Sync Up The Cuts

Source Code Review

2011-04-11T14:41:00.002+01:00

My review of Duncan Jone's sophomore effort Source Code is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here for a direct link.

With Moon as his first feature, David Bowie's son set a pretty high standard for himself! I'd say he comes close though.

Source Code is out now!

13 Assassins Review

2011-04-08T23:56:00.002+01:00

My review of Takashi Miike's latest samurai epic 13 Assassins is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to head straight there.

The third act of this film is ridiculously awesome, check it out if you get the chance!

13 Assassins is released in UK Cinemas on 6th May, although most likely on limited release, so seek it out!

Enjoy your weekends!

My Soul To Take Review

2011-04-04T18:06:00.003+01:00

My review of Wes Craven's Scream 4 stopgap, 'My Soul To Take', is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to go straight to the link!

Really hoping that this one isn't an indication of how good Scream 4 will be, because if it is...

Oh and despite what the poster might say, the DVD isn't in 3D! Mercifully.

DVD/Blu Ray is out today!

Monsters Review (Jameson Cult Film Club)

2011-03-10T16:52:00.002Z

My review of the Jameson Cult Film Club screening of Gareth Edwards' excellent debut Monsters at The Royal College of Surgeons in Holborn is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to go straight over.

The event was a lot of fun! Hopefully I'll get to go to more of these!

Oh and FYI, Gareth Edwards next project is gonna be the Toho-approved Godzilla reboot! Can't wait! Here's hoping he's using the Roland Emmerich one as a 'How-not-to' guide...

Drive Angry 3D Review

2011-03-10T16:48:00.002Z

Bit late posting the link for this, but my review of Nicholas Cage's most recent excursion into hilariously demented fare, Drive Angry 3D, is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here.

If you like your movies with tongues wedged firmly in cheeks, this one's right up your alley!

Brighton Rock Review

2011-02-07T22:48:00.003Z

My review of the new adaption of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock is up now over at Flickering Myth.

Why not pop over, have a read and comment/ discuss?

Clicky right here.

Enjoy your weeks!

John Carpenter's The Ward Review

2011-01-30T10:42:00.005Z

My review of John Carpenter's The Ward, his return to the silver screen after over a decade in the wilderness (well, TV) is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to go straight there!

Not to ruin it or anything, but anyone expecting the genius of Halloween, The Thing or even The Fog is gonna be a bit disappointed...

Hope everyone has a cool Sunday!

I'm Still Here Review

2011-01-18T23:31:00.003Z

Hey hey, my review of 'The-Joaquin-Phoenix-goes-mental-movie' I'm Still Here is up now over at Flickering Myth, clickety-click right here.

More Punktastic Album Reviews

2011-01-15T15:33:00.003Z

Hey hey, my reviews for the debut albums from post-hardcore/soundscape outfit 'Amia Venera Landscape' and metalcore band 'Bury The Archive' are up right now over at Punktastic. Take a look here and here.

Punktastic is also having a bit of a redesign so check it out and keep up to date with all the latest news and developments in the world of Punk Rock.

Enjoy your weekends!

The Reef Review

2010-12-21T00:59:00.002Z

My review of the new shark thriller 'The Reef' is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here!

The Reef is out on DVD on the 24th January.

This might be my last post before Christmas guys so Merry Xmas everyone! Watch loads of movies, listen to tons of music and spend some time with the family! Go on, it won't kill ya!

Rog

Tron Legacy Review

2010-12-06T11:43:00.002Z

My review of Tron Legacy is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to shoot on over.

Happy Monday!

No Impact Man Review

2010-12-01T13:27:00.003Z

My review of the enjoyably informative 'No Impact Man' is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to go straight to the review.

The film's just been released on DVD, check it out! I really dug it.

Tron Legacy screening on Thursday!! Saw most of it already yesterday at work but can't wait to sit back and see the whole thing properly!

The Next Three Days Review

2010-11-21T19:59:00.002Z

My review of Paul Haggis' latest 'The Next Three Days' starring Russell Crowe is up now over at Flickering Myth, click here to go straight the review.

Hope everyone's enjoying their Sundays!

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone @ Cargo, 15th November 2010

2010-11-17T02:20:00.006Z

Unfortunately I arrive too late to see support band 'Munch Munch', Transport for London and Southern Rail letting me down once again. Seriously, their automated tannoy apologies are so insincere as to be almost insulting, but thats a rant for another day.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, aka Owen Ashworth, has for thirteen years now built himself a cult fanbase playing super lo-fi music on cheap, vintage keyboards (hence 'casiotone') and utilising plastic beats, coupled with disarmingly frank lyrics delivered in a low almost-mumble. He's decided to make this his last tour, and is retiring his moniker to work on new musical projects. So with this being considered his farewell tour, a sizeable quantity of fans have come out of the woodwork to sell out Cargo tonight.

He arrives on stage dressed in a long-sleeved red check shirt, instantly recognisable in his thick-framed glasses and bushy beard (currently a popular look among the indie circuit, a brief glance around Cargo tonight confirms this). Greeting the audience shyly, he launches into a solid forty minutes of classics, including singles 'White Corolla' and 'Young Shields', before opening the show up to the audience, essentially turning the remaining hour and a half of the show into a request session. Owen greets each shouted song title with either 'Yes', 'I'm sorry no', or 'We'll get to that one later' although he largely accepts most of the songs asked of him.

On one requested song, which he explains he didn't write the lyrics to, therefore can't actual remember them, he appeals to the audience for someone to take the stage and sing instead. Greeted by silence however, he concedes to play a few more songs first “while you all decide”. Eventually a girl volunteers herself, apparently a 'veteran' of previous Casiotone... shows and ascends the stage to great encouragement from the crowd. She does herself proud, seeing the song word-for-word and note-to-note, while Owen backs her on his various vintage synths.

His initial shyness opens up to a wryly amusing stage presence, as he recounts various comedic stories to a rapt audience, including how his German tour booker (“He's German, so he's very funny'), being aware of his preference for carrot cake, put on his rider that “Owen would like some water, and a carrot cake”. Being unaware of this, Owen then had to eat carrot cake every day of the tour! In fact another cake story, after an audience member enquires about a cake he ate in Glasgow, is followed by someone else from the crowd handing him a tiny tupperware box of cake! Every bit the anti-rockstar, Owen accepts the gift excitedly, but declines to eat it on stage, stating, “I don't like eating in front of lots of people”.

Other tales he shares with us are more heartbreaking (although not devoid of humour), such as the story behind a song which he wrote for someone he knew who worked as an 'escort' of sorts at an airport. He would spend his work days taking people to their connecting flights and keeping them company while they waited for said flight. He spent an hour with a finnish masters student and completely fell in love with her, before having to put her on a plane and never see her again. In a bar, he was drowning his sorrows, commenting “Man, fuck minnesota, it's so cold. I'm gonna move to Finland!”

The punchlines make the stories he imparts no less touching, an effect he also achieves in his songs. A line in 'Calloused Fingers Won't Make You Strong, Edith Wong' - “You can hide in the cinema, you've got the money to spend. But the movies always end, then its your life again.” in particular caught my attention, a tribute to escapism but also a grudging acceptance that real life must be returned to eventually.

Playing just the one encore, Owen leaves us with a brief explanation of his future musical endeavours, including his new project, departing on, “See you in 2012” and leaving the stage to rapturous applause. It's comforting to know that while we won't hear these particular tender, raw outpourings of emotion again, there will be more from Owen Ashworth. I'm willing to bet he won't leave his keyboards to gather dust, whatever music he makes in the future.

The Skints @ The Peel, Kingston, 21st October 2010

2010-11-14T14:55:00.006Z

Bit late posting this one, again! My bad!

