslaught if Bucky Vallo’s drums.  Their dueling guitarists also allow for a interesting duality of sound that highlights the two singer dynamic.  They are extremely heavy and technical, and any metalhead looking for a return to the time pre-nü-metal BS should be checking them out.

WDF on stage at the Gathering of Nations

While everyone in the band is good at what they do – the guitars are thundering, the bass back beautifully and occasionally steps up to the foreground, and the singers can both sing & scream – it’s hard to not be impressed by Vallo.  If you read my review of WDF’s last album, I talked about this before… but THE POWER just reaffirms my amazement with his playing.  Seriously: I get tired just listening to him play.  Vallo plays the dual kick drums faster than a lot of drummers can hit a snare.  While he’s fast, Vallo’s not just all show; his beats are interesting, varied, monstrously heavy, and the perfect backbone for THE POWER.

The full band of brothers that is WDF

While I enjoy metal, and heavier music in general, I’m just not a big fan of screaming, at least, not as the main for of communication, musically.  I think screaming can be a great exclamation point, on a sentence, or as a way to show a depth of emotion, but too much of it and I tune out.  That is my only issue with THE POWER – and WDF in general – is the balance of screaming/growling to singing.  I would say that the balance is about 70 / 30, and for me it should be about opposite that.  For those of you that don’t mind your metal barked at you, you’re gonna love WDF.

The crowd goes wild

I have to highlight one track on THE POWER, “Band of Brothers.”  Musically, it’s not my favorite (that would probably have to go to “Beseech” or the title track), but lyrically I have to give it a nod.  This is a metal tribute to our armed forces, and coming from a military family I really appreciate that.  “Brother to brother / My blood is yours / We would die for each other / My band of brothers.”  I get the impression that these lines, while no doubt about the military (later: “To all the men and women of the Army: hooah!”), I think it may also apply to the members of WDF.

Overall I enjoy WDF, and I think THE POWER is another fine album from them.  For my personal tastes, I just wish there was more singing and less screaming, but musically I really dig what they do.  WDF rocks.  Plain and simple.

Overall 7/10

THE POWER for sale: http://www.facebook.com/pages/When-Darkness-Falls

THE POWER site: http://www.reverbnation.com/whendarknessfalls

When Darkness Falss: The Power (2013)

Musicians:
Lény Müh (Vocals), 
Daniel Selig (Guitar), 
Léo Louis-Honoré (Bass), 
Zoom G2 Pedal (Drums)

Lately it seems I’ve been receiveing a lot of music to review from outside the US.  I am always impressed when a band chooses to make music in a non-native tongue, but I guess it is often a matter of necessity.  If you want to be heard outside of your native country, you (pretty much) are going to have to make an album in English.  This is sad to me; there are so many beautiful things I’ve heard in other languages – like German or French hip-hop for example – but unfortunately (especially here in the US), people just won’t give much of a chance to music they can’t understand.  I‘m, still perplexed as to how Rammstein ever got big here.

…and they like the X-Files.

Trout is a post-punk band from Toulouse, France, that sounds like they could have stepped directly out of late-80’s London.  On their debut, FIVE ROOMS EP, Trout has a very fuzz-heavy, guitar-driven sound, backed by simple bass and drums.  Their singer, Müh, reminds me a bit of Robert Smith; there is something very british and almost pre-Goth in his vocal style. Müh’s delivery is so mid-to-late-80’s London that it almost comes off more as parody than tribute.  This may be just his voice, this may be intentional, or this may be the consequence of singing ina second language, but I found his delivery to be just a bit too much.  There was also a crudeness to the lyrics that did not appeal to me; the obvious example is “Go Fuck Myself,” which drops more F-bombs than a drunk Dennis Leary, but moreso than just the crass aspect there were bits that I just didn’t get.  “I am feeling like in an Araki’s film / I hear a douchebag in the shower who’s washing / I’m in a strange mood and I’m looking for my mind” Müh sings on “In a Strange Mood.”  I assume “In an Araki’s film” is referring to Gregg Araki, and that pretty much always equals a strange situation, but… huh?  Lyrically, I was mostly less-than-impressed,  but seriously: I couldn’t write a song in French to save my life, so Trout is way out ahead of me.

