Shotgun Stories

This Movie exemplifies everything that is great about Indie movies from the USA.

Its the story of a family that has been severely dysfunctional right from the time the parents got together initially. With the unseen alcoholic father's hatred towards his wife, he creates life-long bitterness by having 3 boys with her, of whom, he just names 'Son' ,'Boy' & 'Kid'. Giving proper names may create a bond that he clearly didn't want. After leaving his wife after the 3rd child is born, he promptly has a religious 'conversion' & remarries another woman, creating another brood of 4 boys this time-to whom he shows affection towards. This is not unnoticed by the original 3, who by now, are clearly glad to be shod of this person-even if he has supposedly 'turned his life around'.

When the mother shows up at Son's house to inform him that his father is dead, it sets in motion a chain of events that, as these kinda things usually go, pear-shaped.

Although, in someways its a familiar tale, full credit must be given to the director Jeff Nichols for creating a powerful, superbly acted, beautifully shot story of the highest quality. He, with the actors create a totally realistic vision of the death of a family unit, and the struggles to make some sort of sense of the hellish hand of fate that's been dealt to them. But crucially, Nichols never labors any points to make the grand statement. Instead, its conveyed in many subtle ways. Dialogue is suitably sparse, no-one given to making any 5 minute grandstanding overtures. Mostly, its effectively telegraphed via differing body language, distinct looks in the characters eyes summing up how they are feeling-or reacting to any given situation.

Most directors will say that if you cast a movie well, the rest will just take care of itself. This is oh so true with this story. There are no "name" actors or "Stars" to distract you from the characters, but a special mention must be made for the lead role of Son Hayes, played to perfection by Michael Shannon. He totally gets the feel for his character & is utterly convincing with his seething rage that is kept in check most of the time. Its only when his brothers are threatened by the other set of half-brothers, that he resorts to physical violence.

This is one of the best things I've seen in a long time and I will certainly keep an eye on what the director creates in the future. Easily highly recommended!

My love Affair with Documentary's

After a vast amount of minutes, hours, days and eventually years receding into an unknown horizon, I have come to one inescapable conclusion: Documentary's have better stories. Period.

I know this maybe somewhat of an heretical opinion to some movie lovers, and trust me-I am a major film fiend as well, but increasingly over the years, the best stories were from the dreaded term "Real Life". Yes, I will admit to liking the odd 'Reality' TV show from time to time. Prime culprits for me are: "Gene Simmons Family Jewels", The initial seasons of "The Apprentice" are just 2 of the titles i will admit to here-without deeming them 'guilty pleasures'. If you feel guilty about watching these kinda things, how can you honestly say that you enjoy watching them if your too embarrassed to tell all and sundry!

But, getting back on topic...

If you were a budding screenwriter wanting to break into Hollywood, then one key requirement is a damn good story that will hold peoples attention for the length of the movie. This seems like an easy task, but in reality, its anything but! Couple that idea with the end result of say the last ten years of mainstream Hollywood films, and its abundantly obvious that there is a severe lack of originality amongst the current breed of film scribes. A good example is the tsunami of Asian horror remakes that rarely (If ever) even match the creativity shown in the original film. I don't even bother anymore with these kinds of dross. They're only made with one objective-to get the precious "target demographic" (Snotty nosed Generation-y bother anymore?) teenagers bums on seats. Its a business after all-Art is an extremely grumpy & often bitterly unhappy partner most times!

So, with this substantial creative vacuum, something incredible has happened. Documentary filmmakers have finally woken up to the fact that to make their movies infinitely more appealing & watchable (And perhaps more crucially-marketable, especially to international markets) they have had no choice but to make documentary's enjoyable. So, the entertainment factor has rocketed skyward to the heights best illustrated by Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" posting over the much vaunted $100 million mark in domestic revenue in the USA. This stunning result silenced all the naysayers who said that documentary's were a select market, appealing only to the college kids & intellectuals. And with that, the floodgates were well and truly open.

So have I got you at the least, intrigued? Great, well here's a shortish list of my personal favorites that have made a more than favorable impression-irrespective of the subject matter!

The Bridge
Once in a lifetime
Grizzly man
Manufactured Lanscapes
Capturing the Friedman's
Encounter at the End of the World
Cocaine Cowboys
I am a Sex Addict
My best Fiend
Deep water
Jesus Camp
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
Workingman's Death
A Crude Awakening
An Inconvenient Truth
In the Shadow of the Moon
Black Sun
China Blue
Up the Yangtse
Darwin's Nightmare
King Corn
Fahrenheit 9/11
Deliver Us from Evil
Freedom's Fury
Helvetica
Enron-Smartest guys in the Room
In the realms of the Unreal
Inside Deep Throat

And many, many more!

Keep a good eye on my list to the right. It will be updated soon with more titles.

