Dylan Moran - The Stand Newcastle 17/08/2014

As part of The Stand Newcastle's 'Newcastle Alternative' to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Dylan Moran was performing a work in progress show. Dylan Moran hasn't been doing many gigs recently, but there was no trying to cover it up, he turned his 'rustiness' into hilarity, with little stories and talking to the audience. It was great to see a comedian so genuine about his work, he openly said he was nervous and unprepared but he had the entire crowd on his side and it didn't matter the material didn't flow as one, well rehearsed piece, because the moments wouldn't have been the same.

You never really got the gist of what this show he's building is going to be about, he covered a few topics, technology, the inner monologue, getting older. It was just a show about topics that were relatable to everyone, but all of it was really funny. He never took himself seriously, and the gig was better for it. He fit a lot of material into an hour and a half, so picking out highlights is hard, and also may spoil it for if some of the material makes it onto a tour, although his erotic novel bit was incredibly funny!

The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt

New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem return with their fifth studio album 'Get Hurt'. The album begins with Stay Vicious, which brings a heavier sound for The Gaslight Anthem. This distorted sound is certainly a different direction to The Gaslight Anthem's previous but fans were told that that's what to expect from Get Hurt. 1,000 Years is next and moves to a more familiar style, with Fallon's vocals clearer and the guitars lighter and more melodic.

The album drifts between this style of track, with distorted guitars and gruff vocals, to softer songs. The album is certainly much darker and heavier and overall a slower tempo than previous by The Gaslight Anthem, but at the same time it seems to lack as much heart when compared to albums such as Handwritten or The '59 Sound. The change in sound may be to give them a more mature edge, or that is simply where the band are now, but it carries less songs to really sing along to and more with deeper meanings in the lyrics, that just seem to get lost in the production. All that said, it is not a bad album by any means, it's easy to get into and enjoyable to listen to, but won't go down as one of The Gaslight Anthem's best.

La Roux - Trouble in Paradise

Five years after the release of the self-titled debut, La Roux is back. After the departure of producer Ben Langmaid, singer Elly Jackson has gone ahead on her own to create an album that smacks of classic 1980s synth-pop.

The album is easy to get into, La Roux's sound has matured over the five years away and Trouble in Paradise is better for it. The opener Uptight Downtown is sure to get the party started, with the opening sounding like something straight out of a club in 1985. Kiss and Not Tell is an ideal summer track, easy to listen to and definitely funky!

The latter half of the album contains Silent Parter, the 7-minute long track that could easily have been an anthem for any 1980s synth-pop outfit. The overall tracklist is strong, and well put together, mixing the fast paced songs with the slower ones to create an album that flows together well and makes for fantastic summer listening.

Trouble in Paradise shows that La Roux is definitely back!

Skylight

Yesterday I went to see the National Theatre Live production of Skylight by David Hare, being broadcast at the Everyman cinema in Leeds.

18 years since it's last production, Skylight is back at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End. Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy star as Kyra and Tom respectively. The story tells the tale of Kyra, a school teacher living in a dingy apartment in London who is visited by Edward (Matthew Beard), son of her former lover, Tom. Edward, now 18, tells Kyra of the death of his mother a year ago and the state his father is in. Shortly after Edward leaves, Tom arrives at Kyra's apartment. Many years have passed since the two former flames saw each other, and there is a lot to cover. The play is staged in a single set, driven purely but the passion between the two characters, the passion of rage and the passion of romance.

This play is Carey Mulligan's West End debut and she is fantastic. Watching in a cinema, you realise how different theatre acting is to film acting, but all actors did it effortlessly. Bill Nighy is, of course, no stranger to the stage, reprising his role as Tom in Skylight which he first performed in its original run.

If you get the chance to go and see a National Theatre Live production at a cinema then I highly recommend it, it is a truly enjoyable experience.

Chef

Jon Favreau's latest is a feel good film about food and family. Favreau directed and wrote the film, and also stars as the lead, Carl Casper. The film opens as Carl and his fellow chefs, Martin (John Leguizamo) and Tony (Bobby Cannavale) are preparing for a visit from the city's most famous food critic, Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt). We soon learn that things at home aren't great for Casper, he is divorced from wife Inez (Sofía Vergara), and is struggling to have a good relationship with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony). 

Although the film focuses on Casper's ability as a chef, with beautiful close up shots of some very delicious looking food, it's main focus is family. Whether it's close, or extended, Casper learns that in order to find true happiness, he must let go of all the things he once thought to be the key to his happiness. The cinematography is warm and welcoming.  While the film isn't perfect, nor will it be the blockbuster of the summer, this film just makes you feel good. It makes you happy and pretty hungry too. The cast did a great job and there are cameos from another Favreau film, Iron Man, with Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr.

I enjoyed Chef, it isn't my favourite film of the year, but it made me happy, and I think that's what it's all about.

New Music: Years & Years - Take Shelter

I heard this about two days ago and I haven't stopped listening to it. I haven't heard much by Years & Years before, but I have to say this is very catchy, moody hit for summer has got me excited for their music in future!

What I'm Watching

1. Orange is the New Black

Netflix's original series is just brilliant. The second series was even sharper than the first. A must watch, even if you just get a Netflix free trial for it!

2. Game of Thrones

Maybe this one should be, 'what I watched', as the season ended last week. Still, I think it was the best season yet!

3. Mad Men

Over halfway through the last season, it's been brilliant so far. I still don't want to know how it's all going to end though!

4. True Blood

It is the last season of True Blood as well. I've been watching it from the start and even though it completely lost it's way with regards to plot, I'm hoping for the final season it'll get back to the True Blood I fell in love with!

