One forgettable. One unforgettable

But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn
A delightful read, that much is true. Jancee Dunn is a rather charming lady and her tales are constantly witty and well written. As a fan of celebrity culture, I had a great time with all the mentions of famous people getting up to weird things…but that’s just it. I was only really reading this book for the name-droppings. Sure Jancee Dunn is an engaging guide, but her life story is not exactly a rollercoaster ride. The only thing that keeps the momentum really going is her encounters with the celebrities, and once Dunn eases away from this, the interest wanes. It’s a light read and a fun one at that but instantly forgettable.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Totally relevant and totally timeless, George Orwell's tale of a bleak and disturbing future has lost none of its impact. Winston Smith is simply a terrific protagonist. He's an all too believable everyman character: Weak physically and mentally, working in a mindless job, and dreaming of escaping from a society he feels isolated in. The world created by Orwell has so many intricacies that add to the bleak realism. In fact there is an uncomfortable feeling when reading about the dystopic society Winston lives in, but the similarities to our own world is eerily familiar. For instance the idea about Newspeak, which is an effort to simplify the English language, so we use less words to emote, seems eerily similar to text/online speak. And of course the whole concept of Big Brother and Room 101 has been used countless times (and not just in the sense of entertainment). It's a great story with a perfect ending. I loved it!

Oscars: The Supporting Actors

Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Jackie E. Haley (Little Children), Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Traditionally the categories where the great and good of the Academy like to fling caution windwards and give out something to those who haven't played the political game. This year, no one has done that so this is a category based purely on its merits. Eddie Murphy, due to Dreamgirls' lack of other big category nominations, is the major frontrunner, after wins in almost all major precursors. Haley and Arkin are the two to watch in this one as potential dark horses while both Hounsou and Wahlberg are unlikely to be rewarded with anything more than their nominations. Money though, smart and heart, is on Murphy.



Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel), Adriana Bazarra (Babel), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Well, Dreamgirls should be looking at a double win here with Hudson almost a lock for the win. Blanchett could nick it, as could Kikuchi but anyone else is really on the outside. Breslin's surprise nomination is a little odd but she deserves it. Hopefully, this isn't the start of a life of underage drinking, failed teenage marriage and arrests under the influence. Hudson to win.

104 Book Round Up #3

So we keep on working on this whole challenge thing and today I finished book seven so an extra special triple round up is upon us. This week we have Oryx & Crake from Margaret Atwood, Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson and Diary by Chuck Palahniuk.


So yes, Oryx & Crake indeed. The really quite quizzical cryptic messaging they use for a blurb here leads you to believe exactly the feeling I left this book with: utter confusion yet strange fascination and satisfaction. Atwood is a great writer, capable of creating palpably believable World's often concerned with the future plight of basic natural humanity: pregnancy or fertility often come up. Here, she is tackling the subject preferred of many dystopic visionaries, the dictatorship of cultdom and the breakdown of the postmodern grand narrative. Here story here is told in fragments that take their sweet time to come together into a cohesive, meaningful whole but nonetheless, leave you flawed not only by her incredible prose but by the sheer fact that despite understanding the metaphorical thematics of what you are reading, you are utterly compelled, moved and fascinated by all she describes. Its a wonderful book that leaves you equally confounded and in awe.


Denis Johnson is among my favourite writers, a modern Carver-esque chronicler of the American loser, the simple kind of man America is secretly built on but never acknowledges unless they are written about by men like this. Jesus' Son is a collection of vignettes about the charmingly monikered Fuckhead, a junkie and petty criminal in small town America living, loving and fucking up his life bit by bit. He's a walking Replacements song, a lovable loser you have no tangible reason to love other than Johnson's ability to create a beating heart beneath his characters' layer of antisocial idiocy. Fuckhead's a charming philosopher throughout the book, an uneducated Holden Caulfield without the extra degree of pathos or wiseness to his words. But his overall summations, mainly involving a philosophy of 'forget trying' existentialism and a basic idea that love, does indeed, matter above all else. This is by no means a romantic novel, but its an enjoyable and interesting read for anyone interested in this form of downbeat U.S literature.



Diary is a very interesting work that runs, for the most part, purely on its great concept. Written as the diary of a man in a coma, it chronicles the beaten up, curious life of the Wilmott's and their twisted little family saga. It has moments of excellence but doesn't really get going until the final third when that avant device known to many as plot kicks in. For while generationally important in his nihilistic, misanthropic outlook that pours from his pages, Palahniuk has never quite moved, like Douglas Coupland (his main peer) has from zeitgeist-y postmodernist tomes to genuine, emotive fiction. The humanity of Diary is there between the lines, but Palahniuk seems unable to locate the basic beauty behind the sadness of his characters. Akin to Neil LaBute (although Palahniuk has yet to make his Wicker Man), his inability to move beyond coldness denies his work the connection that can be made with the work of Coupland. He also ends up becoming lost in his own cleverness, seemingly not quite thinking through the final reels and losing much of the power built within that final third's plotting. What could have been his masterpiece ends up as a well written failure that remains worthwhile to those who like their sadness served cold.

REVIEW: The Prestige

Imminent on DVD, The Prestige has been a sleeper hit over the course of the year, picking up a quasi-cult audience after its unheralded arrival at the cinemas. Possibilities of Oscar faded quickly after early buzz (rightly to be honest) but its overall quality has seen it reviewed well and awarded with Empire Magazine's 4th Best Movie of the year.

It certainly a fascinating prospect, a superlative cast (Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johannson) and a brilliant director in Christopher Nolan making good fun, experimental cinema. Not in an avant garde sense by any means, but as an exercise in thematically metaphorical filmmaking. It concerns itself with two duelling magicians, obsessed with topping each other's masterpiece trick to the point of madness and taking them on a journey of deceit, revenge, double crossing and murder. Its great triumph is in the narrative direction and set up; the film itself reveals eventually as a cinematic sleight of hand, tricking the audience while simultaneously keeping their attention on anything but the final prestige.

The performances are all solid, with Jackman particularly strong as a man on the verge of a jealous insanity, but the performance need to do very little. The characters themselves are fairly unlikable, as vengeful and careerist as they are, but you are utterly compelled throughout. Technically too, not just in terms of the trick played, this is a gorgeous film deserving of it cinematography nod at the Oscars. But watch this purely for plot and to be tricked, entertained and thrilled for two hours.

Film: The Prestige
Director: Christopher Nolan
Plattenspieler Rating: 7.8/10

REVIEW: Blood Diamond

This film had a chequered past on Plattenspieler. It looked a cracker on paper, but then the trailer comes out and they pick easily the two worst moments of DiCaprio's South African accent and particularly the moment when he utters, "bling bang". It became a minor running joke and all of a sudden, our hype for this died. But awards season came round and a few rewards for Djimon Hounsou and Leo gave us some want to see. So we did, and as it previous relationship had suggested, its a mixed experience.

On the whole, its a superb adventure movie. DiCaprio and Hounsou manage to supply the requisite amount of buddy moments infused with pathos and a sense of conflict between their characters. The whole first half, as the issue of diamond trading and smugglers is explored is excellent, riveting socio-political commentary meets sweeping vistas and breathtaking moments and action and violence. The scenes of Hounsou's son being indoctrinated into the guerilla group is particularly moving and troubling. Di Caprio is fabulous in this first half too, with a note perfect accent and supply charm offsetting his character's inherent shitbag-ness. Indeed, DiCaprio's character is a total bastard, and the fact you sympathise with him in these opening scenes is quite a feat of acting.

The second half, while still high quality in terms of action loses its political head, becoming first non-existent as Ed Zwick decides to add both love story and eventual redemption to his narrative, and then steaming back into view with a horribly preachy end coda. The redemption moments of DiCaprio are even worse, backing away from his finishes as the asshole we begun loving to allow humanity and goodness to seep through. The final phone conversation goes on far too long and the movie loses steam. Up to that point though, its brilliant stuff, but you can't help feeling that in the hands of a truly skilled auteur, Oliver Stone or Michael Mann spring to mind, this could have been a genuine modern classic. An important issue has a light shined upon it but never quite bright enough.

Film: Blood Diamond
Director: Ed Zwick
Plattenspieler Rating: 7.0/10

104 Challenge: Graphic Novels #1

So we've been a little slack on reviewing, and indeed reading, the comics we are supposed to read over the next few weeks. But I've just finished the second one of the month and so will do a brief review of the two for you delectation. The 104 Challenge has slightly changed now with the original split between prose and comic shifting to simply reading 104 actual pieces of literature over the year rather than 52 of each. So anyway, here are my first reviews.


