Ra☂ny Afternoon in London

Moved

2010-07-31T15:26:00.002+01:00

Hello all, I have defected to Tumblr: www.dreamtreader.tumblr.com. This blog will self destruct in approximately 30 days (or after I have shifted all my content across). Hope to see you on the flipside.

Lol Stills

2010-05-16T13:10:00.000+01:00

Below is a movie still that is lol. Do you know what film it's from?

Browse all Lol Stills.

Hole @ Brixton Academy

2010-05-06T17:33:00.003+01:00

This is probably my best ever photo.

More photos on my flickr page.

Lookalikes: Tilda Swinton and La Roux

2010-05-01T17:52:00.002+01:00

Browse all Lookalikes.

Film review: Alice in Wonderland

2010-04-25T13:22:00.008+01:00

It's fair to say that there are few stories out there as eccentric, imaginative and downright weird as that of the little girl who falls down the rabbit hole. Depite it's age, Alice in Wonderland is a tale that has constantly been reinvented and reinterpreted by film directors pretty much since the birth of the medium itself (for those interested in a rundown check out March's edition of Sight&Sound). Like most people in their 20s I grew up with the Disney version, which I loved but was always more than a little freaked out by. Even Disney's fluffy dreamworld couldn't stop me being scared witless at the prospect of losing my mind and slipping into insanity like the Mad Hatter or the unhinged Alice. Tim Burton then seemed to be the perfect choice of director to bring out the darkness in the story via his trademark goth-lite style.

It's a shame then that Burton's film is a bit of a disappointment. I went to see it in 3D and, while I know I'm probably prone to use Avatar as a benchmark, I felt the visuals just didn't cut it. I really wish Burton had stuck with using stop-motion animation with Alice... ; the whole film would've had a much more macabre feel to it. As it is I felt that it uncomfortably straddled the fence between gothic and Disney. As this was Burton's first time directing an entire film with green screen I guess we can cut him some slack. I also read somewhere that he was finding it difficult to work in this medium, which hopefully means he'll go back to using stop-motion in future films. Burton's story is also very different to the original and it seemed like parts of the film were needlessly long in order to compensate for some of these changes.

In terms of casting I think Burton was spot-on. Predictably, Johnny Depp was right at home in the role of the Mad Hatter and brought his own brand of whimsy to the role. Slipping into a Scottish accent throughout the film, however, was a bit of a weird addition to the character. And the dance at the end... I mean, what can I say about that? I don't think it quite worked... Similarly, Mia Wasikowska brought a freshness to the role of Alice. It was interesting to see her portrayed as a young woman rather than a child, and I think it worked well to have her using Wonderland as an escape from her approaching adulthood and the responsibility (and restriction - this film is set in the Victorian era) that comes with that for a woman. I like the fact that Alice was a bit of a free-spirited tomboy, it made her really likable. Helena Bonham-Carter was also great as the despotic Red Queen and gave some nice touches to the role. The supporting cast was strong too; Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman added their usual drawling wit to the Cheshire Cat and the Blue Caterpillar, and Anne Hathaway played the White Queen well.

Despite the cast however, I just felt that this was a film that could've been much more. For a 3D film made by one of the most creative directors around the landscape of Wonderland was surprisingly dull, lacking the colour and surrealism that makes the story so memorable. I can't help but think that working with green screen technology was a big mistake for Burton and one that has cost him dearly.

Show some Love

2010-04-24T16:17:00.033+01:00

Well, I went to school in Olympia

And everyone's the same

Well, what do you do with a revolution?

Hole - Rock Star

Every time I hear Courtney Love sing those lines I get goosebumps. Those of you who pay attention to my ramblings will remember my post a while ago that gave a mini-review of Hole's first gig in 11 years. I enjoyed this gig. A lot. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I almost cried like some 11 year old Justin Bieber fanatic when it ended. And although I liked the new band line-up, the real reason for this embarrassing near reversion to adolescence (shudder) was mostly down to the amazingness of Courtney Love. Given that Hole's new album is out on Monday and Courtney is very much in the media at the moment I felt this would be a good time to write a blog post about her. Few people in rock have divided opinion as much as she, but let's just get one thing straight before we descend into the chaos - I am 100% pro-Love. Therefore anyone leaving bullshit comments will be tracked down and harpooned.

Let's start with the F word: feminism. When I was 14 and saw Courtney on MTV Unplugged, all messy blonde hair, leg on the monitor and gravelly voice, I thought she was the coolest woman alive. To me that was pure hot-blooded feminism drenched in sex. Hell, even now that image does me some serious damage. Now that I'm older and a little wiser I know that there are other women rockers who have been more politically feminist than Courtney - Kathleen Hanna is a good example. But this doesn't detract from the fact that Courtney's image was, and always will be, powerful in feminist circles. Many people will remember how great and give-a-shit she looked circa '94; she was a poster-girl for feminism and she empowered girls through her image. Kathleen Hanna wishes she had this impact! Furthermore, because of her commercial success with Hole, Courtney brought feminism to the mainstream in a way that other riot grrl bands only dreamed of. Like it or not, she was an eye opener for a generation of girls, and the impact of this can't be underestimated. Score 1 for Courtney.

Another bugbear of mine is the language surrounding Courtney in the media and used by the public on blogs etc. I get so tired of reading endless slurs about her written by sad old blokes with nothing better to do. Most of this language just highlights the inherent sexism within the music industry and, in particular, rock. Whenever I read anything anywhere about her the focus is invariably on her looks, her "whining", her age, or her marriage to Kurt Cobain (which she has been unfairly defined by for most of her life). Plenty of men in rock are old, look weird and whine too but people don't obsess over it! If people don't like Hole or Courtney Love then that's fine, but more often than not the dislike is fuelled by some pretty sexist attitudes. I also don't subscribe to this bullshit that she has "cashed in" on Kurt Cobain's suicide; more like she has had it rammed in her face by the public/media for years because for some reason they just won't let it go! Even worse is the nuts accusation that she was behind his death. It's been 17 years since Kurt Cobain killed himself; these whiny little fanboys need to get over it and stop looking for a scapegoat. Unfortunately, this attitude is a problem that stretches beyond Courtney. Women who date famous musicians are often vilified by male fans (see Yoko Ono and Marianne Faithfull); yet another example of the misogyny and sexism they face in the music industry. Score 138,576 million for Courtney.

Courtney Love may not be perfect, but she's rock 'n' roll through and through. When a male rock star is eccentric, drug-addicted and wild people love it; when it's a woman people really struggle with it. People should accept Courtney for the emotional roller coaster that she is and get over the fact that she has a vagina. No matter how uncool it may be, I make no secret of the fact that Hole changed my life. They were the soundtrack to my teen angst and they introduced me to feminism. They made me dream big. When I travelled the US a few years ago I made a special trip to Portland, Oregon purely because I've always been so inspired by the DIY 'zine/riot grrl culture that flourished there; a scene that Hole were at the heart of. Even in today's media-saturated world, I hope that some lonely kid growing up in a small town will stumble across Hole's MTV Unplugged show and find as great a release in Courtney and her music as I did.

Sun Drenched: Songs About California

2010-04-24T13:27:00.007+01:00

Artwork by Jenny.

Tracklisting:

01. Joni Mitchell - California
02. Hole - Pacific Coast Highway
03. Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In LA
04. Kings Of Leon - California Waiting
05. Patti Smith - Redondo Beach
06. The Mamas And The Papas - California Dreamin'
07. The Magnetic Fields - California Girls
08. Coconut Records - West Coast
09. Luna - California (All The Way)
10. PJ Harvey And John Parish - Leaving California

Download the full mix here (zip file, includes artwork).

