The Day 2017 Dies

The year comes to its end and I find time to ramble for far too long.

 Modern Countryside

All of my blog posts start life in a notepad document. The are a few reasons for this; it opens quick, never breaks and is easy to use. Then the is fact it doesn't shout at me when I spell something incorrect. I will spell words wrong and even make actual typos now and then, but I prefer not to be distracted by little red and green lines. They are all over the place as I get words from my head onto the page.

The may be a better way of doing this, but it works for me. When finished I copy it into a proper word processor (I use LibreOffice) then I go through it a paragraph at a time and remove all the underlines. Only then will the second draft begin. I will read it out loud and make changes to the text so it flows better. Or in some cases so it actually makes a modicum of sense. Once I have done that I jump back and forth making other changes, adding new thoughts and moving things around.

Autumns Colours

I find it to be much simpler to change what is there than to create from nothing. This post is going to be about my year but I just started writing about writing. I would move this lower down but I like the point it makes, If I ever get there. My life can be similar (why do I use words that I spell so wrong spell check doesn't have a clue!) I look at aspect of my life and make changes, move things about and clear out what doesn't work.

I have done this a bit more this year than in the past; and I like were it is going but the are more changes to be made. I have cleaned up many things over the last month alone my phone, my Twitter feed and my subscriptions on Youtube to name a few. Tastes change but various inputs had not, now those distractions have mostly gone. I have stopped playing Hearthsone uninstalling it from both computers my tablet and phone. I just drifted off from the game, it is fun but my time with it is done.

Yawn

Some things I will save for a new years blog but I have aspects from this year that will continue to be major themes and even grow bigger. I have had success with some and stumbled with others. I have started many documents like this and most didn't make it to the blog. It is not a waste but some practice and the is always the chance some will be reworked in the future.

But the biggest failure was that I didn’t do enough reviews. I made many starts that just fell off and then I moved on. Even with films like Pi that I still think about. One song faired better but the next one has gone down such a deep rabbit hole, to the extend where I have researched battles from the second world war in depth. More will come as I am overflowing with possibility's.

Countryside Church

Since I wont be watching a film tonight I will use this post to go through some of what I liked this year:

The year I found Edgar Wright, I love his films I shroud see if Baby Driver soon. Great, funny and cleaver films.

Inside Out and Up were great, still a few more Pixar film to catch up on.

Soylent Green left a mark as well such a well realised world and that ending...

Arrival. It was good then the reveal came and it became a master-work.

Kimi no Na Wa, another year and this would be the best of the year.

The new Planet of the Apes trilogy will go dawn as one of the best. They are all different but all brilliant.

Memories of Murder, I watched a few south Korean films this year and this stands out among them.

I loved the Last Jedi and don't agree with the detractors. I think that they don't see the themes clearly. I loved it.

But the was one film that for me was the best by a country mile. It hit me over and over again with beauty and awe. Looking at the cinema screen vibrate as the sound track blasted out was strange and the world was beautiful. That story and cinematography was unparalleled. Blade Runner 2049 is one on the best films of all time.

It wasn't the biggest year for watching films but I did like most of what I saw.

Pathway

In other media I read less books this year but I did have a go at some big ones. I delved deeper into the Cosmere and connected worlds together that Brandon Sanderson has so deftly crafted. He released a few books this year but I have also re-read most of his works. In Oathbringer he made connections that delighted had action that brought cheers and tears. The way he brought so many crowning moments of awesome was fantastic. The avalanche of action and plot at the end has many implications of which we can only just link together. His world building is second to none and the story flows so well. I am just a few hours into the audio book for the second time right now and am falling for the characters all over again. His interactions make the place seem so alive.

Its been a better year for my photography than I feared now I think back. I have plans for next year in that regard but I am happy with what I have taken and my recent exploration into deeper more complex manipulations. Only 6000 pictures for the year is low but the ratio of quality is higher.

Broken

It has been a tough year. Then why wouldn't it be, I achieved things by ploughing through frustration going alone and working to the end. It will change I will ask for help next year, I can't do everything myself no matter how much I would like to. At times it has meant I got nothing got done and at other s it meant I did far too much working through the night on barely meaningful stuff.

More trimming needs to be done, I must prune my life to grown in the direction I want. And without cutting off what can't be regrown. The is good and bad each year but I will use both as a way to improve myself and anyone who needs my help.

Close Up

Right its time to copy this into the document and see what survives. 16:08 right now lets see if I can get this posted before next year. I listened to the full Paprika OST wile writing this, The OST for Kimi no Na wa has gotten me through the revisions. Done at 19:00 with a few changes, time to relax.

Have a happy new year and I see you next year bright eyed and ready to grow.

One Christmas Song - Gaudete

Traditional 16th century

The first classical piece I want to talk about for this series. Gaudete is a song that has always resonated with me on multiple levels and is what I point people in the direction of when they complain about boring old fashioned carols.

It is a deeply religious piece but then it is a carol of celebration. Not a modern vapid song about a nebulas Christmas spirit. It has it’s meaning plain it the title. Gaudete. It means Rejoice; and the carol tells us why we should.

Well it tells you if you know a bit of Latin I suppose. Even with a simple grasp on Latin the chorus is easy to understand. For the rest of it as with a lot of the traditional carols it is both in praise of and informative about the birth of Jesus.

Tempus adest gratiæ

Hoc quod optabamus,

Carmina lætitiæ

Devote reddamus.