Desolation Jones by Warren Ellis
My experience of Ellis is pretty minimal, despite his position as the comic book World's dark prince. His gritty, violent style has more in common with hard hitting crime drama blended with a deeply British sense of satire and wry humour. Desolation Jones has been his most acclaimed work yet, following on from the self-indulgent but much loved Transmetropolitan series. The only previous work of his I had read was Scars, a disturbing and brutal account of a child's grisly murder that plays like a gruesome episode of Law & Order. This is quite a different experience indeed, an x-rated subversion of spy fiction and particularly aimed seemingly at the squeaky clean misogyny of James Bond.
The eponymous lead character is excellent, a former British spy exiled in L.A after being part of horrific experiment that have left him a shadow of his former self. His occupation now as a private eye leads him into a shady world of pornography and seedy, noirish heavies, most of whom he injures, kills or damages in some way. The brutal violence and misanthropic undertones remain from his previous work and Ellis expands on them with intruiging subplots and streaks of broken humanity. His new series, Fell, will be reviewed after its release in March but this is high quality stuff that any fans of Ellis will enjoy immensely.


Ex Machina: March To War by Brian K. Vaughan
Vaughan is the wunderkind of the comic world right now having just hit the NY Times Bestsellers list with Pride of Baghdad and now joining the writing staff of Lost. This series has been hugely acclaimed, a blend of politics and superheroes and it certainly runs off that concept at times. Vaughan, while undoubtedly successful, isn't the finest writer around. His inability to write female characters is his main downfall and here is no different, immediately bringing Journal, an alleged political figure but basically an excuse to show a shapely form in the book, in see through nightwear to the story before sending her off into a protest because her man wants her to go.
Its a series with great potential but everytime an interesting subplot comes around, its killed straight away. Whereas you see episodes of 24 where seemigly major plotlines are dealt with quickly then replaced by even better ones, Vaughan misjudges his best storylines and sticks with the wrong ones. The final storyline in this, with the reveal of Mitch Hundred's (the Mayor of New York/former often relapsing superhero for the uninitiated) arch enemy, Pherson. He could not be more dull, not in any way threatening or even dastardly. The series remains interesting when the politics come to the fore, but this is far from where it should have got to.

OSCARS!!!!!

We're going to, of course, keep up our Oscar Predictions this year and, rather than slog through the whole thing in one, we'll be doing the categories in pieces. So first up from the top eight we will cover, The Screenplays:


Best Adapted Screenplay: Borat, The Departed, Children of Men, Notes on a Scandal, Little Children
A more open category than had previously been expected with four of these in with a genuine chance of victory. Borat is a no-hoper but The Departed is the definite frontrunner with Little Children and Notes on a Scandal standing up to it stoically. The major snub goes to Dreamgirls and to Thank You For Smoking but Children of Men's nomination would be a deserved victory should it come. The Departed is my prediction though, a truly blistering adaptation, taking a superlative Asian movie and infusing it with Scorsese's own vision of America.



Best Original Screenplay: Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Queen, Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine is the definite frontrunner but I can see it getting a couple of major snubs. I wouldn't put it out of range that it could win, but my money is on Babel. My heart want it to go to Pan's Labyrinth, but I can really see it going anywhere but there. Letters From Iwo Jima's growing support puts it in as a major threat but I really think this is between Babel, Little Miss Sunshine and possibly, with a BAFTA win, The Queen.

O.C, Thou Shall Not Be Forgotten

So the sad news is beginning to sink in now that the sunny, funny one they call The O.C is leaving our screens for good at the end of its current season. While never the best written, most intelligent or emotive programme on our screens, its addictiveness and bevvy of pure eye candy in every sense will be sorely missed.

Its easy to forget in these tough times, but this was once the hottest thing on television, sneaking on to British schedules on account of its sand and skin quota. It sucked you in with promises of scantily clad females and equally scantily clad males but it kept you there with a blend of ridiculous storytelling, amping everything to such a confusing and convoluted level that, at times, you were left reeling from the sheer ballsiness of telling such stories. It also had a heart, mainly brought to the table by Peter Gallagher's fabulous performance as Sandy, bringing a world-weary cool to his role with Adam Brody creating a career as a smart cracking youngster that he will surely now follow into relative obscurity in a host of hideous teen movies.

While season one was great and two amped the silly, three was where things started to go wrong. For starters, Mischa Barton, a human pancake without a speck of interest throughout her beige body was given acting to do. AAAHH!! The whole show takes a nosedive as her solo storyline brings more and more peripheral losers to the show, diluting its main characters numerous charms and killing the show's drive. It may have taken to Season 4 to cancel, but 3 is where it all went wrong.

Sadder still though, is that four is great. They've started to have fun with the show, bringing in slurring french poets, Kevin Sorbo and, in a masterstroke, amplified the role of Autumn Reeser as Taylor Townshend. Her performance, all wide eyed beauty and neurotic intelligence brightened up the show and Ben MacKenzie's character of Ryan, so deeply hamstrung before the wonderful Death of Marissa at three's close (easily the finest moment of the season) now let loose with quippery and cheeky new hairdos. They also introduced Everwood's Chris Pratt as Che, a conservationist and hippy who Summer (the just ridiculously attractive Rachel Bilson) meets at University. The playful humour has made this one of T.V's funniest shows and just another reason it shouldn't be cancelled right now. So here are 5 solid, pinpointed reasons the O.C is great and should be missed and subsequently brought back through DVD buying empowerment:

1. Autumn Reeser and Rachel Bilson are both astonishingly good looking, charming and funny and therefore cannot be taken off the schedules for sheer reason of cruelty.

2. Adam Brody and Peter Gallagher are both astonishingly good looking, charming and... anyway. They are both wonderful in the show and Brody will never get anything this good again so he must be saved.

3. Mischa Barton thinks her leaving is the cause of this cancellation. Untrue and allowing this to go ahead will only strengthen this and keep her around for longer, eventually influencing actressing and killing the ancient craft of acting forever. I won't go into it, but this will eventually mean the end of the world as we know it in ways Al Gore could not have imagined. This is a bad thing.

4. Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives will continue to rise and eventually be crowned 'Great'. This is quite ridiculous people. These are shitty, dull shows that should be switched off so everyone can watch The O.C instead.

5. It will make me sad. This is cause embarassment for all who know me so for their sake, help the cause.

I thank you.

Oscar Nomination Predictions

Just the top categories but I'm sure many would like to know the predictions from McGuyver (pictured above), the king of foolish behaviour.

Best Picture:
Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, Bobby, Last King of Scotland

Best Director:
Martin Scorsese (The Departed), Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu (Babel), Stephen Frears (The Queen), Clint Eastwood (Flags of our Fathers), Kevin MacDonald (Last King of Scotland)

Best Actor:
Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Will Smith (Pursuit of Happyness), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking)

Best Actress:
Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), Kate Winslet (Little Children), Penelope Cruz (Volver), Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine)

Best Supporting Actor:
Jack Nicholson (The Departed), James McAvoy (Last King of Scotland), Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Brad Pitt (Babel)

Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel), Adriana Barraza (Babel)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Children of Men, The Departed, Little Children, Thank You For Smoking, Last King of Scotland

Best Original Screenplay:
Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Stranger Than Fiction, Pan's Labyrinth, Letters From Iwo Jima

Movie Hall of Fame #1

We've decided here on Plattenspieler to reinvigorate a previously rejected idea to create a hall of fame for which a new movie will be inducted every week. These films are totally personal in choice and we aim to kill any notions of pretension by simply inducted a host of films already given their dues. These will be movies whose brilliance has been either forgotten or overshadowed by prevailing times and years. You could call it a 'Lost Movie' segment but not in the sense of films never seen or completely unappreciated at any point. These will be films lost by modernity or lost by sheer unfairness of the commercialised system. Anyway, we hope it will make you go back and see these movies.



So first up, on a topical note, is the original, the greatest, the Italian Stallion, Rocky! Forgiving the opening line there, this is a contemporary concern with its umpteenth DVD edition coming out and fifth sequel, Rocky Balboa currently playing at your local drive-in. Rocky is a perfect example of a movie being revitalised though rewatching. The new film's modest critical success has forced audiences to go back and relive this just perfect original. That's certainly what happened for us. Betty Boo (sometime contributor and full-time mental) saw the trailer for Rocky Balboa and instantly was excited for its arrival at the cinema. So we decided, as she was a Rocky virgin, that we would rewatch the films to be ready for this ones arrival. Myself and McGuyver both had seen these films a few times but let me tell you, this film just blew my socks clean off.

