Craig Anderson from ABC’s television series Double The Fist explains how he created blood and guts on the small screen with an even smaller budget.

Double the Fist, the brainchild of film-maker and special effects maven Craig Anderson, is a ludicrous mix of black humour, comic-book violence and preposterous plot lines. As the first series “was essentially a mock-up of an extreme sports show”, Anderson decided that when he had network approval for the second series, he would make things a bit more interesting. “Now it’s kind of like Gladiators meets a game show – take no prisoners,” he laughs. “We were feeling a bit limited by the sports genre so we wanted to branch out.”

The first five minutes of the new series features enough gut-wrenching stunts to weather even the most hardcore viewer. Anderson’s character, team leader Steve Foxx, wages war on weakness, which he says is “affecting almost 90 percent of the Australian population.” This grand exploitation of rugged machismo is perfectly suited to Anderson, who wears flannelette, orange aviators and slicked back greasy hair and whose character generally comes across more like a psychopathic council worker than a superhero. But then, tapping into bogan culture is all part of the joke; Foxx’s brother Rod wears bike shorts and drinks ludicrous amounts of Powerade to fuel his super-human speed and Mephisto, the disgruntled security guard, constantly comes up with ways to scam money from the authorities.

There’s a reason this show is rated MA15+ and was screened relatively late at night. Despite the fact that all of the violence, blood and gore in the show is undeniably fake, it’s done so well that casual audiences will be convinced that someone is being stabbed, decapitated or dismembered on national television. Steve Foxx regularly smacks his team mates and send them flying off screen, librarians use borrower cards to cause grievous bodily harm, and councilmen devour babies whole. This is definitely not a series you want to show your kid sister. I should know, I tried it, and she ran screaming from the room.

“We kind of wanted to [ape] those reality TV shows like Jackass, but there was no way I was actually doing any of that stuff for real!” says Anderson. Surely in the course of filming, he experienced the painful side of orchestrating stunts, even if they were contrived? “Look I can’t say I appreciate what [Johnny Knoxville] does in Jackass, but I definitely respect it. There’s a lot of pain involved even when you’re faking it.”

When big-budget films shoot stunts like Spiderman crawling up a building, the actor is usually shot on a mattress in front of a green (or blue) screen with the Manhattan skyscraper dropped in during post-production. On a local television budget, Anderson and his team didn’t exactly have the studio time or money to throw around, so they improvised. They incorporated the visual tricks into live shots, so that they would not have to use much green screen at all. “There are certain things that you can actually set up before the shoot…” (he then proceeds to explain how you can cut a guy’s head off without actually cutting it off).

“Generally it will take us maybe a month to shoot on location and up to four in the studios editing – which is a hell of a lot!” For example turning a very sexy Hollie Andrew into a vending machine will probably take some after-hours touch-ups. Ditto on two council trucks that morph into a Transformers-esque monolith, which wreaks havoc on the local landscape.

When he’s not leading a bunch of degenerates on the small-screen, Anderson is watching the big one (he is a self-confessed fan of action films, especially the Bourne series). As a first-hand witness to the excruciating attention to detail needed for special effects, Anderson has massive respect for film houses that create great, realistic looking stunts, “like car chases or huge battles”. And though he doesn’t think he would have the patience to work as part of such a big team – “I don’t want to be the guy animating Shrek’s left toe!” – he is more than happy to continue on his good streak of meta-drama. Double The Fist is as absurd as it is an incisive exploration of testosterone fuelled Aussie culture. Be sure to catch it, or Foxx and his gang will more than likely find you and chop off your legs. Metaphorically, of course.

- Jonno Seidler

A while back us freelance writers received a memo from a disgruntled senior magazine editor, laying out a new set of style guidelines for writing album reviews. This included a stipulation against five star (10/10) ratings, unless the CD was indeed “the second coming of Jesus”. Well Bloc Party’s third album is actually pretty close to it, and without committing blasphemy, if Our Lord and Saviour came back and started a rock band His album would probably sound something like this.

By Jonno Seidler

The band is so incredibly complicated that decoding all of the lyrical and musical reference points on the record would take me 20 years. So let’s start with what we know. Bloc Party busted out in the early 2000s as the most unique indie band, well, ever, simply because they created songs about alienation and love which were so addictive that they became club staples almost by accident. In response, they took the Tricky avenue and sent out a big ‘fuck you’ to their new converts, aping Radiohead and completely joining another stratosphere with sophomore album, A Weekend In The City. Which brings us to Initmacy.

