Movie Haiku - Inland Empire

www.inlandempire.co.uk

Dir: David Lynch

Cast: Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton


Some have rabbit heads
acting death and dancing whores
a waking nightmare

soulmining rating: **

Paul's 40th birthday bash!

Iloua with birthday boy Paul

Friday evening was hectic to say the least! I arrived in London mid-afternoon and after a quick bit of shopping and a bite to eat I met up with Clare at the Phoenix for a drink. It's the first time I've seen Clare since our time at the BKKIFF last February, so it was good to catch up now that she's in London working for the BFI. I then met up with D as we'd been invited to a preview screening of Danny Boyle's Sunshine over at Fox HQ in Soho Square (full review to follow in due course) and I was delighted to be able to meet Gia at the reception afterwards to thank her personally and to discuss the film. Then it was back to the Phoenix to help celebrate Paul McEvoy's upcoming 40th birthday! As always, Paul was the life and soul of the party and he seemed genuinely chuffed with the signed Hold Steady single and drumsticks that I'd got for him.

Simon Rumley & me

Sadly we'd already missed Alan Jones and Ian Rattray but there were plenty of other familiar faces at the party; FrightFest regulars Amanda, Paul, Kevin and Ian were good company as always, plus there was Louise, Michael and Laura who'd come down for the Matt Berry gig last week, and it was nice to catch up with old acquaintances like Jake West (Evil Aliens) and Chris Smith (Severance). Paul also introduced me to Ian Nathan and a couple of the writers from Empire magazine and I happily chatted to them for a short while. A little later on Mike and Kat turned up with Simon Rumley (The Living And The Dead) in tow, and then things really started to get a bit messy...

D with James McAvoy

I was having such a laugh with D and Simon that I couldn't bear to leave the party early, so I compromised by cutting down on my drinks but electing to stay and get the 4am train home. In our less-than-sober states we managed to collar James McAvoy (no relation) who'd managed to find the secret booth in the corner next to us and he was very friendly and happy to pose for a couple of pictures. I also ended up chatting to Carl (the man behind the excellent Ban The Sadist Videos! documentary), a certain short film and ad director by the name of Duncan Jones, and I finally got to meet Paul's best friend Julian - so it was a very sociable and enjoyable occasion, save for the one annoying drunk bloke who'd lost his bag and kept stumbling around bothering everyone. Typically my train journey home involved a replacement bus service due to engineering works, so I didn't get back to Brighton until 6am... not ideal with a ten hour shift at work looming!

Movie Haiku - Sunshine

www.sunshinedna.com

Dir: Danny Boyle

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong


Eight go mad in space
mission to reignite sun
you will stare in awe

soulmining rating: *****

Kevin Smith - Louder Than Bombs?

www.jayandsilentbob.com

Oh yes, Kevin Smith is coming to the UK!

As most of you will already be aware, I am a HUGE Kevin Smith fan; I have all his films on DVD (yes, even Jersey Girl), I own a piece of Chasing Amy and have three signed and framed Kevin Smith film posters hanging up around my flat. So the chance to see the man in person is not to be missed! Thank heavens then that he's added a second date at the Prince Charles Cinema in London on 5th April, as I was gutted to see that tickets for the first night had already sold out. Kevin's legendary Q&A session will run for a whole four hours from 7-11pm and tickets are on sale via the website above.

Inspiral Carpets at the Concorde

Inspiral Carpets - Brighton Concorde2

Baggy nostalgia hit Brighton on Wednesday night when the Inspiral Carpets came to town. I still can't quite remember if I ever saw them live in their prime (at a festival perhaps?) but the opportunity to see them across the road at the Concorde was too good to miss. The gig must have been close to sold out and I've never seen the bar so busy... the crowd were certainly up for it! Thankfully the band's enthusiasm matched the crowd's and they launched into their back catalogue with much gusto. Tom Hingley might be looking a little older and wider these days but he gave it his all, as did the rest of the Inspirals, leaping around the stage and repeatedly coming to the front to shake hands with the fans. The set primarly featured the big hits (as you'd expect) with This Is How It Feels, Dragging Me Down and Saturn 5 sounding as groovy as ever, backed by Clint Boon's terrific Hammond organ sound. Afterwards the band stayed on to spin a few records at the aftershow party, although we didn't hang around for long. Nice to see a band dedicated to having such a good time and so obviously enjoying their second coming!

