Musical Monday with Danny Brown

"Nightmarish" might be overused when it comes to describing art and films, but I can't think of a better work to describe the video for Danny Brown's "Lost". I can't understand more than every third or fourth word of the lyrics that Briton Brown is rapping, but the video tells the story of a drug-dealer who... well, anything else I say will ruin the experience so why don't you just click below and sit back?

Lost (2016)

Starring: Danny Brown and Leteshia Wilson

Director: Matilda Finn

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Selena Gomez

Today it's Selena Gomez's birthday. She's now spent some 25 years in the public eye--first as a child actress for PBS and Disney, then as a pop star and owner of her own business. She continues to act on both the small and big screens, having successfully made the transition from child star to adult actress.

Here Gomez is, with other 20-something performers from about ten years ago, performing in the video for her song "Kill 'Em With Kindness".

Kill Em With Kindness (2016)

Starring: Selena Gomez

Director: Emil Nava

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Bullies get what they deserve in "Full Circle"

Full Circle (2016)
Starring: Michelle Shampton, Abby Main, David Schwering, Morgan Nash, and Cameron Gall

Director: Abby Main

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Three bullies (Gall, Nash, and Schwering) are set upon by a mysterious, blood-thirsty avenger (Main) after they pick on the wrong girl (Shampton).

"Full Circle" is another of those obscure student films that I've uncovered in the dark and dusty abandoned corners of YouTube. The story is structured like the original "there's a killer on campus"-type films where teens and twenty-somethings are brutally murdered... but you, as the viewer, can't help but feel like cheering the killer on because the victims are so reprehensible. There are a couple twists, however, that lifts this film above so many others of this type. 

There are some negatives here, though, and they mostly focus on lead actress Michelle Shampton. For about half of the film's running time, you'll think that she might be suffering from some mental disability because she seems abnormally cheerful. Eventually, we learn the real reason for her behavior and the issue is that Shampton was just going a bit over-the-top with her performance. In the scene where this becomes obvious, we actually get a look at proof that she actually is a pretty good actress. It's a shame that this appears to be the only film she was in. (This is true of all the cast members, actually.)

Another (nitpicky and personal) complaint is the artificial film "aging" artifacts that have been added to "Full Circle". Based on the overall look of the footage, I am guessing that it was originally shot with a digital camera and the desaturated to achieve the black-and-white look. It's done better here than in many other student efforts I've watched over the years, but adding streaks and other fake "old movie" flaws to the film is taking this a step too far. In my opinion, such effects should only be added to a film that its creators are trying to make look like it's from the "olden days" (which is not the case here), or the damage is so extreme that a claim can be made that it was "restored from footage recovered under desperate circumstances after it was nearly destroyed". The light "damage/wear-and-tear" touches to a film that's clearly set in the 1990s or 2000s are more distracting than anything else. Or at least it is to me.

Despite those two paragraphs of negativity, I feel this is a film that's well worth you time, if you like works of the "disgusting people get their due" variety. The fact that it has a couple plot twists that put it a little outside the norm makes it even better. So, take a few minutes out of your busy day and check out "Full Circle". (You might even be able to get away with watching it at work, since it's a silent movie and you just turn down the volume on the music!)

Musical Monday with Tove Styrke

Swedish singer/songwriter Tove Styrke has been performing her peppy, poppy (although sometimes a little dark and creepy), 1980s-flavored, synth-infused pop music since she was in her teens. Her rise to fame began with a third-place finish on "Swedish Idol" and she's been climbing upwards ever since.

Since the video for her 2011 single "High and Low" is in black-and-white, we are able to bring you a sample of her music that is set to some very interesting visuals.

Musical Monday with Bond Street

Bond Street is U.K.-based that performs "vintage" arrangements of popular music from the past 30-40 years. Here they are in 2017, performing an excellent swing version of Coolio's hit "Gangsta's Paradise"!

 

In as similar vein, here's the ghost of Frank Sinatra also performing an arrangement of "Gangsta's Paradise"! We hope you enjoy this special bonus tune (on this bonus fifth July Musical Monday!)

Rarely has a title been so fitting

Meet/Kiss/Kill (2012)
Starring: Anonymous
Director: "Temporal Jessica"
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

The title sums up what happens in this two-minute film.

"Meet/Kiss/Kill" is a fascinating little art film that plays with light and shadow and archetypical film noir costuming and camera angels. I like everything about it visually and pacing-wise, but could have done without the old-timey film projector sound that made up the entire soundtrack. I'm sure what I would have in its place--there are a couple of Mike Oldfield tracks I think would work nicely, but then I feel he has music that would work for almost anything--but complete silence might not have worked either. And sound effects would be right out, I think.

But how about you take a couple minutes to check it out? If you like creative filmmaking and the film noir genre, I think you'll find the time well spent.

Even innocent lies can have dire consequences...

White Lies Noir (2017)
Starring: Ross Marquand and Alana O’Brien

Director: Jared Lapidus

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A dame (O'Brien) walks into the office of a private eye (Marquand) and a string of lies eventually leads to the truth...

