review something - Page 2

Concept · #31 25th April 2006, 05:11

Poor Mary.

That's got to hurt.

Kevin Hodge · #32 25th April 2006, 21:54

here i review a death metal gig

i like death metal. i like a lot of angry frantic music, it's really good for drowning out your mind. i write music, and stuff like death metal is interesting musically, very difficult to play, and often rather well composed and thought out.

so i went to a death metal gig. (i don't want to say what one because i'm starting to get paranoid about how much info i put on here which would allow someone who knows me in the real world to spot/'out' me.) three bands played. one of the dodgy aspects of death metal is that the lyrics are often about being as atrocious as possible. standing there at a gig, in an exstatic crowd, in front of these guys singing about rape and stuff was a bit weird.

it made me sad. i admire these people as musicians, but when you are faced with the fact that they are human beings and that they spend their time making up songs about raping and murdering...it's really disappointing. i wish i could have enjoyed the music without it being marred by the repugnant lyrics.

as it turns out, my favourite metal band has lyrics along more philosophical lines, so i just have to hope that they make it to where i live someday. i don't really want to go to another gig where i am paying for people to propagate such negativity.

anyway, that's one aspect of the gig. here's some other aspects.

musically, i am on a bit of a mission. i like to spot what is wrong with music that i like, so that i can hopefully do better. being at a death metal gig showed me that the expensive, insane sounding guitar amps they use aren't really that smart a choice live. it's very difficult to make out the actual music because the sound is so brutal. i have noticed this with quite a few bands. i would suggest that a more conservative choice of guitar sound would make the music sound much better.

one of the things that appeals to me about death metal is the vocals (as opposed to lyrics). growling, screaming, roaring, puking...i like the possibilities for expression offered by the human voice. the band i went to see have a particularly well endowed vocalist, in that his voice sounds like it could melt your face. it was really cool getting to hear this vocal style performed up close. i don't really understand how he can 'sing' like that night after night on a tour - i did my voice in with just a wee bit of screaming at the gig.

something i found interesting was the 'slamming' phenomenon, where a particular area of the crowd consisted of people smashing each other about. how can getting bashed around be fun? it just is, kind of. people are weird.

meh. i enjoyed the gig a lot in some ways, but there were the dissappointing aspects too.

i feel like this review was pointless. my mind feels like its been wafted away by a very slight breeze.

Concept · #33 26th April 2006, 02:44

ITV Quiz Shows designed nothing more to prop up an ailing channel's bid to make up for lost advertising revenue. They're beyond the meaning of tedium.

0/10

Quite possibly the most coma-inducing television to be aired within the entire universe. It's some feat when you think about it.

Concept · #34 26th April 2006, 02:45

Forum posts at 2.45am.

10/10

Kevin Hodge · #35 26th April 2006, 17:19

buffalo mozzarella -

well, if the stuff i had today is anything to go by, it's rubbish.

texture - like a flump (one of those long twisty marshmallow things) but less stretchy

appearance - thought it would be like feta! it's not

taste - bland. reminiscent of the smell you get from a carton of milk which has been left too long and is about half liquid, half white lump

--------------------------------------------------------
1/10

Concept · #36 27th April 2006, 00:18

Staying Alive.

Tepid horror teen-die shite that features better acting than Silent Hill.

3/10.

rose · #37 27th April 2006, 20:21

The Sandman series - Neil Gaiman

The adventures of the endless, inparticular, Dream/Orpheas. Absolutely love this set of comics. Used to get them seperately (quite a long time ago but have them in lovely glossy graphic novels now.) Just love the way he combines...EVERYTHING! Just go and find out for yourself, I couldn't do it justice.

*disclaimer

Might not be everyone's cup of tea

Concept · #38 27th April 2006, 20:25

A couple of lazy small reviews from a couple of films I watched last night.

Tokyo Story.

I know people consider this to be Ozu's masterpiece but personally I prefer Late Spring when Noriko is centre-stage (compared to her parents). Even so, Tokyo Story is beautifully shot and the pace eventually becomes mesmerisingly hypnotic. I know it's considered to be the 'masterpiece' of Japanese cinema, but I preferred Ikiru myself... finding it more emotionally affecting. While I could appreciate Ozu's style, the characters always felt at a distance to me in the Late Spring/Early Summer/Tokyo Story trilogy.

8/10

The Pianist

I wasn't expecting much from this, as I'm not one for World War moral lessons (and let's face it most War films like preach to people). Instead, I discovered much to my delight a very personal tale involving one man's struggle to survive. There was no moralising or over-sentimental characterisation. The Pianist is instead a rather cynical tale of what it takes to survive in an environment where everything is bit by bit being pulled completely away from you. A breathtaking and gripping picture.

