Non-interview with Garth Marenghi

I got given the perfect belated Christmas present yesterday from my good friends Troy & Rom (superb taste) in the shape of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace on DVD. I've been championing this wonderful eighties horror series for ages, and it reminded me that I was supposed to have been conducting an interview with the man himself for Eat My Brains to tie in with the DVD release. I did my research, submitted my questions... and nothing happened; we drew a complete blank from the PR company and they didn't even bother to send out a copy of the DVD for us to review. Instead Garth ended up doing articles for all the 'quality' press like Empire magazine.

So, since I'm sitting here with nothing better to do, I thought I'd share my intended questions to Garth Marenghi with you all. Maybe one day when he's sat at his typewriter suffering with writer's block he'll go online, Google his name and end up here where he can finally supply some answers. (Unlikely, I admit, but then again I did bump into his publicist Dean Learner in a London bar just before Christmas, so you never know...) Here's my 'lost' interview with the master dream-weaver then:

Hi Garth, you've been a writer of horror stories for over three decades now. What keeps you interested in the genre?

You tend to use present day settings and faceless urban locations such as Luton and Leytonstone in your books. Do you feel this helps your readers to identify more with the terrors that you describe?

Horror fiction is often perceived as a rather worthless literary genre, yet many of your tales have an underlying subtext dealing with major global issues, for example, water pollution (The Ooze), the AIDS epidemic (Juggers) or the impact of the internet (Mindgrid). Do these issues represent your own real-life fears?

Can you tell us a little about your latest novel, Retch?

Your publisher Dean Learner comes from a background of high-class erotica. Is it true that the two of you are thinking of collaborating on a series of erotic-horror novels?

Let's talk about your television series Darkplace which you wrote, directed and starred in during the early eighties. It's attracted quite a cult following, despite its rare broadcast. Are you aware of the influence that the show has had on other contemporary programmes? I'm thinking of Lars Von Trier's Kingdom series and Stephen King's adaptation Kingdom Hospital in particular, but also several episodes of Holby City.

Your friend Dean [who also co-stars as hospital boss Thornton Reed in Darkplace] was quoted as saying, "Not since Orson Welles had one man so many fingers in so many pies, and been the chef as well. And then looked like he went and ate them all. The guy was out of control." Looking back now at the making of the series now, was it a tough shoot for you?

Madeleine Wool who played Dr. Liz Asher in the show famously vanished after the production and is still missing, presumed dead. What do you think really happened to her?

Your other main co-star was of course cult horror actor Todd Rivers who played Dr. Lucien Sanchez. What was he able to bring to the project?

You've described the show as "subversive" and I believe you've had a number of battles with censorship, notably being forced to pixilate an erection in the episode Skipper The Eyechild. Does it annoy you that so-called 'art' films like Nine Songs or Baise-Moi can get away with showing graphic sexual images, yet you can't show a giant mutated eyeball sporting a hard-on?

Now that Darkplace has finally secured a DVD release, what surprises and extras can fans look forward to seeing?

You filmed around fifty episodes of Darkplace yet only six have been screened. Are there any plans to restore further episodes from your vaults?

After the disastrous attempt to film your classic novel Black Fang (rats learn to drive), has this dissuaded you from further big screen adaptations of your work? I've heard rumours of you perhaps making a film about giant mutated wasps in the near future?

Finally, Dean's new chat show Man To Man With Dean Learner begins this month on Channel 4. Can we expect to see you as a guest on the programme?

(Interview prepared October 2006 © soulmining)

You can discover more about the genuis of Garth Marenghi at his official website here.

As a footnote to this post, actor Matt Berry who plays Todd Rivers (Sanchez in Darkplace) will be performing at the Komedia in Brighton on Wednesday 28th February. I'm there!

Bring me Sunshine

I've been closely following the production of Danny Boyle's Sunshine for nearly eighteen months now and it's one of my most anticipated films of 2007 - hopefully making good on its promise of a modern sci fi movie that is both exciting AND intelligent.

Now, finally, I have a trailer for the film... so here it is:

Embed This Video | Visit Fox Searchlight

That's the international version of the trailer - there's also a slightly different UK trailer which is now up on Yahoo here.

Sunshine is due to open in UK cinemas on 6th April 2007.

Movie Haiku - Ghosts

www.ghoststhemovie.co.uk

Dir: Nick Broomfield

Cast: Ai Qin Lin, Zhan Yu, Zhe Wei, Man Qin Wei


Smuggled to UK
they work shit jobs for low pay
tide comes in too quick

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - Smokin' Aces

www.smokinacesmovie.net

Dir: Joe Carnahan

Cast: Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds


Kill mob informant
stunt casting for cartoon roles
it's smokin' faeces

soulmining rating: **

Ch-Ch-Changes

As you may have noticed, feed the pony finally got upgraded to the new version of Blogger this week, so after two years of the 'dark dots' layout I thought this would be an ideal time for a change. So you're now looking at the new improved site, I hope you like it!

Inevitably there are a few teething issues - I've lost my list of blogging friends, my Eat My Brains banner, my subscription option, my hit counter and my weather pixie - but hopefully I can retrieve some, if not all, of these missing elements very soon. Anyway, please bear with me while I adjust to my new layout. Thanks - and enjoy!

They're back...

