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You are here -> Lifestyle / Film & TV Thursday, 04 December, 2008
PLANETNOTION TELEVISION!
CAMERA-FOLK AND FILM EDITORS WANTED!
Planet Notion is looking for guys and dolls to film and edit features for its new TV channel, PNTV. Accompanying Notion to artist interviews, gigs, fashion shows, festivals and international events, you will be skilled, passionate and full of ideas about how to produce shit-hot video content. Camera-folk will be experienced and ideally have their own equipment, or at least access to equipment, while editors must be able to turn projects around quickly, and with stylistic flare. If you can both film and edit content, we would especially like to hear from you! These casual, unpaid positions would be ideal for those looking to develop their showreels, and to get the chance to travel, film major artists and top events.
 
Please email lucy(at)musichqmedia
(dot)com if you’re interested in getting involved, cheers!
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Later Live with Jools Holland. Episode 9.

Later Live with Jools Holland. Episode 8.
Another week, another Jools Holland preview. Sometimes you watch an episode and think “THAT WAS OKAY” and “THEY WERE OKAY” but “IT WASN’T TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT”. Then comes that rarity, an episode that makes you sit back and wonder what the hell is going on, what everyone is doing and how the drink could hit you so quickly... this was one of them. THE KILLERS: Okay, here’s the deal. I liked The Killers once upon a time. Then I got to thinking, did I really like them, or did I just like them because it seemed like the right thing to do? So I kinda went off them. I couldn’t say whether this performance reinforced that feeling or not, because I was outside having a smoke, but I noticed when I got back that the drummer looked quite constipated and they had fake palm trees with them on stage. MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST: Cracked open another can; after this performance I think I needed it. Not that it wasn’t good, but there were these people dressed as pandas with Lycra leggings, swaying about and beating bamboo sticks like they were having a bad trip. Damon Albarn was playing guitar, this being a track from his Monkey opera. It was good though, a mixture of traditional music, electro and rock with three gorgeous Chinese girls singing to the beat. I could understand why the pandas were freaking out… AL GREEN INTERVIEW: Jools asked the legendary Al Green a series of questions. Al answered “YES” to everything . He said it about six times, like he was drunk or something, happy drunk. Suddenly he broke out into a spontaneous few-lines of song and a bemused Jools clicked his fingers, wondering what was going on. I just knew it was going to be one of those episodes. PENDULUM: As soon as Pendulum started, I pictured myself driving a beat-up Cadillac into a suburban club full of beauticians and body-builders; men who rub baby lotion on their bodies whilst they shower and girls who sit under the sun-bed for 38 hours; me , mowing the fuckers down! Al Green enjoyed it; he had a massive grin on his face. I didn’t mind it, they’re a good bunch live but they make me have strange visions of club-land hell when I hear them on the radio. AL GREEN: Jools took to the piano for this performance, a rendition of the Al Green classic ‘Let’s Stay Together’. You know the one, it was on Pulp Fiction? Everyone was clapping! Everyone! Albarn was clapping, the Chinese girls were dancing, and the crowd were dancing and clapping. Al enjoyed himself too; you could see it on his face. He stole the show there and then. He shat all over every other performance, he fucked them all over. Al Green: Starfucker. FLEET FOXES: And yet the Fleet Foxes didn’t cave. I was thinking “HOW THE HELL DO YOU FOLLOW AL GREEN?” But they did, and they did it well. The lead singer looked like he’d just come out a hippy commune and the music made me float like a hippy. It was beautiful. Fantastic vocal harmonies, sweet sounding – the sound of Love and the Mamas and the Papas and all those bands that probably crashed out when the 60s crashed out, because they were sad and the dream was over. But, for a while, those bands made that period more melancholy and pretty and sweet… despite the 180 comedowns a year. Great performance! THE KILLERS: I broke the house curfew and had a cigarette whilst watching this performance, so as not to miss it. I suddenly realised why I liked The Killers all those years ago and why, if anything, that love probably should have grown, blossomed, whatever. Sometimes you don’t appreciate a band’s music until you see them live on stage, performing and feeding off the music. Every word of the song meant something, or seemed to mean something to frontman Brandon Flowers. He put everything into it, he was sweating like a hog and looked close to tears; the words meant something… all of it meant something . Later Live with Jools Holland is broadcast every Tuesday at 22:00 on BBC2. The extender Later with Jools Holland show is broadcast every Friday at 12:35(am) on BBC2. To visit the official website and catch up on the show, CLICK HERE !