Jon Richardson - Leeds Grand 06/06/2014

Jon Richardson is one of my favourite comedians, and his latest tour 'Nidiot' did not disappoint. Richardson strutted on wearing a cowboy hat which he proceeded to throw at the mic stand. When if landed on the stand the whole crowd erupted. You could tell everyone was there for a good night, the weather had been nice all day and it was a Friday night, so we were all up for a laugh.

'Nidiot' is a tour about not being an idiot. The title itself is a joke from his last tour, when he said he doesn't say "an onion" but rather "a nonion", it's a nice little call back for those who saw his last tour or got his DVD. Jon Richardson is famed for being pessimistic and having a general hatred of humankind, but recently this hasn't been the case! The tour comprises of some very funny stories of Jon's efforts to thwart his own happiness. The jokes were non-stop, tales of Jon's search for love, his time on stag do's and more. For those going to the second leg of the 'Nidiot' tour I won't spoil the jokes, just know you're in for a great night!

Artist of the Month - Lissie

This month I've picked Lissie as my Artist of the Month. I first heard her in 2010/2011 after she released the single When I'm Alone, and although I really liked the song I never explored her further until late last year, when Further Away (Romance Police) played in the Hard Rock Cafe Munich while I was there, upon returning from my trip one of the first things was going and getting her latest album Back to Forever, and I instantly fell in love.

Lissie is a folk rock singer from Illinois, to date she has produced two studio albums, a live album, and five EPs. Her songs are catchy, honest, and easy to listen to. They suit any mood too, so even at my most indecisive about what to listen to, I can always rely on one of her albums!

My Top 5

1) Further Away (Romance Police) [album - Back To Forever]

2) The Habit [album - Back To Forever]

3) Hold On We're Going Home (Drake Cover) [album - Cryin' To You EP]

4) Worried About [album - Catching A Tiger]

5) When I'm Alone [album - Catching A Tiger]

The Selfish Giant

Clio Barnard's The Selfish Giant (2013) is a harrowing tale, but don't let that put you off. It is loosely based on Oscar Wilde's book, however prior knowledge isn't needed. The film is set on a council estate in Bradford, The Selfish Giant tells the tale of Arbor (Conner Chapman) and Swifty (Shaun Thomas), two troubled young boys who struggle with their home lives and school, and find themselves falling into the shady world scrap metal and the owner of the scrap yard, Kitten (Sean Gilder), leads them down a dangerous path.

Conner Chapman and Shaun Thomas are brilliant. Two young actors with not a wealth of experience under their belts, but they play those parts absolutely exceptionally. They play the parts with so much emotion, they are fantastic. The cinematography is as bleak as the plot, grey is the main colour and rightly so. The locations used are run down and not desirable, but it reflects a side to the England that is in every major town and city in the country, and it is a reality for many families.

The story may be difficult viewing. Throughout, you are aware that it will not have a happy ending, as much as you would like one, that's not what you get, and not what you expect anyway. It can't be described as enjoyable. That said, it is certainly not a bad film in any way. In fact, it is a great film. The BAFTA nomination for Best British Film was certainly deserved. It is definitely a film that will divide people, especially if British realism is not your sort of film, but it is certainly worth watching.

Review: Foxes - Glorious

Louisa Rose Allen, known more commonly by her stage name, Foxes, has been around for about 3 years. She gained notoriety after lending her vocals to Zedd's 'Clarity' and worked with Fall Out Boy on their latest album.

She has been releasing singles from her debut, Glorious, since September 2013, and many people in the UK will recognise her track 'Youth' from Debenham's 2013 Christmas advert. Earlier this year she also released Let Go For Tonight and Holding Onto Heaven. Foxes' Glorious opens with Talking to Ghosts, it's a strong opener, and features elements from dubstep to synthpop. Foxes' sound is definitely of the time, but there's an 80s influence creeping in as well. The album's first five tracks include the three already released singles, so it is a big opening.

The album slows with Night Glo, and there's no denying Foxes has a lovely voice, it suits her upbeat songs as much as her slow songs, but it is nice to hear it clearly on the slower songs. Night Owls Early Birds follows, and it is one of the best tracks on the album, a definite summer hit. The album's title track is a beautiful one, big bass drums and slow piano. Echo, to me, is definite of the time with artists such as Sam Smith rising in popularity, I could see this song doing well. The album ends on another slower song, Count The Saints which is a wonderful track.

Clarity features on the deluxe version of the album, and you can tell why it wasn't featured on the standard album. Foxes solo style is very different and while it is a good track for having a dance to, it's not as melodic as Foxes' other tracks.

I would give Glorious a 6/10, she's made a good album, it's easy to get into, and Foxes' certainly has a bright future ahead of her, but there are areas it does fall a little short.

BAFTA TV Awards

Last night was the BAFTA TV Awards. As you should know if you follow this blog anything like regularly (or if you read it once during February/March) you'll know I love awards! The TV BAFTAs are great because they celebrate British TV, unlike the BAFTA film awards which celebrate a lot of American films as well, generally the only American or foreign programmes that are nominated for the BAFTA TV awards are in the International or Audience Award category.

Graham Norton is a fabulous host. Serious isn't his style, his dry wit and sarcasm are always something I personally enjoy! He isn't a very gracious loser, losing out twice to Ant & Dec, but he makes us laugh regardless and if there was an award for Sassiest Host he'd win every time.

There were some very very worthy winners last night, highlights for me were Olivia Colman winning Best Leading Actress. She is just fantastic. I was also very pleased to see Katherine Parkinson and Richard Ayoade both win for The IT Crowd, I loved that show and I thought they really deserved it.
I have to admit I was also very happy when Gogglebox won Best Reality and Constructed Factual, Gogglebox started out as a guilty pleasure and now I watch it every week. I don't know why, it's just great!