Movie Haiku - The Illusionist

www.the-illusionist.co.uk

Dir: Neil Burger

Cast: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell


Magician in love
but crown prince won't let her go
face fuzz fiesta

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - Ghost Rider

www.ghostriderwashere.co.uk

Dir: Mark Steven Johnson

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Peter Fonda


Cage rides fiery bike
flaming skull and dodgy hair
effects were improved

soulmining rating: ***

Switches at the Pressure Point

Switches - Pressure Point, Brighton

I expected the Pressure Point to be packed on Saturday night for the Switches gig. Recent single Drama Queen was a staple tune on 6Music and even my work colleague Debbie is a fan - and she's usually months behind me when it comes to music! (Sorry Debs, but you know I speak the truth!) I guess the fact that The Killers were in town meant that all the cool indie kids (and Debbie) had tickets to see them instead, which was a shame as it left an audience of around forty to defiantly check out a band that are surely destined for success. And whilst it must be a disheartening experience for the band, if they keep writing songs as catchy as these then they won't be playing venues of this size for very much longer.

Switches aren't doing anything radically new or different, their songs fall firmly into the same bracket as The Automatic or The Fratellis, but like those two bands they're full of hooks and energy - perfect three minute modern pop songs. As forthcoming album Heart Tuned To D.E.A.D. will testify, there's plenty more where Drama Queen came from, with new single Lay Down The Law leading the way, and at least two or three other tracks standing out as potential singles. Perhaps unsurprisingly under the circumstances it was a short, punchy set from the band, but I'm sure we'll be hearing more from them again as 2007 continues.

The Hold Steady at Resident Records

The Hold Steady - Resident Records, Brighton

While I didn't thank Paul for my hangover on Thursday morning, I do have to thank him for introducing me to The Hold Steady. He's been raving about their album Boys And Girls In America since the start of the year and more recently their live show at The Borderline in London. Rather luckily, last week the band announced they'd be coming down to Brighton for an instore at Resident Records, so naturally I made sure I was there to see them.

It was such a cool little gig; the shop (tiny at the best of times) was crammed and there was such a relaxed, fun atmosphere inside with the band hovering by the counter drinking cans of Stella. In the end they played a 45 minute acoustic set of American rock & blues which featured songs from the new album, including single Chips Ahoy! plus a couple of songs from Separation Sunday and one or two unreleased tracks. Singer Craig introduced each song and bantered with the crowd and it was just lovely. Afterwards the band hung around to chat and sign things and drummer Bobby even gave me his drumsticks! Definitely a band to watch out for, I hope they return for a 'proper' show in the city later in the year.

Movie Haiku - The Number 23

www.thenumber23movie.com

Dir: Joel Schumacher

Cast: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Logan Lerman, Danny Huston


Obsessed by number
paranoid that he will kill
it doesn't add up

soulmining rating: **

Matt Berry at the Komedia

Matt Berry with Rich Fulcher - Brighton Komedia

I'd love to give you an incisive review of Matt Berry at the Komedia on Wednesday evening, but truth be told I was very, very drunk. I do know that he sang One Track Lover as featured in the hit TV series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, but that's about as much as I can remember. I'd even forgotten that Rich Fulcher (aka Bob Fossil) his co-star in The Mighty Boosh! had joined Matt on stage for a few numbers until I saw my photos the next morning!

Let's just call it "The McEvoy Effect" (© Lauren) shall we? Yes, Paul was down from London with Louise, Michael & Laura in tow and we made the mistake of being on a liquid diet all evening... needless to say the end of the night is somewhat hazy (or indeed missing) and I was rather worried to hear my boss tell me that I was "a mess" in the Waggon sometime after 11pm as I have no recollection of going in there at all on my way home.

Paul, Matt and me... with more pints!

Oh yes, and Paul knows Matt fairly well so we got to meet him after the show. I have absolutely no idea what I said to him and just pray that I didn't make a total tit of myself.

The resulting hangover was an absolute killer... never again!

March Live

After a very quiet January/February the calendar is now bursting with dates as a whole heap of bands and musicians are booking shows in our city. March is going to be pretty hectic around here... have a look at some of this month's highlights:

01/03 - If I'd posted this earlier today I would have told you to dash down to Resident Records at 6:30pm to catch an exclusive acoustic set from The Hold Steady. I was there and will post a photo or two on here in the next few days.

03/03 - Ahh, I remember seeing The Killers at the Zap Club not so long ago... now on the back of their underwhelming second album Sam's Town, they're firmly on the arena circuit and are playing at Brighton Centre. Instead I will be checking out Switches at the Pressure Point - their ELO/Dandys sounding single Drama Queen hints at great things.

07/03 - I can't remember if I ever saw the Inspiral Carpets first time around at the height of their success, but now they're back on the circuit and roll up at the Concorde. Always a good singles band, this should be an evening of fond 'baggy' nostalgia.

