shootingpanda

Sucker Punch

2011-08-16T17:02:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

If you are a boy approaching puberty, this will be the greatest film you will ever see. If you aren’t, it won’t.

Nothing much in terms of plot, script, or character, but masses and masses of action that looks just a-grade spectacular.

Visually this is one of the most stunning computer assisted movies you can see right now, it looks awesome. Throw in a bunch of scantily clad hot girls fighting for a probably pointless cause and no depth whatsoever and you’ve got Sucker Punch.

In short, it’s what 300 director Zach Snyder is known for, amazing looking movies that don’t really have or need a plot.

6/10

Super 8

2011-08-16T16:59:00.000+01:00

Film

Dubbed as the family film of the summer this one is being noted as homage to Spielberg who produces the film.

Yes, it is a cracking movie. However, for me, what lets it down is that it over-stretches itself in every frame. It has been over-produced. It felt to me like someone had decided they could have loads of money to make it, so they should spend every penny.

I got the impression that JJ Abrams wanted to make ET but decided to make Transformers 8. There was so much unnecessary detail to each scene that it did distance the viewer from the closeness and charm of the script.

If they had taken out 80% of the special effects, the bombs, the military, the train crash – all spectacular moments to witness, but not moments that enhanced the plot at all, then this would have been a much more personal and impressive movie.

The alien could have been captive for example in a bus, the bus could have crashed in a small town, and an elite and quirky team of bad guys sent in to capture it, whilst the kids played out their own mission. This, in my view, would have been a better film than train-crash, military, bombs, town-evacuation etc. Sometimes less is more.

6/10.

Little White Lies

2011-08-16T16:57:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

The most compelling, charming, magnificent little character movie I have seen for ages.

When a French film is good, it is magnifique! Little White Lies was magnifibloodywonderful.

Funny, moving, and loaded with personality, I can recommend this without hesitation. Very few films have made me laugh out loud as hard as this one, formidable!

8.5/10.

Attack The Block

2011-08-16T16:55:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Great! Another first time director moment by a famous small screen face – this time Joe Cornish of Adam and Joe fame has aliens attacking an estate in South London, and it’s down to the yoof to defend their turf.

Plenty of people have raved about this one, and for good reason, it is seriously good fun.

It does lack a little in character development, there are plenty of clever ‘street speak’ lines but the characters don’t go much further than the one dimension. It is also far too short; only just long enough to officially qualify as a feature. I felt there was room for a sub-plot or two and a little more from the fringe characters that could have been comedy gold, rather than comedy foils.

Nonetheless, it was great!

7/10.

Submarine

2011-08-16T16:51:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

A delightful, charming, beautiful movie by first time director Richard Ayoade (who plays Moss in the IT Crowd).

The story is simple, a young boy wanting to lose his virginity and keep his parents together in a sleepy town in Wales.

Excellent performances, a quality script, and a terrific soundtrack from Alex Turner, there is very little not to like about this movie.

Much praise has been given to Ayoade and I do have to touch on that just briefly. For a first timer, this is an exceptional debut, but much of the credit must go to his cinematographer Erik Wilson and also the scenery itself, which has been captured magnificently. I’m not saying Ayoade hasn’t done an excellent job; just that he has had a lot of help.

7.5/10

Hanna

2011-08-16T16:50:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Gripping, beautifully well made and with a banging soundtrack from the Chemical Brothers.

It is not the finest film you will ever see, and Cate Blanchett turns in a very below par performance, as does Eric Bana If I really want to over-think it. But it is still the filmic equivalent of a page-turner picked up on holiday. It will surprise you a little, but you can leave it at the hotel when you’ve finished.

It looks great, it sounds good, and it won’t challenge you at all.

6.5/10

A quick note:

2011-08-16T16:47:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Just wanted to say, I will be continuing to blog, but with much more concise reviews for the time being as ‘life’ is getting in the way of the keyboard right now.

Many thanks, I hope you will continue to read, react and enjoy.

Cheers

Andy/Shootingpanda.

The Adjustment Bureau

2011-07-25T12:02:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

A light-hearted romantic love-story with a sci-fi twist. Matt Damon is the rising politician who randomly meets striking ballerina Emily Blunt and their adventures begin. Seemingly not fated to be together, the normally unseen powers that be do their best to keep the couple apart so they can follow the life-map that has been laid out for them.

This is a race-against time romo-thriller with an underbelly of sci-fi action added into the mix.

Personally, I enjoyed this movie. I found it engaging, gripping, a pleasure to watch. It won’t challenge you, there is nothing taxing about it, and perhaps it is a little too predictable for hardened filmgoers. But if you are looking for a decent untaxing watch for a night in with the Mrs, other half, housemates, or just you and the sofa, you won’t be let down by The Adjustment Bureau.

It is a first time outing for director George Nolfi who had previously written blockbusters The Bourne Ultimatum and Oceans Twelve. Perhaps due to this being his first outing, Nolfi keeps it very simple. Visually it is all quite basic, which is a tad disappointing given the sci-fi nature of the plot. A more experienced director perhaps would have ramped up the visuals. But keeping it simple can also be effective and Nolfi will probably feel ready to take a few more risks with his next outing.

6.5/10

Unknown

2011-07-25T11:49:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

A film that has played heavy on the ‘if you liked Taken, you’ll love this’ idea, perhaps simply because it has the ever gigantic Liam Neeson in another suited-up race around a European city action adventure.

It opens with Neeson and his wife, the constant beauty January Jones, arriving in Berlin. As they reach their hotel Neeson realises his case has been left at the airport and taxi’s back to retrieve it. Involved in a crash, Neeson wakes from a coma only to find that someone else is living his life for him. He has no ID, his wife doesn’t recognise him and there is an impostor who seems to have all his memories.

Linking up with the driver who saved his life, the perfectly charming Diane Kruger, Neeson must unravel the mystery before his life crumbles around him.

It is not Taken. Yes, it is quite gripping, there are a few good action sequences and a couple of twists, but the similarities end here. There is an appallingly shot car chase which makes me question if director Jaume Collet-Serra was just having a bad week. It is so car-interior heavy that I actually felt a little queasy.

The twists are simple and predictable, and Neeson doesn’t have any of the power, determination and presence that we delighted in with Taken. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say Neeson is quite weak in this – I never felt that he was genuinely afraid, horrified, or even that confused by his situation.

I did actually enjoy it, but I was certainly left wanting more. It was all just a bit off the boil. Perhaps this is the filmic equivalent of ordering a Vindaloo and being served a Korma, all a bit too creamy and soft for what I was hoping.

5/10.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

2011-07-25T11:22:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Woody Allen has come back to London to work some of his magic in a film, unsurprisingly, about relationships.

Actually, this one was quite charming.

At first I was extremely worried. The opening scene has Gemma Jones doing some of the worst over-acting I’ve ever seen, distractingly terrible. I’ve seen interviews with Jones subsequently saying she never received any direction from Woody Allen, and if this is true I am stunned he didn’t step in and sort her out, she is a proven actress but gets it all wrong throughout this film. I hate to say this, but the same can be said of Anthony Hopkins, who is also off colour in this one.

Despite the performances, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is quite an entertaining little watch. Naomi Watts, oh, actually she is also quite poor in this…Erm, Antonio Banderas is ok and Freida Pinto is quiet and beautiful.

All right, forget most of the performances…if you can overcome some of the hopeless acting You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger has the usual human interplay and angst we’ve come to love from Woody Allen movies.

Not a film that will fill you with the joys of life, but a playful tale about a handful of people who all want to take from life without putting that much into it.

5/10

Ironclad

2011-07-25T10:51:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

In a nutshell – if you like cold, gritty, historical (but I very much doubt historically accurate), swords and arrows action, this one is for you.

Paul Giamatti is brilliantly cast as the evil King John who is determined to ignore the Magna Carter and reclaim the power of his kingdom. He is more than happy to strike down any who stand in his way, with help from his hired army from overseas. He is perhaps a little pantomime here, but I found this both amusing and quite entertaining, others will possibly hate it.

Violence abounds throughout this movie, but naturally it is all building to the epic climatic battle…with a handful of half-starved and depleted warriors having to take on an army of well fed and rested soldiers, the good and bad lines are very clearly drawn here.

For me, it dragged on a little too long. Lose 25 minutes and it’d be a lot sharper.

There were some decent performances and the casting ‘risks’ given the genre were actually inspired as they all turned in top draw performances. Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox and Mackenzie Crook clearly delighted in the freedom they were afforded in their roles and Giamatti again filling the screen with his villainous turn.

Bloody stuff, not for the faint hearted, but all reasonably good battlefield fun.

4.5/10

The Black Crowes

2011-07-13T16:04:00.000+01:00

Music, Gig, live at Shepherds Bush Empire

I first saw The Black Crowes live the very first time they played in the UK. This was many centuries ago and I have seen them play every time they make it over here. This was their swansong tour before they head off on a ‘prolonged hiatus’…whatever that means, presumably they’ll be retiring until the urge to tour again hits them.

I suppose because this was their ‘goodbye’ gig I was expecting something different to what I’ve seen before.

Opting to play two sets rather than having a support act, and let’s be fair, they have enough material to play all night, they strutted on stage bang on time at 8pm sharp. Chris Robinson has amazingly maintained that stick-insect thin frame of his and moves around the stage like a peacock giving us the full-on feathers treatment. This is his crowd, and he just loves it.

They opened with Remedy, perhaps my all time fave of theirs, and what a job they did with it. A romping number that really gets let out of the cage when they perform it live. Next up came Hotel Illness, another Crowes stonker, again performed with the polished pomp that comes from a band in their prime who have done this thousands and thousands of times before.

If the gig had ended after the opening two tracks I would have declared it a triumph. It didn’t.

Now I expect virtually all hardened Crowes fans to disagree with me here, but I’m afraid for me the band are let down by two things...

Firstly, I just feel that most of the numbers from the last decade fall short of the standards from the first four albums. Some fans will claim it is their best work, for me the country influence is just too strong. The Crowes are at their best when they stick with their special brand of Rock n Roll with a perceptible nod to Blues n Soul. So when they started to bombard their set with frequent sliding guitars and country motifs I felt a little let down.

The second problem I have with them live is the extended guitar solos that managed to find themselves onto most numbers. I love a good guitar solo. I love a band that revels in playing live and gets lost within itself irrespective of whether the audience is there or not. But what happened last night was this – the guitar solos dominated so many of the numbers that actually they played about half as many songs as they could have done. It was the sheer length of the solos I struggled with. One of them was pushing 8 minutes, before being handed over to the next guitarist to carry on! If that was just for one or two numbers, fair do’s, but every track. Too much I’m afraid. Yes, I would sacrifice many of these guitar solos if it had meant I could hear Sting Me and She Gave Good Sunflower and Thick n Thin, I could go on!

The plusses of seeing the Crowes live are always apparent. Chris Robinson is a brilliant performer with a stonking live voice. The band are so so tight – always bringing it back to the starting track after the aforementioned month-long solos. It is a delight to watch the telepathy that comes from a band who have been together so long their kids are now running the country. The keys last night were astonishingly good. The drummer I always love to watch live as he is technically as good as I’ve seen anywhere and clearly loves playing these tracks.

I am going to miss the Crowes live. I just wish they would gig again and I could compile the set list. There are songs I love that I wanted to hear and I couldn’t. It was a relief they found the space amongst the guitar wails to add in She Talks To Angels and Jealous Again otherwise I’d have been really gutted!

The Killing

2011-07-13T11:41:00.000+01:00

TV Series, Channel 4

The Killing is Channel 4’s new big money buy-in, a US crime drama based on a Danish TV series that recently aired on BBC Four. In order to write a fair review I will just get this out of the way once – the original was a masterpiece that is still fresh in memory, it is a very hard act to follow.

You can see why, on paper, The Killing is a credible buy for Channel 4, it contains all the right ingredients of good, gripping, gritty drama. It is from excellent stock, and it comes from the company who make Mad Men. Sounds like a no-brainer.

Clearly a huge amount of money has gone into this series. Set in Seattle, the whole piece is reasonably nicely directed. The camera takes its time to amble around each scene; the city is painted with a dark pastel hue, which allows the gloom and shadows of the city to prevail. And there is so much rain. The rain is such a feature of this show that it feels like a vast amount of the production budget was spent on rain machines…but with an opening episode spilling over 90 minutes, should ‘rain’ really be one of my standout memories?