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1 Giant Leap - What About Me? (Channel 4)
We all have reflective thoughts. Just the other day it was raining real heavy as I got off the train. So I stood underneath the platform shelter and rolled a cigarette, watching the passengers clear off the platform and go home to marital bliss and 2-point-4 children; shepherd’s pie or a night in front of the TV with a bottle of Grappa and a Chinese Takeaway; maybe he’s a junkie, maybe he has a severed head in his freezer and she’s on Prozac and lives with 30 cats. See? Reflective thinking. It’s this kind of self-reflection that inspired ‘What About Me?’ a new series of documentaries from 1 Giant Leap, the global philosophy and music concept behind the double Grammy nominated Unity Through Diversity . Through music and film, 1 Giant Leap explores the universal concept of human nature; what makes the world and the people and the birds and the bees tick, tick-along and tick-over. Jamie Catto (Faithless co-founder) and Duncan Bridgeman set out on a four year global journey, collecting the philosophy and wisdom of thinkers, writers, entertainers and the people of over 50 countries along the way. Because of the extent of their journey, viewers are given a rare insight into the feelings and thoughts of a diverse range of cultures. As preview clips of the documentary prove, it’s a mesmerizing study into the human mind from right across the spectrum. Our eccentricities, desires, beliefs, insanities, depressions and personal journeys; of the impact of an unhappy childhood or the shallowness of love. And that’s just for starters! The series of documentaries were totally unscripted, Catto and Bridgeman capturing snippets of their studies thoughts along the way. From Noam Chomsky, Bob Geldof and Tim Robbins - to a tribal woman in Africa and an ostracized gay man in America, no stone is left unturned. The music for the show was conceived of an original backing track which grew as the documentary progressed. For each location visited the music develops, with different layers being added by different musicians. REM’S Michael Stipe, Alanis Morissette, Maxi Jazz, Carlos Santana, Chinese rappers and Gabonese Pygmies, are just a few of those to contribute. As Jamie Catto explains: “We’re on a mission to make self-reflection hip for just a moment, just long enough to save us.” Planet Notion’s thinking he might just have succeeded. The first episode of ‘What About Me’ starts on Channel 4, Thursday 6th November at 12.30am. For further information and to see clips from the show visit whataboutme.tv
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Later Live with Jools Holland. Episode 7.
For the second week running, Planet Notion brings you a run-down of the latest episode of Later Live with Jools Holland. Episode 7 featured performances from artists including Grace Jones, Razorlight, and Akon. An extended edition of the show will be broadcast this Friday. GRACE JONES: There’s something mesmerising about Grace Jones. I wouldn’t say there’s a major attraction there, at least not one I’m conscious of. Yet despite the thinning voice and obvious signs of age, she’s a natural born performer. Plus it kind of made the start of the show fairly exciting when she started lifting her skirt to expose her practically bare arse. Not as in sexually excited, but in a “WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS GOING ON HERE” kind of way. RAZORLIGHT: If anyone classes Razorlight as rotten eggs for the way they sound, and would put them in the rotten egg basket instead of the good egg basket, then chances are you might decide to put Razorlight in the good egg basket now. Unless their faces piss you off, in which case you can’t polish a turd in the same way you can’t make a rotten egg a good one. Their first performance of the night seemed to scrape into the good egg section, but once you cracked that egg open it was a bit of a rotten egg after all. The good egg bit came later... SEU JORGE: Seu Jorge starred in City of God. Good film. It was pissing it down with rain as he performed on Jools Holland, I could hear it battering the windows in the living room. They played this kind of Brazilian Samba-Rock type sound. Interesting contrast, the rain and the sunny music. At least that’s what I got from it. There was a guy in a Brazil tracksuit, a green tracksuit top. I wouldn’t say he was fat, but he was short and stout, like the teapot. He was dancing like Bez, really going for it. Then he started playing harmonica like it was raping his mouth. It was an okay performance. THE INTERVIEW: Jools interviewed Grace Jones at this point. He seemed pretty infatuated with her; said that she has an uncanny ability to mesmerize men. He also asked what her advice would be to women, seeing as she's a style icon and seems to mesmerise people. Grace's advice for people was: “DON’T SAY IT, DO IT!” So I went and got myself a tall glass of Raki. AKON: I don’t understand Akon. I don’t understand him at all. He kind of sings like he’s having his balls squashed by the tin man. But for once he sung a song that was somehow easier on the ear. What made the performance all the more interesting was the guy in the kilt. There was this guy in a kilt, one of the dancers, and he was dancing on a box! I was kind of thinking about what would happen if the box fell over. Sadly it didn't. GERAINT WATKINS: Jools said he met this guy on Bob Dylan’s radio show. Jools always likes to name-drop. This was probably the performance of the night. Big booming double-bass and country-rock, only leaning way more to the rock side. A kind of blue-grass sound, but with roots! Plus Geraint looked like a tired drunk. Eyes closed and smiling. When he played the guitar and really went for it, the guitar really sang to me. It was a great little guitar solo, simple, raw and very stunning. RAZORLIGHT: Razorlight again. Only this time I couldn’t fault them. This was a way better egg than the one that turned out to be a rotten one on closer inspection. And believe me; admitting Borrell can actually sing is a tough thing to do. It pains me to say it, but he CAN, and anyone who mocks or curses me, can’t mock or curse me any more than I’ve mocked and cursed myself already. But it’s true, and you’ll have to watch on Friday if you want the proof. GRACE JONES: The show culminated with Grace Jones, again. She had this weird dress on, like a silver-grey parachute, and these fans were blowing it and it was going EVERYWHERE! It was floating around and all she had on underneath were these leather mini-shorts or knickers or something . She stood on a raised platform so that EVERYONE could see her - Grace Jones - the star of the show. Seu Jorge and the Brazilians danced in a row, including the guy who danced like Bez. And that was how it ended. Later Live with Jools Holland is broadcast every Tuesday at 22:00 on BBC2. The extender Later with Jools Holland show is broadcast every Friday at 12:35(am) on BBC2. To visit the official website and catch up on the show, CLICK HERE !