Your memories of Rocky have likely been tainted by the seemingly endless sequels, reaching a crushing nadir with the fifth installment's street fighting awfulness. But go back to this, and you will be taken back by its brilliance. Far from the later plot structures of simply finding an excuse to get to the climactic battle, Rocky is a thoughtful treatise from the desperate pen of a struggling actor. A parable for humanity's inability to seize the day when that one defining moment comes, it takes its time, building a touching character piece and great, truly beautiful love story long before fighting becomes an issue. Stallone is wonderful, far from the lunk-headed monosyllables of those mid-80s stinkers, this is a man desperate to make something meaningful. His character is one of cinema's great charmers, filled with street-tough moxy and an undercurrent of melancholy, he's just a joy to watch and its difficult to prevent yourself falling for him. The cast around him are surprisingly good too, Burgess Meredith especially bringing a painful sense of lost opportunity to the story. The final climactic fight will have you screaming for him to win and despite his failure to do so, you still feel like he made it.

You will not ever believe quite how wonderful this movie is when you hopefully sit and watch again. Its close to perfect in its grainy, low budget, low key sweetness and inspirational moments of humanity. It stands a testament to raw talent and seizing your day and in its immortal theme tune, has the greatest moment of inspirational music in anything, ever. Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!!!!!

104 Book Round Up #2

So the second round comes through with now only 100 to go. So here are the reviews for Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Richard Price's The Wanderers.


Foer's first book, Everything Is Illuminated was a tough read but a rewarding one. Broken English dominated its pages and a broken structure was difficult to get into. However his second is a far more standard work, or at least closer to standard than its predecessor. This is the alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking story of a young man whose father dies in 9/11 leaving behind a key that holds within it a mystery. The story is written from several different perspectives but its that of 9 year old Oskar and his attempts to make sense of this world and the mystery the key leads him into. Its a gorgeous, emotive and involving read that will leave you with a melancholic smile on your face at its close.





The Wanderers is quite a different prospect, a series of vignettes set in early-60s Brooklyn following the eponymous street gang through their formative years of drinking, having sex and growing up the hard way. Its certainly of its time and the first few chapters are tough going with the racist language and graphic sexual description. But once its feet are found, this becomes a very powerful story of lost youth amongst the working classes of a poor neighbourhood. Abusive husbands and fathers, delinquent teens and hustling gangsters all feature and all end up either with a modicum of humanity or even a factor of likeability. Price paints characters with a fine brush, fleshing out believable kids making some of the situations they are put in all the more touching or brutal. Its superlative writing but certainly this is only for a niche audience, particularly for anyone who lived it.

Final Top Ten Films of the Year

So after seeing a couple more movies, I've changed a few things in my Top Ten and these are the final results:

1. Pan's Labyrinth - Still the most moving, frightening, personal and breathtaking cinematic experience I had this year. A truly great film that marked one of the decades highlights so far.

2. The Departed - So close to the best and hopefully a winner at the Oscars, this brutal and oddly moving film was Scorsese's finest since Goodfellas.

3. Children of Men - A new entry into the top ten, this dystopian future vision contains the best cinematography of any film this year during its breathless action sequences. Superlative postmodern sci-fi.

4. Capote - Still a near perfect little period piece that contains the best acting performance since Spacey in American Beauty.

5. Brick - The most relentlessly inventive and original vision we had this year with a storming, Tom Waits influenced soundtrack and a starmaking turn from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

6. Brokeback Mountain - Moving, painfully emotional stuff that just rips your heart out and leaves it for dead. Plus, the most contraversial love story of our generation.

7. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - Elegiac, Peckinpah-like fable from Tommy Lee Jones of friendship, loyalty and justice. Beautifully photographed too.

8. An Inconvenient Truth - The most unlikely success story of the year, Al Gore breaks away from his wooden persona to deliver a charming lecture on Global Warming. Though-provoking to the point of being bone-shakingly frightening.

9. Good Night And Good Luck - George Clooney's pitch perfect period piece on the McCarthy witchunts is a lovely, personal piece of stoic, old-fashioned filmmaking.

10. Little Miss Sunshine - Charming quirk-tale of dysfunctional family values and heartwarming togetherness. Features the great, great Steve Carell.

Books 3 and 4. Only 100 to go!!

No Country For Old Men
Cormac McCarthy is quite capable of frustrating the casual reader with his tendency to let his stories finish on their own terms without a traditional resolution and the lack of speech marks throughout. Luckily this doesn't bother me as I find McCarthy a fascinating writer who has a great skill in crafting some of the best dialogue I've ever read in a book....on the downside, some of this doesn't work. With every character sounding like they're written by a genius, you get the sense that everyone in McCarthy's world is too intelligent for their own good, and I was craving some more basic conversations to balance the poetic beauty of some of the more interesting exchanges (there are two dialogues in particular which are spellbounding). Also the book shuffles between three main characters, but only of one these people really stuck with me: the menacing Chigurgh who is one of the most brillaint literary bad guys in recent times. I had a great time with this fast paced thriller and will continue to seek out more of McCarthy's work.

The Alchemist
There is not much to say on this book other than I loved every page of it. The Alchemist can be read in a couple of hours, and probably will be, as you get sucked into this charming tale. The message is not original and you could accuse this book of being over sentimental and too preachy, but I didn't care. It was a delight and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a little inspiration in their lives.

McGuyver's First 104 review

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
I'm a big Red Hot Chili Pepper's fan and before reading this I had read numerous accounts of the excessive lifestyle this band has led and it's all here in Scar Tissue . Sadly the book wasn't as great as I was hoping as Kiedis' life is a tad repetitive. Sure that might seem like a dumb thing to say, but when reading it on paper, we're presented with the same cycle of meeting girls, doing drugs, getting clean, meeting girls and doing drugs again. I read with shock and awe at the start but by about three quarters in, I had lost interest in his own tale. What was much more engaging was the stories of Kiedis' childhood and the dynamics of the band. Also the stories behind the conceiving of their classic songs and details of their various line-ups make this a great book for any fan.



The Time-Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I was sucked into this story after the first few pages. I had been very excited to read this as the concept is wonderful, but what surprised me is how well it's pulled off. There were only rare occassions where this book left me confused as to what point in the timeline we were meant to be following. For the rest, the book flowed with ease and I was caught up in this highly original romance. There were some problems however such as the fact that the book had a slightly slow middle half which could have been easily trimmed (and hopefully will for the film adaptation). Also the time travelling Henry is not the most inspiring male specimen, in fact he's a bit of a jerk and it's occassionally hard to see why Clare would devote her life to him besides his rather interesting gimmick of being able to visit her as a child (which thankfully never becomes as creepy as in theory it might become)

Possibly Final Oscar Talk...

So the Golden Globes have now been and gone which gives us a pretty decent idea of the ol' Oscars and where they will be making there respective ways too very soon.

So here are our final Oscar nomination predictions. Only the nominations obviously but soon we will hopefully be proved right. So we have here our picks for nominations and two that could still make it for good measure.

Best Picture
Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, The Queen, Little Miss Sunshine
Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Children
Babel is frontrunner now and likely this year's Crash. Watch out for Dreamgirls and The Queen as a definite dark horse. The Departed, despite being the best of the films, is going to be snubbed here.

Best Director
Martin Scorsese (The Departed), Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), Stephen Frears (The Queen), Alejandro Innaritu (Babel), Paul Greengrass (United 93)
Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima), Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
Scorsese is surely going to take this home. Watch out for Frears and Innaritu but I would say you can count out Condon unless Dreamgirls sweeps the board.

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat)
Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking)
Cohen won't win but his surprise win has put him in pole position for the fifth spot. Whitaker has this sewn up now though and I am putting my money on him winning.

Best Actress
Helen Mirren (The Queen), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Kate Winslet (Little Children), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby), Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine)
The five are pretty much locks now but only one woman will win here. Mirren is a lock for the win now. For a very vague dark horse, only Winslet and Streep qualify but it will be Mirren.

Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), Brad Pitt (Babel), Jack Nicholson (The Departed), Jackie E. Haley (Little Children), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland), Dijmon Hounsou (The Blood Diamond)
This is the most open category for nominations with any of the seven open to fall. Murphy is frontrunner but Pitt could sneak it if Babel has its night while both Arkin and Haley are major dark horse contenders.

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel), Adriana Barraza (Babel), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada), Catherine O'Hara (For Your Consideration)
Hudson is on an unstoppable course at the moment but while Blanchett is unlikely, either Babel nominee could steal it. Breslin won't win and could end up getting pipped by Emily Blunt whose profile is rising by the minute.

