Amazing how blogging takes a back seat when stuff is actually happening in your life, isn't it? So I have been crazy-busy with FYP and assignment stuff for uni - but not too busy to indulge myself a bit. I recently bought Everything Everything and Local Native's albums - amazing. I can't stop listening to Everything Everything, for some reason. Local Natives is damn good as well, in a completely different way. Everything Everything hits you with brilliance, Local Natives is what I like to call "nourishment for the soul" - I challenge you not to want to sing along to "Airplanes", at the top of your voice and from the bottom of your heart. I bought the latest album from The Bees "Every Step's A Yes", have only listened to it two times (once through laptop speakers, yuck!) but early signs are very good.
I also bought some video games, I've now got Skate 2, Racedriver Grid and PES 2011. Only the last one have I played for long periods. Pro Evo is back - I am completely addicted. I won't throw away FIFA 10, although the bugs in Manager Mode are really annoying and apparently they haven't been fixed in FIFA 11. Haven't played much Master League Online in PES 2011 yet, it looks bloody difficult and you need to be around at set times during the day.
Seen a lot of films and got hold of a lot more, yay for culture! Unfortunately there are no good cinemas in Stafford or Stoke so I had to go back down south for my fix of current releases. I saw Winter's Bone at Curzon Soho, The Illusionist at Odeon Panton Street and A Town Called Panic at Curzon Soho. Curzon Soho is my favourite cinema, a teensy bit pretentious but there is a nice cafe area at street level, a bar one level down and the cinema screens and confectionery area at the bottom level. They play good independent and arty films, stuff that might be difficult to see elsewhere. However, reviews are needed.
Winter's Bone is an intense thriller set in a close-knit community in the American south. The story follows a girl who must find her father in order to keep the family's farm, which her father put up as a bond. If I could use one word to describe the tone of the film it would be "sinister" - that is the feeling you get the whole way through. It is also one of the few films that deals with drugs in a very mature way. Most films that deal with drugs are either "stoner flicks" that revel in the comedy of drug use or hard-hitting anti-narcotic films that try to reduce the characters to one-dimensional "drug fiends". Winter's Bone did neither, crystal meth was discussed openly and casually but was never portrayed in a hugely positive light.
The Illusionist is an animated French film, following an elderly magician who finds his act becoming out of style, so travels to Scotland to find more work. Along the way he establishes a relationship with a young girl - and I shan't give any more away but I should say that the film is kid-friendly with a message that may, perhaps, be lost on a younger audience. Well worth the price of entry, and Odeon Panton Street is definitely the pokiest cinema I have ever been to, a tiny screen with a men's toilets that was the width of a corridor and as long as a disabled toilet cubicle. That said, very good film.
A Town Called Panic might be the most thoroughly mental film I have ever seen - in a good way. You know those Cravendale adverts? That, basically. It follows three characters - Horse, Cowboy and Indian - and from the basis of "we forgot Horse's birthday, let's make him a barbecue, oops we bought too many bricks" the story charges forward from there. It includes aliens, crazy snowball-chucking scientists, accidentally going to the centre of the earth and lots more. There is even time for a Horse love interest. Well worth the price of entry, huge laughs throughout.
I also found time to watch Memento, Funny Ha Ha and Baghead. I didn't think much of Baghead. Enough of that. Memento is quite brilliant, I love the plot structure and finding out more about the mysteries as you move back through the film. Funny Ha Ha was a very good film - clearly low-budget but the realism of the character's exchanges and the little awkward moments made the film for me. It is quite funny in places, but I was immersed in the story right from the opening exchanges.
I now have copies of The Exorcist, Nowhere Boy, This Is England, Being John Malkovich and Amelie. So what if I have seen This Is England and Amelie? They are great films and it is fantastic to have them on DVD.
I think that is just about everything, I am off to attempt to work on my assignments and final year project. See you.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Filler
So I have seen some films recently. They are: Collateral, Snakes on a Train, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Wet Hot American Summer, The Fountain, Primer, The Expendables, A Serious Man and Megashark vs Giant Octopus. If some of those films sound like shit it is because I quite like crappy films, and cheapo rip-off production company The Asylum is a goldmine of movies that are pants. I have started trying to watch as many of their films as possible, there are loads of just rubbish films and also some rubbish cash-ins of famous films. Transmorphers is their most famous film.
I came across the films of The Asylum accidentally, some mates came around to watch films and Megashark vs Giant Octopus happened to be okay. Featuring some '80s pop star most people would never have heard of (as a marine biologist) and lots of "science" - which in film terms means pouring liquids into beakers until the liquid glows. I'm pretty sure that is how all science works.
Anyway, A Serious Man is a black comedy with a very dark heart - it isn't exactly accessible but it is a very good piece of work. The Expendables, however, is testosterone-soaked dreck. It is a compilation tape of explosions and violence, the acting is eye-rollingly clichéd and the writing is laughable. That said some people like it and it is taking millions at the box office, so clearly there is an audience for this pap.
Pap would be a term that could never be applied to Primer - a high-concept science fiction film about a group of scientists who accidentally discover time travel. The story is compelling, complicated and never seems to patronise the viewer. The film unravels a little at the end but overall it is a very interesting film. The Fountain is an engrossing stories-within-stories, parallel tales adventure with stunning visuals; it also showed to me that Hugh Jackman can actually act, which is something I did not know. At times it can seem very pretentious but there are some great performances and if you let yourself be caught up in it, just go with the film, you will be very entertained.