 "White Lies Noir" is one of those short film you need to come to completely unawares for it to have its greatest impact. Anything I can say about it--beyond the teaser summary above, and the fact that I loved almost everything about this film--will spoil the experience of watching it.

The filmmakers did a much better job of capturing the feel of a genuine film noir picture than many out there and the pace at which the film unfolds is almost perfect. I even loved the blooper reel at the end, with actress Alana O'Brien staying in character even as the scene went completely sideways.

If you like film noirs and enjoy the occasional film that doesn't end up where you thought it was going to, you'll get a kick out of "White Lies Noir". Check it out by clicking below.

A word from our sponsor!

We are proud to have gained a new sponsor here at Shades of Gray! We think this is a perfect partnership, and we hope you agree (especially considering our side business venture)!

Musical Monday with Incubus

The band may be named after a male demon who preys upon the sexual urges of mortals, but none such creature is anywhere to seen in the video for a somewhat haunting song. Instead, we are treated to some beautiful dancing by Manaho Shimokawa while Brandon Boyd (lead singer of Incubus) croons about the strange and miserable situation he finds himself in. 

Check it out! I'm think you'll enjoy both the song and the video!

Loneliest (2017)

Starring: Manaho Shimokawa and Brandon Boyd

Director: Julian Schratter

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Desperate Journalist

While doing a web-search for something completely unrelated, I discovered the existence of Desperate Journalist, a four-member band performing a style of music I thought had faded away with the 1990s! I thought of it as "jangly guitar rock" or "alternative rock", but, apparently, this sub-genre of pop/rock music is properly known as "post-punk" (for reasons that aren't immediately apparent to me, and that I am presently feeling too lazy to research). 

I've selected "Hollow" as Desperate Journalist's Shades of Gray debut song and video. I hope you find the curious storyline that is underscored by an intense, rhythm-driven, deeply melodic song that has that end-of-the-20th century sound that's been filtered through a 2010s aesthetic as entertaining as I do.

Especially since I intend this to be the first of several appearances by Desperate Journalist at this blog.

Hollow (2015)

Starring: Holly Hall and Desperate Journalist

Director: Jason Weidner

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Thousand Foot Krutch

I am not particularly religious, so that might be why I generally find rock bands that bill themselves as "Christian" to be underwhelming. That is NOT the case with Canadian band Thousand Foot Krutch.

"War of Change" is a fabulous, hard-rockin' song with a visually interesting video that takes full advantage of the black-and-white film. This is a solid Ten out of Ten Stars!

 

Low-budget Amateur Film with an Excellent Script!

Sirene en Captivte (Mermaid in Captivity) (2014)
Starring: Fallon Hammer, Nick Sarnelli, and Lucas Waldron

Director: Alyssa Waldron

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A cruel freakshow operator (Sarnelli) captures a mermaid (Hammer) and puts her on display. But some beings are not meant to be caged...

If you've been around this blog for a while, you know we like to go digging in obscure corners of YouTube for student and amateur films and then share those we think are worthy of your time and attention.

We came upon "Mermaid in Captivity" while looking for items that tied in with the Mermay theme we presently have going on. It's another one of those films made by young high-schoolers or college kids trying to emulate the old-time silent movies, presumably for a class project. Overall, it's slightly better than most such efforts, but there are two things that writer/director Alyssa Waldron did better with this effort than a majority of her filmmaking peers.

First, she clearly had a general sense of what she could and couldn't pull off with the resources she had at her disposal. She didn't attempt to show us the mermaid swimming under water, but through excellent use of intertitles and some creative camera work that is meant to seem like we are looking through the mermaids eyes as she swims to the surface, she still manages to convey the notion of a mermad in her natural habitat. While a better job could possibly have been done on the aquarium the mermaid is placed in, it could also have been far worse.

Second, the script for this film is excellent. The unfolds swiftly, the characters are well-drawn, and the shocking twist that kicks off the finale is extremely well set up and filmed. While the lack of budget and developing skills of the director/cinematographer behind the camera and the actors in front of it are apparent, might tempt some viewers to stop watching when the carnival owner goes into black-hatted, mustache-twirling borderline parody of a silent movie melodrama villain... but that would be a mistake. The story in this film, and how it's presented, is far superior to many productions at this level. (I don't know if Waldron went onto a career as a writer, but I certainly hope so. She seems to have had the talent for it.)

Take a few minutes to watch this film by clicking below.

Don't stay in the dark about 'Pitch Black Heist'

Pitch Black Heist (2011)
Starring: Liam Cunningham, Michael Fassbender, and Alex Macqueen
Director: John Maclean
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A pair of safe-crackers (Cunningham and Fassbender) team up to rob an office secured with an alarm system that's triggered by light.

