Tuesday 30 December 2008

Time to Pretend

Back in England and back in Blogland. It feels like a long time and I guess it has been looking back at the date of my last post. I've returned to Blighty, Christmas has come and gone and now it's nearly the end of the year.

Although I generally tend to sneer cynically at all the new year resolutions and associated traditions (it's somehow not as wholesome and as heart warming as Christmas), I'll be trying to constructively reflect on what's been and what I plan for the future. Having said that, I won't be so naive as to make any resolutions. One year I resolved to learn to play guitar and run the marathon. I eventually did achieve both (although neither with style it has to be said) but it took me the best part of four years to do so.

Of course the plus point of New Year's Eve in particular is the carte blanche it gives people to get absolutely off their face. Yes, it is a plus point. For every boozy thug that sees it as an excuse to get hammered and cause a bust up with a bouncer, they'll be some genuinely hopeful that 2009 will bring a changing of the winds, an escape from tragedy or a reversal of fortunes.

Whatever the reason, I guess the true importance of the new year celebrations might be that for some it's an excuse to hope, a time to pretend, regardless of the reality that after all it is just another day come the 1st January.

It's still a precious pretense.

Friday 19 December 2008

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I finish work today. Ahead are two whole weeks of annual leave and tomorrow I'll be jetting off to Cologne for three days, sampling the delights of their famous Christmas Markets before returning home just in time for Christmas Eve.

I'm not trying to brag, I'm just looking forward to it more than Noddy Holder to his annual Christmas royalties. It's funny, Germany seems to be something akin to the centre of my universe in recent times, what with this trip and the now legendary World Cup expedition back in 2006, it's becoming a regular haunt. Maybe my Aryan qualities stand me in good stead or perhaps more to the point, Boris Becker doppelgangers can't fail.

Auf Wiedersehen, pet.

Thursday 18 December 2008

Top 5 - Christmas Singles

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade
Last Christmas - Wham!
Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
Mistletoe and Wine - Cliff Richard
White Christmas - Bing Crosby

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Mark and Mayo

I listened to "Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews" podcast for the first time yesterday. Amazing! They sound like they hate each other.

Obviously I'd back Kermode over Mayo any day but the mix of the latters radio friendly timbre and the formers histrionic ranting make for a firecracker show - I do love a good rant.

That's all besides the content itself which was sharp, insightful and witty. I particularly enjoyed the review of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" - sounds like another Keanu masterclass!

Here's an example of their work. Kermode slags off Quantum of Solace. Just watch the first two minutes. Genius.

Friday 12 December 2008

Film Review - WALL-E

****
Pixar always manage to pull it out the bag. Ironically, it takes an animated film about robots to provide one of the most human and touching movies of the year.

The opening 45 mins is almost entirely without dialogue as WALL-E, a waste disposal robot, roams a deserted earth, abandoned by the human race amid mountains of waste. The film offers a bleak portent of doom for the future of our planet and it's apocalyptic theme is a bold step for a family-oriented film.

When WALL-E meets EVE, the love story begins. EVE is a probe sent by a space cruiser which is home to the remnants of the human race and eternally orbiting the planet. Fat and bloated from their over reliance on machines, they have come to accept their lot and it takes the discovery of new life on earth by WALL-E and EVE to wake them from their slumber.

It's clear that 2001: A Space Odyssey is a huge influence, from the computer auto pilot reminiscent of HAL, to the scene where WALL-E and EVE dance through space propelled by the foamy wake of a fire extinguisher.

Like 2001, the lines between humans and machines are blurred, but in this case, the robot characters re-humanise the zombie like passengers on board rather than ultimately bringing about their downfall. Maybe technology will save the human race after all!

As with most Pixar animations, the characters are instantly lovable, humorous and endearing and the overall effect leaves you feeling thoroughly entertained. If only "grown up" films could be quite so rewarding!

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Cluj it be magic?

Last night I went, with my old man, to see Chelsea take on CFR Cluj, a good old fashioned father and son outing.