Wet Hot American Summer is a comedy that seems very out of place for the time it was made. For a film made in 2001 it has a "silly comedy" feel that is more reminiscent of the comedies of the late '70s, early '80s. It is pretty alright, however don't expect a classic, or anything spectacularly witty. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is a cash-in film from The Asylum that is without wit, intelligence or reason. The climax is a fight between Sherlock Holmes in a hot-air ballon fitted with machine guns and a bionic man in a giant mechanical, flying, fire-breathing dragon. Whilst an exploding, clockwork woman attempts to blow up Queen Victoria. There is also a mechanical dinosaur that roams the streets of London. In other words it is preposterous. But hey, at least it is a thoroughly original take on the character of Sherlock Holmes. Who the bionic man continually refers to as "Robert".
But enough ridiculous trash, onto quality cinema, and with this I bring forth the example of Snakes on a Train, a startlingly moving piece about the nature of hysteria and irrational scaremongering. Sometimes the most horrifying monsters are those that we create for ourselves - SoaT takes this concept and runs with it until the cows come home. Or rather they run home, screaming, because everybody has "got snakes".
If the above paragraph managed to trick anyone into seeing that awful film my job here is done. Although the previous sentence might give the game away. I was, like, being sarcastic, yeah? It is good, because it's bad but it's sort of not? Which is why it's so bad, but that's also why it is so good? (That's the hipsters baited, in case you were wondering the question marks were to draw attention to the annoying habit some people have of saying everything as if it were a question? Even if it isn't? With that slightly higher inflection of the voice at the end of a sentence?)
Anyway, recently I saw Four Lions, but seeing as I have already seen that film fairly recently there isn't much point writing a mini-review, although I would say it may be better on a second viewing. Collateral is a slightly odd film. Not exactly your typical star vehicle, the talky bits are pretty engrossing, and I felt like the action got in the way. The direction at times was grainy and rough (and I mean that as a compliment) and there was some good dialogue - it felt like both writer and director need to be doing smaller, more intellectual pieces. Michael Mann is a decent director, Stuart Beattie has done some okay stuff, maybe I am just yearning for the talky style of Wes Anderson, which is a bit odd since the only film of his I have seen is Fantastic Mr. Fox (which I didn't really care for).
I am currently trying to sample a number of music artists, to see if there are any albums I desperately need. Using Last.fm as my guide, I am currently listening to playlists of:
Beach House, Beirut, Camera Obscura, Darwin Deez, Grizzly Bear, Local Natives, Modest Mouse, The Drums and The Joy Formidable. I have also been listening to a little bit of Why?, A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under being a current favourite.
This hasn't been all that interesting (but when is this blog?) so for now I will leave a thought: why do all completely straight-from-the-top-of-my-head sentences end up so disjointed, as this one does now?
Rubbish, I know.
I came across the films of The Asylum accidentally, some mates came around to watch films and Megashark vs Giant Octopus happened to be okay. Featuring some '80s pop star most people would never have heard of (as a marine biologist) and lots of "science" - which in film terms means pouring liquids into beakers until the liquid glows. I'm pretty sure that is how all science works.
Anyway, A Serious Man is a black comedy with a very dark heart - it isn't exactly accessible but it is a very good piece of work. The Expendables, however, is testosterone-soaked dreck. It is a compilation tape of explosions and violence, the acting is eye-rollingly clichéd and the writing is laughable. That said some people like it and it is taking millions at the box office, so clearly there is an audience for this pap.
Pap would be a term that could never be applied to Primer - a high-concept science fiction film about a group of scientists who accidentally discover time travel. The story is compelling, complicated and never seems to patronise the viewer. The film unravels a little at the end but overall it is a very interesting film. The Fountain is an engrossing stories-within-stories, parallel tales adventure with stunning visuals; it also showed to me that Hugh Jackman can actually act, which is something I did not know. At times it can seem very pretentious but there are some great performances and if you let yourself be caught up in it, just go with the film, you will be very entertained.
Wet Hot American Summer is a comedy that seems very out of place for the time it was made. For a film made in 2001 it has a "silly comedy" feel that is more reminiscent of the comedies of the late '70s, early '80s. It is pretty alright, however don't expect a classic, or anything spectacularly witty. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is a cash-in film from The Asylum that is without wit, intelligence or reason. The climax is a fight between Sherlock Holmes in a hot-air ballon fitted with machine guns and a bionic man in a giant mechanical, flying, fire-breathing dragon. Whilst an exploding, clockwork woman attempts to blow up Queen Victoria. There is also a mechanical dinosaur that roams the streets of London. In other words it is preposterous. But hey, at least it is a thoroughly original take on the character of Sherlock Holmes. Who the bionic man continually refers to as "Robert".
But enough ridiculous trash, onto quality cinema, and with this I bring forth the example of Snakes on a Train, a startlingly moving piece about the nature of hysteria and irrational scaremongering. Sometimes the most horrifying monsters are those that we create for ourselves - SoaT takes this concept and runs with it until the cows come home. Or rather they run home, screaming, because everybody has "got snakes".