What was surprising though, is that BBC1 only got two awards, BBC2 got none, but BBC3 also received two. I'm sure it'll raise some debate that if BBC3's original programming is winning BAFTAs, why is it being axed from TV. I know the audience is younger and therefore accessing iPlayer is much more commonplace than say those who watch BBC4, but, the budget being reduced should definitely be questioned!

Image from bafta.org

The TV BAFTAs marks the last big awards show now, which is sad, but there's lots of great TV to be watching, so it's OK!

My Top 5: Mike Leigh Films

Recently I've been reading some great reviews for Mike Leigh's latest film, Mr Turner. So, I decided to compile a list of my top 5 favourite Mike Leigh films (he is my favourite director so it also seems fitting)

So, here's my top 5 (in reverse order):

5) High Hopes (1988)

4) Career Girls (1997)

3) Life Is Sweet (1990)

2) Another Year (2010)

1) Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

What I'm Watching

1. Game of Thrones

Of course I am, almost everyone is. It's as complex, risqué, and dramatic as ever this time round!


2. Mad Men

It's the last season of Mad Men, and it's very bittersweet. On the one hand, I can't wait to know how it ends, but I don't want it to end! It's my favourite show, so I'm quite sad it's going to be over soon. I think I'll definitely be completing my set of DVDs and watching them again!


3. MasterChef

MasterChef is probably the best competitive cooking show about. The UK version isn't on for weeks and weeks like some version, but if it's competitive cooking, I'm going to like it! This year I'm rooting for Ping!

Carl Hutchinson 'Here's Me Show' - 06/05/2014

Last night I went to see Carl Hutchinson at The Stand in Newcastle. I've seen him three times before, the first was supporting Chris Ramsey, then I saw his solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe, and then took my friend along to see him at the Friday Show at The Stand last November. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a fan. It's great to follow a comic's journey when they've not been on the circuit for long (Hutchinson has been doing stand up for 5 years, having done his first gig at The Dog & Parrot in Newcastle).

The first act of the night was Anth Young, a comic I hadn't seen before. His set was only short, but he got in a lot of laughs. You could tell the audience were up for a good night, which must make the comedian's job much easier! After Anth Young was Lee Kyle, another North East comic who the audience really seemed to love. Personal favourites from his set were his impressions, or lack thereof, but that's what made them great. Never has an impression of Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic been as good as in a Geordie accent saying the words "howay Winslet help us ya bitch", I think that line will stick with me, and just make me laugh at random points in the future.

Photo from http://www.carlhutchinson.net/photos/

Then came Carl Hutchinson. He's only a young comic, but the room looked pretty much sold out to me, so he's clearly doing something right. He started off by having a chat with the crowd, an array of birthday-based hilarity ensued, it's those unplanned moments in live comedy that I love so much. The ridiculous amount of people knocking glasses over last night was another instance of this! Carl is certainly not one for sticking to a "script", he often begins telling a story, tells another in the middle, then returns to the original story. It's all funny, it all works, you never get lost or confused with what he's speaking about. He has you laughing constantly. The show is new so any kinks that have yet to be ironed out are all fine, not that there are many!

If your sort of humour is that of Russell Howard or Chris Ramsey then I think Carl Hutchinson will be right up your street. He's touring all over the place until the Autumn and then he's embarking on Chris Ramsey's 'The Most Dangerous Man On Saturday Morning TV' tour as his support, which is sure to be a great night!

Have a watch of a clip from Carl's last tour, 'All The Rage', and if you like what you see, all his tour dates can be found here

New Music: Foxes - Holding Onto Heaven

Foxes' newest release is her single Holding Onto Heaven. If you liked her previous single Let Go For Tonight then you will probably like this too. Though not as upbeat, it's a lovely little song. She's building up anticipation for her debut album well!

Locke

On paper, Steven Knight's Locke doesn't sound like one of the best films of the year (so far), but that is, in my opinion, exactly what it is. The basic plot is that Ivan Locke, a well respected construction manager, see's his life unravel in the space of a 90-minute car journey from somewhere around Birmingham to London. What makes the film so unique is the fact that there is only one face in the entire movie, Locke himself (Tom Hardy). That is why it doesn't instantly leap out as a gripping emotional thriller, but it is.

Tom Hardy keeps all eyes firmly on the screen, giving an undeniably brilliant performance. Every emotion, every twist and turn that his life makes on the journey, you are right there with him. Surely, realism at its most real. The rest of the small cast is made up through voices only, and although they aren't unknown actors (Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott, and Ruth Wilson are the bigger names in the small voice cast) so putting a face to a voice isn't hard, the fact we only see Locke is what makes the film so special.

The visuals are not dull either, as could have easily been the case on a nighttime drive across English motorways. The cinematography is kept interesting, with different angles and styles created with the motorway lights. I was also pleased that, while there was some obvious product placement, it wasn't a 90-minute advert for BMW either.

What this film is, is a film that deserves a great deal of recognition for being brave and taking a risk that really paid off. I highly recommend Locke.

Alkaline Trio - 19/04/2014 & 22/04/2014

So this week I did something I've not done before which is go to more than one date of a tour. The band was Alkaline Trio, who are my favourite bands, so if it had to be any band they seemed to be fitting! It was interesting though for me to see how the two compared.

Leeds Met - 19/04/2014

The last time I saw Alkaline Trio in 2012 was at Leeds Met, it isn't my favourite venue by a long shot, and with the (much bigger) Leeds Academy a stones throw away I don't know why they didn't go there! Anyway, the openers for the night were The Murderburgers, who are a punk three-piece from Scotland. They're a funny bunch, they don't speak much, in fact they barely stopped between songs to allow for applause!