P.S. give me some feedback on any movie you watch from this mini-list. I am very hopeful that you will enjoy them as much as I have!

Workingman's Death

If you have ever had a day or two when you just want to chuck your job in because of the pressures & stress that it brings, then maybe it might be beneficial to watch this movie first. If you think that your own job is hard, then, in the words of Randy Bachman "You ain't seen nothing yet"!

This Jaw-Dropping film was utterly stunning on the big screen, but crucially its power is not diminished by viewing on a reasonably sized TV. Although the majestic & imposing industrial landscapes are intrinsically linked to the majority of jobs, they don't overwhelm the viewer either. Impressive as they are, the backdrops take second place to the people going about their day, doing the jobs you wouldn't really put high on the list of desirable career option's.

Ukraine: Illegal coal mines
Starting with one of the most claustrophobic jobs-working in a mine, we meet a group of Ukrainians faced with no option other than to work a long discarded, derelict mine that the state has deemed unprofitable. Based in a ghost shanty town, way passed its prime, our hardy souls chip away in the darkness and cold, for a few meager baskets of the precious black stuff.
With the constant threat of imminent collapses' a very real everyday possibility, these exceedingly brave comrades beaver away with no real reward in sight other than the most basic of human needs-survival. I absolutely felt like I was inside the mine at times, and felt a great deal of empathy for the miners doing this wretched job-on a daily basis.

Indonesia: Kawa Ljen-Sulfur mining
From the tight confines of the Ukraine mine, to the unbearable vapor from the Kawa Ljen Volcano that these unbelievably heroic Indonesian workers toil away in. In Eye-stinging, throat burning scenes that seem like a vision of hell, this bunch of guys are without question, the very definition of brave. From the tricky, slippery descent into the volcano's bubbling lake to chip away at the precious sulfur deposits, to the hair raising climb out, and the gut busting run-back down the mountain, they 'walk' an incredibly dangerous line. At any second, you really fear that impending disaster is but, a footstep or 2 away.

Nigeria: Port Harcourt-Slaughter yard
If you're a vegetarian, then this next segment will be incredibly tough to view. If you can stomach the very real scenes that are presented before you, then you are indeed, both brave and strong willed. I do know that animals are killed in slaughter houses, to be converted for mass production & consumption. Even so, I was totally unprepared for just how hellish, disgusting and nightmarish this place was. If, like me you have viewed this on a cinema screen, then you will understand what kind of an impact, viewing this ghastly vision on a giant canvas can have. Viewing this screen on a TV doesn't lessen the impact either! Mercifully, we don't get one critical sense to make more of an impression-the sense of smell. I can only begin to imagine just how this place would actually smell. And lastly, Blood. If you can't handle seeing a lot of blood, then again, this is another bloody tough (Pun intended!) segment to watch.

Pakistan: Gaddani-Ship breaking
Health & Safety would have a field day with the Dickensian conditions here on a desolate Pakistani beach. Here, is where all the worlds shipping firms send their old, unwanted, obsolete & unprofitable ships to 'die' as such. Beyond brave, teams and teams of extremely poorly paid migrant workers toil very long-and very hard, to break these massive vessels apart, to be sold as scrap metal. All this taxing, back-breaking work is done the old-fashioned way. By hand, with next to no modern machinery to help in this most herculean of tasks. You cannot for a second, imagine any western worker (Used to safe working conditions, Unions, benefits, etc) comprehending the type of person who would willingly work in such shitty conditions!

China: Steel workers
Lastly, and maybe for a sort of 'light relief', we head to China to watch workers toiling away in a massive shipyard-or steel factory. By comparison, these guys (and the odd woman or 2) have it damn easy! Although, undoubtedly this work is physically demanding, when you've just watched the 4 previous jobs, this must seem like a walk in the park to some. Obviously, its not, I think that director Micheal Glawogger purposely put this part near the end to illustrate that maybe not all jobs are without some kind of hope for a better future. And China is a great example of just where the working world is heading in the 21st century. Working hard to create a new future for your country's prosperity.

Coda: Germany-converted smelting plant
To portray just how far we've come in the evolution of work, Glawogger highlights the old ways converted into the new future. A massive Iron-smelting plant converted into a showcase leisure park for all the public to use and enjoy. Probably not how the original owners would have ever seen this behemoth being used, but it is a testament to man's ability to rethink how we use a major building-and the benefits we can get from using it altogether in a completely different way that is more conducive to the future of humanity.

The real power of this movie is watching these ordinary people doing the most uncomfortable, back-breaking, mind-sapping, filthy, claustrophobic task's in all of humanity. Easy, these job's were never meant to be, but someone has to do these dirty jobs! So, next time you come across a grumpy customer, take a deep breath, remember they are paying your wage, smile and think of all those poor buggers doing the types of work in this movie.

By comparison, you've got it damn easy...

