So, February turned out to be a fine month for live music which culminates tonight with The Soundtrack of Our Lives down at the Concorde. March is looking similarly hectic, especially in the first couple of weeks, so here's my pick of the best live action for the month ahead:
02/03 - Local chaps The Ordinary Boys play at the Dome, but I'm more likely to check out Engineers at the Pressure Point instead.
03/03 - Last seen supporting Gemma Hayes at the Pavilion Theatre, Norwegian singer fella, Sondre Lerche, returns to plug his new album at the Komedia.
04/03 - Brighton favourites The loveGods play their first hometown gig of 2005 at the Old Market. I forgot the password but I'm the band's stalker.
05/03 - First gig of the month at the Concorde when the Jim Beam Tour rolls in featuring a number of bands including The Raveonettes and Dogs.
07/03 - Another good line-up at the Concorde with Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, British Sea Power and Electric Soft Parade all appearing for another tsunami fundraiser. However I'm gonna check out Lemon Jelly at the Dome instead.
08/03 - It's another close call but the Dome wins again with Doves and Hal in concert, just ahead of The Go! Team and The Pipettes playing at the Concorde.
09/03 - Old indie stalwarts The Wonderstuff play the Concorde. It must be about 13 years since I saw last saw them on their "farewell" tour. Will they still be playing all the old hits? Probably.
11/03 - Heh heh, it's Comic Relief night and Daniel Kitson will be here at the Pavilion Theatre "shuffling around and being funny". Oh yes he will. Unmissable.
20/03 - Derren Brown is at the Theatre Royal where he will no doubt be freaking out the entire audience with his amazing tricks of the mind. I think I've left it too late to get a ticket though, dammit!
26/03 - It's a quiet week so it could be worth checking whether Ian Brown has learnt how to sing in tune yet over at the Brighton Centre. He hadn't when I last saw him a couple of years back, but he's a likeable soul and has some good tunes under his belt now.
30/03 - One of the best albums of last year was the self-titled debut from Nouvelle Vague; Eighties alternative classics redone in a bossa-nova style with breathy French female vocals. Somehow it works... and now they're performing it all live at the Komedia.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Movie Haiku - Criminal & In Good Company
Criminal
Dir: Gregory Jacobs
Cast: John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Mullan
Reilly hires Luna
hatch plan to sell forged banknote
but who's conning who?
This is a totally unnecessary remake of the Argentinian film Nine Queens, which itself only got released here last year. Not that I've seen the original (yet), but I'm sure it's preferable to this Hollywood adaptation. The plot is straightforward enough - Reilly's character meets Luna in a casino and persuades him to help pull off this one big con he's got planned. At the same time he's also busy screwing over his own sister (Gyllenhaal) who happens to work at the hotel where this scam is being pulled. Well, this is all bread-and-butter stuff really; not bad, but nothing we've not seen before. You're waiting for the final twist but when the denouement comes it just makes you question whether what has just happened really holds together; certainly in hindsight a number of key events rely too much on coincidence for my liking. The actors do their job okay with the material on offer, and it's good to see Peter Mullan pop up as the victim of the pair's con, but with such a familiar story and some lacklustre directing, we're left with a distinctly average viewing experience.
soulmining rating: **
In Good Company
Dir: Paul Weitz
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johannson
Young man is Quaid's boss
secretly dating daughter
feelgood not schmaltzy
Now this was a pleasant surprise. It's a basic two-hander; you've got Quaid playing this aging family man, working hard to support his family, who finds himself demoted when his company is taken over and they appoint their own young hotshot (Grace). It's the relationship between these two characters which holds this film together so well. Quaid - with one daughter (Johannson) starting university, and his wife expecting their third child - is naturally quite hostile to this newcomer, and his new ways of dealing with the business. Grace meanwhile is a lot less confident than he first appears, with no experience in this line of sales and a failing marriage at home. Things get even more awkward (and comedic) when Johannson seduces Grace, but ultimately it's a story where all the characters end up learning a lot of life lessons from each another. This could have so easily fallen into saccharine movie cliche, but director Weitz obviously benefitted from his time in the UK (where he made About A Boy) and never once fumbles the story, managing to keep the events grounded in reality, and never succumbing to an unnaturally happy conclusion. Quaid seems to be getting better with age and is assisted by a fine performances from relative newcomer Grace and the beautiful Johannson. The soundtrack too is full of cool tunes, yet never intrudes onto the drama on screen. A really enjoyable little movie, definitely worth checking out.
soulmining: ****
Dir: Gregory Jacobs
Cast: John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Mullan
Reilly hires Luna
hatch plan to sell forged banknote
but who's conning who?
