The Five Best Casino Movies of the Eighties

For most of us, the 80s didn't exactly feel like a period of huge excess. We were kids then, doing the stuff kids did. Adults though? Well, if you managed to get a peak of their movies, it seemed like they were truly living the high-life.

Outrageously luxurious outfits, cool-as-anything haircuts and money, money, money was the order of the day. It's why we'll always have a soft spot for eighties movies, but there's no genre which quite encapsulates those elements quite as completely as the casino movie.



Today, land casinos tend to be few and far between, thanks in part to the rise of the online casino, which, through their free spins on roulette wheels, deposit matches up to £100 and instant, play-anywhere nature have made the real-life casino less relevant than ever.

The casino as a symbol of wealth and power, though? Well, that lives on in movies both past and present. So, join us as we celebrate a few of our very favourite eighties casino movies.

1. Rain Man (1988) – It's a classic of the eighties, picking up the Best Picture award at the Academy Awards in the year of its release, but Rain Man isn't often remembered for its casino plot line. Blame that on its two outrageously charismatic lead actors (Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman), but Rain Man still goes down as one of the great casino movies of the decade.
2. Lost in America (1985) – Albert Brooks is a treasure and he shines in this hilarious casino movie about a man who convinces his wife to up sticks, cash in their savings and travel the world – until they lose it all on a single spin. Oops.
3. Casino Raiders (1989) – Hong Kong's contribution to action cinema has been reconsidered in recent years, with directors championing the incredible, visceral and compelling work that has come out of the nation. Casino Raiders from the tail end of the eighties is a fantastic example, following two best-friends-come-professional-gamblers who are sent to Lake Tahoe to help a man named Lung. High-tension action follows in this classic of the genre.
4. The Big Town (1987) – Matt Dillon offers a star turn as J. C. Cullen, an Iowa farm boy turned pro craps player in Chicago who falls for the wrong women – don't they always? Suzy Amis, played by Diane Lane, is the wife of Tommy Lee Jones' character, a gangster by the name of George Cole. The Big Town's all-star cast alone makes it, but it really is essential eighties casino viewing.
5. Atlantic City (1980) – Overshadowed by some pretty gigantic movies upon release (Empire Strikes Back, anyone?) Atlantic City is absolutely worth your time. Starring Burt Lancaster as Lou, a washed-up mob hit-man (or, so he claims) beside a young Susan Sarandon, a woman who dreams of being the first female croupier in Monte Carlo, it's a casino-coloured love affair that's far darker, deeper and better written than it has any right to be.

So, there we have it, our list of the finest casino movies of the eighties. Some funny, some tragic, some doomed, some uplifting – all from the greatest decade of all.

The Damned Announce Fall 2018 US Tour

The band will be hitting the States for a two-week run beginning in mid October in Boston and wrapping up on November 2nd in Los Angeles. Meet & greets are available for most of the dates. Tickets are available here.

October 17 - Boston, Paradise
October 18 - New York, Irving Plaza
October 19 - Asbury Park, Stone Pony
October 20 - Washington D.C., Black Cat
October 21 - Philadelphia, Theatre Of Living Arts
October 25 - Denver, Gothic Theatre
October 26 - Salt Lake City, The Depot
October 27 - Las Vegas, House Of Blues
October 28 - Tempe, Marquee Theater
October 31 - San Francisco, Regency Ballroom
November 1 - Santa Cruz, The Catalyst
November 2 - Los Angeles, Henry Fonda Theatre

The Best Apps Based on Video Games

With 2018 seeing the release of some of the most high-budget, innovative games in history, and the entire industry kicking it up a notch by seamlessly integrating top-of-the-line AI and 3D graphics into mainstream titles, it can be all too easy to forget where this all started. The video game industry kicked off in earnest back in the 1970s, and since then, there have been countless storylines and characters which have gone on to help define and exemplify mainstream culture. Luckily, these cultural icons haven't disappeared, and in the newest frontier for gaming - mobile gaming - some of video gaming's biggest heavy hitters are reappearing on our iPhone screens in creative and quirky ways. Here's a round-up of some of the best apps based on popular video games.

Pokemon Go!

Probably one of the most popular and talked-about app releases of the past decade, Pokemon Go completely changed how we play on our phones, integrating the gameplay into every aspect of our daily lives by allowing users to hunt for Pokemon in different real-life locations. Who can forget the endless newsreel footage of Pokemon hunters listlessly roaming around shopping centre car parks trying to catch themselves a Charizard? Pokemon and the bright yellow mascot Pikachu are undeniably some of the most iconic cultural developments of all time, with the original Pikachu from the 1998 Gameboy release being just as instantly recognisable today as ever.