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Later Live with Jools Holland. Episode 6.
I have no idea how long Series 33 of Jools Holland will be running for. It’s been on for weeks already and I’ve only just started to write about it. Bit silly really, but hey-ho; shoot me, hang me, do what you will… For the first time ever, I bring you a definitive run-down of the previous night's 30minute episode. An extended version will be broadcast this Friday, so hopefully this’ll wet your appetite. Keane: Sometimes bands kick off the show and you’re all like, “Man, this is a bit miserable” and it sets the tone for the rest of the episode; Jools occasionally saving everything with a bumbling interview. Keane used to make me want to hang myself with dental floss every time I’d look at myself in the bathroom mirror, but their performance of the 80s drenched Spiralling made me want to do a merry jig. I even shouted "WHOO!" at the TV during that weird chorus bit. Frankly, they were faultless… Amadou & Miriam: This man and woman combo from Mali are both blind. I didn’t think I’d like this much, but they were reasonably impressive. I mean, they had a guy on drums, a guy on bongos, a man on electric guitar, a guy on keyboards, backing singers… and Amadou played the guitar too! The interview… Jools did a brief interview with Dave Clark, frontman of 60s band the Dave Clark Five. When asked who he liked on the show, Dave professed his love for every single act, reeling off some names and getting stuck on the people he didn’t know the names of. This means he was probably telling lies. Regardless, Dave Clark has a brow that any man would be proud of, so I forgive him… Jakob Dylan: I had a cigarette break after the Dave Clark interview and missed half of this performance, which featured Bob Dylan’s son, Jakob, playing a track from his debut solo album. Jakob’s song was okay lyrically - nothing more, but he performed it brilliantly. I’ve always had an admiration for musicians who can get up and perform on their own, armed only with an acoustic, and Jakob did just that. Takes balls. If anything, Jakob transformed a mediocre song into a truffle… silver; gold; whatever. Allen Toussaint: Promoting the forthcoming Festival New Orleans at the O2, Toussaint performed the classic ‘Working in the Coal Mine’. There’s something quite romantic about an old guy on piano, tickling the ivories and singing in a kinda deep, bluesy, soulful voice. Made me picture myself in an old New Orleans bar, nursing a bottle of bourbon, smoking a cheap cigar and thinking of days gone by; but being all the happier for it, because I’d probably be spending my days drinking, listening to music and not have a job. Bliss. thecocknbullkid: Delving into the kind of pop-electro (but more pop) type field, this was the Hackney songstress’ debut on Jools Holland. The way thecocknbullkid dressed made her look the absolute spit of a disco ball, and I was kinda thinking: “Man, I’m not so sure about this” before she’d even started her performance. But it wasn’t bad at all, I quite liked it. I reckon she’d do well to keep her backing band though, because they were really, really strong. 7 out of 10. Bloc Party: I was shocked to see Kele Okereke wearing a gold chain, a large NY Yankees cap (sideways), and a baggy shirt and jeans combo. I mean, a thick gold chain and Kele? Wouldn’t normally put the two together. Then Bloc Party started and I was all like: “WHAT THE F**K?” because it was so different to anything they’d done before – he was doing a kinda semi-rap type thing. The song didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and then I realised that it was kind of building up to this massive climax... which it didn’t, but I kinda liked it for tricking me anyway. It was like when you need a dump and you go to the toilet, and suddenly you realise you’ve read a whole newspaper and still nothing has passed through… until suddenly you hear a solitary plop and it’s all over. Strangely satisfying. Later Live with Jools Holland is broadcast every Tuesday at 22:00 on BBC2. The extender Later with Jools Holland show is broadcast every Friday at 12:35(am) on BBC2. To visit the official website and catch up on the show, CLICK HERE !
