Author Archives: Jonathan Williams

American tourists face spooky disaster in “Chernobyl Diaries”

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Chris (Jesse McCartney) is one of the first victims of the "Chernobyl Diaries" horror

Any mention of Chernobyl usually evokes disastrous thoughts. That being said, if a Russian tour guide suggests an excursion to the city where a nuclear reactor leak caused one of the worst radioactive catastrophes in human history only 26 years ago, it’s probably a good idea to decline his offer. But in Chernobyl Diaries, a group of young Americans thinks the idea of exploring the nearby town of Pripyat, which was inexplicably abandoned (well, it should be obvious why) around the same time as the leak, sounds like a lot of fun.

After Russian soldiers deny them access, the tour guide (Dimitri Diatchenko) finds a back way in before letting the Americans rummage through the deserted buildings. As nightfall gradually approaches, they, of course, begin to hear things and start getting all creeped out. Then the van won’t start because something (or someone) has messed up its wires. Then it gets dark and the whole things becomes a combination of The Blair Witch Project and Cujo as a shaky camera offers a realistic glimpse at the creatures hungry for those inside the van.

The night gets all the more intense when the tour guide and Chris (Jesse McCartney) decide it’s a good idea to go see what was trying to get them. Chris’ brother Paul (Jonathan Sadowski) goes to find them, but returns only with a wounded Chris. Well, there go Chris’ romantic plans to propose to his girlfriend (Olivia Taylor Dudley) in Moscow.

Michael (Nathan Phillips), Zoe (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) and Paul (Jonathan Sadowski) are too busy trying to survive to notice the creepy figure in the background

Once the sun has risen again, the survivors try to figure out how to get out of this mess. They soon find that not only are they not alone, but that Chernobyl and Pripyat are fairly well populated by ravenous dogs, flesh-eating fish and zombie-like creatures resembling humans. But since we never get a good look at most of the creatures, it’s hard to tell just what kind of mutants they are. Whatever they are, they’re relentlessly hungry and do not want these people to escape with their lives. And each time there’s any sign of hope for survival, tragedy strikes again, leaving little time to grieve as the creatures responsible for the tragedy are still on the hunt.

Chernobyl Diaries borrows heavily from Night of the Living Dead and Alien with its foreboding feeling of impending doom that’s almost always just out of sight. But it’s the not seeing that keeps things suspenseful until the few survivors make it all the way to the damaged reactor where it all started. And once they get to that point, there’s a shockingly new discovery awaiting them that provides an even more ominous look at the entire disaster.

Chernobyl Diaries. Directed by Bradley Parker. Starring Devin Kelly, Jonathan Sadowsky, Jesse McCartney and Olivia Taylor Dudley. Rated R. www.chernobyldiaries.com.

“Tonight You’re Mine” proves that handcuffs will get you chicks

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Have you ever been reluctantly handcuffed to someone just long enough to develop an intimate connection? No? You should try it sometime, especially if you’re going to be at a big European music festival where you’ll end up being forced to eat, drink, sleep and go to the loo together after dancing to your favorite bands and falling down in the mud.

Adam (Luke Treadway) and Morello (Natalia Tena) try to find the key to their predicament in "Tonight You're Mine." (Photo by Brian Sweeney)

That’s pretty much the premise of Tonight You’re Mine, an indie film set at Scotland’s T in the Park music festival. As the singer for The Make, an indie synth rock duo that is playing one of the festival’s main stages, Adam (Luke Treadway) is the subject of much adoration. From female fans to political activist filmmakers, everyone seems to want some of Adam’s attention. The Dirty Pinks, on the other hand, are an up-and-coming all girl punk band playing one of the festival’s smaller tents.

The dirtiest of the Pinks is front woman Morello (Natalia Tena), who looks for the wrong kind of attention from Adam when she starts some behind-the-scenes shit only to have a security guy handcuff them together in hopes that they can work out their differences. To Adam and Morello, it seems funny until the security guy races away on his golf cart and they realize they’re stuck with each other for a while. For the rest of us, their inability to coexist even when attached at the wrist is what makes the film entertaining.