Next up were Bayside, who as a support slot were a pretty big band. I admit to not having listened to much of their stuff, in my mind I had them pinned down as nothing like they actually are, and I really quite enjoyed them! They were fun, and you could tell a few crowd members had gone along really to see them which was nice.

Then came Alkaline Trio. Having seen them twice before I had an idea of what to expect from the show, and having peaked at the setlist I was pretty excited! They opened with This Could Be Love and moved into Hell Yes, two older songs which were bound to get the crowd going, but Leeds seemed to be lacking energy. I was on the barrier on the far right hand side but there was barely any crowd movement at all! Perhaps this was the beginning of their bad mood. By the time they got onto the fourth song, Every Thug Needs A Lady (one of my favourites), Dan Andriano was having trouble with his bass, he didn't stop the song and he sorted it out but you could tell that it had annoyed him, as it would any musician who was handed their instrument on stage and it wasn't properly tuned.

You could tell they weren't in a great mood, barely talking to the crowd, but they played on and they were great too. Leeds Met sound quality isn't anything special either. Then came "thumbs down guy", during Balanced On A Shelf, and Dine, Dine My Darling, (two newer songs) some guy kept putting his hand in the air with his thumb down. Matt Skiba noticed this, and was less than impressed. The guy did get thrown out, but after that, the mood was sour. I felt really bad for them, and couldn't get my head round why someone would pay £20 to see a band to then thumbs down them! So stupid.

They ended on Radio, as they always do, and everyone sang along. So while I left the gig on a high, I couldn't help but feel that it was a real shame those things had put them in a bad mood, and I was intrigued to see how Manchester would turn out.

Manchester Ritz - 22/04/2014

As a venue, I liked the Ritz, it's bigger but more built for purpose than Leeds Met. For this, my brother and I were situated on the balcony which was a good move really. A good view, less people and after Leeds really hurt our ears being directly in front of a speaker stack, we decided it would be better to keep our distance.

The Murderburgers and Bayside gave similar performances to Leeds, I think I enjoyed them more because I was more familiar with the songs this time. Then Alkaline Trio came on. It was plain to see they were in a much better mood! The crowd in Manchester were also full of energy, with mosh pits and crowd surfers aplenty. The setlist was exactly the same, but with more energy, so it made for a better show overall.

While I normally could never afford to go to multiple gigs of a tour, this has made me realise that sometimes it's worth it, and it's not something I would rule out doing again!

The Double

The Double is Richard Ayoade's latest film. It is based on the book by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I won't pretend to know anything about Dostoyevsky, but you don't really need to going in.

The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as Simon James, he is quiet, struggles with his identity, and feels pretty much invisible. He is overlooked by everyone, including his elderly mother, and Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), his love interest (whom he watches from his apartment with a telescope, instead of talking to her, until the suicide of a man who was following Hannah causes them to have an actual conversation). The arrival of James Simon (also Jesse Eisenberg) at work causes Simon James much distress. James Simon is his exact double in looks, and his exact opposite in personality and demeanour. At first Simon and James are friends, James offers to help Simon with his crippling low self esteem issues, but soon James begins to take over Simon's life. Thus ensues Simon James' identity crisis, struggling to cope that this double was everything he wanted to be and everything he hated at the same time, yet he was powerless to stop his behaviour, stop him taking credit for his work and stop him pursuing Hannah. 

Visually the film is very interesting, a very dark colour scheme (lots of browns and blacks), everything is square, and the film has no sense of time. Sometimes it feels very old fashioned, and sometimes it feels like it is set in quite a dystopian future, which only adds to the overall sense of uncertainty that carries throughout the film for the viewer. Saying that, it isn't challenging to watch nor is too confusing. Fans of Ayoade's first film Submarine will notice the inclusion of pretty much all the main cast in some small way which I have to admit to it being a nice little touch, and just shows they must have all enjoyed working with Ayoade enough to come back even for a bit part.

While The Double is strange, it's enjoyable and quite humorous in places, so I would say if that's your sort of thing then don't miss it!

Bronson

Last night I watched Bronson (2008) for the first time. I'm a big Tom Hardy fan, I think he's brilliant, and Bronson is no exception. The film is a loose biopic of Charles Bronson, Britain's most notorious prisoner. He got himself a reputation for being incredibly violent towards other prisoners and officers and got moved around the prison service and even had a stint in psychiatric hospitals such as Broadmoor. The film is very entertaining, if you don't mind quite a lot of violence (and a bit of nudity), then definitely seek it out. The film is quite stylised, with parts that show Bronson in front of an audience telling his story, which gives it a good edge and makes it different.

I definitely recommend it!

New Music: Lana Del Rey - West Coast

I quite like Lana Del Rey, and her new single is pretty good. I much prefer the style of the verses to the chorus, mainly because I can barely understand what she's saying in the chorus!

An Apology

I've been crazy busy recently, and so some features have fallen by the wayside! I have therefore decided to have a little change around of the way my blog will go from now on. It's going to be like a diary of all things entertainment.

I will now try keep regular updates about
- any movies I watch including new and older releases
- any adverts that catch my attention, which may remain as ad of the week if I remember!
- any music I'm loving, album reviews, playlists etc
- any TV shows I'm watching, I'll be doing more What I'm Watching posts and maybe TV reviews and recommendations
- any comedy I see, either live or on DVD

I feel this will make for more consistent posts as well, so hopefully, starting from today, my blog will be back up and running regularly.