Bachman-Turner Overdrive: NOT FRAGILE

Call me old fashioned when it comes to what types of music I really love, but I just can't ignore the truth staring bluntly back at me. I was born in 1963 (Near the last of the "Baby-Boomers") so my formative musical appreciation started in the early 70's, listening to A.M radio, then it changed completely in 1977 when I started high school. Man, was this such a great time for music! I mean, just where do you start? Luckily for me, I was able to enjoy all different genres of music, but I always came back to my now favorite genre-ROCK!

And somewhere near the top of my favorite rock bands is this bunch of Canadians known as: BTO (Bachman-Turner Overdrive). My introduction to these guys was via this superb (And vastly underrated LP) Album "Not Fragile" which was 1st released in 1974. My great friends Mike & Greg B's mother Anne was the owner of the LP, which the guys introduced to me around 1975/6 (Or so-hey, we're talking some 33 years ago!).

And its impact was devastatingly immediate! I just wanted the guys to "Turn the fucker up louder" on numerous occasions. From the opening bass intro of the title track, till the last stinging blue notes being peeled off from Randy & Blair, this muthafucker ROCKED!!! This LP can be described in one word-Muscular. Its made by men who were on a mission to spread their brand of high octane powerhouse boogie to a thriving live scene in the halcyon days of the American rock experience. The band had a great work ethic, and truly put their hearts & souls into converting non-believers into rabid life-long worshipers. It is a great shame that to date, there still isn't an official Live DVD of one of their seminal 70's concerts available. Even judged by the other staple of the 70's-The ubiquitous "live Album", sadly they fell short in this critical area as well. Its is well documented with some bands, that the truest recording that represents the quintessential sound of the band is best personified by the live LP. Some great examples would be Deep Purple's "Made in Japan" , Thin Lizzy's "Live & Dangerous" & Peter Frampton's "Frampton comes Alive" Perhaps history would have looked slightly different if they had delivered such an album. Regardless of this minor quibble, they still left us with this monstrous slab of piledriving, sledgehammering badass boogie that for me, has aged incredibly well!

A Pre-History of BTO firstly...

Randy Bachman was an integral part of one of the iconic Canadian bands in the late 60's "The Guess Who" singing, playing guitar & co-writing some of their most enduring music, tunes such as These Eyes, Laughing, Undun, No Time, And the provocative American Woman. After leaving this band, he formed Brave Belt with early Guess Who singer Chad Allan & younger Bachman brothers Robbie & Tim. Upon hitting the road to promote the album, they enlisted the talents of C.F (Fred) Turner to solidify the touring version of this band. But the country-Rock sound wasn't really working for them. With Fred's arrival however, they began slowly morphing towards the now recognizable signature BTO Sound-Heavy, pounding, riff orientated driving rock & roll boogie, with Fred's unique "Gin & Tears" vocals making an immediate impact on their audiences. After numerous record company rejection, fate dealt them a kind hand. A demo Randy had hawked around missed the rubbish bin in the Mercury records office of Charlie Fach, who had always liked what Bachman had done. He signed the band straight away with the proviso of a name change. Both Bachman & Turner had toyed around with using their names in some way, but one day in a truck stop, whilst getting supplies for the road, they noticed the American trucking industry magazine Overdrive. Eureka!, this was exactly the name that most effectively conveyed the type of music they were playing & thus the world now had BTO.

After 2 reasonably well received LP's, it was time for another change, Brother Tim making way for Blair Thornton, a guitarist with skills more than equal to Randy's. This was now the line-up that would record their masterpiece, NOT FRAGILE.

Track by Track:

Side 1
1) NOT FRAGILE: From its ominous & precise bass intro, this piece of music was intended to do only one thing-Remind the listener that they most definitely were not listening to a YES Album! (Yes had recorded the Fragile Album 2 years earlier). This opener is unrelenting with its propulsive grunty guitar riffs monstering everything in sight. Add Fred's vocal scream and Wow, this is a masterful statement of intent! One of the most perfect album opening tracks EVER.
2) ROCK IS MY LIFE, AND THIS IS MY SONG: Randy's autobiographical track about his life on the road, and his relationship with that aspect of his life. This initially deceptive track starts out with a jazz styling, but soon erupts with a familiar heavy guitar riff less than a minute in! BTO's innate sense of dynamics is superb in this great tune, the Rhythm section providing heavyweight ballast for the guitarists to blaze all over with well judged solo's and melody lines.
3) ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY: C'mon people! Is this not one of THE quintessential rock & roll songs to drive to in all of recorded history!!! Every single time I have listened to this powerhouse track I never fail to tap my feet, hands, sing along-and if I'm driving, put the foot down more on the gas pedal! From the opening riffs, to the rock steady pounding drums, this is probably the best track to introduce a person to BTO with. It has all the signature elements of the BTO sound, and crucially, it ROCKS LIKE HELL!!! Bloody hell, I think I even typed this faster than the previous tracks...
4) YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET: Unbelievably, this initially wasn't a proper track at all, just Randy fooling around in the studio, adlibing over a recently written riff (Or 2). When the engineer suggested that it might actually make a fully fledged song, Bachman took some convincing before eventually agreeing to see just how it might pan out. Luckily for us, and the band, this would become one of BTO's biggest hits! Sometimes, musicians just can't recognize a hit-even when its staring at them in their faces. A hypnotic jazzy riff in the verses is well counterpointed by a concise riff in the chorus, the track shuffling along well with Randy's stuttering vocals & Robbie's drums underpinning this monster hit.
5) FREE WHEELIN': A progressive jazz-fusion influenced instrumental that features a waay cool solo section where every member gets a few bars or 2 to solo on! It was the early 70's o.k? This sorta thing was more than acceptable in those days!