For the next day or so, Adam and Morello are literally inseparable. And Morello’s defiantly humorous bad attitude does little to entertain Adam’s supermodel girlfriend (Ruta Gedmintas) or Morello’s dweeby banker boyfriend (Alastair Mackenzie). As this situation forces certain things to fall apart in other aspects of their lives, their physical bond develops into an emotional one that makes them realize it was only a matter of time before things deteriorated between them and their significant others anyway (though being handcuffed to an attractive stranger probably wasn’t the way either of them planned on breaking the bad news). And while Adam and Morello’s relationship is developing organically (well, as organically as you can expect considering their contrived situation), their bandmates and friends are desperately trying to find the kind of connection that Adam and Morello have been inadvertently forced to find. Maybe if they just had some handcuffs, they could find the love they’re looking for.

Handcuffs really bring Adam (Luke Treadway) and Morello (Natalia Tena) together in "Tonight You're Mine." (Photo by Brian Sweeney)

Watching two people who don’t initially like each other convincingly and gradually fall for one another  is usually a bit sappy. But because of the setting and circumstances involved here, it’s actually pretty fun to watch. And needless to say, the awkwardness of being literally inseparable makes for some uncomfortably comical situations that are likely to either bring two people closer together or make them want to run rapidly in the opposite direction as soon as the cuffs are off. But with a title like Tonight You’re Mine, you can probably guess what happens after Adam and Morello find the key.

Tonight You’re Mine. Directed by David Mackenzie. Starring Luke Treadway and Natalia Tena. Rated R. www.tonightyouremine.com

Vari-Okey returns with a variety of new attractions

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Known as “the voice of the arts”, Atlanta’s AM 1690 has a reputation for airing a variety of programs ranging from The Stomp and Stammer Radio Hour‘s underground music every Sunday afternoon to an inside look at Atlanta’s arts and entertainment scene with Backstage Atlanta on Tuesdays. In recent months the station has taken this variety to the stage with Vari-Okey, a periodical event that combines traditional variety show antics with an interactive karaoke format.

Better known for crushing beer cans with her boobs, the Clermont Lounge's Blondie will read poetry at Vari-Okey

The previous two Vari-Okey’s have been held at the Highland Inn Ballroom, but this Saturday Vari-Okey makes its debut at the more expansive Goat Farm space with The Return of Vari-Okey and the Launch of ArtWorks. Once again emceed by the host of The Pop Culture King Show himself, Jon Waterhouse, and Cage, the front man for Neil Diamond tribute band Nine Inch Neils, this Vari-Okey not only showcases AM 1690’s different radio shows, but also introduces its new ArtWorks venture.

“We were getting a really good turnout at the Highland Ballroom on weeknights,” says Waterhouse. “So we’re expecting quite a good crowd this Saturday night. The big reason we’re doing it is to give a push to ArtWorks, which is a new digital platform that AM 1690 is doing to help boost volunteering among the local Atlanta arts scene. We want to get people out and entertain them, but also make them more aware of what’s going on in the local arts scene and ways they can get involved themselves. It’s very interactive on a bunch of levels.”

Waterhouse, who goes by many guises as the singer for the Van Halen tribute band Van Heineken, Burt Reynolds-like front man for country cover band Burt and the Bandits and many other pop cultural projects, usually lets the audience do the singing at Vari-Okey. But he and Cage have also been known to put on costumes and take on other personas to help get the crowd going if there happens to be a lull in karaoke participants. And with a who’s who of Atlanta entertainers performing in between karaoke songs, you never can predict just what might happen at a Vari-Okey event.

Stephen Skipper channels Mick Jagger as front man for The Jagged Stones, a tribute to The Rolling Stones

“The way it’s set up is typical karaoke in the sense that anybody can sing,” says Waterhouse. “They just sign up, and Cage has an exhaustive amount of material. Just about anything you can think of, he’s got it. So we give a bunch of people the opportunity to get onstage, and we have different acts scattered in between there throughout the evening. So we’ll have Blondie from the Clermont Lounge there reading poetry. We’ll have David Stephens, who’s an accomplished bluegrass musician who has also worked with the Muppets and Sesame Street. He’s very talented and he’s going to be performing banjo. We also have indie rock band Christ, Lord playing and The Jagged Stones, an amazing Rolling Stones tribute that really nails it, doing an acoustic set. Some of the girls from Blast-Off Burlesque will be there performing and singing and we’ve got a whole bunch of other surprises. Some things may just happen off the cuff because we’ve got some guests that are kind of tentative, so we don’t know what’s going to happen. And that’s part of the excitement of the whole thing, not only for the audience but also for us.”