With support from Random Hand, Mouthwash and JB Conspiracy

We arrived just as JB Conspiracy's set was coming to an end, but what we saw was bouncy, energetic ska-punk with driving horn sections. Strong melodies ran throughout but we didn't really see enough of their set to get a feel for them. Hopefully catch them again soon. 3/5

Mouthwash are on next, and they kick off with a decidedly 'old-school' tune, 'Drop the Bomb' from their 2001 Hellcat debut '1000 Stories', which whips the now-packed Peel into a frenzy. The majority of the material played is from second album, 'True Stories', arguably their more well-known release, which after a “Is everyone up for a good dance?” from vocalist Nipa gets us all skanking away gleefully. At one point Josh from the Skints appears on stage to adlib some reggae-style rapping, which blends in with the song so well you'd presume it was on the record. Definitely one of the tightest and most enjoyable bands on the London scene, Mouthwash deserve to be massive. To be fair, they're well on their way. 5/5

Second support Random Hand play their own fired-up brand of ska-punk & hardcore, with singer/trombone player Robin splitting the crowd up into girls & guys, before instigating huge circle pits from the two groups. Leaping into the fray himself, Robin crowdsurfs trombone in hand, which prompts guitarist Matthew to leap in as well, almost losing his guitar in the process! Certainly the most intense band on the bill, these social-political Yorkshire guys definitely know how to tear it up. 4/5

Headliners The Skints are hotly anticipated by the time their slot comes around. Having played an intimate acoustic performance at Banquet Records earlier that day, they appear just as excited about the show as the eager crowd. Their blinding take on reggae-dub-punk has been building a decent following for a while, aided by some hardcore touring and straight up amazing tunes. Every time I catch them live they seem to have somehow got even tighter, with multi-instrumentalist Marcia taking centre stage alternating between keys, flute, melodica and vocals. Her sweet, melodic voice backs up Josh and insanely-talented drummer Jamie's reggae-rap vocals, while bassist Jonathan grins away through the smooth dub basslines. Smart, talented and with a good ear for a tune, The Skints represent the very forefront of London's underground ska-punk scene, wearing the rich musical influences of the capital proudly on their sleeves. 5/5

Surviving Life Review

2010-11-09T11:25:00.003Z

My review of Jan Svankmajer's latest (and potentially last feature) 'Surviving Life (Theory and Practice)', which was part of this years BFI London Film Festival, is up now over at Flickering Myth - have a butchers here. If you've never heard of Svankmajer, you're really missing out! Add some surrealist genius to your week! Here's a link to one of his early short films on youtube to get you started.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Record Reviews

2010-11-08T23:15:00.002Z

My next batch of record reviews are all up over at Punktastic, there's reviews of The Rookie League , The Dead Agenda, The Last Republic and The Misery Addicts & Beast split 7", all for perusal, just have a clickety-click on the band name you wanna read about.

Hope everyone enjoys their weeks!

Kaboom Review

2010-11-03T08:12:00.002Z

My review of Gregg Araki's pseudo-return to form 'Kaboom' is up over at Flickering Myth, take a look see here.

Also if you want more of my thoughts on Araki (don't lie, of course you do) an old review of his previous film Smiley Face is on this very blog! Fancy that! Click here. You know you want to. There's even an 'out of ten' rating for it, which I totally don't do anymore.

Hope everyone is having a dandy week so far, there should be some more of my record reviews on Punktastic soonish.

Update time!

2010-10-31T22:02:00.003Z

So yeah, it's update time. I suppose you already discerned that from the title.

Well the big news is I've started writing for the mighty Punktastic! Yeah I'm pretty damn stoked about it too! My first two reviews are up here & here, there'll be much more to follow, don't y'all be worrying.

Hope everyone's enjoyed / still enjoying their Halloweens! ; )

'Tron Night' 25-Minute Preview

2010-10-28T10:20:00.002+01:00

So I managed to catch the 'Tron Night' 25 minute preview two days early (there's certain perks to being a projectionist), read my review of it over at Flickering Myth here.

Hope everyone going to see it today enjoys it! It's amazing!

Abe Vigoda @ Cargo, 13th October 2010

2010-10-23T22:49:00.005+01:00

Bit late posting this one, my bad.

With support from Echo Lake and Naked on the Vague

Even though we don’t get to the venue until pretty late (a frequent personal trend I’m afraid!) we arrive in time to see the first band, so either they’re all running late or it’s just cool to be late on. Either way, first support Echo Lake take the stage to a depressingly quiet Cargo, the venue only being about a quarter full. Even more unfortunate is that the venue doesn’t get any busier for headliners Abe Vigoda. But I’ll come back to that. Echo Lake play an enjoyable, catchy form of poppy shoegaze, with sweet female vocals and memorable synth lines coupled with fuzzy guitars. They’ve got a big sound that flourishes when combined with Cargo’s excellent sound system. These local London kids could be on to something big.

Next up are Naked on the Vague, a four-piece playing their own brand of shoegaze. Unfortunately, they’re awful. I rarely describe a band that harshly, but these guys have a lot of problems. Firstly, the female lead vocals have way too much delay and reverb on them, turning the singer’s voice into a low drone. They may well have been going for this kind of sound, but some uninspired guitar work, a simply terrible bass player (wearing a single leather glove?) and that they even fall out of time with each other renders them pretty unlistenable. According to the audience reaction though, this opinion went no further than myself and my accompanying friend. Their keyboard broke mid-set leaving them standing around dumbly while the singer tried to fix it, a couple of things were mumbled to the audience but the lack of charisma was jarring. Their drummer was pretty good though, so at least they had some redeeming qualities.

Abe Vigoda take to the stage shortly after, but as I mentioned, the venue is still sadly under-attended. Taking it in their stride though, they introduce themselves and quickly belt into material from their new album, playing excellent new single Throwing Shade as their second track. Right from the opening, we see the difference their new drummer makes. Their old drummer fused the band’s reverb-heavy noise punk with tropical rhythms, making them one of the most original and intriguing bands to emerge from California in recent years. New sticksman Dane Chadwick has the tropical beats down but is also heavily into his electronics & drum machines, making for an absurdly talented addition to the band. During Throwing Shade he sets the drum machine going, then comes out from behind his kit, picks up a guitar to play the extra guitar parts, then half-way through scurries back behind his kit to switch over to live drums seamlessly. Very impressive!

The rest of the band don't disappoint either. The guitarist/keyboard player switches between instruments frequently mid-song while leaping about the stage and the singer/guitarist jolts up and down to the rhythms, except with his mouth acting as if its glued to the microphone!

With the addition of Chadwick, the band have moved into a new direction, evidenced here and on new album 'Crush'. The calypso rhythms, jangly, reverb-soaked guitars and fuzzy vocals are all still present but the electronic beats and lush keyboards push the songs to new, soaring heights, with the band establishing an extremely unique sound on top of one that was already very much their own. With the exception of a brief keyboard glitch (“I still don't know how this thing works!”) the band play the songs with an intensity and confidence earned over years of touring and simply having infectious, original songs to play.

Requests for older material is strangely met with an apology and “It's just not really what we're about anymore”, rather unusual a response, for a band to deny their previous material in such a way. They're not spiteful about it, just very matter of fact, and it's about half-way through the gig that the band start to look tired.

They play a relatively short set, and when yells for an encore start to erupt the majority of the band aren't keen, stating their exhaustion as an explanation. It takes the singer to persuade them to play one last song, which they do reluctantly, but you can see on their faces that the tour has really worn them down. They clearly love what they're doing, the new songs are fantastic and they play them superbly, but a heavy tour playing to semi-empty rooms must begin to take it's toll on a band who I suspect are living rather hand-to-mouth. Keep going though guys, because you're right on the cusp of hitting it big.

Crystal Castles @ The Roundhouse, 15 October 2010

2010-10-17T19:41:00.002+01:00

Due to some ticket switching / organisational issues (Ok, we thought they’d be on way earlier) we manage to miss support bands Team Ghost and Health. I was particularly looking forward to seeing how mental Health would be live (I had their crazy Pitchfork TV ‘Don’t Look Down’ set as an idea of what to expect) but I’ll have to catch them another time.

Crystal Castles appear onstage wreathed in smoke so thick you can barely see the tiny frame of Alice Glass, but as they break into their first song, she emerges from the smoke wearing an oversize hoodie and clutching a bottle of vodka. New single ‘Baptism’ is played second, with Alice seeming to feed off the ecstatic reaction from the audience, and from here on in, she’s as hyperactive as we’ve come to expect.

Producer Ethan Kath remains an intriguing opposite to Glass onstage, hunched over his electronics, hood up, beard obscuring face. He occasionally steps out from behind his equipment to play guitar or provide vocals on some tracks, but he largely remains tied to his synths and drum machines. Their live session drummer obviously stays behind his kit too, but Alice more than makes up for it, catapulting herself from one end of the stage to the other, leaping into the audience, crowd-surfing and hopping up onto the bass drum and bashing crash cymbals all while screaming her lungs out and swigging from various bottles.

