The early 1980’s seemed like the time and place to release rock and roll animated cartoon films like Heavy Metal. There was always one film that I have been meaning to see for quite some time and so I decided to watch Rock & Rule for today’s film. For Angel (Heavy Metal‘s Susan Roman) all she wants to do is be able to have the chance to sing, but her boyfriend Omar (The Pink Panther‘s Gregory Salata) is a little jealous and wants the spotlight. Meanwhile, a legendary singer named Mok (Heavy Metal‘s Don Francks) has retired from performing, but he has gotten himself into the dark arts of life. Mok needs to find the perfect voice in order to conjure out the dark beings from the dark dimension. So, he decides to kidnap Angel and force her to sing in Nuke York to conjure the evil. The film also stars Samantha Langevin (Anne Of Green Gables) as Mok’s Computer, Dan Hennessey (The Care Bears Family) as Dizzy, Greg Duffell (Inspector Gadget) as Stretch/Zip, Chris Wiggins (Friday The 13TH: The Series) as Toad, Brent Titcomb (C.O.P.S.) as Sleazy, Martin Lavut (Heavy Metal) as Mylar, Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) as Aunt Edith, Iggy Pop as Monster From Another Dimension, Deborah Harry (Videodrome) as Angel’s Singing Voice, and the film was directed by Clive A. Smith (Babar).
Rock & Rule is one of those films that seemed to try and build off the success of Heavy Metal, but doesn’t fully succeed. The best thing about this film is quite frankly the soundtrack which features songs from Cheap Trick, Deborah Harry, and even Lou Reed. The film kind of moves a little fast through the story for my liking, but what can you do when the film is only one hour and seventeen minutes long. The animation is real old school and if you’ve seen Heavy Metal, it’s almost the same style except there is something wrong with the inhabitants of post-apocalyptic Earth. The sequences with Mok were pretty cool because he made it like he was performing magic all the time which can be trippy even in that time. The thing about this film is that the story was cool, but it jumps quick into the conclusion without any real turning point. I mean is Mok throwing away Zip’s doll the turning point that sets up the conclusion? Or is it the fact that Omar’s friends tell him to open his eyes that sets it up? That was really my only problem with the film, but that is only one factor. The music is great and the voice acting was great. Check it out on Youtube or just about anywhere on the Internet I can imagine. I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.
There are films that come along that get so much buzz from the underground that you just have to watch especially if they get coverage from your favorite metal music magazine. That was definitely the case for today’s film which combines heavy metal and horror in 2015’s Deathgasm. For Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), life has been a little tough especially since he has to move in with his over christian Uncle and his obnoxious family. Life in the new town isn’t any easier considering he is one of few metalheads in the town until he meets Zakk (James Blake), a fellow metalhead with bigger balls than him. That will all be put to the test though while they found a music sheet that just happens to summon a demon by the name of the Blind One. Now they’ll have to fight off all the demons before it’s too late. The film also stars Kimberley Crossman (Strangers In A Strange Land) as Medina, Sam Berkley (Jake) as Dion, Daniel Cresswell (3 Mile Limit) as Giles, Delaney Tabron (Spartacus: War Of The Damned) as Shanna, Stephen Ure (The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug) as Rikki Daggers, Kate Elliott (30 Days Of Night) as Abigail, and the film was written and directed by Jason Lei Howden (The Avengers). To read the rest of the review, please click 
For today’s film, i wanted to try a new service that I just started using in Crackle and so I looked on their list of films they have and Heavy Metal was one of those films. Heavy Metal was always one of those films that I knew the soundtrack very well, but had never seen the movie. Heavy Metal is an anthology film that divides into several stories all being connected by a common story which in this film’s case is the Loc-Nar, a dangerous and powerful sphere weapon. A little girl is trapped in her house after her astronaut father brings home the orb. The orb kills him and forces the girl to listen to several tales of evil and greed while she sits in agony as she has no choice. The film stars Don Francks (I’m Not There.) as Grimaldi, Co-Pilot, and Barbarian, Caroline Semple as the girl, Richard Romanus (Point Of No Return) as Harry, John Candy (Uncle Buck) as Dan, Den, and Robot, Marilyn Lightstone (Dennis The Menace) as Queen, Jackie Burroughs (The Dead Zone) as Katherine, August Schellenberg (Free Willy) as Norl and Tararak, Eugene Levy (American Pie) as Captain Stern, Vlasta Vrana (Secret Window) as Barbarian Leader, and the film was directed by Gerald Potterton (The Railrodder).
One thing is definitely for certain when it comes to the film that I watched today and that is that the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. The soundtrack features everyone from Stevie Nicks, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Devo, Cheap Trick and so many more. That is definitely one of the most appealing parts of the film besides the actual film itself. The film is divided into ten segments with the intro and epilogue as part of those. My favorite parts of the film are definitely Harry Canyon, Den, Captain Stern, and Taarna. Harry Canyon follows a taxi driver who thinks he is helping a girl in trouble while Den is about an 18 year old dweeb who gets sucked into another world and he is transformed into a strong warrior. Captain Stern follows a captain who is apparently a scumbag while Taarna is about a warrior woman who is the last of her kind that is called for vengeance. I am trying my hardest not to spoil anything in the film for you guys because you should see it for yourselves. The film is very sexual as it features a lot of naked cartoon woman so don’t think that this film is suitable for your kids cause it isn’t. Every segment seems to feature different types of animation with some being very simplistic and 80’s looking to some that are just remarkable and refreshing. No matter what, all of the stories in the film are well written and John Candy does an amazing job alongside guys like Eugene Levy and the late Harold Ramis. I really enjoyed the film and if you enjoy 80’s music along with 80’s cult classic animated films then check this one out. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 