There are extensive and impressive shots of the city from cranes, helicopters, and other additional clever angles and devices, which add to the scale of the production. But apart from making me think how much money it must have all cost, they don’t add anything to the DRAMA.

What about the story? Well, this is a very slow burner. The Killing is, in essence, a protracted who-done-it, which centres on the murder of a 17 year old girl. Where this differs from standard crime fare is that the focus is on the surrounding characters – the lead detective is a woman who is about to leave the city, the job, her life as she knows it, to pack up with her young son and marry some guy in California. She is literally due out of town at the end of day one. The victim’s family are clearly (I hope) on the verge of developing intriguing back-stories, and of course there is a politician, who just so happens to be handsome, who has a history of his own and a team member he can’t trust.

Here is where the problems come in, whereas in the Danish original you revel in the unsaid, in the stillness, and in the slow grinding tension, in this remake, you don’t. Based on the first episode, which is all I have seen so far, the characters are bland and one dimensional. Worse, they are simply the stereotype signature characters we are all too familiar with and have seen done better plenty of times before (Wallander anyone?). It is very telling that I have no emotional connection with the dead girl, even more so that at this stage I am neither guessing nor do I care who the killer is. Yes, I want justice to prevail, yes, I am expecting the lead detectives life to start falling apart as she immerses herself in the investigation, but I’m not actually that bothered.

Despite this, I will come back for more. I know, crazy eh! I have seen just enough to lure me back for a second episode. For me the lifeline comes from the replacement detective who has come in from drug squad and has his own way of working. I also am taken by the style of the piece, even if I don’t feel the money has been spent justifiably so far. My hope is that episode 2 will take more risks, challenge us a bit more, and step away from what just feels like the ‘obvious’.

Devil

2011-07-13T11:11:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Five people trapped in a lift. The devil is amongst them.

This one is served up from M Night Shyamalan who has a writing and screenplay credit, leaving directing duties to John Dowdle. I am not sure if having M Night Shyamalan’s name on it is an audience draw anymore as plenty of his recent projects have been on the verge of terrible.

Back to the lift and what plays out is a tense, gripping, well made piece of film. You know what is going to happen, you know who is going to be the last man standing and who is going to be possessed before they have reached the first floor. But actually that is what makes it.

You have seen this film time and time again. You have seen it done better, but you have certainly seen it done a lot worse. It will make you jump on occasion, it’ll make you squirm a little, and it won’t give you any reason to call it a ‘bad’ film. There will be no Oscars handed out here, but it is a fun, easy watch.

One point of note – which some people may appreciate – it is very very short. Cut out the credit time and I think the action runs at something like 72 minutes…barely a feature film by my clock. If I’d paid to watch it I may be asking for a few quid back.

5.5/10

Drive Angry

2011-07-06T00:43:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Nicholas Cage does his best Nicholas Cage impression in a movie that is loaded with cars, fighting, nudity, and cheesy lines. Great stuff!

Cage is the grandfather who has escaped from hell to avenge the murder of his daughter and save his granddaughter. He picks up a plucky and super hot waitress along the way for company as he sets out to tackle the devil-worshipping cult who tore his world to pieces.

No, you won’t be watching this one for the plot or the script. Yes, you will be watching for a laugh!

Tongue in cheek action and a naffness that acknowledges itself and somehow that makes it ok.

An enjoyable, rubbish, romp of a movie. Fun and awful in equal measure, I suspect this was great in 3D.

5.5/10

The Afterparty by Leo Benedictus

2011-07-06T00:35:00.000+01:00

Book

A terrific page-turner that follows the lives of four individuals at a party over a single night. The gate crashing nobody, the superstar Hollywood actor, his drug addicted model wife, and a young starlet just setting out on the scene.

Leo Benedictus tells an excellent story which is loaded with twists and turns. By experiencing the same action through the different perspectives of the four characters we keep learning more and more about the event and continue to re-frame our sympathies.

Benedictus also adds in a fifth element between the chapters, that of email dialogue between the author and a publisher he is hoping will take the book. It adds another level and enables us to step out of the story quite frequently to assess what we have just taken in.

It is a frighteningly descriptive book and Benedictus’ turn of phrase makes you delight in the word-play whist also enjoying the plot. I can categorically recommend The Afterparty. It is a modern triumph of drugs, celebrity, casual sex, lies and the fame game.

OK GO

2011-07-06T00:26:00.000+01:00

Music/Gig Live at Ko Ko, Camden

You may only know OK GO as the guys who do the amazing videos. Perhaps you only know them for the treadmill one? There is a strong chance you can’t immediately hum one of their tunes, and yet somehow you’ll know more of their tracks than you think.

Having loved their videos for a long time, I heard the guys were coming to town…so I downloaded their album and booked my tickets.

I have to be frank here, when an act is known primarily for their videos, you have to be a little concerned about what they are like as a live group…

All I can say is – f**king brilliant! These guys know how to put on a show and party with you like it is just you with them in their front room.

This show had a bit of everything. Yes, it turns out they are a really good live band. But far more than that, they know how to put on a performance, and it had something for everyone.

Here are a few highlights –

A song where the four of them stood around a huge table filled with bells and used the bells to form the entire track, singing on top of it. This is a very tough thing to master and commanded total attention from the impressed crowd.

A brilliant video made only for that night, which concluded with the star of it, Tim the bassist, emerging dressed as a gold-clad Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon.

An outstanding solo performance from the lead singer who waded through us all, set up a box to stand on in the middle of the crowd and sang into the audience with his guitar. Brave man.

Massively cool light effects including lasers attached to their guitar heads and an ever-changing pattern on the back of their jackets.

The biggest, most frequently used confetti cannons I’ve ever seen.

Excellent and regular banter with themselves and the audience. I like it when you feel included!

Seriously, OK GO are what established live acts should be about – putting on one heck of a show. Their music was excellent, but the show really did take them to the next level. I am a great fan of bands who go the distance to entertain, I actually find it quite frustrating when you only get the songs played back to you…OK GO just know how to please an audience and I will absolutely be coming back for more.

127 Hours

2011-07-06T00:08:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

The filmic re-telling of the real life horror of the climber who slipped into a crevice and found his arm trapped under a boulder. It is a story of survival, horror, and what one human went through in this personal battle against a disaster.

For some reason, for which I am not sure, I am not a particularly big fan of James Franco, he has always just ‘bothered’ me. However, I have to take my hat off to him here, he really was outstanding. His portrayal of extreme sports enthusiast Aron Ralston was initially of an arrogant and supremely confident individual who you quickly came to admire and like. When the horror began, Franco took us on the journey with him, we felt every moment, and completely understood the final decision, and why it took 127 hours to make it.

I have to say that it is another brilliant piece of directing by Danny Boyle. When the film opened I thought I was going to be a little frustrated by his very recognisable trademark techniques, but they were put to excellent use here. In fact, in the hands of another director this could have been a very dull watch – the idea in itself is perhaps a little dull, a whole film of a man trapped down a hole. But Boyles eye for detail, the closeness of the camera, his choice of flashbacks and additional narrative through video-diaries and hallucinations, all make this a gripping and extremely entertaining watch.

7/10.

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

2011-07-06T00:01:00.000+01:00

Book

The story opens with the tragic death of a schoolboy, Skippy, in a donut house. If this were a film, the pre-credits would be gripping! It then rewinds to the events leading up to this moment and filling in the blanks around the drama.

Set in the most prestigious public school in Ireland, we are treated to a tragic-comic story of a handful of adolescent young men, two of their teachers, and a girl from the adjacent school.

This is an astonishingly well-written book that bubbles along on many levels. There is the comedy you’d expect from a book set in a boarding school, with such clear observation and analysis that one can only assume Murray had first hand knowledge. But there is also a dark underbelly to this book that reveals an honesty about these establishments, the people who run them, and indeed the challenges for young people today – most notably commenting on the shocking availability of prescription drugs used to ‘control’ a misbehaving youth.

I don’t want to go into plot detail in this write-up, as I would suggest this is a book that benefits from the element of surprise. So, if you want a gripping, funny, tragic and sometimes haunting read this summer, I can wholeheartedly recommend Skippy Dies.

The Karamel Music Club

2011-06-27T16:35:00.000+01:00

Music

To those uninitiated, which up until very recently included myself, allow me to let you in on a secret. It seems there is an underground collective of brilliant songwriters and musicians who have formed a professional and friendship alliance.

Members of this alliance find themselves on collaborative writing retreats pulled together by the magnificent Chris Difford (of Squeeze fame) where they conjure up the hits of the future. People like you and I can only guess at what happens on these retreats…but at the Karamel Music Club we are given the chance to hear the kind of talent that makes up the alliance and sample some of the results!

The Karamel Music Club is the brainchild of Wood Green’s Chocolate Factory and the ridiculously talented Chris Sheehan. This is a free night every few weeks where people can socialise and eat and bask in some brilliant music.

On the menu on Wednesday night I had the pleasure of hearing Angie Pollock, Geoff Martyn and Athena. If these names don’t sound instantly familiar then worry not, I too had only heard whisperings of their work prior to this eye-opening night of marvel.

Angie Pollock took to the stage first and I’m still in awe. Playing largely solo just herself and a piano, she has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve experienced live. Her songs have that incredible charm of being both obscenely catchy and delightfully meaningful. Somehow it was her solo debut – she has played keys for a fine range of acts including Goldfrapp and The Lightning Seeds. She will be on the scene from now on, or else she is letting us all down. A gem of a way to start.

Geoff Martyn was up next having come all the way down from Glasgow to play for free. Chris, who introduced him on stage, had already warned us to be ready for some blistering vocals. What I wasn’t prepared for was such meaning translated through song. A fantastic set where he excelled on keys and guitar with such strong hooks coming through his music, but what moved me most was the emotion behind his voice. It is talent like this that can’t be taught, and highlights the naffness of singing competitions that dominate TV schedules across the globe. Singing isn’t just about holding a tune, it’s about putting emotion into the words. Geoff wouldn’t just win one of these competitions, he’d break the speakers of your TV if he were let loose on a weepy number.

The headline act was the stunning Athena, who took to the stage with a full band and set out to delight us with numbers from her new album Peeling Apples. Athena has that hypnotic quality about her that makes it extremely difficult to notice anything else in the room. She has a very sexy stage presence and her songs are dynamic, melodic and catchy. As she took to the stage a little late I had determined to only see her opening number. Seven songs later and I had to wrench myself away or be stuck in a strange part of town until the morning. Those seven songs were enough to show me that Athena’s star is on the rise and it won’t surprise me at all if she goes household in the coming months. One song in particular made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as she sang about the regret of meeting someone new and special, but not being able to follow through with her feelings due to an existing love that she’d put years of work into. Moving, gripping stuff that puts so many modern love-songs to shame. Fantastic.

These three acts have shown me what classy brilliant songwriting and performing we have out there and I am so excited to have found this venue. I am told that this was indeed a great night, but not untypical of these events.

I’m not the gushy sort, but this one night of outstanding music really touched me. The venue is magical; the people just brilliant, the host – Chris, a total legend, and the music will inspire you. Awesome.

Conviction

2011-06-27T16:25:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

This is the retelling of the real story of a sister who puts herself through law school so she can represent her brother who has been wrongly imprisoned for murder.

Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell and Minnie Driver take the lead roles in this gritty and sometime compelling movie.

Parts of this film are very well done. There is plenty of backstory and masses and masses ‘one woman struggling against the system’ moments. However, if it wasn’t for the ‘true story’ disclaimer at the start of the film I certainly wouldn’t have seen it through to the end.

Rockwell and Swank are fantastic as always, but this does have the feel of a TV drama rather than movie at times.

4/10.

The Losers

2011-06-27T16:23:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Idris Elba and Jeffery Dean Morgan star in an A-Team meets Airwolf meets MacGyver-esque movie that is essentially tongue in cheek action.

This is a harmless, easy to watch movie that doesn’t take any risks. You know what you are going to get with The Losers – it actually reminded me of Tango and Cash but without the charm.

Not a great flick, but watchable on a hungover Sunday afternoon…provided it is raining outside and you really can’t be bothered to move from the sofa!

3/10

Paul

2011-06-27T16:21:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

I can be really brief here…what a shame!

I have been a huge fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for many years, but I’m afraid this one was just a let down for me. The concept is cute enough, but within the first few minutes I couldn’t really watch Pegg’s bizarre over-acting, coupled with the fact that they both just feel way too old to be playing these roles.