If the above paragraph managed to trick anyone into seeing that awful film my job here is done. Although the previous sentence might give the game away. I was, like, being sarcastic, yeah? It is good, because it's bad but it's sort of not? Which is why it's so bad, but that's also why it is so good? (That's the hipsters baited, in case you were wondering the question marks were to draw attention to the annoying habit some people have of saying everything as if it were a question? Even if it isn't? With that slightly higher inflection of the voice at the end of a sentence?)
Anyway, recently I saw Four Lions, but seeing as I have already seen that film fairly recently there isn't much point writing a mini-review, although I would say it may be better on a second viewing. Collateral is a slightly odd film. Not exactly your typical star vehicle, the talky bits are pretty engrossing, and I felt like the action got in the way. The direction at times was grainy and rough (and I mean that as a compliment) and there was some good dialogue - it felt like both writer and director need to be doing smaller, more intellectual pieces. Michael Mann is a decent director, Stuart Beattie has done some okay stuff, maybe I am just yearning for the talky style of Wes Anderson, which is a bit odd since the only film of his I have seen is Fantastic Mr. Fox (which I didn't really care for).
I am currently trying to sample a number of music artists, to see if there are any albums I desperately need. Using Last.fm as my guide, I am currently listening to playlists of:
Beach House, Beirut, Camera Obscura, Darwin Deez, Grizzly Bear, Local Natives, Modest Mouse, The Drums and The Joy Formidable. I have also been listening to a little bit of Why?, A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under being a current favourite.
This hasn't been all that interesting (but when is this blog?) so for now I will leave a thought: why do all completely straight-from-the-top-of-my-head sentences end up so disjointed, as this one does now?
Rubbish, I know.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
I'm Still Here...
Just to let you (and by you I mean my imaginary readers) know: I am still alive.
I am in Stafford now, meaning I am back at uni and the rain is pouring down the window as I type these words. I have only had one introductory lecture so far - so not quite back in full flow just yet, but I can already feel myself getting back into a student rhythm.
Now I don't have a 9:00 to 5:18 I have more time for discovering music. Or for now, catching up on everything I've missed. I'm thinking of downloading loads of music, 3 tracks per artist with bands I have heard of and bands from my Last.fm recommendations. Slap them together in a playlist, put it on shuffle and pick the best. I've been trying to program something to do it for me for a while, but I couldn't find a decent way to download tracks without duplicates or remixes. Last.fm does it all anyway, it is just that having the MP3s there is a bit more convenient.
I can't talk for much longer, I am trying to find a USB drive with some rather important possibly-could-help-my-final-year-project data on it. Perhaps some more interesting discussion next time. Bye.
I am in Stafford now, meaning I am back at uni and the rain is pouring down the window as I type these words. I have only had one introductory lecture so far - so not quite back in full flow just yet, but I can already feel myself getting back into a student rhythm.
Now I don't have a 9:00 to 5:18 I have more time for discovering music. Or for now, catching up on everything I've missed. I'm thinking of downloading loads of music, 3 tracks per artist with bands I have heard of and bands from my Last.fm recommendations. Slap them together in a playlist, put it on shuffle and pick the best. I've been trying to program something to do it for me for a while, but I couldn't find a decent way to download tracks without duplicates or remixes. Last.fm does it all anyway, it is just that having the MP3s there is a bit more convenient.
I can't talk for much longer, I am trying to find a USB drive with some rather important possibly-could-help-my-final-year-project data on it. Perhaps some more interesting discussion next time. Bye.
Monday, 30 August 2010
Groundhog Day (Again)
So some little coincidences happened which persuaded me to watch Groundhog Day again. You know the film: knockabout comedy with Bill Murray, relives the same day over? Plans out a perfect date to get the girl, decides to be nice to people. Except that isn't what happens. At all.
First I read this article about Groundhog Day and A/B testing, describing Phil's setup of trying to find the perfect date by trial and error. It made me realise it wasn't quite the film I thought it was. Then I saw this, someone asking how you would prepare if you knew you were about to enter a Groundhog Day.
Watching it again does make you realise something: it is way better than you think. It is also way darker - he commits suicide multiple times on-camera, and we must assume many more times as well. We only see glimpses of his life, we see flickers of mania ("I am a god") and we see self-improvement through study. We don't see if he does any truly reprehensible things in the film, if there were no consequences he could go on a killing spree and wake up the next day as if nothing happens. It could easily turn him into a psychopath. We never see him go down that path, we see him wallowing in drink, attempting a one night stand (and we assume many more) and punching an annoying person. And he doesn't get the girl with trial and error - that just leads to rejection. In the end his self-improvement and good deeds allow him to win over Rita.
It is a whole bowlful of philosophy, that film, for instance is it morally acceptable to do things "in Groundhog" that otherwise we would frown upon? I have to go with no, but you could easily argue it would be okay as everyone would "reset" come 6:00am. What is the most damaging thing you could do in 12 hours? Blow up the President, the Pope? You could pull off the most audacious heist known to man - and come 6am it would all return to normal. Perhaps the only thing that would keep a person from doing all this would be the fear that tomorrow really would come. This would bring questions about whether we only act morally because of society's expectations and consequences, so if we were left to our own devices we would have no morals at all.