Musically, the band are absolutely spot on, so tight that we could well be listening to the record, were it not that the beats, synths and Alice’s vocals sounding even harsher and abrasive live. The sound at The Roundhouse is excellent (quite an achievement when you consider the height of the ceilings) and the mix is punishingly loud, the kick drum and bass hits bludgeoning the audience with a ferocity only matched by Glass’ delivery.

Equally worthy of merit is the excellent light show, strobing and pulsating along to the music, starting with just white flashes but progressing to other colours as the set continues before returning to black & white. The white flashing lights conjured up images of grainy nuclear-bomb test videos, an association I’m sure the band would be pleased with.

Crystal Castles have managed to maintain a certain air of mystery and aloofness around themselves, an approach that suits the obliqueness of their music, creating an air of ‘pure performance’ about their live show. The impression is that of a band only there to play their songs then leave, to entertain but not interact, existing in their own nihilistic headspace. It’s only right at the end of the show that any of them address the audience, with Glass garbling ‘Thank-you London’ through her distorted microphone before she and Kath skulk off stage to a deafening cacophony of electronic feedback. The screeching echoes out across the venue, drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine’s (and more recently Yuck’s) end-show habits of propping their instruments up against their amplifiers and letting the feedback ring out. Pure performance, and an incredible one at that.

It's Kind of a Funny Story Review

2010-10-12T23:52:00.003+01:00

Hey so my review of Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck's latest 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' is up now over at Flickering Myth, have a butchers here.

Also, if anyone's got a spare minute, scooch on over to The Movie411 to vote for Flickering Myth as your favourite blog! Because it'd be awesome if we won it. I'd be your best friend and all that jazz.

Hope everyone's enjoying their week!

Buried Review

2010-09-07T13:57:00.004+01:00

Hey there, my review of the stunningly minimalist 'Buried' (ninety minutes of Ryan Reynolds trapped in a box) is up now over at Flickering Myth. Take a look-see here, and go ahead and comment!

If you get a chance, go check it out, you won't be disappointed! I believe it's getting a small release at the end of this month, so track it down!

BTW There's probably won't be any posts or reviews from me for about two weeks because I'm heading to the South of France for a well deserved holiday! Huzzah! Keep reading Flickering Myth though for other great film reviews and check out this blogs archives if you fancy it.

Ok, so Au Revoir and have a fun fortnight people! See you in two.

Against Me! Instore Acoustic @ Banquet Records, Kingston and Live @ The Fighting Cocks – 26th August 2010

2010-08-31T23:24:00.009+01:00

Against Me! have been favourites of mine for a couple of years now, I’d finally managed to catch them live earlier this year (see my review here) at The Garage in London and they were absolutely fantastic. My expectations were naturally very high, for both the show at The Fighting Cocks and the earlier ‘unplugged’ instore at Banquet Records, especially considering the bands acoustic beginnings.

Florida’s finest actually started out as the one-man acoustic act of frontman Tom Gabel, before eventually expanding to a four piece. As such, the bands first album, ‘Reinventing Axl Rose’ was an acoustic-based, politically charged effort in the vein of folk-punk which shone with raw, aggressive energy. These origins have always existed as a strong base with Tom Gabel’s incredible, punchy voice and scathing political lyrics being the driving features of the band for their subsequent releases.

We arrived at Banquet Records just as the band had started their set and with the tiny record store being crammed with other excited fans we were stuck at the back, but the sound system that had been rigged up by the shop was excellent, all the instruments and most importantly Tom’s voice coming through clear as a bell even from the back.laying mostly a mix of their old material (obviously) and stripped-down versions of tracks from their new release ‘White Crosses’, each song drawing rapturous applause and sing-a-longs from the majority of the crowd. Old favourites ‘Pints of Guinness Make You Strong’ and ‘Sink, Florida, Sink’ (video here) get the best response, most of us punching the air and singing along to every word, with Tom stepping back from his microphone at points to hear the words being sang back at him. The White Crosses material sounds fantastic acoustic, with the band treading new ground themselves, having not played some of the new songs acoustic before!

Bizarrely though, there seems to be a few people present who aren’t singing, aren’t enjoying the music, aren’t even clapping after songs! Strange that such a tiny, intimate gig would not be crammed with nothing but die-hard fans. But they don’t damage the atmosphere, which is one of a crowd completely adoring of the band and most refreshing of all, a band completely adoring of their fans. After the show we all file out and queue up outside Banquet for the band signing, which, when we get inside to meet them, confirms the stories we’ve heard about Against Me! - that they’re the nicest bunch of guys in a band you could ever hope to meet.

The Fighting Cocks is somewhat of a punk staple in the music community that has built up around Kingston. Comprising of a bar with a tiny venue out back, they have a growing reputation for booking some big name bands, a reputation further galvanised by tonight’s show.

We just manage to cram ourselves into the Cocks as the band are heading in and they literally have to squeeze past all of us to get to the tiny stage, which is barely a foot off the ground. Thankfully, myself and my friend have got ourselves in a prime position for the gig, only about one or two rows back from the band, and at one point during the show me and another guy are literally right in front of Tom, yelling the words back at him!

Anticipation for the show has been running at an all time-high (the tickets sold out in 4 minutes!) and as soon as the band takes to the stage, the whole crowd erupts. What follows is one of the most electric and energetic gigs Kingston has ever seen, with the entire room going crazy, arms in the air and voices singing along in unison. The band showcase material across their entire life-span with each song’s lyrics being spat out and screamed with fiery passion from Tom. Andrew, George and James back him up with thunderous bass-lines, taut drumming and searing lead, the band operating like a tight, muscular machine. ‘White People for Peace’ is my personal choice of the evening, but it’s great to hear the new album material sound just as epic and powerful in such a tiny venue as it does on record. The Fighting Cocks capacity is only about 150, and the venue gets extremely hot, especially when its packed to the rafters like it is tonight. Both the crowd and the band are absolutely drenched in sweat, but this only adds to the intimate spirit of this incredible show.

The best element of the Cocks is partially owed to its aforementioned tiny stage height and intimacy – there is practically no divide between the band and the audience. You are right in the band’s faces, singing the songs back at them in an exuberant display of music and comradery. One of the original ideals of punk rock was the breaking down of boundaries between musicians and fans and Against Me! have always been advocates of this, from playing tiny, intimate shows to being open and friendly with their fans. The perfect venue to see the most vital punk band on the planet right now, tonight’s show was nothing short of incredible. I know I said the same thing about their previous show at The Garage, but Against Me! at The Fighting Cocks was simply my best gig of the year so far, a sentiment the band themselves agreed on, with Tom Gabel responding to my Tweet of “best gig of the year” with “Best gig of my year for sure. I'm still out of breath!”.

See what I mean? The barrier between band and fan is simply not there.

Photos by Maryam Hassan of Maryam Photography. Used with permission. Check out her website for more great photos from this gig and many others -maryamphotography.co.uk/

Note - The video I link to was not filmed by me. I'm not sure who filmed it, but it's great that they did! You can find in on the Banquet Records Website - banquetrecords.com

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Heaven, 29th July 2010

2010-08-25T20:00:00.005+01:00

Wow this is late! I've had this review finished for ages, only realised just now that I hadn't posted it! I was doing music reviews for The Music Vent, but that's kind of died down so my music reviews will be back on here for a while, until I find a new home for them.

Anyways, hope you like it, comment if you feel like it and there's more where this came from!

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart with support from Yuck

I’d heard good things about the venue Heaven in ‘gig mode’, in fact only one of my friends didn’t really like it. The main concert area is a long, high-ceiling-ed hall underneath the bridge arches, with the stage at one end and a small bar at the other. There’s an equally long but thinner area running adjacent to the hall, with a longer bar and cloakroom facilites, with about four or five entrance ways between the two areas. A venue with such a layout would perhaps suffer from poor acoustics, but I was pleasantly surprised at how fantastic the sound was, despite the two bands playing having slightly unconventional acoustic arrangements.