The set up is that a couple of comic book nerds on a road trip find themselves joined by a ‘real’ alien, who happens to have been on Earth for over 60 years, and have a filthy mouth.

There are a handful of amusing moments, but this is not Spaced territory, or Shawn Of The Dead, or Hot Fuzz…it is not Pegg and Frost on form. Pity.

3/10.

The Fighter

2011-06-23T10:31:00.001+01:00

Film/DVD

Boxing, drugs, the ugly sisters, and one messed up family.

I really enjoyed this film!

The facts speak for themselves here – both supporting actor and actress, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Oscars and it was nominated for a further five Oscars including best picture and best directing/screenplay/editing.

Make no mistake, this is not a boxing film in the Rocky mould, it is a film about a boxer, his family, and their struggles. The actual fight scenes are powerful, dramatic and gripping, but the backdrop that is presented through the entire movie is just excellent.

Perhaps what makes this even more of a great watch is the fact that it is a true story. This is highlighted by one of the characters, Mickey O’Keefe, the police sergeant and trainer, actually playing himself in the movie.

I’ve heard it said that Mark Wahlberg was the driving force behind getting this one made and people felt he was the unsung hero of the film. He wasn’t Oscar nominated, and this is a surprise. His performance provides the platform for Bale and Leo to be so eye catching. Frankly this is a movie where everyone has played their A-game. When great actors work with a great director, fantastic cinematographer, classy editor, and outstanding script, good things happen.

8/10

The Next Three Days

2011-06-16T09:57:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Russell Crowe! Phew. I actually enjoyed his performance! I have been seriously put off Russell Crowe lately, possibly all down to the woeful, horrible, and frankly utter shite that was Robin Hood…I think he has just earned himself another chance!

The Next Three Days is a proper old-school edge of your seat race against time thriller. This reminded me how I felt watching some of the classics from the 80s and 90s where a bomb needed finding and dismantling, or a bus had to keep going otherwise it would blow up, or a maverick businessman would ignore the demands of people who had captured his family and save the day himself. It’s one of those!

I’m not going to hold back here – sometimes I just love these big budget, pack out the seats and give them a thrill movies and I don’t care what anyone else makes of it. Sometimes this is what film is for, pure escapism of the ask-no-questions variety. I loved Taken. I loved Minority Report, Die Hard, Mission Impossible, Con Air, Face Off, The Client…The Next Three Days is one of those.

I’ll be honest. This is not a stunningly good movie. It is one I could sit down and pull apart with some ease. But why should I? It was a fun watch. I was excited in the places it wanted me to be, I was nervous in the right moments, and I knew whose side I was on at all times.

So, well done to Crash director Paul Haggis, you entertained me. The Next Three Days won’t win any awards and it is unlikely to be a massive selling Christmas DVD, but it is great reminder of fun, exciting, escapist filmmaking. And Russell Crowe doesn’t suck in it; he’s actually pretty decent.

Oh yea, the plot…sorry, almost forgot! Crowe is a teacher whose wife is convicted of murder leaving him to care for their young son. Convinced of her innocence and with the judicial system failing them, he decides the only way for them to move on with their lives is to break his wife - the ever-beautiful Elizabeth Banks - out of jail and escape as a family. Seeking advice from a former escapee (Liam Neeson) he spends the first two thirds of the film plotting the escape…leading to a nail-biting conclusion.

7/10

Morning Glory

2011-06-16T09:48:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Rachel McAdams is the TV producer who finds herself charged with saving the ailing breakfast show before its 40-year life comes to an end. Can she beat her doubters, the critics of the show, and the grizzly and reluctant news anchor Harrison Ford? Well what do you think!?

Actually, this is quite a cute little film. It is harmless and rather charming and if you find yourself looking for a couple of trouble free unchallenging hours you could do a lot worse than Morning Glory.

McAdams, it must be said, carries the lead rather well. She is fast become the new Sandra Bullock taking easy to watch movies and approaching them in a carefree manner. Unfortunately she has lost all her sex appeal for me – not once did I find myself distracted by this beauty on screen, somehow she has become the girl next door who you don’t even flirt with, something of a shame really (although I doubt she’ll mind, it is a long time since she wanted to be my facebook friend!).

It is quite surreal seeing Harrison Ford in this movie. Here is a man who I’ve watched pilot the Millennium Falcon, be chased by massive boulders as Indiana, and generally bark louder than the loudest alpha dog in the pack. So what the hell is he doing in a middle of the road puff piece of a film? Well, he’s playing the grumpy old man who McAdams has to win over, and he isn’t too shabby. Thinking about it makes me want to cringe, but somehow watching it didn’t feel too shameful.

I think I can best sum it up this way... on paper this should be a load of crap. In reality it is actually quite a relaxing way to switch off. Don’t plan your night around this one, watch it on a hungover Sunday or if you have had a shitty day at work and just want to unwind. It may make you smile, a little.

5/10

Confessions

2011-06-06T21:54:00.001+01:00

Film/DVD

What a film to get your head around. Astonishing. Edgy. Brilliant. Twisted. Ghastly. Compelling.

Confessions is set in the classroom of a middle school in Japan. As it opens the form teacher is explaining to the class that she is leaving. As she begins to set out her reason, the core undertone of the film is explained in a frank and brilliant deadpan delivery. Explaining that her four year old daughter had been murdered, the teacher goes on to say that she has worked out who the killers were. Horribly it transpires that the killers were two pupils, sitting in that very classroom. She then delivers the first of the many stunning and powerful twists that follow…she has injected HIV infected blood into the milk that has just been drunk by the two students who killed her daughter.

We then follow the class. The two murderous students. And the retired teacher who is watching the events unfold from a safe distance. We are challenged throughout this film as our moral compass is invited to swerve in all directions as more detail is layered with each scene.

If Cameron Diaz is having a return to form as Bad Teacher in the latest Hollywood blockbuster, maybe anyone watching this one will consider that title to be somewhat lacking! This teacher makes Diaz look saintly.

This is a stunningly good movie. It is shocking. It is horrible. But it is also impossible to tear yourself away from the drama.

Takako Matsu plays the teacher in the most calm and understated fashion. She is superb. She allows the gravity of her words and the situation to do the acting for her as she plays it freakishly calm and poised.

Director Tetsuya Nakashima also deserves mention here as there are some visually delightful sequences (plenty with reverse explosions, blood streams, and charming colouring). There is a very well chosen and complimentary soundtrack and, despite the absurd and extreme nature of the story, a backdrop of believability.

Confessions is Oldboy meets Battle Royale meets Blood The Last Vampire. It is a twisted anti-Dead Poets Society film, and, although it is horrible viewing, it is also excellent and I recommend it!

7.5/10

The Second Coming by John Niven

2011-06-01T14:14:00.000+01:00

Book

Last month I bombed through Niven’s first, Kill Your Friends (see earlier post for review) so I thought I’d give his latest offering a go.

Fantastic!

Like the first book this is an instant one hit read, it is engaging, outrageous, funny, clever and has some extremely well considered views buried deep in the plot.

Essentially Jesus is sent back to Earth as God is pissed about what we humans have become. Some key points are made clear from the word go - God hates Christians (actually, this is compellingly argued), loves the gay community, and enjoys smoking weed in vast quantities with the angels.

Jesus has to return to Earth to preach the simple and only commandment that matters: BE NICE. In order to reach the biggest audience he winds up on TV show American Pop Star, and it is here where we re-meet the star for the first book the brilliant and vile Steven Stelfox.

I should say that this is not a book for the easily offended; on any level…here is just a tiny sample to give you the gist:

‘Stoned? Wrecked? Blitzed? Totalled? Wasted? Trashed?

No.

Jesus is cunted.’

You see what I mean. Perfect for me, but perhaps you’ll want to steer your parents or children away from this one.

So, Be Nice, and enjoy, but don’t take offence.

The Hangover 2

2011-06-01T14:08:00.000+01:00

Film

They are back, and they are in a shitload more trouble!

Anyone reading this is going to know all about the first movie, and just to clarify – I LOVED number one, 8.5/10 was my score at the time, which is very high from me.

So how about the new one? Same guys, same idea, different location. I’m not planning on spoiling anything for you so I’ll keep it simple. The problem is we know the punch line. We know their characters, we know the set up, and we know how it will all unfold. For many people this is going to spoil the enjoyment of this movie, not for me.

This took the first one to the next level and delivered plenty of laughs throughout this extremely enjoyable follow up. It is ruder, more outrageous, and predictably more grotesque. Where the first one had surprise and charm, this one is unashamedly in your face and ready to shock.

I should at this stage point out that I saw it on opening night in Miami for the late night showing. Beers had been consumed by myself and everyone in the massive cinema audience – essentially this was the ultimate viewing environment to enjoy this film. Even being in America was a bonus as the crowd had a different reaction to us Brits to several of the gags. I enjoyed the crowd almost as much as the film itself.

You are going to see broadsheet newspapers and highbrow reviewers taking cheap shots at this movie due to the copycat nature of the first. Don’t let them put you off. This is a terrific film that will have you laughing out loud…just don’t wait until it’s on DVD, you need the big screen, and big audience experience to get the best out of Hangover 2.

It isn’t as good as the first, but it is still a very entertaining movie that is gonna have you laughing at the big screen.

7/10

Barney’s Version

2011-06-01T14:01:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

A terrific little film about the life and death of a hopeless romantic.

Paul Giamatti has a real skill at often being the finest thing on screen and he delivers a stellar performance in the leading role.

I would probably best describe this movie as a great 3^rd date flick. It isn’t heaped in action; it is quiet, intelligent, charming, emotional and bitter sweet.

7.5/10

Breaking Bad, Seasons 1&2

2011-06-01T13:59:00.000+01:00

TV Show

Fantastic television that I am chuffed to bits to have discovered.

Brian Cranston, the dad from Malcolm In The Middle, plays a genius chemistry teacher called Walter whose younger wife is pregnant and they already have a disabled teenage son.

By the middle of the first episode Walter is diagnosed with lung cancer and told his chances of survival are not good. His family is riddled with debt and there is no way they can afford his medical care and pay their household bills.

To cut a long story short (and not spoil anything for you), Walter decides to use his chemical genius to start cooking crystal meth and buddies up with a former drop-out student of his to get the product out on the street.

Needless to say the meth is the best around, and Walter goes through vast changes is personality as the various adventures and horrors unfold around him.

I highly recommend this show. I am currently doing all I can to find Season 3 as I believe Season 4 is going to air later this year…and my next fix can’t come soon enough!

The Green Hornet

2011-06-01T13:53:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

I watched this one on a flight and found myself glad that I hadn’t invested my time and money on the cinema experience.

It is actually an ok movie as you’d hope with Michel Gondry’s hand on the tiller. It has some pretty cool action sequences, it is reasonably well performed, there are some nifty gadgets and a handful of witty lines…but really it is nothing more than an expensive kids (well, maybe that should be teenagers) film.

The problem with this is that this is all so tame and bland. Seth Rogan, a man who has made me roar with laughter in the past, is not on form at all. He seems so keen to be the leading man that he has lost almost all of his sense of comedy. And as for it being directed by Michel Gondry, there is only really a peppering of Gondry in here, essentially two massively underused talents= disappointing!

Easy viewing, slightly entertaining, and not offensive in the slightest. But also not great, on any level.

4/10.

Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas

2011-06-01T13:50:00.000+01:00

Book

Scarlett Thomas is one of my absolute favourite writers. The End Of Mr Y, one of her earlier books, sits up there in my top 10 reads list.

Our Tragic Universe is her latest offering and, true to Thomas, is not a simple read! It is so much more than a ‘story’ with Thomas who is probably one of the deepest thinking, most well read ladies on the planet challenging the reader like never before.

Not content with just throwing us into a story and letting us get on with it, Thomas forces our brains into action by dealing with big issues such as the relativity of time, the meaning of the universe, advanced science and its real world applications, tarot cards, riddles, new-age thinking versus age-old concepts, literature and reality, life, death, and the after-life, knitting patterns, and truth versus illusion. To name just a few. Struth!

This is not a plot-free book, but the story is more causal than most would like. There is so much dialogue that skews off into deep thinking tangents that returning to the plot often becomes a mere distraction. Buried deep in amongst the quirky characters and advanced thinking is a simple love story about a young writer and her dog.

