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Does it concern you that your daughter has just run away from...

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:02:25 +0100

Does it concern you that your daughter has just run away from home?

MOONRISE KINGDOM is out today, and with all it’s press and publicity, I am stunned to find how limited it’s release really is. Anybody outside of London will be finding it very difficult to get to see it at all. For me, it’s been a much anticipated film, and so far it’s had some good reviews. As one of my favourite directors, Wes - I’m sure - will not fail to deliver. I am seeing it tomorrow. Anticipate an extremely exhilarated review to follow…

totalfilm: The Dark Knight Rises third trailer is here: watch...

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:08:12 +0100

totalfilm:

The Dark Knight Rises third trailer is here: watch online now!

The Dark Knight Rises kicked off its viral campaign yesterday, and it didn’t take long for obsessive fans to crack the clues that lead to this: the final, full trailer…

"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching..."

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:21:27 +0100

“What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?”

- Rob, High Fidelity

In which Werner Herzog fails to deliver

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:22:35 +0100

I watched Death Row on Channel 4 last week, and as it was a topic I am particularly interested in and by a director I admire considerably, I had no doubts that it would be compelling, informative and artistic… Yet it failed to meet my expectations completely. The first five minutes grabbed my attention and really set the scene for a frightening, gruesome portrait of life on death row, but after the initial set up, the narrative concentrated completely on one man, Hank Skinner, a mass-murderer who has been on death row for 17 years and who is still waiting for an execution date. Aside from the occasional insights into Hank’s strange thoughts, not much else happened. The murders were re-capped and the facts were told. No conclusion was drawn and it seems Hank Skinner will spend the rest of his life waiting to be executed. It get very much on the surface of things, and I found I learned very little about death row that I didn’t already know.

Interesting subject matter, pretty poor execution (no pun intended!).

From My Book.

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:21:09 +0000

From
My
Book.

Del Kathryn Barton. Absolutely loving these paintings by Del...

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:02:09 +0000

Del Kathryn Barton.

Absolutely loving these paintings by Del Kathryn Barton. Makes me want to dust off my easel and start painting again. I used to paint these kind of washy/illustrative paintings myself, so looking at these feels like home.

totalfilm: First look at Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock in The...

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:48:58 +0000

totalfilm:

First look at Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock in The Girl

The first image of Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock has gone online, featuring Sienna Miller as The Birds star Tippi Hedren. The image comes from an upcoming biopic to be screened on BBC2, entitled The Girl…

QUARRY SHOOT. Last week I had the pleasure of working on a...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:52:00 +0000

QUARRY SHOOT.

Last week I had the pleasure of working on a friend’s photo shoot at Hanson Aggregates in Northampton.

The project was based on voyeurism and what the eye can see.

It was so refreshing working along side other creative people and spending time in a different environment.

I made a short fashion film/making of, so when that’s edited it will be on here.

mounts: by Simon Birch. Beautiful work…

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:00:52 +0000

mounts:

by Simon Birch.

Beautiful work…

totalfilm: 50 Most Controversial Movie Posters Of All Time

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:01:41 +0000

totalfilm:

50 Most Controversial Movie Posters Of All Time

My Blood Is Your Blood

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:55:47 +0000

I had an idea recently, which I later found out had already been done in a similar way. A very lovely man I work with had kidney failure a couple of years ago and, thanks to the donation of his wife, now has one working kidney. He was telling me about his dialysis, and the amount of other people’s blood he received in order to stay alive. Similarly, my own dad recently had a bowel cancer operation and because of an accidental snip in the wrong place by the surgeon, lost an incredible 7 pints of blood. These were obviously replaced with donated blood. Both of these incidents got me thinking about blood donation. It’s something which is a bit like marmite, I guess: You’re either someone who can give blood or someone who can’t.

I thought about following a patient in need of life-saving blood. I would follow them before their operation, during and after. We would find out what happened to them in order for them to need the blood, how much it means to them and how happy their family are that they’re still alive. Perhaps they’re even a doctor themselves and need to stay alive in order to help others stay alive. Then I’d follow the donors. Each bag of blood would be tracked, and I’d follow the donors that contributed to the donation that saved the patient’s life.

I’d be hoping to get a mixture of characters in different situations, different locations and with different values and beliefs. Perhaps one would be a trainee doctor, one a single mum, one an elderly cancer survivor, etc. The overall idea would be to get the audience to really think about how important giving blood is and about the people who’s lives they are saving. Just thinking about those people who had donated blood so my dad and my work college could carry on living makes me feel ready to give blood.

The amendment to this notice at a local Asda store made me...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:16:00 +0000

The amendment to this notice at a local Asda store made me laugh, but it also made me incredibly happy that some soul out there still cares about grammar and punctuation… And especially when it’s in a big chain supermarket for all to see.