So which version to listen to? The is the famous rendition by Steeleye Span but that has never sat with me quite right, I prefer a version by a choir. Preferably a mix of male and female soloists, with each verse in a different voice. It adds to the feeling of many people sharing the story.

With a song this old it is perhaps wrong to say the is a correct way it should be preformed. The are many takes on it that I like; from all male voice choirs to children and acapella. Though just the one strong voice for the verses and a good group for the chorus works best.

Deus homo factus est

Natura mirante,

Mundus renovatus est

A Christo regnante.

I'm not the biggest celebrant of Christmas but this is one song that never fails to put me in the right mood. And to be fair this has become more of a song to be sung before christmas. Traditionally it is sung on the third Sunday of advent with is also known as Gaudete Sunday and the first of the Sunday that look towards the coming of Christ. (the first two looks towards his second coming)

It is the first song of the season that I listen to. I hate the trend of starting Christmas early. I don’t even like having the tree up until a few day before Christmas. As a song this fits into the time frame to begin preparing myself mentally for the season to come. And it is a season, it last weeks after the day its self.

Ezechielis porta

Clausa pertransitur,

Unde lux est orta

Salus invenitur.

The one way that this song appeals to me is in my taste for rock and metal music. I have with the help of this song developed a love for symphonic metal. The are so many similarities between the two types of music and the overlap in the skill required is large. It is no surprise that some of the Rock greats have been classically trained, and if you dig into a lot of classical pieces the are some very rock-like themes.

It just comes down to liking uplifting heavy music more than any other type. And if the is no better time of year than winter for uplifting music. And again music with a story and a meaning is what I prefer and this has both along with a very catchy tune.

Ergo nostra concio

Psallat iam in lustro;

Benedicat Domino:

Salus Regi nostro.

While I do appreciate many kinds of music I have my loves and this fits squarely into it. It is my herald of Christmas time, it sets the tone of how I celebrate.

Gaudete, gaudete!

Christus est natus

Ex Maria virgine,

gaudete!

2017 Film Log [December]

This is going top be a good one. INDEX

01. Dark City (01.12.17)
The is so much going on, and amazingly it is only brought down in a few places by it's 98 era effects. I love the setting and story, the subdued acting works well and it ties together to make for a distinctive and compelling film.

02. Captain America - Civil War (02.12.17)
Yes again. Such a good film and a few points fell into place, the is time for the requisitioning of help for the big fight. So no plot hole there.

03. The Animatrix - Final Flight of the Osiris [short] (03.12.17)
A hole filler fore the second Matrix film but it has nice characterization. The CG is showing its age but it has the polish to hold up. I have seen the Matrix films a lot but this will be my first viewing of the animated shorts.

04. Alice in Wonderland (05.12.17)
Well that was delightful. For 1903 the were some clever in camera tricks used. Short but it follows the narrative. Though if you were unaware of the story i'm not sure how much sense it would make. It's a shame the version I saw had no music.

05. Pixels (06.12.17)
Even with no sound on the film is barely tolerable. Watched with a commentary track, two guys being funny and mad at the film helped a bit. How can a film be this bad.

06. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (08.12.17)
This is how you make a effective horror film. Very small scale and very very creepy. The were different ways this could have gone and in the end the plot was solid. Very good acting and direction. The procedure was one of the more unsettling parts.

07. The Animatrix - The Second Renaissance [short] (09.12.17)
A look into the history of the world as known from the time of the Matrix. Very stylised but I could have done without the recreations of iconic moments from our history but now with robots. A few were very on the nose.

08. Battle Angel (10.12.17)
Classic 90s anime. I was intrigued after seeing the trailer for Alita: Battle Angel so I gave this a go. Very interesting setting and plot. Like most OVAs of the era it could have done with being a tad bit longer. I may see if I can give the Manga a look.

09. The Animatrix - Kid's Story [short] (11.12.17)
Watanabe gives the Matrix his own twist. Very cool style even if the action animations is daft. This hits the side of the matrix that for me is the crux. The perception of real.

10. Star Wars - The Force Awakens (13.12.17)
2 years on and its still a compelling watch. It flows so well and the pay-offs are so damn good. Not long to wait now for the next one, if it is anywhere near as good as this I will be happy.

11. Star Wars - The Last Jedi [cinema] (14.12.17)
It's different. They try hard to twist and turn things in ways that could work but then go another way, which luckily also dose work. Fun and engaging and I can't think where this is going next. It will be loved and hated but I think it works with only a few minor gripes.

12. Tekkonkinkreet (15.12.17)
I'm lost. It was odd and captivatingly beautiful. I don't know what the plot was or how it all fits together but the ride was good. For so perspective the title translates to 'steel reinforced concrete' but as if wrongly pronounced by a child. 

13. Ruka (The Hand) (17.12.17)
A subversive anti propaganda film from 1965 Czechoslovakia. It wasn't even banned until after the creators death a few years later. Though not on the nose it it clear in its meaning.

14. War for the Planet of the Apes (20.12.17)
Up there as one of the best trilogy. Very very good film. I love how the shift in focus over the films went from humans to apes. The apes were enough to carry this film and the ties to the originals were very well thought out. Next year I will have to re-watch all the originals i think.

15. Street of Crocodiles [short] (21.12.17)
Or 'nightmare fuel' would be a fitting title. Its good but a little bit strange. Going from vaguely interesting to very freaky to end on a pure mental note. I'm not sure what to think but it is very very interesting.