Prison Break - screening Monday nights on Five

I love the Winter months for one reason - all the best television shows return! Here's five of the best that I'm watching at the moment:

ER - I've rarely missed an episode of ER since it began thirteen years ago, even though I hate watching medical stuff and won't go anywhere near the likes of Casualty. That said, the new series is shaping up to be the weakest yet with nearly all of the decent characters having now departed (last season was only worth watching for John Leguizamo's unhinged performance) leaving it in desperate need of a transfusion of new blood. And what's happened to the opening titles? 9pm Thursday E4

Masters Of Horror - A fantastic idea: cherry pick the best talent in horror cinema and get them to make a series of self-contained one hour dramas. The reality: small budgets, one star name per episode, patchy writing and some of the poorest acting on telly. Season 1 was decidedly hit and miss but there were some good episodes, and advance word on Season 2 is generally positive (look out for the John Landis and Dario Argento episodes I'm told) - last night's tale The Damned Thing, helmed by Tobe Hooper was very average, but at least it was an improvement on his last effort which I had to switch off! 11pm Monday Bravo

Prison Break - One of the discoveries of last year, having ploughed my way through the DVD box set of Season 1 in the Summer. Now the 8 inmates are loose and FBI honcho William Fichtner (Armageddon, Go) is on their tail. With one major cast member getting offed in the first episode, and Peter Stormare still hamming it up for all he's worth, I'm hoping this one will run and run... 10pm Monday Five

Shameless - Can this really be series four of Channel 4's flasgship comedy/drama already? I felt it lost its way a little last year after the departure of Fiona & Steve, and I only hope the loss of neighbours Kev & Veronica doesn't dilute things further this year... still, the writing is as sharp as ever and there are enough interesting supporting characters to keep me watching. Just as well as they're intending to film twice as many episodes from 2008. 10pm Tuesday Channel 4

Waking The Dead - My favourite crime/thriller drama returns, but again seems to be treading water if the first two stories of the new series are anything to go by. Still, Trevor Eve is as marvellous as ever, Felicite Du Jeu is as gorgeous as ever and Tara Fitzgerald is a promising addition to the team. 9pm Sunday/Monday BBC One

And here's five more of my favourite shows that are returning very soon:

24 - The daddy of them all! Hit a low point on Day 3 with the continued antics of Kim Bauer, but learnt from its mistakes, and really raised its game with Day 5 last year. Starting with Jack Bauer a wanted man, the trailers for the forthcoming season have already got me drooling and my friend Paul (who's seen the first four episodes) has described the action so far as "amazing" and "astonishing" which bodes well! 9pm Sunday Sky One

America's Next Top Model - File under guilty pleasure. It only seems like yesterday that Danielle was crowned the winner of series six, but the glamorous reality juggernaut returns in less than two weeks time to begin its seventh series! Expect more bitching, more drama, and lots more Tyra... it's a good job Living TV repeat this show constantly as I have to catch it when my flatmate is out. And just for the record, Ann from series three is my all-time favourite! 9pm Monday Living TV

Doctor Who - Fresh from The Runaway Bride Christmas special, the newly revamped Doctor Who returns for a third series in the Spring (eta: March) and if the teaser is anything to go by, should be as exciting and entertaining as the last two series. Admittedly David Tennant isn't anywhere near as good as Christopher Eccleston, and with Freema Agyeman replacing Billie Piper as the Doctor's companion, well, this could be a make-or-break year for the show. Still, with the rumoured return of Captain Jack Harkness (as hinted at the end of Torchwood) and at least one surviving Dalek left to terrify everyone, the omens are positive. 7pm Saturday BBC One

Life On Mars - Named after a classic Bowie song, how could it possibly fail? Without exception, the best new television drama of 2006. I watched the first episode last Winter and wondered how anyone could sustain a series about a modern day cop mysteriously transported back to the seventies... and then watched in awe, week after week, as they proved me hopelessly wrong. It just got better and better - full of great characters and great writing. And soon it will be back on our screens for a second - and final - series. No neverending unanswered questions here, everything will be wrapped up in eight short episodes, so enjoy it while you can! Date/Time tbc BBC One

Lost - Speaking of neverending unanswered questions... but hey, you gotta love Lost. At times infuriating, this is still the most mind-bending television drama since Twin Peaks graced our screens. Despite a few boring back stories (hopefully not so many now that Mr Eko has passed away) this remains essential viewing for me. Currently enjoying a mid-season break, the show should resume with episode seven sometime in February. Date/Time tbc Sky One

Toffee Balboa

(photo from www.evertonfc.com, headline nicked from BBC Sport)

Yes, it's fact... Rocky is an Evertonian! In one of the more bizarre moments as a lifelong toffees fan, I switched on Sky Sports yesterday to see Sylvester Stallone turn up to watch the match against Reading as a guest of the club's chairman, Robert Earl, a long-time friend. "I'm definitely going back," he later told The Independent, "And yes, I'm an Everton fan now." On the game itself, which finished 1-1, Sly sagely remarked, "The Reading goal was so questionable, being offside, or whatever." A future career in football punditry surely awaits the great man, once he's finished shooting Rambo IV of course.

Rumours that Everton have signed the former Escape To Victory goalie as back up for Tim Howard are unconfirmed at this time.

Play It Cool in January

Damn, I missed the Record Fair at Brighton Centre last weekend, so new music has been pretty scarce these past few weeks, especially as I only got one CD over Christmas. Never mind though, here's what I have been listening to this month:

• Girls Aloud - The Sound Of Girls Aloud - The Greatest Hits (Polydor)
• Lily Allen - Alright, Still (Regal)
• Various Artists - Radio 1's Live Lounge (Sony)
• The Sleepy Jackson - Personality: One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird (Virgin)
• Brakes - Hold Me In The River (Rough Trade) single

Ooh, and it seems that I have finally been upgraded to the new version of Blogger!

Movie Haiku - Employee Of The Month

www.employeeofthemonthfilm.com

Dir: Greg Coolidge

Cast: Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson, Dax Shepard, Efren Ramirez


Both want new cashier
dirty tricks to win top prize
cleavage of the month

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - The Last King Of Scotland

www.foxsearchlight.com

Dir: Kevin Macdonald

Cast: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, David McBurney


Amin has trapped wind
doc is closest advisor
no kilts or bagpipes

soulmining rating: ****

FrightFest does Glasgow

Kristen Stewart in The Messengers

Yes, the FrightFest boys are back with their first all-dayer event of 2007! On Saturday 17th February they're showing five films at the Glasgow Filmhouse as part of the annual Glasgow Film Festival. The line up has been confirmed as follows:

• The Tripper (Dir: David Arquette) - a crazed madman obsessed with Ronald Reagan goes on a killing spree at a hippy festival.
• S&Man (Dir: JT Petty) - a documentary about voyeurs and filmmakers in the underground world of horror cinema.
• The Messengers (Dir: Pang Brothers) - strained relationships as a family relocate from the big city to a run-down sunflower farm, from the Asian masters of style over content.
• Turistas (Dir: John Stockwell) - backpacking holiday nightmare from the director of Into The Blue and Blue Crush - so expect plenty of bikinis and speedos!
• Motel Hell (Dir: Kevin Connor) - retro screening of this 80's classic about a bloke who kills travellers and turns them into fritters.