This is a totally unnecessary remake of the Argentinian film Nine Queens, which itself only got released here last year. Not that I've seen the original (yet), but I'm sure it's preferable to this Hollywood adaptation. The plot is straightforward enough - Reilly's character meets Luna in a casino and persuades him to help pull off this one big con he's got planned. At the same time he's also busy screwing over his own sister (Gyllenhaal) who happens to work at the hotel where this scam is being pulled. Well, this is all bread-and-butter stuff really; not bad, but nothing we've not seen before. You're waiting for the final twist but when the denouement comes it just makes you question whether what has just happened really holds together; certainly in hindsight a number of key events rely too much on coincidence for my liking. The actors do their job okay with the material on offer, and it's good to see Peter Mullan pop up as the victim of the pair's con, but with such a familiar story and some lacklustre directing, we're left with a distinctly average viewing experience.
soulmining rating: **
In Good Company
Dir: Paul Weitz
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johannson
Young man is Quaid's boss
secretly dating daughter
feelgood not schmaltzy
Now this was a pleasant surprise. It's a basic two-hander; you've got Quaid playing this aging family man, working hard to support his family, who finds himself demoted when his company is taken over and they appoint their own young hotshot (Grace). It's the relationship between these two characters which holds this film together so well. Quaid - with one daughter (Johannson) starting university, and his wife expecting their third child - is naturally quite hostile to this newcomer, and his new ways of dealing with the business. Grace meanwhile is a lot less confident than he first appears, with no experience in this line of sales and a failing marriage at home. Things get even more awkward (and comedic) when Johannson seduces Grace, but ultimately it's a story where all the characters end up learning a lot of life lessons from each another. This could have so easily fallen into saccharine movie cliche, but director Weitz obviously benefitted from his time in the UK (where he made About A Boy) and never once fumbles the story, managing to keep the events grounded in reality, and never succumbing to an unnaturally happy conclusion. Quaid seems to be getting better with age and is assisted by a fine performances from relative newcomer Grace and the beautiful Johannson. The soundtrack too is full of cool tunes, yet never intrudes onto the drama on screen. A really enjoyable little movie, definitely worth checking out.
soulmining: ****
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Crossover Movies
This is an old post of mine from the Frightfest discussion forum which I stumbled across again earlier in the week. Thought I'd post it here as it made me chuckle!
Hollywood has two great obsessions these days - remakes (especially if they're cool Asian flicks) and sequels. And in an effort to do something "different" with their sequels, the studios are coming up with a number of crossover ideas. We've already had Freddy vs. Jason (with Ash rumoured to join the next battle) and now we have Alien vs. Predator. So what other crossover movies can we expect to see in the coming months? Here's a few of my ideas...
Halloween Pie
Michael Myers joins the cast of American Pie. Proves adept at slicing apple pies but goes a bit nutty when all the other cast members start sleeping with each other. Potential future tie in with Jason Vorhees when Jim & Michelle attend band camp at Crystal Lake.
Legally Bond
Pierce Brosnan gets taken to court by angry viewers of Die Another Day. Elle (Reese Witherspoon) is hired as his defence lawyer - with hilarious results! After perfecting the invisible car, Q turns up and makes the entire film disappear, so everyone goes home happy.
Speed Trek
The crew of the USS Enterprise are put in jeopardy when the Klingons place a bomb on board. If the spaceship travels slower than Warp Factor 9 it will explode! Jack (Keanu Reeves) and Annie (Sandra Bullock) beam on board to save the day!
Three Men and a Little Alien
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson return to look after an Alien egg. Problems arise when the face hugger hatches. Possible guest appearance by a Predator as a Swedish au-pair.
Holidays from Hellraiser
Big screen version of ITV's Holidays From Hell programme in which unsuspecting holidaymakers are sent to the Costa del Sol to stay in a run-down hotel operated by Pinhead and his staff of Cenobites. "We have such sights to show you," indeed. Mike Leigh slated to direct.
Harry Potter and the Lethal Weapons
Young Riggs and Murtagh get into trouble at Hogwarts when they insist on using guns instead of magic spells in the classroom. Harry, Hermione and Ron challenge them to a game of Quidditch. Catchphrase - "We're too young for this shit!"
Jaws of the Carribean
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his crew run into trouble when they get attacked by a large pirate-eating shark. What a shame. "We're going to need a bigger cast!"
Jeepers Creepers Academy
The Creeper goes searching for more body parts at the Police Academy - with hilarious results! Funniest scene - when The Creeper steals Michael Winslow's voicebox and is suddenly able to imitate a range of amusing robotic sounds!
Dude, Where's my Monster Truck?
Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott become the latest victims of the invincible Monster Man. Dude! Sweet!
Ring the Cable Guy
Rachel (Naomi Watts) is having problems with her cable since a freaky Asian chick with long black hair crawled out of her television set. The cable guy (Jim Carrey) has seven days to fix the problem before he dies. Features Jim Carrey singing a "wacky" cover version of Video Killed The Radio Star.
Before Riddick
Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) have their romantic encounter shattered by the arrival of Riddick (Vin Diesel) who wants them to help battle the Necromongers. "Are you afraid of the dark?" Erm, no. Go away please. Now.
I think I've struck Box Office gold here! Has anyone got any other good suggestions?
Hollywood has two great obsessions these days - remakes (especially if they're cool Asian flicks) and sequels. And in an effort to do something "different" with their sequels, the studios are coming up with a number of crossover ideas. We've already had Freddy vs. Jason (with Ash rumoured to join the next battle) and now we have Alien vs. Predator. So what other crossover movies can we expect to see in the coming months? Here's a few of my ideas...
Halloween Pie
Michael Myers joins the cast of American Pie. Proves adept at slicing apple pies but goes a bit nutty when all the other cast members start sleeping with each other. Potential future tie in with Jason Vorhees when Jim & Michelle attend band camp at Crystal Lake.