16. Dunkirk (22.12.17)
It was like a clever poem. The film structure is very unconventional but it works so well. The tension and pacing is always great and the story works by connecting all the levels together into a very strong narrative. Nolan is a genius and this is one of his best. It also doesn't feel the need to give too much about the event it shows enough for its story.

17. C'était un Rendez-vous [short] (23.12.17)
Recommended by Jeremy Clarkson on the latest episode of The Grand Tour. Very cool concept and very well executed. I like it when films have long shots and this one being just one must have been tricky to pull off.

18. Reservoir Dogs (27.12.17)
A masterpiece of story telling and character interactions.

19. Rambo 3 (30.12.17)
Like a paint by numbers were they got board of the small fiddly bits. It rushes what could have been a solid first act. then it is a standard action film structure. It hits the beats but none of it is deserved. Could be fun but the action is too over the top to be.

So the year ends, A slow one but the were some good films. No breakdown this year but I want to focus one the best. Of the month by a hair Dunkirk. The best of the year is Blade Runner 2049. I talked why is my last post of the year. Same again next year?

2017 Film Log [November]

November!!! Here is the INDEX

01. Junk Head [short] (02.11.17)
All made by one guy! This is great is feels so immersive and creepy. I love the style and though some bits were dodgy it adds to the charm. Nice story the I could very easily see and a game by Play Dead in this vain.

02. Captain America - The Winter Solider (13.11.17)
The best Marvel film? Perhaps the are ones that are more fun but this for drama and action is up there. It flows well and the plot makes sense with enough going on for it to be compelling.

03. Doctor Strange (24.11.17)
A solid film, not a retread of Iron Man like some say. It flows better then I remembered and the acting is great. The villain always gets left behind but at least he did seem strong enough to be a threat.

04. Cowboy Bebop - Knockin' on Heavens Door (27.11.17)
Just shy of being a masterpiece. It's look and feel with the music evoke so much but the story should be better. Watanbe is great but like some of his newer stuff it lacks in the plotting department. The story works bu the needed to be some connecting tissue in the first act. I love the film it feels like a long episode of the show. (I need to re-watch that sometime)

05. Next Floor [short] (28.11.17)
Fantastic. Denis Villeneuve is one of the most stylish directors around. I just enjoyed it I don't want to over analyse the themes its just very well made and a bit bonkers.

A very busy month with a lot of distractions but the were a few moments to watch a film. Best, Knockin' on Heavens Door. I will be seeing more next month.

One Song - ‘39 [Queen]

Track 5 ‘Night at the Opera’

Written by Brian May

Released 1975

Queen was for the longest time In my early teens my go to music. I would always say that they were my favourite and the best song of all time is Bohemian Rhapsody. Times change and so do tastes, we hear and experience new and different things. After all of this time is Queen still the best?

I’m not sure I consider any song to be the best of all time any longer. Yes Queen are great but I haven't listened to them with any kind of obsession in years. But when I put a song on I love them. Now I love to listen to some of the lesser known stuff or things that are less played; ‘Las Palabras de Amor’ and ‘Spread your wings’ for example. The is a song that I heard for the first time maybe five years ago and it has stuck with me more than most.

In the year of '39 assembled here the Volunteers

In the days when lands were few

Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn

The sweetest sight ever seen.

‘39 is a strange title for a song and with the first listen is is odd. Not only the style but the fact that the singer is Brian May. The song is so atypical to the most well know Queen works no Freddy belting out the words no complex music and the folky style. But it works. It is very well preformed by all sides. And then the is its story to unpack.

I love the style and May’s voice is so under rated. It sells the story and the emotion through the lyrics. ‘Your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me’. So many layers and preformed with empathy. Queen had no qualms about doing things differentially it is why they have something for everyone and this style may not have been repeated but I am glad they did it here. Wile it seems to sell the story in one direction it exist and another entirely.

In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue

The volunteers came home that day

And they bring good news of a world so newly born

Though their hearts so heavily weigh

The story is basic but with a deeper layer to understand, it is told strait forward and simply. But only makes sense when you understand that it is a science fiction story. The larger world is hinted at but it is a simple tail about some astronauts looking for a new world. They return after a year to find 100 years have passed at home (or is it longer?). It is both happy and sad, their job was successful but they lost time with their loved ones.

Time as we know it is relative, it is shaped by you and your surroundings. The speed at which you go through life is not constant in more ways than one, you have the time to spend with your loved ones if you so choose. Time is powerful but it bends and it is this bend that hits the hardest in the song. Like in Interstellar or Alien space travel is the great separator, taking time and displacing us from it.

For the earth is old and grey, little darling we'll away

But my love this cannot be

For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year

Your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me.

The are perhaps deeper things at play here. Time can be lost, it happens all the time in sleep and in the rush of life but what can be bought with that lost time. Should we pity them? Praise them but yes they have lost in such a hard way. Queen had songs with messages of many kinds, some were face on like ‘Scandal’ but many are more than they seem. That is just one reason why they are still my favourite.

The themes of loss are clear but that loss is the cost to give hope to your descendants.

Save the world for them, not for us.

For my life

Still ahead

Pity Me.

2017 Film Log [October]

October, I actually have a horror film or two saved up from this month. Oh and Blade Runner and Thor in the cinema. Much to look forward to. There is the Year INDEX.

01. Blade Runner (01.10.17)
The Final Cut. I don't know which scene is the best. I would have said the tears in rain speech if asked yesterday but what hit me hardest toady was the confrontation with Tryell. It is played so well by both actors and is the harsh but final end for Roy Batty. His look in the lift after is pitch perfect. I can't wait fr the new film and if it is even close to this masterpiece it will be great.