Tickets go on sale this coming Sunday priced at £20 for the day - full details can be found on the Glasgow Film Festival website.

Movie Haiku - Apocalypto

www.apocalypto.co.uk

Dir: Mel Gibson

Cast: Rudy Youngblood, Gerardo Taracnea, Raoul Trujillo, Dalia Hernandez

Village is captured
paint them blue and chop their heads
jaguar attacks

soulmining rating: **

Movie Haiku - White Noise: The Light

www.goldcirclefilms.com

Dir: Patrick Lussier

Cast: Nathan Fillion, Katee Sackhoff, Craig Fairbrass, Adrian Holmes


He sees dead people
uses white light to save them
goes bad on third day

soulmining rating: **

It's time to get slaughtered!

Hey, who's this handsome fella talking on my television?

Yes, Severance gets its long-awaited DVD release here in the UK on Monday, but thanks to the dozy staff at Fopp who put it on the shelves a week early, I can bring you an exclusive look at what to expect.

Aside from the film (see my four star review here) presented in widescreen format with a 5.1 soundtrack, there's a ton of special features as follows:

• Audio Commentary by Christopher Smith (director), James Moran (writer), John Frankish (production designer), Danny Dyer, Tim McInnerny, Babou Ceesay and Andy Nyman - see if James actually manages to get a word in edgeways!
  
• Making of Severance (34 mins) - looks at how the cast came on board, lots of larking about on set, plus the hazards of filming with animals.
  
• Being Danny Dyer (5 mins) - Danny swears a lot and wears a prosthetic cock.
  
• The Genesis of Severance (5 mins) - James gets his moment in the spotlight to tell us that he really wanted to kill some yuppies... but he wrote Severance instead. It's catharsis, see?
  
• The Coach (8 mins) - the crew buy a dodgy old coach and a mad Hungarian stuntman crashes it in spectacular fashion. Two words - health and safety?
  
• Deleted Scenes with optional commentary (8 mins) - eight short scenes including the Talking Deer, voiced by Leslie Phillips.
  
• Not So Special Effects (5 mins) - the perils of asking for a prop rock and guns 'n' ammo in Hungary.
  
• Outtakes (2 mins) - not that funny, apart from things falling off the luggage rack in the coach.
  
• Palisade Corporate Video (2 mins) - the full version of the video screened on the coach during the opening credits.
  
• Danny Fight Scene (2 mins) - fight club rehearsal.
  
• Alternate Ending Storyboard (1 min) - now where's their boat headed?
  
• UK Theatrical Trailer (2 mins) - featuring the wonderful Oh Yeah by The Subways.
  
• Intro Sequence Animatics (3 mins) - The bearpit scene in animatic form.
  
• Easter Egg - Lodge Incident (6 mins) - a rather pointless 'fact finding interview' with Nadia & Olga.

So, round up those Gift Tokens you got given for Christmas and make it your mission to go and buy this DVD next week!


Find out more at www.severancethemovie.co.uk

Movie Haiku - Night At The Museum

www.nightatthemuseum.com

Dir: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Robin Williams


New job as night guard
all exhibits come to life
history is fun

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer

www.perfumemovie.com

Dir: Tom Tykwer

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Dustin Hoffman


He has finest nose
wants to preserve female scent
kill Grenouille kill

soulmining rating: ****

Big Beach Boutique III

Right Here, Right Now...

Kemptown is packed with folk. There's a steady stream of people passing by my windows. And Norman is busy spinning his tunes on the beach... it's quite loud; put it this way, I can make out every word of the songs he's playing as I'm sat here typing at my Mac!

Here's a pic I took earlier this morning before the fencing went up on Marine Parade as they were setting up.

January Live

Happy New Year everyone!

So, it's January, the start of 2007. What's happening around the city this month? Well, not a lot... it's always a quiet month, which comes as something of a relief after the hectic run up to Christmas. Not much for me to recommend then, but here's a few dates for your diary:

01/01 - Currently setting up across the road from my flat, this afternoon sees Fatboy Slim finally back on Madeira Drive (next to the Concorde) for his Big Beach Boutique III event. After the estimated quarter of a million people who turned up for his last beach party in Brighton (well, it was free and it was a hot Summer's day) this one should be a bit quieter, especially as it's supposed to be limited to BN residents. Heard the PA blasting out some tunes earlier this morning - it's going to be loud!

12/01 - The Zero Degrees Of Separation Tour comes to the Corn Exchange featuring Adem, Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver and Juana Molina.

31/01 - One of my tips for 2007, Brighton's Blood Red Shoes play at the Engine Rooms, before their NME Awards show in February. I saw them support Metric a couple of months ago and they sound very promising...

2006 Movie Haiku Index

Here's my handy index to all the films (132 - count 'em!) that I saw on the big screen in 2006, alongside my star rating for each film. Click on the individual film title to read my movie haiku.