Legally Bond
Pierce Brosnan gets taken to court by angry viewers of Die Another Day. Elle (Reese Witherspoon) is hired as his defence lawyer - with hilarious results! After perfecting the invisible car, Q turns up and makes the entire film disappear, so everyone goes home happy.
Speed Trek
The crew of the USS Enterprise are put in jeopardy when the Klingons place a bomb on board. If the spaceship travels slower than Warp Factor 9 it will explode! Jack (Keanu Reeves) and Annie (Sandra Bullock) beam on board to save the day!
Three Men and a Little Alien
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson return to look after an Alien egg. Problems arise when the face hugger hatches. Possible guest appearance by a Predator as a Swedish au-pair.
Holidays from Hellraiser
Big screen version of ITV's Holidays From Hell programme in which unsuspecting holidaymakers are sent to the Costa del Sol to stay in a run-down hotel operated by Pinhead and his staff of Cenobites. "We have such sights to show you," indeed. Mike Leigh slated to direct.
Harry Potter and the Lethal Weapons
Young Riggs and Murtagh get into trouble at Hogwarts when they insist on using guns instead of magic spells in the classroom. Harry, Hermione and Ron challenge them to a game of Quidditch. Catchphrase - "We're too young for this shit!"
Jaws of the Carribean
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his crew run into trouble when they get attacked by a large pirate-eating shark. What a shame. "We're going to need a bigger cast!"
Jeepers Creepers Academy
The Creeper goes searching for more body parts at the Police Academy - with hilarious results! Funniest scene - when The Creeper steals Michael Winslow's voicebox and is suddenly able to imitate a range of amusing robotic sounds!
Dude, Where's my Monster Truck?
Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott become the latest victims of the invincible Monster Man. Dude! Sweet!
Ring the Cable Guy
Rachel (Naomi Watts) is having problems with her cable since a freaky Asian chick with long black hair crawled out of her television set. The cable guy (Jim Carrey) has seven days to fix the problem before he dies. Features Jim Carrey singing a "wacky" cover version of Video Killed The Radio Star.
Before Riddick
Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) have their romantic encounter shattered by the arrival of Riddick (Vin Diesel) who wants them to help battle the Necromongers. "Are you afraid of the dark?" Erm, no. Go away please. Now.
I think I've struck Box Office gold here! Has anyone got any other good suggestions?
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
It's that time of the year again...
Yes, the brochures and posters for this year's Brighton Festival - England's biggest arts festival - have now arrived in the office. We have our big Festival launch tomorrow night and then go on sale for public bookings on Friday 4th March. So what are the highlights this year? I couldn't possibly say, yet... but you can check out the website at www.brighton-festival.org.uk for full details.
Oh My God, it's snowing outside!
The snow arrives at Crawley Leisure Park late last night.
They've been threatening snow for the past few days and it finally hit Brighton at 4pm yesterday with some strong flurries gusting past our office. It didn't last. Then Rich and I drove up to Crawley later in the evening and when we emerged from the cinema we found the car park covered in snow, and full of couples having snowball fights! The drive back down the A23 was treacherous, with blizzard conditions around Haywards Heath and one lane being completely covered with snow. Sadly back in Brighton it was still snowing, yet you wouldn't know it... it just never seems to lie here.
So why do I get so excited about the appearance of snow, it's hardly as if I'm a little kid any more? I dunno, I guess maybe because being down here on the South coast we so rarely see any of it. When I was growing up in Northumberland you could guarantee a couple of decent snowfalls every Winter, and I've got fond memories of being sent home early from school (or not being able to get there in the first place) and going off sledging with my mates. The last proper snowfall here in Brighton must have been seven years ago when I can remember the roads being blocked and having to walk four miles into work. Ahhhhhh... happy days!
Monday, February 21, 2005
Movie Haiku - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Dir: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston
His team film at sea
long lost son joins hunt for shark
cool Bowie covers
I can understand why this movie has been dividing the critics. It really is Wes Anderson at his most self-indulgent, stuffing the film with so many quirks that the characters and story do get somewhat smothered along the way. The storytelling here is very loose, following Team Zissou as they set out to hunt the jaguar shark that killed Zissou's partner, but Anderson seems more interested in shifting the focus to Zissou (Murray) and the relationships he has with his wife (Huston), his son (Wilson), a reporter (Blanchett), and his crew. Personally I think it is his best work to date. The characters here are funny, flawed individuals and the story lollops along with such a fine sense of absurdity that you can't help but smile. With this movie Anderson firmly establishes himself as one of the most individual voices in the business today. The attention to detail is meticulous throughout, witness: the use of title cards to define each scene (one of his hallmarks); the use of recurring uniforms / motifs - like the crew's unique wet suit and red bobble hat combo; the myriad of unusual sea creatures as animated by Henry Selick; the soundtrack, with its frequent Portuguese Bowie covers and electronic noodlings, enhancing each scene perfectly; and the direction and careful framing of each individual scene which displays a masterclass in modern filmmaking. The ensemble cast all perform well, and it is especially satisfying to see actors like Willem Dafoe (in particular) and Jeff Goldblum given some terrific supporting roles. Undoubtably the must-see movie for February.