02. Blade Runner - 2049 Nexus Dawn [short] (02.10.17)
The second short chronologically Setting up the bad guy? the new replicants are here and so is the charismatic man that made them. It setts the world up nicely going forward. for glorified ads these are great.

03. Blade Runner - 2048 Nowhere to Run [short] (02.10.17)
The is something imposing about Dave Bautista. I think he is the one wrestler turned actor who has any kind of range, he shoes some of it here but its his way with action that has me excited for the new film. He has a way of showing weight to the actions other actors can't. Good short and these have been a fantastic way to sell and new film.

04. Blade Runner 2049 [cinema] (05.10.17)
Bold, beautiful and loud. This is how a sequel can work. I love the settings the plot and the world. It is obvious in hindsight how to up the stakes in the mythos but it caught me so off guard it floored me. The cg is life like and it just works. The are interesting themes and ones that run deeper. Not much retreading of old ground it made its own perfect path.

05. Paths of Hate [short] (07.10.17)
Smooth and very well directed animation, the dog fight is great but the story that builds is fantastic. I like how it goes through ups and downs with the big crack coming at the loss of what they both are fighting for. You can feel the hate they have for each other.

06. The Sixth Sense (08.10.17)
Oh how i wish I hadn't had this spoiled for me. I remember when it came out and all that I heard about was I see dead people. The twist is very well done and works when it is known. Great acting and a solid film.

07. Wonder Woman (09.10.17)
I'm not sure, it is a good film but I have a few issues. My main one is kind of strange, I don' t like how they characterised Ludendorff. Using a real person as the medium for a fantastical bad guy is strange. The story works but again I found the time frame and setting to be strange but that because I am familiar with the in and out of the end of the great war. The were too many liberty's taken for my liking but it is still the best modern DC film.

08. Psycho (13.10.17)
Not sure I have seen much Hitchcock before. Being Friday the 13th in October I wanted to watch a horror film tonight and this is one I had wanted to watch for a while. I love the clarity of the film and the shine that comes through, the eyes are very distinct. A very solid plot and I'm glad I didn't have this spoiled for me. The end monologue is very very good.

09. Codehunters [short] (14.10.17)
Like a superhero team up this has a lot of style in getting the people together. The action was good and I love the aesthetic. A bit lacking in story but it is leaves me wanting more. Made for MTV the may be more to this.

10. The Red Turtle (15.10.17)
Art. You could take any part of this film and hang it in a art gallery. A Ghibli co production and in keeps with their style of not having a plot just a story. No words were needed the sight and music made this film special. One of the best and most beautiful works of art.

11. Blade II (16.10.17)
Competent if very by the numbers. Though to be fair it did some of the first maths for the genre.

12. Paranorman (20.10.17)
It is the shell you place around the story skeleton that makes it work. Here is is patchy in places but where it is good it shines. The animation as expected by Laika is great and so is the voice acting. Funny and suitably creepy, not quite as good as Coraline but that did have Gaiman's hand in it.

13. Hannibal (25.10.17)
Charming and creepy. Well shot and well acted, the story was simple but the was enough there for all parties. Good enough to follow in the foot steps of 'Silence of the Lambs'.

14. Thor: Ragnrok [cinema] (27.10.17)
Funny and punchy. It moves the greater plot along while being a good self contained story. Things have changed and they have gotten funny. Most of the gags land but they undermine too many big moments with a joke. It looks awesome from the saturated colours to the renaissance painting like aspect to some shots. Great overall.

15. Little Heart [short] (29.10.17)
Nice little story, nothing new as such but mostly well made. The was a very dodgy music edit and I don't think the dolls faces fit in with the design. Solid but not great.

16. Oldboy (30.10.17)
The Second of the vengeance trilogy and it has a very interesting premise. One of the best fight scenes put to film and a damn ugly ending. It is a great film but not for someone with a weak heart. 


Blade Runner 2049 no contest! A very strong month.

2017 Film Log [September]

Into Autumn. INDEX

01. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (02.09.17)
Still great. The second time 'The Chain' hits is one of the the best Marvel moments. Faster paced than I remembered but its good. Hard to choose which of the Guardians films are better.

02. The Inglorious Bastards (03.09.17)
Tarantino has a certain charm, a damn ugly charm but very visceral. I love the build ups in this film, they take their time and set things out and stretch out the tension finely. The explosions that come after are glorious.

03. Draw With Me [Short] (04.09.17)
A powerful and beautiful short. I love the art and story.

04. Drawn With Me: I love you. [Short] (04.09.17)
A squeal as such but with a simple story told in a cute way. Much more developed that the last but it has more time to play with. The lack of sound is odd but it kid of works.

05. Rogue One (06.09.17)
A great connecting film. The bigging is a bit to jumpy but it soon settles down and becomes a very well shot film. The effects are beautiful and the endings give me shivers.

06. POLYBIUS - The Video Game That Doesn't Exist (08.09.17)
Another great documentary by Stuart Brown of Ahoy. A look in t the making of modern legends and some of the length people will go to propagate them. Some very cool detective work and reasoning. As always the style and quality is far above some TV shows.

07. 12 Monkeys (09.09.17)
A compelling and very well crafted time travel story. I like this type of story that has all of the parts that need to slide together. Some very cool moments and the settings and character types are very unusual. I love it to bits.

08. La Jetée [Short] (10.09.17)
The French short film that has had major influences on sifi films. In fact the are so many things lifted from this that made it into 12 Monkeys. Very cool film the stills and music make for a unnerving watch. I had issues finding a version to watch and had to settle for a English voice over but I have also seen the original to soak in the atmosphere.