If you are looking for some enjoyable, gripping, good old-fashioned escapism then this one is absolutely not for you. At times, in truth, Our Tragic Universe is something of an ordeal. When you set out to conquer a mountain it is all so exciting, but there comes a point where it stops being fun and just gets difficult, this came about half way through this book for me!

Did I enjoy reading it? Sometimes, but largely not really. It had none of the excitement of her earlier work and I do like to get myself caught up in the action or lost in a story. This one has so little to get lost in, but so much to think about, it just seemed a little too much like hard work at times! Oh well, I can always summon up Mr Y again.

The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman

2011-05-12T19:45:00.000+01:00

Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee

Book

Controversial, funny, outrageous, naughty and talented. Sarah Silverman has been a mainstay on US television for over 15 years now. She’s star of The Sarah Silverman Program, and writer and performer for Saturday Night Live plus other comedy landmarks of comparable gravitas.

The Bedwetter is Silverman’s first memoir with thoughts and reflections on her 39 years of life to date.

I have been a Silverman fan for some time and was eager to see what she would serve up on paper. I had no idea what to expect, as I knew nothing of her life outside of her gags.

What The Bedwetter does it does quite well. It is a series of recollections of Silverman’s life that are sometime skewed for comic effect. However, she only allows us a simple overview of her life. Although she had a really tough start - the death of a brother before she was born, great battles with childhood depression, and the divorce of her parents - we rarely get to scratch beneath the surface of Silverman’s feelings, the reader is kept at arms length.

One of the more frank and honest confessions from Silverman is her struggle with chronic bedwetting, something she was plagued with well into her teens. She is open and honest about this for large sections of her book, and also uses this honesty to comic advantage - "I was a late bloomer all round. My period came late, my ability not to go off like a fucking lawn sprinkler every night came late, and sex came late. Essentially, everything to do with the general flow of traffic in my vagina came late."

There are some great stories about her time as an aspiring comedian in her drug and sex fuelled 20s, and she provides an interesting peek behind the curtain of the US comedy scene in the 90s. Details of the making of her show and Saturday Night Live are extremely interesting.

As you’d expect from a professionally funny person, there are some terrific laugh out loud moments. She muses about how dull diaries written by young girls are, including several extracts from her own, and continues: “I should say that I’m mostly talking about the diaries of teenage girls. Teenage boys diaries are different. They tend to read thusly: Dear Diary: I’ve been feeling so – oh, opps, look at this, I’m writing a diary. So I guess that settles it: I’m gay. Thanks Diary!”

Silverman writes her own Foreword, has a Midword half way in and God himself writes her Afterword.

I did enjoy this book, but not as much as I was hoping to. Silverman admits that this is probably a book to enjoy on the toilet. Perhaps I should have taken this advice and read short extracts on an occasional basis rather than getting through it all in one hit. Ultimately I wanted more from The Bedwetter, it isn’t as funny as I was expecting and the distance Silverman keeps from the reader means you never really feel like she is sharing a secret. Pity.

Machete

2011-05-12T19:34:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

This one is just a little bit silly. It is abrasive, riddled with one-dimensional characters, has an almost inanely simple plot and is extremely cheesy. But this is all part of the charm of Machete. It is a stereotype loaded, tongue in cheek B movie.

Take revenge, immigration, comic book violence, a little nudity and some A List actors, throw them in a blender and you’ll be drinking a Machete smoothie.

The ever deadpan Danny Trejo is the ex Mexican federale all action angry man on a revenge mission. Given that he is perhaps not the most stunning leading man, he seems to bizarrely have some of the most beautiful women throwing themselves at him.

Lindsey Lohan is the drug addicted, self obsessed naughty girl turned gun toting nun. Nice to see her back on screen.

Jessica Alba the earnest special agent.

Michelle Rodriguez is the taco stall owning head of the underground operation. She just about edges it in the battle of the screen babes in this one.

Robert De Niro the evil senator. He is woeful in this, horrible.

And Steven Segal, looking twice the size from his early days, the ultimate villain. Honestly, he’s really pretty massive now.

That is about that. There is plenty of action, and masses of violence – like when Trejo slices a man open then uses his intestine as an escape rope and jumps out of a window swinging on it.

The script is suitably crafted and easy to follow, Alba sums up Trejo’s situation at one point: “exploding houses, bodies falling from the sky. Jesus Christ Machete, you’re a fucking walking shit magnet.”

It is co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis and it does exactly what you’d expect, but nothing more. Entertaining and silly action, plenty of guts and gore, some imaginative killing sequences and an overall vibe of low-grade 70s-esque visuals.

Did I enjoy it? In parts. It is not a great movie, but it is a reasonably entertaining one. I know plenty of people who will love this, but I’m not in any hurry to watch it again. It is like a comic book that you are fond of but not obsessed by, quite entertaining whist you are reading it, but instantly forgettable once you’ve put it down.

5.5/10

The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell

2011-05-12T19:31:00.000+01:00

A Novel?

Book

Are your emotions pure? Are your nerves adjustable? How do you stand in relation to the potato? This is how The Interrogative Mood opens. Three seemingly unrelated and random questions that make you pause for thought.

The thing is, after these three questions come three more equally random and thought provoking questions. And another three. And another.

In fact, you quickly realise that the entire page is simply filled with questions. The page becomes the whole of the first chapter and you start to ask yourself – but when is the plot going to begin?

The Interrogative Mood is an entire novel (?) filled with questions. Some of them are random and silly; others are designed to get you thinking about the greater good, life, the universe, and vegetables. How many people have you known called Bobby? Do you grasp Ohm’s Law? Does “bimbo” refer only to women?

There are three ways to read this book and all of them enjoyable. I have read the questions aloud to friends and pondered their answers. I have read this alone as a bold and mood changing experience. And I have left the book in my toilet for myself and other visitors to pick and peruse at random.

Would you enjoy this book as much as I did? Why don’t you find out for yourself?

Bored To Death

2011-05-12T19:22:00.000+01:00

TV Series

I’m going to assume that you haven’t seen Bored To Death – chances are a few of you caught the, frankly rubbish, first episode and decided not to invest your precious time.

I too saw episode one and decided to opt out. It seems that nobody managed to tell my Sky + box and thus I discovered a few further episodes stored away. Partly down to curiosity and partly down to the fact that it has Zach Galifianakis (who I love), I decided to have a run at a couple more episodes. Whilst I can’t describe it as initially gripping, I must confess episode two was an improvement and by the end of episode three I was pretty chuffed.

This is a comedy/detective/light-hearted series that grows on you. It is ridiculous and a bit naff, but it is also getting funnier and funnier by the episode, has extremely likeable characters, great performances, and the writers have really gotten into their groove. Perhaps someone gave them funny pills or just a massive injection of confidence, as this is waaaaay above what was initially served up.

The hero Jason Schwartzman is a diminutive struggling writer who has set himself up as an unlicensed detective with a pot addiction. He has a broken heart, a quirky best friend (Galifianakis) with many personal problems of his own, and an even more quirky boss played by the ever classy Ted Danson.

In this week’s episode Schwartzman is enlisted to assist Galifianakis in tracking down two lesbians to whom he has been donating sperm for the past few weeks. Sample dialogue:
Galifianakis:“ What if they got in a car accident, what if they are in a coma?”
Schwartzman: “I don’t think they would both be in a coma.”
Galifanakis: “They do everything together”.

Our apprentice detectives set out to track down the ladies to alleviate Galifianakis’ concerns. What they stumble onto reveals that the ladies have been selling his sperm on the black market to lesbian couples. As they visit each couple from a list of 30, Galifianakis becomes more and more upset to discover that none of his samples have worked, leading him to believe he is impotent.

Whist all this is going on, Ted Danson who is a magazine publisher has a run-in with an archenemy that taunts him about his age and faltering readership. Danson decides to publish an article decrying his enemy and claiming he has a “mouth like a starfish’s anus”. One thing leads to another and by the end of the episode Danson has accepted a boxing match with his nemesis and Schwartzman has been roped in to fight the nasty sidekick. Once again Galifianakis jumps in: “what about me, I wanna fight, can I get in on this…” And up pops ‘To be continued…”

Great!

Black Swan

2011-05-09T09:54:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Natalie Portman won the best actress Oscar for this one, and it is clear to see why. She is superb. Haunting, fragile, tragic, beautiful and frankly f**ked up. When Portman is on form she really delivers.

Although I can understand what all the hype is about with Black Swan, I’m not going to be adding my name to any fan-club lists. It is powerful and poignant, but for me a little too ponsy.

This is a very watchable, sometimes gripping film that has been made with real class and panache. Particular attention has to be given to the cameramen who often follow Portman across the sprung floor as an additional dancer. Vincent Cassel is convincing as the menacing, seductive, little princess maker. Mila Kunis shines as the object of Portman’s obsession. This is a strikingly well choreographed movie and directed with style and grace by Darren Aronofsky.

Having a background in performance I have a fair few friends who make a living on stages across the globe. Although clearly heightened for Hollywood, Portman’s state of mind in Black Swan is one I found easy to believe from seeing friends ‘become’ the roles they play. Her demonstration of a woman consumed with obsession and self-doubt is first class.

The caveman in me suspects that for ladies and luvvies Black Swan is a match made in heaven. For the fellas more inclined to Pele than plie there is a lesbian scene between Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman and more violence than you’d expect from a movie ‘about ballet’!

6/10

Enter The Void

2011-05-05T17:41:00.001+01:00

Film/DVD

Insane!

This is one extremely bizarre, brilliant, awful, weird watch. I found moments of this film so difficult to sit through that I actually had to stop and come back to it some time later, not because of its haunting content, but because it was actually painful on my eyes.

A young American drug addict living in Tokyo is murdered and his ghost returns to watch over his sister.

Initially set from first person point of view we are the young man – complete with blinking eyes, a couple of significant drug induced trips, and his thought process. We also experience his murder first hand. We then become the spirit/ghost who spies upon his sister (an erotic dancer/prostitute) and the pieces of his life come together with a powerful and disturbing sequence of flashbacks.

It is uncomfortable viewing, but it is also quite astonishing. I’ve not seen anything like this before.

Some of it feels too much like experimental filmmaking with director Gaspar Noe literally throwing every visual trick he can think of at it. There is an awful lot achieved with painful lighting and smoggy blurred focus, which are frankly frustrating. The plusses centre on the freedom he gives the ‘floating’ camera. Tokyo looks like a neon kingdom with ultraviolet corners, a fantastical perverts playground only ever witnessed at night.

Throughout this film you are contradicted, you applaud what is being done, but don’t particularly enjoy the process of watching it. Gaspar Noe is no stranger to controversial filmmaking with his 2002 shocker Irreversible one of the most disturbing sexually violent films ever made.

Enter The Void is a dark and twisted story of drugs, broken families, prostitution, incestuous longing, and murder. Sometimes effects are dwelt upon for just too long, particularly the trippy psychedelic moments that are initially impressive, but quickly become dull. The title sequence alone is enough to put plenty of viewers off; I came very close to walking away.

Having never done a trip myself I can’t attest to the accuracy of the film’s depiction of the drug-induced sequences, but as a clear-headed viewer, it certainly took me off in a direction I was not predicting.

It is seedy and twisted, with some deranged themes and plenty of uncomfortable tangents. For all the exciting visual delights that we are bombarded with, it also has moments that are relentlessly dull, poorly acted and feels a little like the director is obsessed with shocking rather than engrossing and entertaining.

A confusing and haunting film that I expect by now you assume I will cast down on as not worth it. But the fact is that Enter The Void is a nightmare, something we all dread but all experience. Nightmares take us to terrible places, but we survive them, learn from them, sometimes even enjoy moments of them. Above all, they stay with us.

You may not make it through the whole of Enter The Void, but if you do it is sure to stay with you. It is horrible, frustrating, self-indulgent at times, but it is also strangely compelling, has moments of visual delight and the freedom Noe gives the camera is dreamlike and at times beautiful.

An often bad-trip, but it’ll stay with you and you may just learn something.

6.5/10

Shades Of Grey by Jasper Fforde

2011-05-05T17:36:00.000+01:00

Book

Having delighted in The Well Of Lost Plots, one of Fforde’s earlier books, and having seen the sleeve reviews calling this one a ‘comic genius’ and ‘brilliantly written’ I snapped up Shades Of Grey when it winked at me from the book shelves.