9/10

Kevin Hodge · #39 30th April 2006, 12:09

willem dafoe's face -

i like willem dafoe's face.

most people's faces look soft and flimsy, whereas his looks firm and meaty, perhaps a bit like bacon - tough and salty.

he's getting some pretty cool lines on his forehead as he gets older.

i dunno why i like his face so much. it's not sexual or anything, i just think he looks really weird.

i wish that francis bacon(apologies for confusing bacon coincidence) or lucien freud would do a portrait. i had to think for a while to think of a suitable tribute - somehow i can't see him as a 'regular' painting, photograph, or even a sculpture, but those two artists i'm sure would do it right.

ah. what pleasure it gives me to think of his earnest contributions to such films as american psycho, the inside man, and spiderman. strange man, i salute you!

I give his face 8/10.

Concept · #40 30th April 2006, 13:56

Slow days.

-1000/10.

Bob Garside · #41 30th April 2006, 16:38

I think you should review his face in Wild At Heart, Sullenskink. He's very rat-like in that.

Concept · #42 30th April 2006, 17:20

Maybe he could draw up a picture comparison review.

Kevin Hodge · #43 30th April 2006, 19:39

hehe, three replies about willem dafoe's face! are you fellow face-fans i take it?

i'm afraid i haven't seen either of the films mentioned.

concept, i've seen your photos(good work by the way, you could really make a go of that, if what i saw is anything to go by) perhaps you could use your skills to provide us all with some sort of visual aid?

Kevin Hodge · #44 30th April 2006, 20:54

wild at heart - ech! vile! he's mingin! not liking it.-99/10 for wasted potential

much, much better, see the wide diagonals from the corners of his nose? see how they come out way past the side of his mouth? that's pretty cool. this is a mere 6/10, since it lacks the hair, which is an important compositional device.

and here he is in american psycho, 8/10. see how the squareness afforded by his hair gives the appearance of a heavier brow? this makes him an ideal candidate for the goblin later in his career, even without the power rangers suit. once again notice the dramatic diagonal furrows, nay, gashes, at the corners of his nose. note also that his grimace carves peripheral slices into his cheeks. although strictly speaking not a good photo of him, all the elements necessary are there, showcasing his facial virtuosity.

and here it is, the finale. that cheeky grin - we can be in no doubt as to what he's just been doing! note that, away from the film studios, his facial contours are far more dramatic. who can deny or resist the resemblance to murphy from robocop?

i think that's (quite a lot more than) enough

krankenshaft · #45 30th April 2006, 21:13

Sgt. Barnes was an ass!

Bob Garside · #46 30th April 2006, 21:16

That 'bald' look makes him look a little too close to Lance Henriksen for comfort.

Ideally, should he wish to be awarded an Oscar, this is the look that might guarantee him success:

Ah, the joys of Paint, eh? :D

Kevin Hodge · #47 30th April 2006, 22:15

oh god, you got me laughing a lot with the afro! you can tell he's playing a fender rhodes just out of that picture!

Jihan · #48 1st May 2006, 02:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by rose

The adventures of the endless, inparticular, Dream/Orpheas.

You mean Morpheus. Orpheus was his and Calliope's son. And I agree with you, it is amazing.

Concept · #49 1st May 2006, 12:54

Junebug.

A highly watchable film, even if the cinematography is too knowingly quirky for its good. Great acting performances though and some truly likeable characters.

Concept · #50 16th July 2006, 20:58

A short review of Grave of the Fireflies' English localisation.

Shockingly bad. Using a woman to pitch her voice higher for Setsuko and naff it up to heaven and back ripped the heart of the emotional connection she shares with her brother. The actress voicing their aunt also completely overplayed her part and ruined the subtlty of how her opinion changes towards them throughout the course of the film (central to its beginning and end).

This isn't elitism for the sake of it. GotF is a beautiful, heart-wrenching film in its original language if you catch it that way.

It's disappointing seeing such a wonderful film being mercilessly butchered by such an unconsidered dub.

nik · #51 16th July 2006, 21:03

See to see that you like Grave of the Fireflys concept!

I prejume you also like other Studio Ghibli films.