09. Pi (11.09.17)
I love the strong contrast back and white style. The music is very distinctive and like in Requiem for a Dream the main track is iconic. The theme of being destroy by your desire to achieve the goal is deep and is shown through several angles. I also like the clash and symmetry in the modern big business verses religion. Such a great film that I could get something out of time after time, like all of  Aronofsky's films. Side note I've done some look into the film and I've come across so much I will have to blog about this one. Including a huge coincidence where life imitates art.

10. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (18.09.17)
A artistically brutal film. Some dark humour and farce thrown in for good measure. So many bad choices and all of the tragedy that follows the film around make for a tough watch at times. The direction is stunning and the acting is fantastic. The main charter is interesting and his disability's are show well. Park Chan Wook is a very compelling writer and directer up there with some of the best.

11. Finding Dory (20.09.17)
Finding Nemo came out at a time when Pixar was unstoppable. they have hit bumps since but this film is up there with their best. I prefer the first one but this film work on so may levels. Fun thoughtful and very well made.

12. Fantastic Mr. Fox (22.09.17)
The is no doubt that Wes Anderson is a great film maker and that this is a brilliant film, but, the is something about it that is odd. I love the style and even the quirky dialogue. Perhaps its because this is my favourite Roald Dahl story. I have memory's of listening to it on tape over and over when I was young. The story changes work for the film but the book captures the fell better.

13. Memories of Murder (23.09.17)
My foray into south Korean films continues. This is a film that has been on my list since I saw this video and it sure lived up to the praise. Dark and funny but with a solid core of humanity that runs through. Seeing people changed by the world is hard and when it is due to murder it is moor so. The ending confrontation after the last body is found is powerful.

14. Silent Movie (24.09.17)
A bit of a cheat when its the music that makes this film work as well as it dose. Why pass up on a easy joke when you could do it is such a over the top way? Very well acted and the stunts were top notch. Mel Brookes has his style and it works here without coming off as forced.

15. Noitamina Poulette's Chair [short] (25.09.17)
Mostly montage but is coveys a lot of character in a small amount of time and in a object. Not sure what if any message is behind the film but it looks and flows nicely. Very well made and touching at times.

16. Imperfect [Short] (26.09.17)
A very well shot and scripted noir. It didn't need the sifi elements just the juxtaposition of the main charter worked well. It looks very cool and the eyes are captivating.

17. Blade Runner - Blackout 2022 [short] (27.09.17)
A prequel tot the new film but made by the great Shinichirō Watanabe (I must re watch Coyboy Bebop). So many thematic call backs to the original but not so much it out shows the story. Very cool idea and it makes scene that it would be the next step in the world.

18. Brian & Charles [short] (28.09.17)
Dark and depressing but with a underling hummer that is common in a lot of British humour. Only a few issues with is, what is the conceit with having the camera as a charter? The story was predicable but it did work well.

19. Ghost in the Shell (29.09.17)
The new live action version. It felt like GinS but i have issues with the changes they made to the Major; like in Arise she was new but even less skilled. She is meant to be satisfied in her being not questioning her existence, her troubles are deeper than that (what is a person and can a ghost be digitised). The plot was ok if almost a greatest hits of the films with some Stand Alone Complex throne in as well. Looked good but some of the back drops wont age well. Solid a sequel could work if they focused on the deeper stuff.

20. Children of Men (30.09.17)
The sound design in the last act was phenomenal. Such a cool concept with so many thought paths to go down. Very well made film and I liked all of the touches that showed it was the future. A tatted London 2012 hoody for example (the film came out in 06) Touching if a little disconnected at times but over all great. Oh and nice use of Court of the Crimson King.

Full month this one. Best? Pi I think.

Suddenly Autumn!

This seasons change has come in early this year. The feel of the air, the hint of cool rain and the dull day ending early. It all feels very autumnal.

Leaves have begun to turn and some of the sun sets over the last weeks have been stunning. To add feel my neighbour has spent the day taking down several tall conifers. The sound of the chainsaw in the distance mixed with the sound of chickens and wild birds paint a setting to be enjoyed.

All of this has only just dawned on me. I have been a bit distracted sine I came back from down south for a week. The hint of autumn has just caught me off guard as I was watering the garden. It likely will be a job I wont need to do much of soon and very likely one of the last times I do it in shorts and flip flops.

 

 Rail to Nowhere

 I have been back just shy of a week and my sleep has just about caught back up. The time has been a blur from working on over a 1000 photos from the week away to spending my birthday in Sheffield with some mates and catching up on the world as a whole.

I like going away with cadets but time gets very disconnected. Even if the is signal the is not much time to spent browsing the net. It is very odd to come back and to see what has changed. It puts some things into perspective, just how much media do I need to consume?

Things are getting back to normal, or probably a new normal. A few changes can't be bad. I have done well this year but the is always room for improvement.

Too Old For This

A small side note, I am very excited for a new season of the fantastic 'Within the Wires' podcast. The first season was only ten episodes but the conceit was awesome and the story was so impressively told. This second is looking to go off in a different direction but from the promos it sounds good.

Staying on the theme of upcoming story's; Brandon Sanderson's ‘Oathbringer’ is out in a month or two and the previews are getting me very excited. The Stormlight books are some of the best high Fantasy I have read and I can’t wait to get it into my hands. Though I'm not sure If my shelf can handle another book of its size.