We arrive just as support act ‘Yuck’ have played their first song or two, and we quickly take a liking to them. Considering they only have a basic band setup of drums, bass and two guitarists, they’re making a thunderous, astonishing amount of noise. Favouring the feedback-heavy, distorted sound of My Bloody Valentine, Yuck steer the songs from collapsing under the noise by imbuing them with sweet male & female melodies.

Reminiscent of the British fuzz-box pop bands of the C-86 era, this four piece are set for big things, appearing confident on stage but still looking like they’re enjoying themselves. At the end of their set, they prop their guitars up against their amps and leave the stage, leaving ear-splitting feedback ringing out across the venue until a roadie comes out and switches the amps off. A wonderfully brash and nonplussed end to their set. I definitely want to see these guys again!

I last saw The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at last years Dot-to-Dot Bristol Festival, they were pretty much my band of 2009 and I was especially blown away by their first UK show at The Lexington (also last year). At that gig, they had no idea of their popularity in this country, so they were rather taken aback when they were greeted with such rapturous applause and sing-a-longs! We even made them play two encores before frontman Kip announced “I’m sorry, we don’t have any more songs!”

They take the stage to enthusiastic response from the huge crowd, still looking as nervous as if this were their first gig! They break into ‘This Love is Fucking Right!’, and we all start to sing and bop along. New single ‘Say No To Love’, album track ‘A Teenager in Love’, my personal favourite ‘Stay Alive’ and EP title track ‘Higher Than The Stars’ all go down well from the rapt, ecstatic crowd, and its obvious that the band are enjoying themselves - sweet, nervous smiles spread across their faces, like they can’t quite believe the response they’re getting. In between songs, someone shouts out ‘I love you!’ to keyboard/ vocalist Peggy to which she giggles and nervously replies, “I love you, too.” Adorable.

The band are currently in the middle of recording the follow up to their debut album, and we’re treated to a couple of new songs, which shimmer and hook you in from the start. Despite the crowd not knowing the words, we feel as if we already know the songs, the familiar boy-girl vocals of Kip and Peggy carrying catchy, sweet melodies over the fuzzy guitars and beautiful keyboard lines.

They end their set on their self titled song, ‘The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’, a track from their now out of print EP, a welcome surprise, being that I don’t recall them playing it the other times I’d seen them live, with the crowd lapping it up happily. They return for a two song encore including more new tracks, the band obviously very pleased with the reaction the other new material received.

Their set overall did feel a little short, (they easily have enough material to put on a good long show), however the venue had an early cut-off time for the show, something crazy like 10:15pm! Apparently this was because after the gig Heaven was resuming usual programming with ‘Gay Porn Idol’, hence the early finish time. A shame, but not enough to take away the sweet, floaty sensation that typically accompanies a Pains of Being Pure at Heart gig. Another wonderful show from an amazing band, who incredibly, are still adapting to their rocketing rise to fame.

Splice Review

2010-08-02T12:20:00.002+01:00

Afternoon film-fans,

my review of Vincenzo Natali's latest feature 'Splice' is up now on Flickering Myth, have a look right here!

Enjoy your Mondays!

Rog

Toy Story 3 Review

2010-07-25T14:30:00.002+01:00

Hey hey,

My review of Pixar's latest cinematic-wonder Toy Story 3 is up now over at Flickering Myth, have a look here.

Hope everyone's enjoying their Sunday! (I'm at work - boo!)

Rog

Green Day Live Review

2010-06-30T16:08:00.002+01:00

Afternoon music musos,

My live review of Green Day at Wembley Stadium with support from Joan Jett and Frank turner is up now on The Music Vent.

Check it out! Joan Jett was ridiculously awesome!

rog

Against Me! Live Review

2010-06-24T02:07:00.002+01:00

Hey music fans,

My review of Against Me! live at The Garage on the 1st of June is now up for perusing on The Music Vent, right here

The new Against Me! album is flat out incredible by the way! Give it a spin!

Rog

The Brothers Bloom

2010-06-14T19:51:00.002+01:00

Evening internet-savvy peeps!

I've got my new review of Rian Johnsons latest filmic masterstroke, 'The Brothers Bloom' up over at the rather excellent Flickering Myth!

Cast your eyes upon it!

Vicki Isitt has also got an excellent review for the film on Flickering Myth, right here.

Dot-to-Dot 2010

2010-06-14T19:48:00.004+01:00

Hey there.

My festival report for Dot-to-Dot Bristol 2010 is now up over at The Music Vent, have a butchers here.

;)

Bad Lieutenant : Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) Review

2010-05-25T15:56:00.002+01:00

Hey sports fans,

My review for Werner Herzog's interesting 're-imagining' of Abel Ferrara's classic 1992 feature Bad Lieutenant is up on Flickering Myth.

Have a look here, comment, cuss or just vent!

Lebanon Review

2010-05-13T14:12:00.002+01:00

Hey Shiny Happy People,

My review of the excellent Lebanon is up on flickeringmyth.com - have a looksee here.

:)

New Article & Review

2010-05-10T10:02:00.002+01:00

Up on Flickering Myth there's my review of Hot Tub Time Machine and my article 'John Cusack - A Male Archetype for our Generation?'

Check them out!

:)

Latest Update!

2010-05-06T12:28:00.006+01:00

Ok!

So, after a brief period of inactivity, I'm writing reviews and stuff again! Huzzah! I've started writing for two blogs, a film focused one and a music one. The film one is called 'Flickering Myth' and can be found here and the music one is called 'The Music Vent' and can be found here.

So far I've written an Iron Man II review for Flickering Myth and for The Music Vent I've written a live review of Men @ Cargo and a record review for The Drums EP.

There's gonna be lots more to follow, I'll link to them all from this blog as and when they're published. I'm really stoked to be involved with these too awesome blogs, you guys should definitely read the other authors who update them too.

Hope everyone is fine and dandy :)

Rog

New Name! & Update

2010-01-27T11:12:00.003Z

---> NEW NAME! Ok, so the old name was really lame, right? I couldn't think of a name I wanted, or the ones I did come up with had already been taken, hence lame-name. But now I've used a line from one of my favorite Against Me! songs, seems relevant because the songs about staleness and conformity in the music business, but a broad reading could relate it to any artistic institution with profit making arms. So, you know, I think it fits. And it sounds cool.

Also I'm abandoning the rating system, just seems kinda irrelevant plus I'm not fond of justifying to myself why I've only given something nine out of ten even if I really loved it and can't find anything fundamentally wrong with it.

Post and updates should be a little less sporadic, particularly as I'm considering more inclusions of random updates, like this one, as well as standard reviews. Well this blogs really just for 'writing practice' for myself anyway so I guess anything goes.

Anyways, much love! Thanks for reading, accidentally or otherwise.

Up In The Air (Jason Reitman, 2009)

2010-01-25T00:02:00.007Z

Following his previous two features, 'Thank You For Smoking' and the hugely popular 'Juno', Jason Reitman takes an oppurtunity to revisit a script he originally penned in 2002, albeit now with a darker tone to the humour to reflect the recession-climate. George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man whose job is to help companys who need to fire their employees, but lack the skills or courage to do it themselves. While this would be a daunting career choice for some, Bingham revels in it, but in particular the time it allows him to spend 'Up In The Air', literally, flying across the USA to the various companies in need of his specific service. Clooney uses his signature smart-guy charm to perfection here, creating a cynical yet blackly hilarious character, one who has built up walls around himself, cutting himself off from his family, the women he meets in his various destinations, and ultimately himself. He at first is shown to enjoy this isolation, a point further highlighted when he does his backpack-themed talks on 'How much does your life weigh?' in which he instructs workers in how to cut-off additional 'baggage', showing his joyfully cynical approach to life, "Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die."

The two major characters who enter the picture affect his approach to himself and the existence he leads. Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a woman he meets in one of many hotel bars, explains herself hilariously with the line, "Just think of me as you with a vagina". She appears to want the exact same things from life as Bingham, incuding a casual relationship, but later on Ryan begins to want more, leading to an awkward confrontation and a reassessing of his life goals. Clooney and Farmiga work extremely well opposite each other, their casually cold relationship imbued with sparks of genuine romantic attraction and subtle nuances.