Early morning neurosis

2010-04-21T10:47:00.002+01:00

Today I woke up with a cocktail of the most annoying songs ever recorded swirling around in my head. They were (in no particular order):

Sexbomb by Tom Jones.
The bit in Telephone where Lady Gaga's voice goes batshit through a synthesizer while she's singing down the phone.
Various parts of the chorus of Rude Boy by Rihanna.

I actually almost had a panic attack in the shower at the prospect of spending the day sat at my desk mentally repeating this assortment of lyrics and hooks ad infinitum. Luckily I started humming 2 Become 1 by Spice Girls instead. Phew!

Beautiful, Strange: An Ambient Mix

2010-04-20T22:33:00.005+01:00

Tracklisting:

01. Helios - A Rising Wind
02. Brightblack Morning Light - All We Have Broken Shines
03. Flying Lotus - Auntie's Lock/Infinitum (Feat. Laura Darlington)
04. Victor Bermon - We Face Each Other
05. Japancakes - Recovering Australia
06. Boards of Canada - Olson
07. Koen Holtkamp - Half Light
08. The Album Leaf - Red-Eye
09. Valet - Kehaar
10. The Orb - Blue Room

Download the full mix here (zip file, includes artwork).

Why I hate... social entrepreneurs

2010-04-16T18:07:00.005+01:00

Aside from a renewed sense of job satisfaction, you hope that a career move into the third sector will provide you with a glittering new social life filled with vibrant and inspiring people who will become life-long friends. After 3 weeks however, you realise your new colleagues are the same morons you worked with last time, just in a cooler sounding industry. This is particularly true when it comes to brown-nosing the big boss. I see my colleagues less as people and more as small terrier dogs who have the irresistible urge trot over and hump the boss' leg every time he steps into the room. In my experience, social entrepreneurs have their own special brand of wankerishness which I shall elaborate on thus.

The only difference between social entrepreneurs and private sector bosses is that these bellends had enough money to set up a business and employ a bunch of idiots willing to work chained to their desk day in day out in the name of social good, pandering to their jumped-up proclamations that the absolute bullshit they do for a living actually makes a difference. Just like in the private sector or the civil service, in social enterprises all the hard work is done by office minions and the boss takes all the credit once its completed. Social entrepreneurs choose a life of do-gooding not to be altruistic but because they have an almost Christ-like burning desire to be held up as some kind of martyr. They will often have started out in a practitioner role, and will feel a profound sense of inadequacy and guilt at having been unable to handle this demanding frontline job. As a result, much of their life is spent attempting to justify their move to a more cushy career without appearing weak, pampered and unfashionably middle-class. This will often involve slagging off the public sector, charities and NGOs and branding all who work in them incompetent in a ruse designed to make their business appear cool and ground-breaking. Another tactic is to transform over the years from cuddly liberal to snarling pitbull boss from hell: ruling through fear means they never have to confront the uncomfortable truth that they failed at having a meaningful job that actually helped people and chose instead something that appears innovative but doesn't benefit anyone.

No actual social entrepreneurs were harmed in the making of this post.

Teen Gay®: The new brand of TV homosexuality

2010-04-12T19:17:00.027+01:00

There was an interesting article in The Guardian today about the increasing numbers of gay teenagers appearing on our TV screens. Although I don't often watch Skins or Ugly Betty, so much has been made of their prominent gay characters in both the gay and mainstream media that I'm pretty familiar with their storylines. The Guardian's short article raises a few interesting points about what this new found appreciation of gay means, and how it represents a shift in TV shows moving from depicting gay adults with active sex lives to showing the more palatable and distinctly sex-less (at least on screen) lives of this new breed that I shall call Teen Gay®. And that's really my problem with all this lauding of a liberated new age of gay representation on TV: like everything else nowadays, it's just too slick. Of course it's great that there's more visibility, but there's a price being paid for this.

When I was about 13/14, shows like Queer as Folk and the rather more obscure Metrosexuality showed the lives of both gay teenagers and gay adults in a raw, bold and edgy way. These shows were creative and exciting, they had decent storylines and the characters were complex, and best of all they were completely gay-centric. Ok, so the "shocking" sex scenes in Queer as Folk got old quickly, and some will say they smacked of stereotyping and exploitation, but it was bloody brave to beam such explicit content into the Daily Mail-strewn living rooms of suburban Britain and in some ways I think it served as a wake up call. For a brief moment in time, Queer as Folk was, for the male gay community at least, a kind of micro version of the 60s sexual revolution. Remember, these shows were on terrestrial television; there was no Living or Pink TV to sideline them to, like an embarrassing secret, under the guise of "niche interest".

At least if you didn't like Queer as Folk you could get your rocks off while watching it; the gay male characters on TV today are so a-sexual they’re practically back in the dark ages with Kenneth Williams in terms of euphemising the Unspeakable Act. When it comes to the "we're here, we're queer" generation of the early 90s, the male Teen Gay® is, by comparison, bland and passive; a glossy image of homosexuality with all threat removed who sits quietly in the corner with his Starbucks vanilla latte and impeccable dress sense. If showing “unusual" sex practices in Queer as Folk was offensive for some gay men then how offensive is it now for a gay teenage boy to be marginalised, yet again, into the camp stereotype of Justin Suarez in Ugly Betty? Where's the progress? Where's the diversity?

Of course, us women have The L Word, which in some ways functions as the belated lesbian version of Queer as Folk. But while it is refreshing to see gay women actually having a sex life for once there are still those persistent stereotypes in The L Word that dog us everywhere we go on TV: butch, emotionally co-dependent, bi-curious, gender confused. Hell, I remember the day that Hollyoaks had a pretty well-rounded lesbian couple instead of that psycho-dyke Lydia and her hysterical obsession with Sarah (because lesbians are, of course, prone to mental unbalance in the absence of a bloke). In Skins we have Teen Gays® Emily and Naomi; it's true that image-wise they’re a refreshing break from the mould but their scenes and chemistry are vacuous and smack of using the “other” as an enticing storyline for straight viewers.

Somewhere along the line things have gone horribly, horribly wrong. There's a delicate balancing act between voyeurism, sensitivity and realism in TV shows with a gay theme, but it is possible to get that balance right and we shouldn't have to settle for a one-dimensional portrayal. I don't want to watch shows that depict only the sex lives of gay characters but I also don't want to see shows where this is completely ignored. It seems crazy that, overall, we had more genuine and meaningful representation of gay people on TV over a decade ago than we do now. The Guardian’s article concludes that, despite these issues, the spate of gay teenagers on TV at the moment is a good thing. But the reality is that these teenagers are a brand - designed to make homosexuality more acceptable to the mainstream – dressed up as progress. It's ok to be gay, but only when, where and how straight society says so.

Lol Stills

2010-04-11T21:41:00.002+01:00

Below is a movie still that is lol. Do you know what film it's from?

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New Adventures in Polaroid: The first batch

2010-04-03T20:42:00.043+01:00

Click image to enlarge.

So these are the first batch of proper Polaroids I've taken; they're not fantastic but I'm pretty pleased with a few of them. In my defence the weather wasn't brilliant! As this part of my blog is all about getting better at taking Polaroid pictures and I'll give a quick run through of each photo.

The first one is kind of washed out because I wanted to see how well the contrast slide worked. The sunlight was fairly strong so it's come out a bit grey but I quite like how faded it looks. The rolling hills landscape photo is a nice example of how light can make or break a Polaroid photo. It's the nice fuzzy golden glow of the sunset coming off the water that makes the photo pop; it also filters nicely into the foreground just hitting the branches along the bottom of the frame. The third photo of the lifeboat and flag was my attempt to take something a little more abstract. I liked it at first but now I'm a little undecided. I like the streakiness of the sand though. The last shot, of a harbour, is probably my favourite and again this is mainly because of the light - a nice golden sunset hitting the colourful boats and bringing out the yellow of the one in the foreground.