Yeah - i always prefer to watch the originals with subtitles. It spoils it when they have american voices, and i've noticed they change things often - over explain parts of the plot, etc - cause i've watched a few of Miyazaki's in both languages.

firewoman · #52 16th July 2006, 21:11

I went to see District 13 last night. It was an awesome film. It's French, and had lots of wall running and martial arts in it, just my kind of thing. The best film I've seen in a long long while. Go and see it!! I loved the characters in it, and the music was great. Really good film. Especially given all the trouble in France recently with the unrest in the housing estates.

Here's the synopsis from the Cineworld website.

SYNOPSIS
Paris, 2013. With the authorities unable to keep control, the city has been sectioned off into crime-infested ghettos, the worst of which is known as District 13. The police stay out and crime stays in. However, when the district's most feared gang threatens to detonate a nuclear bomb in the middle of the city, an undercover cop and a young rebel from the slums must join forces before time runs out. District 13 is an adrenaline-pumping action thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Concept · #53 16th July 2006, 23:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik

See to see that you like Grave of the Fireflys concept!

I prejume you also like other Studio Ghibli films.

Yeah - i always prefer to watch the originals with subtitles. It spoils it when they have american voices, and i've noticed they change things often - over explain parts of the plot, etc - cause i've watched a few of Miyazaki's in both languages.

Yeah, I've been getting into a few lately. Interesting to watch.

As for dubs... I try and stay away from them as often as I can. This was the second time I'd seen GotF.

Concept · #54 16th July 2006, 23:45

Summer heat, hot rooms and the sucking out of energy and concentration = -10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000/10.

Kevin Hodge · #55 17th July 2006, 21:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by firewoman

I went to see District 13 last night. It was an awesome film. It's French, and had lots of wall running and martial arts in it, just my kind of thing. The best film I've seen in a long long while. Go and see it!! I loved the characters in it, and the music was great. Really good film. Especially given all the trouble in France recently with the unrest in the housing estates.

wow, my old thread! anyway, nice to have a recommendation, i'll probably go see this. looks diverting.

i went to see fearless. it's a martial arts film with lots of crazy fighting in it, and is probably the only mrtial arrts movie (in the world, ever) with acting you can take anything like seriously. worth seeing if you like beat em ups. the story is supposed to be true, which seems slightly odd given how streamlined it seems to get in all the asskicking, but who knows.

Concept · #56 18th July 2006, 16:54

Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

A great film featuring superb animation, characterisation and structure. Probably one of Ghibli's best that I've seen.

firewoman · #57 18th July 2006, 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Concept

Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

A great film featuring superb animation, characterisation and structure. Probably one of Ghibli's best that I've seen.

Have you seen Spirited Away? That's a really great film. One of my faves. If it's better than that it must be ace.

Kevin Hodge · #58 19th July 2006, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Concept

Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

A great film featuring superb animation, characterisation and structure. Probably one of Ghibli's best that I've seen.

haven't heard of that one...is it hard to get a hold of? liked spirited and mononoke....

Concept · #59 19th July 2006, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by firewoman

Have you seen Spirited Away? That's a really great film. One of my faves. If it's better than that it must be ace.

Yeah, I've seen it.

I prefer Spirited Away to the much lauded My Neighter Totoro actually. Both convey similar themes, but Spirted Away's slightly darker Alice In Wonderland feel is fantastic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sullenskink

haven't heard of that one...is it hard to get a hold of? liked spirited and mononoke....

It has shades of Spirted Away (in terms of its fantastical feel) and Castle Of Cagliostro (a pre-Ghibli Miyazaki effort) in terms of structure about it. A great film... like Spirited Away in a sense it isn't as wholesome as some other Ghibli efforts I've seen. I prefer their slightly more cynical offerings.

Worker101 · #60 19th July 2006, 19:27

The beer I'm drinking.

Frankly, I'm a little dissapointed with this lager - Fosters as it is known in establishments licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. That said, it is only my second, and I'm already starting to think that I may enjoy it more the longer I continue drinking. Fosters is relatively pleasing to the pallete, not too bitter, not too sweet and not too fizzy. Some might say it deserves to be branded 'averagely awful', but not so!
Average means it's good value for money - £5 in some establishments will buy you 8 cans of the 'amber nectar' as our australian cousins call it, or so Scottish and Newcastles bright and airy marketing department would have you believe.
It's crisp with an accute dryness, which cries out for synergies with cigarette smoke in particular - but is not a stranger to the more rounded appeal of a good ham sandwich.
I would rate Fosters as 6/10 - its a cheeky, cheap little number which unlike it's more expensive counterparts (Stella Kronenbourg et al) brings a slight leap to the heart without inducing a spirit crushing headache the day after.

Bravo Fosters - but only if you're skint and want to get pissed slowly.