Like Thom Yorke, frontman Kele Okereke loves to keep his listeners on their toes. Thus Bloc Party announced and released this album in the space of three days. So much for hype. Okereke - black, British and gay - has plenty of material to fuel his beyond-quirky lyrics. Now when he talks about “resting his head on your chest” and all that jazz, it’s got a slightly different tone to it, possibly more vulnerable, but maybe more defiant. It helps that Kele’s band has rediscovered their testicles, especially I-had-a-collapsed-lung drummer Matt Tong, who returns to stunning form beating out rhythmically dexterous and muscular grooves under cascading walls of guitar. And when I say walls, I mean the Great Wall of freaking China. Axeman Russell Lissack may be the most unassuming man in rock music, but he comes impossibly close to sound wizard Tom Morello when making his amp burst into flames of fuzz. Really what propels this album to mythical status is its brilliant contrast of anger and tenderness.

There’s Kid-A electronics, odd time signatures, screaming, serenading and lots of digital splicing. It’s the ultimate 21st century record for those who want their ears stretched. I’ve picked out one of the softer songs which will probably never make it to the other blogs. Any band can play fast, loud and angry. But it takes a special group to craft beauty like “Signs”. You will swear you’re listening to “Everything In Its Right Place”, except that there are pretty little glockenspiels everywhere. This is what happens when synths and romance find each other on an abandoned back-street in South London. You’ve got to marvel at Bloc Party’s ambition; for a band that doesn’t want to rule the world, they do a far better job of it than Coldplay.

You can only purchase Intimacy online for next to nothing. If you feel bad about scamming In Rainbows for free, this is your form of retribution. From Jesus, naturally.

Taken from 1songday.blogspot.com.

Vocalist Joshua Garden from indie dance trio Grafton Primary takes five minutes out of his pre-tour schedule to talk to Corker about his band’s debut album Eon, raising children and why his brother Ben is the sexiest of them all.

Interview by Michael Huynh

Corker: How did you guys get together and has it been a long and arduous road to the top for Grafton Primary?

Joshua: We got together about the time I was born. Ben (Garden – synths/keytar) was already two-and-a-half years old at this point. As a band we’ve been together about four years, so I wouldn’t say it’s been an arduous road, but there have been a few curves along the way.

Corker: Can you tell us a little bit about your latest single, “She Knows It”? (Listen to the track below.)

Joshua: The song is about a strong, sexy woman of the roads, following her destiny in the last days of the world as we know it. She looks back at the two stories of the age – the desire to burn and consume, and the desire to reunite with nature. The choice she makes is up to you.

Corker: How do the songs on your new album Eon compare to the sound of your last EP Relativity?

Joshua: They are from the same vein, but much deeper in the ground. Eon has more space, more weight, and yet more lightness. We have pushed ourselves as producers and songwriters, and we believe we’ve hit a new high.

Corker: What’s one piece of advice that you have for Aussie bands who want to succeed in the industry?

Joshua: Find yourselves as people or the machine will destroy you.

Corker: Complete the following sentences
If you guys weren’t playing in a band, you’d be…

Joshua: Ben would be an organist in a gothic cathedral in Germany. I would be growing vegetables, raising children and healing the planet. Robbie (Mudrazija – drums) would be an internet terrorist.

Corker: According to your fans, the most lusted after member in the band is…

Joshua: Ben. He thinks it’s his good looks, but it’s really his instrument.

Corker: The coolest thing a female fan has offered you is…

Joshua: Her white high heel, to sign with a permanent marker.

Corker: As a kid in primary school, I use to…

Joshua: Be more interested in ants than people.

Catch Grafton Primary on tour over the next few months:

5 September 2008 - East Brunswick Club, Melbourne
6 September 2008 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
12 September 2008 - Jive, Adelaide
13 September 2008 - In The Mix Top 50 Party at ANU Bar, Canberra
19 September 2008 The Zoo, Brisbane
20 September 2008 - Street Kid, Gold Coast
25 September 2008 - Wollongong Uni, Wollongong
27 September 2008 - Parklife, Adelaide
28 September 2008 - Parklife, Melbourne
29 September 2008 - Parklife, Perth
4 October 2008 - Parklife, Brisbane
5 October 2008 - Parklife, Sydney
22 November 2008 - Trackside Festival, Canberra with Cut Copy, Sparkadia, Living End, The Panics + more

Angus Paterson chats to Huw Murdoch from Melbourne band Plastic Palace Alice about their debut album The Great Depression. Listen to the exclusive Corker Radio interview here.

Here at the Corker office, we tracked a story circulated by the media that the brothels in Sydney had to increase staff numbers this weekend in order to deal with an expected influx of work due to World Youth Day.