• 3 Friends (***)
• 13 (Tzameti) (****)
• 16 Blocks (***)
• Adrift (***)
  
• Ahimsa: Stop To Run (****)
• Alien Autopsy (***)
• American Dreamz (*)
  
• An American Haunting (**)
  
• Art Of The Devil 2 (****)
• Babel (****)
  
• Basic Instinct 2 (*)
• Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (****)
• Black Book (****)
• Black Christmas (***)
  
• The Black Dahlia (*)
• Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan (****)
  
• The Break Up (***)
  
• Breakfast At Tiffany's (****)
• Breaking And Entering (****)
  
• Brick (****)
• Broken (***)
  
• The Buried Forest (*)
• Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story (**)
  
• Cars (****)
• Casino Royale (****)
  
• Children Of Men (*****)
• Clerks 2 (****)
  
• Confetti (***)
• Crank (****)
  
• The Da Vinci Code (**)
  
• Dangerous Flowers (***)
• The Dark (***)
• Dead Man's Cards (***)
  
• Dear Dakanda (****)
• Death Trance (**)
• Deja Vu (***)
  
• The Departed (*****)
• The Devil Wears Prada (***)
  
• DOA: Dead Or Alive (***)
  
• Dorm (***)
• The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (***)
• Fearless (***)
  
• Final Destination 3 (***)
• Firewall (*)
• Frostbite (****)
  
• Ghost Of Mae Nak (***)
  
• Ghost Of Valentine (**)
• Goalposts & Lipsticks (***)
• Gone (**)
  
• Good Night, And Good Luck (***)
• The Grudge 2 (***)
  
• H6: Diary Of A Serial Killer (**)
  
• Hard Candy (*****)
• Hatchet (***)
  
• Hidden (Cache) (***)
• The Hills Have Eyes (****)
• The Host (****)
  
• Hostel (****)
• Inside Man (****)
• Isolation (****)
  
• The Intruder (***)
  
• Invisible Waves (****)
• Jackass Number Two (****)
  
• Jarhead (****)
• Lady In The Water (****)
• The Last Kiss (****)
  
• Little Miss Sunshine (****)
  
• The Living And The Dead (***)
• London To Brighton (****)
  
• The Lost (****)
  
• Lucky Number Slevin (***)
• Marie Antoinette (**)
  
• The Marsh (**)
  
• The Matador (***)
  
• Match Point (****)
• Memoirs Of A Geisha (***)
• Miami Vice (**)
  
• Mission: Impossible III (****)
• Monster House (***)
  
• Munich (****)
• Murk (****)
• My Super Ex-Girlfriend (***)
• Nacho Libre (****)
  
• The Omen (***)
• Over The Hedge (***)
• Pan's Labyrinth (*****)
  
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (*****)
  
• Poseidon (***)
• The Prestige (****)
  
• Princess (***)
  
• Pulse (***)
  
• Puritan (**)
• The Raven (***)
  
• Reeker (***)
• Right At Your Door (****)
• Romanzo Criminale (**)
  
• Saw III (***)
  
• A Scanner Darkly (****)
  
• Scary Movie 4 (*)
• See No Evil (***)
• The Sentinel (**)
  
• Severance (****)
• Sheitan (*****)
• Shortbus (****)
  
• Silent Hill (***)
• Slither (****)
• Snakes On A Plane (****)
• Snoop Dogg's Hood Of Horror (*)
  
• Stolen Life (***)
• Stormbreaker (***)
  
• Superman Returns (**)
  
• Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (*****)
• Syriana (***)
• Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (***)
• Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny (***)
  
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (***)
  
• Thank You For Smoking (***)
• Them (***)
  
• Transamerica (****)
  
• Tsotsi (***)
• Ultraviolet (*)
  
• Underworld: Evolution (**)
• United 93 (****)
  
• V For Vendetta (****)
• Vampire Diary (**)
  
• Waiting... (***)
  
• When A Stranger Calls (**)
• The Wicker Man (*)
• World Trade Center (**)
  
• The World's Fastest Indian (****)
• X Men: The Last Stand (***)
  
• You Bet Your Life (**)

I actually saw a total of 140 films at the cinema this year, easily beating 2005's total of 116; the eight films that I saw twice were Art Of The Devil 2, Children Of Men, Ghost Of Mae Nak, The Host, Hostel, Pan's Labyrinth, Reeker and Severance.

Of the films listed, thirty of them were foreign language films, fifteen of them were sequels and ten of them were remakes. Only seven films attained the coveted five star rating, although in hindsight Hard Candy should probably have been awarded one less star. Looking back over the list I don't think I've been too harsh on any one film, but there are certainly others which have benefited from some overly generous ratings - notably An American Haunting, Cars, Invisible Waves, Mission: Impossible III and The Omen. I only walked out of one film this year and that was a retro screening of The Raven (and only because I wanted to socialise in the bar at the time) but I came very close to giving up with Marie Antoinette and Snoop Dogg's Hood Of Horror - and I also slept through most of Reeker on its first viewing due to excessive drinking!

2006 Review - Films of the Year

Right, I'm all tied-up later tonight so thought I'd better get this one posted bright and early. My final list is going to cover my favourite - and least favourite - films from the past twelve months... And I've had a lot of films to choose from this year, even more than in 2005!

(2005 Winner - DiG!)

Best films of 2006:

1. Children Of Men
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. The Departed
4. Severance
5. Sheitan
6. Pirates Of The Carribean: Dead Man's Chest
7. Clerks 2
8. The Host
9. Lady Vengeance
10. Art Of The Devil 2

Worst films of 2006:

1. The Wicker Man
2. Ultraviolet
3. Basic Instinct II
4. Snoop Dogg's Hood Of Horror
5. The Black Dahlia

Tomorrow: I'm going to publish a handy index of all the movie haikus for the films that I've seen at the cinema this year.

2006 Review - Albums of the Year

Okay, following on from yesterday's Songs of the Year, here's my list of favourite albums from the past twelve months.

(2005 Winner - The Duke Spirit - Cuts Across The Land)

Best albums of 2006:

1. Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther
2. CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy
3. Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer
4. The Sleepy Jackson - Personality: One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird
5. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
6. Bat For Lashes - Fur And Gold
7. The Kooks - Inside In/Inside Out
8. Lily Allen - Alright, Still
9. Keane - Under The Iron Sea
10. The Upper Room - Other People's Problems

Tomorrow: Films of the Year

2006 Review - Songs of the Year

Moving on from yesterday's Gigs of the Year, here's my list of favourite songs from the past twelve months. As per last year, only two of the artists in this list have also made it onto my Albums of the Year shortlist, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out who they are!