:)

Ad of the Week

This week my ad is the new one from Clipper, created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, it's for teabags, but you wouldn't know it. What I particularly like is that during ad breaks, they show little snippets which just say the caption 'she's having an affair' so you become intrigued and want to watch. Very clever!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Marvel's latest offering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is the second instalment in the Captain America series. The story follows Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) in modern day America, as the now-thawed super soldier continues to get to grips with the modern world, as well as working for S.H.I.E.L.D alongside Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Fans of the previous Marvel films certainly won't be disappointed by this film. It is a little more serious than the likes of the Iron Man or Thor franchises, and it does lack the sass and quick dry wit of characters like Tony Stark or Loki, however it won't leave you feeling bored for a second. There are some laugh out loud moments, and a pretty decent twist as well, which I shan't spoil for anyone although I'm sure it's already all over the internet!

It's a fast-paced action adventure, the sort of film that gets you out of your head for a couple of hours and doesn't leave you with any questions at the end. Sometimes, that's just what you need!

Under The Skin

Jonathan Glazer's latest film, Under The Skin, is a sci-fi film unlike any I've ever seen. Dark and disturbing, the film follows Scarlett Johansson, who plays an alien in human form, as she drives the streets of Glasgow and the Scottish highlands in a white transit van in pursuit of men.

The film is certainly mysterious, and I imagine I could explain everything that happened and I feel you would still know nothing. Truly it is a visual masterpiece though, that can't be denied. There are beautiful landscape shots, actuality footage on the streets of Glasgow, and shots of the black, strange, eerie place that Johannson lures her unknowing victims. Some of the scenes are incredibly distressing to say the least (note the scene on the beach, which is just some of the most uncomfortable viewing I may have ever witnessed). The unearthly score by Mica Levi certainly adds to this overall creepiness, and sometimes it is definitely more of a horror than a sci-fi.

I think what's interesting is to see how Johansson's character develops, she isn't human, but the more time she spends around them the more human she seems, to see how the emotionless creature at the beginning of the film, who has no qualms stealing the clothes from a dead girl for herself, to the very much human creature at the end who feels true fear.  Maybe this is one of the messages in the film, in some way, about the qualities required to truly be human? I am only taking a stab in the dark though because really, I am none the wiser about what Under The Skin is trying to say.
            Now, I've thought about it for a while and I still am unsure of the films deeper meanings, I've read other reviews to try clarify it for me, but the only conclusion I can come to is that I think it's not a film that can be fully understood after one viewing. Maybe it can never really be understood. I wouldn't let that put you off though, if you like to be challenged with cinema, if you like films that truly do get under your skin, then this is a must.

Ad of the Week

This week my ad is a new viral from Snickers created by Clemenger BBDO, and it is genius! A great snippet of social commentary, it really sends a message about stereotypes, and to see the women's initial reactions of fear/disgust at the builders, to their shock/surprise at what they're saying actually says a lot about the state of things, but it's done in a funny way so it doesn't feel too heavy!

Fall Out Boy - Manchester 17/03/2014

On Monday I went to Manchester to see my old favourite band, Fall Out Boy. Between the ages of 13 and 16 they were my absolute favourites, so of course I was going, even if they aren't my favourite band anymore.

The support acts were New Politics and The Pretty Reckless. New Politics were definitely more of the genre, The Pretty Reckless were good, however I felt they weren't the right band to support Fall Out Boy, a bit too heavy! The crowd were quite unsure what to do. The crowd were also much younger than I had anticipated, when I saw them live the last time (2009) most of the crowd were my age, so I assumed that 5 years later, the old fans would be back, but I was quite wrong! This became fairly obvious when they played Grand Theft Autumn acoustically and definitely not everyone was singing! 

Some technical issues after the first two songs were also a bit of a hiccup! The sound cut out entirely, Patrick tried to play Chicago Is So Two Years Ago without any mic, I assume in the hopes that the crowd would start singing along, but then I bet none of them knew that one! But once the sound came back the show continued without a hiccup.

They did put on a good show, I feel that their messages were wasted on a lot of people. They were trying to celebrate artists that were really influential but I'm not sure the crowd was up to speed with some of them.

All in all though, they were lots of fun, and that's really all you need from a gig!

Ad of the Week

If you've been anywhere near the internet this week, especially social media, you'll have probably seen the First Kiss advert. It was for clothing brand Wren, and it's blown the internet up. However, that isn't my Ad of the Week. I've gone for the parody, which really isn't an ad for anything, but it's funny. It's by Mother London and it's called First Sniff. There's not much more to say than that!

Tyneside Mind Benefit - The Stand

On Sunday, I went out with my housemates to The Stand Comedy club. It's definitely one of my favourite places in Newcastle and I never turn down a chance to visit. I suggested going because one of my housemates does a placement at Tyneside Mind, who were holding a fundraising event. Live comedy is great, and while not for everyone, I've never not had a good night out watching it.

The comedians on were Lauren Pattison, Hal Branson, Stephen Frizzle, Rob Gilroy, Seymour Mace and the compere was Mat Reed. I've only seen Mat Reed before out of the lot, so that was great to see some new acts. They were all very funny, a real mix of styles too which is always so welcome! And the best bit was that £1167 was raised for Tyneside Mind!

I would definitely say that if you live in an area with a local comedy club, go down, chances are it'll be a great night!

Music Monday

Had an exam today so I've been busy! Almost forgot about this post today oops.

Eclectic Eccentric - The Rifles

Her Name Was Audre - Maximo Park

Skip To The End - The Futureheads

Where Did The Party Go? - Fall Out Boy

Turned On - This Ground Moves

Ad of the Week

This week I'm going for something a bit different that my usual TV adverts. I saw this over on http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com and thought it was great. The advert is a digital billboard for a Swedish pharmaceutical brand which was created by Swedish advertising agency Åkestam Holst. The advert was placed on subway platforms and features a moving image of a woman, who's hair blows with the approach or departure of a train, it's very clever and interesting, certainly something I could see happening on the London Underground in the next year.