It leaves you with plenty to chew over, so go see Groundhog Day again.
That isn't the only film I have seen recently, however. Inception doesn't need a review from me, I can't think of any film recently that has sparked this much discussion, debate and hype. It is all good - it was like a arty concept film with an enormous budget and lots of CGI. You want to come out of the cinema and discuss what you have just seen.
Scott Pilgrim versus The World is a very different film. Based on a comic book - so expect "zaniness" it is a rather good action-comedy. In fact I would have preferred a little more focus on the central relationship. Some of the other characters seemed to be barely explored at all. That said it's quick-fire visual gags and irreverent humour were very entertaining - my problem was looking for more than just entertainment.
Blood Diamond is a pretty brave film - big-budget but with a purposeful, hard-hitting message. It is also that man DiCaprio again - and to think I used to consider his film career a bit of a joke. He's made me look silly. Anyway this is a film that takes itself seriously, with thrills and an important message too. All we need now is a Hollywood film about the conflict in Rwanda. Yeah, right.
Edit: Apparently I am an idiot and need to see Hotel Rwanda. Forgive me while I read the Wikipedia article on the Rwandan genocide a lot more thoroughly.
First I read this article about Groundhog Day and A/B testing, describing Phil's setup of trying to find the perfect date by trial and error. It made me realise it wasn't quite the film I thought it was. Then I saw this, someone asking how you would prepare if you knew you were about to enter a Groundhog Day.
Watching it again does make you realise something: it is way better than you think. It is also way darker - he commits suicide multiple times on-camera, and we must assume many more times as well. We only see glimpses of his life, we see flickers of mania ("I am a god") and we see self-improvement through study. We don't see if he does any truly reprehensible things in the film, if there were no consequences he could go on a killing spree and wake up the next day as if nothing happens. It could easily turn him into a psychopath. We never see him go down that path, we see him wallowing in drink, attempting a one night stand (and we assume many more) and punching an annoying person. And he doesn't get the girl with trial and error - that just leads to rejection. In the end his self-improvement and good deeds allow him to win over Rita.
It is a whole bowlful of philosophy, that film, for instance is it morally acceptable to do things "in Groundhog" that otherwise we would frown upon? I have to go with no, but you could easily argue it would be okay as everyone would "reset" come 6:00am. What is the most damaging thing you could do in 12 hours? Blow up the President, the Pope? You could pull off the most audacious heist known to man - and come 6am it would all return to normal. Perhaps the only thing that would keep a person from doing all this would be the fear that tomorrow really would come. This would bring questions about whether we only act morally because of society's expectations and consequences, so if we were left to our own devices we would have no morals at all.
It leaves you with plenty to chew over, so go see Groundhog Day again.
That isn't the only film I have seen recently, however. Inception doesn't need a review from me, I can't think of any film recently that has sparked this much discussion, debate and hype. It is all good - it was like a arty concept film with an enormous budget and lots of CGI. You want to come out of the cinema and discuss what you have just seen.
Scott Pilgrim versus The World is a very different film. Based on a comic book - so expect "zaniness" it is a rather good action-comedy. In fact I would have preferred a little more focus on the central relationship. Some of the other characters seemed to be barely explored at all. That said it's quick-fire visual gags and irreverent humour were very entertaining - my problem was looking for more than just entertainment.
Blood Diamond is a pretty brave film - big-budget but with a purposeful, hard-hitting message. It is also that man DiCaprio again - and to think I used to consider his film career a bit of a joke. He's made me look silly. Anyway this is a film that takes itself seriously, with thrills and an important message too. All we need now is a Hollywood film about the conflict in Rwanda. Yeah, right.
Edit: Apparently I am an idiot and need to see Hotel Rwanda. Forgive me while I read the Wikipedia article on the Rwandan genocide a lot more thoroughly.
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Ben 10
What's up campers? I have been back from Benicassim for 4 days now and have only just condescended to the Internet to make a blog post about it. Lucky for you, the condescension starts NOW.
First up: was it a good holiday? We flew out from Gatwick to Valencia on the 11th of July about 5 hours later than expected, meaning we missed our train and had to get a coach to the campsite instead. In retrospect this was a much easier option. We ended up watching the World Cup final at a little Spanish bar in Benicassim ("Heitinga barely touched 'im!") then walked to the beach. We all went to swim in the sea, at night, which was absolutely amazing. We (as in everyone but me) then slept on a little grassy patch near the beach, until the sprinklers came on at 6:00am. (Wet) People then transferred to the beach, apart from me, I was happy enough to walk along the waterfront and watch the sun come up. From there we walked to the festival site and got our festival bands (one for the festival, one for the campsite). We then made our way to the campsite by taxi, it being a fairly long walk from the festival site to Villacamp, where we were staying.
Villacamp was supposed to be the best campsite to stay at, you had to pay extra but it had tree cover, which both blocked out the sun and breeze, making it simultaneously cooler and more humid. The first night we drank vodka, and I can only blame dehydration on the ridiculously small amount of vodka I consumed before I found myself plastered, vomiting on the ground just outside my tent (and all over the footwear that happened to be placed there). It would be beer and water exclusively from then on. I can't expand on what happened in detail in the following days, simply because there were no daily excursions or adventures. It was pretty much "go to the beach, stay, come back". There were some notable times - the day we went to the water park was a particular highlight, a friend having an allergic reaction to watermelon being an entirely different sort of highlight, however it is safe to say that I was really looking forward to the festival. The festival stretched Thursday to Sunday, and actually had a pretty decent line-up. Not out-of-this-world, but pretty solid.
