Post

Even though Bjork has done many great albums since 1995 effort, none have surpassed her spectacular sophmore attempt. When we start with the immaculate and angry Army Of Me, we are swept away into 45 minutes of beautiful, meaningful pop. As mentioned before, Army Of Me is bitter and angrily poignant, a supposed letter to Bjork's lazy brother. Hyperballad, the next track, is equally brilliant, but in a more subtle and calm manner. But the piece de resistance is It's Oh So Quiet, starting of quiet melodies, and ending up in thunderous jazz verses. Also wonderful is Enjoy, with Bjorks voice soaring, possible more so than her 2001 ethereal Pagan Poetry. One of the best albums of the 90's. 

9/10


Teo 

Selmasongs

Ever since her 1993 début Debut, Bjork has been one of the worlds weirdest mainstream singers. She goes through strange obsessions, from spectacular (Post) to achingly pretentious (Drawing Restraint 9). But her 2000 EP Selmasongs soundtrack to the equally wonderful Dancer In The Dark which she starred in. The thunderous 'Overture' is spectacular, dark and sad, only to be matched by the even sadder and darker 'Scatterheart', which despite being wonderful, is better in the film. Sensations of magic are found in 'Cvalda' with Bjork's voice marrying Catherine Deneuve's suprisingly great voice, for the best song on the album. The mellow 'I've Seen It All' is perfect, with Thom Yorke beautifully echoing Bjork. However, creative boundaries are pushed to the limit at '107 steps,' a song entirely about numbers. However, this is forgiven for 'New World' a song so peaceful and graceful, it could be an anti-war anthem. At half an hour, there's not a lot to it, but it is a well made and crafted album.


9/10

Teo

The Dark Knight Rises

I believe that Christopher Nolan is the best director of the last decade. Whether the film is mind-bogglingly confusing (Inception, Memento), wonderfully deceptive (Insomnia, The Prestige), or studenty (Following), his films are always well written, cryptic and dark. And his talent has been proven in his perfect Batman trilogy. Instead of going back to the easy, campy, and horrifying 1997 Clooney vehicle Batman and Robin, he went back to the darkness of Tim Burton's 1989 effort and multiplied everything that was good about that film by a thousand. There we got Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, two of the best films of their year. So the hype is on for Nolan to raise the bar even more. And he definitely delivers. The film continues eight years of from The Dark Knight, where Batman is reclusive and lonely. The only thing that seems to spark him is the   sassy jewel-thief Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, played wonderfully by Anne Hathaway, who has been climbing up the A-list ladder ever since her Oscar nomination in 2008. Not only is Hathaway athletic and clever, she gets a fair share of the film's genuinely funny one liners. On top of the hero/villain Catwoman we get Bane, played in enormous form by Tom Hardy with a face mask which mutes his speech to a terrifying Ian Mackellen dialect. As well as the normal cast we get the unbelievably cool Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a noble policeman who knows Bruce Wayne outside of his Batman guise and Marion Cotillard as the possible love interest and head of Wayne Enterprises. I won't reveal any more, but I have to say: This is the best film I have seen of the year so far, ahead of Moonrise Kingdom. Not only that, it is the best Batman film ever made. 

5/5 

Teo

The Good Girl

Jennifer Aniston, since the end of the wonderful Friends, has enjoyed more Hollywood success as opposed to the rest of the sitcom cast, with roles in such films as Horrible Bosses and (sadly) Adam Sandler's despicably unfunny Just Go With It. However, this film was completed while she was still on the beloved series but was completely overlooked, both by the Academy and the mainstream audiences. I see it to be a wondrous masterpiece akin to Kevin Spacey's American Beauty, sharing the satirical anger of the Oscar-winning 1999 drama. The premise goes that the bored Texan 30 year old Justine is living each day repetitively, coming back every night to his stupid stoner husband Phil (John C. Reilly), and his similarly stupid friend Bubba. Her life, however, is changed when a 22 year old outcast who refers to himself as Holden starts work at Justine's shopping centre (Jake Gyllenhaal). He is charmingly weird and reads The Catcher In The Rye like it's his manual through life. When he offers Justine the chance to run away together, she must make a choice: stay with her dull Texan life or life a life on the road? Gyllenhaal bounces off Aniston perfectly in the quieter scenes while Reilly gets enough screen time for the impact of his pitch perfect timing to sink in. Great. 

