Hard Core Logo sequel films ready to rock
Hard Core Logo is set to become a movie franchise.
A sequel to the cult classic will begin shooting early next year with a third instalment to follow shortly thereafter, says director Bruce McDonald.
Plans are afoot for a fourth — maybe even a fifth — film inspired by a fake Canadian punk band called Hard Core Logo that implodes while on an ill-fated reunion tour in 1996.
Despite the dire ending that marks the original film, the possibilities for sequels are endless, McDonald insists.
"We've got a little juggernaut lined up," McDonald says from his downtown office while taking a break from editing his current project, Pontypool.
"You look at Planet of the Apes — they squeezed five (films) out of that. And Saw is up to five now and Rocky is probably up to seven, so we're thinking, 'Well, why not build our own little army?' "
McDonald isn't about to reveal how the film's hero, Joe Dick, played by Hugh Dillon, comes back from the dead, but says "it's quite cleverly worked out and it's very satisfying."
He says he wants shooting to take place in January and February for Hard Core Logo II: Still Hard. The story picks up about 10 years after the original left off, with the film sticking to a mockumentary style.
Part three — tentatively titled Hard Core Logo: 45s (as in the gun, someone's age and those vinyl records) — will be shot more in a straight-up feature style and picks up roughly six months later. It was written by Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor.
No. 4 centres on the 17-year-old daughters of Joe Dick and Billy Talent, who are in high school and have a band called Sex Chimes. This one is written by Fubar co-writer/star Paul Spence.
McDonald even muses about a fifth film, which he suggests could throw back to a 1981 version of the band, touring with the Dead Kennedys and X.
McDonald says shooting depends on when he can snag Dillon, now starring on the police series Flashpoint, which was picked up for a second season.
Meanwhile, Callum Keith Rennie, who played fame-hungry guitarist Billy Talent, has been busy shooting 10 episodes of the David Duchovny series, Californication.
"You just hope to God you can kind of secure everybody and everybody's available at the right time. This is probably the biggest challenge," McDonald says.
McDonald says the sequel also reunites John Pyper-Ferguson as bassist John Oxenberger, Bernie Coulson as drummer Pipefitter and Julian Richings as the band's mentor, Bucky Haight.
And like the original, some rock'n' roll cameos are planned. McDonald says they include punk veteran Henry Rollins, British DJ and musician Don Letts and Canadian rockers Billy Talent, who turn up as a band being managed by Rennie's character.
McDonald says the real-life Billy Talent were hard core fans of the film, and sent him backstage passes to an arena show last year as thanks for inspiring the group's name.
"It's a real kick, you know, when you kind of weirdly become a part of the zeitgeist or the things that you make are travelling on other roads and making other things click," he says.
It would seem the time is ripe for a sequel. Maybe even four.
Earlier this month at a revue theatre, fans held a Hard Core Logo tribute night featuring a screening, a Q&A with McDonald and others involved in the film, and a live cover band. Fans were invited to sing along to the soundtrack and McDonald says he was astounded by how many actually knew the words to songs like Son of a Bitch to the Core and Edmonton Block Heater.
"We were just kind of floored at the great embrace," he says of the film, which debuted as an underground indie but over the years has picked up a mountain of fans including director Quentin Tarantino, who picked up the U.S. distribution rights.
"It's been a slow rolling thunder from the premiere and because of the life on DVD and people passing it around amongst themselves and sending it to friends in Germany and Alabama," McDonald says.
"It's developed its own little mythologies and so we want to do the fans proud and make a kick-ass follow-up."
"We're very proud of the first movie and we want to do more than just exploit it, we want to kind of make something brand new that is sort of inspired by it. I have sort of mixed feelings sometimes, you're not quite sure if you should be digging up corpses and walking them around...but it's good. It feels like the right time."
New CD Releases, August 26: Slipknot, The Game, The Verve
Slipknot "All Hope is Gone"
The masked men of metal are back with their fourth studio album, and first batch of new material since 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)."
The band members have kept busy during this recording hiatus by focusing on various side projects, including lead singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root's participation in alt-metal act Stone Sour, and drummer Joey Jordison's stints with Korn and Ministry.
Slipknot spent the summer co-headlining the traveling, metal-oriented Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival with Disturbed.
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The Game "LAX"
The Southern California rap star, who, indeed, came "straight outta Compton," flies back into view with "LAX." The disc, the rapper's third overall and what's rumored to be his last, features a bevy of guest stars, including Keisha Cole, Ludacris, Nas and Ice Cube.
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The Verve "Forth"
The tuneful Brit-rock band returns with its fourth album, somewhat cleverly titled "Forth." It's The Verve's first release since reforming last year and it ranks as the band's first record of new material since 1997's "Urban Hymns." The first single from the album is the tune "Love is Noise."