Do you have any Polaroid tricks? What subjects do you think Polaroids work best with?

The Icarus Project

2010-03-26T13:10:00.005Z

Robert Harrison just became my new hero. In the grand English tradition of backyard science, he has sent a digital camera into space attached to a balloon and got the most amazing "amateur" photos. This is the ultimate marriage of 2 of my biggest interests: photography and space exploration. It's called The Icarus Project and you can find out more about it here.

New Adventures in Polaroid: Test shots

2010-03-26T00:05:00.028Z

I have bought a Polaroid Supercolor 365CL off eBay. As there's a complete lack of information on Polaroids on the net I thought I'd dedicate a section of my blog to charting my journey with this vintage gem as a way to keep track of my own progress and as a resource for other people just starting out with Polaroids.

As you will probably know, Polaroid 600 film (the only film that can be used with the Supercolor 635CL) was discontinued a few years ago and, as a result, remaining packs are now super expensive. I picked my first pack up today from The Photographer's Gallery for a whopping £23 (that's for 10 photos, the standard pack that 600 film comes in) but some shops online sell packs for £50 and over. There's light at the end of the tunnel though because a small company called The Impossible Project is starting to reproduce 600 film. Hopefully it will be available this summer but bookmark their website to keep up with all the latest news.

The first thing to note is that the Supercolor 635CL is powered by a small battery that comes in every film pack. This battery has just enough power to fire the flash and develop the film etc for 10 shots (the amount that you will load each time you get a new film pack). When you load the film for the first time just whack the cartridge in and the protective top sheet should come rolling out, making everything ready to use. The second thing to note is that, contrary to popular belief, the Supercolor 635CL does not have to fire the flash with every shot. The shutter button has 2 parts: the big red part is for the flash, the black part just behind it is for taking a photo without the flash. Why Polaroid didn't make this more obvious is beyond me.

Here is one of my first test shots. Pretty lousy huh? I'm actually pretty miffed at The Photographer's Gallery because on their website it says the expiry date of the film is 12/2010 but the pack I got expired last year. Unfortunately I only noticed this when I got home, else I would've swapped it for a pack that was in-date. It's not the end of the world though, to be honest most 600 film that's floating around out there is expired anyway, but I think it's affected their quality.

Click image to enlarge.

As you can see, the photo pretty much failed to develop and exposed in a weird dark orange colour. After doing a bit of research on the net I'm pretty sure that's down to room temperature as it was pretty cold in my flat when I took the shots and apparently the ambient temperature has to be above 13 degrees Celsius for the photos to develop to their best quality. For other shots I held the photo against my tummy to keep it warm while it was developing and it came out much clearer. Badly developed photos can also be down to a dodgy pack of film, though thankfully it looks like my pack is ok. As I'm going on holiday next week I'm hoping that I'll get some better shots from my 6 remaining films, either way I'll post the results up here when I get back so watch this space.

Lookalikes: Nicole Scherzinger and Princess Jasmine

2010-03-21T19:06:00.004Z

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Lookalikes: Reese Witherspoon and Gizmo

2010-03-15T20:33:00.007Z

Tell me you see it.

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Lady Gaga and Beyoncé - Telephone

2010-03-13T15:08:00.006Z

Ladies and gentlemen, the day has arrived. Those of you who know me well will already be familiar with my love of Beyoncé. The rest of you will find out in due course upon regular reading of this blog. I love Beyoncé so much that I always make sure I type her name with that little accent thing over the e. But I digress. Yesterday saw the release of the video for Telephone, Lady Gaga's new song featuring the aformentioned QUEEN OF TEXAS/QUEEN OF MY HEART. Telephone brings gender fucking into the mainstream and throws it in your face like a transvestite throws a hissy fit. Telephone is the most surreal music video I have ever seen. Telephone has Beyoncé playing a pseudo-lesbian. Just sit and take that in for a minute. Imagine what information like that does to someone like me. Beyoncé almost playing gay. I thought the day would never come, but I have at last been rewarded for my loyalty...

Lonely death of Juanita Goggins, trailblazer of US civil rights

2010-03-13T10:49:00.008Z

Neighbours were oblivious that recluse who froze to death in her home was first black woman on South Carolina legislature

The neighbours knew Juanita Goggins only as an elderly recluse with no friends and a family that was rarely seen.

Goggins was so private that she instructed a neighbour who delivered groceries to leave them at the door, ring the bell and go away before she emerged. She spurned offers of home help from the local authorities even though she was evidently finding it increasingly difficult to look after herself...

Read the full article on guardian.co.uk.

Why I hate... Barney from How I Met Your Mother

2010-03-12T19:50:00.019Z

Do you know what I hate more than anything? Barney from How I Met Your Mother. I hate the way he talks in that stupid faux-black slang to try and be cool. Even more than this I hate the way he thinks he's cool not because he's using black slang but because by doing so he's drawing attention to his inherent whiteness and therefore being ironic. I hate his smug face when he does this. I hate the way he thinks he's so cute and I hate his stupid sideways smile that reminds me of a skidmark on a bath towel. I hate every particle of his being. I swear to god I almost shot my TV earlier because his bubonic face appeared on it. For more hate why not check out one of my favourite blogs, How to Hate Everything.

Film review: La Dolce Vita

2010-03-07T13:20:00.028Z

Occasionally I watch one of those films that are so famous and steeped in legend that they're almost not films at all but something more akin to a cultural event horizon. These films have become embedded in the collective consciousness and have littered the pop culture landscape with iconic quotes, images and scenes. They have cemented the careers of directors and immortalised actors. Whenever I watch one of these films I desperately hope that they will live up to the hype. Most times I'm not disappointed. You can't fail to love Casablanca's endlessly quotable script, for example, or It's a Wonderful Life's sugary sentimentality.

La Dolce Vita, the film that gave us the word 'paparazzi' and one of the most famous scenes in cinema history - when Sylvia (the hyper-femme Anita Eckberg) gets sensual in the Trevi fountain - is just such a film. When I watched it the other night for the first time I loved that scene and was unprepared for how beautiful and iconic it really is. Although it's much shorter than I expected, the image of Eckberg - all wild blonde hair and curves, throwing herself with abandon into the water and losing herself in the magic of the quiet dawn just breaking over Rome - is as symbolic of the sweet life as we're ever gonna get. Unfettered, sexual, glamourous and outside of time, Sylvia is a poster girl for decadence and privilege here. I also love the added touch of placing a regular Joe, I think he's a baker given that he's awake so early, to the right of one of the last frames. Like us, this mere mortal looks on at Sylvia and Marcello leisurely wading through the water after a crazy night on the tiles while he has to get to work, chained into a routine of early starts and long hours.

So stylish, so romantic, so Italian. Despite the perfection of this scene, however, I was a little disappointed with La Dolce Vita and am still genuinely undecided about whether I loved every gorgeously-shot frame or hated every minute of it's s-l-o-w 3-hour runtime. Like so many classics, it seems to rely heavily on one iconic scene for its status. I also wasn't expecting the film to be as abstract and experimental as it was; it functions mainly as a loose framework of scenes, centred around protagonist Marcello, and has no clear structure. Other director's that I like, such as David Lynch, work in this way too, but those films seem to have endless layers of meaning that keep viewers hooked even in their confusion and frustration. There's also usually a distinct feeling of build up to some kind of crisis or revelation. In La Dolce Vita however, there's just an endless stream of party scenes, and the message about moral decline and excess starts to feel old and overdone way before the 3-hour conclusion. It also awkwardly straddles the fence between criticising the social elite and romanticising them. This isn't a problem per se, in fact it can make the film more interesting, but it does wind up making you dislike certain characters, particularly the eternally dithering Marcello, always halfway between jacking in the hedonism to start a serious career and living it up as the perpetual playboy. No doubt Fellini is the master of stylish cinema, and perhaps a second viewing will change my mind, but as it is I have to say I found this film to be a bit overrated.