Best Original Screenplay
Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen, Stranger Than Fiction, Pan's Labyrinth
United 93, Letters From Iwo Jima
Could go three ways here with The Queen now a serious contender. My money is still on either Babel or Little Miss Sunshine. I would pretty solidly bet on the two others getting nods but Pan's Labyrinth is still shaky due to its lack of U.S exposure.

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Departed, Thank You For Smoking, Little Children, Dreamgirls, Children of Men
Notes on a Scandal, Borat
Dreamgirls shouldn't count itself in this one and could easily fall. The brilliant Children of Men should steal a well deserved nomination. Watch out for Little Children though as this might be its only real chance to win. Likelyhood however, The Departed will take it.


We love you all and deeply thank you for allowing this to happen without fighting, abusing or attempting to kill us. Predictions for winners soon after the actual nominations are announced.

REVIEW: Documentary Weekend

Its going to be pretty rare that this happens but we've managed to watch three new(ish) documentaries this weekend and today so I thought it only right to try and cram all three into reviews for today. So here we are with reviews for two currently on release, Jesus Camp and Wordplay and, just out on DVD, An Inconvenient Truth.


I'll start with likely the most directly provocative of the three, Jesus Camp. Following a group of Evangelical Christians in the heartland of America as they set up their own camp for children to indoctrinate them into the sect, its a skillfully made, intensely frightening depiction of everyday fundamentalism. My own beliefs clash wildly with what's on show here anyway but while I'm pretty tolerant of religious beliefs within homelife and within the personal domain, this paints a portrait of religion that is dangerously close to cult-ism and teetering on brainwashing. The scenes of children breaking down during congregation and prayer is deeply unsettling to witness but the most damning scenes come with the parents and pastors who are moulding these minds. Their beliefs, shown explicitly in the climactic radio interview scene from the in question Pastor and a talk show host become all the more frightening as the realisation of political gain comes in to the picture.

To its credit however, the directors never waver in following a Michael Moore style pattern of portrayal through editing, voiceover or interview. They simply allow these fervent beliefs to spill forth unadulterated and all the more frightening for it. This is a huge sect of Christianity, the one that runs the White House, and this documentary could well prove hugely influential if given the exposure it deserves.


Wordplay is a very different beast. Free of socio-political observation or provocative subject matter, this is fine slice of prime quirky Americana. Taking an annual crossword-solving event as its narrative focus, it gives an insight into the human psyche, our want and need to always figure something out. It appeals to a common denominator, the geek inside everyone and as such, is a hugely appealing movie. The characters they have chosen are by turns geeky, gay, family men and veterans of the scene but you cannot help but love everyone of them. If anything this reminds very much of a grown-up version of Spellbound, or more to a Christopher Guest movie, particularly the hodgepodge of American society that was Best In Show.

But there is a degree of pathos in this. The scene in which the crossword competitors party together in the hotel the event is held, is deeply moving. Its the visual evocation of the Cheers theme tune and no less touching or powerful for it. No matter how geeky you are, how much of an outsider you may feel in society, there is always a place where everyone knows your name and they're always glad you came. The year's most enjoyable and heartwarming doc.


Just about to be released on DVD and likely to beat both these previous two to the Oscar very soon, is Al Gore's lecture on Global Warming An Inconvenient Truth. I will tell you now though that should this movie do just that and take home the statuette, it will be nothing if not deserved. This is an astonishing feat of movie making: a two hour lecture by a notoriously dull man on a subject many would like you to believe (including those evangelicals in Jesus Camp), doesn't even exist. This is a visceral howl, a pleading for humanity to begin to take responsibility for its actions and its delivered with cold hard facts in a charismatic, accessible and simple way. You find yourself asking where this Al Gore was in 2000, a funny, charming man more akin to Clinton than the plank of wood once thought.

This is passionate, frightening stuff and has enough content and good enough delivery to genuinely change things if the Idiot Elect sitting in Washington can stop bombing long enough to see it. Containing also what must be the best Powerpoint presentation ever, this is a modern masterwork of documentary cinema. Provocative, fascinating and deeply troubling. It causes you to question what you are doing and persuades you its not enough. Just brilliant.

Platt Ratings:
Jesus Camp: 8.6
Wordplay: 8.3
An Inconvenient Truth: 9.2

Golden Globe Predictions

Hello! So this is Sam (me), McGuyver (Tom, him) and Betty Boo (the one, the only) and our predictions for tonights Golden Globe Awards. We're not going to do the whole lot, just the main categories but its gonna be a long and bumpy ride. Enjoy!!

Best Picture (Drama)
Sam: The Departed
McGuyver: The Departed
Betty Boo: The Departed
McGuyver: "Not only is it the best acted dramas of the year, its also a case of a deserved awards"
BB: "It reunites Mark Wahlberg and Leo DiCaprio for the first time since the Basketball Diaries. IT MUST WIN!!"

Best Picture (Comedy/Musical)
Sam: Little Miss Sunshine
McGuyver: Dreamgirls
Betty Boo: Devil Wears Prada
Sam: "Its charge is too strong and Steve Carell is simply too great to be beaten!!!!!"

Best Director
Sam: Martin Scorsese for The Departed
McGuyver: Martin Scorsese for The Departed
Betty Boo: Clint Eastwood for Flags of our Fathers
BB: "Clint's getting on a bit and needs a few more before he pops his clogs!!"

Best Actor (Drama)
Sam: Forest Whitaker for Last King of Scotland
McGuyver: Will Smith for Pursuit of Happyness
Betty Boo: Forest Whitaker for Last King of Scotland
McGuyver: "Smith is too sweet in too sweet a movie to lose"

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Sam: Aaron Eckhart for Thank You For Smoking
McGuyver: Will Ferrell for Stranger Than Fiction
Betty Boo: Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat
BB: "Cos' he is British"
McGuyver: "Comedic actor demonstrating chops. Surely its his time."

Best Actress (Drama)
Sam: Helen Mirren for The Queen
McGuyver: Helen Mirren for The Queen
Betty Boo: Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical)
Sam: Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada
McGuyver: Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada
Betty Boo: Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actor
Sam: Brad Pitt for Babel
McGuyver: Jack Nicholson for The Departed
Betty Boo: Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls

Best Supporting Actress
Sam: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls
McGuyver: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls
Betty Boo: Emily Blunt for The Devil Wears Prada

Best Screenplay
Sam: Babel
McGuyver: The Departed
Betty Boo: The Departed

So there you go. We hope we are right and I'm sure you all do too. Don't you? I'm sure you do.

Oscars Yet A-freakin'-gain

I'm sorry. I really truly am. But the BAFTAs have just been announced and I simply must comment on what is cooking up in the ol' World of Oscar!!

So Best Picture is relatively similar with Dreamgirls being snubbed apparently (although I didn't know it was even out over here but it has been nominated for music) and therefore hurt. Flags and Letters From Iwo Jima have been snubbed and are really falling fast from the race. Babel is there but I watched that today and could not have been more disappointed so now I'm rooting against it.

Best Director again see Clint snubbed badly as well as Condon but with Paul Greengrass picking one up. Scorsese is surely the main candidate to win now with a strong showing for The Departed and likely wins in a few categories. Stephen Frears has now locked up his nomination though as The Queen racks up a host of nods.

The acting categories are all fairly solid in terms of Oscar buzz with the major snub going to Jackie Haley for Little Children. That shouldn't harm him too much though but he needs to watch out for Michael Sheen who, if The Queen has its night, could steal away a spot in Supporting Actor. Leading Actor is still going to Whitaker though and both O'Toole and DiCaprio got nods so little is going on there we couldn't have predicted. Helen Mirren is still going to win Best Actress and Jennifer Hudson is still frontrunner for Oscar although don't be surprised to see her fall her either to Abigail Breslin or Emily Blunt in Devil Wears Prada.

Otherwise the big excitement comes from the wonderful Pan's Labyrinth getting a host of nominations and putting itself in position for a major Oscar charge.

Thats it now. Sorry again.

REVIEW: Apocalypto

Talk about a troubled beginning. Coming up to the release of his most bonkers movie yet for which he needed all the support he could muster, Mel gets drunk and spouts anti-semitism at a cop. Oh dear. Especially after the disasterous reception from the Jewish community for Passion of the Christ. Mel was in some serious hot water and rather than play to any nostalgic memories of him wisecracking his way through a film, he makes a violent epic entirely in the archaic Mayan language. Bravery and stupidity meeting and crashing into each other.

