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Surveillance
Munich
(dir. Steven Spielberg)
Following the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Israeli government assemble a covert unit to track down and assassinate those they deem responsible. Totally disconnected from their country and their families the mission leads the group into dark territory, leading many of them to question what they are doing.
The era of the film is superbly recreated, through the photographic style - which is highly reminiscent of genre films like The Conversation or The French Connection. Spielberg uses retro zooms and deftly choreographed cameras and action to set the set the scene, provide tension and re-create the shooting style of the era. When did zooms become a no-no exactly? A hugely detailed scene outside a busy airport is made to seem as though the camera crew just turned up in '71 on a regular day and started rolling. It's subtle and easily overlooked, but superbly done.
Unfortunately the slow-pacing, unclear plot and lack of narrative that was often a hallmark of the 70's has also been lovingly created. While of course I have no problem with films taking their time, I like to see that time put to good us. While there's nothing that could have obviously been dropped, things seem to happen with little build up and the time between doesn't always fill out the details. Then again, back in the 70's we didn't need any explanation for why the Ruskies were the bad guys - they just were.
Ciaran Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Geoffrey Rush and Daniel Craig all put in solid performances, but it's Eric Bana's film and he convincingly portrays the patriot torn between right and wrong.
12th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
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Lion vs Croc vs Buffalo
Never ones to overlook a YouTube phenomenon, check out this crazy animal street fight.
9th Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Be Kind Rewind
Michel Gondry has finished his new movie Be Kind Rewind, which is no doubt scheduled for a straight-to-Tesco release in the UK around 2011 if the promotion of his last one is anything to go by.
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9th Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Studio Tan
I know some of you chimps like the sexy brown look, but make sure you get it in the sun, rather than from the lab.
9th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Pearl Jam Pickled
In response to AT&T's apparent decision to censor part of their sponsored Lollapalooza webcast on Sunday, Pearl Jam have posted their thoughts on their website.... and they're not happy about it.
Eddie Vedder's anti-bush improv was seemingly lost on the cutting room floor.
Guitarist Mike McCready has chipped in here, and you can see a before and after video on YouTube.
8th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Freeze Frame Defrosted
After last month's ode to the long lost art of the freeze frame ending, I caught TWO last night. Bruce Willis action movie 16 Blocks (!) and The Legend of Zorro. Ole!
8th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
16 Blocks
(dir. Richard Donner)
A cop with a shady past does everything it takes to get a witness in a police corruption case through 16 blocks to the courthouse, as a police force littered with corrupt officers try to stop them both.
Not bad by-the-numbers Bruce WIllis actioner, somewhat revolutionary for it's re-vitalisation of the freeze-frame ending.
8th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 2.5 star reviewsThree Men in a Float
For his latest project Idle author and Chimp buddy Dan Kieran has been driving across the UK in a milk float. See some highlights here.
7th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Notes From The Field
Chimpovich has sent in dispatches from Vietnam.
7th Aug 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
What's On Hitler's iPod?
...it'll be on eBay soon enough.
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7th Aug 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
New Band of Horses Album
So the new Band of Horses album is finished and entitled Cease To Begin. It's out on October 9th through Sub Pop and hopefully we'll be reviewing it as soon as possible.
01 Is There a Ghost
02 Ode to LRC
03 No One's Gonna Love You
04 Detlef Schrempf
05 The General Specific
06 Lamb on the Lam (in the city)
07 Islands on the Coast
08 Marry Song
09 Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
10 Window Blues
This info has been lifted from Pitchfork, who have a good interview with singer Ben Bridwell discussing the annoying proliferation of non-stop filming at gigs these days - and an incident where he became visible enraged about it. While previously being guilty of it myself I try and keep my photography to a minimum these days and just enjoy the show. You're not going to forget a good one, and every single moment of anything seems to be over documented.
The recent Band of Horses show in London was plagued by such problems, as the stage at Scala is so low that it was hard to see past the cameras and see the band.
5th Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The New Internet
There's a couple of interesting articles around discussing the future of the internet and where it's all heading. The Guardian are discussing a possible successor to the current internet - currently dubbed Geni. The plan would be to re-build things in the right way, cutting down on child pornography, viruses and spam - with one report claiming that 93% of email sent from the UK last year was spam.
Meanwhile, the official Internet2 has been under development for some time amongst the educational/scientific community, in much the same way as boring old Internet 1 was developed. It's actually been operating since 1996 and set a monster speed record in 2000 - read more digestible information about that on Wikipedia.