And with a cover of … oh, wait, it’s free? And all ages? Well, I really don’t see any excuse to pass up this kind of interactive fun.

Win tickets to see The Jagged Stones and Van Heineken

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The thought of seeing a couple of the biggest bands from two different eras of rock ‘n’ roll on the same bill would be a dream come true for many rock fans. And tomorrow night that dream becomes a reality (sort of) as The Jagged Stones and Van Heineken share the stage at Wild Bill’s! The Jagged Stones pull off the look and sound of the legendary British band The Rolling Stones while Van Heineken celebrates David Lee Roth-era Van Halen with an indulgent show featuring big hair, spandex and other glam metal theatrics. The show is happening May 25 and Wrestling with Pop Culture has free tickets! Might as well “Jump” at this chance to see two of Atlanta’s most authentic tribute bands sharing the stage. Just comment below with your favorite song by The Rolling Stones or Van Halen and we’ll leave a pair of tickets for you at the door tomorrow night.

 

Booker T still brings some Harlem Heat to WWE

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Booker T originally made a name for himself in the ’90s alongside his brother Stevie Ray as Harlem Heat. Together, the brothers won the World Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship a record ten times before disbanding at the end of 1999. Booker went on to be one of the most decorated singles wrestlers of his time, becoming a five time (Five time! Five time!) WCW World Heavyweight Champion and having many other title reigns (including a sixth World Heavyweight Championship in WWE). Though he is likely best known to contemporary wrestling fans as the comical, yet dominant, King Booker after winning the 2006 King of the Ring tournament, WWE’s new The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions DVD is a reminder of (among many other things) just how powerfully entertaining Harlem Heat once was. As that DVD hits store shelves today (read my review here), Booker T talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about who might become the superstars of WWE’s future and the possibility of a Harlem Heat reunion.

Courtesy WWE

What are the chances we’ll ever see a Harlem Heat reunion?

You might. I always say, “Never say, ‘Never.'” Me and my brother actually reunited just [a few weeks ago] after five years. We had a lot of friction between us. We got the same mother and the same father and sometimes it’s hard to get along that way. But [this] was the first time we came together as brothers in five years, so there is a chance you might see a Harlem Heat reunion.

What brought you back together?

Actually, it was my sister’s retirement party. She invited us all to come together and she made it happen. After five years it seemed kind of stupid to go that long without having contact.

With the way The Rock vs. John Cena was built up for a year, do you think we might see Harlem Heat at next year’s WrestleMania?

You never know. I haven’t retired yet. I’m still active. I’m working towards letting these young guys have their due and do their thing because they really are what it’s all about, the next generation. But that would be a great way for me to finish the way I started with my brother.

You have your own wrestling school, Booker T’s Pro Wrestling Academy, in Houston. Is there anyone there, at Florida Championship Wrestling or some of the younger guys on the WWE roster that you think may become some of the next top stars?

One guy I like that’s coming up is Darren Young. He’s one of the guys on our smaller shows, Superstars and NXT, but he’s a guy you really got to look out for. I like Curt Hawkins as well. He’s another kid that’s really got a lot of potential. The way they’re molded is going to really affect how far they go. Right now with a lot of guys like myself, Bill DeMott and William Regal working with them, they’re getting a lot of great insight now. So we can hopefully teach them how to bounce in the right direction. Trust me, it’s really not that easy to learn the entertainment, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet side of what we do.

Curt Hawkins was originally in a tag team with Zack Ryder. As someone who established yourself as part of a tag team and later went on to become a successful singles wrestler, what do you think someone like Hawkins can do to attain the success that his former tag team partner has achieved, if not more?

He’s going to have to be creative just like Zach Ryder. I always tell the young guys, “Every move has been taken. There’s not anything you can do that’s different from the next guy. But you’ve got to create your aura around you to make people feel a certain way when they watch you.” That’s what Zach Ryder has done very, very well. He’s not a great wrestler at all, but I don’t think too many people care about that.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

“Clash of the Champions” features some of WCW’s greatest moments

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Years before World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation went head to head during the Monday Night Wars, the National Wrestling Alliance (a precursor to WCW) conceived of a different way to compete with its Northern rival. In an attempt to steal the WWF’s pay-per-view thunder, the NWA aired it’s own new top-tier event for free on the same night as WrestleMania IV called Clash of the Champions. The first Clash of the Champions was so successful that it returned not as an annual event, but up to five times a year with a total of 35 Clashes between ’88 and ’97.