(2005 Winner - Gorillaz - Dare)

Best songs of 2006:

1. The Automatic - Monster
2. Brakes - All Night Disco Party
3. Midlake - Roscoe
4. Serena Maneesh - Drain Cosmetics
5. CSS - Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
6. Hot Chip - Over And Over
7. Madonna - Jump
8. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
9. The Like - What I Say And What I Mean
10. All Saints - Rock Steady

Tomorrow: Albums of the Year

2006 Review - Gigs of the Year

It's that time of the year when everyone looks back over the past year and publishes lots of lists, so in keeping with my 2005 Review from last year I'm going to start today with my favourite gigs that I've been to this year.

(2005 Winner - Soulwax at Brighton Concorde 2)

Best gigs of 2006:

1. The Dandy Warhols at Islington Academy
2. Imogen Heap at Brighton Komedia
3. Scritti Politti at Brighton Concorde 2
4. The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Brighton Concorde 2
5. Radio 1 Chart Show Live at Brighton Dome

Tomorrow: Songs of the Year

More Stuff On My Cat

Steve & Chrissy bought me the Stuff On My Cat book for Christmas. Steve also gave me a Jessica Alba action figure (from the Fantastic 4 film) with '28 separate points of articulation' so I thought the most fitting way to show my appreciation was to create another Stuff On My Cat scenario using said figure - Pepper the cat happily (or rather, wearily) obliged.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas everyone!

I'm currently staying in Newcastle with my family and will hopefully be back online by Friday 29th December.

Reflections on 2006

It's fast approaching the end of another year so - in the same manner that I did last year - I thought I'd take a few moments to look back and reflect on the past twelve months.

1) Was 2006 a good year for you?

It was okay. 2006 certainly got off to a good start with an extended holiday in South East Asia, and this year I made a lot of firm friends which has been rewarding. On the downside work continued to stagnate a bit and towards the end of the year I was feeling rundown - just committing to too many things and not giving myself any time to rest.

2) What was your favourite moment of the year?

Probably my day trip to Hong Kong island with Dave when we caught a bus down to one of the remote beaches - it was so peaceful there and such a contrast to the rest of Hong Kong. And it felt wonderful basking on a beach in the sunshine in the middle of February!

3) What was your least favourite moment of the year?

Getting glandular fever in April, that wasn't much fun.

4) Where will you be when 2006 ends?

More than likely I will be at home in my flat in Brighton. I have to work on New Year's Day so I'm not planning on doing anything much to celebrate, I'll probably just have a bottle of wine and dance around the living room like I did last year.

5) Who will you be with when 2006 ends?

I will probably be on my own but I guess it depends what other friends are doing. As I keep saying every year, New Year's Eve is no big deal to me, I'm quite happy staying in. I hate all this pressure to go out somewhere, spend a lot of money and have a good time.

6) Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions from 2006?

My New Year's resolutions from last year consisted of a rather vague call to drink more water and eat more fruit and vegetables. I wouldn't say it was a great success, but nor was it a total disaster.

7) Do you have any New Year's resolutions for 2007?

I really want to contribute more reviews to Eat My Brains as I provided so little material for them this year. I would also like to stop mixing beer and wine on a night out as it inevitably ends badly for me!

8) Did you fall in love in 2006?

No, there have been a few crushes during the year but nothing major.

9) Do you regret it?

No, of course not. I always love the thrill of the chase even if it gets me nowhere in the end. Maybe next year will have a happy ending?

10) Did you break up with anyone in 2006?

No, not unless you include my 'blind date' with V in Oxford when she dumped me after two hours. Actually, perhaps that ought to be my least favourite moment of the year!

11) Did you make any new friends in 2006?

Yes, the FrightFest scene has been getting more and more social over the past eighteen months or so, but this year it really became an integral part of the event and I made a number of good friends as a result, friends that I've met up with outside of the FrightFest calendar. In particular I'd like to single out Alex, Lauren, Dolores and Thurein but there are many others. In February I made friends with Clare at the BKKIFF, my one allay in a strange land, and I'm hoping we'll hook up again soon when she moves down to London in the New Year. Closer to home there's Hannah who's been out to a few gigs with me in Brighton recently and I hope that our friendship will continue to flourish into 2007.

12) What was your favourite month of 2006?

February - I spent most of the month abroad, visiting Hong Kong for the first time and then enjoying three weeks in Thailand culminating in me covering the BKKIFF in Bangkok. I had so many good experiences at the festival and I was in my element seeing loads of new films and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tadanobu Asano, Rufus Sewell, Terry Gilliam and Willem Dafoe.

13) Did you travel outside of the UK in 2006?

Yes, to Hong Kong and Thailand, as detailed above!

14) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2006?

No.

15) Did you miss anybody in the past year?

A few people I guess. My cousin Paul who I'd met up with in 2005 for an Everton game - we ought to have made that a regular date but it just didn't happen. My good friend Stephen who got married in 2005 and became a father this year - I can't believe that I haven't seen him since January of this year, that's just terrible. And finally Gary the Fruit who really became a close friend as the year went on - and then he buggered off to Thailand to become a teacher at the end of September. We still keep in contact via email but I miss having him around Brighton.

16) What was your favourite movie that you saw in 2006?

It's a close call but Children Of Men shades it. I'll post my full list of favourite movies later in the week.

17) What was your favourite song from 2006?

I haven't finished ironing out my top ten tunes as yet but I think Monster by The Automatic probably just takes the title ahead of All Night Disco Party by Brakes. And thanks to Lauren I can't hear the winning song without thinking, "What's that coming over the hill, is it a lobster, is it a lobster?" now!

18) What was your favourite record from 2006?

For me the most rewarding and consistent album this year was The Trials Of Van Occupanther by Midlake.

19) How many concerts did you see in 2006?

Forty-three, plus a scattering of comedy and literary events.

20) Did you have a favourite concert in 2006?

Yes, despite it being the 8th time I'd seen them in concert, The Dandy Warhols played an absolute blinder at London's Islington Academy at the end of their European tour. It was also good seeing Imogen Heap and Scritti Politti for the first time this year.

21) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2006?

Yes, a fair amount, but probably no more or no less than last year. Magners cider was a bit hit over the Summer and I seem to have developed a fondness for JD & Coke in these last few months.

22) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2006?