Before the match, Dad took me for a slow stroll down the Kings Road showing off the sights (He was dismayed that the Old Chelsea Drugstore is now a McDonalds) and after a quick pre-match pint and some grub we made our way to the ground.

We picked up tickets at the last minute for £25 quid each (cheap by Chelsea's standards) and as a result we were sitting high up in the very top row of the upper tier of the new West Stand, an amazing view - of the roof that is, the pitch was bloomin' miles away! Still, having not been to a game for at least a year or so, we didn't grumble (it was surprisingly warm up there. After all heat rises).

It's strange the effect that watching a live game has on you. Before we entered the ground, Dad was telling me how he never feels quite as stressed watching a game as he used to back when he was a season ticket holder, that perhaps age had mellowed him out.

It made me think whether the same was true of me. Do I care as much as when I was a kid even? Maybe it's because we've tasted recent success, maybe it's just an acceptance that, as fans, there's little you can really do about it anyway - hope for the best but take the rough with the smooth.

Regardless, by the time we'd taken our seats and a lethargic Chelsea had squandered a 1-0 lead, we were anything but accepting. Suddenly, every challenge mattered, every lack of movement cursed. When you're sitting in a crowd at a stadium, the unified feelings of expectancy and nervous tension are multiplied by ten. Impulse simply takes over.

A sweeping move culminated in Drogba poking home the winner. You should have seen the old fella jump to his feet. Magic!

Sunday 7 December 2008

Virtual Estate

It's strange. I've come to think of the Internet as this great open access resource. You can blog, facebook, post music on myspace, post videos on youtube, get access to information - the possibilities are endless and it's all for free (well except for the Broadband payment and line rental of course). They used to call it the 'Information Superhighway', I've always liked that phrase.

However, when you really start to dig deeper, it's not quite as free and as all encompassing as you might think. For example, despite the academic world championing open access to research, most is published by a few massive organisations like Elsevier, responsible for about a third of all science, technology and medical publications worldwide. Yes, you can access it online, but not without paying a hefty license fee.

Can it be healthy for one company to have such a hold on this crucial research literature? It's like the STM publisher equivalent of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Having started to delve into the online world of podcasting, I've come across another bone of contention - file storage online costs money.

I guess I'm naive, but I never realised that to post a 40mb audio file online you might actually need to pay. Searching around for potential podcast hosts, I noticed that most of them require between $2-$50 per month dependent on the amount of space needed and even the size of individual files uploaded.

I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that something which I perceive as infinite, i.e. space on the Internet, would ever be costed in that way. Isn't there something inherently wrong about that?

The rise of social networking sites and youtube etc. is a wonderful thing which has opened up a wealth of possibilities to web users wanting to express themselves or inform themselves at the click of a button. Wikipedia and other open source sites are shining beacons of what can be achieved by mass collaboration and contribution.

I suppose we still have to remember though, that fundamentally, there are still hard drives and wires and physical infrastructures beneath it all and that all these elements will ultimately belong to a commercial business just like everything else.

Friday 5 December 2008

Fantasy Finance League

"It's a funny old game", Jimmy Greaves once said of football. He was right of course, it's weird and bizarre, whilst not a little humorous.

Perhaps though, it's trumped in the "funny old game" stakes by the funniest of all the old games - balancing the economy. Interest rates have dropped to an all time low of 2%, VAT is temporarily down to 15%, I expect Aldi are even discounting their cheaper than chips, chips!

The great edifice of capitalism is eating itself from within. Greed and unrealistic borrowing of money have eventually come home to roost, triggered by the US sub-prime sector biting back with a vengeance.

It's such a great injustice that most of the people who implemented these culpable banking models will have already fled with their money. Fat cats, retired on a fortune, on a Caribbean island no doubt, watching from afar as the rest squirm in the wake of their disastrous lending strategies. It almost makes you nostalgic for 80's yuppies....well maybe not.

Still, lets look on the bright side. Yes, we will probably end up being taxed more but fuel prices are dropping and repaying my student loan might not be as daunting a prospect as it once was. Anyway, we've always got our football to entertain us in the bad times haven't we?

