[Review] 'Green Room' an unforgettable punk rock horror film
Independent director Jeremy Saulnier brings this twisted unforgettable tale of a momentous punk rock attitude crashing into the world of shock and uncertainty in Green Room.
Inspiring and struggling hardcore punk rock band members Pat (Anton Yelchin), Tiger (Callum Turner), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole) are delusional punk rockers named the Ain’t Rights.
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Low on funds with an itch to perform, the Ain’t Rights make their way to a back of the woods hardcore punk rock club. Unaware of its usual crowd the Ain’t Rights find themselves performing in front of REAL hardcore punk rockers who just so happen to be Nazi skinheads.
Leaving the show, Pat sees something he wasn’t supposed to see. Caught in the middle of a bad situation turned worse Pat and his band mates are thrown into a dark world of drugs and murder from the hands of the ruthless club owner and his no moral limit henchman.
Green Room
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Rating: R
Release Date: April 22, 2016 (Chicago), April 29 nationwide
In Green Room we see these young inspiring punk rockers go through hell trying to make it out alive. This real human reaction leaves a unsatisfying feeling of unpleasantness because of the unfamiliar future of what may happen next.
This in your face cut throat style of story telling leaves urging questions of what’s going to happen next. Focusing and centering the green room located backstage of the bar they just performed in visual director Saulnier uses every inch to paint a haunting picture of no escape.
Amber (Imogen Poots) and Pat (Anton Yelchin) stood out as both unsuspecting untraditional figures. All the characters in the film go against what we’ve seen in past horror thrillers which also creates a surprising momentum of story telling.
Music fans will also enjoy this film for it’s taste and showcasing of music from artist like Corpus Rottus and Battletorn as well as original music from the films band the Ain’t Rights.
A huge standout moment of the film is how Patrick Stewart emerges as a complete terror and haunting villain with no human remorse. As the leader of white skinheads, Stewart’s soft spoken portrayal is truly menacing.
Stewart’s portrayal alone is reason enough is see this film but definitely not its only one. In Green Room we see a captivating story that leaves us wanting more every second. This thriller is one that many will talk about for years for it’s original take and its brilliant delivery.
Check out the interview with producer Jeremy Saulnier.
[Video] RH First Look: ZMoney
The temperature continued to drop, hitting seven degrees as my photographer, Bryan Lamb and myself pulled up to Emma's, a restaurant on the west side of Chicago. As we drove west from the heart of the loop of Chicago down Route 64, the landscape began to change. Amongst a neighborhood with more storefronts closed or shuttered than not, Emma's is a bright light, with it's freshly-painted windows and well-kept exterior, a hand-written sign braving the bitter cold to announce the day's special of catfish. Walking in we were warmly greeted, with unexpected laughter erupting when we announced who we were there to see. "They here to talk to Z Money!" his aunt shouted in somewhat disbelief from behind the counter. It's hard to blame her, too.
The first thing I remember about Z Money is how frustrating it was to find a photo of him this summer when trying to post his music. Employing a homegrown marketing scheme, the west side artist, who only started rapping something like a year and a half ago and his team decided to drop two mixtapes, Heroin Musik & Rich B4 Rap side by side on the same day. The release and the songs it contained made Complex Magazine's David Drake take notice, quickly branding Z Money as an artist to know by including him on their list of "25 Artists to Watch Out For". No on had heard of him before that, he hadn't done an interview, few had seen his face; Z Money was largely a mystery.
To solve some of that mystery, Lamb and myself now found ourselves in front of two steaming plates of shrimp n' grits, the special at Emma's. The restaurant is owned and operated by Z Money and from what we could tell, staffed as well by family members. Named after his Grandma, the cozy spot serves soul food with a smile and some home made Kool-aid. You don't hear about a lot of 20-year-old aspiring rap artists who own their own company, let alone a restaurant. But, contrary to much of his lyrical content, Z Money is out to better those around him as his name continues to grow. Thanks to the folks at Vice, much of the country now in one way or another refers to Chicago as "Chiraq", a 'clever' marketing scheme to sell individual's realities as a product. Talking to Z, one can feel his passion for showing a different route, his penchant for being a role model and his hunger to continue to climb. There is talk of upping the game and releasing a trio of mixtapes later this year. For now, though, this young Chicagoan is reveling in life and preparing himself to be the next big thing from a city that has steadily produced some of the top up and coming artists in hip-hop over the past couple of years. Check out the full conversation I had with Z Money, below.
Stream Kitty Cash's Latest Mix for SSENSE
Last month, when I had a chance to catch up with up and coming New York City DJ Kitty Cash on the heels of her well-received Love The Free mixtape she expressed her eagerness to get right back to work after having finished one project. "As soon as I was done, I was like, 'Damn, I can’t wait to work on part two'." Well, we got the latest from Kitty Cash last night as she continues to craft interesting and ear-catching mixes, this time for the likes of SSENSE. The piece of work brings together elements of airy 808s and features the likes of Kanye, Tinashe, Tamia, Sade and Beyonce to help you chill out while hiding indoors from the polar vortex. Check out the full stream of Kitty Cash's latest mix streaming below.
[First Look] Kitty Cash
Photography By Julian Schratter
Over the past year and a half or so there has been a hip-hop resurgence in New York City that has had many, including Hot97's Peter Rosenberg, calling it a "Renaissance of Hip-hop". Then sentiment isn't just because of the music, which has spilled from the city's streets for generation, but rather the re-incarnation of hip-hop culture in society on a real level. Perhaps no one else in the scene embodies that realness as much as Brooklyn native, Kitty Cash, who firmly established herself with an eclectic, thought-out 19-track mixtape, Love The Free, which dropped just before the new year. The project featured a smattering of original tracks from an assortment of artists from across the country, including the like of Vic Mensa, Kilo Kish, Phony PPL, Jesse Boykins, The GTW, Jean Deaux, Justin Rose and more. It's a fun project that calls to mind different aspects of growing up through the 90s and early 2000s, as the newly-minted 25-year-old can attest to. The official DJ for Kilo Kish, who provides the introduction to Love The Free, Kitty Cash has been able to observe things from behind the scenes a bit, and used those experiences to put together the debut release. I had the chance to catch up with Kitty Cash just after the new year as she was preparing for her birthday and thinking about what's next, read it all here.