The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies Movie Review
Unperturbed by this, Peter Jackson has attempted to do the exact same thing with his Hobbit films bar the good sense to realise prior to publishing that destroying the tone of the original book is, in fact, a bad idea. Is it arrogance or egoism on Jackson's part to presume that he can improve upon Tolkien or is it economic studio interference to produce a cash cow? I suspect a fair portion of both but the result is the same: a three hour movie extravaganza of a children's novel which ...
Yagull – Kai Album Review
Taking away the often times bombastic soundscape that heavy use of outboard gear allows gives band mainstays Sasha Markovic and Kana Kamitsubo the opportunity to create a world of both introspection and intimate appeal. These are songs that invite you to get inside them, like the feeling of wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night.
The band’s duo core is supplemented by a plethora of guests that further expand the scope of the proceedings. Dewa Budjana and ...
Nightcrawler Movie Review
25 years ago the Hoodoo Gurus released , a song about the ever increasing prevalence of violence in the mass media. Of course, even then it was by no means a new concept. Indeed the song references the ancient Romans as ‘taking out all the guesswork’ in the formula.
With the advent of motion pictures it was inevitable that violence would become a fundamental element of the medium; unsurprising, of course, given violence is a primal staple of human drama. Fewer, though, are the films ...
The Dark Horse Movie Review
Pretty as a picture in his cardigan, trackie daks and red Crocs, Gen's severe bipolar disorder sees him frequently institutionalised as he struggles with the norms of society. Released into the care of his brother, Gen is thrust back into the violent gang environment into which he was born but his iron determination to overcome his disability and help others sees him use his substantial chess playing ability to help disadvantaged youth avoid an inevitable path of violence and crime.
The ...
Moraine – Groundswell Album Review
Dennis Rea and the mob that make up the group Moraine have such an overabundance of music skills, it is more of a matter of taking ideas out of the mix than showcasing all the prodigious amounts of musical proficiency present. This approach gives the music at hand a razor sharp focus. The instrumental pallet this time includes bass, drums, guitars, sax, flute, violin and that old standby the Mellotron.
The moods on Groundswell are forever changing and the band dips into some very ...
Tohpati Ethnomission – Save The Planet Album Review
With a deep understanding of both his local musical roots as well as the global pool of exploration and utilizing a collection of exotic instrumentation, the 11 songs here constantly surprise and captivate the listener. Calling it jazz-rock-fusion severely understates the synthesis of styles here.
The guitar is often the lead instrument and its effect on the overall sound is great but it’s the percussive elements underpinning the songs that give the tracks so much impact. With the ...
Interstellar Movie Review
Environmental disaster is coming and our days are numbered on Mother Earth. Unfortunately the world is also consumed with an incongruous mixture of hyper-cynicism, conspiracy and hopeless optimism: living day to day, hoping for the best, shunning technology; existing in a perpetual state of damage control, rather than seeking new horizons. In the words of traumatised ex-test pilot, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), we have become caretakers rather than explorers and pioneers. In what appears to ...
Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration Album Review
Helping to celebrate Dylan’s then 30 years in the recording business was a collection of powerhouse friends as well as a few artists somewhat new to the scene. The line-up was also not so genre specific, so Country legends Johnny and June Carter Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson shared the stage with newbie’s (at the time) like Eddie Vedder, Sinead O’Connor and Tracy Chapman. The common denominator was the songs by Bob Dylan.
Well-known tracks are everywhere but along side ...
Whiplash Movie Review
Every now and then a film comes along that reorganizes your mind in regards to the obtainable level of acting performance. It forces you to raise the bar in your mind and reassess how powerful the art form known as acting can be. The film Whiplash provides just such an example.
The story of a young prodigy musician joining a demanding music school and running headlong into its most obsessive teacher becomes the canvas on which actors J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller paint one of the most ...
Xavi Reija – Resolution Album Review
In what other world would a drummer’s album be completely void of percussive grandstanding? This isn’t to say Catalan drummer Xavi Reija doesn’t show off some impressive chops, it’s just that pocket groove in the outstanding feature here.
Reija has pared back his band to a power trio format this time out and they live up to that lofty name, not by overstatement but by a process of subtraction. By removing as many superfluous notes as possible, the end effect puts sharper focus on ...