What are your thoughts on La Dolce Vita? Are there any other classics that you think are overrated? On the flipside, are there any films you think deserve to be classics that have been criminally overlooked?

Lookalikes: Justin Bieber and Donny Osmond

2010-02-25T14:35:00.010Z

Justin Bieber is SUCH a lesbian.

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Lookalikes: Cyn from Working Girl and Boy George

2010-02-22T22:42:00.005Z

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Shoop!: A 90s R&B Mix

2010-02-21T21:52:00.010Z

Anybody who says they don't like these songs is a LIAR.

Tracklisting:

01. Mariah Carey - Fantasy
02. BLACKstreet - No Diggity
03. Salt 'n' Pepa - Whatta Man (Feat. En Vogue)
04. Soul II Soul - Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)
05. SWV - Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)
06. TLC - Creep
07. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - Summertime
08. 3LW - No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)
09. Bobby Brown - Two Can Play That Game
10. Eternal - Stay

Download the full mix here (zip file, includes artwork).

Lol Stills

2010-02-21T19:02:00.000Z

Below is a movie still that is lol. Do you know what film it's from?

Browse all Lol Stills.

Lol Stills

2010-02-20T17:51:00.005Z

Below is a movie still that is lol. Do you know what film it's from?

Browse all Lol Stills.

Front of House #2

2010-02-20T17:31:00.007Z

Photos of interesting shop fronts. Browse all of the Front of House series.

Front of House #1

2010-02-20T17:19:00.012Z

Photos of interesting shop fronts. Browse all of the Front of House series.

Some thoughts on The Wire

2010-02-18T15:23:00.008Z

The Wire is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and original television programmes ever made. Its unrivalled scale and depth coupled with a brilliant script make for a rich and complex viewing experience. The format of the show is also innovative, ditching the usual clichés of American police dramas and using a number of dramatic devices that have made it largely inaccessible to a mainstream audience.

The heart of The Wire’s innovation is its sheer ambition and scope. In 5 seasons viewers are given a detailed insight into the multi-faceted world of Baltimore and its inhabitants; we move from the street to the docks to a newspaper, from the corridors of power to the corridors of a school. The Baltimore of The Wire is a microcosm of America and is used as a backdrop to examine the corrupt institutions and complex social problems that blight cities across the country. As the series progresses we are shown how different institutions and social groups are connected and are encouraged to examine these relationships. We are also shown the similarities between them, for example, the hierarchies that exist within the Baltimore Police Department and the street gangs. When detective Jimmy McNulty steps out of line at work and makes the bosses in his department look incompetent we see him chastised for not following the chain of command, in the same episode when gangster D’Angelo Barksdale loses his cool and shoots somebody in full view of witnesses he is demoted from selling drugs in the high rise tower blocks to selling them in the less profitable “low rises”. The settings are polar opposites but the organisational structure is essentially the same.

Fittingly, the cast of The Wire is also sprawling. Although there are several characters that remain constant throughout the series, there is also a steady flow of new characters that feature prominently only for a series or two before director David Simon shifts the focus yet again. This is an unusual approach for an American television series to take and can be disorientating and confusing for viewers, but it is ultimately what makes the show so watchable. The ever-changing characters mirror the reality of life on the streets of Baltimore, as violent gang wars claim the lives of many and territorial power shifts mean new drug kingpins rise and fall. Another way in which The Wire differs significantly from other television shows is through its casting; most of the actors are black (reflecting Baltimore as a predominantly black city) and many who play gangsters have real life criminal convictions (Snoop, Slim, Cheese). There is also a distinct lack of known talent in the series, with Simon preferring to cast little known Baltimore locals for many of the roles.

Although the cast is large the complexity of the characters is never compromised and it’s through the high quality writing that we see another example of how The Wire is innovative. One of the show’s key strengths is its ability to subvert the audiences’ notions of “good guys” and “bad guys”. In The Wire, no police officer or other professional is without their flaws or limitations; it is true that some are good people trapped within failing bureaucratic systems (education, politics, the media) and are trying to do their level best to please everybody and be left with some integrity. But most have major flaws and weaknesses alongside this – ambition, pride, ignorance, short-sightedness – that leave the viewer’s moral compass in a state of flux. On the other hand, the humanity of the show’s gangsters is often explored alongside their cold-blooded violence, for example when we see Michael looking after his younger brother in the absence of their drug-addicted mother or Namond, a volatile school boy pushed into drug dealing by his family despite his reluctance.

The language of the characters also reflects the show’s innovation and refusal to compromise its realism. From the language of the Baltimore Police Department to the slang of the street, we as viewers are forced to decode heavy legal jargon and Baltimore ebonics throughout all 5 seasons. Again this is highly unusual for an American television show and is another reason why it has only enjoyed fringe success both here and in the US.

There are many reasons why The Wire is groundbreaking, original and innovative but the most striking of these are its ambition and the quality of the writing. The show is challenging and demands the viewer to work for their entertainment, but at the same time it never comes across as pretentious or self-important. The Wire is no less than an epic deconstruction of a nation, and its scope and realism are vital components in both its creative success and commercial failure.

Hole @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

2010-02-18T13:36:00.014Z

Last night I got to see Hole play their first gig for 11 YEARS. That's right, 11 YEARS. Those of you fond of 50s polka dot dresses combined with ironic bleached blonde hair and smudged red lipstick will know what a momentous occasion this was. Hole, the epitome of 90s riot grrl feminism, inspire such a wave of nostalgia in me that just writing this makes me feel like I'm sat at the back of an RE class discreetly listening to Violet on my walkman wishing I was anywhere but here. Hole got me through my teens, and although I missed their prime by a few years I still got the angst.

Given Courtney Love's endless personal troubles and the turmoil of the new Hole lineup I was convinced that at best she would forget half her lyrics and at worst would be a no-show. Happily, I was wrong about both. She was actually pretty talkative and despite a few fuck ups did an absolutely awesome show. She also looked AMAZING. The rest of the band, although rather joyless and lacking the magic of the original lineup of Eric and Melissa et al, carried the show pretty well. The new material sounded great and I can't wait until the release of new album Nobody's Daughter; particular highlights were Letter to God and Pacific Coast Highway. According to the Wikipedia page they're also covering Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds, one of my all time favourite songs. For now at least Hole are back, but who knows how long this spurt of creativity will last? Appreciate them while they're around, kids.

More photos on my flickr page.

Red scare

2010-02-17T16:13:00.003Z

Spot the difference between a ginger-bewigged Lily Allen at last night's Brit Awards, the Chucky doll, and 80s antique child prodigy James Harries (now living as Lauren Harries).

Film review: Avatar

2010-02-09T15:56:00.017Z

I'm pretty sure I don't have to introduce any reader of this blog to the cultural phenomenon that is Avatar so I'll just get straight down to business...