Sonic Runners Adventure

Sonic, the speedy blue hedgehog that has spawned over 50 video game titles over the past few years, has finally made his mark on the mobile world with this hugely popular app. Over the course of the evolution of gaming, Sonic appears at pretty much every level, starting at the coin-operated arcades on the 80s, and continuing today in high-budget releases for the latest consoles. Sonic Runners Adventure is classic Sonic distilled into a mobile-friendly platform, allow you to tilt your smartphone as you collect those precious rings, hunt for chaos emeralds, and fight off Dr Eggman.

Super Mario Run

There are few game characters more well-known than Mr Mario himself and, unsurprisingly, fans of the franchise had been begging Nintendo for an app release for years. Their relentless demands were finally met when they recently brought out Super Mario Run, which allows players to re-live that classic Mario nostalgia-fest of childhood, playing through iconic levels such as Mushroom Forrest and Bowser's Castle. This is Mario in its purest form, and with rumours swirling of a Mario Kart app on the way, we should expect to see a lot more if this moustached legend in the future.

Resident Evil

Resident Evil, the heart-stopping zombie shooter, finally has an app. Although not in the same vein as the classic console and arcade games, this unique app allows users to compare their stats across all of the Resident Evil titles, as well as access resources about the fictional universe of the Umbrella Corporation and Racoon City. Definitely one for the die-hard fans only.

If you have any video game apps you think deserve a shout-out, let us know in the comments!

Metal Remains as Relevant as Ever in 2018, and Here's the Proof

IMG SRC: Dowload Festival

One of the great joys about music is that it offers something for everyone and fans also have an opportunity to discuss and debate the merits of various bands or genres, as well as why they are less keen on others. However, if one genre seems to get caught up in such debates more than any other it is probably heavy metal.

Seemingly loved and loathed in equal measure, the genre has had to endure its fair share of battles down the years and the Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan recently offered his views on why that may have been. In an interview with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich on Beats 1, Corgan discussed how he felt that despite being a popular form of music metal remains "disrespected" in some quarters. He talked from personal experience about how he felt the music was looked down on by a certain type of music fan and even hinted that those from better backgrounds particularly tended to dismiss it. He added how it offered solace to him in his youth and something that was "more closely aligned" to his own experiences.

A top seller

There probably is something in Corgan's comments about how metal has never been fully accepted by certain music fans. However, this has still not stopped the genre from enduring and remaining a fundamental part of popular culture. In fact, there remains plenty of evidence that metal of all sub-genres is as relevant as ever in 2018.

If you are going to look at the popularity of a genre then record sales are of course an important barometer of how things lie. While a look back at last year's top-selling albums may unsurprisingly have the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars at the top, it is notable to see another name stick out like a sore thumb. The creators of one of our all-time favourite metal songs, Metallica made the list with their Hardwired… To Self-Destruct LP being the ninth biggest selling album of 2017. To make matters even more bizarre, the position has the metal legends sandwiched between the '70s soft rock of the Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 2 soundtrack and the Justin Timberlake-infused cartoon pop of Trolls.

IMG SRC: Metallica

It is not just albums that metal – and Metallica in particularly – continues to shift though. The annual Download festival in the UK welcomes in the region of 80,000 fans every year, while Metallica made Billboard's Hot Tours rankings at one point last year when the first ten dates of their US stadium tour helped them achieve a combined gross of $49.5 million from an incredible 464,988 sold seats.

Breaking out

Another real test of how strong a genre is performing is its ability to take a step outside of its usual comfort zone and be embraced in other parts of pop culture – something that metal has managed in a number of surprising ways in recent years. Apparently, Metal has developed a close and fond relationship with the ever-growing craft beer. The individual areas both have a strong and devoted following so it is probably not a huge surprise that efforts have been made to bring the two together. Many metal bands have been involved in the creation of beers, with 3 Floyds Brewing in Indiana working with the likes of Mastodon, Skeletonwitch and Pelican to create new brews. Furthermore, as Revolver outlines, the company even hosts its own metal event to celebrate the one-day-only release of one of its signature beverages. Going even further, as Betway Casino outlines, it is not uncommon for online slot games to take their cues from popular culture like film, TV and music, including Elvis and Sex and the City. Yet, even with that in mind the fact that Swedish doom metal merchants Candlemass worked with slots developer Play N Go on the House of Doom slot is a real turn up for the books. In fact, Candlemass even released a new song as the slot's official soundtrack (see video below). Metal has also broken into video gaming with Avenged Sevenfold reportedly set to contribute a song to the forthcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

While beer and heavy riffing may seem like a fairly solid fit, there are still plenty of other surprising places that metal has popped up in recent times. DO.OMYoga offers metal fans the opportunity to practice their various yoga moves along to doom metal, with the idea stemming from an experience that co-founder Kamellia Mckayed had while travelling in India. Speaking to LouderSound.com, she outlined how she visited Rishikesh and felt too ill to practice, but was then spurred into action when a friend was playing an Om album. She said: "Eventually, my friend Sanna – who helps run DO.OMYoga with me – approached me and suggested it would be cool to practice yoga to doom metal. I said, "I already have been – and it works!' The rest is history."