Not to be confused with Internet2 is Web 2.0.... about which PC Magazine have an interesting article discussing the potential bursting of that bubble, on a 2.0 scale.
5th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Happy Birthday
Say happy birthday to Chimpomatic's favourite trouble maker, Billy Bob Thornton - 52 today. It looks like Mr. Woodcock is going to be his next under-rated, straight-to-DVD offering. Check the trailer here.
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4th Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
We Own The Night
Trailer up at Yahoo for the new Mark Wahlberg / Joachim Phoenix movie We Own The Night - directed by The Yards' James Gray, which also starred Mark Wahlberg and Joachim Phoenix. Looks like a fairly predictable slice of post-Departed thriller, with a slice of The Last Days of Disco..... but could be good.
As a side note, Yahoo seems to be doing a pretty good job recently of beating Apple to the punch when it comes to HD Trailer Exclusives and clips ....of which they have a load of Bourne Ultimatum stuff.
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3rd Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
You're Hired
Sky have agreed to buy Amstrad Computers off Siralun for 125 million, meaning he's got a new boss in Rupert Murdoch. The deal paves the way for Sky to lock down and develop their tech a bit more eventually providing two-way communication via their broadband service that started last year. That two-way communication is essential in providing on-demand video - which was Virgin Media's one minor advantage.
The Independent has an article about it all, including this gem:
The company's last big product launch, the "em@iler" super-phone in 2000, failed to revive its prospects and left the former electronics giant vulnerable to competition in the set-top box market. The company still has a small business selling consumer audio electronics and supporting the em@iler.
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www.independent.co.uk
www.itpro.co.uk
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3rd Aug 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Fancy Footwork
Check out the great promo for Tenderoni, from electro-love-funksters Chromeo.
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YouTube
Windows Media (High)
Windows Media (Low)
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3rd Aug 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Kanye vs Prince Billy
In an inspired collaboration, Kanye West has enlisted Bonnie Prince Billy and Zach Galifianakis to lip sync his latest video - Can’t Tell Me Nothin’.
2nd Aug 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Philadelphia?
It would be a tough debate to land Tom Hanks in the same shaky bullpen as Caine or Connery, but Jonathan Demme is surely ripe for a run down.
I caught Philadelphia again tonight, which I remember quite enjoying back in the early 90's. While the script and story certainly carry a lot of clout, I was literally shocked at how dated and strangely put together it seemed. Pure Big era Hanks crossed with Tak Fujimotos' Bueller-80's-fun cinematography, page-flip transitions, the Hitchcock-esqe soundtrack split with The Boss's title theme tune and Demme's airplane documentary shooting style. A shot of Ye Olde Horse and Cart to set the Philadelphia scene? People talking to the camera in a non-narrative way? Crazy.
Silence of the Lambs is obviously the career highlight, but I never liked that either. Married to the Mob on the other hand is probably in my all-time top 10....
31st Jul 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Brokeback Goodfellas
It might not have the finesse of Shining, but Brokeback Goodfellas might amuse you for a while...
30th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ridley Spills The Beans
Blade Runner: Final Cut is out soon on DVD, promising a totally-utterly-definitive-final version, including some newly shot footage. The set also comes with a uber-documentary in which Ridley discusses the significance of the unicorn.
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29th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Classic Coke
The Coca-Cola can has had a re-design, costing a reputed $3 Million. It's the one on the right. The thinking is that the drinks market has become far too diluted and that Coke as a brand has lost lost strength. That's a position they have got take some responsibility for, with the introduction of crap like Coke With Orange.
Check out this site for a huge collection of different cans.
The Japanese have already had that classic style going on for a while however.
28th Jul 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
310 To Yuma
Apart from the mis-placed typeface, the new Russell Crowe/Christian Bale looks pretty good in a Tombstone kind of way.
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28th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Postal Service
Give Up
Sub Pop
I came across this side project from Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello after reading Sub Pop's FAQ entitled " I AM MAKING A SHORT FILM FOR COLLEGE THAT IS GOING TO A SMALL FESTIVAL. I ONLY HAVE A SHOESTRING BUDGET, CAN I USE THE ENTIRE SUB POP CATALOG FOR FREE IN MY FILM? OR MAYBE JUST A FEW SONGS BY NIRVANA AND THE SHINS? PLEASE, I PROMISE I WILL THANK YOU?", to which they replied "...to acquire a license for a Sub Pop artist, excluding The Postal Service, The Shins, or Nirvana, which you aren’t going to get..."