Musically, I got a lot more out of 5R.  Sure: what Trout has put together is simple post-punk rock, but it is done relatively well.  There’s nothing super-technical or flashy going on, but you also wouldn’t expect anything like that out of the genre.  The guitar riffs are catchy and do a good job of burrowing their way deep into your brain.  The guitar is a little over-reliant on the fuzzy distortion, almost to a fault; I would expect something in this genre to be fuzzy and distorted, but the tone on the distortion is very one-dimensional.  The sound of 5R would benefit from some variation on the tone of the distortion to keep it from getting stale, which it does in only five songs.  The bass is mostly there to back the guitar, though it does step out of the shadows on occasion and make its presence known.  The drums are very basic and mostly forgettable, but as they are soulless this is no surprise.

Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a poisson!

Overall, 5R is not bad, not great; it’s not something I’d probably revisit too often on my iPod.  5R does have some major positives going for it: first off it is music in a second language, and for something not in a native tongue you have to give it some credit.  Secondly, 5R was recorded in November of 2012… and Trout got together in October of 2012!  This is an extremely “green” album, and when you look at it in that context it is pretty damned impressive.  If Trout takes some time to play together more, to define their sound better, to work a bit more on their lyrics, and finds a real drummer, they could make some fine music.  For a first, almost premature attempt, 5R doesn’t completely fall flat, but it still needs from work.

Overall 5 / 10

5R for sale: http://thetroutisoutthere.bandcamp.com/

5R site: http://thetroutisoutthere.bandcamp.com/

Trout: Five Rooms EP (2012)

Major Cast:
Margo Martindale as Janice, Hanna Hall as Page, Adam Scarimbolo as Jakob

Special Features:
None (Screener)
For Sale Version Includes: Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, PERCEIVING REALITY: THE MAKING OF SCALENE (First 15 minutes available on DVD, full 3.5 hour documentary available on Blu-Ray only), World Premiere / Q&A at Dances with Films, Awards Ceremony at Dances with Films

Written by Brandon Owens and Zack Parker
Directed by Zack Parker

My God, there are just so many things to love about SCALENE; I apologize in advance if I come off a bit “fanboy” on this one, but this was an amazing flick.  I am a big fan of skipping the exposition and getting right into the meat of the story and letting the story play itself out, and SCALENE does that beautifully, with an opening of Janice attempting to kill Page.  What a way to grab your attention: no character introductions, no build up, no fluff, just Janice walking up to the front door of Page’s home with a revolver and bad intentions.  Attention grabbed, by the throat, with claws.

With many films, we’d move on from this point and have the backstory slowly explained to us through characters talking about what drove Janice to do it, or flashbacks, or whatever plot device was employed, but in a pretty non-conventional take, Parker instead begins to move the story backwards.  We back up to see Janice buying the gun, we see Janice at work, we see Janice and her mentally disabled son Jakob at a sentencing hearing in which we find out the crux: he has been accused of raping his caregiver, Page, and will be going to a hospital for 3 to 5 years or more.  Now that was not a spoiler, so don’t get mad at me!  This is the first few minutes of the movie.  I will not spoil the twists that SCALENE has in store for you, because they are great and varied.

This one’s the perfect size for a lady…

After a ways of traipsing backwards through Janice’s story, the plot hits a crossroads where it veers off.  We are no longer going backwards, we are now going – for lack of a better descriptor – sideways through Jakob’s story, in his POV.  We now get the reason he is the way he is, and more of a true feeling of what his life was truly like before and after the events that caused his condition.  Within this short jaunt, we hit another crossroads, where we get to Page’s story, which brings us back from the beginning to the end.  This masterful engineering of the plot structure brought to mind Christopher Nolan’s earlier films – FOLLOWING and MEMENTO – and just took what would be an interesting enough story way over the top to a suspenseful, heart-wrenching dramatic piece that turns in ways you would not imagine.

If it is not already painfully obvious, I loved the script for SCALENE.  It is incredibly well written, both in terms of the plot and also the dialogue.  No matter how good the script is, the movie can only be a success of the actors have the talent to carry the words off the page in a believable manner.  Holy shit did they do so!  Excluding the extras and characters that had a paltry one or two lines, there was not one weak performance anywhere in SCALENE, but the three leads were all hands-down phenomenal.  Scarimbolo as Jakob does a masterful job of emoting without saying a word, which is an incredibly tough task to perform; while he never says a word, his eyes scream out, his face drips emotion, he conveys more in a look than many actors do in a monologue.  Hall as Page is top-notch as well; I had no trouble in believing her growing attachment to Jakob and concern for him, and therefore the tragedy that occurs becomes all the more potent.  Finally, and most impressively, Martindale as Janice: good goddamn.  This woman should not be heading a low-budget independent film; she should be co-starring with Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis.  I was so incredibly impressed and moved by her performance that I don’t even have the words to describe how good she was.  I can think of only one: wow.