soulmining rating: *****
Dir: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston
His team film at sea
long lost son joins hunt for shark
cool Bowie covers
I can understand why this movie has been dividing the critics. It really is Wes Anderson at his most self-indulgent, stuffing the film with so many quirks that the characters and story do get somewhat smothered along the way. The storytelling here is very loose, following Team Zissou as they set out to hunt the jaguar shark that killed Zissou's partner, but Anderson seems more interested in shifting the focus to Zissou (Murray) and the relationships he has with his wife (Huston), his son (Wilson), a reporter (Blanchett), and his crew. Personally I think it is his best work to date. The characters here are funny, flawed individuals and the story lollops along with such a fine sense of absurdity that you can't help but smile. With this movie Anderson firmly establishes himself as one of the most individual voices in the business today. The attention to detail is meticulous throughout, witness: the use of title cards to define each scene (one of his hallmarks); the use of recurring uniforms / motifs - like the crew's unique wet suit and red bobble hat combo; the myriad of unusual sea creatures as animated by Henry Selick; the soundtrack, with its frequent Portuguese Bowie covers and electronic noodlings, enhancing each scene perfectly; and the direction and careful framing of each individual scene which displays a masterclass in modern filmmaking. The ensemble cast all perform well, and it is especially satisfying to see actors like Willem Dafoe (in particular) and Jeff Goldblum given some terrific supporting roles. Undoubtably the must-see movie for February.
soulmining rating: *****
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Soulwax at the Concorde
So I went to see Soulwax with Rich last night. Now we both love their Much Against Everyone's Advice album and their 2 Many DJs alter-ego, but have been locked in conflict over their latest album, Any Minute Now. Rich couldn't stomach one complete playback without reaching for the eject button, citing the awful production and a distinct lack of tunes. I gave it more time, and whilst I agree that the production on the album is distinctly less-than crisp, and it's best to ignore the lyrics, the songs themselves are probably - as a whole - stronger than the tracks on their debut album.
The first thing to say about Soulwax live is that they play loud. Very f***ing loud. My ears are still buzzing even now. Admittedly we were standing right down at the front, but even so, the volume was deafening. Now I always thought that the new songs would work better performed live and boy did I hit the nail on the head with that prediction! They opened with a couple of the weaker tracks from Any Minute Now, but even these sounded sharp and brimming with energy and potential. Much Against Everyone's Advice got the audience moving and E Talking - the current single - was the first highlight, switching midway into a seriously hardcore dance interlude. Their approach to music works so well and is addictive stuff - simple rhythms and loops, slowly building with vocals, synths, samples and crashing guitars until you find yourself bounding about with a huge grin on your face. Other album tracks like Slowdance and Compute followed this formula to a tee, and the band finished with a rousing rendition of 2 Many DJs which got everyone jumping. The band were obviously enjoying themselves too, telling us it was the best gig they've played on this tour, and duly returned for two encores, including a blinding version of NY Excuse, before departing the stage in squall of guitar feedback.
Soulwax live then - an early contender for gig of the year as far as I'm concerned. As for Rich... they won him over too. The best gig he's seen in ages, better than Rammstein - and they had flamethrowers on stage - and he's even talking about buying the new album now!
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Play It Cool in February
I haven't picked up many new albums since January, just a scattering of promo singles. Anyway, here's the CDs that I've been listening to this month (no iPod for me - I am a Luddite):
- The Dandy Warhols - The Black Album / Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols (Beat The World)
- Engineers - Forgiveness (Echo) single
- KT Tunstall - Eye To The Telescope (Relentless)
- The Killers - Hot Fuss (Lizard King)
- Moby - Lift Me Up (Mute) single
I should have plenty to choose from over the next few weeks with new albums and singles due from The Bravery, Daft Punk, The House of Love, Kaiser Chiefs and New Order, amongst others.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Everton, Everton, Everton!
I was up in Merseyside this weekend to watch my beloved Everton take on the Premiership leaders, Chelsea, at Goodison Park. Sadly instead of a well-deserved victory, or even a hard-fought draw, we suffered a 1-0 defeat after a frankly mediocre game of football. Unfortunately the result was all-but guaranteed after eight minutes when James Beattie confused playing at being an Everton striker with playing at being a charging rhino on safari - and duly received a red card for his efforts. After some tireless defending from Everton, Gudjohnsen finally scored from close range in the 69th minute to give Chelsea the victory.
I don't go to many live games, so it was interesting to be right in the thick of it and to listen to the chants and cries of the fellow supporters around me. This is what I learnt from the wit and wisdom of my fellow Evertonians...
About our team, Everton:
- Manager David Moyes has ginger hair... but they don't mind.
- Goalkeeper Nigel Martyn should be England's Number 1.
About our opposition, Chelsea:
- Who are Chelsea?
- Chelsea have never won anything.
- They're all a bunch of cheats and fairies.
About the referee, Mike Riley:
- He's a w*nker.
- He's not a w*nker, he's a bastard.
- He looks like Montgomery Burns.
- He should be shot.
- He should have gone to Specsavers - apparently they're open on Saturdays.
So who says all football fans are biased, myopic idiots eh? (Although as far as the referee is concerned, he did have a shocker.)