Side 2
6) SLEDGEHAMMER: A perfect example of the difference in both the vocal & guitar sounds that BTO made. The intro verse has randy singing the opening lines with a jazz riff, then followed by CF's 'Sledgehammer' scream and a titanic guitar riff roaring into view. A stellar Yin & Yang BTO song, which pretty much "Sledgehammer"s you into submission...
7) BLUE MOANIN': Bluesy to the max, this underrated number features some excellent solo guitar workouts from Blair Thornton & guest Frank Trowbridge on Slide guitar. A great mid tempo rocker that probably was an excellent live track.
8) SECOND HAND: Another vastly underrated album track that has a lot going for it. Randy singing very much like CF ironically, a squalling solo from Blair, great main riff & arrangements make this track hold up well on closer inspection.
9) GIVING IT ALL AWAY: the album closer is another relatively unknown gem, one of the few tracks where both Randy & CF sing in tandem-throughout the length of the song. It opens with multi layered guitars chiming in unison, then the boys start bellowing the words out in earnest.
The bridge section where they chant the chorus over the drums is cool, followed by another great Blair solo, the track fading out to echoes of not fragile.

So, if you've never heard this album before (In its entirety) then, its kinda obvious exactly what I would suggest next...

This isn't the last 70's album I will be raving about either!

You have been warned ;)

The Master of Melancholy

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say...

Whenever I've thought about Richard Wright-for reasons that I still can't really explain even to myself, I always come back to these rather poignant lines that in light of his recent passing, resonate with ever increasing assurance. To me, they reflect the true essence of his personality. Of all the various Pink Floyd personnel, perhaps Wright was in retrospect, the real enigma.

Roger Waters & David Gilmour were the defacto leaders of a band who accidentally muddled their way into the major league of rock 'n roll superstardom-even though in true Floydian style, neither were exactly proto-typical rock stars. Their relationship was of the Lennon/McCartney or Jagger/Richards mold. A pair of seemingly opposites paired off to write some of rock 'n rolls most iconic music. But crucially, this pairing almost always came with a strict proviso. The more successful they became, the more other band members were relegated to the back row. "Shut the fuck up and just play your fuckin instrument" would be just one of many insults hurled at any poor hapless soul who happened to think that they may have a better song idea than their ego driven songwriting duo! Other notable casualties of this type of egomania would be people like George Harrison (Beatles), Don Felder (Eagles), & the rest of Creedence Clearwater are just some examples of where true democracy didn't reign properly for these frustrated musicians.
It should be noted that Waters & Gilmour weren't that egotistical about such matters, until Rogers vision began to dominate the band, then Gilmour pushed back. Unfortunately Mason & Wright were less inclined to do the same.

Post the Syd Barrett era, The Floyd were initially a fully fledged democracy, every band member brought an equal amount of musical invention to create their evolving potent brand of musical genius. But as the years went by, the workload was falling more and more onto the shoulders of Gilmour & Waters. Nick Mason & Richard Wright either becoming increasingly daunted by the competitive talents of the guitarists-or deciding that because they were so good, why stand in the way of such greatness? And thus, not only the songwriting contributions dropped off, but even the occasional lead vocals from Wright were getting harder to sight. This is a great shame, considering the unique voice that Wright has; a gentle plaintive tone, full of life's anguish and melancholy. Typically, his understated songs reflected that sensibility, songs nostalgic for a simpler, less complicated life. Great examples of this are "Julia Dream" & "Remember a Day"

Crucially though, its in some way irrelevant to a certain degree about the lack of songwriting & vocal contributions because Wright did leave his indelible imprint to the history of rock for posterity with his signature keyboard work for the Floyd. His playing was absolutely vital and perfect for the Pink Floyd sound & it was also unlike many of their contemporaries such as YES & ELP who both had virtuoso musicians who weren't afraid to play a solo or 2. Whereas Rick Wakeman & Keith Emerson were both dazzling entertainers, Wright never put flashy showmanship ahead of making a composition sound better. He utilized more textured and nuanced fills, runs and sequences to give the Floyd their signature sound. Indeed, so instinctive and complementary is his playing, that it never threatens any track by overwhelming the balance of instruments in any particular song. If you took away Wright's sublime playing & compositional abilities & the Floyd wouldn't have sounded as great as they did. His part in the success of Pink Floyd was undeniable.