A kid in an adult’s body that doesn’t like pizza?

To add to the quality of the script and the magnitude of the acting, the film’s production values also obscure the lack of budget SCALENE possesses.  Don’t get me wrong: this isn’t a $35 movie or anything like that; I should know, I’ve reviewed a ton of those. While I’m not sure of the budget, I am sure SCALENE is well below the $1M cap that I set on this site, but the money they did have was employed gainfully.  First off, SCALENE was shot on the RED camera system, and how I wish I could have truly seen that!  Unfortunately for me, Breaking Glass has had to reduce the video quality on their screeners due to piracy concerns… and this is probably the most angry I’ve been about that fact.  Seriously, if I could find out what jerk is breaking that trust by pirating screeners I would love to give him/her a swift kick squa in the nuts (it would hurt if it’s a girl too, I’m sure), because I can tell EVEN THROUGH THE REDUCED QUALITY, that SCALENE is a gorgeous movie.  So gorgeous, that I am going to go buy myself a copy on Blu-Ray so I can see it with my own eyes.  There is wonderful camera movement, great attention to detail, divine composition, and beautiful lighting (including a few certain colored lights placed at certain times, pay attention) that makes me really bemoan the fact that I had to watch this on a reduced quality DVD rather than a Blu-Ray!  The fact that is was shot on the RED is also put to good use in the way the camera moves and is moved; there are shots that just could not be done with a full-sized film camera that the RED excels at (e.g., Jakob’s POV looking into the mirror, or the 360˚ shot in the hearing room).  Sublime stuff all around.

The interview. The beginning of the end.

There were just a few things that kept this from being perfect.  While I loved the main characters and the actors giving those performances, a lot of the more minor characters seemed to be an afterthought in the casting, and their inadequateness was made more salient by the impact the leads had.  I also had some issues with the interactions between Page and her family, and felt that relationship could either have been defined a bit deeper or cut out more, one or the other.  Finally, while I loved the performance as Janice, I didn’t love the character of Janice, and maybe I’m not supposed to.  As a mother to a disable son, there are a lot of things that she does that really rub me the wrong way, and again this may be intentional as there are a lot of other things going on in this plot that work off of each other.  “Scalene” is defined as a triangle with three unequal sides; that’s this story, three people seeing one situation from three very unequal viewpoints, and it may just be that Janice had to be that way for Page to be the way she is.

Red.  Keep a watch for Green and Blue.

Overall, I loved SCALENE.  Loved it.  This was one of the best twisted-time films I’ve seen in a long time, and I was incredibly amazed at the manipulation that went into creating this plot and script.  I was even more impressed by the production quality that backed that script.  And finally, the staggeringly stupendous job the lead actors did in carrying this script from words to screen.  I can not wait to see what Parker does next… please Hollywood take note, and give this man some money, because this is what good films are made of!

Overall 9 / 10

SCALENE on the IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1647477/

SCALENE for sale: http://www.shop.breakingglasspictures.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=scalene

SCALENE site: http://alongthetracks.com

Scalene (2011)
Theatrical Poster

Scalene (2012)
DVD Release

Musicians:
Dan Menapace (Bass, Synths, Guitars, Vocals), Jim Harris (Guitars), Noa Appleton (Drums)

If you regularly read this site, the name Dan Menapace may be familiar: I previously reviewed his solo electronica effort (here), Suboculis.  Today I am checking out his band, the San Francisco based Illogistical Resource Dept. (aka the IRD), and their album CATHARSIS.  From the first seconds of the first track, “When Frogs Attack,” I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this.  First off, the track opens with sampled dialogue from the 1972 “eco-horror” film FROGS, and that is subsequently followed by what sound like it could be a Les Claypool side project.  Campy B movies and heavy Primus influence?  You’ve got my attention.