The reception is was bound the meet was always then likely to be a stumbling block but if anything, he delivered exactly what was needed. Apocalypto is by no means a masterpiece but is good enough to justify going to see it. Therefore, its not going to be sadly neglected but you needn't feel bad for not seeing it.

At times, its quite breathtaking cinema. Gibson creates a dead World with an eye for detail but retains his ability to create populist accessibility. The director himself described this as "one big chase scene" but he's underselling it slightly. Sure, the chase scene across the movies second half is breathless, perfectly constructed adventure cinema, both brutally violent and exhilaratingly exciting. But the scene-setting first hour manages to maintain the emotional roots this needs to rise above falling into the exploitative patterns of the awful Passion. Certainly this is far better movie-making, although occasionally it seems Gibson is taking a similar thematic route. This has been placed within the context of Passion and Braveheart as his 'Trial Trilogy', trying to teach modern society about the lessons the past can teach us. Those irksome moments spoil an otherwise exciting, pretty orthodox adventure movie.

No masterpiece but no embarassment, Gibson keeps himself just enough on track after a total personal disaster.

Film: Apocalypto
Director: Mel Gibson
Platt Rating: 7.5/10

Well yes, it is more Oscar talk I guess. I can't deny that. I enjoy talking about it. The politics of the event is such an interesting subject. Hollywood has created this socio-political, moralistic microcosm in which they exist. It fascinates me. Anyway, this is just another quick update on what we think is going on with the Oscar race as it begins to really narrow down and shape up.

Best Picture
So this one is really beginning to open up. With seemingly everything but Dreamgirls picking up end-of-year acclaim and hosts of strong chance nominations across precursors, the race has opened right up again to those sitting slightly behind that film in the worthiness stakes. The Departed and Letters From Iwo Jima particularly have picked up speed but for me, the one to watch is Babel. Picking up a bucket of nominations at the Globes and SAGs, its looking seriously like this year's Crash except, you know, actually a good film. Iwo Jima isn't a lock yet so for me, with The Queen not quite a lock but picking up steam and Little Miss Sunshine, United 93 and the brilliant Pan's Labyrinth all starting to make a charge, Clint's Picture nomination is looking decidedly shaky. Right now, my guessing is split between Babel and The Departed as I don't think Dreamgirls has the steam to make it.

Best Director
Another really shaky one here. Clint looked frontrunner to pick up his third Oscar this year but has dropped fast. Great reviews and a few end-of-year wins for Letters For Iwo Jima keeps it in the race but Flags of Our Fathers is gone. Scorsese is still my frontrunner here as they so deeply owe him it and they know it. He's been snubbed too many times to not take it. Stephen Frears may well be a lock now but it really is open around those other couple of spots. Bill Condon may well pick one up for past glories (Gods and Monsters is really fantastic) and you would think Alejandro Innaritu has one in the bag for Babel. But all three of those guys (Clint, Alejandro and Bill) could easily fall as could Frears. Unlikely though I have to say and while I'm pulling for Guillermo Del Toro for Pan's Labyrinth, it just isn't looking like it will happen. I'd say Scorsese to win with Innaritu, Frears, Condon and Paul Greengrass getting the nods. I'm going for a full Eastwood snub.

Best Actor
Another chopping and changing category with support for the two previous frontrunners, Forest Whitaker and Peter O'Toole, fading rapidly. Whitaker may still be favourite for his astonishing performance as Idi Amin but Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed is gaining fast. There is also growing support for Ryan Gosling's crack-addict teacher in Half Nelson and very strong support for Will Smith in Pursuit of Happyness. Smith should've won for Ali so there is a degree of owing him while DiCaprio has really shown his quality over the past couple of years and with The Departed and Blood Diamond this year, his challenge is strong. Realistically only two people could steal in to those places. Ken Watanabe needs extra support to get in there but look out for Aaron Eckhart's career making performance in Thank You For Smoking. A win at the Globes for him and that fifth spot could be his. Still though, Whitaker will win.

Best Actress
Helen Mirren pretty much has this locked up now and if she wins the BAFTA, you may as well just tell the others to go home. Judi Dench is probably a lock now after good reviews and key nominations for Notes on a Scandal while I would guess Meryl Streep's position as Greatest Actress Ever guarantees her a two thousandth nomination. Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet are likely both locks too with Winslet perhaps even a distant dark horse in the race after consistently proving her brilliance across the past 10 or so years. Maggie Gyllenhaal though in Sherrybaby should not be counted out after scoring major points with critics. Beyonce though just ain't gonna make it. Mirren still to win.

Supporting Categories
Dreamgirls seems to have these two in their pocket right now with huge buzz for Eddie Murphy still building and Jennifer Hudson's consistent favourite position unwavering. Brad Pitt could still steal Murphy's crown very easily though as of course, could Jack Nicholson. Those three are locks and both Ben Affleck and now, after Golden Globe acclaim, Mark Wahlberg could steal in. Don't be too surprised however to see Alan Arkin steal that nod from him with Little Miss Sunshine flying onwards and upwards with every passing awards show. For me though, I'm still thinking Pitt will take it.
Hudson is surely going to win the Supporting Actress gong with only Cate Blanchett a serious contender to steal that. Adriana Bazzara and Rinko Kikuchi should both be locks for nominations in Babel while its looking increasingly likely that Abigail Breslin will leapfrog Dakota Fanning as premier child star by snagging a nod. Catherine O’Hara is a very vague potential to steal away the Little Miss Sunshine star’s limelight but its unlikely. Hudson though will still surely win.

Screenplays
Original Screenplays looked wrapped up for Babel but Little Miss Sunshine’s charge has now hit full pelt and they are definite frontrunners now. Pan’s Labyrinth’s word-of-mouth adoration should see it steal in here while Stranger Than Fiction will almost certainly get this as reward for no many near misses. Along with those, I think The Queen will steal in and grab the fifth spot with the great reviews and power of Mirren propelling it. Its still fairly open though with Letters From Iwo Jima, Half Nelson and United 93 still in the running.
Adapted is almost definitely The Departed’s now with its position as Awards frontrunner sealed. However don’t count out Children of Men’s late charge and if any actual gold is going the way of Little Children, this is where it will happen. Those three are locks for me along with a perfunctory one for Dreamgirls due to basic award potential while the fifth spot will likely fall to Thank You For Smoking for making a pretty weak book into a good film. Notes on a Scandal is a possibility but rule out fairytale hopes of Borat.

Others
A very interesting category this year will be documentary which is immensely strong again. Inconvenient Truth is absolute frontrunner but look out for two incendiary docs Deliver Us From Evil and Jesus Camp who could both gain support and steal in.
Animated movie will go to Cars but it should go to the smarter and infinitely more lovable Monster House for being, you know, a good film.
Foreign as usual is very strong with Volver leading the way but support continues to grow for the wonderful Pan’s Labyrinth and also for Zhang Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower. Keep an eye though on apparently ace German movie The Lives of Others.

So there it is again. That was a long one, huh?

REVIEW: Rocky Balboa

He's back!!! Can you freakin' believe it!! After all these years the Italian Stallion is back on your screens in a film that got more hype than it had any right to do. I was genuinely excited to see this movie and its trailer, with THAT theme music, got me running to the Rocky boxset to watch back and be totally ready for this next opus.

One thing you tend to forget and I'm sure something a few did forget on the months leading up to this film's release, is that the original Rocky, the underdog tale to end them all written in three days by a broke young actor and made on a relative shoestring, is actually a quite superlative movie. Not just from the standpoint of nostalgia or purely through letting yourself be swept up in the whirlwind of inspirational music and heart wrenching story. It genuinely is a true classic. Stallone himself is wonderful in the title role and never less than charming throughout the series. But that first really is a lesson in pacing, storytelling, acting and gritty romance. Those first dates with Adrienne are touching and sweet, Stallone imbuing the scenes with a lunkheaded charm.

Rocky Balboa isn't quite in the league of that wonderful movie but it is far, far better than could have been expected. It's certainly no masterpiece of writing as Stallone piles every loose end of the series into one movie but there is one thing driving this film through: Passion. Every scene you see the love Stallone and everyone around has for this character, a hard headed champion of people whose good grace and street smarts have seen him through much. The plot itself is fairly useless. Its only real purpose is to facilitate that final climactic battle for Rocky but dammit if by the end you aren't cheering along. Its charming and flawed but its hard nosed determination and spirit pull it through to make a thoroughly enjoyable film. "Ro-cky!! Ro-cky!!".