As has been done with numerous other DVD releases, WWE pays homage to one of WCW’s greatest traditions with The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions DVD set. Hosted by “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, one of the men who helped come up with the Clash of the Champions concept, this three-disc set includes more than 20 matches from 19 different Clash of the Champions events. For those of us who grew up watching wrestling during the ’80s and ’90s, this set is not only a great blast from the past, but also proof of just how good things were for wrestling at that time.

Things start out with the main event from the first Clash, as NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair (with his Four Horseman manager James J. Dillon suspended above the ring in a cage) takes on quickly rising fan favorite Sting. With both Flair and Sting in the prime of their careers, this is a mesmerizing match that ends in a 45-minute time-limit draw when the ringside judges (a mix of celebrities and wrestling industry veterans including Jason Hervey) are unable to declare a winner. This match alone shows the hearty style of storytelling the NWA was putting out at the time, with Flair retaining his title, Sting proving he could take the champion to the limit and the fans being left anticipating the next battle between these two competitors.

The presence of Sting, Flair and the Four Horsemen on all three discs shows just how integral they were to the NWA and WCW. Flair’s cohorts Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard are featured in two NWA World Tag Team Championship matches; one against Lex Luger and Barry Windham at the first Clash and another against Sting and Rhodes less than three months later. We also see Flair defend his title against WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk in an “I Quit” match in November 1989, then challenge United States Champion Luger in what has to be one of the best matches of Luger’s career (despite Stan Hansen spitting tobacco juice on him after the match). And after Flair took the World Heavyweight Championship to the WWF, only to return to WCW to find Sting holding the new International World Heavyweight Championship that had been created in Flair’s absence, the two meet again in a literal clash of champions in June ’94 to unify the titles.

Other names synonymous with Clash of the Champions featured here  in the Clash’s earlier years are Ivan Koloff, the Midnight Express, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and the Fabulous Freebirds. But even more familiar names show up as things progress into the ’90s in matches that might otherwise have been forgotten had they not been included here. For example, at the Feb. 6, 1990 Clash, the deranged Cactus Jack Manson (a much thinner and younger Mick Foley than the one we know today) takes on the luchador legend Mil Máscaras in a clash of styles that is exciting despite the match’s brevity. And in a 1994 World Television Championship match, Lord Steven Regal (better known as William Regal) and Dusty’s son Dustin Rhodes (before his cosmetic transformation into Goldust) go to a draw in an impressive match.

Even though it’s no secret that “Stone Cold” got his start as “Stunning” Steve Austin in WCW, it’s somewhat surprising just how prominent he was at Clash events during the early ’90s. He’s first seen here as part of a 15-man battle royal in ’91, then in a tag team match as part of the Hollywood Blonds in a two-out-of-three-falls match in June ’93, then in a clash against his former tag partner Brian Pillman just a few months later. But it’s his United States title defense against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in August ’94 that shows just how good Austin was at the time and why he went on to become one of WWE’s biggest stars.

Even with the influx of former WWF talents like Rick Rude, Hulk Hogan, Randy “Macho Man” Savage and the New World Order, Clash of the Champions maintains the gritty dynamic that set WCW apart from the WWF. And that’s often due to the fact that match-ups such as Hogan and Savage vs. Flair and The Giant or “Diamond” Dallas Page and Luger vs. Scoll Hall and Savage pit WCW-bred tradition against guys who made names for themselves elsewhere. But Clash of the Champions also helped nurture rising stars such as Eddie Guerrero, Harlem Heat, the Steiner Brothers, Dean Malenko and Chris Jericho, allowing them to go on to thrive in WWE and other companies.

Perhaps the greatest thing about this Clash of the Champions collection is that WWE recognizes just how good its competitor was even before the full-on ratings war of the ’90s had started. What’s even more amazing is how many of these people are still involved in the industry, many of them still actively putting on high caliber matches. And whether The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions provides you with some wrestling nostalgia or gives you a glimpse into what happened before WWE was the dominant force it is today, one can’t help but see just how electric the atmosphere always was when Clash of the Champions was on TV.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.