Friday, February 11, 2005
I ♥ Huckabees - the love / heart debate
I'm currently having a big argument about this movie. Not about the film itself - which I haven't managed to see as yet - but about the film's title. I happen to think that it's quite cool that the director insisted on using the ♥ symbol on all the movie's advertising, but it begs the question: what is the actual title of the film? Should you say I Heart Huckabees, replacing the symbol with the actual word, or should you say I Love Huckabees, replacing the symbol with the symbol's literal meaning?
Personally I think it should be I Love Huckabees. It makes more sense. If you scribble "I ♥ You" then you're saying "I Love You", not "I Heart You". Simple. Yet there's a lot of people out there who insist that the proper title should be I Heart Huckabees, and that this was the director's choice, but I remain unconvinced. In fact if you click over to IMDB (who list it as I Heart Huckabees) you'll find a whole thread of people arguing over the exact same issue...
Anyway, I've conducted a straw poll amongst friends and colleagues over the past 24 hours and at the moment Heart is narrowly beating Love by five votes to four. Hmmmmmmm.
So, dear readers, it's over to you - what do you think I ♥ Huckabees should be called?
Personally I think it should be I Love Huckabees. It makes more sense. If you scribble "I ♥ You" then you're saying "I Love You", not "I Heart You". Simple. Yet there's a lot of people out there who insist that the proper title should be I Heart Huckabees, and that this was the director's choice, but I remain unconvinced. In fact if you click over to IMDB (who list it as I Heart Huckabees) you'll find a whole thread of people arguing over the exact same issue...
Anyway, I've conducted a straw poll amongst friends and colleagues over the past 24 hours and at the moment Heart is narrowly beating Love by five votes to four. Hmmmmmmm.
So, dear readers, it's over to you - what do you think I ♥ Huckabees should be called?
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
KT Tunstall at the Komedia
The tell-tale sign of a good gig - I bought the CD on my way into work this morning! I'd only previously heard the four tracks on her first EP but my instincts were right; she's another vastly talented female singer-songwriter. Imagine Imogen Heap (Frou Frou), Bic Runga or Fiona Apple and you're in the right kinda ballpark. KT opened with Other Side of the World and I was immediately hooked. Despite her misbehaving guitar and forgetting her precious white leather skirt, she put on a great performance showcasing songs from her debut album. Highlights included forthcoming single Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, and a longer, rockier version of False Alarm. The gig finished with a solo acoustic performance of Throw me a Rope which left the audience spellbound and wanting more. The good news is that she's back in Brighton in May when she'll be playing at the Concorde. You can also keep up to date with all of her stuff at her website, www.kttunstall.com
Movie Haiku - Ocean's Twelve & Sideways
Ocean's Twelve
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones
The gang are all back
pull one more job to raise cash
they enjoy, we don't
The critics here in the UK have been savage. Ocean's Eleven was a hip remake with a stellar cast, but certainly not a movie that I ever felt warranted a sequel. And sadly the critics are right - this film is a mess. The best thing about it is the ever-cool David Holmes soundtrack, but that's hardly a compliment when you consider all the other big names involved. Soderbergh seems to think that getting the entire cast back together is all he needs to hit paydirt, when in fact a decent plot and script would be more useful. The story is muddled at best, starting with Andy Garcia's character tracking down Clooney's crew without any regard for time / distance / logic, and it goes rapidly downhill from there. The main problem is that there's not one big con to build up to - it turns into three smaller jobs, all of which lack any kind of suspense or excitement for the viewer. Clooney has some okay scenes at the beginning but then seems to vanish into the background for the remainder of the movie. Pitt looks the part but his relationship with Europol agent Zeta-Jones is contrived and unconvincing. Matt Damon is the only one who at least tries to give his character some sort of story arc, although the oldies Elliott Gould and Carl Reiner also emerge with their dignity intact after their all-too-brief scenes. Then there's Don Cheadle; you'd have thought he might have improved on his cockney accent in the three years between films, but no. It's still hilariously awful. And you have to feel sorry for Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck and Eddie Jemison who I can only think must have offended somebody as they barely manage one line of dialogue between them! On the plus side there's Vincent Cassell as the gang's nemesis, The Nightfox, who is a far more interesting character, though sadly underwritten - if the film had centred around him and ditched half of the supporting cast then we might have had something worth watching here. The film hits its nadir when Julia Robert's character - playing Julia Roberts (oh, the hilarity) - bumps into a certain other well known Hollywood actor. Sure, I smiled at the initial cameo... but then as said actor continues to stumble into the following scenes it really is the case of an in-joke being stretched way too far. In the end I just wanted to slam Soderbergh's head into a fridge door screaming, "You might think this is funny but not one person in the audience is laughing, you smug self-satisfied piece of sh*t!" It's not the worst film ever made, just a shameful waste of talent and a shocking disappointment.