4/5

Teo

The Descendants

George Clooney is an actor who is so unbelievably suave, the sheer presence of him in a film adds class and comfort that the film is going to be great, be it an assassin in The American to more different roles, such as the ill-fated Batman and Robin. Here, in this light-hearted but nonetheless impressive, hilarious domestic dramedy. Alexander Payne has proved to be wondrous with this sort of film, with the similarly themed Sideways being equally hilarious and depressing. The story goes that Matt King, workaholic, and a Hawaiian owner of a large area of land. His life is changed suddenly when his wife gets into a boating accent from which she won't recover and even more so when he finds out that while Matt has been busy at work, she has been cheating on him. So he takes his 10 year old feisty daughter Scottie, his conceited other daughter Alex and Alex's stoner friend Sid on a journey to the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i to tell his wife's lover that his lover will die, and he to let him have a last goodbye. All of the child/teen actors are absolutely magnificent, and I particularly like Sid, who despite his stupid personality, may be a lot cleverer than expected, as revealed later on. George Clooney, as mentioned is wonderfully bitter but his emotional talk with Sid is a movie moment to cherish. Absolutely lovely. And like Sideways, it makes you feel like you've been on a very nice trip.

Teo

Contagion

Contagion

Ever since the incredibly depressing sweep of swine flu over the world a few years ago, the topic of health has never been so important in mordern life. Lifts now how anti-bacterial gels and you are clarified as soon as you step foot in a hospital. So a film needs to be made about it, surely? We have has HIV films (Philadelphia), cholera (The Painted Veil), but not since 95's melodramatic but nonetheless terrifying Outbreak has there been a film that makes us want to was our hands for so long. Enter Steven Soderbergh, a director who never ceases to amaze me. He goes from no budget local vehicles (Bubble), large scale historical epics (Che), to big budget and big name blockbusters like this. You already know the story so lets focus on the characters. Kate Winslet is spectacular as a workaholic doctor who realises the disease is spreading faster than the government can stop it. Matt Damon is also good as a husband who doesn't know whether to be greiving for his dead wife (Gwenyth Paltrow), or to be furious at her for her infidelity. Marion Cotillard is good, but gets no screen time which, after her 2007 Oscar winner, was owed to her. Lawrence Fishburne also provides strong support as a smart physician who only cares for the safetey of his wife and children. The only performance which is off is Jude Law's embarassing blogger, with a dodgy Australian accent so poor people on iMDB have said 'I did not think for a moment that I was hearing Australian.' (A native Australian said this) Aside from some occasional silly acting it is tense, clever, fast and dark. See it, but bring soap.

4/5

Teo

Bad Lieutenant- Port of Call- New Orleans

Bad Lieutenant- Port of Call- New Orleans 

Werner Herzog is one of our generation's greatest directors, somewhat due to his sheer bravery, as proved by his wondrous masterpieces Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: Wrath of God. (Here, he has found his new Klaus Kinski.) However, in recent years, he has been a more consistent documentary film-maker, with great films such as Grizzly Man. Here, Herzog is at his most accessible, with a clever, funny, dark and corrupt good cop-bad cop story. Nicholas Cage plays the titular 'Bad Lieutenant', who snorts cocaine like it's lemonade and stops a major  drug bust, only to snatch the crack himself. I'm not sure how many lieutenants have a 'lucky crack pipe'. Cage can be engaging in the right role (Adaptation, Leaving Las Vegas, Wild At Heart) but his exasperated performances in all of his recent films (save Kick Ass) have become a cliché. This is Cage's career best since his 95' Oscar winner. Alongside him is his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes) who seems perpetually dazed. Bad Lieutenant is everything you'd expect from Herzog; funny, charming, depressing dark and filled with iguanas.