Ending

Autumn my favourite time of the year. Be it on a nice sunny afternoon or a dull windy atmospheric day it all evokes nice feelings. I love the feel of being outsize be it urban or rural it just feels nice when you have the right frame of mind to enjoy nature.

I must spend more time away from my desk.

2017 Film Log [August]

Probably going to be a slow month. INDEX

01. X-STORY [Short] (02.08.17)
This film takes bits from all over sifi and fantasy and some of the shots are very blatant. The story wasn't too bad but the ending was dumb and the end flash back was totally pointless. Very cool art style a bit too game like for my liking but it is high quality.

02. Kapture: Fluke [Short] (03.08.17)
A very cool animated short by Oats. Daft and over the top but the portal vibes are strong and that is a great style. I bet these guys will come back there is so much potential.

03. Logan (11.08.17)
What a end. Not every end is a comic book story but this one uses some of the best parts and brings a reality that is missing from many films. Comic books aren't a genre they are a medium and so this new wave of films is very welcome. Logan is a beautiful and violent film and they blend into a great story.

04. Batman: Gotham Knight (12.08.17)
A anthology of Batman animation by Japanese production company's. They each have a distinct style and solid performances. One or two lack in the story department but they are all solid. A very cool concept.

05. Room (13.08.17)
Dose the fact I found the second half harder to watch than the first say anything about me? A very disturbing film in many ways that other films ignore. The is a feeling of reality to the film and its handling of the story. Very good but not one to go back to time and again but I am glad I watched it.

06. Scott Pilgrim vs the World (14.08.17)
Some of the best shot hand to hand action on film. I love the use of editing and additional elements in the picture the style is very vivid. A comic I never did get around to watching. Edgar Wright can do no wrong.

Wow that was a slow month. Good films but not many of them. September should be better.

2017 Film Log [July]

Over half way through the year. INDEX

01. Firebase [Short] (02.07.17)
The second short from Oats Studio and this one again has a fantastic premise. The production values are insane. I liked the story they maybe gave too much away but it was very creepy.

02. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (03.07.17)
A masterwork in film making. The only downsides are some issues with the story being obvious and some of the character choices being too stereotypical. But in is class this is at the top by a long margin. The voices of the apes and very well done and used just enough. Stunning.

03 Sandman 24 hour Diner [Short] (05.07.16)
A brilliant performance of the story from the comic. Dark and sadistic with the hint of crazy that makes it works so well and not seem exploitative. I love the Sandman comics and this a amazing realization, form the set to the acting.

04. Eyes Wide Shut (07.07.17)
I had seen the images and sets plenty of times before but it didn't spoil or dampen the impact of this film. It is wonderful, and creepy but very well made. I like how the small story's run throughout and there are lots to infer into them. The music is fantastic and the waltz's fits it nicely. Kubrick was truly one of the greats.

05. John Wick Chapter 2 (08.07.17)
I'm not sure... It has some issues but its still a very good film. The problems are I think they could have done it better. The start is by far the weakest part but it works. I love the world they have crafted for the story to work.

06. Spider-Man: Homecoming [Cinema] (09.07.17)
Spider-man can be great for the Avengers but he works best as a local small scale hero. The film is great and the entire cast works well. One of the best villains in recent years both in trms of story and action. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

07. The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug (10.07.17)
As before it's the extended version, this one added some interesting stuff and it flows better. Much stronger than I remembered but the sub plot is still the best part. Less cool moments but it's more of a solid film. Still the dodgy sense of scale with the travelling but its not too distracting.

08. Zygote [Short] (12.07.17)
Another great film by Oats. This felt  like an episode of Doctor Who turned up to 11. Super well realised creature and aside from a mini info dump at the start the writing was solid. Such a small but lived in environment. It's some top class stuff.

09. Run Lola Run (17.07.17)
A very stylish film. I like how unlike other films of its type it focusses on the information that can me learned or missed depending on minor changes in timing or mood. The direction is stellar and the plotting is very well realised. The is so much I could say from the acting to the look to the music and so on. A great film.

10. Elephants Dream [Short] (19.07.17)
A cutting edge piece of art. Well it was when it came out in 2006. I remember watching it back then and being amazed by the quality of the renders and models. It stands up but mainly due to the art work; graphics have come a long way in 13 years. A nice little film that very much feels like a small chunk of a longer film I would love to watch some day.

11. Fight Club (21.07.17)
You can never be un-spoiled about a film. The are some poorly kept secrets and I knew about the twist years ago. It doesn't matter since it is an awesome film.

12. Mission Impossible III (24.07.17)
One of the more interesting bad guys they have had even if the Rabbits Foot is a shameless Mcguffin. The direction wasn't bad apart from the obnoxious shaky cam nonsense. A solid action film overall.

13. The Light of a Firefly Forest (28.07.17)
A very soft and well told tale of a child and her time spent with a genital but cursed sprit. The story was very good and the animation really put me into the place. A sad story but one where it is the memory's that matter.

14. Banjo the Woodpile Cat (29.07.17)
A early film by Don Bluth and it has all the quality's he brought to his best works. Even though I had never seen this before it sent me back to some very old times when I watch 'An American Tail' and 'All Dogs go to Heaven' as a kid. I will have to dig them back out sometime.

15. The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Army's (30.07.17)
The shortest of the extended versions, and yet it still felt too long. The main issue again is in the tone, it is a major problem in the action before it settles into a more serious fair. I love the fight at the bigging, high fantasy has always been my favourite and it captures the essence of all of the overpowers characters well. It is a ok trilogy but I would be better with a directors cut in a few years.