The other key character is Natalie Keener, the young upstart at the 'firing company' Ryan works for, who, on the orders of Bingham's boss Craig Gregory (played by the ever-funny Jason Bateman), has to accompany Ryan on several trips to be 'shown the ropes'. She wants to implement a online 'firing program', in which the company can interact, as in fire, unwanted employees from a computer terminal, thereby greatly improving efficiency. This however, means no travelling is required, which poses a threat to Ryan's way of life.
At first Ryan is irritated at having to 'babysit' Natalie, but after her boyfriend breaks up with her via text message, her 'go-getter' exterior lifts. Ryan and Alex take her to a company party they gatecrash where she finally relaxes and enjoys herself. Her prescence creates an almost fatherly, mentor effect in Clooney's character, while her youthfulness and referral to him as 'old' bring sharp barbs of humour.

Besides the two main female characters, the other factor that affects Ryan's life-view is the reintroduction of his family though his sister's wedding, where he gets roped into taking pictures of a cardboard cut-out of the couple in random locations. He treats this task with utter disdain, unable to understand why the couple would want pictures of themselves in places they've never been to. Its later revealed by them that they couldn't really afford a honeymoon so they wanted pictures of places they could have gone to. This highlights the characters differing opinions on travel - Ryan loves to travel but has almost no interest in landmarks, exploring or any tourist activities - he simply enjoys the concept of being away from home. The couple on the other hand, want to visit these tourist attractions so badly that they'll happily pretend just to gain some of the 'experience'.

Later on though, when the groom starts to experience some 'cold feet', its Ryan who has to step up, using his silver-tongued skills in a hilarious scene with Ryan's older sister, the one who initially contacts him about the photo idea, in the background through the window grimacing at Ryan's methods of talking down the groom. Its the wedding scenes and the reconnection, notably with his older sister, that instill further thoughts in Ryan, that perhaps he does miss a more settled life instead, or at least simply realising that he does miss his family.

Similarities to Reitman's previous two features are present, but its his first, 'Thankyou For Smoking', that bears the most recurring themes and style. Like Thankyou, Up In The Air's comedy is black and cynical, dealing with argueably dislikable characters in morally questionable professions that at first charm us with their wit before going on to show their more vulnerable sides. They also both deal with protagonists isolated from mainstream society due to their professions, and their seperate reasons to do so - Ryan for his joy of travelling isolation and lack of relationships, Thankyou For Smoking's Nick Naylor for the oppurtunity to defend a moral scapegoat and utilise his spin skills.

One interesting factor is the way travelling is presented throughout the film. Through Ryan's eyes, the idea of different cities and being constantly 'on the road' is romanticised, but not in the classical way of discovering oneself or a country, but more in the idea of a departure from expected norms and relationships. As mentioned above, his sister and her fiance view travel from a tourist, mainstream-exploration perspective, while Alex sees it as an desirable escape from her family life, but with the knowledge that she can frequently return to that life.

A key scene which appears towards the end of the film shows Ryan reaching his 'goal' - collecting ten million frequent flyer miles, a personal goal that is referred to earlier on in the film as simply, "The miles are the goal". When he does actually reach this target, and he recieves his membership card and meets the chief pilot, Ryan is surprised to find himself deflated by the experence. He realises, at this later point in the film, after the wedding, the relationship with Alex and the roadtrip / life lessons from Natalie that the miles don't make him feel complete. He starts to consider that he wants some of the things he had previously shunned and he begins to reassess his life.

The film ends with him looking at a departure board, before we see a sweeping POV plane shot and we hear Ryan's closing monologue, "The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places; and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over." Is this a sign that he wants to reconnect with a way of life he previously wanted no part of? Or is he simply accepting of his fate? The open-ending leaves it in the viewers hands.

Vampire Weekend @ The Hippodrome, Kingston - 14th January 2010

2010-01-17T19:37:00.006Z

We've been waiting for forty minutes past the announced on-stage time of 11pm when a small doubt starts to surface in our minds, an unscratchable itch of a thought. My friend voices it - "What if its all a practical joke and they're not actually playing?" We laugh, but it almost seems plausable. Vampire Weekend have been riding high on a wave of anticipation for their second album 'Contra', even more eclectic than their self-titled debut while quickly pushing them from much-adored indie-darlings to being a huge, chart-topping behemoth of a band. Surely they would'nt be playing 'Little-Old Kingston'?

Thankfully though, after another ten minutes, they finally appear, amusingly to the tune of 'Let Me Clear My Throat' blaring over the P.A. Despite having apparently played two other shows that day(!) since getting off the plane, they still appear fresh-faced and genuinly ecstatic at the joyfully energetic reception we give them.

Bucking the trend of bands with new albums of only playing new album material, their set is actually a roughly 50/50 mix of recent album and first disc, with 'A-Punk' and 'Oxford Comma' getting some of the biggest cheers from the crowd. New single 'Cousins' is played with even more energy and break-neck speed than the recording, and 'White Sky', played early on in the set and featuring frontman Ezra's almost ridiculously high-pitched vocals also get great responses.

Theres a real tightness to the band, particularly the rhythm section, who hold down the african-pop inspired beats perfectly, while the guitars and keyboards flow yet stab where necessary. Record-only elements such as the string section in 'M79' are substituted nicely with keys and the only other noticeable differences in the songs are the speed they're played at! As with 'Cousins', the band play the songs quicker but no less smoother, showcasing the bands confidence in their skills musically and, most importantly, their songs.

Videos and photos from the night are on the Banquet Records page.

Green Day @ The O2, London (23rd October 2009)

2009-10-25T18:05:00.006Z

During the show at London's O2 (formerly the Millenium Dome), Billie Joe Armstrong stops the band and announces that this month marks the twenty-first anniversary of Green Day being together. From their early beginnings as 'Sweet Children' through to their striking gold with their pop punk classic 'Dookie' and eventually on to the stadium rock of recent years, Green Day are a band who always seemed to know exactly what they were doing. Their sixth studio album, Warning, found the band maturing with their listeners, whereas the band that emerged with 2005's 'American Idiot' and follow up '21st Century Breakdown' were a newly invigorated, politically minded machine which earned the trio a whole new fanbase of teenagers who identified with the huge rock and roll sound and angry lyricism.

This mix of older fans and young new recruits are fully evidenced tonight, with the crowd being a mixed bag of twenty somethings and teenagers, all eagerly anticipating their favorite songs. The band are fully aware of this contrast, and kick off the show with a selection of singles from their two new albums, which get an extremly enthusiastic response from everyone, particularly the younger demographic. After about four or five newer songs, Billie Joe asks the crowd, "Any old-school Green Day fans here tonight?", before launching into the one of the highlights of the night, '2000 Light Years Away', from their second disc, 'Kerplunk'. This gets them an enormously positive response from the twenty-something crowd but mostly blank looks from the young folks. Thats not to say that they weren't enjoying it, but the this song marks the first of a good run of older popular Green Day material including, 'Welcome to Paradise', 'Basket Case' and 'When I Come Around', all drawing sing-a-longs and dancing from an eager crowd.
The evening continues in a similar vein, with the band careful not to alienate either of their main groups of fans, playing a few old tracks, then a few new ones, then some old ones, and so on.

You can tell Green Day are completely comfortable with their stadium rock band credentials, as they guide the crowd through singing, laughter and sheer joy. A favourite of theirs is after the guitar solo or break in a song, before it goes back into the chorus or final verse, to keep playing the same bar over and over again, while Billie Joe invites the crowd to repeat parts of the chorus or join him in a 'whooah-oh-oh-oah!'. Sometimes this will go on for a couple of minutes, until the crowd are completely involved, baying for that final chorus as the song kicks back in.

For years now, the band have happily involved the audience by pulling kids out of the crowd and getting them to sing along to songs, or even to take the lead vocal, before usually inviting them to stagedive off the runway from the front of the stage. Each and every one of the kids pulled out from the crowd immediately run to Billie Joe to hug him, frequently exclaiming 'I love you!', some also managing to get a hug from bassist Mike Dirnt.

Towards the end of the set, a lone Billie Joe steps into the runway spotlight, acoustic guitar in hand, heading into more sombre fare like 'Wake me up when September Ends', then teasing the older fans (holding their breath for 'Good Riddance') with other newer acoustic numbers. Its when he finally breaks into it that the whole crowd, young or old(er), unite in a sing along, placing 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' firmly in place as a generation-defining song.