In my humble opinion, the best Pink Floyd Track ever is the sublime 23minutes & 31 seconds that is "Echoes" . That it is the quintessential heart of the typical Floyd sound is both a nod to the past-and a major hint to the future to come. One can only wonder if the band had continued along this kind of musical journey more often, where it would have lead them to. Key to this tracks inherent greatness was the fantastic interplay between Wright & Gilmour. Their vocal lines are in sync, each soaring to greater heights than previous vocal partnering in older Floyd songs. From the opening 'ping' (A note played through a Leslie speaker-Which has a rotating speaker in its housing), this track takes the listener on a voyage to distant shorelines, labyrinths of coral caves, outer space via eerie slides on bass guitars, and interstellar majestic guitars...
This song was the best thing that Richard Wright ever did with the Floyd, his organ swells are just breathtaking in their exactness of what the track required. The opportunity to do a overblown solo must have been very tempting, but Wright successfully resists this and infuses Echoes with a sound both majestic and otherworldly.

If you haven't already done so, I strongly urge you to go and buy a copy of David Gilmour's "Remember that night" DVD. Wrights playing is magnificent throughout the whole concert. He makes a remark in one interview saying that this is the happiest tour he has ever done-and it clearly is no idle throwaway line either. Wright has a look of absolute contentment throughout the whole tour. One can only now sadly speculate on the possibilities of a reformation of the Pink Floyd-and what it might have done for Wrights desire for a often longed resumption of recording with the under the Pink Floyd brand again.

In one of his last ever print interviews, he mentions to the journalist concerned that he whiles away a lot of time, just playing his piano, his one true companion. The one thing he could always rely on for emotional support & therapy. It would interesting then, to hear more of what was in his head. If Pink Floyd songs submerged his true feelings, then perhaps solo recordings would reveal the real Richard Wright. Maybe, some day we will be lucky enough to hear some of these pieces, then again, maybe we shouldn't.

Lastly, here's my list of my favorite Wright contributions to Pink Floyd.

From: Piper at the gates of Dawn; Astronomy Domine, Chapter 24, Interstellar Overdrive

From: Saucerful of Secrets; Remember a Day, Set the controls for the heart of the sun

From: More; Cirrus Minor, Up the Khyber

From: Meddle: Echoes, San Tropez

From: Dark Side of the Moon; Time, Great Gig in the Sky, Us and them, Any Colour You Like

From: Wish You Were Here; Shine on you Crazy diamond (Pt's 1-9), Welcome to the Machine

From: Animals; Dogs

From: The Wall; The Thin Ice, Mother, Goodbye blue Sky, Hey You, Comfortably Numb

From: The Division Bell; Wearing the Inside Out


Richard William Wright; 28-7-1945 to 15-9-2008

National Geographic's Megastructure series

Plot Summary: Fascinating series of documentaries on how big-sized construction projects are made, and the amount of planning, commitment, money, time, luck, and sheer hard work that is needed to make these iconic structures what they are today.

Ever since a very young age, I've always been very interested in how things work, especially electrical/mechanical objects like cars, aircraft, bridges, buildings and so on. I guess living near a military base (Dad was in the RNZAF) and seeing jet aircraft wizz overhead constantly helped fuel my imagination! Its no great surprise to tell you then that a big part of my working life involved fixing photocopiers, faxes, printers & typewriters. I job I really loved doing for 15 years or so. And that interest hasn't waned in the slightest, I am still very curious to know exactly what it takes to make something work-even more so when the scale of the project seems too incredible for words.

When ever you drive across a major bridge, or take a ride on a big aircraft or ocean ship, pause for a minute or two and reflect on the technological marvel that you are using to travel from one location to another. It is staggering to say the least when you actually learn of the process from the very inception of the initial idea, to the official opening to the general public, the major faith you need to place in the professionals who build these extremely complex projects to a level that is deemed safe for the general public to use on a daily basis. It shouldn't ever be taken for granted.

However, before you get too interested in this series, a small word of caution. Having searched on both Nat Geo's & Amazon's websites, it appears that there is only a 'best of' 3-4 disc set available from the 3 or 4 seasons shown so far. So, you will have to be a cable, sky or similar type of subscriber to actually watch the damn things. I figure if both the Nat Geo & Amazon sites don't have more than just the 1 meager offering, there must be some sort of licensing issues tied up with the rights to this series.