Now here’s the thing. Fforde is brilliant at hooking you in to a story from the first page. He instantly sets up a string of plotlines for which you just crave to know the outcomes. The challenge that follows is that he then spends the rest of the book taking the longest route possible to return to the set-up where you can finally get your answers. Rather like watching Harry Hill live, where he will start a joke and then not return to it until the end of his routine, although with Hill you revel in all the material in between, with this book, you do not.

Shades Of Grey is 432 pages long and Fforde has opted for the smallest font type permitted. The words are tiny. This is long book, it requires vast concentration and frankly becomes extremely frustrating getting anywhere with the plot. There are some people who will love his word play, revel in his detailed cunning, and bask in their own cleverness for finding the whole thing so amusing and highbrow. I am not one of those people. I want a story that will grip me, and force me through the pages at breakneck speed. I’m all for clever language and an imagination that breaks off at quirky tangents, but I like it to stay plot-loyal wherever possible. Don’t get me wrong, concentrating on a book is not a bad thing, but when it becomes hard work, the pleasure is slips away.

This book is so overloaded with puns it actually gets to the point where you stop enjoying them and start numbing them out as you crave a return to the story that, at its core, is actually very enjoyable.

I’m not going to bog you down with the plot, but needless to say, in amongst all these words is a great story. If you can find your way through all the waffle you will find a catchy little everyman tale with heroes and villains and plenty in between. When I did manage to steer my reading through all the cleverness I was hooked…so imagine my despair when, on the very last page, it is revealed that this is book one of a trilogy. The awful thing is, now I have invested all this energy into these characters, I want to see what happens next!

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest

2011-04-25T15:18:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

This is the last in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy following the plight of Lisbeth Salander and the journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

Chances are that if you are interested in this film it is because you were one of the millions of people who became so gripped by the books when they first came out.

The challenge with trilogies is sustaining our excitement and interest, just look at the Matrix, an astonishing first film, such a shame with the last two.

The challenge with book adaptations is somehow capturing the pictures we as readers have had in our minds about how the characters would look, sound, and behave.

Thankfully, and most impressively, neither of the above challenges are problems with this one. Where the first was all action, raw shock and intense viewing, the second fell a little short but did the role of all middle films, it moved the plot on and expanded. This one, the final film, is light on action – as in the book, but is high on intrigue, tension, and a devastatingly good plot line. It is gripping, even when you know what is going to happen.

Clearly if you read and enjoyed the books you aren’t going to have a problem knowing that the plot is excellent. What you perhaps were worried about is the performances and especially the casting of Lisbeth and Mikael. To be blunt – these two are just amazing. Phenomenal performances that fulfil all you had in mind for them when reading. Exceptional casting, outstandingly good acting. They are such talents I have found myself researching other films they are in and setting up for a weekend of subtitles, Michael Nyqvist, and Noomi Rapace.

They are making an American version of the trilogy (I know, groan). Naturally I will watch with an open mind and interest, but I find it extremely hard to believe they will better or even equal the excellence of Rapace and Nyqvist.

7/10.

Kill Your Friends

2011-04-24T23:08:00.000+01:00

Book

This finely crafted diatribe of hilarious bile is the first from author John Niven who has gone on to write several more; this fact in itself suggests it was well received!

It is dubbed as one of the filthiest books you will ever read. This isn’t too far from the truth, although I have read worse!

Set over one year in the life of an A&R man in 1997 who is losing his edge as he gets older (he is 27ffs!) it is a clever, funny, awful, repulsive book about the ‘scum’ within the music industry. Our hero admits that no one actually knows how to spot a hit; it is all fluke and b/s from an industry we are led to believe is filled with racist, sexist, perverts who are all caning chang and dropping Es until they simply burn out. Sure, plenty of it is for effect, but as with much effective comedy, there is some truth hidden in the footnotes.

If you like rude, outrageous and as un-pc as you can get, you are going to enjoy this roller coaster of grot. You will even find yourself cheering from the sidelines as our main man dives from one wrong deed and thought to another.

A smart touch is the fact that Niven is frequently citing acts from the period, which is close enough for most of us to remember the musical backdrop. It isn’t just the big acts that are referenced. Who remembers Ether for example, an act that peaked (in the UK at least) as a support act for Ben Folds Five? Even they get a mention amongst the hundreds of other acts in the book…well researched (or remembered) Mr Niven.

I found Kill Your Friends an entertaining and easy read. It is a one hit read – I devoured it in a couple of hours, not because it is short or I am a speed reader, but because it is engrossing, funny and very enjoyable, and requires no real investment from you…provided of course you aren’t easily offended as it is exceptionally offensive indeed. Now go f**k yourself and read another one of my posts!

Skyline

2011-04-24T23:02:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

A line about Skyline: several scenes of excellent and gripping special effects action, twinned with multiple moments of laborious, awful waffly dialogue.

3/10

Monsters

2011-04-23T13:16:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

This is the movie that was reportedly made for £100,000. It had a crew of just four, two paid actors who were effectively ‘holidaying’ with the director/producer/writer/special FX whiz kid (he did the lot), and a support cast of locals rumoured to be hired on location. Oh, and the other known ‘fact’: Gareth Edwards (the aforementioned whiz kid/writer/director/producer) created the effects on his own, in his bedroom, once the filming was complete.

Add all this together and what you expect to see is a patchy, naff, cheap, novice debut movie. This is certainly not the case with Monsters.

I actually found this a rather difficult film to review, sit back, and indeed enjoy, because I spent so much of the time thinking about Mr Edwards in his bedroom working on his laptop or out on location with his tiny team of guerrilla film-makers. And this says much about Monsters. I should compare this experience to when I first watched Moon – before the film I was all too aware that it was the debut movie made by David Bowie’s son for very little money (albeit vastly more than Edwards had for Monsters) and yet I escaped into Moon and forgot all about the back-story within seconds…

So what of Monsters? I certainly enjoyed it and there is so much to celebrate, not just from what Edwards has achieved practically on his own, but in the fact that he tells a good story very well.

It is set 6 years after alien spores have hatched in South America and the aliens are now terrifying and destroying residents in the ‘infected zone’. A young photographer has to escort the boss’ beautiful daughter out of the zone and across the US border to safety. What you get is part race-against-time, part almost romance, part road movie, and part action thriller, all wrapped up in a neat modern sci-fi bubble.

Obvious parallels with District 9 or even Cloverfield are expected, but although it is an aliens in residence movie set across a decimated landscape caper, it is not like either of these. It is subtle, moving, sad at times, and the unexpected regularly happens. I certainly enjoyed it, perhaps more on reflection than at the time.

Despite the title, it is not a movie about monsters. It is a movie that sets out to teach us a little about ourselves. Yes, there is the occasional lean towards cheese and some of the lines are far less polished than the directing and effects, but this is forgive and forgettable.

The monsters themselves are huge, tentacled octopus-like beings that leave a path of destruction in their wake. Edwards is fleeting and subtle in his revealing of the monsters, we initially catch ill-lit glimpses of them and let our imaginations fill in the rest. Only at the very end do we have prolonged exposure to them, and this is a delightful, tender, touching scene, which closes the movie with a magnificent twist in our emotional reaction. Excellent stuff.

A word on the actors – terrific! I’d not heard of either of them before this movie, but they are superb and both destined to shine in their careers to come. Scoot McNairy (I know, Scoot!?) in particular stands out, most notably in a scene where he is talking to his son on the phone. Whitney Able is also excellent and the camera loves her.

The more I think about Monsters, the more I am enjoying it post-mortem, making it very difficult to score! Can I recommend it? Absolutely. Is Gareth Edwards a rising star with a massive future? You bet. Will you love Monsters? Maybe love is too strong here, but certainly appreciate it and later it will stay with you; the memories will be good.

6.5/10

The American

2011-04-15T17:58:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Very little seems to happen in The American. It is slow, the action is fleeting and rare, and there are extensive scenes where all we see is George Clooney walking down assorted streets.

However, The American is an absorbing, classy little film. It is slow, but it allows the viewer room to breathe, the plot twists gradually and it is powerful and poignant.

George Clooney plays an assassin who has lost his edge. Opening in Sweden we quickly establish the hard-hearted harshness of Clooney’s character. He is dispatched to a small town in Italy to regroup and await instruction. As he carefully and slowly builds and calibrates a rifle we see him gradually clear his head and lay plans for his future.

There is nothing new to The American, but it is refreshing to see a Clooney piece that is style and character led over action and extensive plot.

I enjoyed this movie but don’t want to overplay its greatness. My verdict is that it is the perfect in-flight movie (and I think BA are currently screening it). It will hold your interest and won’t challenge you and is a very pleasant way to spend 1hr 45mins.

6/10

The Dilemma

2011-04-15T17:55:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

What would you do if you found out that the wife of your best mate and business partner was cheating on him? How about if he was also in the middle of the most important deal of your careers and needed to avoid stress? Would you tell him?

That, in a nutshell, is The Dilemma.

I like Vince Vaughn and generally find him pretty funny. He wasn’t funny in The Dilemma, but that didn’t make it a poor film.

There are peaks and troughs to this one, which range from uncomfortable moments which are actually quite painful to watch, to hideously cheesy moments which are even more painful to watch, to the easy and relaxing harmless scenes where it feels more like a big budget sitcom.

Vaughn is ok in this, as is Kevin James his buddy. The wives are both under-used but Jennifer Connelly is always worth watching and there is a scene in a diner in which Winona Ryder really proves she can act. Queen Latifa does her best to steal the show and is accordingly handed out the best lines, including her frequent references to having ‘lady wood’, all charming stuff.

Harmless, reasonably entertaining, should have been much funnier.

By the way, it’s directed by Ron Howard, which surprised me!

4/10

Jackass 3

2011-04-13T18:49:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Johnny Knoxville and his quirky posse of ‘professional stuntmen’ are back for more of the same!

There is nothing new here, but what we get is the predictable grouping of the painful to watch, sometimes vomit inducing, gross-out stunts that Knoxville and the lads have made a living from.

Surprisingly there isn’t a stand-out stunt in this movie, but the collection we are ‘treated’ to simply continue the Jackass brand. If you like Jackass, you will like this.

For me, it is feeling a little stale now, and strangely Knoxville is starting to look a little too old to be fronting this – which may explain why he is always wearing sunglasses.

3/10.

Everybody’s Fine

2011-04-13T18:38:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Everybody’s Fine. No they aren’t, and neither is this f***ing awful movie.

With such a stellar cast, Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell, it is horrible to watch them bore in such a glib and pointless ‘gentle family drama’.

The actors are far better than this film. Even they will be reluctant to sit through this one.

Did I enjoy anything about it? Well, there was a pretty cool looking house at one point.

1/10.

The Tourist

2011-04-13T18:25:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Ricky Gervais famously ripped this film a new backside when he hosted the Golden Globe awards, so I was expecting an absolute turkey.

It wasn’t a turkey. But it probably deserves a little stuffing.

What you get from The Tourist is a reasonably considered, albeit simplistic, plot. A fair dollop of action, including some quite impressive looking sequences. And of course the stars…Johnny Depp is hardly at his best, but hey, it’s still Johnny Depp, and as for Angelina Jolie, well in some films she is a superb actress, in this film she looks magnificent.

You won’t care about the characters in this movie, you won’t be challenged by the plot. But Venice and Jolie look great and for some people that will be enough.

3/10.

Sophie Barker, Seagull

2011-04-05T16:05:00.000+01:00

Album/gig

You know Sophie Barker. You have relaxed with her, fallen asleep with her, swung in hammocks whilst looking at the stars with her. She is the voice behind Zero 7’s In The Waiting Line and her voice wholeheartedly justifies the tag ‘gorgeous’.

She has also sung with Groove Armada and Muki but more recently her attention has been on finding her own organic sound. After Lullaby an album of songs for children, she has returned to the studio, guitar in hand, with a full band.

Seagull is what has emerged.

I was fortunate enough to gain entry to a special invite only gig upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s last night for a first listen to the album and to see Sophie and the band performing live.

As I waited outside for my plus one I noticed that most of the people attending were clearly friends of Sophie. It is always a worry when you have a friend who is a musician (or actor, or director for that matter) as inevitably you are going to be asked to come and watch them and it may involve a degree of forcing a smile. It is a little like going to the wedding of a good friend who is marrying someone you just don’t get – you will go along to support your mate, but you may not particularly enjoy the experience. Obviously this hasn’t happened to me, but you know where I am coming from.