Billie Joe has been criticised before, both in the press and formerly, within the band itself, as being a spotlight-hog, and its clear throughout the show, especially in the closing songs, that he's very much the band 'leader'. But Green Day would fall flat on its face were it not for the energetic rhythm of drummer Tre Cool and the frankly inspired basslines of Mike Dirnt, who also fleshes out the songs with fantastic backing vocals and harmonies. It is this spot-on combination, this pure distillation of talent and perfect symbiosis of band members that has taken them from East-Bay garages to stadium venues, producing consistent albums and pitch-perfect pop-punk songs, those which have captured the minds and hearts of almost two generations of listeners.

An amazing live show from a band that have hit their prime and pretty much stayed there.
Great stuff.

Rating -
9 / 10

Death Cab For Cutie - 'The Open Door EP' (2009)

2009-08-13T18:45:00.007+01:00

Since third full-length The Photo Album's release in 2001, Death Cab For Cutie have been tightening and refining a sound that has seen them gaining huge success, both critically and commercially. With each release Ben Gibbard seems to get even more astute and accurate at painting obscure allegories to describe his feelings, and the rest of the band have polished a melodic, original sound that has become distinctly Death Cab.
Frequent EP releases pepper their discography, sometimes to release tracks that wouldn't fit on (or in) the albums, sometimes just to get a small collection of songs out. These EPs are usually condensed, lean packages of patented guitar-folk-pop, or however you want to describe that specific sound they've made their own. This release is no exception, featuring just five tracks, with four being brand new and the final song being a stripped-down, demo-version of the Narrow Stairs track, 'Talking Bird'.
The EP kicks off with 'Little Bribes', an upbeat, rhythm-guitar driven ode to Las Vegas, featuring the wonderfully imaginative line, "Every slot machine is a robot amputee waving hello", as it tells the story of a lost character among many, "You said this city has a beating heart, That pushes people down the boulevard, And they’re all hoping for a wish fulfilled, In a desert for a dollar bill". The breakdown is heart-breakingly melodic, followed with a simple guitar solo before heading back to the final verse.
Following this is the slower paced 'Diamond and a Tether', from the perception of a young man, afraid to commit fully to a relationship. While this may sound a little generic, Gibbard rises above any tedious conventions purely with his brilliant wordplay and candidly honest approach, "I’ve got this habit I abhor, When we go out I’m always watching the door, As if there’s someone I’m gonna see, Who could out do the things that you do to me". The sweeping, epic melody of the chorus soars, making this the best track on the EP, simplicity employed so as not to over-clutter a perfect pop song.
Third track 'My Mirror Speaks' kicks off with a solid drum beat, with each instrument coming in gradually until building up to a pulsing, powerful track. Lyrically, the song seems to be concerned with lonliness and fear of change, at first speaking from the narrator's perspective then moving to describing another in the same situation, "Cause I am a man who hides, From all that binds, In a mess of fading lines" changing to, "And he's a man who hides..."
Following this, 'I Was Once A Loyal Lover', deals with an protagonist who sees his friends getting married and moving into permanent, comfortable relationships, "All my friends are forward thinking, Getting hitched and quitting drinking", while the former, long-term relationships the character used to have are replaced with short, fleeting moments of passion, " And now each loves more like a match, A blinding spark that burns out fast". However, he prefers his approach, because his friends relationships seem stale and boring in their safety, "Who thinks that life with a nice girl is like, Waiting for a bus to work", and he craves something more. Ultimately, the song is one of a man looking back at his past relationships and observing those around him. In terms of music, the track bears some noisy, distorted lead-guitar work, reminiscent of the melodic noise work of bands like Black Tambourine, but it does not overpower the melody, and cuts out at as the backup piano enters, to return as the song builds up to a melodic, powerful crescendo. Single, delay-tinged chords and strong, bass work back up Ben on the interlude, and the song cuts most of the heavier sound for the outro, with a repeated stanza while the guitar picks out chords.
Final track 'Talking Bird', gives the EP a pretty, simplistic closer, featuring just Ben's singing accompanied by a single capo-ed acoustic guitar.
The EP truly showcases Death Cab For Cutie's deft ability to write beautiful, melodic pop songs and accompany them with decptively simple-sounding music, contained in a tight five track package.
Essential.

Rating
9 / 10

Drag Me To Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009)

2009-06-01T16:19:00.007+01:00

Early reviews had this pegged as a welcome return to comedy shock-horror for the man who, in 1982, rejuvenated the genre with the incredible 'The Evil Dead'. So naturally, I was rather excited upon entering the cinema. Would it live up to his former horror classics? Would (nay, could?) it be better than his slapstick-gorefest swansong, Evil Dead 2?
The opening credits roll up straight away reminding me of the Evil Dead series, white, wobbly lettering over dark background, with the title filling the entire black screen as the fantastic score swells and tingles. We get a short, terrifying prologue of a young boy who has stolen a gypsy necklace. His parents take him to a medium who attempts to save him but to no avail, as he falls from a balcony to the ground below which cracks and opens, demonic hands sprouting forth to literally 'drag him to hell'. A fantastic, fast-paced introduction, immediately reminiscent of Raimi's 'quick-intro' that he mastered on his horror series.
Following this we meet Christine (Alison Lohman), a loans officer in a bank, who, vying for a promotion, refuses a loan extension to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, resulting in the repossession of her home. The woman then breaks down in front of Christine and begs her, but Christine's panicked reaction ends with Mrs. Ganush on the floor, exclaiming, "You have shamed me!"
From here on in Raimi ramps up the terror, with Mrs. Ganush waiting for Christine in the car park, (hiding in her car!), attacking her before eventually stealing a button from Christine's coat. It is on this object that she places a curse, that she will be tormented by a demon and after three days - 'dragged to hell!' The scene begins with musical queues and suberb camerawork building the tension, with audience jitters mirroring the protagonist's nerves. Raimi's trademark car, the Oldsmobile Delta 88, his car when he was a student film-maker appears once again as Mrs. Ganush's car, lit sinisterly opposite Christine's. This adds to the tension, indicating the old woman is doubtlessly near-by, but also acting as a visual joke for Raimi fans.
The film continues in the hilarious Evil Dead 2 vein, although Raimi truly untilises modern technology, namely CG, to push the horror past possible limitations. While Raimi has never been limited by effects, (his prosthetic work in the Evil Dead series is astonishing, as is the stuntwork) he uses computer-effects to cast horrific shadows, bulge eyes and make goats talk(!). The prescence of CG, if anything, adds a slight smoothness to the editing, doing away with the slightly jerky quality of earlier efforts. As in his early work, the adventurous camera again acts as its own character, darting about the action and learing at gory effects. Visually speaking, its very much a return to form for Raimi, having flexed his muscles on the Spiderman series, he's now returning to his former love, that of horror-comedy, armed with a few new effect tricks.
The sheer amount of punishment inflicted upon our protagonist, Christine, is gruelling, almost surpassing Raimi's former punching-bag Bruce Campbell (but not quite, Raimi did send him back in time!), one scene featuring her being thrown around her room by a demonic force, almost like in the original Nightmare on Elm Street! In all shes thrown, splattered, beaten and driven to desperation; and while we should feel some empathy toward her, (after all, she is the victim here), the sheer ludicrousness and gross-out comedy of her ordeal leave you in stitches all the way through.
Bruce Campbell, usually present nowadays in an amusing cameo, is absent this time due to scheduling conflicts, but Alison Lohman has obviously been studying his rubber-faced expressions and body language, and plays the part of the punished protagonist excellently, with both terror and later on, steely determination as her impending doom alters her morals to the point of survival.
Overall, the gut-busting humour and gross out splatter-comedy combine groans and grins perfectly, jolting the viewer from creeping dread to shock horror to laugh-out-loud humour within a moments notice. Raimi's bold camera and visual flair work with a solid story, great performances, spot-on comic timing and genuinly scary set pieces to make this a welcome return to his roots. Fantastic!