08/03 - Not a favourite of mine, but just a quick mention for James Morrison who's appearing at the Dome. Andy & I saw him support Corinne Bailey Rae at the Concorde early last year and said he'd go far... how right we were. Please, enough, no more of these sensitive blokes with their guitars!

14/03 - Gig of the month, albeit not in Brighton. After missing out on tickets for their low key London dates in January I'm delighted to have got tickets to see Arcade Fire at Brixton Academy. Funeral is one of my favourite albums of the past couple of years, and I've just got a copy of Neon Bible which sounds equally compelling. I'm just hoping they're half as good live as everyone says they are.

19/03 - My favourite band of the moment is The Sounds, purveyors of Swedish electro-rock. Their Dying To Say This To You album is a cracker and they're playing at the Pressure Point, so this should be a great small venue to catch them in before they explode.

20/03 - The last time I saw Thea Gilmore at the Komedia I got told off for talking during her set... Yeah, I was a little drunk, but her songs didn't grab me like a lot of female singer/songwriters do. However, this time Erin McKeown supports and her last album We Will Become Like Birds was terrific, so maybe. Alternatively there's the suave sounds of Bryan Ferry over at the Dome.

24/03 - I haven't heard much of her stuff yet but there's a certain buzz around Kate Nash at the moment, so I'm going to take a chance and see her intimate gig at Red Roaster. She could be the next KT Tunstall... or she could just be the new Sandi Thom. Let's see.

29/03 - Another London gig, and another band of the moment as I'm going to check out The Shins at The Forum. Their current album Wincing The Night Away is my favourite of 2007 so far, so I definitely want to see them while I can.

31/03 - Rounding off the month we've got The Fall at the Pavilion Theatre for the second of two shows in Brighton (the other one is at The Old Market) in March. Always a bit wayward, who knows what will happen when Mark E. Smith takes to the stage with his latest incarnation of the band. If he turns up at all, of course.

Movie Haiku - Freedom Writers

www.freedomwriters.com

Dir: Richard LaGravenese

Cast: Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton


Teacher inspires them
keep journals about their lives
audience sniffles

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - Blood Trails

www.bloodtrails.com

Dir: Robert Krause

Cast: Rebecca Palmer, Ben Price, Tom Frederic, J.J. Straub


Go mountainbiking
chases her then makes dinner
timber mind that tree

soulmining rating: *

Movie Haiku - Snuff Movie

www.snuffmovie.co.uk

Dir: Bernard Rose

Cast: Jeroen Krabbe, Lisa Enos, Hugo Myatt, Joe Reegan


Maverick auteur
seeks actors to kill for real
duff movie more like

soulmining rating: *

Satan (Sheitan) Review

Vincent Cassel in Satan (Sheitan)

"Sharp, inventive and wickedly funny..."

"Uncomfortable, constantly keeping the viewer on edge..."

"One of the most unconventional Christmas movies you're ever likely to see..."

You can read my full review at Eat My Brains website here.

Brighton Festival 2007 launches!

www.brightonfestival.org

Can it really be that time of year already? Yes, Wednesday evening was launch night for this year's Brighton Festival, a busy night for us taking over *a lot* in advance bookings in just two hours. So what can we look forward to in this year's programme of music, dance, theatre and books & debate? Here's a few of my personal highlights:

• 5th May @ Dome Concert Hall - Run Lola Run featuring a live soundtrack by The Bays
• 7th May @ Dome Concert Hall - BAFTA: A life in Pictures (interviewee tbc)
  
• From 8th May @ The Basement - Daniel Kitson - C-90
• 11th May @ Dome Concert Hall - Victoria Wood in conversation
  
• From 11th May @ Old Ship Hotel - The Maids
• 16th May @ Theatre Royal - Vic Reeves - Me: Moir
  
• 17th May @ Corn Exchange - Great Escape featuring Nouvelle Vague
• 21st May @ Dome Concert Hall - Laurence Olivier's Henry V with live score by William Wallace
• 23rd May @ Corn Exchange - Leslie Phillips

Priority booking for Festival Friends is now open, with general public sales starting from Friday 2nd March at the Dome Box Office. See you there!

FrightFest in Glasgow

The FrightFest regulars (l-r): Lauren, D, Kim, Rachael and Alex

Last weekend I ventured north of the border to Scotland for the FrightFest all-dayer in Glasgow. Yes, it was a long way to travel for just a weekend, and yes it was expensive (although the ticket price was a very reasonable £20 for a day pass) but I figured what the hell, I wasn't going to Thailand this winter so I could afford to treat myself. I met up with D bright and early on Friday morning at Gatwick and we had a relatively smooth flight up to Glasgow, although I was horrified to discover that D was seriously contemplating seeing Epic Movie this week and wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. Once we arrived at Buchanan Bus Station we realised that our hotel (The Holiday Inn) was just along the road and handily adjacent to the local Cineworld! I have to say I was impressed with my choice of hotel and it was ideal for our needs.