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Max Payne (Cert. TBC)
Max Payne (Cert. TBC)
08/09/2008
Guess what... there’s another movie based on a computer game coming out. Oh joy! But here’s the thing, it actually looks okay. I know, I know, mental isn’t it? Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) tells the story of a cop whose wife and kid are killed. So Max goes a bit crazy and starts hunting down the perpetrators so he can shoot their arse full of lead and kill the demon that haunts him. Well, you know, metaphorically speaking. I mean, the demon of seeing your wife and kid lying dead on a bed and stuff... I guess it's kind of like when I stole a sherbet lemon from the Woolworth’s pic ‘n’ mix. I couldn’t sleep for like, 14 hours, which is quite some time for a twelve year-old kid. I needed to sort the situation out. So rather than shoot people and dive around like Ross Kemp in that SAS programme, I went back into Woolie’s and brought some sherbet lemons and then I quickly put one back. I felt better after that. My conscience was clear. I could sleep easy. Then I went and stole some flying saucers and they were well-good! Shat all over the sherbet lemons. Anyway, Max Payne goes all maverick and slightly psycho, his search for the killers taking him deep into the criminal underworld. But being 'Max Payne' he keeps going, deeper and deeper on his search so that he can put the whole sorry mess to bed! And get this, there are like, these big flying demons he encounters. Real demons. Not dream demons or nightmare demons or “I stole from the pic ‘n’ mix” demons. Obviously there’s the token good-looking gal (Mila Kunis) thrown into the equation too. It kind of looks like the Matrix minus the pretentious lingo and with a plot you don't need a calculator to figure out. Check out the trailer below. Director: John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, The Omen) Cast: Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, The Italian Job) ; Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, That 70’s Show) Release Date: November 14 2008 Certificate: TBC
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Cert. 12)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Cert. 12)
21/08/2008
I didn’t see the first Hellboy. I heard it was pretty good and that Ron Perlman stole the show with his performance as the films namesake, a demon raised by some old dude in like, World War II. We learn a bit about his childhood in the second movie, the one I’m writing about, but the good thing is that they don’t go into overkill. You only see Hellboy as a kid at the beginning so you don’t get pain in the arse flashbacks all the time and the film runs quite smoothly. The weird thing about Hellboy is that he kind of reminds me of the great poet-laureate of down-and-out LA: Charles Bukowski. Hellboy, like Bukowski, drinks shed loads of beer and smokes all the time. He looks a bit like Buk as well. I don’t know if Hellboy’s an alcoholic or not, but he’s definitely verging. The writing’s on the wall, as they say. If you work in the media industry it’s a similar scenario, except we smoke roll-ups whilst all the City Boys walk past us smoking big Havanas and talking on their Blackberrys. They go home to expensive wine and we go home to cheap scotch. Hellboy smokes cigars too, but unlike the City Boys he looks good smoking a cigar. Big and tough with a massive fist. All Hellboy dreams of is being accepted by the world and not being looked at as a freak. Although, if you're a big orange guy from the fiery gates of hell, you're hardly going to be first on everyones Christmas list, even if you are a pretty cool cat. Hellboy II: The Golden Army was directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the same guy who directed Oscar award-winning Spanish film: Pans Labyrinth. Just like Pans Labyrinth, Hellboy II features some of the coolest looking freaks you’ll see on screen. Abe is a kind of merman type guy, who was apparently in the first film. He works with Hellboy for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence (BPRD) along with Hellboy’s missus, Liz, played by Selma Blair. She’s like the Hulk except when she gets angry she bursts into flames and causes explosions and stuff. The plot revolves around some elfin guy called Prince Nuada, played superbly by Luke Goss. He doesn’t look very hard but he’s pretty handy with a sword and wants to destroy mankind by summoning an unbeatable Golden Army of robots, so I probably wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire and I definitely wouldn’t invite him into my (parents) house for a cup of tea. I found myself strangely attracted to his sister, despite the fact that she’s really pale and has scars all over her face. Is that really wrong? My favourite freak was the German guy brought in to control Hellboy by the BPRD. He has to wear a special suit because he’s basically made of gas, which sounds a bit wank but is actually pretty handy. It means he can float into keyholes and machinery and stuff and work them. The tooth fairies are pretty cool too because they have sharp teeth and eat peoples bones and there's a scene with a giant plant that picks up cars and throws them at people. Hellboy II is jolly good fun and features a few very funny moments. Go see it. Eight out of ten. Dangerous Dave Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal Pictures) is in cinemas nationwide now.
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Frijj Film Festival kicks off this August!
Frijj Film Festival kicks off this August!