The Oscars - My Winners

So you should all be aware that last night was the Academy Awards, and the Internet is full of lists of winners, so I'm going to do my own take on it with my own categories! Just for a bit of fun.

Best Photobomb

Well there's really only one winner here! It has to be Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't it, his photobomb of U2 went viral faster than you can say his name!

Best Dancer

Meryl Streep always deserves to win something, so this time should be no different. Her shoulder-shimmy during Pharell Williams' performance of Happy was a definite highlight!

Best Selfie

OK OK this one is obvious, but I just wanted to include it. OF COURSE the winner is Ellen's selfie featuring, well, just about everyone.

Best Reaction to Pizza

Ellen ordering pizzas was pretty funny in itself, but Jennifer Lawrence's reaction was even better. She looked so pleased!

Best Presenter

In this instance I mean award presenter (Ellen would win Best Host every time). The winner is Bill Murray for his mention of his friend Harold Remis which I thought was very heartwarming.

Best Acceptence Speech

This one is tied. Lupita Nyong'o gave a beautiful and eloquent speech, so she definitely deserves this, but also Cate Blanchett deserves it too, for getting her feminist on and telling people that female-lead films aren't a niche market. You tell 'em Cate!

Best Reaction to Winning an Award

This one goes to Steve McQueen, bless him, he was so nervous/happy when 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture he could barely speak, but his jump at the end was brilliant. There's someone who really deserved and appreciated it.

And now the final award....

Best Leonardo DiCaprio

Poor Leo's lack of an Oscar has caused the internet to go crazy. He was up against tough competition this year, and even though his performance in Wolf of Wall Street was absolutely brilliant he lost out to Matthew McConaughey. So here's your own award Leo, just for you!  

Music Monday

This week, I'm trying to have a fairly relaxed week, not sure if it'll happen with uni work though!

Here's my playlist for this week -

Only One Who Knows My Name - Northcote

The Girl - City and Colour

The Draw - Bastille

Buried - Alkaline Trio

National Anthem - The Gaslight Anthem

Ad of the Week

This week I was going to try and stray from the usual TV ads I've been picking, but then I saw an advert that I just had to pick. It's the new advert for mobile network 3, created by Wieden & Kennedy (a dab hand at making excellent cat-based adverts (see Cravendale's Cats With Thumbs campaign)).

In Britain, our mobile networks have all taken a similar approach to their advertising over the past year. A mobile network was become such a standard thing people have, and they all offer largely the same things, so they've all gone for humour to sell themselves. Vodafone have Yoda, EE have Kevin Bacon, and 3 have a small ginger-haired girl dramatically miming along to We Built This City by Starship with a small cat (who also sings along, why not). It's a fantastic advert because it's memorable. Of course, ideally 3 would like more customers from it, but because you find yourself singing the song or just having a little smile to yourself when you remember the cat, it works. 

So you go, #SingItKitty!

Artist of the Month - This Ground Moves

I first heard This Ground Moves at a comedy night, I know, a strange place to hear a band. The lead singer was a guest at Steffan Peddie's Chat Show Thing in December last year. They played a few songs acoustically and I quite liked them. So when their album came out I bought it and I am very glad I did.

The North East has produced some pretty amazing indie bands over the past few years and I really hope that big things happen for This Ground Moves. They're album is really catchy, the kind of songs you don't get bored of hearing a lot of. It would be really great to see them gain the same sort of accolade as a band like The Futureheads because I think they have a whole lot of potential. Definitely the kind of band that are going to sound amazing in the summer, I think they would be the ideal band for a slot at a small festival like Y Not or 2000 Trees.

Favourite songs - Feed Me To The Dogs
                              Turned On

Review - Her

Spike Jonze's latest offering, in it's very simplest form, is a story of love and loss, but if there's one thing Her certainly isn't, it's simple.

The film is set in the not too distant future, Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a writer for BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com. Theodore's world, as is everyone's in this age, is entirely technology dominated. Although Theodore spends much of the beginning of the film fanaticising about his ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) he is alone most of the time. Even his friend Amy (Amy Adams) doesn't see him very often, and his other human interaction is limited. It is around this time we meet the most up to date operating systems OS1. OS1 is a Siri-esque operating system that learns, adapts, has intuition and grows emotionally. Theodore's selected OS is Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and from here on out, Theodore's feelings find him blurring the lines between what's really real and what isn't.

At first Samantha is simply helpful, but as she grows and becomes more aware, so does her relationship with Theodore and once romantic acts begin to be played out, everything feels very unnerving. Even as you see Theodore with other humans, he's never as at ease with them as he is with his OS. There are so many layers to the film, so many things it could be saying, possibly a commentary on people's relationships with technology, or people's relationships with each other. Essays could easily be written about the messages in Her.

Purely on face value though, it is a beautiful film. Soft lighting, gorgeous colours, great camera angles, but it's not a film to really be taken on face value alone. It is certainly thought provoking, a film that will cause differences of opinion and that is by no means a bad thing. I think personally, what was so unsettling, is that out if every A.I film I've seen, Her is certainly the most realistic, and that idea of what society could potentially become is quite scary! 

It is definitely not a film for everyone but it's definitely a great film to go and see, I do highly recommend it. 

Music Monday

This Monday I'm full of cold, so I'm going for some chilled out slower songs this week! 