At this point I have to make some things clear. I do not like hot weather. I have been to Iberia many times and have yet to be captivated by it. I do not like the beach. So why go on holiday to Spain? For FiB. The festival was all that mattered to me, I only wanted to see the bands. The fact that along the way I had some fun and got to know some new people was just a bonus. Now onto the reviews.
Thursday
The Temper Trap
So I had seen them before. But they were great then, so why not see them again? They are a great live band, however it was funny how nearly everyone in the crowd only knew Sweet Disposition. They started one song which sort of sounded like the intro to Sweet Disposition and people started singing along - to the wrong song. Amusing for me, still a very good performance.
7/10
Scratch Perverts
Not my sort of music. At all. Was only there find people I knew.
3/10
Broken Bells
Just... wow. Why do I not have their album? Anyway it was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. Right at the front (as one should be) and they absolutely nailed it.
9/10
Friday
Mumford and Sons
Stupidly I missed the start of their set and ended up a fair way back, but they still played really well. I feel as though I can't give them a proper review, having missed the start of their performance.
7/10
Vampire Weekend
"I saw them before they were big, you know." Possibly the most pretentious sentence you can utter during a set but it is also true - I can't help pointing it out. They were pretty good - I sneaked off early to see Unknown Pleasures.
7/10
Peter Hook's Unknown Pleasures
Well it is the closest thing I will get to seeing Joy Division. Peter Hook stood in for the un-stand-in-able Ian Curtis, he played a collection of Joy Division songs. And yes - Love Will Tear Us Apart was the final song and it was amazing. Is it cynical, is it what amounts to a cover band? I don't care. It is the closest I will ever get to going to a Joy Division gig.
8/10
Saturday
The Specials
How do you get thousands of sweaty people all to do the same dance? Book The Specials. They were really good, there isn't much I can say about them - you would be shocked to find they were awful.
7/10
Public Image Ltd
Yeah, I know. I was looking to kill some time and I recognised the name, but I couldn't remember where from. When the band came on stage I realised - it is John Lydon's band. I seem to remember the opening song going on for about 12 minutes - however looking at the MP3s of the studio version it is apparently 3 and a half minutes long. Anyway they were crap, but people seemed to be going mental for it. I've never seen so many wannabe-groupies in one crowd. I left early and had a little sleep during The Prodigy.
3/10
Klaxons
An interesting one, this. Lots of new material - new album is out 23rd August, apparently - which I don't think many people knew. They grew into their set to pull off one of the better performances of the festival, and now I can't wait for that new album.
8/10
Sunday
Two Door Cinema Club
One of the bands I was really looking forward to, mainly due to how quickly their UK gigs have been selling out. They put in a very good performance, is it patronising to call them a "one to watch"? Surely everyone has heard of them by now?
8/10
Foals
I have seen them before, but they are just fantastic live. I would have liked to have stayed for the whole set but I had a certain Mr. Rascal to see. Still - I would have loved to have seen the whole set.
8/10
Dizzee Rascal
I know, what is a guy like me doing watching Dizzee perform live? Simple: everyone loves Dizzee Rascal. It is a scientifically proven fact. So it was a pretty good set, the crowd could have been a bit more enthusiastic but that's just how it goes sometimes.
7/10
Gorillaz
I don't have their latest album. And their first album is just "somewhere in the house". But you would definitely see them live, and they were definitely great. The screen behind them projected music videos and Snoop Dogg, during the first song, much to the delight of the crowd. I can't quite bring myself to give them a better score than Broken Bells, however.
8.5/10
So Broken Bells were the best performance of the festival, but unlike Reading where I came away with some bands that I needed to look into, there are no new bands that need investigating. I can't help feeling that was the "something missing" for the festival. There weren't many opportunities to see bands you might have never heard of before.
So yes, it was a good holiday. Would I go again? There would have to be an equally-good or better line-up and it would probably just be 5 or 6 days - 10 days is a bit excessive, especially when there is not much to actually do in Benicassim.
So that's it - holiday over, back to work on Monday. And then full-time employment until the 1st of September, when I am finally a student again.
First up: was it a good holiday? We flew out from Gatwick to Valencia on the 11th of July about 5 hours later than expected, meaning we missed our train and had to get a coach to the campsite instead. In retrospect this was a much easier option. We ended up watching the World Cup final at a little Spanish bar in Benicassim ("Heitinga barely touched 'im!") then walked to the beach. We all went to swim in the sea, at night, which was absolutely amazing. We (as in everyone but me) then slept on a little grassy patch near the beach, until the sprinklers came on at 6:00am. (Wet) People then transferred to the beach, apart from me, I was happy enough to walk along the waterfront and watch the sun come up. From there we walked to the festival site and got our festival bands (one for the festival, one for the campsite). We then made our way to the campsite by taxi, it being a fairly long walk from the festival site to Villacamp, where we were staying.