After a quick scout about we met up with Lauren, Kim and Rachael who'd caught later flights up, and once they'd checked in we headed into the city centre. We'd decided to see the late night screening of Hot Fuzz so joined the snaking queue outside the cinema where we immediately bumped into Alex who was booking up to see a preview of Rescue Dawn. He then joined us for a walk around town and that's when the bad news came in - Rob phoned to say he'd lost his passport and wasn't going to be allowed to fly. With Easyjet not budging an inch he was screwed, so sadly he had to concede that he wouldn't be able to make it up to Glasgow. This put a bit of a dampener on our evening to say the least and we were all very subdued as we ate our dinner. No-one was really up for boozing it up, so we retired to our rooms then met up later for a quick livener at the bar before the excellent Hot Fuzz, which was showing in the biggest screen in the UK. As we left the cinema in the early hours we were greeted with the sight of a drunk man being chased down the road by four policemen... all rather appropriate really!

The "full Scottish breakfast" was just what we needed to set us up for Saturday and we arrived at the Glasgow Film Theatre at 11am to meet up with Alex and Evrim, who'd flown up that morning. Nobody could decide what they wanted to do before the films started, so in the end we just split up and went our own separate ways. Back at the GFT for 1pm we caught up with the FrightFest trio of Paul, Ian and Alan, then grabbed our seats in the front row ready for the day's first film, The Tripper. The cinema was lovely actually; very comfortable with nicely tiered rows and a huge gap from the front to the screen - the only downside was the aircon which gusted icily across our row when the room got too hot. I wasn't too taken by the opening movie - a slasher film involving a killer wearing a Reagan mask attacking a field full of hippies - but it had its moments and everyone else seemed to like it.

In the pub with Paul McEvoy (far left)

S&Man was better, a documentary about underground film-making which was pretty disturbing and certainly caused much debate after the screening. We continued our discussions over a quick pint in the nearest pub before returning for The Messengers, the first English language film from the Pang brothers. It was pretty generic stuff (a haunting at a sunflower farm) but I quite liked it - although judging from the reaction of the rest of the audience, Alex and I were in the minority on that one. My teeth were chattering from the freezing cold aircon by this time, so after grabbing a quick bite at Subway I dashed back to the hotel to pick up an extra layer.

Next up was Turistas, a backpackers-in-trouble flick from the master of the bikini shot, John Stockwell (he directed Into The Blue and Blue Crush). This proved to be my favourite film of the day and was generally well received by everyone. Our group missed out on the freebies given out in the next intermission, but I did get my hands on some Sheitan posters which was cool as it's the one with my quote on it! And so to the closing film of the evening, Motel Hell. This was an inspired bit of programming as this 1980 classic brought the house down with its mix of outlandish characters and hilarious dialogue - not to mention a chainsaw fight at the end! A fitting finale for an excellent day's entertainment and not a cinematic clunker amongst them.

Of course our evening didn't end there... our little gang then headed off with Paul and Ian to the Buff club in Bath Lane to unwind with some northern soul and alcoholic refreshments. As always, this social side to the FrightFest screenings is a huge part of why we all make such an effort to go to these events, and we had a lot of laughs... which then continued back at Ian's hotel room where we did him a kind favour by helping him drink his bottle of vodka until the wee hours. With just three hours sleep we were all shattered the next morning as we prepared to head back to the airport to catch our lunchtime flights home. But it was all worth it, another fun packed FrightFest event with some great films and some great company.

And we get to do it all again this Saturday at the Lionsgate Horrorthon in London!

FrightFest Movie Haiku - Motel Hell

www.mgm.com/dvd.php

Dir: Kevin Connor

Cast: Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod


Stop car for fake cows
secret spices in his meat
don't drink green champagne

soulmining rating: ***

FrightFest Movie Haiku - Paradise Lost (Turistas)

www.paradiselostmovie.co.uk

Dir: John Stockwell

Cast: Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia Wilde, Desmond Askew


Please come to Brazil
we'll crash your bus and drug you
then steal your organs

soulmining rating: ****

FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Messengers

www.sony.com/themessengers

Dir: Pang Brothers

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbett


Family problems
they move to sunflower farm
crows are unsettled

soulmining rating: ***

FrightFest Movie Haiku - S&Man

www.sandman-movie.com

Dir: JT Petty

Cast: Carol J. Clover, Debbie D, Fred Vogel, Bill Zebub


They make fetish films
this man secretly tapes girls
voyeur or real snuff

soulmining rating: ***

FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Tripper

www.myspace.com/thetrippermovie

Dir: David Arquette

Cast: David Arquette, Thomas Jane, Jaime King, Jason Mewes


Kill all the hippies
you can't stop him it's Reagan
hide in the shitter

soulmining rating: **

Movie Haiku - Hot Fuzz

www.jointhefuzz.com

Dir: Edgar Wright

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine


Catch the village swan
have shootout in Somerfield
they watched Bad Boys 2

soulmining rating: ****

We could be Heroes...