4/5

Teo

The Passion Of The Christ

The Passion Of The Christ

Mel Gibson has done it again after his Oscar clutching Braveheart, a film that I neglected to see. Here, the violence is so appaling and so unecessary, I feel it is one of the most violent films I have ever seen. As many filmgoers know, violence on its own is not entertaining, and needs backing, which Gibson does not do. I rather like Mr. Gibson, enjoying his entertaining turn in the splendidly silly Mad Max anthology, but his comments to his girlfriend have less than impressed me and the blatant anti-semetic undertones to this film rests my case. I know that I am supposed to admire the direction, but on some films, if it is better directed, it is worse. I am reminded of another very violent film, Kill Bill. That film was very violent but at least Tarantino provided characterisation and development. Despite this, Jim Cavizel's Performance is a career best, perfectly capturing Jesus' sorrowful state. However, we rarely see must of Cavizels face, since it is covered in prosthetics and makeup most of the time. Some performances are beyond the pale, such as Monica Bellucci, giving a cringeworthy performance as Mary Magdalene. i sat in awe of Magdalene, so good in Irréversible, flunking her weak Aramaic. But let me get to what everyone has been fuming about, the anti-semetism. Although it is not as clear to me why it is anti-semetic, I can tell and I hope, Gibson keeps his psyche canned for the moment. As for the violence? It is so repetitive and in-your-face, it soon gets boring. Sure, it's gory, but in a conoluted and drab way, which goes well with our current society. VERDICT- A mixed bag. Jim Cavizel's performance triumphs, but with bland supporting acting, and halfhearted direction, it is a dull flick.

2/5

Teo

The Future

The Future

Miranda July is one of the only modern film-makers, like Gus Van Sant and Sam Mendes, who can capture life so effortlessly calmly. In her ebullient debut, Me And You And Everyone We Know, she cast herself in a poetic spider of human relationships with a terrific cast of mainly unknowns. Here, in what may be superior to her last film, she verges even deeper into the abyss, heading to unseen territory, with bold plot points, a very strange  premise and a cast of, again, unknowns. July and Hamish Linklater star as Sophie and Jason, a couple who are unfulfilled in both their jobs and well-being. They are both too old (in their view) for kids, and seem to be plunging deep into their own existential crisis's. However, a stray cat seems to be their only lifeline left. They are told they have 30 days until 'Paw Paw' arrives. It will need constant care, that as much of a child, it seeming to fill the child void. They work out that because the cat will only last 5 years, they will be in a personal dead end by the time the cat dies, when they will be 40. "40 is basically 50" Jason quotes during the film. Deciding to leave their dull jobs and living their remaining 30 days to the fullest, Jason joins a door-to-door tree selling cooperation and Sophie aims to do "30 Days, 30 Dances". However, what they hoped would revive their dull lives plunges them, particularly Sophie, into a further state of ennui. Sophie, on failing to complete her dances starts a torrid affair with a man named Marshall, while Jason makes a friendship with a man who sold them a hairdryrer. I do not wish to spoil it for you but things get weirder with beautiful soliloquies from Paw Paw, voiced by July hilariously. The Future was one of the best films of 2011.

5/5 

Teo

The Tree Of Life

The Tree of Life

 

Now we're talking. A film I have had countless conversations about. A film so intriguing yet so dividing, i simply have to talk about it. The only film with Malicks sheer bravery is 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even that lacked the emotional, human heart that TTOL has.

I first saw this film at the Gate cinema in Notting hill, a truly underrated cinema and one of the only showing decent independent films in London. I had been awaiting its release for many months, pestering my parents that I had to see this film. I was setting myself in dissapointment mode, a good technique so you are happy when it turns out to be really good. Well, in the  first 20 minutes, half of the packed cinema had walked out in a strop of diminished expectations of what the critics were calling "a masterpiece". My  mother turned to me after i had quizzed her on the verdict of the film when it was over. "I don't know yet" she replied. Over the next few days, at whatever opportunities we got, we would discuss the film. Why? I will tell you. Warning, however it will involve spoilers. And dinosaurs...