The frogs see you…

While the first track is very “instrumental Primus” sounding, and there is a heavy Primus feel to the whole album, CATHARSIS does not come off as just a Les Claypool tribute band.  While Claypool is a weird guy, I hear something that sounds more akin to Mike Patton’s sensibilities mixed in, along with the electronica that Menapace obviously loves (Aphex Twin, µ-Ziq, and Squarepusher come to mind), and then some straight up psychedelia along the lines of older Floyd.  It is very obvious that all of the members of the IRD are very talented musicians, and even though the focus is on Menapace’s bass, his work is not let down at all by the rest of his band.

The fact that the album is mostly instrumental with some dialogue snippets from various sources appeals to me, though I know that will turn some people off.  It’s hard to write an instrumental – or at least, mostly instrumental – song that can keep people’s attention.  With regular music, the focus is almost inevitably on the singer, on the lyrics, with the music usually being a backdrop.  With CATHARSIS, the music is the focus, so extra work has to be put in to keep the songs interesting and moving along without having that lead singer guy to stare at.  Overall I think CATHARSIS is mostly successful at this; there are a few tracks that drag a bit long with little movement, there are a few riffs that repeat too many times, but as a whole the IRD does a fine job of making songs that don’t have to have eye candy at the front of the stage to keep your interest.

An IRD logo. Nothing trippy here.

There were no tracks on CATHARSIS that were bad, though some were not as great as others.  “Adverse Side Effects” was a bit long-winded, though a nice slow jam, and I also got a bit tired of “The Road to Giza” before it was over.  Not to say these tracks were bad – they’re not – they’re just not as good as the rest.  Many of the tracks I liked enough, but there were a few that really stood out.  First, the aforementioned “When Frogs Attack,” this was really an awesome track that would not feel out of place on Frizzle Fry or Antipop.  “Speak” is a really nice blend of the Primus aesthetic with a very Pink Floyd feel (two of my personal favorites), “Vedic Soma” takes that Mike Patton sound and blends it in with some Squarepusher realm, and “The Midshipman” may be the most Primus like of all of the tracks, but in a really good way, not in a we’re-trying-to-rip-off-their-sound way.  While the IRD reminds me of a lot of other bands, they bring these disparate influences together in a way that is very originally them; I think anyone who likes Primus will immediately gravitate to that part of their sound, but they have many layers beyond that one.

Menapace in IRD’s studio

Overall, I really enjoyed CATHARSIS.  It was a really fun album, peppered with a ton of movie and musical references that spoke to me.  It had a few bits here and there that dragged, but it’s tough to make something that is 100% on; CATHARSIS is close. Their music, like that of Mike Patton or Les Claypool, is a bit too odd for über-mass appeal, and that will keep them right in the hearts of the fans that really like what they bring to the musical table; I look forward to hearing what the IRD come up with next.
Overall 8 / 10

CATHARSIS for sale: http://www.aphagiarecordings.com/

CATHARSIS site: http://www.facebook.com/IllogisticalResourceDept

Illogistical Resource Dept.: Catharsis (2012)

Major Cast:
Celia Muir as Lisa, Brian A. Levine as Charles, Darren Bransford as Denny, Kate Loustau as Clancy, Lee Cheney as Simon, James Privett as Raymond, Richard Raynesford as Jacques

Special Features:
None (Screener)
For Sale Version Includes: Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel

Written by Brian A. Levine and Kris McManus
Directed by Kris McManus

The featured quote on the press material for DEAD IN FRANCE reads “Tarantino meets Ritchie,” which immediately made me take notice, and then be a bit wary.  I like Tarantino, I like(d) Ritchie; but the films that Ritchie does well are basically Tarantino films with a cockney accent, so this quote is a bit redundant.  Eye-catching, but redundant.

DiF starts off with a brilliant piece of comedic violence that cements the tone for the rest of the film.  While DiF is a film about a hitman – or rather, hitmen – it is not a crime drama, it is very much a (black) comedy in every sense.  There is some violence, and in some cases it gets decently grotesque, but like Ritchie it is really just the punch line to a visual joke more than an actually aggressive film.  The opening, where Charles lets his mark kill himself by wandering off a cliff rather than just shooting him, sets the comedic tone (nice inset shots of the mark hitting bits on the way down and swearing) and also introduces us to Charles’ character.  He’s a hitman, and he’s gonna do his job, but he’s not taking the pleasure in it that some of his counterparts (e.g. Clancy) do, and this is likely because he is about to retire.