Heroes, Mondays 10pm Sci-Fi Channel

Just a quick reminder that Heroes begins tomorrow night with a double-bill of episodes from 10pm on the Sci-Fi Channel. I've already seen the first five episodes and think it's the best new drama series on telly, so do check it out if you get the chance. And if you can't get the Sci-Fi Channel (or download it off the 'net), then don't panic - BBC2 will be screening the series later in the year.

"Save the cheerleader, save the world!"

"Sharp, inventive and wickedly funny"

Satan (Sheitan) UK film poster

I love Tartan Films...

They've just given me my first film poster quote!

Well, rather Eat My Brains has the quote (top left) but it comes from my review of the film back in September. I had to go and check that I really did say that line, and indeed I did - you can read it here!

Sheitan (or Satan as it is now titled in the UK) opens at the ICA in London next Friday and I will be writing an expanded review of the film for EMB next week, so watch this space.

Play It Cool in February

I haven't bought much music this month so have been listening to a fair amount of back catalogue stuff. Still, looks like there's a few potentially decent new albums to look forward to in March (Air, Arcade Fire) so I should hopefully have some new stuff in next month's listings. Anyway, here's what I've been playing most over the last few weeks:

• The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (Transgressive)
• Mason vs Princess Superstar - Perfect (Exceeder) (Data) single
• Sugababes - Overloaded: The Singles Collection (Universal)
• Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (Polydor)
• Inspiral Carpets - Greatest Hits (Mute)
  

Valentines Day news round up!

Happy Valentines Day everyone, and thanks to those people that sent me messages today. You know who you are.

It's been really manic this week so I haven't had much time for blogging, so tonight I thought I'd just post a round up of loose items I've been meaning to mention for the last few days...

The 30-Second Bunnies Theatre have added some new productions to their site including their versions of The Ring and Borat. You can see them at the Angry Alien website here.

Next up, an addition to my links section. The very lovely Tatiana (left) has a new blog up and running called Savatra and it's not about music.

Instead it's focussing on "organic living, spiritual wellness, physical health and the quest to live life more simply".

You should read it because Tatiana is the best.

Football news... our annual office Fantasy Football competition continues apace with my Dirty Everton team still heading the pack, currently 86 pts clear. Last week we held the draw for the 2nd round of our Fantasy League Cup (which, ahem, I was cruelly knocked out of in the 1st round...) in the Waggon and Darren recorded all the action live. You can see our You Tube masterpiece below:


And finally, James posted an item about scary internet people (read it here) and the bizarre search terms that they use to find your blog, so I thought I'd check my recent keywords. Here are three of my favourite search terms:

• Does Noel Fielding smoke?
• Nerina Pallot's teeth
• Fondling my sister (summer camp)

Can I just add I don't even have a sister. Thanks.

Movie Haiku - Hannibal Rising

www.hannibalrising.com

Dir: Peter Webber

Cast: Gaspard Ulliel, Rhys Ifans, Gong Li, Kevin McKidd


They ate his sister
he tracks them down one by one
likes a cheeky meal

soulmining rating: **

Movie Haiku - The Science Of Sleep

www.scienceofsleep.co.uk

Dir: Michel Gondry

Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Miou


Falls for girl next door
watch all his dreams come to life
ride a cloth pony

soulmining rating: ****

Haven - DVD Review

Orlando Bloom and Zoe Saldana in Haven

haven (noun): a safe or peaceful place.

In this thriller from newcomer Frank E. Flowers the Haven in question is the Cayman Islands, the place where the young writer/director grew up. It's a refuge for the shady Mr Allen (Stephen Dillane) and his son, and soon becomes the same for his business partner (Bill Paxton) and his daughter as they're forced to flee Miami with the feds on their tail. While Carl stashes his dollars back at their hotel daughter Pippa is out on the town sampling the local nightlife, a decision which later sets the scene for a daring robbery.

Just as you're settling into this plotline the film jumps back a few months and shifts its focus to some of the other islanders, and in particular the characters of Shy (Orlando Bloom) who works on the fishing boats and Andrea (Zoe Saldana), his boss's sultry daughter. When their secret night of passion is discovered by her headstrong brother (Anthony Mackie) a chain reaction of violence and revenge ensues.

