A JK Classic Re-Release: Brains For Breakfast (2000)

Posted on 8 november 2025 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

On my YouTube channel, Jeppy’s Video Circus, I usually post short videos in three categories.

The first is pop culture features, like Schwarzenegger’s 100 Greatest Kills and Ranking the Top 100 Beatles Songs.

The second is experimental shorts, such as Passenger and Light Parade.

The third category is amateur movies I made during my childhood, including A Bad Trip and Nicky and Mugs.

I’ve just released another one called Brains For Breakfast and this one might be my favorite.

The Amateur
The unfinished video was shot in 2000, about halfway through my five-year stretch as an amateur filmmaker.

That period began in 1998, when my buddy Jean-Marc and I took a two-week videomaking course in Charme, France, taught by the Amsterdam-based Open Studio. They taught us the basics of filmmaking: camera work, directing, editing, screenwriting – the whole package.

The following year, I shot a number of shorts with my friends in Heiloo, including Nicky and Mugs and A Bad Trip. Many unfinished projects from that time still live in the dusty archives of my desktop.

In an upcoming short called Dreaming of HeilooWeed, I plan to edit those fragments into a medley of our unfinished amateur films.

In 2000, we created what I consider the highlight of that era: Brains For Breakfast, which is now available on YouTube.

That same year, I also traveled through India and Nepal, where I shot a two-hour travel movie.

In 2001, my friends and I spent three months in Thailand, where I filmed another travel documentary – though calling it a ‘travel movie’ doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s part Jackass, part comic meditation on backpacking. I plan to edit it into a half-hour YouTube version next year, titled 2001: A Thailand Odyssey.

By 2002, my movie career had started to fade, and I moved on to other things. I made a few videos that year, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

That is, until 2020 – when I picked up filmmaking again as a hobby.

About Brains For Breakfast
Brains For Breakfast can best be described as a horror-comedy, heavily inspired by Peter Jackson (Bad Taste) and Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead).

The story follows weed dealer Jimmie Lombardo, who suddenly finds himself in the middle of an alien invasion, one with the sole purpose of stealing Dutch weed.

What I love most about it is the humor. There are some genuinely funny moments, along with a few surprisingly effective scenes, like the one where an alien shoots a guy on a bicycle from a balcony.

I also have a soft spot for all the amateurish mistakes: jumping the axis, catching the cameraman’s shadow, or scenes that shift from early evening to near-dark in the blink of an eye. All of it adds to the charm and hilarity.

Since the film was never finished, I decided to create an ending by adding a short ‘making-of’ segment, showing us trying to pull off one of our great ‘special effects’.

I’m happy with how it turned out, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too. Check out Brains For Breakfast below on YouTube!

Dungeon Classics #36: Braindead

Posted on 24 november 2024 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon’s Chief Editor JK sorts through the Dungeon’s DVD-collection to look for old cult favorites….

Braindead (1992, New Zealand)

Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody
Running Time: 104 mins.

Probably nobody predicted that the maker of New Zealand horror comedies would one day direct the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Then again, perhaps people should have, because Braindead, Peter Jackson’s third film after Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles, is an exceptionally well made movie. It’s about the young man Lionel who lives in Wellington with his controlling mom (the movie’s real horror). When he takes his first date Paquita to the zoo, his mother (who has followed them of course) is bitten by a Sumatran Rat-Monkey. This turns her into a bloodthirsty zombie that cannot die, not even by dismemberment. Very soon, Lionel’s house is packed with these things and he has to get very inventive to get rid of them. Like iconic horror director Sam Raimi developed his trademark style with the Evil Dead movies, Jackson does so here: sweeping camera moves, inventive special effects (by Jackson’s partner in crime Richard Taylor), New Zealand scenery, the dead becoming alive, and lots of demented humor. And talking about Evil Dead, Timothy Balme’s Lionel certainly resembles its hero Ash when he wields his lawnmower in the infamous splatter finale (Braindead set the world record for most fake blood used in a movie). This has become a legendary moment in horror cinema, like the slapstick scene in which Lionel takes a zombie baby to the park. It is stuff like that that should have told us back then; this Jackson fella is gonna make it big someday.

15 Thoughts on The Rings of Power Season 2

Posted on 5 oktober 2024 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Episodes viewed: 8 of 8

The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has arrived. The first season of this incredibly expensive series received a lukewarm response, so how does Season 2 measure up? Here are some thoughts:

1). Sauron’s return to physical form after being betrayed and defeated by Adar and his Orcs is a fantastic way to kick off the season. The opening sequence is stunning.

2). Speaking of Adar, he remains my favorite character in the series. Who is he, exactly? According to lotr.fandom, Adar is a mysterious figure from the Second Age, known as ‘Lord-father’ by the Orcs. He was likely one of the first Elves captured and tortured by Morgoth. Once Sauron’s lieutenant, Adar became disillusioned with Sauron’s cruelty toward the Orcs and ultimately betrayed him.

3). The settings are once again breathtaking. It’s great to see familiar The Lord of the Rings landmarks, and the world-building continues to impress.

4). Woke Alert: I’m all for diverse casting, but it should feel natural. Andor is a great example—where all races and genders are represented without it feeling forced. However, adding a few Black characters among the Elves feels like tokenism. On the other hand, Arondir’s existence has already established that Southern Elves are Black, so perhaps I’m overthinking this.

5). The Elves repeat too many lines from the original trilogy, like “the light of the Eldar is fading.” Isn’t it a bit tiring that the Elves are still in the same situation 3,000 years later? They’ve been talking about leaving Middle-earth for ages—when will they finally depart?