Villacamp was supposed to be the best campsite to stay at, you had to pay extra but it had tree cover, which both blocked out the sun and breeze, making it simultaneously cooler and more humid. The first night we drank vodka, and I can only blame dehydration on the ridiculously small amount of vodka I consumed before I found myself plastered, vomiting on the ground just outside my tent (and all over the footwear that happened to be placed there). It would be beer and water exclusively from then on. I can't expand on what happened in detail in the following days, simply because there were no daily excursions or adventures. It was pretty much "go to the beach, stay, come back". There were some notable times - the day we went to the water park was a particular highlight, a friend having an allergic reaction to watermelon being an entirely different sort of highlight, however it is safe to say that I was really looking forward to the festival. The festival stretched Thursday to Sunday, and actually had a pretty decent line-up. Not out-of-this-world, but pretty solid.
At this point I have to make some things clear. I do not like hot weather. I have been to Iberia many times and have yet to be captivated by it. I do not like the beach. So why go on holiday to Spain? For FiB. The festival was all that mattered to me, I only wanted to see the bands. The fact that along the way I had some fun and got to know some new people was just a bonus. Now onto the reviews.
Thursday
The Temper Trap
So I had seen them before. But they were great then, so why not see them again? They are a great live band, however it was funny how nearly everyone in the crowd only knew Sweet Disposition. They started one song which sort of sounded like the intro to Sweet Disposition and people started singing along - to the wrong song. Amusing for me, still a very good performance.
7/10
Scratch Perverts
Not my sort of music. At all. Was only there find people I knew.
3/10
Broken Bells
Just... wow. Why do I not have their album? Anyway it was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. Right at the front (as one should be) and they absolutely nailed it.
9/10
Friday
Mumford and Sons
Stupidly I missed the start of their set and ended up a fair way back, but they still played really well. I feel as though I can't give them a proper review, having missed the start of their performance.
7/10
Vampire Weekend
"I saw them before they were big, you know." Possibly the most pretentious sentence you can utter during a set but it is also true - I can't help pointing it out. They were pretty good - I sneaked off early to see Unknown Pleasures.
7/10
Peter Hook's Unknown Pleasures
Well it is the closest thing I will get to seeing Joy Division. Peter Hook stood in for the un-stand-in-able Ian Curtis, he played a collection of Joy Division songs. And yes - Love Will Tear Us Apart was the final song and it was amazing. Is it cynical, is it what amounts to a cover band? I don't care. It is the closest I will ever get to going to a Joy Division gig.
8/10
Saturday
The Specials
How do you get thousands of sweaty people all to do the same dance? Book The Specials. They were really good, there isn't much I can say about them - you would be shocked to find they were awful.
7/10
Public Image Ltd
Yeah, I know. I was looking to kill some time and I recognised the name, but I couldn't remember where from. When the band came on stage I realised - it is John Lydon's band. I seem to remember the opening song going on for about 12 minutes - however looking at the MP3s of the studio version it is apparently 3 and a half minutes long. Anyway they were crap, but people seemed to be going mental for it. I've never seen so many wannabe-groupies in one crowd. I left early and had a little sleep during The Prodigy.
3/10
Klaxons
An interesting one, this. Lots of new material - new album is out 23rd August, apparently - which I don't think many people knew. They grew into their set to pull off one of the better performances of the festival, and now I can't wait for that new album.
8/10
Sunday
Two Door Cinema Club
One of the bands I was really looking forward to, mainly due to how quickly their UK gigs have been selling out. They put in a very good performance, is it patronising to call them a "one to watch"? Surely everyone has heard of them by now?
8/10
Foals
I have seen them before, but they are just fantastic live. I would have liked to have stayed for the whole set but I had a certain Mr. Rascal to see. Still - I would have loved to have seen the whole set.
8/10
Dizzee Rascal
I know, what is a guy like me doing watching Dizzee perform live? Simple: everyone loves Dizzee Rascal. It is a scientifically proven fact. So it was a pretty good set, the crowd could have been a bit more enthusiastic but that's just how it goes sometimes.
7/10
Gorillaz
I don't have their latest album. And their first album is just "somewhere in the house". But you would definitely see them live, and they were definitely great. The screen behind them projected music videos and Snoop Dogg, during the first song, much to the delight of the crowd. I can't quite bring myself to give them a better score than Broken Bells, however.
8.5/10
So Broken Bells were the best performance of the festival, but unlike Reading where I came away with some bands that I needed to look into, there are no new bands that need investigating. I can't help feeling that was the "something missing" for the festival. There weren't many opportunities to see bands you might have never heard of before.
So yes, it was a good holiday. Would I go again? There would have to be an equally-good or better line-up and it would probably just be 5 or 6 days - 10 days is a bit excessive, especially when there is not much to actually do in Benicassim.
So that's it - holiday over, back to work on Monday. And then full-time employment until the 1st of September, when I am finally a student again.
Friday, 25 June 2010
Thoughts
So I am trying to remember everything these past weeks I thought: I should blog that.
First up: Bernard is a mouse that lives on the District Line platforms of Embankment Tube Station. Unfortunately he is scared of trains :( I saw him whilst waiting for my train, after the initial silent "wait, that's a mouse!" reaction I just sat there staring at Bernard. He was just minding his own business, trying to get on in life when a train approached the platform. The poor fella was terrified, and started trying to climb up the wall and away. Eventually he ran down the platform. I haven't seen him since but I would like to think he is still there, and still trying to confront his fear of Underground trains. And also it was definitely a mouse, or at least a very small, pale and clean rat.
