1) Mission Impossible III
Just pure unadulterated fun.
2) Children of Men
Subtle performances make for a striking film.
3) Pans Labyrinth
An astonishingly imaginative movie, with some gorgeous imagery. The mix of brutal reality and unsettling fantasy is handled with aplomb.
4) The Departed
A uniformly excellent cast, but Jack Nickleson still steals the show, and looks like he had the time of his life doing it.
5) Thank You For Smoking
Witty and thought provoking, Aaron Ekhart somehow has you believing that smoking is OK.
Runners up:
Little Miss Sunshine
Monday, December 18, 2006
Top 5 of 2006 - Albums
1) Right Where You Want Me - Jesse McCartney
I could listen to this album until the cows come home. Irresistibly perfect pop.
2) Once Again - John Legend
Timeless songs and a voice to die for. This album is in a completely different league to his debut.
3) Back To Basics - Christina Aguilera
This could have topped my list, but the weaker first disc brought it down a few notches. The second cd however, is pure bliss.
4) Undiscovered – James Morrison
A new voice for 2006. You couldn’t squeeze more emotion out of his mouth, even if you used both hands.
5) Walk With Me - Jamelia
This lovely lady surpassed all my expectations. She has brought us pop for the 21st century.
Runners up:
(in no particular order)
FutureSex / LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
Loose - Nelly Furtado
Mr. A-Z - Jason Mraz
On The Jungle Floor - Van Hunt
State of Mind - Raul Midon
The Evolution of Robin Thicke - Robin Thicke
I could listen to this album until the cows come home. Irresistibly perfect pop.
2) Once Again - John Legend
Timeless songs and a voice to die for. This album is in a completely different league to his debut.
3) Back To Basics - Christina Aguilera
This could have topped my list, but the weaker first disc brought it down a few notches. The second cd however, is pure bliss.
4) Undiscovered – James Morrison
A new voice for 2006. You couldn’t squeeze more emotion out of his mouth, even if you used both hands.
5) Walk With Me - Jamelia
This lovely lady surpassed all my expectations. She has brought us pop for the 21st century.
Runners up:
(in no particular order)
FutureSex / LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
Loose - Nelly Furtado
Mr. A-Z - Jason Mraz
On The Jungle Floor - Van Hunt
State of Mind - Raul Midon
The Evolution of Robin Thicke - Robin Thicke
Shirley Walker 1945 - 2006 RIP
:(
From "www.musicfromthemovies.com":
"Another star has gone out in Hollywood this week as it has been announced that composer Shirley Walker has died at the age of 61; she suffered a brain aneurism and did not regain consciousness. The composer was something of a trailblazer for women film composers, scoring an array of projects from the early 1980s including Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Willard and the Final Destination trilogy. Walker worked largely in a comfortable niche of dark movie material and a host of animated incarnations of favourite comic books, including Superman, Batman and Spawn, though she was more than able in other genres, as scores like Willard showed. The talented composer also served regularly as an orchestrator, arranger and conductor, most notably perhaps for Danny Elfman, with whom she worked on Batman and Edward Scissorhands amongst others. Her final score, Black Christmas, can be heard in cinemas this holiday season…
It’s another sad loss for the film music world and so soon after the death of Basil Poledouris, who was also 61."
From "www.musicfromthemovies.com":
"Another star has gone out in Hollywood this week as it has been announced that composer Shirley Walker has died at the age of 61; she suffered a brain aneurism and did not regain consciousness. The composer was something of a trailblazer for women film composers, scoring an array of projects from the early 1980s including Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Willard and the Final Destination trilogy. Walker worked largely in a comfortable niche of dark movie material and a host of animated incarnations of favourite comic books, including Superman, Batman and Spawn, though she was more than able in other genres, as scores like Willard showed. The talented composer also served regularly as an orchestrator, arranger and conductor, most notably perhaps for Danny Elfman, with whom she worked on Batman and Edward Scissorhands amongst others. Her final score, Black Christmas, can be heard in cinemas this holiday season…
It’s another sad loss for the film music world and so soon after the death of Basil Poledouris, who was also 61."