soulmining rating: **
Sideways
Dir: Alexander Payne
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Hayden-Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
Guys meet nice ladies
but he's due to be married
Pinot not Merlot
This is more like it. Two blokes on a road trip before one of them gets married, they do a lot of wine tasting, meet a couple of fine women, and then things start to get a little complicated. It's a film chock full of fine performances from the four main actors, and it's easy to see why it's attracted so many award nominations for its cast, in addition to plaudits for the screenwriter and director. It's both bittersweet and funny, and the complexity of these characters are expertly defined, with the men especially coming across as well-intentioned yet ultimately flawed individuals. Giamatti and Hayden-Church do a grand job at bringing these characters to life, and it's good to see Madsen back on our screens again. Oh too finally gets a decent role in which to display her acting talent (check out Don McKellar's brilliant Last Night for a further example, sadly still lacking a decent DVD release... grumble, grumble). A film to be savoured like the fine wines on screen.
soulmining rating: ****
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones
The gang are all back
pull one more job to raise cash
they enjoy, we don't
The critics here in the UK have been savage. Ocean's Eleven was a hip remake with a stellar cast, but certainly not a movie that I ever felt warranted a sequel. And sadly the critics are right - this film is a mess. The best thing about it is the ever-cool David Holmes soundtrack, but that's hardly a compliment when you consider all the other big names involved. Soderbergh seems to think that getting the entire cast back together is all he needs to hit paydirt, when in fact a decent plot and script would be more useful. The story is muddled at best, starting with Andy Garcia's character tracking down Clooney's crew without any regard for time / distance / logic, and it goes rapidly downhill from there. The main problem is that there's not one big con to build up to - it turns into three smaller jobs, all of which lack any kind of suspense or excitement for the viewer. Clooney has some okay scenes at the beginning but then seems to vanish into the background for the remainder of the movie. Pitt looks the part but his relationship with Europol agent Zeta-Jones is contrived and unconvincing. Matt Damon is the only one who at least tries to give his character some sort of story arc, although the oldies Elliott Gould and Carl Reiner also emerge with their dignity intact after their all-too-brief scenes. Then there's Don Cheadle; you'd have thought he might have improved on his cockney accent in the three years between films, but no. It's still hilariously awful. And you have to feel sorry for Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck and Eddie Jemison who I can only think must have offended somebody as they barely manage one line of dialogue between them! On the plus side there's Vincent Cassell as the gang's nemesis, The Nightfox, who is a far more interesting character, though sadly underwritten - if the film had centred around him and ditched half of the supporting cast then we might have had something worth watching here. The film hits its nadir when Julia Robert's character - playing Julia Roberts (oh, the hilarity) - bumps into a certain other well known Hollywood actor. Sure, I smiled at the initial cameo... but then as said actor continues to stumble into the following scenes it really is the case of an in-joke being stretched way too far. In the end I just wanted to slam Soderbergh's head into a fridge door screaming, "You might think this is funny but not one person in the audience is laughing, you smug self-satisfied piece of sh*t!" It's not the worst film ever made, just a shameful waste of talent and a shocking disappointment.
soulmining rating: **
Sideways
Dir: Alexander Payne
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Hayden-Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
Guys meet nice ladies
but he's due to be married
Pinot not Merlot
This is more like it. Two blokes on a road trip before one of them gets married, they do a lot of wine tasting, meet a couple of fine women, and then things start to get a little complicated. It's a film chock full of fine performances from the four main actors, and it's easy to see why it's attracted so many award nominations for its cast, in addition to plaudits for the screenwriter and director. It's both bittersweet and funny, and the complexity of these characters are expertly defined, with the men especially coming across as well-intentioned yet ultimately flawed individuals. Giamatti and Hayden-Church do a grand job at bringing these characters to life, and it's good to see Madsen back on our screens again. Oh too finally gets a decent role in which to display her acting talent (check out Don McKellar's brilliant Last Night for a further example, sadly still lacking a decent DVD release... grumble, grumble). A film to be savoured like the fine wines on screen.
soulmining rating: ****
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
The Cat Returns
Following on from my earlier post (Jan 27th) here's the results from my incredibly complex scientific experiment:
Step 1 - Remove the soap from its sealed packet and expose to oxygen.
Step 2 - Keep checking it every day to see if there's any sign of fur.
Step 3 - That's it. My kind of experiment.
Yes, the amazing hair-growing cat soap really did work, as you can see from this photo. So I now have some furry soap to wash with... whoo hoo! But the excitement doesn't end there, oh no; apparently when you use the soap it wears away to reveal... wait for it... a little mouse! Is there no end to the inventiveness of this item?
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Daniel Kitson on Nuts
As overheard by a friend in London this week...
Nuts - for those of you who don't know - is a "lads" magazine published every Thursday which features a mix of men behaving badly, naked ladies and football. Its advertising slogan reads thus: Women - don't expect any help on a Thursday!
Dan says, "Women - if your boyfriend buys Nuts magazine then don't expect any help whatever day of the week it is. He's obviously a c***."
Roll on March 11th.
Nuts - for those of you who don't know - is a "lads" magazine published every Thursday which features a mix of men behaving badly, naked ladies and football. Its advertising slogan reads thus: Women - don't expect any help on a Thursday!
Dan says, "Women - if your boyfriend buys Nuts magazine then don't expect any help whatever day of the week it is. He's obviously a c***."
Roll on March 11th.