Fortunately, Sophie Barker has a rare and splendid talent, and her friends probably find themselves fighting for tickets whenever she announces a gig or some new material.

Seagull is a finely crafted album. 10 songs, each one giving off the impression that these are keepers. This is an album that you are going to play and connect with on first listen, it is an album you just know you are going to be friends with for a long time.

Sophie has an astonishingly beautiful voice. Is has power and grace that resonates on every song and it is the kind of voice that makes you stop whatever you are doing and just enjoy.

She is also a very fine songwriter indeed. Seagull is out in May and deserves to reach a significant audience. Comparisons with Zero 7 and David Ford are not unfair as it has such a fluid and welcoming element of ‘chill’ to it, but it is also a distinctive and bold musical statement. Her eight strong band are clearly all outstanding musicians and Sophie has given them music to embrace their skills. Strings, keys, plenty of guitar, (some horns on the album), and some rich harmonies all fuse together in a relaxing and joyful embrace.

I already have some clear stand out favourites. Say Goodbye, which has already been subject of remix excitement, charms with its keyboard led opening and extremely catchy chorus. Bluebell, perhaps the most ‘upbeat’ on the album is a romantic delight that could and should grace many a wedding in the years to come. Insight, a soulful, bluesy number takes the listener inside Sophie’s thoughts ‘I listen to the words of a poet, when I really want an action man instead’. They are all worth your time, and I am pretty sure my faves will chop and change in the weeks to come.

Seagull is filled with delightful numbers and is the understandably perfect vehicle for Sophie and her vast talent.

Seagull is a relaxed masterpiece that I sincerely hope you make a point of searching out. And as for Sophie and the band live, brilliant, find out when she is playing and get yourself down there.

Source Code

2011-04-02T17:59:00.000+01:00

Film

The director of Moon is back. This time he’s got Jake Gyllenhaal. On a train. In someone else’s body.

In order to clarify the theme of Source Code let me explain some quantum physics (!). In 1935, the physicist Erwin Schrödinger devised a thought experiment that addresses the quantum theory of superposition. A cat is shut in a box alongside a vial of hydrocyanic acid, and a detonator triggered by the state of a radioactive isotope. Until the box is opened and the isotope observed, it is in two states at the same time. Consequently, while the box is closed, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time. From this we pick up the thread for Source Code.

By the way, Source Code and Schrödinger’s Cat – both initialled SC, coincidence? I think not.

Jake Gyllenhaal is shut in a box of metal, both mentally and physically. We even see the dripping acid on occasion. He is alive and dead at the same time. In Source Code Gyllenhaal is Schrödinger’s Cat. Love it! Clever Duncan Jones and writer Ben Ripley- I salute you!

So how about the film?

What Jones has served up is a gripping, engaging, clever movie. It is a little bit Unstoppable, a little bit Groundhog Day and an obvious nod to the TV show Quantum Leap, all bundled together in a finely crafted, compelling and refreshingly brief 93 minutes.

The effects are impressive and Jones tells the story in a clear, edge-of-your-set, exciting fashion. It is a film that will take you on an adventure that you can’t help but be sucked into.

Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding. We knew he could act in Donnie Darko; this was re-enforced in Brokeback Mountain and Brothers amongst others (we’ll not discuss Prince Of Persia). Source Code may be his most impressive performance to date. He portrays his situation and thought process with such clarity and effectiveness that even those who will look on the plot as unbelievable will connect with Gyllenhaal’s character. There are, of course, a couple of questionable moments, one involving his father, but rather than this becoming cheesy Gyllenhaal’s portrayal is sympathetic and understated. I was extremely impressed.

I also have to salute the leading ladies, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. Monaghan plays Christina the love interest on the train; she does this with a simplicity and naivety that is a pleasure to watch. Farmiga is Gyllenhaal's handler who has to find the balance between sympathising with his confusion, and getting him to do the job and save the day, she really is commanding. Excellent.

There are a couple of negatives I should mention. The first is Jeffrey Wright, the man who invented the Source Code and now leads the military team. Wright just gets it wrong. Whist the other actors all perform with a delicacy and subtlety that underpins the story; Wright is almost pantomime in his over the top performance. The second is, it is just a little bit too simple to work out. With a Duncan Jones movie we want a couple of killer twists. There were twists, but these were easily predicted albeit done with class.

I can’t write about Source Code without discussing the director Duncan Jones. So let’s get it on record now. How do you follow Moon? I loved Moon. It is one of the most complete sci-fi movies I have ever encountered and one I have watched and re-watched numerous times. It is the closest to 10/10 I expect I will come across for a debut film. Indeed, if I had the money I would buy a Moon poster signed by Jones and Rockwell. I am a ‘Moon geek’. Source Code is not Moon. It represents a ‘step-up’ for Jones who is now a new face in Hollywood, but with this comes a degree of artistic restriction and I feel he was perhaps held back slightly with his vision for Source Code. But Source Code will recieve a wider audience than Moon, it will be a box office success, and it is a great movie.

Source Code is a compelling film. Jake Gyllenhaal is superb, as are Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. Jones has proved he can absolutely cut it at this level. It isn’t as complete a film as Moon, but it stands alone as an absorbing and fulfilling experience. It is also an outstanding filmic translation of advanced and complex quantum theory so watch, ponder, and enjoy.

7.5/10. I have scored this the same as Limitless as I think they are on par overall as rewarding, enjoyable, and extremely worthwhile films that you should make every attempt to see on the big screen.

Some tracks for your ears.

2011-03-30T19:42:00.002+01:00

Music. A few choice numbers.

I’ve actually had a handful of emails asking for another posting about music. As you will see, I’ve already reviewed Saint Jude live and the album by Broken Bells and I fully intend to continue with musical postings in the coming weeks.

What I thought would be fun is if I shared a few tracks that I really think you should have a listen to. For this one I’m going with tunes that put me in a good mood. I’m giving myself a maximum spend of £15 on iTunes as a guide for how many tracks to include, and I am fully expecting many of you to already have some if not all of my suggestions. Nothing too obscure here as I want them to be numbers you can get easily if your interest is suitably piqued.

As with everything on here, I welcome feedback and additional suggestions, so do make use of the comment box at the bottom if you want to add any thoughts.

This is in no order, just a random playlist.

1. Moths. 50,000 Watt Transmitter.

Moths are an undiscovered gem on the verge of greatness. This is their opening track from their debut and sets us up for the excitement that lies in wait across the album. Clear tuneful guitar sweeps around a walking baseline, punctuated with subtle organ hits and synthesiser, all mixed with aplomb. As with each track on the album, it is all held together with the hypnotic vocals of lead singer Chris Sheehan. Great stuff, and an excellent way to start this playlist if I do say do myself! Here is a youtube link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhXiU8CCQm4.

2. King Lizard. Rain On You.

London’s trailblazing ‘sleaze’ rock act, this is a band that is unstoppable. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing these guys live on countless occasions and can confirm they absolutely rock the house! They write extremely catchy numbers and are electric live, an absolutely superb experience. Their album is just out and one of the tracks that best sums up their vibe and energy is Rain On You. Niro’s screaming guitar does battle with lead singer Flash’s titan vocal. They are a great band, it is a top tune. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd1_6wiOmEk

3. Broken Bells. The High Road.

Having written a full review of the album (see below) I don’t want to repeat myself. I could frankly choose any of their numbers for this playlist, but why not start at the beginning with them. Great stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mkr19RSG6k

4. The Cat Empire. Waiting.

The absolute best thing to come from Australia, and I include Shane Warne, Kylie and even Carl and Susan in that list! These guys are without question the best live act I have ever seen, as individuals these musicians are so good it is actually inspiring to witness. If you ever get the chance to see them live, take it. Waiting is the opening track from their latest album Cinema and is their classic blend of upbeat rhythms, sexy turntable, roomy bass, pounding trumpets, hard piano, rich harmonies and a gorgeous Hammond organ. The album is quite simply – amazing. Buy the album, have a party, thank me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYQFVjA7U4E

5. RJD2. A Beautiful Mine.

Instrumental hip-hop at its best. Strings, beats, guitars, percussion, a harp, bass. You’ll know this track at the title music to Mad Men, but the song stands alone as a brilliant piece of work. If you haven’t spent time with RJD2 before, let this one guide you in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdqwmvKeZWc

6. Shit Robot. Take ‘Em Up.

Yea! A dance floor track and probably the danciest in this playlist. From the outstanding album From The Cradle To The Rave, which is another album that deserves a full listen. This one is techno house charging flat out into electro pop and the result is one banging charmer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLrmE8nF2zs

7. Saint Jude. Soul On Fire.

See below for my review of them live. I am really into Saint Jude right now, and once you’ve heard this triumphant opener from them I think you will be too. Rock 'n' roll baby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P64RGr8twaQ

8. Nightmares On Wax. You Wish.

This is a celebration for anyone who loves a proper rich keyboard. Great groove, perfect for kicking back. Get this one on your stereo, crank it up, fall in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMWSuwSfteg

9. Gorrilaz featuring Lou Reed. Some Kind Of Nature.

I was recently asked what I considered to be the best Lou Reed song, on balance I’d plump for Paranoia Key Of E…but this track manages to capture the essence of Mr Reed, that vibe that makes him so effortlessly cool. Gorillaz are up the front when it comes to both live and recorded. For me, their best track is Superfast Jellyfish, which is totally worth enjoying, but I’ve opted for Some Kind Of Nature for this playlist as it is ticking the box today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvjjc18nB14

10. The Robert Cray Band. I’m Walking.

Urban blues meets smokin’ soul. Cray’s voice jumps in for a bit of perfect synchronised swimming with a well-baked Hammond organ and some massive walking guitar. If this doesn’t make you feel better after a bad relationship, unlucky. It’s from their 14^th album ‘Twenty’, can’t find a recorded link, so check em out doing it live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wn-aDFNXPE

11. Bitmap. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Dreamy, catchy, and a little bit special. It manages to fall into that ‘lovely’ song category without that being a bad thing. Another one to dive into. It’s from the album Alpha Beta Gamma, can’t find a youtube link, so have provided their myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/bitmaptheband/music/

12. The Black Crowes. Remedy.

Love it. Love them. One of my all time fave moments of recorded music comes in at 3.42mins into the song. Outstanding. The Crowes at their peak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZgJrHxWaIg

13. David Ford. Go To Hell.

This man can play, he can sing, he can write, and he even seems like a very nice humble fella. Saw him perform live a couple of years ago, great stuff. Top tune and mind-blowingly talented video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0vcxA29okM

14. OK Go. End Love.

Thought I’d finish with a happy song with an exceptional video – if you’ve made it this far through my suggestions I think you deserve a great watch. Reportedly fantastic live, Ok Go are way more than just an act with great videos, but this is a great video! Once you’ve watched this one you must check out their others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZCg1IMe5Yc&feature=related

Saw The Final Chapter

2011-03-30T15:39:00.001+01:00

Film/DVD

There have been so many Saw films that I don’t feel I need to give you the backdrop to this one. It is the final movie in a franchise that has seen some high points, some very low points, and blood, guts, and gore like nothing before.

Within the first five minutes we are ‘treated’ to two really shocking scenes. The opener sees a flash back to the very first film where the ‘hero’, the man who managed to saw off his own foot, is seen, in great agony, ‘sealing’ the bloody wound on a boiling pipe. Delightful.

A Saw classic ‘game’ quickly follows this scene. Two men, in a shop window, awaken to find they are attached to huge electric saw blades. We then spot a woman who is chained above them, suspended over a third blade. A love triangle that is about to get bloody. This time with gruesome spectators including people who are filming the whole ordeal on their mobile phones.

It is grotesque, repulsive, and very very silly. The acting is often so bad it is almost comedic. There is a ‘plot’, but that will always play second fiddle to the twisted challenges.

There are two key points I need to make. First, unlike previous films from the franchise, this film seems so cheap. The previously horrifying torture games from other films that have seemed so ‘real’ in the past look naff, unbelievable, and very low budget. Second, without the real villain Jigsaw, the film fails to have any charisma. Tobin Bell, Jigsaw himself, appears for less than five minutes of weak flashback. It is simply not enough.

This time around we meet Jigsaw survivor groups, Jigsaw’s widow, frequent flashbacks, nightmare scenarios, and plenty of recycled ‘games’ forced onto unwilling victims. There are plenty of ‘look away from the screen’ moments, but this is not to do with the gore, it is because this is a cheap and nasty film – at times they don’t even make the effort to hide the switch from human to dummy. Rubbish.