Prominently billed as coming "from the makers of Crash" it's easy to see the similarities between the two films, with the jigsaw narrative switching between seemingly unconnected incidents until all the pieces fit into place, and replaying early scenes which now have meaning for other characters. It's an effective way of storytelling, especially for a thriller of this nature, but I feel could have been executed to better effect with Haven. The main problem comes in the editing and pacing which spends far too long with each introduction, rather than cutting between each thread more frequently. By the time Shy and Andrea finally get around to getting down and dirty you've long forgotten about Carl and his dodgy business dealings.

Structural flaws aside, it's a confident display from director Flowers who makes good use of the tropical location and creates a moody picture of trouble in paradise. It's always good to see Bill Paxton on screen, even if he doesn't have too much to do here, but the acting honours must go to Orlando Bloom (an Executive Producer on the film) who gives a quiet, sensitive performance as the pivotal character of Shy. Zoe Saldana also impresses in her first major role, and there's good support from such familiar faces as Stephen Dillane, Jake Weber (Dawn Of The Dead) and Lee Ingleby (BBC's Life On Mars). More cerebral than high octane, and with its appealing tale of star-crossed lovers, Haven is a rewarding drama that you'll enjoy escaping with for an hour or two.

Haven is currently available on R1 DVD from the usual retailers. There are no plans for a UK release at present.

The DVD includes the following special features:

• Making Of Featurette
• Theatrical Trailer

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - Blood Diamond

www.blooddiamond.co.uk

Dir: Edward Zwick

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Arnold Vosloo

Conflict stones are bad
army rebels and smugglers
fight wars to sell them

soulmining rating: **

The Lionsgate Horrorthon

Another date for the diary, coming a mere week after the FrightFest all-dayer in Glasgow is the Lionsgate Horrorthon. The event (in conjunction with the FrightFest team) is being held at the Rex cinema in Soho to celebrate the DVD launch of Saw III and will feature three screenings:

• Snuff Movie (Dir: Bernard Rose)
• Blood Trails (Dir: Robert Krause)
• Saw III - Extreme Version (Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman)

Tickets are FREE but can only be won by entering the competition on the FrightFest website here or from the Eat My Brains competition later in the week.

Movie Haiku - Arthur And The Invisibles

www.arthurmovie.co.uk

Dir: Luc Besson

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Madonna, David Bowie


Enters secret world
must find rubies to save house
fight on turntable

soulmining rating: ***

CSS at the Concorde

CSS - Brighton Concorde2

My first gig of the year and one I went into with very high expectations having read countless comments on their "crazy" and "reckless" live shows. But first a word about the two support bands - Andy said it was possibly the worst warm up acts he'd ever seen! Oh well, I guess that made CSS even more welcome when they finally took to the stage at 10pm. They began with CSS Suxxx, then it was straight into Alala, with singer Lovefoxxx stripping down to her all-in-one leotard and diving into the crowd for the first of several forays into the audience. That's the first thing you notice about CSS, they are quite an unconventional band - they appear totally real, anti-fashion icons untouched by the 'evil' business - and they're led by a clearly bonkers half-Japanese girl who has the crowd in the palm of her hand. It's all about performance with Lovefoxx, she's the perfect front for the band and such fun to watch, throwing shapes, standing on the monitors and repeatedly trying to crowd surf! The music is good too - with an album as perfect as Cansei De Ser Sexy it couldn't be anything else - but live the subtleties of the bass and keyboards tend to be lost, and the songs come across more punky than the electro sound of the record. With a limited supply of songs, the whole album got an airing with Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above being the one song that really captured the spirit of the record and got the audience dancing. Returning for an encore the band played Patins with Adriano leaving his drumkit to come and play guitar, and then finished with a fun cover of L7's Pretend We're Dead which boasted a killer synth riff. CSS don't suck, CSS Suxxx!

February Live

Right, that's January out of the way, let's get back to the gigging life! As much as it was nice to have a break after the madness of the previous three months, I have missed not having any live music to go to in the last few weeks. So, onwards into February and here's some of the highlights on offer this month:

01/02 - Now you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd be seeing Nerina Pallot at the Komedia tonight, but since I've seen her twice recently I'm blowing her out in favour of CSS at the Concorde. Their Cansei De Ser Sexy album was one of my favourites of 2006 and their reputation for crazy live shows makes me think this could be one of the gigs of the year. Expect my report to be posted here at the weekend.

05/02 - Ricky Gervais is at Brighton Centre for two nights performing his new live comedy show Fame - both nights are sold out but he's now added a third date in March.

09/02 - Taking a break from Brakes (no pun intended) Tom & Alex return to their other band Electric Soft Parade for a date at the Pressure Point.