I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Avatar at the biggest cinema screen in the UK: the BFI IMAX. Although I had to book over a month in advance it was well worth the wait as the visuals were truly stunning. In fact I was a bit of a wuss and felt slightly sick at the opening shot of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) spinning around in that cryogenic chamber at crazy ass angles. Let's start with the cast - first off I don't think Worthington was that great as a lead, he was pretty lacking in the charisma department and was much more likeable as his avatar. Zoe Saldana gave a good performance as the wild and free-spirited Neytiri, Jake's love interest and Sigourney Weaver was good as scientist Grace Augustine. Michelle Rodriguez totally kicked ass as the Na'vi sympathiser Trudy Chacon and had some of the best lines in the film. Stephen Lang also gave a good performance as Miles Quaritch, a military numbskull programmed only for death and destruction and Giovanni Ribisi played the ruthless corporate big shot Parker Selfridge infuriatingly well. Overall I thought the cast was strong but let's face it, Avatar ain't about the cast it's about the visuals and yes, they're amazing. The night scenes are truly beautiful with Pandora transformed into a phoscperescent wonderland home to all manner of amazing flora and fauna. Watching it in 3D at the IMAX gave the film real mind-blowing depth and really enhanced the experience for me. Some folks have said the new age element of the film is a bit cheesy but I thought it worked well and I liked the film's message about gaia and the connections that exist between all living things. The script wasn't as bad as I'd heard it was, just generic Hollywood really, and although it could've been better I don't think it took away from the film.

I can't rate this film enough but you have to see it for the right reasons. Maybe it's best to think of Avatar more as an event rather than a film. If you're expecting an all-round masterpiece you'll be disappointed, but if you can deal with a mediocre script and pretty poor leading man then you'll be blown away by this film's scale and beauty.

Watch the trailer:

Beyoncé and Jay-Z: The biggest headfuck known to man

2010-02-08T21:34:00.016Z

Ok, this has been on my mind for a while and I'm sure there's a gazillion blog posts about it but as a Beyoncé lover I have to chip in my two cents. I think the essence of my argument can be neatly distilled into one concise phrase: WTF? Their pairing has to be the strongest contender ever for best example of beauty and the beast. Just what the hell is going on in the veritable shit storm that is Beyoncé/Sasha's head is beyond me. But before I get too carried away, let's debate some of the logical reasons as to why a Texan goddess would look twice at the Jigga Man:

1) He's nice. It's true that looks aren't everything and Jay-Z might actually be a decent bloke who makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. However, judging by some of his lyrics and given that he's an ex-drug dealer, this doesn't exactly ring true.

2) He's loaded. Playa please, Beyoncé DOES NOT need money.

3) He's supportive/stable. The heady world of fame can take it's toll even on the most seasoned divas (see Mariah Carey) so perhaps Jay-Z gives Beyoncé some reality to cling to in those dark hours between mania-tinged weave-tossing performances. Hmm, but he never seems that enthusiastic at her gigs, especially not at her I Am...Yours show. Given the control her father exerted over her musical career from such a young age and her chronic shyness in interviews it seems more plausible that Beyoncé is actually drawn to controlling relationships. And the whole Sasha Fierce alter-ego? One hell of a way to deal with low self-esteem and performance anxiety...think about it. This post wasn't actually supposed to deteriroate into an analysis of Beyoncé's mental state so I shall move swfitly on...

4) He's intelligent. This is actually probably a big part of it, even though some of his lyrics are whack he still has some good ones and he comes across as really quite eloquent in interviews. He also seems to juggle endless side-projects so he must have good business sense.

5) He has a good sense of humour. Nah, he's a po-faced motherfucker.

6) He's a butch woman and Beyoncé is actually gay:

Ok so those are all the reasons I can think of for now and I think I've done a pretty good job at debunking most of them. So I guess the conclusion is that Jay-Z is not very nice but he is controlling and quite intelligent and that is why Beyoncé likes him. Or he's a butch lesbian. If you have any suggestions or points to add to this important debate I'd be delighted to read them; please leave your thoughts in a comment below.

Peter Jackson's physical appearance

2010-01-28T19:34:00.005Z

WTF? The last time I saw Peter Jackson he looked like this:

And now he looks like this:

UNRECOGNIZABLE.

Lol Stills

2010-01-23T18:55:00.008Z

Below are two movie stills that are lol. Do you know what films they're from?

Browse all Lol Stills.

Film review: Where the Wild Things Are

2010-01-22T16:46:00.017Z

Where the Wild Things Are doesn’t need much of an introduction. An adaptation of the classic children’s book by Maurice Sendak, it tells to story of Max, a troubled boy who, after an argument with his mother, transports himself to a magical land of friendly monsters where he is king. After playing around on his make-believe island for a while, Max learns some lessons about the importance of love and compromise and returns home to his worried mother with a new sense of maturity.

Indie darling Spike Jonze was an obvious match for this film and he does a good job of bringing the fantastical world of Max’s adventure to life. The cinematography is great and, as Sophia Coppola would say, every shot looks like a photograph. The monsters are brilliantly brought to life using a mix of CGI and good old fashioned costume, giving them an interesting appearance and movement on screen which adds to the fantastic deadpan script. You won’t find any silly kids voices a la Pixar here, instead the monsters interact like 20-something flat-sharing Americans bickering over who’s left their dirty dishes in the sink. And this is where we come across the first awkward element of the film – if Where the Wild Things Are is for kids then a lot of the humour will be over their heads, and the slow pace of the story will bore them to tears. If Where the Wild Things Are is for adults then a lot of the humour will be appreciated but the slow pace of the story will bore them to tears. There’s no escaping that for all the wonderful cinematography and funny script, the film loses it’s way after about 30 minutes and just becomes, well, dull. Once Max arrives on the island there’s no real climax and we’re presented instead with little more than a string of scenes showing him play, sleep and explore with the monsters. The crux of the story - Max’s realisation that the world isn’t perfect and all beings have flaws, including his mother, sister and (presumably absent) father – should have been built up more as this would have given much needed weight to the film. Given Spike Jonze’s background in commercials and music videos I’m not really surprised that we have this problem; he’s great at short, attention-grabbing visuals, but on feature films I just don’t think he cuts it. I felt the same way about Adaptation – a film with great potential that was let down by a focus on aesthetics and no emotional backbone.

Overall I was impressed stylistically with Where the Wild Things Are; the direction, cinematography, script and voiceovers are great and Max Records is very good in the role of Max, demonstrating a naturalness that’s rare in child actors. On a less superficial level though I felt it lacked punch and drama; this is a film that could have been so much more but instead proves to be a textbook case of style over substance.

Watch the trailer:

Film review: Precious

2010-01-19T18:27:00.030Z

Precious tells the story of Clareece 'Precious' Jones, a teenager living in 1980s Harlem. Black, obese, living off welfare and repeatedly abused by her parents (sexually by her father, by whom she is pregnant and already has 1 child, and verbally and physically by her mother), Precious dreams of a better life and an escape from her misery. Hope comes in the form of Ms Rain, a teacher on the Each One Teach One remedial education course that Precious is enrolled on. It’s here, in a supportive all-female environment, that Precious finds some solace, builds some meaningful relationships, develops her confidence and broadens her horizons. Just as things are looking up for Precious, however, life throws her another devastating blow and her past comes back to haunt her.

Precious is a fantastic triumph for director Lee Daniels. Gabourey Sidibe shines as Precious, playing the role with a cool aloofness that shows how much Precious has withdrawn into herself; she's almost like a machine operating on the bare minimum amounts of love, support and respect that a human needs. Had Precious been fiery and prone to retaliation, although we would root for her all the same, this effect would’ve been lost and the result would have been something far more clichéd and predictable. Precious is real, and in the real world people in her position rarely get the chance to fight back, they wait for opportunities and, if they can muster the strength, slowly change their lives for the better against all the odds while nurturing small breadcrumbs of dignity and hope. Precious’ insularity is reflected in the way she uses fantasy as a form of escape in situations where self-preservation demands she be removed from herself (for example when she's being abused, when she's bored and frustrated at school, or when she's experiencing moments of self-loathing and doubt). In these scenes, Precious imagines herself in a BET music video or as an actress on TV, living a life of glamour and luxury. This device works really well in the film and manages to inject some humour into the proceedings without detracting from the gravity of the story.