Books From Boxes - Maximo Park

October Trees - Ron Pope

Lady Killer - The Horrible Crowes

The Boat - Chuck Ragan

I Remember A Rooftop - Alkaline Trio

Ad of the Week

This week, I'm going for another trailer. This time for Locke. I picked it because for once it's a trailer that really gives nothing away. I know the basic plot of the film, which stars Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke. I know that it's a thriller, and set in real-time film, following Locke on a 90-minute drive, and the only other stars in the film (including Ruth Wilson and Olivia Coleman) are just voices you hear on the phone. The trailer tells you nothing more than that, in fact, without that knowledge the trailer tells you very little at all, and yet it intrigues, I know I definitely want to know what's going on!

As a film, it looks really interesting, it's really not often you see a film with only one actor, even if there are others, they're only on the phone. I can't wait to see it!

12 Years A Slave

I decided not to do a review of 12 Years A Slave because I was a little late to the party and since it won the BAFTA for Best Film, you don't need me to tell you it's good. I just thought I'd write my own feelings about the film, and yes, there will be spoilers but it's been a book for over 100 years, so, y'know...

Going in I knew it was going to be tough, but you need that sometimes, a film that moves you and draws you in, and it does just that. Chiwetel Ejiofor was outstanding as the lead, and now I can say he did deserve the BAFTA for Best Actor. I think it must be so hard for every actor in the film, from those portraying the slave owners to those portraying the slaves. Michael Fassbender's Edwin Epps was absolutely evil, it's hard to believe that people like that existed. Some of the slave owners, particularly Benedict Cumberbatch as Ford, showed glimpses of humanity, but still, they were slave owners.

The hardest scenes to stomach came near the end, at one point I was nearly moved to tears, and I know other people have cried watching it. So far I've been praising Lupita Nyong'o for looking beautiful at awards shows, but I have to praise her very strongly for her role as Patsey, she acted the hell out of it. There is a sort of happy ending though, all thanks to Brad Pitt, but I use happy quite loosely. Solomon makes it home to his family, discovers he is now a grandfather, but all the other slaves are left behind still suffering, I just wanted him to take Patsey with him when he left!

Definitely go and see it if it's still on where you are, it's very powerful, and now I'll be more of a trustworthy source when it comes to the Oscars if it wins, and I hope it does well!

Music Monday

These weeks seem to be coming round FAR too quickly! This week I'm quite enjoying some more lively music, so here's my Monday playlist for this week-

Running Away - Friendly Fires

My Number - Foals

Of The Night - Bastille

Zimbabwe - New Navy

Alone Together - Fall Out Boy

My BAFTAs Blog

Last night was my favourite awards show. I know it's not the biggest but I like it because it celebrates British cinema as well as international. I'd been waiting all day for it, I even went out and got some popcorn and some chocolate!

Stephen Fry did a great job hosting as he does every year. That's another thing I love about it, the British sense of humour, and Tinie Tempah high-fiving Prince William (although Prince William didn't look so thrilled).

The big winner of the night was Gravity, I think it came as a surprise to most. I read why it was nominated for Outstanding British Film due to the most of the people in production being British and all the effects were made here, which I suppose is fair. I think everyone expected 12 Years A Slave to be a runaway winner though, I definitely expected Steve McQueen to get Best Director.

I was happy to see Cate Blanchett get best actress, I haven't seen Blue Jasmine yet but it's on my list for when it's out on DVD. I think people were also surprised that Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years A Slave) didn't get Supporting Actress, especially when Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) won Supporting Actor, I was sure they would celebrate such great performances from new actors, but instead Jennifer Lawrence won it, but I'm sure she's a worthy winner, especially after getting the Oscar last year she clearly is very talented.

Don't mind me sneaking a picture of Tom Hardy in here, any excuse.

I don't think anyone was surprised to see Chiwetel Ejiofor get Best Actor, and even though I know a lot of people were rooting for Leonardo DiCaprio , I think Ejiofor deserved it, it can't be easy placing yourself in the shoes of a man who went through so much suffering.

As for the fashion-side of things, I have to admit my favourites were two that the "fashion police" might not really enjoy. I loved Angelina Jolie's tux, and Ruth Wilson's glamorous suit. As for dresses, I did like Cate Blanchett in Alexander McQueen, and as always Lupita Nyong'o looked stunning in her bright green dress.

Next up, the big one! I'll try watch the Oscars this year, but might not be able to stay up for the livestream!

What I'm Watching

1. Babylon

Babylon was on last Sunday on Channel 4 (you can catch it on 4OD if you missed it). It was a one off cop comedy drama that's being made into a series later in the year. I found it really entertaining!

2. Top Gear

OK, it's not for everyone, and I don't drive so I don't know very much about cars, but Sundays are dull and Top Gear isn't the worst way you could spend an hour!

3. Scandimania

I'm quite fascinated by Scandinavia, so Scandimania is a good show for me! I'm not a big Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall fan, but I can look past that to learn more about Scandinavia.

4. The BAFTAs

They're finally here! Tonight, BBC1, 9pm. I'll be posting a blog about them tomorrow. Very excited!

Ad of The Week

This week my Ad of the Week comes courtesy of Channel 4. As you'll probably be aware, it's the Winter Olympics right now and there's quite a bit of controversy about it being held in Sochi, Russia due to Russia's stance on LGBT rights. In light of this, a lot of people and organisations have come out in support of the LGBT community which is great to see, and Channel 4 have done it in a big way.

They have created an advert/music video called Gay Mountain. I think the only thing I can say is you should just watch it. It does pretty much speak for itself, it's hardly trying to be subtle about things! But it makes an impact.

And what a fitting day to have this as my Ad of the Week, being that it's the day of love and all.

Review - Too Much Information - Maxïmo Park

Those, like me, who have been with Maximo Park since the beginning, will notice a bit of a change in direction with some songs on Too Much Information. That being said, it's not a bad change. Every band's sound matures and listening to Too Much Information's predecessor The National Health, you can see that it was a very natural path to take.