I said dance! Now cha-cha…

The comedic situations presented are half of the comedy equation, the other is the dialogue; DiF is not quite Tarantino/Ritchie level wit, but it certainly has some very funny bits.  “You don’t find it romantic in the movies, when the couple sails off into the sunset together?” asks Charles; “It’s a bit gay, inn’it?” retorts Lisa.  It was little spoken bits like this that actually made me laugh the most, while there is a lot of fun situational comedy and violence as well.  Some of the characters are a driving force behind the comedy as well; Charles is pretty straight forward, but then there’s Lisa the not-a-hooker cleaning lady scheming with her dirty boyfriend Denny, both of which were quite entertaining.  The con men were not as great, but Clancy – the other hitman, or hitwoman, or whatever – was a fun character, with her extreme lack of human remorse and love of violence.

The plot is twisty enough for a violent comedy.  There are turns that you don’t see too far out that add a nice driving force to the story, though none of it is overly original.  DiF really does feel like it wants to be a Ritchie movie, but just not as complicated or well thought out… it’s almost “Ritchie-lite.”  Not to say that DiF is a bad movie – it’s not – it’s just a very familiar feeling film.  On the contrary, I enjoyed a lot of the film; many of the characters were great (I especially liked Lisa and Clancy), some of the dialogue actually made me laugh out loud (which is tough to do), the violent bits were pretty extreme but not over the top to the point of being gross, and it was refreshing to see a movie in black and white.  I expected the B&W to be just for the intro, and when the opening credits came up, we would transition to color, so it was a nice surprise to have this stylistic choice made, and made the south of France setting all the more picturesque.

Lisa and Clancy meet, sparks do not fly.

The production quality was decent overall.  The picture quality was not perfect, but I think this is from Breaking Glass trying to prevent piracy on their screeners – I had been told on an earlier release that looked HORRIBLE that this was on purpose because someone was uploading their screeners to YouTube before the release date, and to that “reviewer” that has broken that trust I say: you, sir or madame, are a dick – and I am glad to say that it is not nearly as bad as the video quality on 6 DEGREES OF HELL (review here), which was reduced to the point of being almost unwatchable.  From watching the preview online it is obvious that DiF was shot in HD, and the version you would see will look tons better than the version I watched.  The sound quality is pretty good overall; it has some moments that remind you that this is not a big-budget film, but it is never bad, just at worst mediocre.  The production design was pretty top-notch; there were no flamboyant costumes or extravagant locations (other than the whole, you know, south of France), but that was in relation to the story.  DiF did a good job making everyone and everything fit their part, from the badly done and offensive tattoos on Denny, to the .50 cal sniper rifle, it all fit.

Charles has a big gun, if you know what I’m sayin’…

Two of the pieces of this puzzle that really stood out to me were the editing and the cinematography.  The editing was more than just function, putting one scene after another, it really added to the film’s pacing and overall feel.  This is especially evident in the cleaning montage early in the film that introduces Lisa.  The cinematography also added a level of professionalism to a film with no really known actors.  There were a lot of nice shots – from the bird’s eye offset view of Charles’ 100th hit, to the wide picturesque shots of France, to the placement of a rubber ducky – as well as the whole decision to make the film in B&W.  This immediately adds a weight, some credibility, to the images presented on screen and makes the film seem more “arty” rather than just a black comedy about a hitman.

One of the best versions of the old “hide the junk with an object” joke, ever.

Overall, I enjoyed DiF.  It has some really funny bits, some really funny characters, and enough violence to carry you pal that likes the red stuff along for the ride.  The film is beautifully shot and well produced, and has a lot going for it.  My biggest drawback from the film was just that it felt too familiar, too much like it wanted to be a film made by someone else, and like a handful of films I have already seen.  While it certainly had its own original bits (gotta love that sex scene) that took it off on tangents that were a bit different, the ride as a whole was a ride I’ve been on quite a few times before.  If it had just worked itself into some different, uncharted territory, it would have been a much stronger film, but for what it is it was a lot of fun.

Overall 7 / 10

DiF on the IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1716739

DiF for sale (3/26/13): http://www.shop.breakingglasspictures.com/Dead-In-France-BGP354.htm

DiF site: http://www.deadinfrance.com/

Dead in France (2012)
Theatrical Poster

Dead in France (2013)
US DVD Cover