Reviewed by
Kyle Godbey

Visit
The Cooler

"Kings Mob"

Digital Hardcore

Last Edit/Update
06 October, 1999

Alec Empire, Queque, and Kamouflage

"Threat"

The Screeening of an Independent film
"Kings Mob" Productions
The Cooler, NYC
July 20th, 1999

    The Cooler is the sexiest little club I've ever been to. However it was hot in there, uncomfortable, and too smokey even for me. But I had no problem braving it to enjoy "Threat". The night opened with Queque (I believe), DJ'ing Indian music. Very nice and overly appropriate for the club. Doors opened at 8pm and then closed at 9pm. Anyone with a ticket stub from the previous night's Atari Teenage Riot show at the Bowery Ballroom was allowed in free.

"Threat"
"A Nasty Little Film About Hope"

$100mil budget? No. Digital quality? No. Computer generated FX? Nope. Cheesy love scenes? Nope. Why would you want to see this then? Because it LACKED the above. Who needs aesthetics when you have a brilliant plot, an intense soundtrack, and you get up and walk home and ride the subway a little differently now? A few years ago Larry Clark released a movie about scumbags called "Kids". Soon afterwards every suburban parent feared for their teenage kids thinking that maybe their kids were as brainless as the actors in "Kids". I got a good laugh. To me that was like every door in Connecticut suddenly being lock for fear that the high schoolers from "Scream" were going to butcher their offspring. "Threat" may not be a true testament to every day life here in New York, but it played on thoughts we've all had. Not just [for] New Yorkers.

The film opens by introducing a wide variety of characters, well wide on wide side and very similar on the other. Basically the younger half of the rat race all bump heads one day and innocently exchange lifestyle and political views from the world around [them]. Some come closer and some stray away. Constant friction rolls between all the characters until finally their world catches fire.

"Kings Mob" are taking their production on the road constantly, the most well spent couple of bucks I've spent to see a movie was here. After four years of shooting with absolutly NO outside funding, I find this rather inspiring.

"Digital Hardcore" has teamed up with "Kings Mob" to take up about half of the film's score, which will be released on DHR sometime soon. When "Threat" makes it around to your town, do yourself a favor, and show some support for the non-business/independent oriented world of creativity and enjoy a stunning film. Kamouflage, one of the actors from "Threat", then came up and performed soon after the film was over. I'm not a huge rap fan, but I do enjoy it plenty. Kamouflage played a short but sweet set of just himself and two other vocalists. Like I said, rap isn't my tastiest cup of tea, but I couldn't help but like these guys. At about 1am or so, I got talking to Nic Endo and Hanin Elias (of Atari Teenage Riot) who informed me that Alec wouldn't be going on for about another hour or so. After the events of the night before, in my old age I lacked the stamina to hang out until 4am in "The Cooler" so unfortunately, I took off early. Sorry Alec