Now this was a great month of films. Best? Run Lola Run at a push. Not a bad one in this list.

Don’t Become the Poet

Not counting the words that got cut I wrote 2,264 over the past 3 days, including this blog. I'm going through a good phases it seems. I should put this towards something productive I guess.

Lighting the Way

That new One Song on‘The poet and the Pendulum’ took some time. I have had it in mind for months and listened to a lot it a week ago to start my initial thoughts. I took notes as I listened and read the lyrics at the same time. theses nots formed the basis for what I wanted the post to become. Spiting it up along the parts was obvious but how much to say in each was harder, the is a lot more going on in some but I gave descent coverage and hit all of my main points.

It took it a bit at a time, I wrote in floods then went back and did a pass over it to iron out any dodgy bits. when I had covered all 7 main parts I listened to the whole song again and thought about what I had written. I added a few bits, polished off the last few paragraphs and the first draft was done. Which came in at a count of 1573 words. I added in the style with the lyrics serving as good intros for each part.

I did a final pass over it to straiten out any bad spelling and grammar then left it for the day. Then the morning of the day I posted it I listen to the song again then read each part of the of the post out loud to my self. This helped catch missing words and helped the flow of the writing. The weren't many changes but the word count came in at a total of 1684. By far the longest one song post.

I had to get the styling to work in the Blogspot settings and find a video to stick at the top (not easy I've moaned about the video search before). One last look over then I was ready to go. I am proud of what I have managed to write and how fast it came together. About seven hours of writing time and as few in planning and pondering. I don’t think I will choose a long song next, but you never know what will strike my fancy.

Swan

The blog is going under a bit of a redesign. Probably nothing too drastic but I need to come up with a plan on how far to go and what I want this sight to be.

The background needed to change so I did just that. It is temporary but the final will be along the same simple lines. I just need to fight with the blog builder tools or learn more HTML and CSS. I should pick codeing back up again.

I want to keep the posts as the main focus of the site. Too many of the template designs wont work they squash things down to the title and a picture. It is good design but it’s not what I'm after. I will have to have a play about and see what happens when I break things.

Swedish Candles

I hope I can keep things together, a nice work and workout ethic. Even my sleep patten has gotten better, things are on the up. The is always a chance to fall like the Poet. But not if I can help it.

One Song – The Poet and the Pendulum [Nightwish]

Track 1 ‘Dark Passion Play’

Written by Tuomas Holopainen

Released 2007

I like long songs. Something that can forge a place for its self and tell a good story. Songs are one of the oldest and best forms of story telling and with ‘The Poet and the Pendulum’ we have one that excels in story and music. It is a piece of audio artwork.

Clocking in at 13:51 it clears the threshold for a long song by by books (7 min) and it uses its time well to deliver the story. The story is broken into five parts; each a different aspect of the story and quite different in style. But before I get into any of that just a quick world on long songs.

The more time that something has to play with can make it better; not having to constrict itself to a short limit just to get air time. I love Iron Maiden for this reason most of their songs are too long for regular radio but it hasn't hurt them at all. Their songs tell the stories they want and use all the time that they need. Nightwish are similar, they have a fair few long songs and with ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ they have the longest song that I own (its a whopping 24 minuets). I like to enjoy my music and a long song I can get my teeth into makes it all the more enjoyable.

The end

The songwriter’s dead

The blade fell upon him

Taking him to the white lands

Of Empathica,

Of Innocence

Part 1: White Lands Of Empathica

What a way to kick off your song! A solo by a young choir boy singing very clearly and beautifully. The song starts off at the end of the story with the dead song writer’s spirit going off into the beyond (Strangely Empathica is a place in the Dark Tower books). This part starts the story and sets up the tone and themes.

It sets up questions, how and why did the song writer die? How did it is come to this? The answers will come in time. The title can suggest the is interesting things going on with time itself. The song doesn't run in a ‘normal’ linier fashion, that much is obvious. It jumps around in the writers life as we see different times. The story point of view swings back and forth.

The music is haunting and the whispers in the background sells the setting of a death bed or a spirit moving on. The voice of an Angel perhaps? The choice of the singer is great and adds even more when he comes back later. This part is less that 90 seconds long and is very much an overture, but the set up is outstanding. Onto the struggle.

The dreamer and the wine

Poet without a rhyme

A widow writer torn apart by chains of Hell

One last perfect verse

It's still the same old song

Oh Christ, how I hate what I have become

Part 2: Home

The tempo shift hits and the song kicks into gear. Back in 2007 if this album was the first you had heard of the new Nightwish then this was your intro to the new lead singer Anette Olzon and boy is she good. She has the range to pull of all the parts of this song from melodic to fast and heavy. She makes the lyrics flow better than just reading them ever can.

Here we come the sensitive part, the man who wrote this song. The song writer of the story and reality share the same name, Tuomas. This song and album is the first since the split with the former singer and a dark period in his life. He has since stated this is the “album that saved his life”. I down want to dive deep into the cross meaning but it is something to keep in mind.

“My home was there and then, those meadows of heaven.” There are moments of joy at the memory of a better time or place but now his life is filled with a struggle to work and to handle his renown. Its just a small line but I think he struggles to live up to his fame and the name he had made for himself. Why can’t he write another perfect verse. He is an artist who has lost his muse and pines for a simpler time at home where all is safe.