14/07/2008
Ah, memories. A step on the pedal, the trap opens, the squirrel runs away. It was the 80s, and I was trying to catch rodents in my replica Ghostbuster Ghost Trap. And failing. Still, nothing bought me more joy than those trips to ‘Video Wow’ and the weekly rental of all things Peter, Ray, Winston and Egon. I even had a grey knitted top with the famous Ghostbuster logo on it. Back then, knitted tops were the norm. Now it’s all hoodies and flick knives… Anyway, picture my excitement when I received news that Ghostbusters is going to be shown on the big screen once more. HOORAH! It’s all part of the Frijj Film Festival, where a whole host of top films will be shown in all their glory, over a six week period, in Carlton cinemas across the capital. A total of 27 films will be shown from August 14th, and as an added incentive they’re going to be absolutely free to see. Which is like, brilliant and fantastic all rolled into one. Um, brilltastic? As well as Ghostbusters, recent films including Kill Bill, Snatch, and Shaun of the Dead will be shown alongside timeless classics such as Scarface, the Godfather, Blade Runner, and Jaws. The festival will be kicking off with back-to-back viewings of Lord of the Rings at a glitzy red carpet event at the Covent Garden Odeon. Those wishing to attend screenings are asked to register on the Frijj Film Festival website from July 14th. Check out the video (below) from the Frijj Film Festival’s viral campaign. The viral films are set in a small 1950s town in America, where a massive blob of Frijj goop is terrorizing the local community. There’s a whole series of them that you can find on the official website. This one's our favourite because it features old people using zimma frames. Ha! Poor helpless fools.
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Teeth (Cert. 18)
Teeth (Cert. 18)
23/06/2008
They’re sharp. They bite. And they’re not in her mouth...Woo yeah! At last, that classic tale of the small town girl who grows a set of angry choppers comes to the big screen. How can we have wasted all this time making RomComs and things about unscrupulous police detectives when the perfect storyline has been sitting under our noses all along? I say “noses”.. Jess Weixler is the superprim Dawn, the darling of her local church and spokesperson for True Love Waits. Both serenely beautiful and the paradigm of chaste purity (much like myself), she refuses to countenance having any form of sex. Her nether regions are strictly ‘out of bounds’. Somewhere that, despite seeming exciting, you should never go in – not even to look around for a bit - a bit like the Teacher’s Common Room at my Primary School. Unfortunately there’s a hidden terror lurking deep down in Dawn’s dangerous dark dungeon and it’s getting peckish! In retaliation, presumably, for 50,000 years of leaving the toilet seat up, Dawn and her carnivorous twat embark on retribution. The reckoning is coming fellas. And it’s going to be pret-tee painful. This tongue-in-cheek (ahem!) horror-comedy is really funny. Joss Weixler satirises the bible-belt anti-evolution America, whilst admirably retaining her dignity – not easy when you’re being upstaged by your own vagina. This can be painful viewing – people do get their penises bitten off. If you’re a guy who ever feels even the mildest performance anxiety, you might want to steer clear. If you’re a rampant feminist who hates cocks, you’ll love it. Words: Matt Harvey
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Robbie Williams at Knebworth the biggest selling music DVD!
Robbie Williams at Knebworth the biggest selling music DVD!
29/04/2008
The DVD player has been around for ten years. We’re talking British shores obviously, as the Americans and the Japanese are way ahead of us when it comes to technology. I guess you could say they’re ahead of us as far as the health service goes as well but – hey, I’m no expert. Still, we don’t have licenses for guns and stuff and the Americans do, which is crazy, so I guess that’s one-all. But then gun-crime is on the rise in the UK and people don’t even have licenses. To borrow a quote: “We are indeed drifting into the arena of the unwell”. To the story and further proof that “we are indeed drifting into the arena of the unwell” with news that Robbie Williams’ ‘What We Did Last Summer’ DVD has been named (by industry experts) as the best-selling music DVD of the last decade. Cough, choke, spit and splutter! Bang you head against a wall and fill the room with claret. “How can this be true?” “Who are these experts on DVD sales”, I hear you cry as you scratch your balls, befuddled