Film: Rocky Balboa
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Writer: Sylvester Stallone
Platt Movie Rating: 7.9/10

The Betty Jukebox Challenge

Beth, or Betty Boo to anyone who reads her blog, is notoriously hard to please when it comes to music. She loves many things and has a good ear, but is tough to get round to your way of thinking particularly on new in vogue bands. She is you see, free of the constraints of us reviewers and such like, always listening with the thoughts of 'coolness' in our minds and sometimes failing to escape this and fulfil the job of giving a fair and balanced critique.

She is a musical rogue, equally happy with Take That or Patti Smith but unimpressed by any previous credentials (her opinions on The Beatles would make many a man's eye's water). So we have brought her in to cut through the bullshit, to cast her all powerful imaginative eyes over a host of recent tracks from bands currently spinning on the radio. They're all indie and rock tracks this time round but stay tuned on her own blog for a similar styled look at all things pop. We would also like to point out at this point that Take That's 'Shine' was going to be included here but would so easily have blown everything else from the water that it seemed unfair to allow it in.

So onwards and upwards to our own bastardized version of 'Jukebox Jury', we hope you enjoy.

Gruff Rhys – Candylion
Hmm... I like the ‘dingy’ bits. It's like Jack Johnson in a nursery. With the odd bit that sounds like a Hanna Barbera cartoon character's knees knocking together, or maybe their eyes spinning round in their skull. He has a soft voice which didn’t really grab me. Don't get me wrong, the song's nice, but I feel like I've heard it before. I wouldn’t pay congestion charge to listen to it, there's absolutely no edge to it.

Good, Bad and Queen – Kingdom of Doom
Ooooooh; very atmospheric. It's like Damon Albarn has three musical heads: A Blur head, A Gorillaz head, and a Good Bad & the Queen head, but he keeps them in seperate boxes or maybe rooms, so they don't spill into each other and thus confuse the listener. He's very good at changing his head. So from me that's a good response. This is a great song! ACE!

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby
I like it when that scarf-wearing guy isn't singing. But here's the conundrum: Is he talking about curry, the Eastenders character or the jewel. I'm thinking it's probably the curry. I do like it, it makes my head bop a bit... but not as good as GB&Q. Maybe if Ricky re-records his vocals I'd prefer it... but I did enjoy it.

The View – Same Jeans
Wearing the same jeans for FOUR DAYS???? There's no excuse for such scruffiness. Oooh I like the shouty bit, although I feel like I'm in an indie club in the late 90s, which isn't long enough ago to be influencing today's music if you ask me. I mean, Take That are still around for god's sake. I suppose I'm saying it feels like a late 90s style indie tune. But it isn't. In my opinion; casual is good but smelly is certainly not. And I think, judging by the sound of his voice, the jeans would be smelly now. This song isn't great, it could be album track.

The Shins – Phantom Limb
Oooh, I've walked into a Zach Braff film, I'm a 20-something man and my life is going to shit... and I have dark hair... but oh look, there's a quirky girl for me to fall for. Perfect. It's lovely and summery, I'm sure the sun has come out since we put the song on! I like the falsetto bit, ooh yes, that was good.

Arcade Fire – Intervention
Now I've walked into a church of fire. It's very dramatic... kind of like a religious Mexican soap opera. Oh now, a rock band has walked in... although how the drummer walked in with a drum kit is beyond me. Ace buttons. I like it. Very cool, yes I felt cool listening to it, I think my 'cool quotient' has been upped by about 10 points... although now I've used the word quotient it's probably gone right back down again. I can’t wait to see them use their organ live.

Fall Out Boy - It Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
Hang on, this has all gone a bit Maroon 5... Oh no, now it sounds like Offspring... but with added 'Ooohs'... and good lord I like my ‘Ooohs’. I like the changes in pace and tempo, it will definitely help us twenty-someting FOB fans to be able to take a break between 'mosh' choruses. I like this quite a lot, but I don't think I would like Maroon 5 teaming up with the Offspring.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Satan Said Dance
Oh god, somehow I got stuck in an Indian Computer game... in a piano bar... next to motorway. Confusing, but fun.

Cold War Kids – Hang Me Up To Dry
Oh yes. I feel cool immediately. They're all attitude-filled, like they don’t have to prove anything to us. Which I guess they don't, they're not rushing it for anyone. I liked the chorus very much. Although I'm a little confused. They definitely need a better piano player, someone who can at least play 'Chopsticks'. In fact they might all need a little instrumental training... except the drummer. I'd sum up the mood of the song by saying it feels a little uncomfortable , yet cool. Like great shoes you haven't broken in yet.

I Was A Cub Scout – Pink Squares
There goes the head-nodding... This is from The O.C, I swear. Well if it's not, they should squeeze it into the final few episodes. I like people who sound like they can’t really sing because to the break or waver in their voice, so I like this singer. Oh wow, we've had 'Oooh's in previous songs, but ‘Uh oh oh’ wins the day! Genius. What a great change of mood. I'm loving it. My whole body has been taken by the fabness of this track. ACE BUTTONS COOL!!

The Klaxons – Golden Skans
I like The Klaxons anyway, so this will be good. I love the 'oooweeoooweeeeooohs’. I like the slightly dark atmosphere in the background. This song's like a nice sugary cake with dark chocolate syrup underneath. And you know that's really good.

Joan As Policewoman – The Ride
Wow. I love this song. I love her voice. This is just amazingly languid and beautiful. Pure, unadulterated quality. The BEST!!

So the winner is: Joan As Policewoman. Runners Up: The Good The Bad and The Queen and I Was A Cub Scout

104 Book Round Up #1

So this is what we're gonna do... everytime T Diddy and I finish books during this challenge, we will review them two at a time on the site. These are not going to be in depth reviews interpreting the thematic make-up and contextual places within literature. They will just be snappy judgements on the quality and readability of the books.



So we begin then with the two entries from this week. First, and inaugural entrant into this challenge, is No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. An author of great standing within his own field of borderland Americana. He has written some immense works of fiction to stand alongside even the most deified of U.S literature. In particular, his Blood Meridian stands towering above any work of American Fiction from the past 50 years in its brutal, controlled portrait of violence and apocalyptic visions. This however is a very different beast. Eschewing the epic big issue metaphor of previous outings, this novel, whilst retaining a sense of existential angst in the paths we choose. The plot is relatively simple: a man stumbles upon a scene of murder in the desert with heroin and cash just sat there. He must then make a choice whether to sacrifice his current life or to risk it all for a chance at riches. The choice he takes is fairly obvious but with his lightness of touch in characterisation, McCarthy creates a rag tag cast of misfits, runaways and psychopaths. Its a very exciting book with much going on for it in terms of action and bloodletting but its deeper themes stay with you and it stands as another great work of high quality American fiction from a near untouchable genius.



The second book came partly through its adaptation into filmic form into my collection but Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind is stranger beast than I had anticipated. Coming into the novel with a little knowledge of the story and the book's notorious descriptive power, I didn't know what to quite expect. In all honesty however, it boils down to one simple sentence: Weak story, brilliantly written. Suskind's description of the smells and tastes around France's peasant infested cities is quite astonishing but Grenouille, for all the evil he embodies, never quite reaches any sense of genuine horror. Enjoyable but by no means a masterpiece.


Next time: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Shame The Devil by George Pelecanos and Desolation Jones by Warren Ellis.

What's coming up on Plattenspieler

So this year we're gonna be writing a lot more for all you guys to take in.

We're gonna be packing in far more reviews for you, of music, film, DVD, TV, books and comics. So as a little preview, here are the reviews coming up in the next few weeks.

Music: Nu-Indie pretenders The View, Super Furries' Gruff Rhys, the genuis that is The Shins, the sophomore from Bloc Party, another new one from Of Montreal and Australians Youth Group's follow up to their debut sleeper.

Films: Mel's troubled new one Apocalypto, critic's darling Babel, De Niro lensed The Good Shepherd, the absolutely ace Rocky Balboa, Will Smith uplift Pursuit of Happyness and Ryan Gosling acting show Half Nelson.

Books: A new feature taking in classics will be launched along with the 104 BOOK CHALLENGE which involves me reading 52 books and 52 'graphic novels' in the course of the next year. Number one will be posted in a couple of days and two is going well.

We'll be including in this a whole host (obviously) of books but for now, here are January's entries. (comics aren't quite off the ground yet but I'll double up a few to make it work)

Books:
No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Shame The Devil by George Pelecanos
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Wanderers by Richard Price

Comics:
Top Ten: V1 by Alan Moore
Rising Stars: V1 by J. Michael Straczynski
Desolation Jones: V1 by Warren Ellis

And thats about it for now, so enjoy January and enjoy us.

Love you... not you though.