Equally fantastic, but for quite different reasons, is Mo’Nique playing Precious’ frightening mother Mary (the irony of the name surely can’t be lost). Mary is, how can I say this, the devil incarnate. I’ve read quite a few reviews that like to view her as more human towards the end of the film but for me she just never quite manages to lift herself up from the bowels of hell for even a teensy bit of redemption (no, not even in that scene with the social worker). While it’s easy to target Mary as the sole reason for Precious’ misery and overlook the damage done by her (absent) sexually abusive father, her sustained presence throughout the film and some truly shocking scenes make it difficult for us not to latch on to her as a hate figure. And rightly so with Mo’Nique’s powerful performance; her verbal and physical violence toward Precious (“Motherfuckin’ piece o’ shit, I shoulda had yo’ ass aborted”) and her volatility make for uncomfortable viewing to say the least.

Mariah Carey also makes an unlikely appearance (and I stress it’s an appearance, although given all the press attention you’d be forgiven for thinking she was the leading lady) as Precious’ social worker. She’s competent in the role but I think the media has overreacted to her abilities and it’s a shame that so many column inches have been given over to her au naturel look (complete with a light dusting of upper lip hair) rather than the brilliant performances of the other actors. Still if it attracts attention to this gem of a film then I’m all for it. One of the best films I've ever seen.

Watch the trailer:

Film review: Brief Encounter

2010-01-09T17:46:00.017Z

A lot of people think of Brief Encounter as a comment on stuffy middle-class suburban culture and its restrained attitudes towards love, and while I'd be a complete douche not to see this, I think that such a narrow view takes away from what is actually a touching story about 2 people who fall in love and have to make the difficult choice of whether or not to stay with their respective spouses.

I think the film was quite controversial for it's time as it dealt not only with the taboo subject of extramarital affairs but did so from a woman's perspective. On top of this both the main characters, Laura Jesson and Alec Harvey, are middle-aged. Indeed, there's an interesting contrast between their measured response to attraction (which occasionally spills over into something more passionate) and that of the young couple who both work at the train station and can be seen, carefree and frolicking around, in a scene near the end of the film. The fact that Laura and Alec mostly meet at a train station also adds further poignancy to their doomed affair as it suggests impermanence and anonymity.

Both Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard are fantastic in their lead roles but it's Johnson who really shines as the film's protagonist. Laura is simultaneously reserved and impulsive, and we're left with the constant feeling that she could do something drastic at any minute (demonstrated by her almost throwing herself in front of a train when Alec says his final goodbye). This sense of tension and struggle within her character keeps us guessing right up until the end as to whether she will actually leave her good-natured but dull husband, Fred, and is ultimately what makes the film so watchable.

Brief Encounter does, undoubtedly, throw up some interesting points about class and culture, but the reason it's so powerful is because all that restraint and control is stripped away when Laura and Alec are together, liberated and happy in their love. They know it's impossible and can't last, but watching their relationship blossom and witnessing their mad moments of indecision we're reminded of how fragile our morals and values really are in the face of something so powerful.

Watch the original trailer:

Film review: An Education

2010-01-03T17:22:00.023Z

An Education tells the story of Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a pampered middle class kid living in London who dreams of going to Oxford University to read English. Her dull routine of school, cello lessons, awkward dinners with her parents and droll lunches with friends is turned upside down one day when she meets the charismatic and cultured David (Peter Sarsgaard) who whisks her off her feet by taking her on romantic breaks to Paris and classical concerts with his exciting friends. As time passes, however, it becomes apparent that David and his joyous clique are not quite what they seem.

Despite a few solid actors An Education proved to be a terrible film. The usually dependable Alfred Molina gives a hammy performance as Jenny's father and Emma Thompson could have been given more to work with as Jenny's formidable headmistress. Carey Mulligan played her role well but there's no getting away from the fact that Jenny is actually a downright dislikeable and irritating character. We're supposed to feel sorry for Jenny and root for her while she treads the rocky roads of her 'duel education' (in life and the classroom), but just how much you can pity a privileged west London private school girl while she agonises about getting into Oxford and experiences her first broken heart I'm not sure. Even when Jenny reaches her lowest point she's so annoyingly precocious in her handling of the situation that the emotional punch is just lost. On top of this the question of what actually happens to David is left unresolved.

It's unclear what director Lone Scherfig was trying to achieve with An Education; if she wanted to make a damning social comment about pampered middle class lifestyles then she's succeeded, but the fact that this is supposed to be some cutesy coming-of-age drama makes it so vomit-inducing that it's barely watchable. Other films about the social elite, such as Bright Young Things and A Good Woman, work because they expose the vacuity of wealth and status and because the scripts have humour. If An Education had the balls to be a bit grittier it may have worked, as it is everything about the storyline and the characters is just too bourgeois for anyone to really care.

Watch the trailer:

Film review: Morocco

2009-12-05T15:01:00.022Z

I can't really review this film in the same way that I review others because a) it's so old (1930) that the format is pretty different to the more modern films usually reviewed on this blog and b) I will just end up gushing about Marlene Dietrich. Instead I'll talk a little bit about how gender is portrayed in the film, which is by far it's most interesting feature.

Morocco tells the story of a world-weary singer called Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich) who winds up singing in a club in Morocco and falls in love with Tom Brown, a soldier in the foreign legion (Gary Cooper). The film is littered with love triangles - Amy loves Tom, the army captain's wife loves Tom, Tom loves no one (except maybe Amy), a wealthy socialite loves Amy, and so on. For most of the film Tom and Amy dance round each other; ego, pride and fear standing in the way of them declaring how they truly feel. In the end, however, it's Amy who gives in and chases after Tom when his battalion leaves town.

The sexual and dominant character of Amy Jolly is more than a nod to Dietrich's own unsubtle brand of bisexuality, and Morocco is undoubtedly most famous for the figure of Dietrich dragged-up on stage in top hat and tails, cigarette hanging from her lips, a sexy come-to-bed stare fixed on the crowd. In the first part of the film Dietrich cuts a cynical, fiercely independent, masculine figure who relies on no one and never asks for help - she lazily tears up the business card of the wealthy socialite who offers to show her round the town. The most overt display of this masculinity comes in the form of Dietrich sauntering up to a woman in the audience while in drag and kissing her full on the lips. Tom meanwhile appears to be head-over-heels, watching Amy in the crowd like some doe-eyed fan-girl. This role reversal of Amy as suave man-about-town and Tom as submissive, adoring woman is realised by Amy handing Tom a flower and Tom tucking it behind his ear.

As the film progresses, however, we see the gender roles revert back to thier more traditional forms. Tom becomes stubborn and proud, refusing to commit to Amy who has become an archetypal weak and helpless woman hopelessly in love with her man (so much so that she follows him into battle at the end). The only role that doesn't revert back to a traditional stereotype is that of the rich socialite who remains besotted with Amy throughout the film (and is therefore 'feminised'), so much so that he even accompanies her as she hysterically insists at a dinner party that she must visit Tom when he is sick in hospital.

Morocco is a great piece of subversive cinema that was clearly way ahead of its time in its portrayal of gender and sexuality. Cooper is fantastic as Tom Brown but it's Dietrich, of course, who is the star of this film. Although still very young, you can already see her coming into her own as the super-sexy, dominant leading lady with the smoky voice that she would become years later in more mainstream films. It's not the most engaging story and the dialogue is a little clunky, but it's a rare example of how brazen, bold and sexy cinema could be.