and confused, “Where’s the evidence? Where’s the science? We need proof damn-it – SOLID PROOF!” Well, proof comes from the British Video Association (BVA), who obtained their data from the ‘Official UK Chart Company’. Well, if they’re official , it has to be true; despite sounding as barmy as the Tooth Fairy and Joe Pasquale. Here’s some data to drool over; history, if you were. By the end of 1998 UK DVD (disc) sales stood at a meagre 200,000. When you consider that an estimated (non-official) forty million people own four TVs and some households own more than four TV’s, 200,000 is a pretty low number. These statistics are ‘predicted’ and cannot be proved as scientific fact. They’re a rough estimate. But rest assured they’re close enough. So, the sale of DVD discs was a meagre 200,000 in 1998, but exactly one year later (to the second, minute and hour) in 1999 that figure had risen by 4 million. Now, this represents that people in the UK were either breeding like sex-starved nymphs and the population had rapidly grown, or that the DVD craze was spreading like an STI (probably originating from those god damned nymphs). It gets even crazier. 2007 marked new heights of 248 million DVD sales with that figure increasing by 63.3 million in 2008. We’re nearly in May. About four month’s into 2008. There are twelve months in a year. 4 x 3 = 12. So we can predict that 63.3 million will treble to 189.9 million by the time the year is over with experts (yes, experts) predicting that the Christmas period will push the figure up by more. Wowzers! So there we go; the science is done and dusted and, I’m proud to say, no calculators were used. So back to the story. Robbie Williams’ ‘What We Did Last Summer’ has sold roughly 500,000 copies. It was recorded live at Knebworth and, yes, people do apparently like Mr. Williams because he has two entries in the top ten music DVD’s of the last decade. That’s two! 2. Deux. It would appear the public are like lemmings; Williams sings “LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU” and they’re happy to jump into musical oblivion... The fiery gates of hell. Allow us to present a quote from ‘What We Did Last Summer’. An indication, if you were, of why the nation have ingested a Robbie Williams live performance with such relish. An indication of why Mr. Williams’ live performance at Knebworth is so damn special. An indication of why we, the Great British public, are by far the most intelligent nation. Proof. Fact. Pudding. Go on Robbie, go for it - shoot, show us why the UK can't get enough of that DVD: “ Good evening everybody, my name is Robbie Williams, this is my band and for the next two hours YOUR ARSE IS MINE!” Words: Dave Dryden
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Battle for Haditha (Cert. 15)
Battle for Haditha (Cert. 15)
31/03/2008
In the good ol' days of cinema (circa 1985), watching Americans shoot foreigners was a comforting, cathartic experience. It was easy to sleep at night knowing that well-trained, muscle-bound men were available to drop behind enemy lines and murder those stinking Communists. Sadly things have changed. Today, rather than relying on former bodybuilders with bizarre accents, the US military employs entire platoons of slack-jawed morons who rely on the rule that if you wear something that looks like a towel on your head, you were probably personally responsible for 9/11 and should be shot immediately before you do it again. In their hands, the 'shoot-first, ask-questions-later' routine just doesn't seem quite so amusing. Such is the lesson from documentary legend Nick Broomfield (Biggie and Tupac, Kurt and Courtney, The Leader, The Driver, and the Driver's Wife) in his second foray into drama and acting. It tells the harrowing true story of a unit of Marines who slaughtered 29 Iraqi civilians in the wake of a roadside bomb on one of their jeeps in 2005. It's a finely detailed account that can't quite move beyond Broomfield's documentary instincts. The big mistake was using real marines as actors - which makes precisely as much sense as sending actors to carry out counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan - but the slightly embarrassing first hour of amateur dramatics does at least leave you unprepared for the shockingly realistic, stomach-churning violence of the main event, presenting at least one version of the reality behind the headlines. The question is whether anyone really needs to be told that the American military is populated by trigger-happy, gung-ho dickheads, and run by even worse. Words: Eric Randolph BATTLE FOR HADITHA - Cert. 15 - Available now on DVD!