T Diddy's Choices

So here are a few of T Diddy's favourite things, movies mostly but also TV and his album of the year.

1. Pan’s Labyrinth- Not a thing like what I was expecting. I was actually not hyped for this film in the slightest, expecting a cgi driven fantasy tale in the veins of the horribly misguided Mirrormask, but instead I was pleasantly surprised that this film had fantastic depths. The bleak realism of the Spanish civil war gels wonderfully with the equally dark fantasy (in particular the terrifying Pale Man sequence) and makes this the best film of the year.

2. The Departed- A joy from beginning to end. Everything worked from the gloriously OTT performance by scenery devouring Jack Nicholson to the perfect direction for Scorsese. This is one of the few examples of an Asian remake being better than the original and allows you to forget there was ever an Infernal Affairs.

3. Capote- Best performance of the year bar none. But what is also surprising about this film, is that the story and direction are also extremely solid, and while no one rivals Hoffman's acting, the support certainly comes close.

4. Brick- This is an often confusing movie, but you're too busy occupied with the beautiful score, lyrical dialogue and multi-layered characters to give a damn.

5. The Proposition- Not only is Nick Cave a mental songwriter, but he's also got some screenwriting talents as this film is a classic tale of loyalty and betrayal. But the direction and cinematography is equally superb, catching the scorching heat and isolation of the Australian outback to perfection.

6. Little Miss Sunshine- Besides one moment in the film which felt a little too slapstick for me, this was a great ensemble piece and proves to the world that Steve Carell is the most powerful man alive. Not only is he amazing in The Office and 40 Year Old Virgin, but he is well built too. Oh and Alan Arkin is a minor genius in this film.

7. The Squid and the Whale- Great although a little short.

8. Devil Wears Prada- Funny although the Paris subplot is rather rubbish. Needed more bitchyness and less humanity!

9. Crank- I am so happy that the action genre has finally found a new lease of life and Crank leads the way. It's much better than Running Scared and leaves you high on adrenaline, much like the ludicurously named Chev Chelios.

10. High School Musical- Yay!


Best Actor: Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Devil Wears Prada)

Best Supporting Performance: Jack Nicholson (The Departed)

Best Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)

Best Screenplay: Rian Johnson for Brick

Best Soundtrack: Brick

Worst Movie of the Year: Miami Vice

Best TV Show of the Year- Battlestar Galactica

Best album of the year- Don't Let It Go To Waste (Matt Willis)

Best recently discovered TV Show of the year- Jack Of All Trades

Albums of the Year

So a long year of wonderful music comes to an end. Here I have my painstakingly compiled albums of the year with songs to follow very soon. I realise my choice for number one may not sit well with those of you who feel those Guillemots are just Coldplay from art school, but itsn't that what these lists are for. Anyway, enjoy and debate.

1. Guillemots – Through The Windowpane

As tougher race as I’ve ever known, but this astonishing debut album nicked it partly after watching Fyfe Dangerfield sing ‘Little Bear’ with the LSO on BBC2 coverage of the Electric Proms. But even without that, this record is just breathtakingly beautiful, swooping brilliance from start to finish, balancing a wilful experimentalism with controlled, crafted pop nous. Put simply, no one made a record with a higher hit ratio and you can’t really ask for more.

Download: ‘Made Up Lovesong #43’, ‘We’re Here’, ‘If The World Ends’, ‘Sao Paulo’

2. Tom Waits – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards

While he didn’t nick top spot, Tom Waits consolidated his place in my musical mind as resident avant genius and approached Dylan for his sheer untouchability. The highpoints of this mammoth, 54 song suite of crushing creativity were among his finest of the past few years and he’s now on a hit rate on par with anyone working. ‘Road To Peace’ must also rank among his very finest works, a blistering polemic devoid of crusading pretension that should be played to anyone who voted for George W. Bush. Brilliance defined.

Download: ‘Road To Peace’, ‘Rains On Me’, ‘Bottom Of The World’

3. Cat Power – The Greatest

A slow burner for sure but Chan Marshall’s finest work thus far eschewed the minimalist acoustics of her wonderful back catalogue to make a modern white soul record without peer this year. Taking Al Green’s old band for a spin, she called on her powers of beauty both in voice and songwriting and delivered a gorgeous journey of an album; personal, fun and touching, often at the same time. The crushing ‘Lived In Bars’, especially when delivered live, might be the finest thing she has ever done.

Download: ‘The Greatest’, ‘Lived In Bars’, ‘Love And Communication’

4. The Hold Steady – Boys And Girls In America

Oh, how this has grown. Only a few weeks ago I had left this aside as a simple bar band record of high quality but little else. Now, it wasn’t too far off nicking top spot. Given time, this record reveals itself as a sprawling masterpiece of teenage fuck up not unlike the mightiest work of The Replacements. Craig Finn has created a set of tales only matched in modern American music by Willy Vlautin’s Richmond Fontaine for their literary attention to detail and heartbreaking beauty of phrase. You’ll read my rhapsodising on this further at a later date so for now, I’ll just tell you that this is astoundingly brilliant music you simply must hear.

Download: ‘Stuck Between Stations’, ‘Citrus’, ‘First Night’, ‘Southtown Girls’

5. Joanna Newsom - Ys

For a little while, this was the stone cold winner but, while this is a work of art is the truest sense, it doesn’t quite engage me enough on a visceral level to tug at those base heartstrings. Don’t get me wrong though, this is spectacular music; bold, brave, inventive and painterly in its detail and emotion. Kate Bush can finally rest easy that her crown will be taken onwards and upwards on the baffling head of this quirky chanteuse.

Download: ‘Cosmia’, ‘Emily’, ‘Monkey & Bear’

6. The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics

The Okie magicians complete their life-affirming trilogy in style with a more accessible epic of wide-eyed naivety infused with a new sense of political anger. While never quite the match of The Soft Bulletin (few are), this doesn’t put a foot wrong and its intense beauty, righteous anger and soft-centred heart leaves you wanting more but not cheated of a second. Also, in ‘Pompeii Am Gotterdamung’, they created what may be their defining moment.

Download: ‘The W.A.N.D’, ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’, ‘Pompeii Am Gotterdamung’

7. Wolfmother – Wolfmother

It seems near futile to attempt to sum up the visceral genius of this astonishing, derivative slice of blistering rock and roll. While they wore their influences like a fluorescent jumpsuit (Sabbath, Zeppelin, AC/DC), the conviction with which these antipodeans played could not fail but get you shaking your ass and banging your head. Packed to its bloody, sweaty gills with titanic tunes, this was the shit-kicking peak of music’s year. Nothing rocked harder or better than Wolfmother.

Download: ‘Dimension’, ‘Mind’s Eye’, ‘White Unicorn’, ‘Joker & The Thief’

8. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife

After three super little albums of grand ambition but twee conviction, Colin Meloy finally dragged himself into action and brought the guitars with him. A true journey of a record, swooping, driving and rolling around your head, Meloy delivered his finest set of songs for this major label debut and it easily outstrips its predecessors for muscular axemanship and bravery of craftsmanship. Part 1 & 2 of its title too, represent the full flowering of a singular talent.

Download: ‘The Crane Wife 1 & 2’, ‘Summersong’, ‘Oh Valencia’

9. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Etiquette

Starting to make headway after the painful gestation of this fourth album, Owen Ashworth’s place as a modern bedsit bard is beginning to become set. This was his strongest suite yet, filling his songs with a longing and rounded quality that had been slightly lacking on previous releases. As usual, his ability to break hearts while melting others was to the fore with ‘Bobby Malone Moves Home’ and ‘Young Shields’ becoming minor indie classics of the year.

Download: ‘Young Shields’, ‘Bobby Malone Moves Home’, ‘Cold White Christmas’

10. TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain

Their breathtaking debut had already cemented their position as modern indie godheads, but this shot them into a new stratosphere. Working with Bowie never does you harm, but their electro-doo wop indie rock whirlpool just sucks you in and leaves you broken, battered and affirmed that music can still do such things. An astonishing record that left much of the U.S scene trailing.

Download: ‘Wolf Like Me’, ‘I Was A Lover’, ‘Let The Devil In’

11. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

Don’t believe the hype for sure. If you did, you would’ve needed something beyond a religious experience to justify the astonishing love shown to this lot pre-release. Almost a little too perfect for words with their tongue-cutting lyricism and post-Strokes angular punk/new wave, but blessed with a set of ridiculously great songs. In ‘Certain Romance’ too, they wrote the year’s perfect paean to modern apathetic love, coupled then to their lovely ‘Mardy Bum’, a kitchen-sink study of a loving row.