None. Don't think I even smoked a cigarette this year.

23) How many people did you sleep with in 2006?

Five.

24) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?

Exchanging emails with a female friend of a male friend without first telling my male friend. Needless to say he wasn't too happy when he found out and thought we'd been plotting against him, which we hadn't. But it would have been so much simpler if I'd just been upfront to begin with.

25) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2006?

Hmmmm, that's a tricky question! I got very frustrated when two of my best friends started their own little war earlier in the year after a massive argument - both of them had totally differing accounts of what happened that fateful night so I know that one of them was blatantly lying, but to this day I don't know which one. Thankfully they've made up again now.

26) What was the best practical joke that you played in 2006?

I guess it would have to be one of the many office pranks we played this year. Eating Cotton's 'special' jam and photographing the evidence got 2006 off to a good start, and then there was convincing Bev that one of the bands performing on the NME Tour was really called The Angry Wasps, to the point that she was telling customers this. More recently repeatedly hiding all the envelopes in the office so that Polly had to keep going down into the basement to get new stock was funny, and finally turning Darren into a dancing elf also amused me no end!

27) What was your proudest moment of 2006?

You know, I think I'd have to say when James got his moment in the spotlight at the Severance premiere in August. I was just so thrilled to see him up on stage, answering questions and taking the applause from the crowd - very richly deserved too!

28) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2006?

Mixing wine with beer and getting absolutely trolleyed at the Severance aftershow party. I don't remember much about the Arts Club that night but I don't think anyone else who was there will forget my antics in a hurry. Sadly I do remember setting off a car alarm with my umbrella afterwards, then throwing up and trying to sleep on the pavement on Oxford Street. Not my finest moment.

29) If you could go back in time to one moment in time in 2006 and change something what would it be?

I would ask Mamee about her role in the excellent Art Of The Devil 2 rather than question her about Dangerous Flowers, a film which she wasn't in. Whoops.

30) What are your plans for 2007?

I really want to focus more on my passion for film and get back into writing more original reviews and features for Eat My Brains. I'd also like to attend another international film festival as a member of the Press if I can blag it, perhaps Toronto in September, or maybe the BKKIFF again next July.

Grindhouse - The Most Anticipated Film of 2007?

Grindhouse - theatre standee

Grindhouse:

Directors - Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino

Cast - Naveen Andrews, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Jeff Fahey, Carlos Gallardo, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Michael Parks, Freddy Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Kurt Russell, Tom Savini, Marley Shelton, Quentin Tarantino, Danny Trejo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Trailer - now available for viewing here!

The Most Anticipated Film of 2007? Without a doubt.

Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror - lobby card

Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof - lobby card

Another Christmas Party!

Thursday was our office Christmas meal at Thai Connection in Hove. Cotton, Bennett, Dom, Darren & I dodged the Burning The Clocks parade and caught a cab to The Station in Hove where we had a few liveners and found a pub quiz machine. After a sneaky Tuaca along George Street we met up with Bev, Debbie & Polly then settled down for some quality Thai nosh. We exchanged our Secret Santa presents (I got some coffee for hangovers and gave Bev a very limited edition single by The Angry Wasps) and Darren finally got the new mug that Bev had been promising him. The funniest thing happened as we walked back to the pub afterwards... Darren's bag suddenly split open, spilling its contents onto the road and smashing his brand new mug! More drinks at The Station and a few more rounds on the quiz machine before it was last orders and time to drag Dom away from the Hangman game he'd got addicted to. A good night out, and good to get away from our usual haunts for a change.

Christmas Party!

It's the Christmas party season and last night was my first one as I went along to the bash at the Concorde, courtesy of the lovely staff down there who allow me to come and see lots of their shows during the year. There was a few familiar faces from the local music scene, in fact it was like going to a Brighton gig - minus the band and the paying customers! Dave and I enjoyed a few pints and nibbles and then the evening really took off... we got snapped by The Argus photographer... pretty girls played Twister... I won a CD on the slot car racing... Matt baffled us with some close up card tricks... I found a glowstick... I danced and danced... and eventually stumbled home on a cushion of spilled marshmallows. It was a good party!

Tenacious D at Brighton Centre

The festive season is a time for pantomimes so what better band to see in the week leading up to Christmas than Tenacious D, the comedy/rock beast created by actor Jack Black and his partner Kyle Gass. This isn't perhaps the type of music I'd play at home, but as a piece of musical theatre, as a proper stage show, it's unbeatable - and miles more entertaining than their recent movie The Pick Of Destiny. The show follows a plot, of sorts, opening with JB and Rage-Cage playing a few acoustic numbers in Kyle's living room, with a fleeting appearance from Lee, their number one fan. When JB convinces Kyle to try his electric guitar the duo are electrocuted and end up in hell, where they recruit a backing band made up of The Antichrist, Charlie Chaplin and Colonel Sanders! Having already given us the origin of Tenacious D we now skate through some moments from the film involving Kyle leaving (and quickly rejoining) the band, JB getting high on mushrooms, and eventually culminating with a "rock off" against Satan himself. It's all nonsense of course, but hugely enjoyable nonsense, carried along by the endless enthusiasm and wit of Black and the amiable Gass as his straight man. I was also impressed with the production and lighting which really adds to experience. As for the music, well, having seen Jack Black perform in School Of Rock it's no surprise to see that he really can cut it up on stage in front of an audience of thousands... and it was a pleasant surprise (since we're in Brighton) to see the band finish the show with a medley of songs by The Who!

The Dome Sessions

The Go! Team as pictured by Grant Scott

Brighton Dome has teamed up with award-winning portrait photographer, Grant Scott to create a photographic archive of performers appearing at the venue over the course of one year. Grant, who has exhibited and been published internationally, is based in Brighton and is hoping to capture the vibrant artistic programme of the city's most celebrated venue and its unique architecture. The project will culminate with a major exhibition held at Brighton Dome at the end of 2007.

Check out The Dome Sessions to see images of your favourite artists taken within the historic surroundings of the Brighton Dome and gain a glimpse of Grant's experiences through his personal photographic blog.