Monday, December 04, 2006
At least it wasnt "Pheasant Plucking"
Bet you didn’t know that an Irishman (and one from Cavan at that!) holds the world record for fastest turkey plucking. Well.........now ya do :P
Royale Flush
CASINO ROYALE
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Bond series, so it was highly unlikely that this one was going to win me over. This, the 21st Bond movie is being marketed as a restart of the series. In the wake of the recent Mission Impossible and Borne franchises, Bond has toughened up. Gone are the gadgets and the quippy one-liners. Instead we are graced with a whole new Bond (played by Daniel Craig), with a grittier attitude. He’s certainly more aggressive than previous Bonds (the fight scenes are a lot more brutal this time round), but he’s not as suave with the ladies.
Craig gives a decent performance though, and is certainly capable of the hefty action that’s demanded of him. The Bond Girl “du jour”, played by Eva Green is a total bore and there’s absolutely no chemistry between her and Craig. The villain of the piece Mads Mikkelsen is decidedly more understated than previous outings, but also comes across as a bit of a wimp.
The action set pieces possess an energy that’s been sorely lacking from the series. The added touch of realism only serves to accentuate the danger and most of the sequences are quite thrilling :D The music, almost like a Bond character in itself, is as glorious as ever. Even the title track was a noticeable improvement over the past few movies.
Like most Bond movies though, the plot is all over the place and is best ignored. I continually found myself wondering how he figured out where to go next as he made seemingly giant leaps of logic from the smallest and most obscure of clues. The film also runs for FAR too long, with a serious dip in action during the poker game (supposedly the centre-piece of the movie).
Bond traditionalist might have a hard time accepting some of the changes, but I’m sure few can criticise Craig. It’s a foregone conclusion that the series will continue, but sadly this movie did nothing to spark my interest in any future entries.
The Good:
Daniel Craig: A new Bond for a new Millennium, he really made the role his own.
The music: David Arnold continues to safeguard one of the franchises most cherished legacies.
Judi Dench: This woman can do no wrong.
The Bad:
Eva Green: Slightly dowdy and wetter than a used bath towel.
The plot: Messy, uneven and there’s some DEPLORABLE dialogue thrown in.
The product placement: Sony, you should be ashamed of yourselves :P
Oh and while on the subject of Bond, I’m loving the new Bond-themed video from the Scissor Sisters! Much better than the sequence used in Casino Royale! :D
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Bond series, so it was highly unlikely that this one was going to win me over. This, the 21st Bond movie is being marketed as a restart of the series. In the wake of the recent Mission Impossible and Borne franchises, Bond has toughened up. Gone are the gadgets and the quippy one-liners. Instead we are graced with a whole new Bond (played by Daniel Craig), with a grittier attitude. He’s certainly more aggressive than previous Bonds (the fight scenes are a lot more brutal this time round), but he’s not as suave with the ladies.
Craig gives a decent performance though, and is certainly capable of the hefty action that’s demanded of him. The Bond Girl “du jour”, played by Eva Green is a total bore and there’s absolutely no chemistry between her and Craig. The villain of the piece Mads Mikkelsen is decidedly more understated than previous outings, but also comes across as a bit of a wimp.
The action set pieces possess an energy that’s been sorely lacking from the series. The added touch of realism only serves to accentuate the danger and most of the sequences are quite thrilling :D The music, almost like a Bond character in itself, is as glorious as ever. Even the title track was a noticeable improvement over the past few movies.
Like most Bond movies though, the plot is all over the place and is best ignored. I continually found myself wondering how he figured out where to go next as he made seemingly giant leaps of logic from the smallest and most obscure of clues. The film also runs for FAR too long, with a serious dip in action during the poker game (supposedly the centre-piece of the movie).
Bond traditionalist might have a hard time accepting some of the changes, but I’m sure few can criticise Craig. It’s a foregone conclusion that the series will continue, but sadly this movie did nothing to spark my interest in any future entries.
The Good:
Daniel Craig: A new Bond for a new Millennium, he really made the role his own.