Some of the episodes I've watched are as follows:

Season 1
Ep 1: USS Ronald Reagan-The worlds biggest aircraft carrier. Never realised just how complex these floating airports really are. With a crew of 6000 people, carriers can stay at sea for more than a few years.
Ep3: The Channel Tunnel. One of the most difficult tunneling projects ever undertaken. Connecting Britain & France together, this highly technical challenge involved digging in very soft soil, with the danger of collapses a very real threat. A staggering achievement for all those who worked on this impressive project.
Ep5: Kansai International Airport. With no free land available, the Japanese put their very creative thinking caps on and came up with a seemingly impossible idea-build a massive island out of landfill in the middle of the harbour-and then hope it doesn't sink too much in future years to come! The jury's still out on that aspect, but it is undeniably a major technological achievement.

Season 2
Ep 19: The North Sea Wall. After centuries of devastating floods, the dutch government was compelled to build a vital sea wall to combat the effects of the destruction that floods wrecked on the dutch people and the Netherlands economy. Its scale is immense-but the problem wasn't going to be solved by half measures either.
Ep 20: Dubai's Palm Islands. Like the Kansai airport problem, Dubai has a major lack of land-specifically sea frontage, so the only solution was to reclaim land and position itself post oil boom by making it a iconic tourist destination. Again, the scale was staggering, and then unbelievably, they have made an even bigger island (Rather groups) in the shape of the world map. So, if you have a few million or 50, Brazil, Australia, or any country you want could be yours! Probably, not the last thing these clever buggers will attempt to make...
Ep 34: Millau Bridge. This vast bridge is also now the tallest in the world. And it is a stunning engineering miracle that has to be seen to be believed.

Season 3
Ep 37: Rio-Antirio Bridge, Gulf of Corinth; Greece. Another extraordinary bridge that is built in an extremely challenging environment.
Ep 38: Oresund Bridge, Copenhagen-Denmark to Malmo-Sweden. This bridge linking 2 countries is another triumph of man's battle vs nature, and the opportunities that were afforded to both countries by this significant link.

Other eps (Cant find any season/ep data) that I've seen are:
Deep Sea Drillers: The accuracy needed for ocean drilling is precise-so are these machines
Maglev Trains: Maybe the future of trains, catastrophes notwithstanding.
Queen Mary 2: That it works at all is a major accomplishment.
Beijing Olympic Stadium: The birds nest is now an icon of architecture without question.

Regardless of the lack of easy access, if you are able to watch the series, then it is wholeheartedly recommended!

Redacted

Plot synopsis: brutal & sobering anti-war movie based upon a true incident that happened in Iraq very recently, told from multiple points of view.

This undeniably powerful movie is a very welcome return to form from veteran director Brian De Palma. Using different media such as web cams, hand held camera's, De Palma creates a very credible story about a squad of raw recruits , encountering just how difficult life is in a extremely hostile environment-or is it? Based upon an ugly event whereby an innocent Iraq teenage girl was raped-then killed, this film then covers what happened next. Revenge from the aggrieved Iraqi community who clearly felt at the mercy of the oppressive occupying infidel American army.

The cast of mostly unknowns are all effective in portraying the various types of personalities who react in wildly differing ways when confronted with an extreme event such as this ghastly episode. Men behaving badly is one thing. Doing it on foreign soil in a very highly charged geopolitical country where you are not really welcome keeps everybody-friend and foe, in a constant state of unease, to say the least.

Some critics have carped on about this film being an anti America diatribe, but surely they're missing the real point. That a rape is a rape, a murder is a murder, irrespective of who commits these atrocious crimes-or where they commit them. Imagine the fury if the same thing happened on American soil, by foreign combatant's.

And the final series of photo's will burn an imprint into your subconscious. Hearts and minds will be affected by this searing evidence of collateral damage that is just so heartbreaking to view.

Absolutely masterful and very resonant in these clearly troubled times we live in. Maybe Obama is wise to get the hell outta Iraq. Is the oil really worth all this trouble?

Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Sequels: Love 'em or hate 'em?

I have just finished taking a quick squiz at some of the customer 'reviews' about this movie (On Amazon.com) and I can only come to one conclusion. Sometimes we can get far too bloody precious about movies! Its shouldn't be a surprise to tell you that we'll have certain preemptive perceptions before we actually see the damn thing!

With certain types of genres & movies, we have general expectations of what we think we will see. Certain genres follow strict (Hey, I am generalizing here-bear with me!) guidelines on the individual crucial aspects that make a genre film what it is. A good example is "Brick" (From 2006; director-Rian Johnson). Although, it is a 'Noir' type film, it plays around with the purported genre very successfully. And I'm going off-track here, so back to Jonesy & Co...