To see more of Grant Scott's work visit www.grantscott.com.

Play It Cool in December

It's my last music round-up before Christmas, so here's what I've been playing over the last few weeks. Look out for my picks of 2006 which I'll try and post before the end of the year! Okay, here's my favourite five for this month:

• Princess Superstar - My Machine (!K7)
• CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy (Sub Pop)
• Act - Laughter Tears And Rage - The Anthology (ZTT)
• Arcade Fire - Funeral (Rough Trade)
• Revl9n - Walking Machine (Because) single
  

Movie Haiku - Deja Vu

www.bvimovies.com/uk/deja_vu


Dir: Tony Scott


Cast: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton, Bruce Greenwood


Blows up a ferry

he could go back and save her

seen it all before


soulmining rating: ***

The Duke Spirit at the ICA

At long last, I finally got to see The Duke Spirit live! A one-off Christmas show at the ICA in London provided an ideal opportunity to see the band, and was a good choice of venue too - nice and intimate (about the size of the Pavilion Theatre) with good visibility to the stage, although to be fair I was standing pretty close to the front! The band played a 75 minute set comprising of old, new and obscure tracks. One new song (This Ship Was Built To Last I think it was called) was especially strong and could easily have come off the Cuts Across The Land album, but for me the highlight was Red Weather, one of my favourite album tracks which really rocked out. Leila proved to be an engaging front person, grabbing her microphone stand and reaching skywards, and during several songs the band was swelled by the addition of a brass section, viola player and a couple of lovely backing singers. I caught up with Leila in the bar afterwards and she admitted they haven't played Brighton as much as they should, so fingers crossed for 2007 - "It's all about next year!"

The Kooks at Brighton Dome

More gigs this week! Tuesday night was the highly anticipated Brighton gig by The Kooks, postponed from September. I certainly haven't heard an audience sound quite so excited in a long time. Hannah & I skipped Larrakin Love in favour of the Waggon - they were described as very good or a bit dodgy depending on which friends I talked to - then negotiated the Dome bar and picked a good spot at the back of the standing area just as The Kooks finished their first song, Seaside. It was a brief set, little more than an hour, but I guess they've only got one album's worth of material to choose from. The singles went down a storm, Ooh La and Naive in particular sounding good, but there was very little rapport between the band and the audience, aside from an occasional mumble from singer Luke. Not bad, but they desperately need to work on their stage personas, and a few new songs wouldn't go amiss either. And so back to the pub!

Brakes at the Pavilion Theatre

Another night, another gig! I finished work, caught a glimpse of Mitchell & Webb in the Dome, then dashed round the corner to the Pavilion Theatre to catch Brighton's muso collective, Brakes. Last year's Give Blood was a cracking debut album and All Night Disco Party is surely a contender for single of the year. You can't really pigeonhole this band, they'll follow a three minute punky-pop tune with a ten second rant or a country-tinged ballad... but whatever they come up with, you can bet it's laced with feeling and good humour. Witness new songs Spring Chicken or Porcupine or Pineapple? (complete with fruit tossed into the crowd), this is a band having fun with the music that they make. It was a really enjoyable set topped off by special guests The Pipettes who joined the band for a cover of JAMC's Sometimes Always. Any chance of an early night soon dissipated when I bumped into a few family members who I know (thanks to Gary the fruit) and I got invited to the aftershow party at The Gloucester. (Cue flashbacks to my student days...) The club hasn't changed much since I was last there, but I was glad to see that Fridays are now devoted to indie music, and I had a fun time chatting to Eamon and Gwenno at the bar while I was there. It did however mean that I overslept (again) and had to buy pies for everyone at work the next morning.

Bat For Lashes at St George's Church

Dave & I went to church on Thursday. And we sat in the pews and drank beer. There was good reason for this; we came to see Bat For Lashes, aka Natasha Khan, Brighton's very own quirky female singer/songwriter, backed by Ginger & Abi (from Dom's band) and Lizzie who I used to work with a couple of years back. St George's Church was the perfect venue to see this band - all crisp vocals and a multitude of instruments and sounds (guitar, viola, bass drum, keyboards, staff, handclaps...) which the girls traded in between songs. Add to which Josh T. Pierson ambled on to lend his backing vocals to current single Trophy. The band played the majority of debut album Fur And Gold and finished with my favourite track Prescilla - magical. Apparently Bjork checked out their recent London show and it's no surprise to discover she's a fan... I'll certainly be in the audience again next time they play.

Revl9n at Sumo

Three new bands and a new live venue for me last night as Andy, Julie, Justin and I headed down to Sumo to see Revl9n. I haven't been to Sumo for ages; it's quite compact as a live venue and with large sofas dominating one corner of the room it's more akin to watching a live show in your own lounge. Very intimate, and kinda nice! Support came from I Say Marvin whose brand of new rave indie music quickly grabbed the attention. Very much in the same vein as The Automatic I thought, their songs were punchy and tight - they've certainly got the potential to go onto much bigger things. Brighton's own Waxed Apple were next, whose madcap electro sound had Justin describing them as "psycho-clangers"! I'd been a little apprehensive about seeing Revl9n since hearing Ana had left the group a couple of weeks ago, but I needn't have panicked - Maria and Nandor adapted perfectly well as a duo and their songs sounded immediate and exciting. Musically they spanned the electro spectrum from an industrial Nine Inch Nails sound right through to the pure pop of the Pet Shop Boys. Walking Machine especially got everyone moving (not least Maria, whirling into the audience) and the band finished with a fitting encore of their other single Someone Like You.