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MARTIN SCORSESE and THE ROLLING STONES: 'SHINE A LIGHT'
MARTIN SCORSESE and THE ROLLING STONES: 'SHINE A LIGHT'
25/03/2008
When we’re talking about the Rolling Stones we’re talking about the greatest, coolest and most definitive band in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Sorry ladies and gents but that’s an indisputable fact. That’s not my opinion, it’s a given, like grass being green and shit being brown. I mean psychologists say that you only ever find true love once and I guess that’s kind of true because I used to love bananas. I know it’s a bit different, but I really REALLY loved ‘em. I think they’re a despicable fruit now, since mistaking banana fritter and potato croquettes for a plate of fish and chips. It was that taste of the unexpected; a real jolt to the system. Anyway, the point is, my banana affair wasn’t true love. If a band’s still doing global tours forty years after they first hit the road, that’s true love. The Rolling Stones have it with music. Martin Scorsese has it with film. Stick the two together and we’re not talking your usual run-of-the-mill rock ‘n’ roll documentary or concert film… First a wee history lesson on Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shine a Light’. The film started with a Mick Jagger dream. It wasn’t wet and it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility. At the time the Stones were on their worldwide ‘Bigger Bang’ tour preparing to play for two million Brazilians on Rio De Janeiro beach. Jagger wanted to shoot the show as a documentary film and had one of those “if we’re going to do this we may as well do it right” moments. One thing led to another and Martin ‘Marty’ Scorsese was on board. Let’s face it, Marty jumped at the chance and who wouldn’t? It’s the fucking Stones! Anyway, once on board Marty brought in a veritable crew of top producers; some had worked on Stones documentaries in the past; Victoria Pearman formed ‘Jagged Films’ with Jagger himself; we’re basically talking the best in the business. Right: with all the ins and outs of “how Shine a Light came to be” out the way we’ll head to the Marty philosophy. Everyone’s seen footage of the Stones, right? Clips from ‘Cocksucker Blues’ on YouTube or ‘Gimme Shelter’ and all the rest of it. They’ve seen Keith strung out on heroin, they know about the Altamont tragedy, they know about Brian Jones’ death and Keith’s arrest et cetera et cetera. They know the Stones music whether it be in literary context (Sympathy for the Devil as a soundtrack to Fear and Loathing) or film (have you seen Mean Streets? “It’s a gas gas gas”). All that’s fine; well, legendary in rock ‘n’ roll folklore. It’s the Rolling fucking Stones! However, Marty succeeds in making something a little different via concentrating on four icons over the age of sixty, who have been touring for just as long, and the subsequent connection all four have on stage. That’s something rare. Something special. And something totally unexplored (more the fool) until one of the greatest director’s in the history of film took the project under his wing and made it his own. It’s also a direction that has come under criticism for being “just like any other concert film” but frankly that’s ludicrous. Some journalists are so far up their own arses they taste their shit before they smell it. Trust us, believe us: ‘Shine a Light’ has groundbreaking cinematography! Marty suggested shooting a concert in the more intimate surroundings of New York’s stunning Beacon Theatre, the venue where the final cut was taken. The film kicks off with black and white footage of Marty’s preparations and backstage footage of the Stones, giving an insight into two sets of characters who have been, and arguably remain, at the very top of their game. It’s an interesting approach and Marty’s inclusion in the film emphasises his importance to the project, as well as the respect both parties have for one another. Quite refreshing, I’m sure you’ll agree. Anyway, the introduction provides an understanding of both Marty and the Stones creative limitations, Marty meticulously attempting to acquire the final set-list and Jagger announcing “We’ll be done Marty, on the night, an hour before the show”. The opposing forces of both the Stones and Marty creates some insightful points. The Stones want the set-list to be perfect for their more intimate surroundings, you can understand their deliberation, whilst Marty wants his production to be a-okay and is well aware that knowing the set-list in advance will help define guitar-solos, intros, outros, hooks, riffs et cetera to be caught perfectly on camera. Blink and you’ll miss it, but Marty and the Stones are no different when it comes to the care, attention and undoubted love for their professions. There’s also a hilarious section where the Stones meet the Clintons (it’s Bill’s birthday), including Hilary’s mum. Keith’s face is forever golden (you rarely see the human riff without a smile) but the relatively quiet Watts proves that he’s one hell of a funny fucker! Anyway, rather than guide you through the film detail by tiny detail and song by song let’s cut to the chase. Marty’s sixteen strong camera crew - their every move controlled by the man himself - capture the Stones as never before. Even if Marty had known the set-list way in advance nothing could prepare him for the spontaneity between them, particularly Jagger, whose presence on stage defies his sixty-four years: leaping about with elegance and characteristic camp gesticulations. The man oozes sex appeal, something all too evident in an amazing ‘Live With Me’ duet with Christina Aguilera, the ageless star grinding against her whilst yelping suggestively. The music itself creates a real sense of nostalgia, and you can’t help but smile, something all four Stones do in abundance. A particular highlight is Jagger’s entrance for Sympathy for the Devil following a rare Richards solo. In black feathered coat, Jagger emerges like Beelzebub himself, a bright white light emitting from behind as he skips through the crowd ‘Woo-Wooing’ to the stage. Perhaps the most touching moment comes when Jagger and Richards share a mic during ‘Far Away Eyes’ the pair staring into one another’s eyes, arms round each others shoulders in a manly affection in context with the song. Buddy Guy and Jack White also guest on ‘Champagne and Reefer’ and ‘Loving Cup’ respectively, the Stones smiling in admiration at one and all of their guests - Guy being a particular highlight. But for all the brilliance of the Stones’ music, Marty deserves credit for the intricacy of his shots, highlighting the beauty of the band, the setting and the instruments in a direction never before caught on film. Anyone could shoot a concert film but filming in such a way that does the band or artist justice is a different ball game altogether. Whether anyone other than Marty could have succeeded is certainly an interesting question, as many a director would have gone down the familiar route of drowning out concert footage with documentary overkill. If you were to do a documentary on the Stones any justice it’d have to be an epic, with more twists, turns and chapters than Crime and fucking Punishment. By keeping the footage to a minimal, in context with the Stones’ music and united performance; Jagger’s abounding charisma, Keith and Ronnie’s overlapping guitar skills, Watts’ ability on the sticks and even the backing singers, musicians and bass player Darryl Jones, Marty’s arguably achieved far more in Shine a Light then any ordinary director could. Many would say that Shine a Light is the final chapter in documented footage of the Stones, but as the film suggests, the Rolling Stones continue to defy all odds. They remain as important now as ever, their music changing, blending and sometimes shaping situations through time whilst they remain ever consistent. Shine a Light kicks the doubters and critics that have labeled the band “dinosaurs” and “past it” straight in the bollocks with a steel-capped boot. As Keith would say “it’s one big trip, baby” and Marty takes you on the ride. Martin Scorsese and The Rolling Stones ‘Shine a Light’ will be shown at selected IMAX Cinema’s nationwide, April 11th, certificate 12A. Visit: www.shinealightmovie.co.uk for further information, offers and updates. Words: Dave Dryden
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U23D:
U23D: "A unique cinematic experience..."