6). In Season 1, it seemed like The Stranger might be Gandalf, but he could also be Saruman. This would make more sense, as Saruman likely came to Middle-earth before Mithrandir. This twist could give Peter Jackson’s Saruman a deeper, more tragic backstory, showing him as a force for good before his fall. By the end of the season, we finally find out…

7). The Dark Wizard could also be Saruman. His appearance – sitting on a throne – resembles him. However, this character is already evil. He’s played by Ciarán Hinds, and as always, Hinds delivers a great performance.

8). What’s lurking in the cave where Isildur is being held? This horror sequence rivals Frodo’s torment in Shelob’s lair: intense and chilling.

9). The Ring of Power makes Durin’s father even more stubborn and greedy, reminiscent of Thorin Oakenshield’s downfall in The Hobbit. Exploring the origins of the Balrog is a nice touch as well.

10). The siege of Eregion is filmmaking on a scale rarely seen in television, rivaled only by Game of Thrones. The decision to use Peter Jackson’s cinematography style was wise. This is how you film a massive battle with Orcs and a hill troll.

11). Howard Shore composed the beautiful opening theme, while Bear McCreary handled the rest of the score. McCreary introduces some fresh ideas, like the heavy metal end credit music in episode 7, sung by hilltroll Damrod, or so it appears.

12). Tom Bombadil finally appears, and he’s just as he is in the book; merry and always singing. He helps The Stranger discover his true identity, and naturally, they sing together. Rory Kinnear (Tanner in James Bond) is perfectly cast as Bombadil.

13). Elves and Uruks are like two sides of the same coin. Both races were created by magic, and it’s tragic that they are doomed to wage war on each other, reflecting the broader tragedy of war.

14). Speaking of tragedy, two major characters die at the end of the season, and both deaths are genuinely sad.

15). Nori’s monologue at the end, in the style of Samwise, avoids being cringeworthy and is actually well-delivered. Overall, Season 2 is a significant improvement over the first. The Rings of Power has finally found its footing, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

New Beatles Compilations: The Yellow Album & The Green Album

Posted on 20 mei 2024 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

‘I passed a record store that had a window display showing two ‘new’ Beatles albums – one with a red cover, the other a blue cover. On the red album were the four Beatles in their young mop-top days, and on the blue album, in exactly the same pose, were the bearded hippy Beatles that my mother had warned me about. Needless to say, I blew my double aircraft money on those two double albums and got back on the train with what, I came to learn later, were the most wonderful songs I’ve ever heard, tucked under my arm.’
– Peter Jackson in introduction ‘Get Back: The Book’

Now this article is a bit overtaken by time. Its purpose was to create alternative versions of the Beatles’ famous Red and Blue Albums: the ultimate compilations of their work. My feeling was that although they were great albums, many of my favorite songs were missing. My thesis was that I could create two albums that were just as good using the apparent B-songs only. And of course I was correct; the output of the Beatles is so brilliant that you can never capture this with just two albums.

The idea was good, but then last year, simultaneously with the release of Now and Then, Apple Corps also released new versions of these two albums featuring many songs I have included on these alternative compilations. I decided to publish the track listings anyway. These ‘albums’ can be found on Spotify as playlists.

The Yellow Album (1962 – 1965)

What Beatles fans might notice is that unlike the Red Album, this compilation only goes to 1965 and excludes ‘Revolver’. I figured this would be a better split for two reasons:
– 1962 till 1965 covers the Beatlemania years with ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965) being the transition albums between Beatlemania and the studio years.
– It gave me the chance to open both compilations with a 1, 2, 3, 4 countdown. The one from ‘Please Please Me’ sounds pretty ‘live’ and the ‘Revolver’ one sounds more studio-like.

I am happy with the track listing of the Yellow Album. Yes, the well known A-sides are missing, but look at the sheer quality of the tracks it does have: I Saw Her Standing There, I Should Have Known Better, If I Fell, You Can’t Do That, I’m A Loser, I’ve Just Seen A Face, If I Needed Someone, I’m Down… In any other band, these would be their absolute best songs.

Track Listing

1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Do You Want To Know a Secret
3. I’ll Get You
4. This Boy
5. Hold Me Tight
6. Little Child
7. It Won’t Be Long
8. I Should Have Known Better
9. If I Fell
10. I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
11. When I Get Home
12. You Can’t Do That
13. I’ll Follow The Sun
14. No Reply
15. I’m A Loser
16. What You’re Doing
17. The Night Before
18. Tell Me What You See
19. I’ve Just Seen A Face
20. You Won’t See Me
21. Run For Your Life
22. What Goes On
23. Wait
24. If I Needed Someone
25. I Call Your Name
26. I’m Down

The Green Album (1966 – 1970)

The green album, I think, is an even more amazing compilation. It might even beat the Blue Album in my humble opinion. Compare for example the output from ‘Sgt. Peppers’ on the two compilations. Yes, A Day In The Life on the Blue Album is most likely John’s masterpiece, but the album doesn’t include Fixing a Hole, She’s Leaving Home and Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!, three of my all time favorite Beatles songs.

Other absolute classics that are included: Here, There And Everywhere, And Your Bird Can Sing, Tomorrow Never Knows, Dear Prudence, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, Blackbird, Because, Golden Slumbers… I mean, it’s kind of ridiculous really…

Track Listing

1. Taxman
2. Here, There And Everywhere
3. And Your Bird Can Sing
4. For No One
5. Tomorrow Never Knows
6. Getting Better
7. Fixing A Hole
8. She’s Leaving Home
9. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
10. Your Mother Should Know
11. Baby, You’re A Rich Man
12. Dear Prudence
13. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
14. Martha My Dear
15. Blackbird
16. Birthday
17. Sexy Sadie
18. Julia
19. Two Of Us
20. One After 909
21. Dig A Pony
22. I Me Mine
23. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
24. Oh! Darling
25. Because
26. Golden Slumbers
27. Carry That Weight
28. The End