Also I have been reading xkcd loads. It is nerdy to a ridiculous level, and some of it is quite a long way away from my own knowledge. The guy is clearly intelligent but it is funny and romantic in a very easy-to-relate way. 'Angular Momentum' is my favourite comic, not that funny but very endearing. See it here.
Also I suppose I should comment on the World Cup, I am following England and we've been so-so in the tournament. Come Sunday will we win? Germany might have a marginally better squad, but they seem much better in terms of team balance and tactics. Maybe we will go 4-5-1, with Gareth Barry in a firmly defensive role, trying to counter-act Ozil, Lampard in the middle to link up play and get back when necessary and Gerrard in a more free role behind Rooney. Joe Cole looked a bit pants against Slovenia, so maybe Milner on the right, Wright-Philips on the left. Italy and France going out was a huge shock considering the wealth of talent both countries have, but Argentina might just be the team of the tournament. They have so much great talent going forward, and Maradona has done okay on the tactics side of things.
Also The Guardian Weekly is a great newspaper for articles and discussions, I would highly recommend it if gossip and reactionary "shock" stories bore you. Also The Fly is a damn good music magazine, particularly considering it is free (from participating venues). I have been reading both for a while now and they can make commuting the bit more bearable.
Today I read someone describing "that" bit from LCD Soundsystem's 'Dance Yrself Clean' as "like getting a cumshot from Jesus". The thing is I can see where they are coming from, the first time you hear it is a special moment. All I thought was "oh James, you fucking genius". Whenever you listen to an LCD Soundsystem album you get a sense that this is someone who knows what they are doing, understands music and how to build momentum and energy in a song. That metaphorical climax.
I'm sure some actual "things" will happen in my life soon, when they do I will blog about that. Toodle-pip.
First up: Bernard is a mouse that lives on the District Line platforms of Embankment Tube Station. Unfortunately he is scared of trains :( I saw him whilst waiting for my train, after the initial silent "wait, that's a mouse!" reaction I just sat there staring at Bernard. He was just minding his own business, trying to get on in life when a train approached the platform. The poor fella was terrified, and started trying to climb up the wall and away. Eventually he ran down the platform. I haven't seen him since but I would like to think he is still there, and still trying to confront his fear of Underground trains. And also it was definitely a mouse, or at least a very small, pale and clean rat.
Also I have been reading xkcd loads. It is nerdy to a ridiculous level, and some of it is quite a long way away from my own knowledge. The guy is clearly intelligent but it is funny and romantic in a very easy-to-relate way. 'Angular Momentum' is my favourite comic, not that funny but very endearing. See it here.
Also I suppose I should comment on the World Cup, I am following England and we've been so-so in the tournament. Come Sunday will we win? Germany might have a marginally better squad, but they seem much better in terms of team balance and tactics. Maybe we will go 4-5-1, with Gareth Barry in a firmly defensive role, trying to counter-act Ozil, Lampard in the middle to link up play and get back when necessary and Gerrard in a more free role behind Rooney. Joe Cole looked a bit pants against Slovenia, so maybe Milner on the right, Wright-Philips on the left. Italy and France going out was a huge shock considering the wealth of talent both countries have, but Argentina might just be the team of the tournament. They have so much great talent going forward, and Maradona has done okay on the tactics side of things.
Also The Guardian Weekly is a great newspaper for articles and discussions, I would highly recommend it if gossip and reactionary "shock" stories bore you. Also The Fly is a damn good music magazine, particularly considering it is free (from participating venues). I have been reading both for a while now and they can make commuting the bit more bearable.
Today I read someone describing "that" bit from LCD Soundsystem's 'Dance Yrself Clean' as "like getting a cumshot from Jesus". The thing is I can see where they are coming from, the first time you hear it is a special moment. All I thought was "oh James, you fucking genius". Whenever you listen to an LCD Soundsystem album you get a sense that this is someone who knows what they are doing, understands music and how to build momentum and energy in a song. That metaphorical climax.
I'm sure some actual "things" will happen in my life soon, when they do I will blog about that. Toodle-pip.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Week Away
So now I find myself on a week of annual leave, with the house to myself. Honestly? I am getting a little bored. I know only boring people get bored but, well, that sort of answers itself. I guess without work I can become bored. How someone with such a good protestant work ethic became an atheist is beyond me.
I have been looking up some interesting topics. Idlers, Freeman-on-the-Land. They seem to be a mystery to me. How do they eat? Do they collect unemployment benefits? It all seems a little dodgy to me, particularly as some of the forums use phrases like "fuck work!" Some kinds of work can be enjoyed, those towards a desirable outcome - the exact definition of "desirable" to be determined by the individual. I find programming to be good in this sense, as if there is something that I really want to do I can work towards it and have an outcome I can use. I code, I compile, I use. It's that simple.