As with previous Saw outings, you do find that you are quickly desensitised to the shock and gore of what is unfolding, screaming, fake blood and human traps blend into a numbing nothing. This time around the entire thing failed to hold my attention for more than 20 minutes before I was utterly irritated.

Want to play a game? Actually, I think I’ll have a cup of tea and do anything else instead.

1/10. Utter garbage from start to finish with only one sequence of any note. A real shame they let it come to this.

Red

2011-03-29T16:38:00.000+01:00

Film/DVD

Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich. Now that is a great sounding cast.

I did actually start off writing about the various ways the characters are spending their lives but frankly it’s better for us all if I just tell you they are retired. And bored.

Based on the graphic novel the story centres around Frank Moses (Willis) who we learn was as hard as they come but has lately developed a soft spot for the pension services lady (Mary-Louise Parker) he speaks to each week on the phone.

We are sucked into an adventure which sees Willis team up with his old friends (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) where plenty of action is peppered with a few casually written one-liners as he attempts to save and impress the girl, stay alive, and generally enjoy himself.

In case you are still wondering, Red stands for ‘Retired, extremely dangerous’. So you know what you are going to get – a softer, cuddlier version of The Expendables.

The film is cute, harmless (despite the body-count and endless explosions), cheesy, and will at times raise a smile.

There is a decent soundtrack of well-known funky/motown hits that keeps the whole thing dancing along and accompanies the rather frequent montage sequences the likes of which you would find in Oceans Eleven.

I don’t want to be too harsh on this movie, as it doesn’t stink. It just doesn’t shine either. The stellar cast disappoint to a man, but you can’t really blame them. The script is weak, but you don’t care. The action sequences are fine…and since when do you want to call an action sequence fine!

My feeling is that if you find yourself at home and see that Red is on, for free, then why not let it wash over you. It is one of the least challenging films I have ever seen and wasn’t an unpleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Don’t pay for it though, that would be criminal.

4/10. I fear this is possibly a little generous, but I’ll stick to it for now!

Limitless

2011-03-28T16:57:00.003+01:00

Film

Like being told that cows sit down before it is going to rain, echinacea is good for preventing a cold, and Bob Dylan is a genius (hmm), we have all heard the ‘story’ that human beings only use 20% of our brain capacity. In fact, I’ve even heard versions of the tale suggesting we use as little as 0.4%.

Your decision to believe this brain capacity fact can be suspended for the duration of this film as it is treated as gospel and indeed forms the core theme.

Our hero is a slacker who is bumming through life and amounting to an epic fail. Girlfriend has just dumped him, no words written on his anticipated first book, messy flat, unpaid rent, unwashed appearance. Chance leads him to acquire a drug that enables him to tap into corners of his brain that had previously lain dormant and thus his potential is limitless.

Whilst on the drug, he is a newfound super-human.

Neil Burger directs this adaptation of Alan Glynn’s novel The Dark Fields. More on Burger shortly.

The lead is a first time shot at top billing status for Bradley Cooper. You’ll know Cooper as the handsome one from The Hangover or as Face from The A-Team Movie. Cooper has not been tested as a leading man to this point so I was curious to see how he would get on carrying the film.

A note about Mr Cooper. He is a handsome man; there is no getting away from that. But unlike a handful of Hollywood handsome men, he still retains a real likeability. As a straight man, I am sometimes a little frustrated when I see model-good-looks actors getting amazing roles in films where it is clear they are only employed for their appearance, nothing to do with skill. An example that springs to mind is the woefully irritating Matthew McConaughey who never fails to get on my wick. McConaughey may have a chiselled jaw line, but he also seems to possess no discernable talent whatsoever…how would you get me to watch The Lincoln Lawyer? A cash bribe would be the minimum requirement, and I’ve actually heard it’s quite good!

So, I like Bradley Cooper and I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t routing for him to be good in this film.

Pleasingly, Cooper is very good, demonstrating an impressive range throughout his journey and keeping us on side at all times. As the film opens he provides an upbeat narration that is underscored by a soundtrack that initially sounds low budget to say the least – it just doesn’t seem to fit the expected vibe of this film. To my surprise, my early worry wears off very quickly.

Limitless is the sort of film that I suspect is going to invite disappointment. The fact is that the core idea is one we have probably all spent time daydreaming about and I often find with films like this the viewer is always going to feel a little let down that the concept didn’t go as far as their own imaginations could.

I certainly have felt this about numerous ‘single idea’ films in the past – Hancock, where Will Smith plays a hung-over superhero is one example that just doesn’t deliver to it’s concept potential. I Am Legend, where Will Smith is seemingly the last surviving human in a zombie possessed NYC. Men In Black, where Will Smith…only kidding. Another one would be Surrogates where humans are staying inside and letting their robotic replacements live their lives for them, another single idea film that just doesn’t go as far as you want it to.

It was with these examples in my head that I expected Limitless to entertain me to a point and ultimately disappoint due to lack of idea fulfilment or some sort of genius Kaiser Soze twist.

Well, actually I was very pleased indeed. The story is fun and exciting, sure it does become a bit of a thriller and of course it isn’t going to take you as far as you want it to. But it is all just so watchable and entertaining. There are twists and turns, moments when you find yourself really rooting for Cooper’s character, other times when you think to yourself ‘why would a super-IQ make that choice’ but the whole thing is a very pleasing ride.

As you may know by now, I’m not big on giving away plotlines, so I don’t intend to say much more about the story here. But I do want to talk about the style.

Neil Burger also directed The Illusionist, but other than that I was largely unfamiliar with his work. Well, Limitless is certainly a triumph for Burger. He tells the story with such pace and charm – it is a little like being on a merry-go-round whilst talking to someone delightfully fascinating, there is so much going on it is a fantastic blur, all you are really aware of is that you are having a good time. Probably!

The scenes where Burger really gets to show off are the moments when Cooper and others are experiencing the influence of the drug. He actually manages to demonstrate to the viewer with our measly 3 figure IQ’s how the drug would feel both in the high times, and the inevitable side effects.

I should also touch on the other characters. Robert DeNiro excels unsurprisingly as the fat cat businessman, but is frustratingly under-used. In fact under-used could also apply to Anna Friel and Abbie Cornish who play the ladies of the film. Andrew Howard is the films ‘bad guy’ who you can’t help but like, but I see this as credit to Howard who performs with style.

The winner of the piece is of course the concept. And as I touched on earlier, it is almost too good an idea for anyone to deliver the complete film to realise it.

What Limitless does, it does very well. Cooper is great. Burger directs with huge style and class. And if you don’t ask too many questions you will have a very entertaining couple of hours in the cinema.

I have to point out; it is not that easy getting to watch Limitless. Although it is currently on general release here in the UK there are a number of cinemas that aren’t screening it – I had to travel across town to catch it and this is a shame. It is a good film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. If it is on near you then get down there and enjoy, if not, it is worth travelling for.

I’d score it a very happy 7.5/10.

Now, I’m off to buy an umbrella, the cows are sitting down so expect a downpour.

Broken Bells

2011-03-25T18:39:00.002Z

CD/Album

If Ed Harcourt, Brendan Benson, Morcheeba and Nightmares On Wax all fell into the machine from the film The Fly, Broken Bells would be what comes out.

This is the pairing of the most unlikely bedfellows. James Mercer front man and lead strummer for The Shins has pitched in with Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton. Danger Mouse is the dancy super-producer who has worked with Beck and Gorillaz, been nominated for a Grammy Award for producer of the year, and is the full time ‘other half’ of Gnarls Barkley.

But how do they get on together? The outcome is not what you’d expect.

Techno specialist beats are brewed for just the right amount of time in boiling rocky strummy guitar, but the beats come from real drums which have been very pleasingly preferred to the easier option of letting the computer in. I was expecting there to be a stronger foot in the dance/electo camp from which Danger Mouse has had so much success, but the computer is largely left gathering dust as the album is driven by ‘real’ instruments, wavy vocals, haunting lyrics, and plenty of catchy melody lines.

Vocals, guitars, bass, drums, organs, piano and synthesizers. Played with class, style, and often a refreshing simplicity.

There are a few unexpected but welcome twists that are laced into the mix with mariachi trumpets, sweeping strings and Wurlitzer-style keys, just a few notable high points that pepper the 10 tracks. This is a short album, 37 minutes in length, you do want more, but what you get is hugely fulfilling.

The album surfs its way through intricate melodies with a sometime nod to the Beach Boys and even some chord progressions that sound so stripped down and delightfully simple that John Mellencamp could have penned them.

It’s hard to say exactly where the right place to experience this album is. It is maybe not a car-in-traffic listen as it is too delicate at times and Mercer’s occasionally fragile falsetto vocals command a more intent listen. Headphones bask in the mix and overall I’d call this album a surreal fusion of dreamy meets poppy catchy.

I should make one thing clear. I think this is a terrific album, and it is astonishingly difficult to translate the experience of listening to it into the written word. From the opening track The High Road, I knew I was going to have fun with this album. The different journeys the remaining nine tracks invite you on are all worth the ticket.

V Season 2.

2011-03-25T11:35:00.001Z

TV series. SyFy Uk.

After a quick recap the series begins with our hero Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), probably the best looking mother of an 18 year old to ever bless the screen, walking amidst a city of bodies. It seems like she is the sole survivor. She races through the crowds of bodies searching for her son, Tyler. When finding him, alive, she takes him in her arms with pained cries of relief, but as rain hits his face he begins to melt grotesquely in front of her.

Oh yea! V is back!

I appreciate that this is a re-imagining of a classic series, but this time around the amount of resource this show has had thrown at it makes it such a delight to watch. Visually it feels like my HD box is taking my TV on a date and I’m the voyeur piggybacking on the fireworks. It just looks so good.

Everything about this series is good looking. All the actors are really hot, particularly the women, Anna, the alien queen played by Morena Baccarin is so compellingly attractive we sometimes forget about her inner reptilian. The vast sprawling sets, the props and gadgets, the special effects – it’s just all great to look at.

This is a big big budget show that is pulling no punches in its race for ratings. Let’s be honest here, the first series did not do as well as hoped so this second series may be on borrowed time and may not make it to a third…so make the best of it whilst it is here.

Don’t get me wrong; there is plenty to grumble about if I want to get picky. The characters have very little depth, the plot is exciting but nowhere near as complex as it thinks, and the dialogue is James Cameron-esque in its simplicity. This is a show for the eyes, not the ears.

Perhaps the shows pros and cons can be summed up in a quote from this first episode of the new series:

“Anna’s a lizard? That sucks. She’s so hot!”

Another gripe is two of the male characters, the vicar and the lead reporter played by the ageless Scott Wolf. These two just bug me with their over the top intensity and excessive make up. The younger characters of Tyler and Lisa are hopelessly wooden and clearly there for their model allure. The less screen time this lot get, the better the episode. When the focus is on Anna and Agent Evans we are much better off.

This new version may not have the ‘fun’ of the original, but it is still a romping adventure, good entertaining TV with plenty to hook you in to keep you wanting more. I’ll end with a few questions that may encourage you to catch the next episode to find the answers:

Has Anna, the Queen of the visitors, become affected by human emotion?

How will the first human/visitor hybrid baby turn out?

Just what does ‘bliss’ feel like?

If you like your Sci Fi, give V a try.

Paranormal Activity 2

2011-03-24T20:40:00.001Z

Film/DVD

I’ll be honest; I did not rate the first one.

Although I am a huge fan of movies that scare me, make me jump or indeed haunt me late at night, I found all the fuss about Paranormal Activity perhaps the main scare of all.

In the first film I found myself largely bored and had little to no sympathy with the characters. Granted, there were a couple of jumpy moments and the ‘newness’ of the concept was pretty compelling, but given all the time I’d invested in the film I really did find myself wanting so much more. I wanted the film that the adverts promised with all those people collapsing in the cinema with fright. I didn’t get it.

Now you have the backdrop about what I thought of the first, you may be questioning just what has encouraged me to invest the required hour and a half of my life needed to potentially endure number two! A couple of reasons actually, the first one being that people I trust have told me it is worth it, the second is my curiosity about whether this is a fast-turn around money spinner as the studios cash in on the success of the first, or if it is a project that has been treated with time, class and consideration.