Watch Dietrich at her nonchalant best in the scene below:

Shoegaze Malaise

2009-11-27T23:34:00.021Z

"Hey, are you feeling something new / Just watch the rain, it helps in all you do / The breeze, it blows, it blows everything / And I, I want the world to pass / And I, I want the sun to shine" - Slowdive, Catch The Breeze

Tracklisting:

01. Slowdive - Souvlaki Space Station
02. Asobi Seksu - Thursday
03. Blue States - Allies
04. Galaxie 500 - Ceremony
05. The Delays - Long Time Coming
06. Mazzy Star - Rhymes Of An Hour
07. My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
08. Young Galaxy - Lazy Religion
09. The Daysleepers - Distant Creatures
10. Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions - Lose Me On The Way

Download the full mix here (zip file, includes artwork).

Binda Larker

2009-11-26T18:43:00.017Z

It's only after watching old episodes of Changing Rooms on YouTube, as I frequently do, that you realise how offensive Linda Barker's voice actually is. Everything she says comes out of her mouth as though it's been put through a harpie blender, thrice. Her deisgns weren't even that good. Ok, so none of the designs were ever that good on Changing Rooms seeing as they were done on a budget of a tenner, but Linda's always looked like someone had blown chunks all over the walls. A decade on and things haven't changed much: www.reallylindabarker.co.uk. She even has her own wallpaper collection. But what else has she been up to apart from churning out ghastly interior designs for the living rooms of the tasteless? According to Wikipedia, in 2007 she took part in the children's CBBC show Hider in the House as the hidden "celebrity" - that must have been a real mindfuck for kids across the country. Oh Linda. Linda, Linda, Linda. Why don't you just wallpaper your own face and fuck off.

The xx

2009-11-25T22:33:00.047Z

What makes The xx so great is that they're shit hot without being pretentious. Visit their MySpace page and you'll find a cute video of Beyoncé trying to do a cockney accent and influences that include Aaliyah, Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Missy Elliott. They've even covered one of Aaliyah's songs (Hot Like Fire) as well as Womack and Womack's Teardrops - a refreshing change from the mind-numbingly boring 4-blokes-with-guitars indie crap that has been dominating the music scene for the past few years. Thank christ we're moving away from it at last and into more creative pastures. Check out a selection of their tracks below, including the amazing remix of Florence and the Machine's You've Got the Love.

A Sleepwalk on the Severn (excerpt) by Alice Oswald

2009-11-25T21:58:00.003Z

Flat stone sometimes lit sometimes not
One among many moodswung creatures
That have settled in this beautiful
Uncountry of an Estuary

Swans pitching your wings
In the reedy layby of a vacancy
Where the house of the sea
Can be set up quickly and taken down in an hour

All you flooded and stranded weeds whose workplace
Is both a barren mudsite and a speeded up garden
Full of lake offerings and slabs of light
Which then unwills itself to listen

All you crabs in the dark alleys of the wall
All you mudswarms ranging up and down
I notice you are very alert and worn out
Skulking about and grabbing what you can

Listen this is not the ordinary surface river
This is not river at all this is something
Like a huge repeating mechanism
Banging and banging the jetty

Very hard to define, most close in kind
To the mighty angels of purgatory
Who come solar-powered into darkness
Using no other sails than their shining wings

Yes this is the moon this hurrying
Muscular unsolid unstillness
This endless wavering in whose engine
I too am living.

Music video round-up

2009-11-25T19:24:00.008Z

It's not often I feel the need to write about music videos currently doing the rounds on MTV but there's just too much weirdness going on out there right now that it'd be downright criminal for me not to pass comment.

First off, Jay Sean. Not since Hype Williams did all that shit with spaceships and futuristic liquid fonts in the 90s for the likes of TLC and Janet Jackson have we seen such a distinctive music video style. Yes ladies and gents, I'm talking about the light streaks that seem to be flowing their way through every music video director's mind as of late.

When done well this light thing can look quite cool, in Jay Sean's case it looks like some kid who spends way too much time making LiveJournal layouts has been let loose with Adobe Photoshop brushes.

Another way to use the light streak effect is to highlight body parts/bling. Here's Jay Sean and his watch, argh - too bright for my eyes!

Woah! Now even his crotch has gone supernova.

Next up is Black Eyed Peas and their new video Meet Me Halfway. I don't know how much this video cost to make but I'm guessing more than Malawi grosses in a year. Aside from that it also looks like apl.de.ap (that name deserves a separate post altogether) has turned into a Jedi Knight/intergalactic Osama Bin Laden who spends his time chillaxing 2 feet above the lunar surface.

Also:

There's also another worrying trend emerging in music videos; half-arsed lip syncing. The queen of this is Pixie Lott who looks like she's having a mild stroke in her new video Cry Me Out. She may as well go through the whole video with her mouth shut and just serve up the occasional light head-nodding to show she's actually alive. I think the future of this will be videos of cryogenically frozen artists with a super bass-heavy beat being played over the image of their corpse, just so they can look ultra laid back.

And finally, best still frame face goes to Lil Wayne:

Book review: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

2009-11-24T19:51:00.023Z

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.

The opening to Lolita is one of the most famous and powerful openings in literary history. In those two short paragraphs a whole story is wonderfully condensed into economic yet rich Nabokovian prose. We are instantly made uncomfortable by the fact that Lolita is merely a child at "four feet ten" yet there is something so elevated and romantic about the language used by the narrator that it's difficult to see it as paedophilic. Through most of the novel we are only given glimpses of the sordid details of the affair between Humbert and Lolita, which in a way, of course, makes things even more unsettling than if Nabokov had written more explicitly about their relationship.

For me, the real darkness of Lolita is in the psychological control that Humbert has on his "nymph". In one lengthy scene, he lectures Lolita on how young girls should please their fathers - "the normal girl ... is usually extremely anxious to please her father. She feels him a forerunner of the desired elusive male." This power imbalance, however, does shift as the novel progresses and Humbert eventually loses his grip Lolita, almost being reduced to a powerless child himself in the midst of his all-consuming desire. I know many critics refuse to use words like "victim" when discussing Lolita as a character, preferring to take the more fashionable view that she is "sexually aggressive girl corrupting an innocent man" or some such rubbish. I notice these critics are usually male. Despite the beauty of the prose, the fact is that Lolita is a child, a very young child at that, who is raped by her sexually aggressive step-father. Whether or not she's had sex with someone before Humbert is neither here nor there. And yet it's extraordinary, and a testament more to Nabokov's fanatstic writing rather than Humbert as a character, that you can still feel some pity for him at the point of his demise.

It's fascinating to consider how controversial this book still is today and to look at how it has embedded itself into our cultural psyche. 'Lolita' is now a by-word for sexualised young girls, something increasingly discussed in the press with regard to the Playboy childrenswear all too prominant on high streets across the country. The fascination with young female sexuality is, and has always been, everywhere in global culture - just look at Japan. Not only are school girl uniforms popular among many young Japanese women beyond school age, there is even a sub-fashion called 'Lolita'.

It's interesting too to look at how the novel has been adapted for stage and screen. Most of the film adaptations fail to cast a young enough actress in the role of Lolita as this would still be seen as highly controversial given the nature of some of the scenes. While I can see why directors do it, casting an older girl does mean a lot of the moral ambiguity of the novel is lost on the viewer and we're left with the more palatable story of a pervy old academic having an affair with a young, but legal, girl. There is none of the conscience-wrestling for the viewer that the reader has to endure toward the end of the book when we pity Humbert.

So Lolita is clearly a novel with real staying power. Like Humbert's perpetual hard-on, our insatiable appetite for this novel just simply will not calm down, and it seems as though we still have a long way to go before it stops provoking us into firey debates about childrens' sexuality.