Having previously heard whispers about both Nirvana and The Shins, but having never, ever even heard of The Postal Service I found myself instantly intrigued by the 'stay away and don't be so predictable' warning. I pretty soon found myself checking them out - and it caught me off guard. Having never heard Death Cab For Cutie (who by name alone I had assumed were as bad as Hootie and the Blowfish) or Dntel, it was not what I was expecting at all.... but I did quickly realise it was one of the highlights on Sub Pop's Songbook of Songs compilation from 2005. Status restored. I heard heard of them after all and even made a mental note to "check out that band on track 14"
Sounding like beats from in-a-good-mood-Aphex Twin crossed with the storytelling, upbeat style of Ben Folds, the first couple of tracks are superb. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight has all the beeps and squeaks in just the right places, and a building, restless energy. The energy continues into Such Great Heights, which is probably the stand-out track on the album. Not that I know for sure, as at this point I pretty consistently doze off. It's just one of those albums that works like a big glass of red wine - relaxing and easy to listen to in the best way possible. Literal, story telling lyrics over gentle pulsing beeps.... ahh. They also do a great cover of guilty pleasure Against All Odds, but unfortunately that's not on the album.
For the purpose of this review I have done a mild bit of further research, and things do become a little less memorable towards the end of the album, without being bad - just less striking. There's a definite side-project vibe to the album, although hopefully it's success will help bulk things up with a follow up. Ben Gibbard's voice can get a little too sweet and sccahrine, and I think I just start tuning him out. I guess that's where the FAQ comes in, as there is no doubt these guys would sit very comformably on the soundtrack to a Zack Braff movie of your choice.
26th Jul 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3.5 star reviewsWeen
The Friends EP
Schnitzel
Where can you begin when describing Ween? Like a friend who's the life and soul of the party, they often end up puking in the punch bowl and making out with your cousin. You know you should just stop hanging out with them, but you're always too ready to just give them one more chance.
Ween have always made a genre out of having no genre, but as the band seem ever hungry to (re)conquer 'new' territory they can be a little hard to pin down. With the opening salvo of Friends sounding like an Estonian entry into the Eurovision song contest I think It's safe to say that every genre has now been covered. Sounding note for note like a raved up Barbie Girl, only the lyrics serve as a clue that this is no what it seems. "Do you want me as your special friend?"
...or maybe I'm just believing the hype about Ween. Often lauded as superb musicians, I am forever finding myself waiting for that one serious (OK, maybe not serious, but at least less inside-joke-orientated) album. I have personally heard moments of their brilliance (Stay Forever, What Deaner Was Talkin' About, If You Could Save Yourself... ) and I know that a classic album is in there - they just seem reluctant to let it out. Like a west coast KLF, they are constantly playing the fool - poking fun and showing us just how easy it is to make all kinds of music, yet never quite letting us inside the circle. What do they actually want to sound like? What do they actually like? The psuedo-reggae of King Billy? The latin groove of Light Me Up? Or maybe the 80's soft-rock or Slow Down Boy, which never quite hits yacht? Hopefully it's the classic rock of Did You See Me, currently playing on their Myspace page.
It may be (yet) another mis-step, but this won't stop me looking and yet again I'll just put this one down to a funny joke and wait for the album proper - La Cucaracha which is due in the Autumn. That's bound to be the one to finally unleash the inner Ween.
26th Jul 2007 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 1 star reviews
Lost Boys
I nabbed this great poster from Aint-It-Cool, who are putting on a screening of The Lost Boys in Santa Cruz.
It's tonight .....if you happen to be in town.
25th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Rough Trade Joins Beggars
In what seems like a good move for everybody, Rough Trade records has joined forces with the Beggars group - already home to 4AD, Matador, XL and others. Hopefully that means we'll have a few more reviews from Rough Trade coming down the pipe....
Rough Trade, the seminal UK Independent label founded and run by Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee, have today joined the existing labels within the Beggars Group, following the purchase by Beggars of Sanctuary's interest in the company.
24th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Telstar
It's the 45th birthday of the Telstar satellite - which was set up to beam the first TV signals from the US to Europe. A baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs might have been the first broadcast, but thankfully things picked up - aside from a dry patch in the 80's.
It looks remarkably similar to the Death Star's torture droid.
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23rd Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume IV
Song Of The Day seems to have become Song Of The Quarter recently, with the last one being added way back in May when Dr. Chimp Jr joined us.