Like the first it is a found footage piece. All set in and around a house and following the movements of those who live there. This time around it is a family – Mum, Dad, teenage daughter, baby son, dog and initially a housekeeper. Like the first it is seemingly ‘self shot’ by the cast. Camcorders to start and, after an incident, fixed in-house security cameras adding a new dimension.

Like the first, we quickly recognise that there is something seemingly spooky in the house, closing doors, lights going on and off, pans falling down. The trouble is, we have seen this in the last film and this time it doesn’t have the advantage of being ‘new’.

I’m not going to waste time on spelling out the plot as frankly this is a film that if you decide to see it, will only be because you are hoping for a bit of a fright and it does make an effort with a storyline…so I don’t want to give anything away just in case.

I will say this – it isn’t a bad film, it’s ok. But ultimately it’s dull.

This film is one that to me just doesn’t work to a home audience. This is a film that could and perhaps did thrive in a ‘live’ environment. Late at night in a packed cinema ideally with one or two slightly drunk nervous types sitting close by. That is the arena for this film.

As I sat at home alone watching it I was craving the reactions, jumps, gasps and all round atmosphere a good, full cinema audience can add to a film because to be blunt, this film does not deliver on its own.

I can think of three sequences in the film that I did really enjoy. I won’t go so far as to say I jumped or my heart rate went anywhere near treadmill level, but they were decent moments that ‘saved’ the film for me.

It has been pretty well made. The cast do a decent job. The additions of the dog and the baby certainly up the stakes and add to the spook factor. But the main problem is that it just isn’t frightening!

If you find that this one is gracing your local cinema with a late night showing get your friends, head to a bar a couple of hours before and enjoy. If you are home alone, you will be disappointed, and you won’t be scared.

As I’m going to try and make a habit of giving movies marks out of 10 then I’d say this one romps home with an almost flat line 4/10.

The Booth At The End

2011-03-23T14:16:00.000Z

Online TV show (FX UK)

http://thebooth.fxuk.com/

Now this one is a real gem I’ve stumbled upon, I think you may end up thanking me for the tip off!

The question: How far would you go to get what you want?

The set up: A man sitting in the end booth of a nondescript diner is visited by a series of different characters. Each character wants something, The Man (his character name is The Man) hears their request and offers them a deal.

The deals: In exchange for their requests; one wants money, another wants to be prettier, another wants to save the life of his son etc, the characters are told they should perform a task that will challenge their beliefs and moral code. One is told to rob a bank, another to kill a criminal…you get the idea. The characters have the choice of completing their challenge in exchange for their request, the only condition is they have to report back to The Man and tell him about it in detail.

The episodes are very short – ranging from just over a minute to about four minutes in length. It is simply shot, and because the concept is so gripping there is no need for padding. This is classic suspense TV. Over the first few episodes we meet all the characters (there are 11 in all including The Man), hear what they want and learn what they have to do in exchange. We then get updates on their progress as they filter back into the diner to give The Man reports, ask for help (they never receive help), and bring developments/doubts/twists.

It really is gripping stuff and I am so excited to see how it is going to unfold. I believe there are 60 episodes in total, but they are only being made available by the day – so far 17 are online on the FX UK site, other regions may already be able to see them all. Needless to say I watched all 17 in one sitting and am eagerly awaiting number 18.

There are some very neat twists around the core plot. Obviously we very quickly question who The Man is and how he is able to make these deals, one character asks him if he is the Devil but he doesn’t answer. A terrific twist is the introduction of a Nun character, Sister Carmel, who wants to hear God again, in exchange for this she has to get pregnant. Interestingly Sarah Clarke who is the real life wife of Xander Berkeley who plays The Man plays Sister Carmel.

Xander Berkeley is fantastic as The Man, playing him dry and straight. There is no ego from someone with such power, no sense of right and wrong from him, and no effort whatsoever to persuade anyone to do it. It is clearly their choice.

It is also worth noting that not all the deeds sound that terrible – one man for example simply has to protect a little girl for 10 weeks, which actually sounds like a positive task.

No doubt the story arc and the different character tasks are on the verge of merging and building. Obviously I’d love to just sit and watch the entire thing in one hit, but this drawn out ‘one a day’ drip feed is certain to keep me coming back for more.

Saint Jude…Live at The Borderline. March 2011.

2011-03-23T10:45:00.000Z

Rock N Roll/Soul/Blues

If you go to enough live gigs then you will know that every now and again it is possible to stumble into some magic.

This was one of those gigs.

I’ve been a fan of Saint Jude for a while, their album found me at the radio station and has been an ipod companion ever since. On first listen I genuinely felt like they were a group of great musicians who had basically sat down with a copy of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion by The Black Crowes and written an album that, song for song, followed the framework set out in the Crowes’ masterpiece. This nod to the Crowes is only meant to compliment Saint Jude as there are few other acts I hold in such high esteem as Chris Robinson and his soon to hiatus group of rockers.

I’m not here to review the album, but just in case you haven’t twigged it yet, it falls into the must own category in my view. It is all that, and a bag of chips.

So, live.

To those rare few that posses a real talent, something unique and different, something that hasn’t been seen or heard before, brilliance is effortless. Lead singer Lynne Jackaman is in possession of such a talent. If Saint Jude make it big it will be Jackaman who takes all the headlines. Her vocal chords have been dipped in the finest rock whiskey, distilled by anthems past, and woven skilfully into a pocket-rocket of a lead singer. Seriously, this girl can sing. Amazing. Like all great acts she, and the band actually sound better live where they have the freedom and adrenaline to let rip.

Jackaman’s voice is a joy to hear, and she doesn’t disappoint with her visual performance. Watching her face as she sings, she is feeling every emotion, guiding us through the meaning of the song as well as treating us to that great sound.

She looks the part too – a pint sized rocker with big sexy hair and a dress that oozes 60s hippy chick.

But how about the rest of the band? The dudes that’ll have to blend into the background behind this joyful, tiny superstar? In a word – outstanding.

I wasn’t quite sure if the band would be able to pull it off live. But I can report with delight that these fellas can play. They have either rehearsed to death or they grew up playing together as they followed each other in perfect sync. Two guitars, one bassist, drums and keys, occasional harmonica and even less occasional backing-vocal – they did their jobs with real class.

As a drummer myself I’m always looking to pounce on the rhythm section, but not a beat was dropped. Like all great drummers Lee Cook appreciates that real class lies in keeping it simple, pounding out the groove and letting the fills speak for themselves.

The guitars wove around each other with a psychedelic rock vibe that made me wonder if I’d fallen back into the 70s, the bass kept the whole thing walking on up soul street, and the unsung hero was the keys. Joe Glossop was stuck out on the corner of the stage, but like in the album, his contribution was to bolster the melody, enrich the tone and hit home some roaring chords from an assortment of gorgeous organ, key and piano sounds.

It was a great gig.

Is there a ‘but’ coming?

Possibly. Although this is not one of Saint Jude’s doing.

My concern actually was the audience.

Saint Jude will quite rightly praise and thank the people that have supported them so far…but I sincerely hope as word grows, the crowd demographic changes. It seemed that about 80% of the people that turned out were aging male rockers with old leather jackets and rapidly escaping hairlines. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with these guys, clearly a quality, well-informed bunch. But they won’t be the future for Saint Jude and actually I felt the band were held back a little by the crowd’s reluctance to get involved with the music. I can only recall one ‘sing along’ moment and there was very little dancing. I know they were appreciated, but this band needs a new market. It is a classic sound with a fresh spin and they deserve to be heard on a grand scale, they need to get young faces in their scene, they need to get female faces in their scene, and they need a party atmosphere that youth and a 50/50 boy girl split would help to drive.

I have a suspicion that Saint Jude are about to soar. Airplay is increasing, they are playing a set of gigs in Germany starting this week, and the festival circuit is about to welcome them with open arms. I really believe they have so much to offer. My advice is catch them before the world catches on so you can say ‘I saw Saint Jude back when they were still playing to a few hundred people’…so you’d better get a wriggle on!

Due Date

2011-03-18T17:30:00.000Z

Film

Well this was a very welcome surprise.

I have heard essentially average to poor things about this movie. But I was chuffed to bits.

Maybe it's a little bit like turning up to a party you really didn't want to go to and ending up having a great time, but I found this film very easy to watch and laughed out loud on several occasions.

The plot is simple - two strangers find themselves having to drive across America together in a race against time. Robert Downey Jnr is the rich one in a suit with a short fuse, he is racing home as his wife has a C-section just days away. Zach Galifianakis, the bearded one from The Hangover, is the permed slightly camp actor with the tiny dog.

These are not two characters who will get along. And this is why it works.

Two fantastic actors, some excellent comic timing, and a decent script. Bingo.

It's no surprise to learn that Todd Phillips is the man holding the tiller, with Old School and The Hangover under his belt he is very much in his comfort zone with this one.

There are no prizes for great direction, I can't think of a single 'original' moment, and you know exactly what is going to happen every step of the way...but none of this actually matters. Due Date is uncomplicated, flows very nicely and provides 95minutes of good, harmless entertainment.

Much of the comedy plays on two key things - Galifianakis being an 'actor' and Downey Jnr's tendency for short and sudden bouts of violence, indeed he even punches a young boy at one point just to stop him messing with his tie.

I have no desire to spoil any of the gags, so I'll simply flag up a couple of high points I enjoyed - some great dialogue about a perm, fun references to Two And A Half Men ('it made me want to be an actor'), and a dog with a special skill.

Of course, it wouldn't be difficult to find plenty of negatives about this film and certainly I think it fair to say it does lose its way a little in the second half. But let's not get overly worried about that, it's not trying to be an epic movie, it's a funny road flick with two excellent leads.

It's not an easy one to mark as I'm still smiling, mark it too high and you'll think it a 'great film', it's not, it's fun. But mark too low and it won't get a look in. So, I'm opting for 7/10 because I think it is worth watching.

Let's get this baby off the ground...

2011-03-18T12:57:00.000Z

Hello blog world.

Straight up time - I've never considered being a blogger before and have little to no idea what a blog is!

So what am I doing? Well, to be honest I thought this would be a forum for me to chat about a few things I'm into right now. So I wanted to talk film, TV, music and sometimes soccer.

I studied film at university, work in TV, am in a band, and have had a tough life as a football fan.

I can't pick a top film, but to demonstrate my tastes here are a few that I love - Blade Runner, Let The Right One In, The Silence Of The Lambs, Animal Kingdom, Howl's Moving Castle, Pan's Labyrinth, The Big Lebowski, The Dark Knight, Anchorman, The Hangover. I know, plenty of well known classics in there, but I don't want to get too obscure in my introduction.

As for TV. I consume far too much TV than is good for me and often find myself getting into shows that are basically crappy, but something about them will keep me coming back for more. It's always hard to choose 'best TV shows' so I'll just use my box-set keepers that are in view as a guide to my tastes: Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Mad Men, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Californication, 30 Rock, nuts, that's all US stuff...ok, a few UKers - Misfits, Being Human, The Office, Spooks. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of guilty pleasure TV - in fact my Sky + is all set up for House, Fringe, the new V series and even Greys Anatomy...and these are probably what I'll end up banging on about!

Oh and a confession - I still watch Neighbours. I saw the first episode when I was a kid and haven't give up. It's the only soap I watch and, even though I know it is awful, I love it. I may even need to get a 'Neighbours Watch' kinda thing going on.

Music is an impossible passion of mine. An addiction. I'm not sure if I'll just talk about the gigs I'm heading to or link up albums etc here as well, but my taste is too broad to narrow down. Unless the tube is on, I have music on constantly...in the house or on headphones. I have a radio show and am always on the hunt for the next big thing, but who isn't huh. Again, I'm not setting out to try and impress anyone, if I like something then chances are I'll want to give it a shout.

As for football, I am a long long suffering Newcastle United fan. It is a horrible thing being a football fan as it is so consuming. And when they lose, which my team make a habit of doing, it sucks. Like all good fans, there is total knowledge on my part that I could and should be the manager of my club.

So...what am I about to get into today? Well, I'm currently reading Y The Last Man, an incredible graphic novel set on Earth where suddenly, and from nowhere all the men on the planet die, except for one young man, a hapless magician who has a pet monkey. I've got to watch Due Date in the next coupla days as I promised a listener I'd discuss it on air next week, a movie I've heard mixed to poor things about. And tonight I'm off to watch Our Style Is Legendary at the theatre.

As for this site, no idea what to expect. I may find it great fun and be posting constantly, this may be my sole offering, watch this space I guess.