19/03/2010
I am at the Digital Storytelling conference at Southbank University today. There are three ways you can follow todays’ action from home/your office:
- The Twitterwall created especially for the event, which looks swish.
- My own Twitter account, or, quite frankly, anyone who users the #ds10 hashtag.
- My own CoverItLive blog, which can be found on my new ‘playground’ blog.
I hope to see some of you there. There seems to be genuine enthusiasm for this, although the free whisky that’s promised may also be a factor, so I can’t wait!
17/03/2010
This has dominated the stereo for the best part of two and a half weeks and I am closely bordering on the opinion that this is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. Whilst I ponder that claim, I think it’s certainly the year’s best album and if anything beats it I’ll be astonished.
Read a more coherent ramble on The Musical Chairs.
15/03/2010
After much hyping from Mark Kermode, me and my girlfriend finally settled down last night to watch Let The Right One In, a Swedish horror film. Except it isn’t a horror film, it’s a vampire film. Except it isn’t, etc etc fade to repeat.
Let The Right One In focuses on the relationship between Oskar, a 12-year-old who gets bullied at his school constantly, and Eli, a 12-year-old girl who has just moved in next door. As their relationship grows, Oskar begins to learn more about Eli and who she really is. There are a couple of side-plots that bear some relation to the two main protagnists but the film is really all about them.
I’ll need some more time to reflect upon deciding whether this really is a masterpiece. All I will say though is that it is a fantastic, well made and beautiful film. The acting is incredibly solid and it is written in a very intelligent way that adds some real depth and emotion to the storytelling. There is also the gorgeous soundtrack, which is minimalist and sparse yet effective. I will be buying it as soon as possible.
So yes, go out and buy this film and then curse the fact it is being remade by the guy who brought us Cloverfield. For shame.
14/03/2010
Last night I finished season 1 of The Shield. For those unaware, it is a cop drama that focuses on a police team in LA. The main protagonist is Vic McKay, who continually manages to blur the line between legal and illegal when dealing with the criminal activity in the city and has many contacts within the more seedy parts of LA. For those who found The Wire to be too complex or don’t feel completely ready to step up to the demanding watch will find this ideal. Aside from the main story, there are sub-plots that run throughout the series featuring the supporting cast focusing on subject matters including politics, religion and homosexuality. Whilst it follows a straightforward drama concept (ie – the episode ties up loose ends at the end of every episode), it is still very good.
As a side-note, the best episode by far from that season is Cherrypoppers – a wonderful forty-five minutes of high drama that’s pretty hard to top.