By Lizza Gebilagin

We assumed there couldn’t have been any truth to the rumour, but being the curious journalists that we are (and here we use the term “journalist” rather loosely), we had to double check anyway. So we called four local brothels.

ESP Erotic Massage in Crows Nest said that they didn’t increase staff numbers, but suggested that the others might have done so. Club 121 in Darling Harbour, which is located right in the heart of where many World Youth Day events took place, didn’t increase staff numbers either and high-class joint Tiffany’s in Surry Hills, located on the pilgrim path for the final mass, refused to comment. The brothel in the midst of all the media coverage, Xclusive in Bondi, confirmed that they had increased staff numbers during the week because of an increase of patrons. But then admitted, “[The numbers increased] probably because we have just opened and we advertised a lot too.”

After the excitement faded and the rumour proved to be a dud, it didn’t make much sense anyway. How could pilgrims possibly pay for prostitutes when cab drivers were complaining all week that they didn’t have any work because kids were just catching buses? The pilgrims weren’t skipping cab rides because they were saving money to pay for booty. They simply didn’t have the money to spend. No money for a cab, means no money for ladies that charge by the hour.

Verdict: This rumour has been busted. Then again, there were 3,000 to 5,000 media here to cover the event, and we all know how sex-starved journalists can be…

Additional reporting by Michael Huynh

Their eldest band member is only 22 years old, but British India are already looking back longingly on their “golden years”. Frontman Declan Melia explains.

Interview by Michael Huynh

“I think being 22 is such an interesting time in your life,” Melia says when describing the song “Golden Years” off their latest album release, Thieves.

“You move out and you’re faced with all these questions. You start to think about your future. Friends of mine are starting to finish uni and getting jobs and you start to wonder what your life is going to be like. People start to have less time for stuff and the innocence is gone – that’s what ‘Golden Years’ is about.”

Look out for the full feature and exclusive pics in Corker when Issue 3 comes out in October.

Photo by Ashley Mar

By Ally Lois

With all the hype surrounding the latest installment in the Batman series, it’s not surprising that the much anticipated sequel has broken box office records. Despite much of the publicity surrounding the film stemming from the tragic death of star Heath Ledger, the praise given to The Dark Knight is well deserved.

After Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) transformation into Batman in Batman Begins, the masked vigilante has established his presence in Gotham City. Striving to rid Gotham of crime, Batman continues to help Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) enforce the law amidst widespread corruption and has found a new ally in District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Despite Dent’s budding relationship with Wayne’s childhood love, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Wayne sees Dent as Gotham’s real hero and seeks to facilitate his fight against the city’s underworld. Batman’s unconventional and theatrical crime fighting has still not entirely convinced the people of Gotham he’s one of the good guys and now his antics have provoked a new nemesis who also has a flair for the dramatic.

As one of the most notorious Batman villains, Ledger’s reincarnation of the Joker is hard to watch objectively, if only because of the publicity surrounding his penultimate performance. Despite calls for a posthumous Oscar perhaps owing to sentimentality, Ledger’s performance is arresting, and brings out an intense and menacing quality that contrasts and in some ways mirrors our dark protagonist. The Joker introduces a new kind of criminal to Gotham, one that revels in violence and chaos and cares little for profit. The Joker begins to terrorise the city and sets out to prove that the people of Gotham are wicked and depraved at heart.

Guided by the skilful hand of director Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight delivers a balanced mix of fast-paced action, striking and brooding imagery and well-drawn, nuanced characters. We are treated to fine performances all round and gain a new insight into Batman’s character. Owing to the character-driven story, the film offers much more than the average comic film and provokes questions about terrorism, human nature and the divide between good and evil.

Unfortunately the media hype around Ledger’s death and performance may have overshadowed the true brilliance of The Dark Knight, but Nolan’s masterpiece is deserving of the praise bestowed on it and offers the audience a rare mix of blockbuster action, well-developed characters and a great story.

Score: 4 ½ out of 5

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal

When Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham City, he donned the identity of Batman and proceeded to clean up the corruption that had infiltrated every last corner – from organised crime running the streets to the police, courts and corporations. Our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has been tasked with cleaning up Australia after 12 long years of the Howard Government. And the same way that Batman became a symbol of hope for Gotham residents who had grown used to things being terrible for so long, Rudd’s entrance brought its own form of joyful optimism: a fresh take on the environmental crisis, peeling back the previous government’s industrial relations laws and finally saying sorry to the Stolen Generations. But while it’s nice idea that one masked man can single-handedly sweep away the rotten corruption of an entire city, that’s a comic book fantasy. Will Rudd really live up to all the lofty expectations we’ve placed on him?