We open with a Job quote and a mysterious orange mesh of light in a black background, a concept repeated  again and again during the film. We cut to angelic Jessica Chastain recieving a telegram. It is told later that the second of her three sons have died. At 19. Judging by the time and the telegram, he probably died in Vietnam. This tragedy will taint the future scenes with a touch of melancholy. Suddenly the scenes drastically alter, showing the formation of planets, stars and space in general. Some have accused legendary director Malick of being pretentious. I disagree. He is simply showing what has and will happen in space. The thing I stress about this film is that it isn't only a warm and interesting family drama, but a representation of life, hence the title. These scenes are accompanied by some beautiful classical music. The images change back to a part of the film featuring Sean Penn as the older version of one of the sons,Jack , seeming to be sleepwalking through every scene. A brilliant shot involves him and his supposed partner walk through their beautiful apartment, uttering not but a word between the two. At work he daydreams of his childhood. Some have accused Penn's character as being underdeveloped. Again, I disagree. i think he lives his life through his memories, perhaps rose-tinting them slightly to escape his hollow existence as an adult. There is a change back to his childhood, Brad Pitt at his very, very best. (Saying a lot considering what he's done.) Many scenes occur during this period. Hunter McCracken plays his role especially well, capturing all the pre-teen angst so well. The parents' names are never referred to by name. They are simply Mr and Mrs O'Brien. Because in those days, parents were Mother, Father or Sir. The boys' stern father, a failed musician is sharp but you get a true sense that he loves his children. The mother is the complete opposite, loving them at every turn, being playful and rarely telling them off. At one point, she is portrayed to be floating, angelic and heavenly. We often see the young Jack go into the attic, meeting a tall man, symbolising the fathers emotional absence. Mr O'Brien goes away on a business trip, the boys get rowdy and troublesome. Mr O'Brien returns. Soon, his employers are shutting down the plant he works in. The family decide to sell the house and start a new life somewhere else. Suddenly the tone drastically changes, showing Sean Penn wandering round a desert in his battered Armani suit, gingerly walking through doorways and chasing his childhood self through the rocks. We cut to a house on a salt flat, of Mrs O'Brien offering up her son and being carried by other women. Sean Penn again wanders, but this time through a beach full with all the people from his life and carrying the child form of his dead brother to his family. This represents his hopeful idea of Heaven, a place where all the people in his life can meet again. Mrs O'Brien is overjoyed, raising her son up to the sky. As we return to Jack doing his job leaving a building, he looks up at the sun and smiles. We get the orange light again and it fades to black with no music.

Well, it must be seen to be believed. There is simply nothing life it and it's an experience everyone must go through. The best film of the year, the decade and most decades to come

Teo

Me and You and Everyone We Know

Me And You And Everyone We Know

What a surprisingly brilliant film this is. It takes scenes which rightfully should be wrong and immoral and makes them hilarious, quirky and most importantly, loveable. Miranda July is a rather odd taste, a point which has been proved by her mumblecore drama The Future. The Future was narrated by a cat who gave soliloquies on life in general, this is life in general. However, this version on life cannot be true; people are too nice. John Hawkes, brilliantly playing a lonely, separated shoe salesman. He and the delightfully quirky July are fizzing with kooky chemistry and Hawkes' children are brilliantly acted. Sylvie, the slightly OCD child collecting items for her future family is the best developed child actor, all of which, incidentally, are hilarious and charming. A wonderful film. 

10/10

Teo

Bombay Bicycle Club Live

Bombay Bicycle Club Live @ Ally Pally

As I walked into Ally Pally in Muswell Hill, I expected a great night filled with the brilliant music and I was not dissapointed. The support, Lianne La Havas, had great stage presence and her soulful, poppy tunes complimented Bombay wonderfully. Everywhere I looked, hipsters were murmuring 'Adele', but I thought she was more refined than the multi Grammy-award winning megastar. Because this was a 'under 18's need an adult' concert, the kids moshed in the front, while the wizened old parents stood subduedly in the back, occasionally tapping to the rythm. As Bombay stumbled on, cheers were as loud as Lady Gaga. Their first song was a muted down Evening/Morning which gained attention from the crowd. It was good, but a little tired. They were only just getting warmed up, with an enjoyable jazz version of Cancel On Me being roared by Jack Steadman. Shuffle was good, but the rest of their new album was, honestly, a bit dull. The encore, Always Like This, was great, energetic, fun and daring. All-in-all, it was a good concert, but after 3 nights at Ally Pally, you sensed that they were tired. Pleasant, but not the best I've been to.