And thus we come to Indy 4. For the record, I loved it. It entertained me from start to finish. I didn't look at my watch once, or drift off thinking about mundane things like what to have for dinner, etc, etc! Is it not the job of a movie to - at the very least, either entertain or maybe, educate you? Generally speaking that's what most movie directors are aiming for. To entertain the audience for the length of the movie. Nothing more, nothing less. Its a noble ideal that most directors aspire to. For me, its been so long since the last one (1989) that my initial expectations were set fairly low. I mean we already had suffered the immense disappointments of the underwhelming Star Wars prequels, so it was a kinda nervous anticipation with this movie.
Thankfully, my reservations were misguided. It is just as good as the other three. If I remember correctly before Lucas & Spielberg started on "Raiders of the Lost Ark", their intention was to pay homage to the rip-roaring action movies that had enthralled them in their teenage years.
So they weren't aiming for high art, just damn good entertainment. On that level alone, they've succeeded very well.

The story sees Indy dragged into yet another all too familiar scenario: Bad guys want him for his knowledge of certain things & his expertise in tracking them down. This time the bad guys are the Russians, led by the very sexy with her black bob haircut Irina Spalko-played with style by the always more than watchable Cate Blanchett. In fact, maybe this would be one of the sexiest roles she has done thus far in her stellar career (More Cate, please !!!) Also early in view is a new sidekick, George 'Mac' McHale, played with a boozy Oliver Reed-ish charm by the charismatic Ray Winstone. Mac immediately makes his intentions clear to Indy by selling him out to the Russian's. After escaping from the Russkie's, Indy inadvertently wanders into a picture postcard perfect American town. Then a warning sounds, announcing a countdown. Bugger! it would be a nuclear test that is imminent. Where does he go for shelter? Hmmm, the result is both funny as hell-and completely over the top! Would love to see this one on MythBusters. With Indy now having motivation to do something about his current events, they introduce the new heir to his throne, Shia LeBeouf as "Mutt" Williams. His entrance is my only real quibble-and that's because its such a rip-off of an iconic actor (& his character) in an classic movie. You movie fan's will spot it in a heartbeat. But, hey, once I got over myself about this blatant act, I could sit back and enjoy his performance. Sure, not the best role the youngster has ever done, but it is early days in his career. Then, we get on the plane and journey to far-off lands to search for mythical treasures, rekindle relationships (a wild-eyed John Hurt is always amusing), fight plenty of bad guys ( plus one sexy girl-did I mention that previously?), fight them damn natives and oh, what Indy movie wouldn't be complete without some supernatural type element thrown in for good measure.

You can, if you really try, and imagine how this movie pans out. Will Indy live to have another adventure before the iconic fedora gets hung permanently on a post somewhere in the future?

Its Hollywood.

Movie magic can happen anytime. The only thing that really dictates in that town is the minor detail of just what number of zero's is the right number next time.

Secret Machines: Secret Machines (3rd album)

I'll start this review with a dirty little four letter word.

PROG !!!

Now, ease back gently & let me elaborate somewhat...

The aforementioned word is not really dirty-except amongst snobby music critics & unadventurous listeners who can't handle tunes that run longer than 5 minutes-or feature unconventional arrangements or time signatures. Why this is relevant is due to something that is totally inescapable: This minor masterpiece just reeks of Prog! Everything about this album features typical prog type influences that are so damn obvious to my own unique musical radar.

So, here's my track by track analysis.

1) "Atomic Heals" This slow burning opener starts out with beefy drums, squawly guitars reverberating metronomically whilst Brandon Curtis wails away about losing his heels.
2) "Last believer, drop dead" A more simplistic repetitive drum pattern anchors this mid tempo tune, with a great combo of guitar effects/chords soaring off into some imagined space.
3) "Have I run out" Starting with supple cymbal splashes, this is another slow burner which kicks into gear at the 1.35 mark, the rhythm picking up a few notches, aided by 2 contrasting guitar lines. Would probably be a monster live in concert. Again, Josh Garza's drumming is first rate. And filled out with powerhouse bombastic synth work (Prog!). First track past the 7 min mark (7.40 to be exact...)
4) "Underneath the concrete" A more urgent up-tempo muscular tune, driven by those pounding, repetitive drums. (If you don't have a great rhythm section in a band, your not really gonna be able to scale the heights of rock 'n roll!). Not my most favorite track, but it will grow on me eventually.
5) "Now your gone" This ballad starts out with the usual machines slow burning intro, then hey, surprise! kicks up a gear or 2 at-you guessed it-the ubiquitous 1.30 mark. But it absolutely comes alive at this point, with a searing lead guitar line, and Brandon's passionate vocal propelling this stunner into the stratosphere.
6) "The Walls are starting to crack" Again, another slow starting ballad which-guess what? yep, your on the money! that bloody 1.30 mark, again...However the true prog influences really kick in at the 4 min point with a scorching synth blast, dynamic lead/melody guitars, some guest backing vocalists wailing away for a short while, before fading out ever so quietly.
7) "I never thought to ask" Easily, this is, A) my favourite track & B) THE most "Proggy" of all these tracks. Beautiful chiming acoustic guitar, spooky/spacey keyboards, soaring reverb drenched vocal, all add up to create one of their most gorgeous atmospheric track's recorded thus far. Reminds me very much of something that an Italian/European group would have recorded in the late 60's/early 70's!
8) "The fire is Waiting" A pulsating, grinding and totally overblown symphonic masterpiece that is just dazzling! Very much a companion piece to the previous track. In fact, this proves just how crucial track sequencing is in trying to make a recording flow and sound as though there's a sort of logical order. Perfect ending to a great record. (And it's the longest track as well, clocking in at very respectable 11 minutes plus!).