Kate Gauthier investigates.

When it comes to some of the loftier moral ambitions of the Rudd Government, the most important promises of the election for many were related to moral and environmental concerns, rather than the hip pocket – in stark contrast to the Howard era. An apology to the Stolen Generations, signing the Kyoto Protocol and closing the Pacific Solution camp for asylum seekers – all three promises have been kept, but these were only the first step in a long road to reform.

Ed Coper, campaign coordinator for online political campaigners GetUp, suggests that while Rudd is prepared to deliver on ‘gestures’, he might not be so bold when follow-up work is required. “The simple fact is the jury’s still out on the Rudd Government – they’ve made some really promising gestures, but on areas that were relatively easy to deliver … the true test will come in areas that can expose the government to political damage, where we’ll see just how bold they are prepared to be.”

Read the full story in Corker Issue 2: Winter 2008

Illustration by Dennis Juan Ma

By Jonno Seidler

Well, for a start, they’re not from Sydney. Growing up in The Blue Mountains is bound to influence your sound in a more genuine way than listening to a few mp3s on Myspace ever will. There sound is pure: there is no bullshit, no pretension no posing. The harmonies on this EP are gorgeous, but then so is the instrumentation. It sounds really authentic, like it was recorded on vintage amps in a studio in the woods, which is probably the case, anyway.

If the O.C. had been set in Australia, these songs would have featured heavily on the soundtrack. It has the same breezy disposition as many of the indie bands featured on those compilations, with enough darkness around the edges (care of those loping bass lines) to provide the perfect backdrop for Mischa Barton on a massive bender.

I don’t know how this kind of stuff would fare in a live situation. I mean, granted it’s very pretty and has enough musicianship to sink a ship, but I’m not sure it would keep my eyes open in a dingy bar at 11:30pm. The more upbeat Kinks-meets-Beatles stuff is a welcome injection of energy, but there’s not enough of it on this record. Cloud Control need to decide if they’re going to be a chill-out band or a quiet rock band. But when they’re both at the same time, my brain explodes. Maybe I’m just an idiot though. Nonetheless, this is a very enjoyable debut that shows loads of potential.

We all longed for one more adventure from the iconic adventurer in the leather jacket, brown fedora and trusty bullwhip. Unfortunately, Spielberg’s latest film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, offers none of the magic, wit or charm of the original trilogy.

By Ally Lois

The film is set in 1957 and a long time has passed since our hero last crusaded against the Nazis. Indy (Harrison Ford) has been kidnapped by Russian agents led by pseudo-psychic, Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). The Russians are searching for an artifact – the fabled “crystal skull” – integral to their quest for mind-controlling power.

The Nazis of the old trilogy have been replaced by Russians, jazz by rock’n’roll, and our feisty hero is now a little worn-out, yet the first glimpse of Indy’s battered, brown fedora almost convinces you that he is back. Almost. From fighting the Russians in the Nevada desert, to a motorbike chase set against a consciously 50s backdrop, this almost seems like a world in which Indiana Jones could belong.

After escaping from the Russians, Indy sets off to the jungles of South America with new side-kick Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) to rescue Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and an old colleague (John Hurt). The pace and ambiance of the original films is initially captured, but allusions to the Roswell crash of 1947 and Indy’s amazing new ability to survive an atomic bomb blast soon alert you to the fact this isn’t quite the same reality Indy used to inhabit.

Lacking intrigue and logic, the plot reeks of George Lucas’s juvenile fixation with aliens (why is this man allowed near a script?). The true colours of Spielberg’s film begin to show by the time Indy finds himself racing through the jungle. Fast-paced, gripping action sequences are quickly reduced to a showcase of LucasArts overdone CGI and lame, self-indulgent stunts. Both Lucas and Spielberg seem to have forgotten that it was not only the action-fuelled adventures which made the original trilogy great, but also the well-drawn, witty and nuanced characters.

Indy merely swaggers along with an insultingly apparent belief that we will swallow the ridiculous plot if he looks like the Indiana Jones we remember. Mutt does his best Marlon Brando meets “The Fonz” impersonation, and as sincere as Blanchett’s performance is, with only a sword, a severe haircut and a Russian accent, Spalko is little more than a caricature and an unworthy adversary.

From early extra-terrestrial references, to paper thin characters, overdone action sequences and a cringe-worthy finale, this film is as hollow and hackneyed as its B-grade rip-offs and a bitter disappointment.

Score: 2 out of 5

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf
Story: George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson
Screenwriter: David Koepp