Download: ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’, ‘Certain Romance’, ‘Mardy Bum’

12. Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther

While slightly over adored in year end polls, this was certainly a strong grower over the course of the year. The lush, perfectly formed songs seem to spill over you in a rush of anti-modernist beauty, an album out of time if you will, seemingly beamed from the mid-70s West Coast scene when harmonies and organic sounding sounds that appear to have been recorded in a wood cabin wilderness were deeply in vogue. ‘Roscoe’ took the plaudits, but little falls flat, even if it takes a couple of spins to truly fall for this one.

Download: ‘Roscoe’, ‘Bandits’, ‘Young Bride’

13. The Young Knives – Voices of Animals and Men

The surprise of the year to be honest, this one immediately hits you with the singles and then keeps you there with the remainder. Those singles are brilliant, all storming, deeply British moments of rural post-punk made by three blokes who wouldn’t look out of place anywhere. But it was the tenderness and songcraft that set them apart from the myriad contenders this year, with ‘Loughborough Suicide’ the year’s oddest, saddest little ditty and this records crowning moment.

Download: ‘Loughborough Suicide’, ‘Here Comes The Rumour Mill’, ‘Hot Summer’

14. Hamell On Trial – Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs

Not the man’s best record but still a blistering socio-political record of folk-punk from the one-man-Clash. Essentially a concept album concerning Hamell’s young child Detroit, it steams through his views on modern parenting, his inner neuroticism over his new career in fatherhood and moments of gallows humour and raucous crudity. He has no qualms on taboo and lets rip like prime Bill Hicks meets Billy Bragg but from NY and this oddly touching record representing a slight cooling and a signpost to a possible future writing actual songs. Still, can’t fault these ones.

Download: ‘Values’, ‘Inquiring Minds’, ‘Coulter’s Snatch’

15. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium

They may still not quite be able to break the ‘cool’ barrier, but musically they don’t have any peers. This was Frusciante’s record, two discs of guitar heroics from the single greatest axeman of his generation, finally overtaking Morello for said crown. Here, he homages Neu, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Branca and Zappa among others and those other Peppers deliver their near telepathic music with gusto, delicacy and craft. But make no mistake, no Frusciante, no point.

Download: ‘Dani California’, ‘Hard To Concentrate’, ‘Animal Bar’

16. Cold War Kids – Robbers & Cowards

Their brilliant Up In Rags EP set pulses racing but the debut is just a joy to behold; a suite of sweeping, warm mini-epics of redemption and sin. ‘Hospital Beds’, ‘We Used To Vacation’ and ‘Red Wine, Success’ are all far further advanced both in years and quality than they have any right to be coming from a debut band, but this is just beyond great at times. Their slight lack of focus drags it away from the upper echelons, but watch their space.

Download: ‘Hospital Beds’, ‘We Used To Vacation’, ‘Red Wine, Success’

17. Bob Dylan – Modern Times

Not even approaching the masterwork some would have you believe it is, this is Dylan’s easiest set of songs since Desire, flowing with a free ease he must’ve dreamt of back in those coffeehouse days in Greenwich. Blues and folk to the fore but jazzier textures and laidback atmosphere may bely the lyrics dissecting religion, politics and all that in between. His crack band remain arguably his finest musical asset now the voice is gone but the mind remains intensely sharp and the work, still relevant.

Download: ‘Workingman’s Blues’, ‘Thunder On The Mountain’, ‘The Levee’s Gonna Break’

18. M. Ward – Post-War

With every release this man’s grows as a songwriter and this time, with the extra political focus, his songs grew into fully fledged vignettes he’d never quite managed to give life to previously. While Iraq remained a constant backdrop, its was the personal that made this memorable as Ward created a set of songs both achingly sad and perfectly formed. The title track itself was his finest work yet, a moment of songwriting breakthrough that marks this man out. That true masterwork cannot be too far off now.

Download: ‘Post-War’, ‘Requiem’, ‘Chinese Translation’

19. Margot & The Nuclear So So’s – Dust of Retreat

Another surprise this year was this generic indie offering of power pop and swoonsome U.S alt rock that ended up being a true masterwork of songwriting conviction that showed there was indeed life after Weezer. If anything though, this was better than much of Weezer’s catalogue, spilling over with emotive, sweeping songs that detailed big city life, love and loss with thrilling detail. An album where every word eventually gets learned, this was another major surprise and a definite contender for grower of the year.

Download: ‘On a Freezing Chicago Street’, ‘Skeleton Key’

20. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones

Nearly forgotten in the rush of superb new records this year and its lack of a scene in which to fit, Show Your Bones reveals itself over time to be a startlingly well made and crafted album. A West Coast symphony to Fever To Tell’s New York clatter, its finest moments reveal a band with grander ambitions than that prevailing modern rock scene could contain. An acoustic version of ‘Cheated Hearts’ too, is a moment of astounding beauty and while nothing matches ‘Maps’, this is the finer record.

Download: ‘Gold Lion’, ‘Phenomena’, ‘Cheated Hearts’

And of course, all the nearly rans. All those who made great records this year but I only have room for twenty.

Jenny Lewis – Rabbit Fur Coat, The Devastations – Coal, Thom Yorke – The Eraser, Ray LaMontagne – Till The Sun Turns Black, Mogwai – Mr. Beast, The Feeling – Twelve Stops And Home, Howling Bells – Howling Bells, Lambchop – Damaged, Joseph Arthur – Nuclear Daydream, Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped, Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit, Beirut – Gulag Orkestar, Man Man – Six Demon Bag, Yo La Tengo – I’m Not Afraid And I Will Beat Your Ass, Liam Frost – Show Me How The Spectres Dance, Richard Swift – The Novelist / Walking Without Effort, Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome, Comets On Fire – Avatar, Sufjan Stevens – The Avalanche, Ali Farka Toure – Savane, Amy Winehouse – Back To Black, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – The Letting Go, Camille – Le Fil, Cansei De Ser Sexy – CSS, Hot Chip – The Warning, Jarvis – Jarvis, Lindsey Buckingham – Under The Skin, Lupe Fiasco – Food And Liquor, Mountain Goats – Get Lonely, The Pipettes – We Are Pipettes, Squarepusher – Hello Everything, Morrissey – Ringleader Of The Tormentors, Muse – Black Holes And Revelations, Birdmonster – No Midnight, Grizzly Bear – Yellow House, Mystery Jets – Making Dens, Neil Young – Living With War, Broken Social Scene – S/T, Band Of Horses – Everything All Of The Time, Graham Coxon – Love Travels At Illegal Speeds, The Cloud Room – S/T, Sound Team – Movie Monster, Secret Machines – Ten Silver Drops, Semifinalists – S/T, Scritti Politti – White Bread Black Beer, The Lemonheads – The Lemonheads, Dirty Pretty Things – Waterloo To Anywhere, Built To Spill – You In Reverse, Silversun Pickups – Carnavas, The Futureheads – News And Tributes, Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell – Ballad Of The Broken Seas, Figurines – Skeleton, Johnny Cash – A Hundred Highways, Larrikin Love – The Freedom Spark, The Spinto Band – Nice And Nicely Done, Josh Rouse – Subtitulo, Joshua Radin – We Were Here, The Roots – Game Theory, Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming, Tapes N Tapes – The Loon, Swearing At Motorists – Last Night Becomes This Morning, Plan B – Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, Snow Patrol – Eyes Open, Six Organs Of Admittance – The Sun Awakens, The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers, Beck – The Information, Joan As Policwoman – Real Life, Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Blood, Scissor Sisters – Ta-Dah, Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped, The Organ – Grab That Gun, Bat For Lashes – Fur And Gold, White Whale – WW1, Head Automatica – Popaganda, Tilly & The Wall – Bottom Of Barrels, Bic Runga – Birds, Ditty Bops – Moon Over The Freeway, Bishop Allen – The EPs, Calexico – Garden Ruin, The Elected – Sun, Sun, Sun, Micah P. Hinson – The Opera Circuit, The Black Keys – Magic Potion, The Magic Numbers – Those The Brokes, Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye, Annuals – Be He Me, Sparklehorse – Dreamt In The Belly Of A Mountain, Black Angels – Passover, Nellie McKay – Pretty Little Head, Emily Haines – Knives Don’t Have Your Back, Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies, Alexi Murdoch – Time Without Consequence, Late Cord – Lights From The Wheelhouse, Regina Spektor – Us, Howe Gelb – ‘Sno Angel Like You, Lupen Crook – Accidents Occur Whilst Sleeping, The Brakes – Beatific Visions