Modest Mouse - Perfect Disguise. “I hope there’s...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:03:48 +0000

Modest Mouse - Perfect Disguise.

“I hope there’s something better up there.”

Nostalgia.

I saw this little guy in my village today. He was very...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:59:31 +0000

I saw this little guy in my village today. He was very aggressive.

For God's Sake, How Do You Stop It?: Brothers

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:34:58 +0000

For God's Sake, How Do You Stop It?: Brothers:

A beautiful memoir of a brother by howdoyoustopit:

The above is a photograph of my brothers and I, taken in the rented council house that we shared decades ago, before we were all men.

I’m on the right, the youngest of four. My position as last-born has felt at different times both blessing and curse. My relationship with each of my brothers…

Man of Refraction | ARTnews

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:22:00 +0000

Man of Refraction | ARTnews:

David Shrigley opens his brain – video

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:14:16 +0000

David Shrigley opens his brain – video

The Nick Drake Files

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:28:00 +0000

I’ve been reading the Nick Drake Files with various interview transcripts. He seemed to come across as a slightly tormented soul.

”I can look out of the window now, and that tree over there is green, whereas before one goes to bed, just when one goes to bed, that tree should be black, surely. Everything should be black before one goes to bed, but that is surely the essence of the romantic.”

Have a read here.

Intro.

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:13:00 +0000

Intro.

M83 - Birmingham HMV Institute - Saturday 21 Jan 2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:55:00 +0000

Having finally released his dream double-album last year - something which he had longed to achieve since childhood - Anthony Gonzalez’s energy and passion on stage affirmed his contentment with his new release.

Founded in France in 2001 by Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau, M83’s self-titled first album never reached a wider audience than inside of Europe. And after touring their second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, Gonzalez and Fromageau went their separate ways. Since then, with another four albums under his belt, Gonzalez has gone on to write successful albums predominantly about youth and being a teenager, which have struck a chord with many people. As well as supporting bands such as Kings of Leon, The Killers and Depeche mode, M83 composed music for Black Heaven by French director Gilles Marchand in 2010. With the fifth studio album Saturdays = Youth (2008) taking a progressively more 80’s turn, this paved the way for the polished and exciting double-album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming in 2011.

The expectant crowd were greeted with a familiar face. The creature we see on the album cover of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, wandered onto the stage to a soundtrack out of this world, as if to suggest M83 were other worldly.

Then arriving on stage, accompanied by Morgan Kibby in a shiny mermaid-like dress and Jordan Lawlor with his curly blonde locks and monochrome ensemble, Anthony Gonzalez looked fairly normal. Going straight into The Intro, the immediate depth of sound was evident. The band swayed and nodded to the pulsing beat, and Morgan Kibby’s harmonies cut through Gonzalez’s subtle voice. The opening chords of Kim and Jesse sent the crowd wild, and again, Kibby’s harmonies proved a welcomed break to Anthony’s familiarity.

After the crowd warmed slightly, Anthony took his time to finally say hello, four songs in, “Hi guys. This venue’s so big. Look at all you guys! Thanks for coming…” better late than never. Wait and Claudia Lewis commanded everyone’s attention. Not a single voice could be heard in the crowd, and every face had a euphoric, joyful smile across it as Anthony’s voice cried out through the misty atmosphere.

As the songs went on, the band became more and more energetic and outlandish, prompting Anthony to finally take off his T-shirt to reveal his black vest and sculpted arms. After Steve McQueen, it was obvious that Anthony was a little twitchy. He shouted out, “What’s up guys! Why’s everyone so shy of dancing? Let’s dance a little bit.” The Midnight City intro rang out, and the obvious ‘do as you’re told’ dancing ensued. A girl on sax came out for the latter part of the song, and Anthony just went wild. He mounted the protective metal barrier, shook people’s hands and then just dove straight into the middle of the crowd. He made it back to the stage within minutes and began to take photos of the crowd on his iPhone - which obviously sent everyone into a chaotic screaming, jumping mess.

The encore was Skin of the Night, which really set the old fans apart from the new. Then straight into Couleurs. Jordan Lawler was jumping up onto the amps and everyone was animated like never before. The stalls were raving, and if I’d come for a fucking good dance, Couleurs would have been the perfect song to do just that. Everyone was smiling and jumping, and the atmosphere was electric. After the final chord, Anthony raised his guitar up in the air in a victory salute - really summing up the success of the whole night. They delivered everything you would expect M83 to deliver. Their passionate, energetic and dramatic performance excelled the crowd from a still pit of gazing, marveling eyes, to a jumping, singing, animated bunch after an hour or so. Their live sound surpassed anything you will hear on the albums. Worth every penny!