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Surveillance
Breathless
Superficial 80s remake of the New Wave classic. Obviously made an impression on Tarantino.
7th May 2012
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The Muppets
Fuzzy get-felt-gang-back-together feel-good antics. Man Or Muppet? song v Conchords, bonus Dave Grohl cameo.
21st Mar 2012
Read more 3 star reviewsLatest @ChiliPeppers album holding up well, despite Antony Kiedis still wanting to "stick his peg into my square". #ImWithYou
16th Mar 2012
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Married To The Mob
Tight, multi-layered comedy in Jonathan Demme's best film - and the antidote to 'Goodfellas'.
Halliwell says: Effervescent comedy-thriller that bubbles merrily along.**
#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell
23rd Feb 2012
Read more 4.5 star reviewsFriday Night Lights kicks off on @SkyAtlantic on Tuesday, from
S1 E1. Been meaning to catch that since it initially kicked off.
9th Feb 2012
Read on TwitterAn app update has rolled out @SKYAtlantic on the #SkyGo iPad/iPhone app. Now I can watch Boardwalk Empire and Seinfeld in the bath....
4th Feb 2012
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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
More mindless big budget tentpole antics. Nothing new to report, Cap'n.
30th Jan 2012
Read more 2.5 star reviewsArchetypal area man conundrum: #Seinfeld on Sky Atlantic from EP 1. Have seen nearly every episode ....but it's been remastered in HD.
28th Jan 2012
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Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy No 1
More expensive, directionless French gangster antics. With added Almaric.
4th Jan 2012
Read more 2.5 star reviewsFinally saw a trailer for Michael Mann's new TV show 'Luck'. Starts Feb on Sky Atlantic.
24th Dec 2011
Read on TwitterJust took a whopping delivery from @MeantimeBrewing. Thanks guys! How should I be storing/serving IPA, Porter and Chocolate Porter?
14th Dec 2011
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Che Part Two
Stylish, but dull and anti-climactic meander through Che's exploits in Bolivia.
2nd Dec 2011
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I Don't Know How She Does It
Don't know why she does it: autofill gender studies romcom antics from SJP, lite on rom/com.
24th Sep 2011
Read more 1 star reviewsFlight of the Conchords is re-running from next Monday night on Sky Atlantic. Flip! @FOTC
9th Aug 2011
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Promo Promo: Beastie Boys w/ Santigold
Another epic, over-long promo up from the Beastie Boys and Spike Jonze. This one features action figures.
#CSF
#Film
#Heroes
#Music
#PromoPromo
19th Jul 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet
Old School
Extremely watchable, vintage #stupido antics from Frank the Tank and the gang.
17th Jul 2011
Read more 4 star reviewsSky Antime VOD now seems to have some programs in HD. Never had such easy access to Coppola's Dracula flick.
20th Jun 2011
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Fincher and Nolan vs Malick
Here's a nice featurette on the Tree of Life, with Christopher Nolan and David Fincher discussing Terence Malick's work.
Via AICN
If you like Malick, you'll like this: He's allegedly already preparing a six hour cut of Tree of Life, as well as a complimentary IMAX movie documenting the evolution of life.
Don't worry if that sounds too much. His next movie is a romantic drama. Which is promised to be "More experimental that Tree of Life".
Via The Filmstage
Malick has also asked his crew to keep summer and autumn free for another possible feature shoot.
Via LA Times
17th Jun 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet
Blonde Ambition
Lowest common denominator fish out of water romantic comedy. Secret Of My Success is a distant memory.
11th Jun 2011
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The Romantics
Unambitious old - friends - reunite - for - wedding flick, covering well trodden ground.
4th Jun 2011
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How To Make It In America
Season 1
HBO
With Entourage winding down after an epic 7 (soon to be 8th and final) seasons, HBO have started to line up it's successor. While the no-money, Lower East Side vibe of aspiring fashion entrepreneurs Ben Epstein and Cam Calderon might seem like a million miles from the valet parking of Vincent Chase's Hollywood, there are many parallels with this East Coast cousin - following the same dreams of success and the high life, just jumping on board at an earlier stage.
Despite the opposing fortunes, lifestyle envy also plays a big part here and while the reality of always being a dollar short might not quite hold the everlasting appeal of having a dollar too much, always knowing the hippest parties and being on first-name terms with every door man in town is something many of us would have loved 15 years ago. Slow motion mixes with flash frame photography and well chosen music to beautifully capture the gritty, exciting world of opportunity of both the Lower East Side and the just-graduated student mentality.
How To Make It In America has that quick-fix vibe that gets you high in 25 minutes and leaves you wanting more. Well-rounded episodes that fly by, but the season arc stays strong and is filled out well with multiple story strands (including a career-best performance from Luis Guzman and Rasta Monsta) all staying as strong as each other, while still building the bigger picture of the show's overall themes and agenda.
Great stuff. Should be back for season 2 later on in 2011.
1st Jun 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 4.5 star reviewsBoys don't like romance. They like steak. Take him to @HawksmoorLondon. RT @satoberry: Sorted♡ phew! Now to find a romantic restaurant..
8th May 2011
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HBO 2 GO
It's US-only of course, but HBO's new iPad app looks pretty impressive for catching up with your favourite shows from the comfort of your bed/toilet/plane.
Fingers crossed that Sky Atlantic might release something similar. And that it doesn't cost an extra £10 a month.
Via Uncrate
3rd May 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet
Taking a world tour of the @meantimebrewing brewery today. Highly recommended. http://t.co/EXLTgKQ
30th Apr 2011
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New My Morning Jacket: Circuital
"I want it to sound like we're Cuban or Cambodian kids, and we're wearing berets and we're walking through an alley and we stumble upon this band, and it explodes into this crazy sing-along."
My Morning Jacket have a new album - Circuital - out this spring. Make of that what you will. The good news:
"We want people to have almost the exact opposite experience they had last time. I definitely had some goals of wanting to make this one warmer and somehow more contained and more concise of a statement."
Via Rolling Stone
4th Mar 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet
Classic #Curb on Sky Atlantic tonight. It's the 'Beloved Aunt' episode..
28th Feb 2011
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Pulp Fiction
Tarantino's showy, overlong 2nd film highlights all of his swagger - signposting his later flaws.
27th Feb 2011
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Trailer Park: Games Of Thrones
quite like the look of this new epic fantasy show - coming to Sky Atlantic a day after US HBO transmission, Apr 18
24th Feb 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet
Just struggled through one of Sky Atlantic's flagship shows. 'Blue Bloods' was decidedly average.
2nd Feb 2011
Read on TwitterSuburban Girl
Weak, empty romantic drama with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin. No redeeming features.
30th Jan 2011
Read more 1 star reviewsJust flew: @AmericanAir DFW>LHR Frantic service, no seat TVs, late take off due to a repair - which earned us all 1 'free' drink!? 2 stars
27th Jan 2011
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Break it down...
Ever wondered who that was ranting about parking tickets on DJ Shadow's Stem/Long Stem? Turns out it was Murray Roman (not Elliot Gould, surprisingly). A question I finally answered thanks to www.whosampled.com - a database of beats and pieces listing all types of loops and lifts.
"Traffic offences! Bah! Parking tickets!"
9th Nov 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Hot Sauce Update
OK just to be clear, here's what's going on with the new Beasties record (TRANSLATION: some songs you haven't heard yet are now going to be replaced by some other songs you haven't heard yet but you'll still get to hear the other lot later):
BEASTIE BOYS HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART 2 TRACK LISTING REVISED, REPLACED ENTIRELY WITH SONGS ORIGINALLY RECORDED FOR HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART 1
In what can only be described as a bizarre coincidence, following an exhaustive re-sequence marathon, Beastie Boys have verified that their new Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 will be comprised of the same 16 tracks originally slated for inclusion on Hot Sauce Committee Part 1. The record (part 2 that is) will be released as planned in spring 2011 on Capitol.
The tracks originally recorded for Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 (which now are actually back on Part 1) have now apparently been bumped to make room for the former Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 material. Wait, what?
"I know it's weird and confusing, but at least we can say unequivocally that Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 is coming out on time, which is more than I can say about Part 1, and really is all that matters in the end." says Adam "MCA" Yauch. "We just kept working and working on various sequences for part 2, and after a year and half of spending days on end in the sequencing room trying out every possible combination, it finally became clear that this was the only way to make it work. Strange but true, the final sequence for Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 works best with all its songs replaced by the 16 tracks we originally had lined up in pretty much the same order we had them in for Hot Sauce Committee Part 1. So we've come full circle."
Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 marks Yauch, Mike "Mike D" Diamond, and Adam "Ad Rock" Horovitz's first full length effort since 2007's Grammy winning all-instrumental The Mix-Up. The new track listing of the album is now as follows:
1. Tadlock's Glasses
2. B-Boys In The Cut
3. Make Some Noise
4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
5. OK
6. Too Many Rappers (featuring NAS)
7. Say It
8. The Bill Harper Collection
9. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
10. Long Burn The Fire
11. Funky Donkey
12. Lee Majors Come Again
13. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
14. Pop Your Balloon
15. Crazy Ass Shit
16. Here's A Little Something For Ya
UPDATE: The Beasties also have a new website.
25th Oct 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Once Upon A Time In The West Midlands
Dissapointing sub-Mike Leigh antics from Shane Meadows.
12th Sep 2010
Read more 2.5 star reviewsRe-Branded
Lovely video up from creative agency Johnson Banks to document their re-branding of Virgin Atlantic;s fleet. Doesn't look like the cleanest place to work, but the results are certainly shiny.
Via Brand New
11th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Inception
(dir. Christopher Nolan)
What a relief it is to see something new. After all the endless sequels, franchise-extensions, remakes and reboots we've been lumbered with in recent years, you start to feel like no-one is going to bother coming up with anything new, which presents an odd problem: what are people going to remake in 20 years time?!
Anyhow, Inception delivers on its promise of mind-bending action. It's smart, coherent, tense, exciting, unpredictable and rich with emotional depth. Once the rules of the game are established early on - ex-military tech is now being used by corporate spies to steal secrets from people in their dreams you say? Oh, OK, fine! - the movie takes hold, dropping you off in its dream logic, throwing you around the world, dizzying you with some excellent special effects and not letting up until the final credits. Think Eternal Sunshine of The Ocean's 11 Mind, with a bonus dash of Matrix flash (before it got shit).
Leonardo DiCaprio steps up to the promise he's been showing since The Departed, with another beefy role as the experienced dream warrior who gets hired to plant an idea, rather than steal a secret. It's like he's getting wider rather than older. Ellen "Juno" Page is a great addition to Nolan's tricksy world, adding a grounded, sarky teen level to the blockbuster antics. Tom Hardy's role moves a touch too far towards Action Dude from the cerebral, shady forger who's brought on board the team to impersonate people in dreams, but he's still great - surely a big lead role in a Hollywood film can't be far off for him? Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays DiCaprio's right hand man, another thoroughly watchable performance from him. Cillian Murphy makes a decent mark for them to target. Ken Watanabe and Michael Caine - two more Nolan veterans - add yet more weight. Marion Cotillard perhaps hams it up a little as the mysterious French femme fatale, but that's a minor niggle - and there's an argument to be made that it's an intentional device.
Going in cold to a film like this is highly recommended - so we'll stop here; it's easily the film of the summer - and a strong contender for the year's best.
Check out the comic book prequel here.
14th Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 4.5 star reviewsJim Jannard's "1080p is the VHS of the future" comment could ring true quicker than anticipated. YouTube gets 4K: http://bit.ly/bJsre3
12th Jul 2010
Read on TwitterThe Other Man
Under-developed romantic mystery with Liam Neason. The 85 minute running time took forever.
10th Jul 2010
Read more 2 star reviewsFreedom From Porn: The Movie
There seems to be quite an Apple backlash brewing recently, as Apple overtake Microsoft's spot at the top in more ways than one. While the closed eco-system of the iPhone/Pad/Pod certainly has its advantages, it's also a similar situation to that which led to Microsoft's dominating share of the browser wars - which were followed by years of anti-trust investigation and Internet Explorer's current position as bastard child of the evolving internet.
Steve Jobs' position on porn has been made quite clear, and some people don't like it.
14th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Just watched: Crank 2: High Voltage. Batshit crazy , fast shutter antics from Jason Statham's Chev Chelios, Nevaldine + Taylor. 3 stars.
9th Jun 2010
Read on TwitterUP THERE.
Lovely short film up at Vimeo documenting the guys that still paint the multi-story billboard ads in NYC.
FYI ...should you find yourself wanting a Stella at the end, it's an advertorial. Produced by Mother NY.
Via Howies.
8th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Soft Pack
The Soft Pack
Heavenly
I know this has been out for ages but I'm just loving it. Formerly known as The Muslims, this San Diego four piece wisely changed their name and emerged with a belated release of this debut proper. It doesn't rewrite anything but just hits all the indie-punk buttons in quite a mild mannered, but endlessly pleasing way. The formula is very much two minute breakneck shots of garage rock full of jangle guitars, frantic drums and all propelled by singer Matt Lamkin's deadpan swagger. Where this formula is broken is where this band really come alive. Midway through the record you get Pull Out. It establishes a steady beat early on and keeps it steady throughout. Lamkin's repeated vocals give it an almost Krautrock kind of mesmerism. It builds up on this pace then crashes down to return to the rolling drum beat, then starts the process again. Closing track Parasites continues this structure but eases down on the gas and finishes things with at a belting pace. It employs extended areas of driving guitar between Lamkin's shouted vocals and sees the last minute out in this fashion. I's the final sprint and it's electrifying.
There's been much hype surrounding this band, largely due to the name change but also some pretty memorable live shows. This hype has taken its time to manifest here in the UK and it might have been difficult for a small band's reputation to precede them this much. But this release does all that justice and more than wets the appetite for the future.
4th Jun 2010 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
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Melvins
The Bride Screamed Murder
Ipecac
This is the first proper Melvins release for two years and the third to feature Jarred Warren and Coady Willis from Big Business. The two preceding albums (Senile Animal, Nude With Boots) were chock full of twin-drummer assaults and memorable tracks that somehow combined the best of the Melvins sound with that of Big Business. This new release has its moments, but ultimately fails to satisfy.
Speaking as a total fan-boy, I can't say I'm not disappointed. I've travelled more miles to see this band play live than any other. I've always loved the new ideas that come with shifting line-ups, and lived with this new release for a month before posting my review, but I can't get over the fact that this album is (at best) hotch-potch, and at worst, weak.
It's certainly diverse - the opening track The Water Glass is a rallying cry for the Melvins massive - all military cadence drumming and boot-camp chanting. OK, a bit baffling, but perhaps it'll work live. Things suddenly look up with track 2 - Evil New War God. This is the best track on the album - classic Melvins chunk winding into a doomy synth assisted riff during it's outro. Great stuff, but from here on in, the pickings get much slimmer. Pig House starts out promisingly enough but ends up in a rock-bolero - that most hackneyed and corny device. Even if it's meant to be ironic, it still sounds cheesy.
I'll Finish You Off is next - and to my ears it sounds just like a Big Business track. I'm not hearing much Buzz and Dale in there. Electric Flower follows and this could be said to be the other highlight of the album. Hospital Up comes next, which sounds like a track that might have been left off Nude With Boots - it starts well but dissolves into two minutes of faux-jazz fucking around. The joke wears thin after about 20 seconds. Inhumanity And Death is a bit incoherent - a stitch-together of left-over riffs, or orphans that don't really get along with each other. Then we get an 8 minute version of The Who's My Generation played as a sloppy bar blues. Once again, the irony is lost on me - it's just boring. The Melvins have done some awesome cover versions over the years (White Punks On Dope, Promise Me) but this doesn't come up to scratch.
The album winds down with PG x 3 - a folksy tone-poem played through three times - on melodica, a-capella, and on fuzz guitar. It ends with a child's voice counting numbers and looping on the number 4. I quite like this, but it's not exactly Steve Reich. Perhaps that repeated number 4 is reminding us that there are four people in the Melvins, each with equal input. Perhaps - but I'm not sure if this serves as a declaration or a disclaimer.
3rd Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
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