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Little Feat "Join the Band"
The classic American rock band, which originally formed back in 1969, has called upon many of its famous friends to help with this new all-star effort. "Join the Band" features contributions from such celebs as Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews, Bob Seger and Phish's Mike Gordon.
The ensemble tackles tunes from throughout Little Feet's 40-year recording career. Included in the mix are such fan favorites as "Dixie Chicken" and "Oh Atlanta."
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Motorhead "Motorizer"
The legendary speed-metal trio is set to drop its 20th studio album. "Motorizer," recorded in Los Angeles with producer Cameron Webb, is the band's first offering since 2006's "Kiss of Death."
Motorhead is currently on the road as part of the gigantic Metal Masters Tour, which also includes Judas Priest and Heaven and Hell. After that winds up with an Aug. 31 date in Northern California, Motorhead will quickly launch its own headlining tour, beginning Sept. 2 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.
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More new releases:
Blues Traveler, "North Hollywood Shootout" (Verve)
Eva Cassidy, "Somewhere" (Blix Street)
Dragonforce, "Ultra Beatdown" (Roadrunner)
JJ Grey & Mofro, "Orange Blossoms" (Alligator)
Jan & Dean, "The Complete Liberty Singles" (Collector's Choice)
The Lost Trailers, "Holler Back" (BNA)
Jordan Pruitt, "Permission to Fly" (Hollywood)
Klaus Schulze, Lisa Gerrard, "Farscape" (SPV)
Solange, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams" (Geffen)
Matthew Sweet, "Sunshine Lies" (Shout Factory)
Thriving Ivory, "Thriving Ivory" (Wind-up)
Various artists, "Tropical Thunder" (Razor & Tie)
Jimmy Wayne, "Do You Believe Me Now" (Valory)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Gypsy: 2008 Original Broadway Cast" (Time Life)
Music fills Democratic National Convention
Is it the Democratic National Convention or a star-studded music festival? As planeloads of superstars--including Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Kanye West and Rage Against the Machine--descend on Denver, it's kind of hard to tell.
Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles were on hand to sing at the DNC's kickoff concert last night (8/24) at Red Rocks Amphitheater, according to the Associated Press. The national convention officially starts today at the Pepsi Center.
Presumably, the youthful charisma of Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama is driving the excitement, creating an environment for celebrities to get their partisan and nonpartisan messages heard.
Many of the artists in town aren't a part of the official convention, but are instead trying to draw the attention of the media swarm at the event to their pet causes. West will be in Denver Wednesday (8/27) for a party promoting antipoverty campaign One, the Black Eyed Peas will perform that night for the Creative Coalition and Fall Out Boy will play for Rock the Vote, according to The New York Times. The Rage Against the Machine antiwar rally will be one of the biggest musical events, and various outdoor shows will align rock and hip-hop acts with on-the-ground activists, the paper said.
"People feel comfortable expressing themselves in an artistic way at this convention more than they ever have," Impact Film Festival founder Kimball Stroud, who is screening documentaries at both conventions, told the Times. "I don't recall another convention where hip-hop artists were embraced like they are."
Other acts scheduled to play during the week include Daughtry frontman Chris Daughtry, Cold War Kids, Grammy-winning rapper Nelly, and John Legend, who will premiere his new call-to-action song, "If You're Out There."
Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi are expected to perform acoustic numbers at Invesco Field Thursday (8/28), when Obama is scheduled to give his acceptance speech, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
Unfortunately for fans, most of the concerts will be filled with political insiders, charity reps and the 15,000 expected members of the news media, the Times said.
Former Bond Sean Connery launches autobiography
EDINBURGH, Scotland - He's recognized around the world as the iconic face of James Bond. But in Britain, Sean Connery is also well known as a proud Scot, and on Monday he returns to his hometown to launch his autobiography.
"Being a Scot" looks at Connery's early life as a milkman in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge neighborhood, then delves into a wide-ranging look at Scottish culture including the work of poet Robert Burns, novelist Sir Walter Scott and Mary, Queen of Scots.
"It will illuminate what Fountainbridge's most famous former milkman thinks of many aspects of Scottish culture and life, including sport, architecture, and of course the gothic tendency in Scots literature," said Edinburgh International Book Festival director Catherine Lockerbie.
Connery is a vocal supporter of the pro-independence Scottish National Party. He lives in the Bahamas and has said he will not reside in Scotland until it gains independence from the United Kingdom.
He was the first — and, many say, the best — Bond. In a six-decade career, Connery also starred in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Untouchables," which earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor.
The unveiling of "Being a Scot" coincides with Connery's 78th birthday. The actor is appearing at the book festival alongside his co-author, the filmmaker and writer Murray Grigor.
The Edinburgh event is one of Britain's leading literary gatherings, and runs alongside jazz, comedy and performing arts festivals in the Scottish capital each August.
Among the 800 authors appearing at the Aug. 9-25 festival are Salman Rushdie, Louis de Bernieres and Margaret Atwood.