As BC's out of the office on holiday this week I've been cranking up The Flaming Lips, and Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung from At War With The Mystics has floated to the top. This great live band can be a great album band when they drop the jokes.
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20th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Latitude
Say hello to new reviewer LG. He's been to Latitude and written what is undoubtedly the longest review this site has ever seen, which you can read here - when you have an hour or two.
20th Jul 2007 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
New Bond
I didn't know the new Bond movie was already out, although that Dream Team movie looks pretty skill too.
19th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
!!!
Tonight, in a momentary lapse of concentration, I caught 5 minutes of Attack Of The Clones. Specifically, I caught the scene where Obi-wan visits a '50s style retro diner, where (in a scene right out of Police Squad) he gets some snitch tip-offs from the fat dude who runs the place. Thanks to Wookiepedia you can read all about Dex's Diner and Dexter Jettster's previous exploits...
18th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Simposonizer
Not quite up to the Sith Sense standard, but Burger King is at it again with the Simposonizer.
18th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Rough Trade East
Following the sacrifice of the old Neal's Yard shop, the new Rough Trade East opens this Friday in the Truman Brewery, just off Brick Lane.
Record shops, Truman Brewery - so 90's!
18th Jul 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Support Clinic
Clinic are lined up to support Arcade Fire this Autumn, making it a gig BC won't want to miss. Except he's on holiday. But he should be back by November.
Fri Oct 26th - Glasgow, SECC
Sat Oct 27th - Manchester, MEN
Mon Oct 29th - Newcastle, Arena
Tue Oct 30th - Cardiff, Arena
Wed Oct 31st - Nottingham, Arena
Sun Nov 18th - London, Alexandra Palace
17th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Mercury Music Nominees
This year's list is out. Good to see Bella Union getting some credit.
Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold
Fionn Regan - The End of History
New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Maps - We Can Create
The View - Hats Off to the Buskers
Dizzee Rascal - Maths + English
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Jamie T - Panic Prevention
Basquiat Strings - Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford
17th Jul 2007 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Halo 3
Peter Jackson's Halo movie might have been canned, but he's back on board to produce the new trailer for version 3 of the game. Robo-CGI man Neil Blomkamp (who did those great shorts) is directing and it's a pretty nice mix of CGI and film footage - although it is still essentially an ad, lacking in the observational commentary created in his short films and more in tune with that stupid Citroën commercial.
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12th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Frozen Finale
Just wrapped up a screening of Karate Kid and I realised that virtually no-one uses the freeze-frame ending anymore. There was a time when John Candy or Mr Miyagi giving a thumbs up to the camera while some yacht rock faded in was the only way you would know a movie (or should that be rental video) was finished
10th Jul 2007 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
1-18-08
Still no title, but you can now check out the trailer for that JJ Abrams movie in mega-sized Quicktime. I'm definitely getting sucked into the vortex here...
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9th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
The National Daytrotter
Daytrotter have a great 4 track live session for download - by Chimp favourite's The National. It includes a cover of 80's classic Pretty In Pink.
9th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
John From Cincinnati
With the Sopranos dead and buried, The Wire soon coming to an end and Deadwood on hiatus, HBO has filled the gap with John From Cincinnati. It's a surf based mystery sci-fi drama, or sci-surfaramady for short. Could be good, or could be cancelled before it gets going, but I'm going to give it a whirl.
8th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ethan Haas Was Right
Lost creator JJ Abrams and the alumni of his Bad Robot company seem to be rustling up another viral marketing storm for a new project that is as yet untitled. The clues and rumours seem to be pointing to a monster movie that's all shot handheld and POV by us mere mortals who are being attacked..... or something like that.
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www.ethanhaaswasright.com
www.ethanhaaswaswrong.com
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6th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Lunar Habitat
ILC Dover have been given the project of designing NASA's first moon condo, which will begin testing in Antarctica before it's actual deployment to the moon around 2020.
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6th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
Hallam Foe
Trailer up for Domino sound-tracked brit-flick Hallam Foe.
Windows Media
Real Player
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5th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet
South London Invasion
Beeches are about to finally try and break South London.
They'll be playing the fine venue of the Brixton Windmill on Thursday 12th July, on the bill with 4 or 5 Magicians, Milk Teeth and Winners. £5.
Followed by a show at the Metro Club on Sat July 21st.
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5th Jul 2007 - Add Comment - Tweet