The music: David Arnold continues to safeguard one of the franchises most cherished legacies.
Judi Dench: This woman can do no wrong.
The Bad:
Eva Green: Slightly dowdy and wetter than a used bath towel.
The plot: Messy, uneven and there’s some DEPLORABLE dialogue thrown in.
The product placement: Sony, you should be ashamed of yourselves :P
Oh and while on the subject of Bond, I’m loving the new Bond-themed video from the Scissor Sisters! Much better than the sequence used in Casino Royale! :D
And for my next trick
THE PRESTIGE
( WARNING : SPOILERS )
This is a movie solely driven by the bitter animosity between two men, played by Bale and Jackson. If you take that away, there’s nothing left. Having their rivalry escalate throughout the movie made me feel increasingly uncomfortable. For me, that’s not what I’d call an enjoyable cinema experience.
The plot (which jumps between time periods all through the movie) considers itself far cleverer than it actually is. The twist at the end is quite obvious long before it’s actually revealed, mostly because of the heavy-handed hints given to us along the way. And the final scene, which was meant to have some shock value to it, ends up being more like “well yeah, we guessed that already”.
Still, it is a movie that tries its best to keep you on your toes and some of the more confusing plot points would no doubt be cleared up by a repeat viewing. A fine cast and exceptional production make the movie watchable at the very least.
The Good
Christian Bale: as ever, he devotes himself entirely to the role and pulls off another amazing performance.
The production: London of old lives and breathes in this movie. Absolutely exquisite to behold.
The Bad
The plot: The disjointed timeline of the movie seems a bit old hat after having carried off a similar device in Memento. And the whole movie is just a glut of negative emotions.
( WARNING : SPOILERS )
This is a movie solely driven by the bitter animosity between two men, played by Bale and Jackson. If you take that away, there’s nothing left. Having their rivalry escalate throughout the movie made me feel increasingly uncomfortable. For me, that’s not what I’d call an enjoyable cinema experience.
The plot (which jumps between time periods all through the movie) considers itself far cleverer than it actually is. The twist at the end is quite obvious long before it’s actually revealed, mostly because of the heavy-handed hints given to us along the way. And the final scene, which was meant to have some shock value to it, ends up being more like “well yeah, we guessed that already”.
Still, it is a movie that tries its best to keep you on your toes and some of the more confusing plot points would no doubt be cleared up by a repeat viewing. A fine cast and exceptional production make the movie watchable at the very least.
The Good
Christian Bale: as ever, he devotes himself entirely to the role and pulls off another amazing performance.
The production: London of old lives and breathes in this movie. Absolutely exquisite to behold.
The Bad
The plot: The disjointed timeline of the movie seems a bit old hat after having carried off a similar device in Memento. And the whole movie is just a glut of negative emotions.
Again, and again and again and again and again
ONCE AGAIN ~ John Legend
“Get Lifted” was such an incredible album to launch with. A popular and critical success, it ticked all the right boxes and had Kanye Wests rubber stamp of approval on it. By anyone’s standards, it would be a hard act to follow.
But where his first was a hotchpotch of sounds, old and new, his latest album “Once Again” is much more focused and has a definite retro vibe to it. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine this album as a crackling LP spinning on an old-time record player. Everything from the instrumentation to the production is a throwback to golden age of Motown (with one or two exceptions). This overarching style certainly wont be everyone’s cup of tea, but that era is a particular favourite of mine.
I used to think that John, as an artist, was something Kanye West gave birth to, but Kanyes influence on this album is minimal, and almost every track is co-penned by John himself.
By and large, the album is dominated by the theme of love. The melodies range from light and bouncy, to lush and romantic. There’s nothing too heavy going on here. Johns voice is as emotive as ever and just like Stevie Wonder, his songs contain notes that would sound completely off key if anyone else but him sang them.
John Legend is definitely back, not with a bang, but more of a sensual thrust :P
Standout Tracks
- Show Me
- Each Day Gets Better
- P.D.A (We Just Don’t Care)
- Again
- Where Did My Baby Go
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