All that glitters is not gold

2009-11-23T20:26:00.010Z

A couple of days ago I ran out of hair clay. Because I'd been doing precious little at the weekend I'd not bothered to go out and buy my usual tub of VO5 matt clay (winner of an FHM style award by the way, although I'm thinking that should be rebranded as the FLSBNS style awards as most gay girls I know use it and most guys don't). Let's just make one thing clear; I am not the kind of girl that goes out without meticulously sculpting her hair. True, I may look somewhat tomboyish in my appearance, but a lot of work goes into my look that I like to call "cosmopolitan gay".

So it was that yesterday I found myself donning my hat and trawling up and down my street (ok, the Sainsbury's opposite my flat and the chemist on the corner) for my beloved hair product of choice. Seeing as the chemist on the corner appears to carry stock exclusively from the 1970s, I wasn't hoping for much joy. After pondering the limited choice on offer for several minutes, I decided to go with Dax Green and Gold, just for some old time 1950s glamour. The wax looked good, the consistency was right and it smelt nice.

But that's where the love stops.

After putting it on my hair when I got home, I felt like I had super glue on my hands. Not water, not soap, probably not even acid could remove Dax from your hands. After rubbing them red raw with a towel for a few minutes and successfully removing the ~~Unibond~~ Dax however I checked myself out in the mirror and was quite pleased with the results. I decided Dax deserved another chance at winning my affection and left the bathroom with an open mind. For the rest of the day my hair looked good - even when my girlfriend tried to mess it up in that way that makes me re-evaluate out entire relationship, Dax came through. It even stayed right in the club we went to in the evening for a friend's birthday. Ok, I thought, Dax has redeemed itself after that little mishap earlier. I went to sleep contented. But this morning in the shower, things again took a turn for the worse. I should've realised that if Dax wouldn't budge from my hands easily then it sure as hell wasn't gonna wash off of my hair. Having spent 10 minutes or so sat with my hair dryer I was left wondering why my hair didn't seem to be morphing into its usual silky post-wash texture. Upon further investigation I discovered that what I was taking to be water on my hair was instead a North Sea oil spill of fucking DAX. As a result I probably won't have to style my hair for the next week, possibly even the next year.

Moral of the story: don't have romantic notions of looking like Cary Grant when choosing hair wax.

Film review: Milk

2009-11-22T20:32:00.015Z

I know I should've been jumping for joy at a mainstream release of gay cinema but I just couldn't shake the fact that this was, yet again, a gay film about men. Gay women receive little, if any, attention in Milk and the only lesbian character is largely derided by her male counterparts.

As the film got going I thought it was moving a bit too fast. The whole of Harvey's pre-activist life was condensed into about 30 minutes which I felt didn't give enough context to his transition into such an all-consuming political career. His motives were explained pretty briefly in that unbelievable first encounter with Scott - I know gay men make cruising look easy to us lesbians but jeez. The only reason we're given for his dramatic life-turn is "I need a change". This however was pretty much the only fault I could find with the film. Sean Penn was incredible as Harvey Milk, playing the role with just the right amount of intensity and conviction, never verging on being overblown or grandiose. The supporting cast too were spot on and almost stole the show - Emile Hirsch was great as the disaffected spoilt brat turned master campaigner Cleve and James Franco gave a wonderful performance as Scott, Harvey's soulmate who, although supportive, ultimately couldn't handle the strain his new-found career was putting on their relationship. Kudos also to Diego Luna playing the vulnerable and tragic Jack Lira.

Despite initial reservations, Milk has turned out to be literally one of the best films I've ever seen. Stellar performances and overall great direction from Gus Van Sant make this a moving homage to a little known activist who gave thousands of gay Americans hope and opportunity.

Watch the trailer:

Book review: Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

2009-11-21T20:52:00.007Z

I've just finished reading Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. My friend bought me it a few years ago for my birthday and, after several attempts, I managed to stick with it this time around. It's not usually the kind of book I'd go for, I'm not really a fan of thrillers or crime, I prefer to read "happier" novels or at least novels that aren't so grisly and existential. Having said that I actually quite liked Brighton Rock, and it's by no means a jolly read.

Brighton Rock is a thriller charting the rise and fall of a young gangster named Pinkie who, having killed a journalist, becomes entangled in his own web of deceit after murdering two members of his gang to cover his tracks. His character meets its antithesis in the form or Ida Arnold, a balshy happy-go-lucky bar maid who vows to avenge the journalist's murder and bring Pinkie to justice. She also has to save Rose, an innocent young girl that Pinkie has tricked into marriage so that she'll never be forced to give evidence against him in court.

Aside from the subject, Greene's style is also not something I'd usually go for; he heavily criticised Modernists like Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot (two of my favourite writers) for what he saw as their vacuous wordy prose, preferring to write in a very stripped-down way about religion and the darker side of human nature. For Brighton Rock this works; Pinkie, devoid of any human feeling and only able to understand the world through pain and suffering, is vividly brought to life by Greene's simple and detached prose. Ida Arnold is also one of the most wonderful characters I've come across in a novel - funny, simple, honest and loveable she's a welcome relief from the moral turmoil and heavy Catholic guilt that plagues the other characters. It's also interesting that Greene's narrator refers to Pinkie as "the Boy" throughout the novel, while all the characters call him Pinkie. For me this cast Pinkie almost as a tragic figure - how can a young boy, practically a child, be so corrupt and damaged? I also liked the juxtaposition of the two worlds that coexist in Brighton: the frivolous, carefree world of amusements and Brighton Rock the sweet, and the world of sordid weekends away, the cold lonely beach, and the (literal) hard Brighton rock that runs along the shore.

I was surprised to like this novel, while Greene's writing style and subject is not one I'd usually enjoy I thought the whole story was a very compelling and thought-provoking deconstruction of Catholocism and notions of "sin". It's nice to be taken out of your comfort zone every once in a while...

Film review: Synecdoche, New York

2009-11-20T21:00:00.013Z

I love Philip Seymour Hoffman. Even though something about him makes me feel physically sick (maybe it's the way he looks, I can't quite put my finger on it) I think he's one of the best actors around so I was excited to see this. After reading a review that said it was another of director Charlie Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-type forays I was even more excited. When my colleague at work said she'd been to see it and liked it I couldn't wait any longer and texted my girlfriend to say we should go to see it that night. The film is about an ill theatre director called Caden (Hoffman) whose wife has left him and who's experiencing the mother of all existential life crises. For Caden life is purely struggle, disappointment and anxiety. To try and make sense of his situation and leave his mark in the world, he creates a vast post-modern theatre piece that aims to detail every significant encounter and person in his life, past and present. The play has a cast of hundreds, with the philosophy that every actor is playing a 'lead character' (just like in real life where we are all 'leads in our own play'), and continues over a period of years. As Caden's life spirals more out of control and he grows older, his medical condition worsening, the play merges with reality and eventually he follows stage cues through an ear piece telling him which choices to make in his daily life.

I loved the idea behind this film, generally I'm a fan of anything that plays with ideas of memory, time and reality and mixes them up in a huge surreal blender. It was fascinating and horrifying to watch Caden become more and more consumed by his own play and his disease, eventually, as he phrases it, "hurtling towards death". Synecdoche, New York is, quite possibly, the most depressing and bleak film I've seen since Requiem for a Dream so in that sense it achieves what it sets out to do with flying colours. Having said that I felt it did lose its way a little in the middle, and clocking in at just over 2 hours I think it could've been cut down. The plot too is a bit thin; although 2 love interests make up a large part of Caden's life and the story, the film is too precoccupied with the lead character's existentialism to allow you to really care about them or anything else in his life. Aside from the idea of a lonely man being taken over by his own theatrical creation, the film has very little else to offer and doesn't really go anywhere. Although Hoffman, Michelle Williams and Samantha Morton are fantastic, Synecdoche, New York just felt like a bit of a drag to watch and left me, like Caden, disappointed.

Watch the trailer: