Chimpomatic

Nurses

Apples Acre

Dead Oceans

This Portland, Oregon band should count themselves very lucky that I'm going through something of a slack period in my duties for this site. Had I handed this review in last week when I should have, the score you see before you would be devoid of a star or two. Up until last week I found this record an interesting but ultimately frustrating and all too familiarly quirky statement. But then it hit me, in the space of one listen the other day the magic that is locked deep inside this record made itself known to me. The increased appreciation for something that had appeared so irritating is one thing to marvel at, but how a record as seemingly sparse and simple as this can have such delights hidden within is remarkable, there's not many places it can hide. The eery melodies that are coaxed from Aaron Chapman's otherworldly vocals stand alone among the barren sonic landscape, backed by an elementary rhythm section and distant glimmers of percussion the whole sound seems to show its cards from the start, but it's a bluff so don't be fooled, this is great stuff.

Having self released their debut back in 2007 Aaron Chapman and John Bowers have done their fair share of rambling but finally settled on Portland as their home. Picking up a third member, James Mitchell, their sound has laid down roots into the deeply dysfunctional yet joyously elegant psych-pop that makes up Apple's Acre. One way to describe it is Animal Collective on half the budget or Grizzly Bear on half the anal retention. There's an ease to which these songs seem to have been created. They appear shambolic at first with their rickety percussion and decrepit Rhodes piano and Chapman's high pitched delivery, but then out of this mess comes some of the most delightful melodies, and with such scant back-up it's Chapman alone who crafts these.

As a whole, the record swells to incorporate ever growing elements. In the early stages we get the thrifty concoction of voice and piano as in opener Technicolor, the feeling being lonely and haunting. Then slowly the vocals are layered and this is when the finest, most thrilling results occur. Manatarms starts off empty with dispersed voices circling the drums but then each voice falls in behind Chapman's squeak and the whole thing rises like an orchestra. The same can be said for Lita towards the end of the record. This is clearly the standout track here and throughout its three and a half minutes my heart reaches new joys far higher than any delicately crafted Grizzly Bear arrangement. With a trembling piano and plodding rhythm the vocal harmonies take their time to soar but soar they certainly do. But this isn't anthemic soaring we're used to in pop music. This is soaring that could collapse at any point and I guess it's somewhere in this tension that the beguiling beauty is to be found. 

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17th Aug 2009 - Tweet - Tumblr

L'Immortel

Clunky French revenge actioner, with Jean Reno hunting down les mobsters that put 22 bullets in him.

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20th May 2012

Donnie Darko

Post modern, post @DougCoupland time travel flick that favours style over substance.

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19th May 2012

Class

80s derivative of The Graduate - that hasn't held up too well, despite the early brat pack connection.

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19th May 2012

Transformers Dark of the Moon

So OTT I had to watch in two sittings, with a final hour of unprecedented Bayhem.

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19th May 2012

Super 8

Spielberg derivative that's more 'Goonies' than 'ET'. Not unsuccessful, but lacking the master's touch.

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14th May 2012

Everything Must Go

Will Ferrell gets serious in this engaging drama/comedy - drawn from a Raymond Carver short.

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13th May 2012

Gimme The Loot

Engaging low-key indie drama debut about graffiti bombers in NYC that won at @SXSW.

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11th May 2012

Dark Shadows

Vampire meets 70s. Another Burton/Depp dressing up box: a few gags, but messy plot strands & nowhere to go.

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8th May 2012

Breathless

Superficial 80s remake of the New Wave classic. Obviously made an impression on Tarantino.

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7th May 2012

A Little Bit of Heaven

Weepy chick flick that plays like an animated @Pinterest page. Alan Dale plays a doctor.

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4th May 2012

Rampart

Mood music in the key of dark, dark blue: Woody Harrelson's v bad cop is a shoot first, kick later kind of guy.

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3rd May 2012

Behind Enemy Lines

Surprisingly enjoyable pilot-on-the-run action flick that could've been made in 1986.

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2nd May 2012

Contraband

Efficient smuggling thriller. Mark Wahlberg's turn for one-last-job.

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1st May 2012

Tower Heist

Messy condo robbery w Ben Stiller in charge. Wasted opp to get Eddie Murphy on screen in non-Donkey role.

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1st May 2012

We Bought A Zoo

Matt Damon bonds w kids and Scarlett Johansson over tigers. Standard Cameron Crowe rock OST.

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1st May 2012

50 / 50

Joseph Gordon Levitt adds warmth, depth to 20something cancer story. Seth Rogen adds dude lols.

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1st May 2012

Chronicle

Well-executed found-footage teens w powers drama; tight, great characters, understated FX.

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1st May 2012

River's Edge

It may have moved from video shop shelf-filler to cult classic but the clumsy handling lets this down.

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30th Apr 2012

Billy Bragg and Wilco

Mermaid Avenue Complete Sessions

Great round up of the project with 3rd disc and DVD doc.

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30th Apr 2012

Bad Teacher

Shockingly unimaginative low brow comedy - which fares even worse second time round.

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29th Apr 2012

The Avengers

Avengers smash GOOD

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27th Apr 2012

Collateral

A hokey ending, but the set-pieces and edgy technical direction still make for an often riveting thriller.

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16th Apr 2012

The Messenger

Thoughtful, gut-wrenching, post-war drama with powerful performances from Ben Foster and Harrelson.

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15th Apr 2012

Mr Mom

Dated, but amusing prototype John Hughes flick. Everybody learns something. You fill in the rest.

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15th Apr 2012

Your Highness

Get your quest on, as Eastbound and Down goes retro in this swords and sorcery comedy. Stupid/funny.

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14th Apr 2012

Captain America

The First Avenger

Enjoyable, old fashioned actioner, with plenty of nice comic book moments.

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2nd Apr 2012

The Change Up

Gosling and Bateman swap lives. Everybody learns something.

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2nd Apr 2012

Horrible Bosses

Low brow comedy update of 'Strangers on a Train'.

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2nd Apr 2012

Warrior

Contrived, convoluted, testosterone filled fight flick, worthy of an 80s VHS rental.

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2nd Apr 2012

Joan Baez

Poole Lighthouse

We were forewarned:- there were signs in the foyer that there would be no warm-up act and no interval, just a straight performance. And that was exactly what we got – just under two hours of Joan Baez. The years have been kind, and at 71 she walked on stage looking as slim and elegant as ever. The hair is now cropped and the colour is silver, but then that applied to most of the audience as well.

The stage was bare apart from a comfy sofa and a standard lamp, and she was accompanied for most of the evening by her son Gabriel Harris on percussion and the talented Dirk Powell on mandolin, accordion and just about everything else.

The atmosphere was relaxed and the songs were a mixture of old favourites and the not so old – Farewell Angelina, God On Our Side, House of the Rising Sun, and Diamonds and Rust, a reference to her relationship with Bob Dylan. We also got John Lennon’s Imagine and Donovan’s Catch the Wind, and the evening finished with The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Blowin’ in the Wind. Her voice is still haunting although she avoids many of the high notes now, and I did think that the tempo of some of the songs (particularly House of the Rising Sun) was a bit slower than it used to be. But she can certainly still sing. And she still believes in what she sings.

We went home happy, and although the singer is still a protester I wondered how many of the audience still are?!

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26th Mar 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

The Descendants

Convoluted melodrama, with a decent central performance from George Clooney.

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23rd Mar 2012

Take Me Home Tonight

Some laughs as Topher Grace tries period 80s post-college partycom. Rubik's Cube w new stickers.

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21st Mar 2012

Senna

Compelling doc about the Brasilian F1 driver edited from existing footage. Great ride even if you find F1 dull.

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21st Mar 2012

The Muppets

Fuzzy get-felt-gang-back-together feel-good antics. Man Or Muppet? song v Conchords, bonus Dave Grohl cameo.

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21st Mar 2012

12 Monkeys

Engaging but overblown sci-fi romp, as Terry Gilliam stretches a 5 min experimental film out to 2 hours.

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20th Mar 2012

Fast Five

Furiously paced ensemble heist movie. A muscle car next to Danny Ocean's vintage Porsche.

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17th Mar 2012

Love And Other Drugs

Pseudo-deep, nostalgia tinged comedy > drama, painted with big, cliched brush strokes.

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12th Mar 2012

Faster

The Rock does his best Lee Marvin impression while Billy Bob slums it in this unsubtle thriller-by-numbers.

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10th Mar 2012

Schindler's List

Brutal masterpiece. Outstanding direction, assured writing and performances, amazing photography.

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5th Mar 2012

Galaxy Quest

Entertaining post-modern comedy, effectively riffing and paying homage to the geek-fest of #StarTrek.

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4th Mar 2012

John Carter

An uneasy mix of sandals, sci-fi, Superman and cowboys that holds together, but never quite takes off.

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3rd Mar 2012

Hanna

Abstract, ambitious, pretentious, graphical, European art house thriller. Like Wes Anderson doing Bourne.

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2nd Mar 2012

Country Strong

Another lumbering plod through the troubled, lovelorn, cliche-ridden world of Country & Western.

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2nd Mar 2012

Black Mountain

Year Zero OST

5 unreleased tracks make this unmissable. Mary Lou will blow your socks off

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1st Mar 2012

State of Grace

Early 90s gangster pic - with juvenile Penn, Oldman and Reilly doing a dry run for 'The Departed'.

Halliwell says: Dull and plodding gangster movie.

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28th Feb 2012

The Eagle

Roman action/drama that covers the same ground as 'Centurion', with twice the style and half the pace.

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25th Feb 2012

The Company Men

Thoughtful unemployment drama, filled with solid performances and classy cinematography.

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25th Feb 2012

Walking Tall

Fun smalltown actioner with a plot The A-team would be proud of except The Rock didn't know who to call.

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25th Feb 2012

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.**

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23rd Feb 2012

Scarface

Shapeless pacing and shoddy production values make for one of the most over-rated film school favorites.

Halliwell says: Absurdly brutalized version of the above, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language. Scarface has now become an emigre Cuban, and the film seems to want to make a political statement.

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20th Feb 2012