"Pitch Black Heist" has all the elements you expect to find in a caper film, and it delivers them succinctly and so satisfyingly that I would have thought impossible in a film that isn't even 15 minutes long. Even more astonishing, the expertly executed and paced heist plot is almost secondary to the development of the relationship between the two thieves, much of which takes place as they hang out in a pub. Watching actors of Cunningham and Fassbender's talent play off each other is a treat in and of itself, but since they are performing within the structure of a great script makes this a must-see movie, especially if you're a fan of crime and/or heist movies.

Aside from delivering in under 15 minutes what many films can't deliver in more than two hours, this award-winning effort from writer/director John Maclean is made even better by the great twist at the end. While it's a given that a heist movie like this will have things go wrong during the heist and that there will be one final twist/obstacle threatening the characters at the end, "Pitch Black Heist" goes above and beyond in every way during its final few minutes.

Grab a drink, click below, and get ready for some great story-telling!

 

 

Musical Monday with A.Chal

"Round Whippin'" is a song from the Peruvian DJ/singer known as A.Chal. It's a pretty chill tune that starts to feel a little repetative as it closes out, but the video remains absolutely engrossing, and more than a little spooky, throughout. 

While I don't know what message the artist was trying to convey, I think it all adds up to, "Drugs are bad. Don't do drugs."

Round Whippin' (2016)
Starring: A.Chal

Director: Max Vatble

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with LostProphets

Part crime drama about small-time British crooks and part music video, "For He's a Jolly Good Felon" is the first chapter of a story about Simon (Sie Haworth) and a few other hapless men trying to get out from under the thumb of a vicious gangster/fight promoter, Harry (Alan Ford). It closes on a cliffhanger, and if I ever find Part Two, it will be featured in a future post here... because I liked both the music and film portions of this neat video--which is something of a throwback to the Golden Age of Music Videos during the 1980s and 1990s.

By the way, if you liked Alan Ford in "Snatch" (2000), you may like this one, too: He essentially plays the same character here as he did in that movie.

For He's a Jolly Good Felon (2010)

Starring: Alan Ford, Sie Haworth, Richard Sharpe, and Ian Watkins 

Director: Charlie Lightening

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Saro

Start your week off with something a little creepy from an artist I've just discovered. I THINK this a love song? Maybe it's about obsession? about drug use? Whatever it is, it's equal parts pretty and spooky and completely excellent. 

But the video... don't watch it with the lights off!

Please (2019)

Starring: Saro

Director: Alex Cook

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Little Simz

In 2015, British actress and rapper and photographer released the first single for her debut album "A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons". That sentence represents the sum total of what I know about her and her work, but based on what you'll find if you click on the video below, I think you'll probably be looking her up to see what else she might have to offer. (I know I'm going to see if she's made more videos suitable for a future Musical Monday!)

Dead Body (2015)

Starring: Little Simz

Director: Jeremy Cole

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(One word of caution, especially for Americans: If you're not used to certain British working class accents, you might want to follow along with these printed lyrics as the video plays.)

'Requiro' is an impressive first effort

The writer/director of the short film embedded below, Jyotsna Kamath, appears to have spent some time flirting with different creative fields and online "influencing" during the early 2000s (when her profile shots on her various social media pages make her look like she was in her late teens and early 20s. She eventually seems to have mostly given up on those pursuits and taken a job as a flight attendant... but recently returned to the self-employed and more creative realm as a wardrobe consultant (according to her LinkedIn profile).

Based on what you'll see when watching "Requiro", I think you'll agree that it's a shame Kamath was unable to stick with filmmaking. This is a low-key film driven entirely by the emotions of the three very different main characters and how the viewers relate to them. The pacing is near-flawless (with only two minor stumbles that are only noticeable because everything else is so smooth) and every shot is expertly framed. (That last part could be more to the credit of cinematographer Gagan Bains, but Kamath still had the sense to work with him on the project.)

Maybe, someday, we'll get to see more from Kamath. For now, I hope you find "Requiro" as interesting as I did.

Requiro (2014)
Starring: Omkar Ghalsasi, Akshay Deolekar, and Aakash Patil
Director: Jyotsna Kamath
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

 

Musical Monday at Shades of Gray HQ

Have you ever wondered what it's like at the Shades of Gray offices, the place where everything is in black-and-white and all time is meaningless? Well, watch the video below and you'll get a feel for it!

Dinero (2018)

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled

Director: Joseph Kahn

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(Okay... so it might not be exactly like that around here, but... all right, it's NOTHING like that. But it's a new year. Maybe THIS is the year we go viral and stuff! Or Jennifer Lopez just decides to give us a dump truck full of money!)

Musical Monday with Beyonce

Here's a music video that seems to embody the historical and stylistic mishmash that is the content of this blog!


Dance For You (2011)
Starring: Beyonce Knowles and Brett G. Smith

Directors: Alan Ferguson and Beyonce Knowles

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

It's night in the city, and a private eye receives an unexpected visit...

This video would have gotten a rating of Ten Out of Ten Stars if it had ended with the Private Eye saying, "That's great, doll. But it's still twenty dollars a day, plus expenses."