Movie Haiku - The Chorus, Meet The Fockers & Assault on Precinct 13
The Chorus
Dir: Christophe Barratier
Cast: Gerard Jugnot, Francois Berleand, Marie Bunel
School kids have no hope
new teacher makes them sing well
Dead Poets in French
So this was the "surprise" preview screening I caught this week. I have to say I was a little worried when I heard the title and was told it was a French drama, but take into consideration three Bafta nominations and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film and there must be something here to recommend. And indeed there is. It's your standard put-upon-teacher-inspires-kids drama, but handled well and with a particularly strong performance from Jugnot who eschews showboating in favour of a much more gentle, restrained portrayal of the teacher. The fact that not one person walked out of this preview screening says a lot about the engaging nature of this movie.
soulmining rating: ****
Meet The Fockers
Dir: Jay Roach
Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand
Dad is house husband
Mom is oldie sex guru
De Niro won't like
Meet The Parents was amusing enough but I never felt it really warranted a sequel, but I guess that's Hollywood for you. My expectations were duly very, very low for this movie. Thankfully it's not as bad as I feared; in fact there's enough funny moments to illicit favourable comparisons to the first film. Yes, De Niro's self-parodying schtick is now wearing incredibly thin but he's done worse. There's more fun to be had with The Fockers this time around; Hoffman is particularly good and even Streisand manages to get some laughs. Not a comedy classic by any means, but still better than it had any right to be and you can't say fairer than that.
soulmining rating: ***
Assault on Precinct 13
Dir: Jean-Francois Richet
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Maria Bello, Gabriel Byrne
Working at New Year
bad cops want prisoners dead
unlucky thirteen
If it's not needless sequels then it's needless remakes. The original Assault on Precinct 13 wasn't one of John Carpenter's best films, but this latest version takes a fair stab at the familiar siege plot in which a handful of decent cops and scumbag prisoners have to work together to battle the dirty cops outside trying to off them. It's gritty stuff and the casting works well; I've always been a fan of Ethan Hawke and there's a good array of character actors on screen so you're never quite sure who's gonna make it out alive and who's gonna end up with a bullet in the head. What let's the movie down is the team of dirty cops led by Gabriel Byrne; any plausibility for their covert operation goes straight out the window when they start commanding helicopters and some serious firepower. The finale in the woods is also glaringly bad - like where did these woods suddenly spring up from? - and it's so poorly lit that you can instantly tell that you're watching some actors on a sound stage. These grumbles aside, it's a decent action-thriller and another surprisingly watchable remake.
soulmining rating: ***
Dir: Christophe Barratier
Cast: Gerard Jugnot, Francois Berleand, Marie Bunel
School kids have no hope
new teacher makes them sing well
Dead Poets in French
So this was the "surprise" preview screening I caught this week. I have to say I was a little worried when I heard the title and was told it was a French drama, but take into consideration three Bafta nominations and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film and there must be something here to recommend. And indeed there is. It's your standard put-upon-teacher-inspires-kids drama, but handled well and with a particularly strong performance from Jugnot who eschews showboating in favour of a much more gentle, restrained portrayal of the teacher. The fact that not one person walked out of this preview screening says a lot about the engaging nature of this movie.
soulmining rating: ****
Meet The Fockers
Dir: Jay Roach
Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand
Dad is house husband
Mom is oldie sex guru
De Niro won't like
Meet The Parents was amusing enough but I never felt it really warranted a sequel, but I guess that's Hollywood for you. My expectations were duly very, very low for this movie. Thankfully it's not as bad as I feared; in fact there's enough funny moments to illicit favourable comparisons to the first film. Yes, De Niro's self-parodying schtick is now wearing incredibly thin but he's done worse. There's more fun to be had with The Fockers this time around; Hoffman is particularly good and even Streisand manages to get some laughs. Not a comedy classic by any means, but still better than it had any right to be and you can't say fairer than that.
soulmining rating: ***
Assault on Precinct 13
Dir: Jean-Francois Richet
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Maria Bello, Gabriel Byrne
Working at New Year
bad cops want prisoners dead
unlucky thirteen
If it's not needless sequels then it's needless remakes. The original Assault on Precinct 13 wasn't one of John Carpenter's best films, but this latest version takes a fair stab at the familiar siege plot in which a handful of decent cops and scumbag prisoners have to work together to battle the dirty cops outside trying to off them. It's gritty stuff and the casting works well; I've always been a fan of Ethan Hawke and there's a good array of character actors on screen so you're never quite sure who's gonna make it out alive and who's gonna end up with a bullet in the head. What let's the movie down is the team of dirty cops led by Gabriel Byrne; any plausibility for their covert operation goes straight out the window when they start commanding helicopters and some serious firepower. The finale in the woods is also glaringly bad - like where did these woods suddenly spring up from? - and it's so poorly lit that you can instantly tell that you're watching some actors on a sound stage. These grumbles aside, it's a decent action-thriller and another surprisingly watchable remake.
soulmining rating: ***
Friday, February 04, 2005
The Killers - If your name's not down you're not coming in...
...And even if your name is down, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're coming in either!
So I was working on The Killers show the other night and was in charge of administering the guest list. Now that doesn't mean I get to say who goes on the list and who doesn't, I simply get given the list and then have to dish out the tickets / passes to the lucky souls who are on it. All nice and easy - or so you'd think. But with this being the NME Awards Tour it meant that I had guest lists from four bands, plus the promoters / sponsors to deal with. Okay, so that still wouldn't normally be a problem, but unfortunately - with the gig being a total sell out - we only had sixty tickets available to allocate for guests... and a lot more than sixty people who'd been promised tickets. Whoops! Put it this way, we'd given out all sixty tickets by the time the second band came on stage... so, take note: being on the guest list does not automatically mean that you will get into the gig!