A core part of music's landscape

All of the above highlights that, whether it truly is "disrespected" or not, metal remains in incredibly rude health and is undoubtedly as important as it has ever been to popular culture in 2018. From the enduring, lucrative success of Metallica to the genre's ability to branch it into new and surprising areas like yoga, interest and appetite for metal and its culture remains high.

While the genre may now come in a number of different forms since its first inception back in the early 1970s, it is safe to say it remains a core part of music's incredibly rich and diverse landscape.

LISTEN NOW: Penny Mob, "21st Century Kids"

This new track from Penny Mob kicks major ass!

First Listen: Chvrches, "Get Out"

First single in two years is a hot one!

The Legendary Freddy Krueger in 2018

Have you heard the rumours about the new Freddy Krueger flick? There's said to be a new one coming in 2018. This is exciting news indeed...

OK OK, the last Nightmare on Elm Street remake was a flop: audiences didn't rate it and neither did the critics. In fact, to be brutal, even the trailer kind of sucks. (Way to butcher a classic!) But maybe 2010 just wasn't Freddy's year. We die-hard fans don't let that kind of thing get us down, right? Freddy is a legendary character, an absolute icon of the horror genre, and he deserves a decent remake. So maybe, just maybe, 2018 will be the year that Freddy once again makes it into audiences' nightmares.

And no, he's not a dated character. Definitely not, though some readers will think so. If anything he's one of the most timeless characters that horror has invented. Come on now- some freak who comes to get you in your dreams? That's one of the worst things imaginable as you just can't do anything about it. The more tired you get from trying to stay awake the more afraid you become- body and mind fatigued, stress levels through the roof and emotions at breaking point! Then when you finally drop off... BAM- that horrific hand and fedora are lurking.

The bed is supposed to be the safe place, remember? You dive under the covers and you're OK... protected from the bad things of this world. The Nightmare on Elm Street concept flips that on its head and makes it the worst place to be: the very epicentre of the horrors! Just picture yourself trying to get a good night's rest when all of a sudden a scarred menace materialises from your very own dream. There's no escaping it... except perhaps for those sleeping in plush velvet beds... Freddy doesn't like those!

So what would actually make this remake worth watching? What should the director be doing to ensure that Freddy doesn't come across as risible and naff as has happened in the past? Well the thing with all horror is that it's genre film, like genre fiction, and therefore is expected to contain certain generic features: haunting strings, stuff jumping out from nowhere, shaky cameras, abandoned buildings et cetera. The key is using them well.

For instance, we all know that whenever the camera turns its back (so to speak) on a room, that when it looks back again something horrible is highly likely to be there. Now a clever director plays on these kinds of audience expectations and keeps them on their toes.

A great example is in The Ring. Remember that scene at the beginning when the teenage girl opens the fridge door to get a snack and thereby fills the entire shot and blocks the background so we can't see what's coming? Everyone just assumes that there'll be a boogie man or something similarly shocking there when it shuts again, but when it actually happens... there's nothing but an empty hallway. This is the kind of intelligent approach to horror that's expected now and is definitely what's needed to make the new Nightmare on Elm Street movie a success.

So let's cross our fingers and hope that this time it all comes together and doesn't leave us just feeling annoyed and embarrassed at the poor handling and mistreatment of a truly great character.

Pixies & Weezer To Embark On BEST TOUR EVER This Summer!

Weezer and the Pixies will be co-headlining a massive seven-week tour this summer. Not only that, The Wombats will be opening on the June 23-July 15 dates!

Dates are below. Tickets go on sale on November 10th.

6/23/18 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/26/18 New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
6/27/18 Dallas, TX @ Starplex Pavilion
6/29/18 Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/30/18 Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
7/6/18 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7/7/18 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/8/18 Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/10/18 Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
7/11/18 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
7/13/18 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/14/18 Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
7/15/18 Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheatre
7/17/18 Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
7/18/18 Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
7/20/18 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/21/18 Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
7/22/18 Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
7/24/18 Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
7/25/18 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
7/27/18 Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/28/18 Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
7/29/18 Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
7/31/18 Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
8/1/18 West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
8/4/18 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
8/7/18 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8/11/18 Chula Vista, CA @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
8/12/18 Phoenix, AZ @ AK-Chin Pavilion

COVER SONG OF THE DAY: Street Joy, "Hot For Teacher"

From 2017, here's Street Joy with their awesome take on the Van Halen classic.

Enjoy!

COVER SONG OF THE DAY: Cara Salimando, "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby"

This is AMAZING! Her voice is so haunting and beautiful.

From 2017, here's Cara Salimando with a cover of Cigarettes After Sex's "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby."

Enjoy!