Hmm....it's a funny old game.

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Top 5 - Extended Players (EP's)

New Art Riot - Manic Street Preachers
Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys - Arctic Monkeys
The Modern Age - The Strokes
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
The Cost of Living - The Clash




Integrity's Gone

I hate it when bands re-issue a recent album with an additional track/tracks. Not only is it the most obvious attempt to squeeze a few more unit sales out of an album, but it punishes real fans who, having gone out and bought the album on release, find they've lost out on new material.

I like Glasvegas, their album's a little hit and miss for me but the 'hits' are really quite something. Despite myself, 'Geraldine' bought a lump to my throat when I first heard that crunch line and 'It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry' is one of the best 'break-up' songs I've ever heard.

Why then do they have to go and spoil it by bringing out a new version with, count them, 6 new tracks?!! I've no problem with a Christmas mini-album per se, but release it as an independent EP not a tag-on to your album.

I guess every band lets you down but what happened to the likes of The Smiths and The Clash who refused to put any singles on their albums? That's Amazing!!

Kudos to the Arctic Monkey's who have at least bucked the trend by releasing EP's and stand alone singles in the past but, although it's an obvious thing to say, I can't get past the injustice of 'Deluxe' or 'DVD Extra discs' appearing just a couple of months after release. At least get them out at the same time so the fans have a choice.

I know bands can sometimes be slaves to their record company who go against their wishes, it happened to The Clash of course. However in that case, it inspired one of the bands most polemic songs in 'Complete Control'. With today's lot, you imagine a shrug of the shoulders masks a multitude of sins.

Monday 1 December 2008

Film Review - Mamma Mia

***
This is the very definition of a feel good, summer film. Set as it is, on a Greek island, amongst the white washed buildings, blue seas and sandy beaches, incorporating some of the greatest pop songs of all time in the form of Benny and Bjorn's handiwork, I defy even the greatest cynic (and I include myself in that category) not to be even slightly caught up in the wave of euphoria.

Of course the plot is nonsense. A single mother (Meryl Streep) and her daughter run a hotel of sorts. The daughter is to marry and guests of all shapes and sizes are gathering for the wedding. Those invited include three men, old flames of the mother, who arrive unbeknown to her, their last minute invitation a result of revelations discovered by the bride-to-be in her mother's diary. The daughter hopes that by inviting them, she can at last, on her wedding day, truly feel complete in the knowledge of her fathers identity.

The thing is, no matter how ridiculous the premise, so frivolous, energetic and zesty are the performances, that all sense of reality pails into insignificance (it is a musical after all). Streep is the jewel in the crown here. One minute full of sass, performing 'onstage' at the hen party, the next minute, authentically heartbroken when singing 'The Winner Takes It All' a top a cliff. Even those who can't quite hit the mark when it comes to vocals (Brosnan, Waters et al) seem to be having such a bloody good time acting this film, you're inclined to forgive them instantly.

Where the film might let itself down (and this may be true of the musical), is that it doesn't offer anything underneath all this feel good sense of freedom. It won't be a problem for most people, but where Baz Luhrmann brought a real sense of drama in Moulin Rouge's fight for revolution and, above all things, love, Mamma Mia never really manages to add any real sense of anticipation or suspense.

In truth, the film is really just one, big singalong and although the songs are weaved into the plot (sometimes more successfully than others) which does allow an appreciation of the lyrics of songs we've most likely only previously danced to, I do wonder whether the film really adds much spectacle other than the opportunity to goggle at some well known stars making a spectacle of themselves.

Having said that, there are some genuine moments of wonder and thrill in the more intricate set pieces, dancers adding a more valid cinematic experience. (I do worry about the portrayal of the Greek locals though, ignored for the most part by the lead characters or portrayed as a bit simple when they are addressed.)

You can't argue however, with the overall effect of the film. You'll be singing in the aisles on the way out the cinema, it might even tempt you to book a holiday given the current winter gloom. Either way, people will undoubtedly be returning to Mamma Mia for their carefree kicks for some time to come.