Rating 9 / 10

Star Trek (J. J. Abrams, 2009)

2009-05-22T12:17:00.005+01:00

J. J. Abrams has been enjoying a rather sucessful run of late, his numerous TV series drawing record viewers, with his film work recieving equal popularity, Mission Impossible 3, being an enjoyable addition to the series, while his produced Cloverfield was superb.
Excitement had been running high for this, his second film as director, with casting information leaked gradually up to it's release building great expectations for this 'reboot' of a series which has long since languished in straight-to-DVD releases and uninspired TV outings.
Now I think box-office figures will certainly testify to its popularity, but I'm happy to report that the earnings are justified.

We open with Kirk's father saving 800 lives, as well as the new-born James T. Kirk, from attacking Romulans with extraordinary technology, later revealed as being from the future. Fast forward to a rebellious Kirk as a boy, racing round the Iowa desert blasting out the Beastie Boys and driving a stolen vintage sports car off a cliff. This is counteracted by a young Spock being bullied by other Vulcans for his human mother (Winona Ryder! In films again!), before years later, refusing the Vulcan counsel and joining Starfleet, with a cheesy funk track overlapping the cut to full-grown Kirk in a bar fight with Starfleet cadets. Its then that Kirk meets Captain Pike, who, having studied his father, challenges him to join Starfleet. The scene is set.
We then follow Kirk and Spocks rivalry and eventually friendship as they join to battle Nero, a Romulan from the future where Spock is (rather unfairly) blamed for the destruction of Romulus, seeking revenge by destroying Spock's home planet of Vulcan with 'Red-Matter', a black hole creating weapon which enables the time travel through the black holes.

The time travel element of the plot is well mapped-out, with the only weakness in the story being the rather convienient maneuvering of all the main characters into their leading positions in the story. Captian Pike makes Kirk first officer almost on a whim, enabling him to easily navigate his way into the captain's chair after challenging Spock's emotionally involvement in the mission, Sulu being there because the other pilot was ill and Uhura sliding into the communications chair because the other officer couldn't distinguish the different dialects of Romulan and Klingon properly. Surely thats his job?
These are just minor complaints however, with the casting being spot-on, Zachory Quinto in particular excelling as Spock, while solitary returning cast member Leonard Nimoy plays the older Spock from the future. Simon Pegg provides the comedic relief as Scotty and Chris Pine plays an enjoyable cocky but human Kirk, sleazing after the females while scrappily fighting his way to captain.

The cinematography and special effects are, as expected, excellent, with space itself looking downright beautiful and the starships being huge, hulking yet elegant masses of metal and blinking lights. The score and sound design are possibly the finest elements of the film, the layered various bleeps bringing the starship to life, phasers having a delightful 'water-droplet' sound, space sounding vast and dangerous in its threatening near-silence and the sweeping, dramatic score ramping up-tension and sending shivers down the spine.

Abrams has created possibly his finest work to date, simultaneously revamping a dated-franchise for a new generation while preserving the original series' sense of wonder and morals.

Rating -
9 / 10

I Know Who Killed Me (Chris Sivertson, 2007)

2009-05-22T11:52:00.004+01:00

Having notoriously gained eight 'Razzies' including 'Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie', the distributors decided to market this film solely on the fact that Lindsey Lohan plays a stripper, plastering decidingly un-sexy stills of her writhing around on a pole all over the UK release DVD case. In doing this they abort possibly it's strongest asset - its theatrical release poster.

While drawing obvious comparisons to Donnie Darko and The Butterfly Effect in its colours scheme and design, it highlights the features boldest idea, its colour theme, the deep blues appearing throughout, picked up nicely by some interesting post-production colour saturation. However the blue objects and backgrounds become so prevailant throughout the film that they become meaningless, appearing in virtually every scene. The end result gives the impression that the set designer spent the entire budget on blue items from Ikea then scattereed them about the sets. The strip-club scenes are bathed in a blood red, reminiscent of Dario Argento's Giallo and horror features, but rather than conveying mood and atmosphere, the scenes succeed only in slapping you in the face with their symbolism - 'look out! red is passion and danger!'.

There is little else of positive note, with the plot being recycled and derivitive one minute, then entirely confusing and convoluted the next. The killer is revealed as a character barely introduced at the start of the film, with his motive being so pathetic you begin to suspect his backstory was left on the cutting room floor. Unconvincing, unmotivated acting round off the package, with incapable directing and ropey effects thrown in for good measure.

Fully deserving of it's reputation.

Rating -
1 / 10

Fear(s) of The Dark [Peur(s) du noir] (Various Directors, 2007)

2009-05-17T13:32:00.006+01:00

With positive reviews from Guillermo del Toro of all authorities, this black & white animated feature is composed of four main shorts, with two separated pieces filling out the space inbetween each 'main' feature. The four main pieces are short ghost / horror stories, and I say ghost story because though they don't all have ghosts, the narrative style is similar to that of the classic ghost story - less pure horror more un-nerving, building dread. The film was unfortunately marketed towards a horror crowd raised on 'torture porn' and therefore fared rather badly with audiences, despite positive critical response.
Of the four main tales, the final two are by far the strongest, one being a sort of monster / werewolf-esque story, with the protagonist's missing friend being the chief suspects of brutal countryside slayings. The animation in this quarter is excellent, pencil-crayon lines giving the proceedings a slightly un-nerving, vibrating quality and this part has a truly chilling moment whereupon the protagonist wakes in the night and, looking over at the window, sees the blurred sillouette of someone looking back in at him. The effect is superbly creepy.
The second of the two strong tales, and the final one of the film, concerns a man caught in a blizzard seeking shelter in what he believes to be an abandoned house, with excellent, quick glimpses of a ghost following him through the house caught in a door mirror and the pendulum of a swinging lamp.
The other two features aren't quite so effective, the first an interesting but poorly executed tale of a shy college student who falls prey to a powerful woman, later revealed as a mutant with praying mantis-esque features, leading an entourage of giant bugs. The bugs are giant versions of one the protagonist catches as a boy and later loses under his bed, the idea being that the insect infected/mutated the girl.
The second story of a Japanese schoolgirl tormented by nightmares and, upon waking, forced back into them by a demonic, needle-wielding doctor, has some promising ideas and a very original dream sequence but is too inconsistant and ultimately, not particularly spooky.

The two split features which divide up the film are at completly opposite ends of the spectrum. One, featuring a skeletal faced, mysterious man, setting his roving pack of dogs on passers by before finally on himself, while featuring strong, sketchy animation, is completly lacking in narrative. No motive is given and it quickly dissolves into nonsense.
The other split feature however, is the most unusual of the film, essentially a spoken interview with one woman listing various personal fears, the majority of these being non-supernatural, thereby providing the other side of the coin. Throughout the dialogue there is a variety of constantly changing and morphing black and white patterns swirling around on screen, which, along with there being no music, creates a very stark, calm contrast to the main tales.

While featuring some excellent animation and a suitably creepy score, this chiller anthology is let down by a poor first half and the inconsistancy never manages to balance itself back out again.

Rating -
6 / 10

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ The Lexington, Islington (15th May 2009)

2009-05-17T10:40:00.007+01:00

[With support from The Loves and Draculas.]

Up a winding staircase and into what has to have been a first floor flat, the Lexington's upstairs venue is a perfect size for this sort of gig, with a risen platform & bar at the rear for the 'stand at the back with a drink in hand' types and a good size floor for 'the dance at the front singing all the words' fans. The fans themselves are mostly made up of well-dressed, bespectacled individuals (be them prescription or not), with the bands themselves mirroring this dress-code, and the buzz about the place is friendly and relaxed.

First up is 'Draculas', a stripped-down twee garage pop four-piece mixing sweet female vocals and some rather flat male ones to largely good effect. The simplistic nature of the songs allow the innocence of the vocals to shine through, drawing comparisons to The Vaselines and to a certain degree, The Moldy Peaches, notably in the vocal exchanges. However the bass and second guitar do little to flesh out their otherwise enjoyable songs and as their set progresses, you find yourself wondering whether Draculas would be better suited to being a two-piece. Definately one to watch though, this blooming group could turn out some fantastic music in the near future.

Second to take the stage is The Loves, and its already obvious that this band is a different breed from the openers, with several members sporting 1970s suits and lead singer / guitarist desperately emulating Paul Weller. Unfortunately he's The Loves' key downfall, with his overly-confident stage presense and delivery doing little to ignite the crowd's excitement as he leads his band through uninspired pub-rock with several members looking outright uncomfortable. Its only towards the end of the set when the female bass player and the previously redundant tambourine(!) player take the mic that the music takes on any interest, with a pulsing bass line pushing the sleazy garage rock track forward to a much more original direction.

Their final track was the most enjoyable, however thats not a compliment to the band. The singer pulls two stage members up to play additional percussion, one being a cowbell. The cowbell player then continued to thwack his instrument as loudly and as close to the singers ear as possible, visible annoying him on several occasions much to the satisfaction of the audience. The closing mumble revealing that they've recorded three albums suggests a new direction may be advisable - perhaps letting the other members talents shine through?

By the time The Pains of Being Pure at Heart take the stage, the tiny venue is packed out and excitement is running high, with one fan requesting their signatures on their LP, much to the bemusment and even confusion of the band. Breaking into their opener 'Doing All the Things That Wouldn’t Make Your Parents Proud', they seem to be caught off guard by the enormously positive reaction they (deservedly) recieve. They obviously hadn't been made aware of their recent, rocketing popularity over here, their sweet, boy/girl vocal work over noisy guitar with power pop melodies finding a eager audience, this being their first show on British soil. By the time of their third song, current single 'Young Adult Friction', the crowd is singing along and shouting out the choruses, much to the immense pleasure of the band, with keyboardist Peggy grinning happily throughout, even pulling out a heart-shaped lollypop mid-set to complete her insanely adorable image. Album favorites 'Stay Alive' (sounding like a more accomplished, melodic Black Tambourine song) and 'Come Saturday' as well as previous single 'Everything With You' get fantastic reactions from the crowd, with the 'whoa-o-oah!' vocal melody of 'Come Saturday' sung by the audience being audible over the band themselves!

With such a welcome, completly engaged audience, Pains... end up enjoying themselves equally, with what at first appears to be a local drunk throwing random items at drummer Kurt and playing keyboard actually being revealed by singer Kip as being their friend Serge from Brooklyn, who then ups his attempt to sabotage Kurts solid drumwork to amusing effect, increasing the band's own comfort and sense of familiarity further.

Pains... are astonished once more by enthusiastic demands for not one but two encores, prompting Peggy to add that 'we're running out of songs!', before proclaiming it, ' the best show we've ever played, and I dont just say that at every show, it really is!'.

An energetic, uplifting and heartfelt performance from an incredible new band, their live show injecting additional bounce into already beautiful tracks, with exuberant joy reflecting back and forth between band and audience.

Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983)

2009-05-13T02:56:00.003+01:00

One of this movie's taglines is "The Motorcycle Boy's Never Coming Back", and that only conveys one of this amazingly complex film's many themes - that of escape. Be it Rusty James' need to escape his surroundings and his older brothers shadow, or his brother himself, aching to be free of the oppressive life he's become trapped in, and ultimately, resigned to. Rumble Fish focuses on Rusty James, a young, rebellious youth, whose deep respect for his older brother, The Motorcycle Boy (a frankly suberb Mickey Rourke) leads Rusty to follow him, both in lifestyle and literal following throughout the film. It's only Rourke who can see, "If you're going to lead people, you have to have somewhere to go". Both main characters are portrayed as lost, wandering souls, connected by on one hand, respect, and the other, seeking to protect and lead his brother down the right path, despite not knowing that path himself. This 'lostness' comes across visually, with many scenes being clouded in smoke, fog or steam, with one character disapearing into thick clouds as a visual metaphor for her disappearing from Rusty's life.

The other key theme running throughout is time, that of time running out, literally in one case. But this theme is conveyed both visually (several close ups of clocks, one iconic image with both brothers in front of a giant clock face) and aurally, in Stewart Copelands incredible score, providing a pulsating metronome for the characters and the film itself. At one point, the soft, 'scuttling' percussion emulates the ticking over of a motorcycle engine, in another a driving heart beat is looped in time with the melody, altogether mimicing the ticking of some distant clock.

The strongest aspect of this film (and it's hard to choose just one), is the incredible black and white cinematography. Shot in monochrome to reflect The Motorcycle Boy's own colour blindness, this combines with the aforementioned clouds to give the film a startlingly beautiful, dreamlike quality, with nods to film noir in the tall buildings and dark backstreets of the external scenes. The whole film is almost viewed through Rourke's character's eyes, with the music drifting in and out, the sleepy haze, the black and white photography; all combine to replicate his view of the world. This is illustrated very poetically when asked by another character, 'whats it like? Being colour blind and partially deaf?' The Motorcycle Boy replies, "It's like watching black and white TV with the sound turned down low".

A flawless film of stark beauty, with suberb acting and music throughout. A film to make you fall in love with cinema all over again.

Rating -
10 / 10
Perfect!

Shogun Assassin - (Robert Houston, 1980)

2009-05-12T23:21:00.006+01:00

Actually composed of the first two films in the six part 'Lone Wolf and Cub / Babycart' series, this American 'remix' organises the plot into a fairly coherent story (except the naked-hug-warmth scene, which I can only put down to being lost in translation). Lone Wolf and his sword-wheeled-cart riding son seemingly wander from battle to battle, with the Shogun sending waves of katana-fodder in an attempt to finish the job started with the killing of Lone Wolf's wife. The editing is choppy in places, most likely being down to the recut nature of the film, but the voice work (usually the most sufferable / hilarious aspects of English dubs) is surprisingly good. Some of the cinematograpy is stunning, especially the ninja battle in the rushing river just above the mini-waterfall, with a mixture of well-choreographed (and exceptionally gory) swordplay close-ups and beautiful wide angle landscape shots, with the battle ensuing in the bottom of the frame utterly dwarfed by the background.

'Banned since 1983!', screams the DVD cover, an accolade worn proudly by the distributors, but Shogun Assassin was little more than another film to suffer under the infamous 'Video Nasties' scandal of the early 198os. While the film is very gory, often hilariously so, the bloody effects have lost some of their shock value in a post-Saw world. However this works to the films advantage, preserving it in the 70-80s Grindhouse-era cinematic landscape, with it's splattering, blood-hose-pipe violence, grainy film stock and extreme zoom-close-ups being exactly the sort of material enjoying a recent re-discovery thanks to Tarintino and Rodriguez's recent foray into grindhouse tribute cinema.

All-in-all, a thoroughly enjoyable and gleefully gory piece of cult cinema.

Rating -
7 / 10

Smiley Face (Gregg Araki, 2007)

2009-05-08T18:40:00.007+01:00

When I approach a movie I haven't yet seen, I try to keep an open mind, or try as best I can. However with Smiley Face I was completely unable, being torn between my absolute love for Gregg Araki and the banality of the DVD's back-cover-blurb, which at best describes the film as the poor man's Harold and Kumar. Unfortunatly thats very much the case. The entire plot centres around Anna Faris being completly stoned throughout, beginning with her eating her roomates (Hyde from That 70s Show) hash cakes, being mildly threatened by Adam Brody from the OC as her dealer and eventually ending up on a ferris wheel. In fact the majority of the laughs can be gleamed from Faris' monged-out facial expressions (amusingly her best feature as an actress) while genre actors (John Cho for one) pop up to point her in the right (as in any) direction.
While this sort of fare makes for amusing results, and I have no issue with films such as this (the second Harold and Kumar is flat out hilarious), its the bizarre drop in quality from Gregg Araki that I find frustrating. Araki can very much be considered an auteur, with common themes such as alternative sexualities (Araki spear-headed the New Queer Cinema Movement of the 90s), comedic hyper-violence, alien abduction, political subtext & context, youth finding themselves and vivid, exaggerated set & costume design. Yet smiley face follows a straight girl through a convoluted retread of a plot, with a conventional colour palette and little to no political or social commentary with the exception of the negative connatations directed at Faris' character being a stoner. In fact the only evidence of Araki's direction is Adam Brody, whose bizarre outfit gives the impression that he's wandered out of Araki's previous feature Nowhere, all clashing colours and 90s headwear.
Had Smiley Face been directed by anyone else, it would still be a reasonably enjoyable yet forgetable stoner comedy with a few laughs, but the presense of such a suberbly talented director completly baffles. I can only hope Araki returns to more familiar (and ergo brilliant) territory.
Sort it out Gregg!

Rating
4 / 10