10/02 - The Long Blondes are at The Old Market, on tour supporting the release of their fab new single Giddy Stratospheres.

11/02 - Following on from her show at the Concorde last year, Regina Spektor returns to Brighton for a gig at the Corn Exchange. Meanwhile at the Concorde, fresh from supporting The Kooks at the Dome in December, Larrikin Love have their own headline show.

17/02 - I'm going to be up in bonnie Scotland for the FrightFest event taking place at the Glasgow Film Theatre as part of the Glasgow Film Festival. Five scary movies (four new previews and one retro screening) and the usual banter - should be great fun!

20/02 - Tipped by everyone in the industry as the man to watch in 2007, and already boasting a number one single in the shape of Grace Kelly, Mika takes a bow at the Concorde. Catch him now before he hits the arena circuit next year...

24/02 - Another good looking Concorde gig, this time it's the turn of Howling Bells for some good old fashioned Aussie indie rock 'n' roll.

25/02 - Sarah Nixey, Luke Haines cohort from Black Box Recorder plays a solo show at Po Na Na.

27/02 - He's back again for two more nights of comic ramblings at the Pavilion Theatre - yes, it's our favourite, Daniel Kitson. Watch out for his story show C90 being performed at the Brighton Festival in May.

28/02 - A treat in store at the Komedia as Matt Berry performs a selection of music and songs from his repertoire. Matt of course is better known as Todd Rivers (aka Dr Lucien Sanchez) from Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and Dixon Bainbridge from The Mighty Boosh!

Movie Haiku - The Fountain

www.thefountain.warnerbros.com

Dir: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Cliff Curtis


Dying wife writes book
see past present and future
protect tree of life

soulmining rating: **

Movie Haiku - Notes On A Scandal

www.foxsearchlight.com/NOAS

Dir: Richard Eyre

Cast: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson


Affair with schoolboy
Dame Judi gets possessive
but Cate's not a dyke

soulmining rating: ***

Reform Five

Tim Booth contemplates getting the band back together

What is it about bands reuniting this week?

The first rumblings were heard on Tuesday when James announced they were getting back together for a UK tour. The reunion seems to have surprised even singer Tim Booth himself, who always seemed very content with his new life in Hove concentrating on his solo work and his acting career. Fair play though, their Greatest Hits sold shed loads and tickets for these new shows got snapped up immediately. Next up were Crowded House, with Neil Finn and Nick Seymour confirming that they were working on a new album together and are auditioning for a new drummer (since the suicide of Paul Hester in 2005). Whatever you might think of their music, in their prime they were a fantastic live act - I remember being really surprised at their spontaneity and how well they developed a rapport with their audience at a Brighton Centre gig.

I joked to Bennett these things come in threes... well, we didn't have long to wait. The line up for this year's Coachella festival in California was then announced, with The Jesus And Mary Chain on the bill and Rage Against The Machine headlining one of the three days, both bands reforming for the festival. The pre-sale password for tickets was "Roxanne" which prompted speculation that The Police were going to play together for the first time in 20 years as well. Whilst that is yet to be confirmed, the band's reunion does seem be on, with rehearsals for a world tour due to take place shortly in Vancouver, according to several reports.

As if that's not enough, since I started posting this article news has reached me that Smashing Pumpkins have announced two festival shows in Germany (did they ever officially split up?) and that David Lee Roth has rejoined Van Halen for a 40-date tour of the US.

Next week - Pink Floyd, The Stone Roses and The Smiths patch up their differences?

Movie Haiku - Bobby

www.bobby-the-movie.com

Dir: Emilio Estevez

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, William H. Macy, Freddy Rodriguez, Sharon Stone


He was nation's hope
life in one day at hotel
Bobby comes to die

soulmining rating: ***

The Devil Wears Prada - DVD Review

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada

Your eyes do not deceive you, I really am reviewing The Devil Wears Prada today. It may have the word 'devil' in its title but this is no distant cousin to The Devil's Rejects, The Devil Rides Out or The Devil's Backbone, it is indeed the recent fashion industry movie adapted from the best selling novel by Lauren Weisberger.

The film follows the career of Andrea (Anne Hathaway) after she somehow manages to blag a job as 2nd assistant to Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep), the editor-in-chief of Runway magazine - despite having no fashion sense of her own. Keeping to a tried-and-tested formula, the first half of the film focuses on Andrea learning the ropes and the relationships with her new colleagues, and in particular the snooty 1st assistant Emily (Emily Blunt). As Andrea smartens up her act and becomes more successful her personal life duly suffers, and the second half of the film shifts to the choice she has to make between her boyfriend Nate (Zach Grenier - now famous as the star of Entourage) and the new charmer on the block, Christian (Simon Baker - last seen battling zombies in Land Of The Dead), alongside a power struggle within Runway magazine itself.