7/10

Teo

Lady Gaga- Born This Way

Lady Gaga- Born This Way 


Is there much point introducing her? We all know who she is; her strange music videos, her 'love everyone' ethics, akin to previous LGBT superstars (cough, cough Madonna). So, instead of talking about the album as a whole, I'm going to review this track by track:

Marry The Night- One of the best songs on the album. Cool, confident and with one of the weirdest bridges on a song I've heard.


Born This Way-We all know this one, since everyone has been humming it  since May. It smacks of 80's dance but is wondrous and yet shameless in its feel-good factor.


Government Hooker- Occasional hits of Gwen Stefani's Rich Girl are echoed in this, this being one of the more strange songs on the album. Dancey, but the blatant Marilyn Monroe references are painful.




Americano- A throwback to Latin American, Gaga's Spanish warbling is great, but after 10 'a-a-a-a-aa's, it wears a little thin.


Judas- Frustrating R and B verses are bearable for the wonderful chorus, and the added chants of 'Judas' are magnificent.


Hair-  Simply the best song on the album. With self affirming lyrics, jazz undertones and the best bass drop of the year, it is simply the perfect pop song.


Scheiße- Fake German singing proves for, again, one of the more obscure songs on the album. Weird, but intriguing. 


Bloody Mary- A simply excellent song. A wonderful chorus, the best lyricism on the album and yells of Gaga in the background makes for a great song. 


Bad Kids- We hear Bruce Springsteen when we hear this rock ballad. Sometimes it can be silly but it is clever and enjoyable. 


Highway Unicorn- An awkward display of synth and bass, this is an example of when Gaga's self confidence gets the better of her. Messy, but well intentioned. 


Heavy Metal Lover- Again, awkward but better than Highway Unicorn. Too weird for its own good and some simply painful first lyrics. Interesting. 


Electric Chapel- After 2 average songs, we ger a great, dancey disco hit. This guitar improv solo is rock at its finest. 


Yoü and I-No Speechless wonder to be found on this album, but we do get a great old school dance record. Wonderful. 


The Edge of Glory- One of the more average dance songs, it's one of those 'lyrics saved me' singles. Good music, but the lyrics are better. 


9/10


Download-Hair, Marry the Night, Bloody Mary

Teo

Everything Everything-Man Alive

Everything Everything- Man Alive 


This band holds the record, in my opinion, as the hardest karaoke band ever. Their complicated and completely irregular choral pattern and ridiculously high soprano voice is musical gold, but is nevertheless a catchy tease. The album, their début, was, despite being ungodly difficult to sing, was one of the best from 2010. By far the best song on the album is MY KZ UR BF, which uses such strangetiming and one of the strangest song plots I've seen in a while.(see http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858799709/) Photoshop Handsome provides equally great pop relief, with again, some of the strangest lyrics I've seen. However, once Schoolin' plays, the quirkiness starts to get a tad annoying. Similar to the quirkiness of Michael Cera, it's best enjoyed in small doses.
8/10
Download: Photoshop Handsome, MY KZ UR BF

Teo

Alt J-An Awesome Wave

Alt-J- An Awesome Wave

After last year's Vaccine success, expectedly, here comes a wave of similarly themed indie groups, just waiting to steal the limelight. But halt! This could not be further from the Vaccines. Instead, we get the sheer marvel of An Awesome Wave. The best track is definitely Matilda, which is smooth, calming, and ungodly catchy. The nice guitar seams effortlessly with the lead singers voice, a marriage made in heaven. Similar beauty is found in the disturbing yet lovely Breezeblocks and the harmonious acapella of Interlude 1, which almost beats Matilda to best song on the album. However, as the album goes on, the undeniably boring Tesselate drones a bit, and the songs go downhill from there. Not bad, but The Vaccines did it better.

7/10

Download: Matilda, Breezeblocks

Teo