The album opens with Give, Get, Take. It's a toe-tapping number, and instantly the presence of the synths are there, and this carries the album all the way through it's opening tracks. This leads through to Brain Cells, and Leave This Island, this is where that change in direction really comes into play. Two purely synth driven songs. It took a couple of listens to get used to the sound, but both carry what Maximo Park's strengths have always been, good lyrics and catchy tunes. I've found myself with both in my head on more than once occasion.

Lydia, The Ink Will Never Dry moves to more familiar sounds, certainly reminiscent of songs from earlier works such as Our Earthly Pleasures, just more mature. Maximo Park are now on their fifth studio album, so the changes in sound are not radical nor too surprising, simply the sounds of an established band who know what they like to play.
My Bloody Mind is a personal favourite of mine, it starts off punchy, fast-paced but halfway through slows down and becomes more melodic, the change on paper seems like it wouldn't work, but it blends so seamlessly you don't even notice.

Of the last few tracks on Too Much Information, Is It True?, Drinking Martinis, and Midnight On The Hill are of a similar vein to Lydia, in that they are in-keeping with Maximo Park's well established sound. I Recognise This Light is another of my favourites, fast-paced, one to sing along and have a bit of a dance to. Her Name Was Audre is an energetic song and definitely a track for the live shows, it does lead nicely, however, into the final track of the album, Where We're Going, which is a slower but very good song. It's a nice ending to the album.

Fans of Maximo Park are sure to enjoy this latest offering, and for any new fans it's a very easy album to listen to.

Music Monday

Well, it's Monday again. A busy week looms, this week on the blog I'm going to be reviewing Maximo Park's new album Too Much Information, and doing a new What I'm Watching post, because there's been some good bits of telly recently!

So, here's my Monday playlist to get us going.

 My Bloody Mind - Maximo Park

Would You Still Be There? - Of Mice & Men

Mainline - Hot Water Music

Rewind - AFI

The Shine - Dave Hause

Ad of the Week

So the Super Bowl has been and gone, and to pay a little tribute to those huge adverts, this weeks Ad of the Week is the non-Super Bowl advert from Newcastle Brown Ale, created by Droga5. It's a pretty genius way of advertising really. An advert all dressed up as not an advert at all, starring a popular actress (Anna Kendrick) and sent viral.

By using an American actress and making it central to the Super Bowl, or should that be S****r B**l , it reaches a new demographic for brand. In England, a lot of people have heard of Brown Ale, but I don't know how popular it is in America, so it's a great way to get the brand out there.
The advert's tagline - "No Bollocks" sums up the advert, the brand, and the place it was born. I live in Newcastle, I can vouch for this.

I just think it's an incredibly clever way of creating a whole campaign without even having to put it on TV.

Review - Inside Llewyn Davis

Set in 1960s New York, Inside Llewyn Davis follows a young, struggling folk musician trying to make a living, before the days of Bob Dylan. Davis (played tremendously by Oscar Isaac) bounces from sofa to sofa in Greenwhich Village, playing gigs at the Gaslight when he can, and tying to make money from his first solo album. Along the way we meet some of the people in Davis' life, including musicians Jim (Justin Timberlake) and Jean (Carey Mulligan), and even though we only see a brief snippet of their lives, you can already see the beginnings of their various layers unravelling, especially Jean's.

The Coen brothers have delivered another fantastic piece of cinema. Llewyn Davis' story grabs you, and sends you on a journey where your opinions of the film's lead are constantly challenged. You get drawn into Davis' struggles, and you find yourself questioning if he really wants it enough to warrant the things he goes through and the things he does. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but the plot isn't what carries the film as much as the characters. Seeing brief snippets of other people's worlds while following Davis around is a nice touch, we meet characters such as Roland Turner (John Goodman) and Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund), who clearly have a lot more going on with them than we ever really get to find out. We meet these people, but our relationship with them only goes as far as Davis' interaction, we never follow them on their own journeys, so there's always more to wonder about. 

While really, not a lot happens, so lovers of action may not be so enthralled, the film is so well acted and so beautifully dark to look at, you get entirely drawn in and always wonder what will happen to Llweyn Davis. It's certainly not surprising the film has been nominated for the 'best cinematography' Academy Award. If you get the chance, you should definitely see Inside Llweyn Davis.

Music Monday

So, as it's a new month, I thought how about a new little feature! Every Monday I'll be posting a mini playlist of 5 songs I'm loving at the moment, and everyone can see my (possibly questionable) taste in music...

And the first ever Music Monday is... -

Unconditional Love - Against Me!

Non Typical - Chuck Ragan

Car Crash - This Ground Moves

One For The Road - Arctic Monkeys

Open Eyed - Skindred

Artist of the Month - Radkey

Radkey are a punky trio of brothers from America, I first heard them earlier this month and quickly went to iTunes to download everything they had. I will say that they're not going to be for everyone, if you have a penchant for pop then they probably won't be for you, but if punk or hardcore is up your street then you just might like them.

The band is made up of Dee Radke (guitar, vocals), Isaiah Radke (bass, vocals) and Solomon Radke (drums). They are very young, aged between 16 and 20, which makes their music and achievements (playing Download Festival and just about to embark on a headline UK tour) even more impressive! Their sound isn't clean or perfect, but that's the point. They're punchy, the sort of band you would want to see in a tiny, dark, sweaty basement venue somewhere but sometimes they are the best gigs.

They certainly don't sound as young as they are, I've read Dee's vocals be compared to Dave Vanian of The Damned, and Glenn Danzig of Misfits, which I bet they'd be pretty pleased to hear!

My favourite song: Start Freaking Out