Five handy hints to improve your chances of getting in:
- Get there early! If the venue can only let in say the "first sixty" people on the list, then don't arrive when the main band are already on stage.
- Be ready to back up your claim - make sure you have the name of the person (and company) who told you that you were on the list; if you can get confirmation via email then so much the better.
- Have a contact number for the above mentioned person - just in case there is a problem and you need them to confirm your validity.
- Be persistent - but remain polite and friendly. You won't get anywhere if you start shouting and swearing at people.
- Always have some cash on you - you never know when the bands / promoter are suddenly gonna enforce a paying guest list in aid of some worthy cause. If you don't pay, you won't get in.
As for how you get onto the guest list in the first place, well that's a whole different story.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
February Live
January has been dead here in Brighton for live music; no-one wants to tour. Thankfully things seem to be rapidly improving and there's a heap of good bands coming to play in the city over the next few months. So without further ado here's my recommendations for February:
02/02 - This month's hottest ticket is the NME Awards Tour at the Dome featuring some of the best new bands around at the moment. The Killers, The Futureheads, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs will all be performing. If you haven't got your ticket already then you're shit out of luck.
05/02 - I'm choosing to watch Mylo destroy rock 'n' roll (and "David Boo-wie") at the Concorde, but there's also Green Day playing at the Centre.
07/02 - Fresh from January's tsunami benefit gig, The Tenderfoot and Good Morning Captain reteam for some melodic tunes at the Greys.
08/02 - I got a shock last week when I tried to buy a ticket to see KT Tunstall at the Komedia and was told it was sold out - I thought no-one knew about this Scottish female singer-songwriter. Thankfully I've managed to get my hands on a spare ticket since then.
09/02 - Time to check out The Bravery at the Concorde; tipped by the BBC as the band to watch in 2005.
10/02 - Morrissey sound-alikes The Dears also appearing at the Concorde.
16/02 - I've wanted to see Soulwax (2 Many DJs "proper" band) for ages, so now's my chance as they play at the Concorde. Their current Any Minute Now album is a lot better than the critics would have you believe.
17/02 - A bit of comedy with Stewart Lee at the Komedia. He wrote Jerry Springer: The Opera you know.
21/02 - Hal and The Magic Numbers bring their co-headlining tour to the Concorde. I caught the latter band supporting St. Etienne last year and they were pretty mellow and laid back.
22/02 - Goldie Lookin' Chain are at the Dome. Could be a work of comedy / musical genius... or a complete load of old bollocks.
27/02 - Might check out Natasha Bedingfield at the Dome. Okay, okay, she's a bit mainstream pop but then again who paid to see Katie Melua last year? Hopefully I'll be working on that concert anyway, fingers crossed. 28/02 - Saving the best til last, potentially, as The Soundtrack of Our Lives play at the Concorde. Their gig at the Astoria in London last November was my favourite live concert of 2004. Should be a good one!
Hope to see you around the town for some of the above.
02/02 - This month's hottest ticket is the NME Awards Tour at the Dome featuring some of the best new bands around at the moment. The Killers, The Futureheads, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs will all be performing. If you haven't got your ticket already then you're shit out of luck.
05/02 - I'm choosing to watch Mylo destroy rock 'n' roll (and "David Boo-wie") at the Concorde, but there's also Green Day playing at the Centre.
07/02 - Fresh from January's tsunami benefit gig, The Tenderfoot and Good Morning Captain reteam for some melodic tunes at the Greys.
08/02 - I got a shock last week when I tried to buy a ticket to see KT Tunstall at the Komedia and was told it was sold out - I thought no-one knew about this Scottish female singer-songwriter. Thankfully I've managed to get my hands on a spare ticket since then.
09/02 - Time to check out The Bravery at the Concorde; tipped by the BBC as the band to watch in 2005.
10/02 - Morrissey sound-alikes The Dears also appearing at the Concorde.
16/02 - I've wanted to see Soulwax (2 Many DJs "proper" band) for ages, so now's my chance as they play at the Concorde. Their current Any Minute Now album is a lot better than the critics would have you believe.
17/02 - A bit of comedy with Stewart Lee at the Komedia. He wrote Jerry Springer: The Opera you know.
21/02 - Hal and The Magic Numbers bring their co-headlining tour to the Concorde. I caught the latter band supporting St. Etienne last year and they were pretty mellow and laid back.
22/02 - Goldie Lookin' Chain are at the Dome. Could be a work of comedy / musical genius... or a complete load of old bollocks.
27/02 - Might check out Natasha Bedingfield at the Dome. Okay, okay, she's a bit mainstream pop but then again who paid to see Katie Melua last year? Hopefully I'll be working on that concert anyway, fingers crossed. 28/02 - Saving the best til last, potentially, as The Soundtrack of Our Lives play at the Concorde. Their gig at the Astoria in London last November was my favourite live concert of 2004. Should be a good one!
Hope to see you around the town for some of the above.
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