Let's be honest, the story is fairly predictable, but it's well told with a respectful if amusing look at the fashion industry - in fact the screenwriter has balanced the tone just right; it's pitched closer to the po-faced satire Pret A Porter than the slapstick of Zoolander. The main reason to watch the film though is for the performances, and for Meryl Streep in particular. Her take on 'dragon lady' Miranda is all cool and calm, business-like and efficient, yet oddly seducing and hides a vulnerable side - it's a performance which has already earned the star a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination, and is richly deserved. Anne Hathaway is very likeable too, and whilst she might wear thrift shop clothes to begin with she's certainly no Ugly Betty! Emily Blunt plays the bitchy English girl perfectly and has surely been studying Jennifer Saunders' role in Absolutely Fabulous, as she's got her scornful delivery down to a fine art.

Another thing I liked about the film is the soundtrack; right from the use of KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See over the opening credits, the choice of upbeat songs throughout is spot on. The pacing and direction from David Frankel is fine too, making some good use of montage scenes to convey the progress of Andrea's character in the job. Overall The Devil Wears Prada doesn't break any new ground but it is more than just another 'chick flick' and proves to be an entertaining watch which blokes can enjoy too!

The Devil Wears Prada is released on DVD in the UK on 5th February.


The DVD includes the following special features:

• Commentary by Director David Frankel plus the film's Producer, Costume Designer, Screenwriter, Editor and Director of Photography
• 5 Featurettes - The Trip to The Big Screen, NYC and Fashion, Fashion Visionary Patricia Field, Getting Valentino, Boss from Hell
• 16 Deleted Scenes with optional commentary from Director David Frankel and Editor Mark Livolsi
• Gag Reel
• Theatrical Trailer

You can read my original movie haiku for the film here.

The Return Review

Peter O'Brien and Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Return

"A film more likely to bore you to death than scare you to death..."

"Totally fails to deliver on the supernatural chills suggested in the trailer..."

"A wholly pointless exercise..."

You can read my full review at Eat My Brains website here.

Movie Haiku - Rocky Balboa

www.mgm.com/rocky_balboa

Dir: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes


Stallone is Rocky
he returns for one last fight
leaves with dignity

soulmining rating: ***

Movie Haiku - The Return

www.thereturnmovie.net

Dir: Asif Kapadia

Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Peter O'Brien, Adam Scott, Sam Shepard


Hear audience yawn
bored to death not scared to death
it's bland of the dead

soulmining rating: *

EMB Top Ten Films of 2006

Doug Jones and Ivana Baquero in Pan's Labyrinth

Just a quick pointer to Eat My Brains where you can now view our Top Ten Films of 2006, as chosen by Mike, Jim, Russ, David and myself. I've provided capsule reviews for Severance and The Host. No prizes for guessing which genre flick came out on top...

2007 Oscar Nominations

Today saw the announcement of the shortlist for the 79th Academy Awards, to be held on 25th February in Los Angeles. Here are the nominations for the major awards, with my own tips to win highlighted in red:

Best Picture

• Babel
• The Departed
• Letters From Iwo Jima
• Little Miss Sunshine
• The Queen
  

Best Director

• Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima
• Stephen Frears, The Queen
• Paul Greengrass, United 93
• Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Babel
• Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Actor

• Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
• Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
• Peter O'Toole, Venus
• Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
• Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress

• Penelope Cruz, Volver
• Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
• Helen Mirren, The Queen
• Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
• Kate Winslet, Little Children

Best Supporting Actor

• Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
• Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
• Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
• Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
• Mark Wahlberg, The Departed

Best Supporting Actress

• Adriana Barraza, Babel
• Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
• Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
• Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
• Rinko Kikucki, Babel

Best Foreign Language Film

• Efter Brylluppet (aka After the Wedding), Denmark
• Indigenes (aka Days of Glory), Algeria
• El Laberinto del Fauno (aka Pan's Labyrinth), Mexico
• Das Leben der Anderen (aka The Lives of Others), Germany
• Water, Canada

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Borat
• Children of Men
• The Departed
• Little Children
• Notes on a Scandal

Best Original Screenplay

• Babel
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Little Miss Sunshine
• The Queen
• Pan's Labyrinth

I so hope Pan's Labyrinth wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, it would be such a thrill to see Guillermo Del Toro bound onto the stage to collect his award. In fact I'm delighted to see the film secure six nominations - in addition to the two already mentioned above it has also been shortlisted for Best Music (Score), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Make Up. I'm also pleased to see Children Of Men get three nominations - for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.