The above brings me to something else: creativity. I have never really paid any attention to my creative side. I can't draw, paint, sculpt, play an instrument, sing, dance, act or do anything remotely creative. I don't know whether these shortcomings are a reason for not indulging my creative side or a product of my non-indulgence. I am considering trying to take a period of time to try and be creative - somehow. Try to write a novel, or poetry or just try to be somehow creative. Because usually I don't create just for creation's sake, if I do create it is for a purpose. I often wonder if art can be useful. Surely designing a good car engine is a sort of art, it is just that it can be used. What about architecture? The skill it takes to create something useful must render its creator a sort of... "technical artist". I don't know, smarter men than me must surely know.
So onto more down-to-Earth matters - I bought some more albums! And books. I have more books than I can read. Actually why don't I have a "Books I Need to Read" list? I have so many that I have bought. I'm not sure I will ever read every single one of them. But either way I bought The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde and In Search of Lost Time 1: The Way By Swann's - Marcel Proust. I'll add it to the quite enormous amount of books I need to read. I have them, I just haven't read them yet. I also bought Errors - Come Down With Me, The Postal Service - Give Up and Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister. I should get an award for all the brilliant albums I buy. I bought those on the 2nd of this month, and once I deflated my head I bought Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, TV on the Radio - Dear Science, The Temper Trap - Conditions and Vampire Weekend - Contra. Haven't listened to any of those last four yet, been listening to the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo podcast. Mark Kermode deserves so many plaudits for his reviews, his rants are epic - his Sex and the City 2 and Pimp reviews were brilliant. As much as I like hearing about films he loves, we all love to hear someone passionate about their topic taking major issue with examples that are an insult to it. I don't know why that is - why is it more entertaining to criticise than to praise?
Anyway I am currently trying and sort of failing to get my placement report written. Need to get right down to the work this week. See, full circle (sort of).
Edit: Totally forgot to say I watched Unthinkable, How To Train Your Dragon and Any Given Sunday. Unthinkable is an interesting moral ride with Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Sheen giving A+ performances, How To Train Your Dragon is a charming family adventure that ticks all the right boxes and Any Given Sunday is in-your-face intensity. The last one isn't really my kind of film but I enjoyed it anyway. Unthinkable was a good film, it came across as quite brave for a Hollywood film with a very well-known lead actor to discuss the legality and morality of torture - even if it did have some slightly gory bits. It isn't an easy watch but it blends some action with some loud discussion of ethics. Well paced and not overly long, it is not a mind-blowingly fabulous film but it is a very solid film.
I have been looking up some interesting topics. Idlers, Freeman-on-the-Land. They seem to be a mystery to me. How do they eat? Do they collect unemployment benefits? It all seems a little dodgy to me, particularly as some of the forums use phrases like "fuck work!" Some kinds of work can be enjoyed, those towards a desirable outcome - the exact definition of "desirable" to be determined by the individual. I find programming to be good in this sense, as if there is something that I really want to do I can work towards it and have an outcome I can use. I code, I compile, I use. It's that simple.
The above brings me to something else: creativity. I have never really paid any attention to my creative side. I can't draw, paint, sculpt, play an instrument, sing, dance, act or do anything remotely creative. I don't know whether these shortcomings are a reason for not indulging my creative side or a product of my non-indulgence. I am considering trying to take a period of time to try and be creative - somehow. Try to write a novel, or poetry or just try to be somehow creative. Because usually I don't create just for creation's sake, if I do create it is for a purpose. I often wonder if art can be useful. Surely designing a good car engine is a sort of art, it is just that it can be used. What about architecture? The skill it takes to create something useful must render its creator a sort of... "technical artist". I don't know, smarter men than me must surely know.
So onto more down-to-Earth matters - I bought some more albums! And books. I have more books than I can read. Actually why don't I have a "Books I Need to Read" list? I have so many that I have bought. I'm not sure I will ever read every single one of them. But either way I bought The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde and In Search of Lost Time 1: The Way By Swann's - Marcel Proust. I'll add it to the quite enormous amount of books I need to read. I have them, I just haven't read them yet. I also bought Errors - Come Down With Me, The Postal Service - Give Up and Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister. I should get an award for all the brilliant albums I buy. I bought those on the 2nd of this month, and once I deflated my head I bought Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, TV on the Radio - Dear Science, The Temper Trap - Conditions and Vampire Weekend - Contra. Haven't listened to any of those last four yet, been listening to the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo podcast. Mark Kermode deserves so many plaudits for his reviews, his rants are epic - his Sex and the City 2 and Pimp reviews were brilliant. As much as I like hearing about films he loves, we all love to hear someone passionate about their topic taking major issue with examples that are an insult to it. I don't know why that is - why is it more entertaining to criticise than to praise?
Anyway I am currently trying and sort of failing to get my placement report written. Need to get right down to the work this week. See, full circle (sort of).
Edit: Totally forgot to say I watched Unthinkable, How To Train Your Dragon and Any Given Sunday. Unthinkable is an interesting moral ride with Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Sheen giving A+ performances, How To Train Your Dragon is a charming family adventure that ticks all the right boxes and Any Given Sunday is in-your-face intensity. The last one isn't really my kind of film but I enjoyed it anyway. Unthinkable was a good film, it came across as quite brave for a Hollywood film with a very well-known lead actor to discuss the legality and morality of torture - even if it did have some slightly gory bits. It isn't an easy watch but it blends some action with some loud discussion of ethics. Well paced and not overly long, it is not a mind-blowingly fabulous film but it is a very solid film.
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