Movie Haiku - Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny

www.tenaciousdmovie.com


Dir: Liam Lynch


Cast: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Jason Reed, Tim Robbins


Tits or destiny

they practice their power slides

rock off with Satan


soulmining rating: ***

FrightFest (Black) Christmas Party

The Arts Club (photo by Alex Kidd)

I had a great night out in London yesterday meeting up with all the FrightFest regulars for a bit of a party. The night began with a preview screening of Black Christmas at Soho House along with Paul McEvoy, Steve, Rachael, Richard, Lauren, Alex, Dolores and Martin. I was expecting the worst after a one star review in Empire, but the film was fun, albeit trashy fun. We then moved onto the Phoenix Club where we met up with Ian Rattray and Alan Jones, and more of the usual suspects like Mike, James, Giles, Paul, Ian and Jake. I finally got to sit down and talk to Sian and Sarah (check out her new blog Sarah Hates Your Movie) and then Paul introduced Sarah and I to the lovely Richard Aoyade (from Man To Man With Dean Learner and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace) so we chatted to him for a moment. The evening took another surreal turn when we moved onto the Arts Club around 11pm as we arrived just in time to see Keith Allen on stage singing Anarachy In The UK! Ian and friends then took over the decks and spun some quality tunes for the next four hours and the rest of us continued drinking and dancing until we could drink and dance no more. It was good to experience the Arts Club in a rather more sober state than last time (the legendary post-Severance aftershow party) and I'm pleased to report there was no sleeping on pavements this time and I managed to catch the 4am train back to Brighton without incident.

Movie Haiku - Black Christmas

www.blackchristmasmovie.co.uk


Dir: Glen Morgan


Cast: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Hudson


Girls wrap their presents

killer has eyeball fetish

they won't see christmas


soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - Black Book

www.zwartboekdefilm.nl


Dir: Paul Verhoeven


Cast: Carice Van Houten, Sebastien Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn


Jewish woman flees

becomes spy for Resistance

what's in that black book?


soulmining rating: ****

Coming Soon?

This week I was approached by an internet marketing company to see if I'd like to write a review of The Devil Wears Prada on my blog to tie in with the forthcoming DVD release. They send me the DVD, I write my review. Simple. I saw the film at the cinema (check out my movie haiku here) and liked it, so look out for my review in due course. And just to whet your appetite, here's an exclusive clip from the film:

I'm hoping this will lead onto further opportunities, but of course I can (and indeed should) always submit more reviews to Eat My Brains website. I'm acutely aware that new boy Sean Cockwell has already reviewed more films in the last month than I've managed all year, and I've got a couple of screeners in my DVD pile (for Broken and Vampire Diary) which I really ought to review. I'm keen to get back into writing about films again, it's just my hectic work schedule (64 hours overtime clocked up last month) and social life that limits my free time at the moment... but hey, the passion is there, so fingers crossed - there will be more film reviews coming soon.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Legends (l-r): Me, Justin, Paul, Andy and Dave

It's that time of year again (otherwise known as Winter) when half of my friends piss off to warmer climes for a few months. Gary was first to go at the end of September, then Sean went in October... and now it's Justin's turn as he flies off to Thailand next week for five months spent with his girlfriend up in Chiang Mai. So, needless to say we had a big leaving bash for him on Friday night, beginning in the (abnormally busy) William IV pub at 6pm. We stayed in there until closing time and then Justin, Andy, Julie, Dave, Paul, Becca and I moved on to Fitz's for a couple and then decided to go clubbing. This proved harder than we'd imagined as the Funky Buddha Lounge wouldn't let us in (for being too drunk!) and all the other clubs we tried were just about to close... in the end we ended up in Legends where we stayed until 4am. Yes, visiting gay clubs again and I wonder why certain people question my sexuality? And thanks to Darren for subsequently signing me up to their mailing list, very funny!

So, with Justin jetting off next week and Dave soon to follow at the end of the month, the burning question is when am I heading off? Well, in all honesty I've no firm holiday plans as yet. I'm aiming to take some time off towards the end of January and I've made some tentative enquiries about attending the 2007 BKKIFF but nothing concrete yet... watch this space.

December Live

Before 2006 draws to a close there's still a whole month full of exciting shows to catch. Here's some of the local highlights, as selected by yours truly:

06/12 - First up this month we have Swedish electro-clash band Revl9n at Sumo. Haven't done a gig at Sumo yet, so will be interested to see how it goes. Liked the band's singles... not sure how they'll come across live, especially since co-vocalist Ana left the group last month.

07/12 - Missed their recent Komedia gig, so am determined to see Brighton's own Bat For Lashes at St George's Church this time. Loving their Fur And Gold album, and am excited about seeing them live after discovering that my friend Lizzie has joined the band.

08/12 - Brighton supergroup Brakes play at the Pavilion Theatre in support of their new The Beatific Visions album - expect an all night disco party! Meanwhile if you missed Mitchell & Webb during the recent comedy festival then they're back for another show round the corner at the Dome. A bit hit-and-miss live I thought, too many sketches lifted straight out of their recent BBC2 series.

09/12 - Another Pavilion Theatre gig, this time I'm keen to check out Silvermaker who are supporting The Stirring.

12/12 - After cancelling their September date due to illness, keep your fingers crossed that The Kooks will be fighting fit for their rescheduled date at the Dome.

13/12 - I've been wanting to see The Duke Spirit live for nearly two years now so tonight's finally gonna be the night - I'm up to London for their special christmas show at the ICA where they'll be debuting new songs as well as playing old favourites.

16/12 - Kasabian and The Fratellis at Brighton Centre.

17/12 - Still haven't seen the movie yet, but Tenacious D live on stage ought to be a hoot - Jack Black & Kyle Gass bring the pick of destiny to our very own Brighton Centre.

18/12 - What is it with all these sick rockstars at the moment? Another recent cancellation, this time we're hoping The Zutons will be well enough for their rescheduled show at the Dome.

19/12 - At last I should be able to check out Euchrid Eucrow live as they play in the back room of the newly revamped Komedia; Euchrid Eucrow is the new band formed by my good mate Dom (Good Morning Captain) featuring Ginger Lee & Abi Fry (both from Bat For Lashes).

23/12 - An early Christmas present for everyone as new dad and Songfactor winner (Spring Heeled) Jim reforms his old band The Dirty Tricks for a one-off gig at the Providence.

Movie Haiku - Jackass Number Two

www.jackassmovie.com


Dir: Jeff Tremaine


Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius


Get bitten by snakes

and stuck in bee limousine

more laughs than Borat


soulmining rating: ****