This is the 3rd album from this Brooklyn based Group, and the first minus one of the Curtis brothers (Benjamin-who left in March 2007). Any fears that this might have had a destabilizing effect, were thankfully, unfounded. Perhaps freed from constraints & expectations, the revamped line-up (newbie guitarist Phil Karnats) produce easily their most progressive-and dare I say it-best album yet.

Already looking forward to the next one...

Burn after reading

Plot: A couple of Coen Idiots find what they think is the keys to a kingdom of their future-Supposed C.I.A documents that might be worth a buck or breast augmentation or 2 by holding the author to ransom. Bad move-Oz Cox is not a happy man upon this unforeseen development-which started with his cheating bitch wife. Then Harry Pfarrer gets involved and things really start to go outta control !!!

Sigh...

This is easily one of my most conflicted reviews thus far. I am, for the record, a HUGE Coen brothers fan. Their movies are always totally unique. No-one else really comes close to making the kind of movies they do. Its always hard to nail just exactly what are the key reasons why their films are so different, but maybe one clue is their treatment of characters. What they do, how they act in any certain situation, how they look, dress-hell, even hairstyles are eventful in the Coenverse (my shorthand for Coen universe!), the characters are always totally compelling.

So, obviously, coming off the back of one THE most critically acclaimed movies of the last year (The brutally savage "No country for old men"), expectations were not unreasonably high given the tantalizing array of talent on offer. A veritable coenesque mix of the old (Clooney/Mcdormand/J.K Simmons) and the very effective new (Malkovich/Pitt/Swinton) seemed to be a damn near perfect acting ensemble that couldn't really fail... A concept involving spies, cheaters, losers, dickheads, idiots, foreigners & other sundry character types that olny appear in the Coenverse, how the hell could this puppy be anything other than completely loveable? Hmmm and hmmm.... Perhaps, I should jump to how i feel about this now. Again, for the record-I NOW LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! So, what has happened inbetween to make me see the 'error' of my ways? Time is probably the biggest factor. Certain movies, like certain songs or books (or name your own thing!) benefit from the passage of time. Think about movies like "BladeRunner", "2001" "Casablanca" or albums like...(bugger me-i just cant recall at this point in time an example of a massively popular album which was critically reviled at the initial release, but I digress..) Anyways, like a good bottle of wine which gets better after ageing, some movies don't totally convince upon first appearances, but the more you look back, after a time, the better they reveal their undeniable genius to us properly. Burn after reading falls into this type of category because its not an undisputed masterpiece like "Fargo" or "No Country", but it slowly but surely works its charms on you as most Coen films do. Cmon, and admit this to yourself- Ladykillers & Intolerable Cruelty are more than worthy! Sometimes the best way to judge a filmmakers career is by the number of perceived 'failures' that they have over the course of time. No-one is infallible, everyone is capable of making a turd burger or 2. Its the type of turd that defines your legacy to a certain degree.

So here's my selective highlights of this minor-key gem!

Brad Pitt is CHAD! Absolutely effen brilliant !!! Note to Mr Pitt ( whose career & acting I really like) PLAY MORE IDIOTS IN THE FUTURE! SUITS YOU WELL, MATE!!!

Gorgeous George Clooney. Rounding out the last of (in his own words) "Trilogy of Idiots" for the Coens (O Brother/Intolerable/Burn) in fine style, even though I did really wonder about the basement invention. My jury's still out on that particular detail. Liked the fuzz as well George!

The brilliant scenes between Oz's superior (David Rasche-"Sledgehammer" TV Cop show from 90's) and his laconic superior, the always watchable J.K Simmons. The two of them are great on their own, but together-truly Coenesque !!!

The scenes at the Russian embassy. Only the Coens can do that kinda stuff and get away with it!

The closet scene. Didn't see it coming. (You'll understand after you've watched the movie)

The Malkovich. One of his best roles ever. The rage was exciting to watch being unbottled & unleashed to all and sundry!

If your a true Coenesque fan, you'll learn to love this movie in due course. Everybody else can ignore all the hype & criticism and just enjoy the movie on its own terms. It is funny...