23/01/2008
U2 are a rarity; a band who have been plying their trade for over thirty years and yet retain an almost unparalleled ability to sell-out tour after recurring tour. The only band who rival them on such a scale; for sheer volume, showmanship, skill and extravagant-décor are the Rolling Stones. But U2 are our point of concentration; the first rock-band in history to release a three-dimensional concert film: U23D. Words: Dave Dryden The relationship between this here writer and the Irish stadium-fillers has had peeks and troughs. Where once I would play classic albums ‘Achtung Baby’, ‘The Joshua Tree’, and ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’, back to back, the inflated ego of singer Bono caused the blossoming flower to wilt and die. It is an opinion greatly shared, that sometimes the fewer words spoken the better. But then, Bono is and never has been your run-of-the-mill rock star; he’s a truly unique, fascinating individual, and for everyone who knocks the frontman for his opinionated political and religious spiel, Bono has twenty followers. U23D was described as “a unique cinematic experience that places viewers within the pulsing energy of a stadium concert”, by Revolver Entertainment, the distributors who are bringing the film to screens in UK and Ireland on February 22nd. The London BFI IMAX will be one of about 66 cinemas to show the film in this country and despite entering the building with a sense of overwhelming dread (a three-dimensional Bono grueling for even the most hardened of hacks to stomach) there remained a smidgen of hope that my once flourishing admiration for the band could be rekindled. Having never entered the IMAX before, I didn’t quite know what to expect, only that the UK’s largest screen and 11,600 watts surround-sound was a pretty astronomical proposition. The film itself was shot early in 2006, during the South- American leg of the band’s sell-out ‘Vertigo’ tour, with the majority of footage taken from the band’s performances at Buenos Aires' River Plate Stadium in Argentina. Given that both venue dates followed an eight-year hiatus in the country, the atmosphere captured; noise, expression and fanaticism, was bound to make for interesting viewing. Unlike most music films where cutting live-performance with backstage footage is a staple, U23D simply showcased the latter. The docu-film aspect was stripped bare, something that could only be achieved with the use of ground-breaking 3D technology. If this had been bog-standard, 2D footage; song after song after song, the magic clouding a band would somewhat dwindle. But having been shot in 3D you’re thrown into the concert; good, bad, warts and all. Frankly, the photos just don't do it justice. Put simply, U23D is the nearest you’ll get to a concert minus the blood, sweat and beer-stains. Oh, and maybe the odd tear following a rendition of ‘One’ or ‘With or Without You’, two of the songs handpicked for the band’s phenomenal encore. Some of the more remarkable shots, and credit not only to the huge camera team that operated on the film, but the stage designers as well, took place when Bono performs on one gangway, deep in the heart of the throbbing masses, and The Edge, or bass player Adam Clayton, perform on a separate gangway. The 3D aspect creates an enormous sense of scale, Bono a three-dimensional spec in the background, surrounded by adoring fans; Clayton or The Edge at the forefront with an overwhelming sea of support in between and surrounding. Yes, there were moments when Bono grated, including a decision to tie a headband around his head, cry for peace, love and harmony, and attempt to reach out to Mohammed. But, boy, can the man sing. Just at the moment you feel like punching the frontman (a realistic proposition when you’re watching the notorious singer in 3D), Bono redeems himself with a perfect rendition of ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ or ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’. The Edge, Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. are equally impressive, particularly The Edge, who remains one of the greatest guitarists of his generation. So, having witnessed U23D first-hand, did any of the love that once flowed so freely come flooding back once more? Maybe... Just maybe. You’ll figure out the answer if you too see this ground-breaking, mesmerising, and phenomenal live concert film.
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