ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 18, 1988 By Steve Newton With such harrowing films as The Thing, Halloween, and Escape From New York under his belt, John Carpenter has proven himself one of the world's top directors in the sci-fi/horror/thriller genres. So what's he doing making a lightweight piece of fluff like They Live? He's trying … Continue reading John Carpenter unmasks evil Republicans in They Live
Horror review: Friday the 13th Part VIII–Jason Takes Manhattan
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 18, 1989 By Steve Newton Okay, okay--so the Friday the 13th movies are not exactly cinematic works of art. But people realize, when they lay down their money, that they're not getting The Last Emperor. They're only going to a Friday movie for two things: to see Jason … Continue reading Horror review: Friday the 13th Part VIII–Jason Takes Manhattan
The aliens don’t seem alien enough in Alien Nation
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 28, 1988 By Steve Newton Looking at the credits for Alien Nation, fans of the horror/sci-fi thriller genres could be forgiven for foaming at the mouth. The movie was produced by Gale Anne Hurd, whose Aliens and The Terminator were landmark films in the annals of fright cinemas. Then there's director … Continue reading The aliens don’t seem alien enough in Alien Nation
David Cronenberg strives to make the realistic seem fantastic in Dead Ringers
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 28, 1988 By Steve Newton Dead Ringers opens with a scene wherein studious young twin boys, Elliot and Beverly Mantle, are seen poring over an anatomically correct model of a woman. The twins are fascinated with female anatomy--internal female anatomy, that is. "They're so different from us," observes Beverly. "We're going … Continue reading David Cronenberg strives to make the realistic seem fantastic in Dead Ringers
Fangoria’s Vancouver correspondent gets the scoop on Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason takes Manhattan
By Steve Newton As dedicated Vancouver horror fans know, the city has had its fair share of terrible flight flicks filmed here. Some were worse than others, of course. For example, the adaptation of Dean Koontz's Watchers was way worse than the adaptation of Stephen King's It. Then again, it was way worse than anything. Except maybe Uwe … Continue reading Fangoria’s Vancouver correspondent gets the scoop on Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason takes Manhattan
ZZ Top’s been rockin’ with the same dudes for nigh on 45 years
ZZ Top is the only major rock band from the '70s that still exists in the exact same form as on its first album, and for that you've got to give the bearded wonders credit. Rush would be up for similar acclaim were it not for John Rutsey playing on their debut album before Neil … Continue reading ZZ Top’s been rockin’ with the same dudes for nigh on 45 years
The Payola$’ Paul Hyde talks coproducer Mick Ronson and rock idols Ian Hunter and Alex Harvey
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 17, 1984 By Steve Newton On the strength of their third album, Hammer on a Drum, Vancouver's Payola$ have been nominated in nine categories of 1984's CARAS -sponsored Tribute to West Coast Music. As well as Group of the Year and Album of the Year, the group has two tunes in … Continue reading The Payola$’ Paul Hyde talks coproducer Mick Ronson and rock idols Ian Hunter and Alex Harvey
Ear of Newt’s Top 30 Rock Albums of 1979
Ah, 1979. According to my calculations, that was the last year of the '70s, which was the greatest decade for guitar-based rock music ever. I'd like to thank Fender, Gibson, Marshall, and everyone else who created the instruments of my enjoyment back then. A Million Vacations: Max Webster ("Paradise Skies", "A Million Vacations", "Let Go … Continue reading Ear of Newt’s Top 30 Rock Albums of 1979
Ken Russell gets freaky with The Lair of the White Worm
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 2, 1988 By Steve Newton Ken Russell, the man who blew minds with his hallucinatory Altered States and then twisted them with his erotically charged psycho-sexual drama Crimes of Passion, has really gone out of his way to freak people out this time. With The Lair of the White Worm, a … Continue reading Ken Russell gets freaky with The Lair of the White Worm
Child’s Play is a hilarious hair-raiser that’s equal portions frolic and fear
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 2, 1988 By Steve Newton Were you ever frightened by dolls or other inanimate objects as a kid? Maybe you woke up in the middle of the night, and thought you saw something grinning evilly at you through the darkness of your bedroom? If so, then Tom Holland's new movie Child's … Continue reading Child’s Play is a hilarious hair-raiser that’s equal portions frolic and fear
BTO to release 40th anniversary edition of Not Fragile
Universal Music Canada has just announced that Bachman-Turner Overdrive—or BTO as we liked to call 'em back in the day—will release a remastered, 40th anniversary edition of its best-selling album, Not Fragile, on March 18. That rocks. You may recall that Not Fragile—which has sold more than three and a half million copies worldwide—boasted the awesome radio … Continue reading BTO to release 40th anniversary edition of Not Fragile
John Butler ponders fierce addiction and peaceful death on Flesh & Blood
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 12, 2014 By Steve Newton When John Butler answers his phone in New York City he’s got four words to describe the weather in the Big Frozen Apple: “Snowy, snowy, snowy, sno-weee.” It’s a far cry from the toasty beaches and rolling surf of his native Australia, and the vibe has … Continue reading John Butler ponders fierce addiction and peaceful death on Flesh & Blood
RoboCop remake suffers from lack of gore and scumbags
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, FEB. 12, 2014 If you're gonna remake Paul Verhoeven's satirically twisted, sci-fi/action classic RoboCop, you'd better damn well bring your "A" game. Apparently, director José Padilha didn't get that memo because—despite his best efforts—his version winds up closer to C+ territory. The movie starts off well, depicting a U.S. military intervention in 2028 titled … Continue reading RoboCop remake suffers from lack of gore and scumbags