Time to talk about that chorus. To me this is his break down. There are struggles, problems and fancy in his life but this keeps coming back. Its interesting to fit the nature of a song into the story, in any other song a chorus can cause a narrative dissonance. but here it is used to show his struggles are the same and they keep coming back. A need to get away, and an insight of his own coping mechanism tangled with his main issue an inability to cope with his life.

The good times of the past only serve to show how deep his current struggles are and it will spiral deeper into despair.

You live long enough to hear the sounds of guns,

Long enough to find yourself screaming every night,

Live long enough to see your friends betray you.

For years I've been strapped unto this altar.

Now I only have three minutes and counting.

I just wish the tide would catch me first and give me

a death I always longed for.

Part 3: The Pacific

Oh boy this bit. The part that makes me reconsider sharing my music choices. Dose it make a difference that it seems to be a metaphor? Nope its still dark and rightfully so. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am not one to cringe away from uncomfortable things but to share it…

This bit is powerful and hits hard. The child's voice packs all the right emotion and makes the impact that much greater. It is something no child should mean to say, and it is used to great effect and sells the state of mind the Poet is in. It is his struggle in his own words. His fear resentment and resignation to his fate.

The pain comes in after what seems like his wish for an easier life; a life of beauty full of poetry and to be a careless as a child one again. It started off so beautify and kind of hopeful, the first three stanzas then give way to the narration and it slides into despair and the brink of death. So calm, so sincere. It makes the shift to the next part a huge blow.

2nd robber to the right of Christ
Cut in half - infanticide
The world will rejoice today
As the crows feast on the rotting poet

Part 4: Dark Passion Play

The is a lot going on here, first off is to work out what is meant by ‘2nd robber to the right of Christ’? At a glance it is referring to the penetant thief but the wording is odd and I think it would make more sense to be about Gestas, the impenitent thief who taunted Jesus. Dose he see himself as Gestas a man worthy of death but who would taunt Jesus? Seems at odd with the line about a face for God but now perhaps all pretences have dropped.

The male vocals are done by Marco and they are great, strong and understandable they bare the emotion of the words well. These are the poets last words as such, they are full of hate for the world and himself. He sees it as something he must do and the line: ‘Slain by the bell, tolling for his farewell’ heavily implies suicide.

All three vocalists have a part in this act; an out burst from the poet, then we are shown the aftermath with an implication that he is not missed and lastly a eulogy. It states the circumstance around his death but with a slip of hope he was at least content in death. But then why is the next line ‘Save me’?

Be still, my son
You`re home
Oh when did you become so cold?
The blade will keep on descending
All you need is to feel my love

 

Part 5: Mother and Farther

Did he find solace in death? Perhaps, but it seems even in the world after you must search it out. Are his parents now there to help and guide him: to find his shore or must it be for him to find? Dose the end of his life lead to a new beginning.

Its an almost damming observation of the Poets nature by his parents if it even if it is his parents. With all the refinances to God is it divine worlds that set him on his path. The blade descending seems to be kept a bay by love and meaning in work

Through all the pain and hate and fear, the song ends in a lighter more optimistic tone. Even through all hardships and the casting off of ties and even life the will always be love if you want it.

The beautiful singing from the start is back, but now it lacks the whispers from the start of the song. It shows the change in his mind set, the is no more harmful thoughts to get in his way.

Get away, run away, fly away
Lead me astray to dreamer's hideaway
I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for this cold world

The Power in the Song

This is a masterpiece. The story of fear, hate, self loathing, pain and death of one struggling man. It shows us all of the complex issues that can be suffer with in the time where someone want to die. It doesn't end there where the is darkness the is also light and the song gives hope to anyone who looks.

The is other way at looking at things and I could have gone on for so much longer about the meaning of the pendulum the method of death and so on but what I have discussed is the bit that stand out to me. Different people see things in many ways and I don’t even know if this is the writers intentions and I’m not sure I want to know just yet.

The are some key choices in the creation of this song that work to its advantage. The use of the orchestra and choir boy add so much and sells the emotion of the poet and elicits feelings in the listener time after time. Few songs are so daring and it pays of with one of the greatest songs the band has done.

Nightwish are not strangers to darker story's and I may have to take a deeper look at their film sometime. But for now this has been my thoughts on just one of their songs. I hope I have conveyed my thoughts well enough. This has been a long a tricky topic but one well worth thinking over. But that is the nature of a great song, not only do I love to listen to it. I want to understand it.

Search for beauty, find your shore

Try to save them all, bleed no more

You have such oceans within

In the end, I will always love you

The beginning.

It’s A Little Warm

Lovely weather for relaxing and doing pretty much nothing. So what possessed me to go for a run at the warmest part of the day. It was about 32-33 C and I went out and ran for 13 and a half minuets.

 Blue Flag

I have been on a fitness kick the last month or so. I have been kind of scared to talk about it as it may become something that ends as soon as I start a record of it.

Just a few exercises at first sit ups pull ups and some reps with dumbbells that my brother got somewhere like 15 years ago. I have done this day in day out for a month with a rest very 10 days or so. The routine had changes and evolved a bit. Now I do (almost) daily:

    20 sit-ups

    10 bicep curls 8Kg

    As may Pull-ups as I can (5 to 10)

    Planks

    10 Rapid sit ups

    lateral lifts with 2Kg

    Squats

    10 bicep curls 8Kg

Is this a good workout? I’m not sure but it is better than nothing. ( I do press-ups and others as well but this is my core list)

Old Hives

I am looking into gyms to join sometime in September. As strange as it may sound I think I need to be slightly fitter to get a decent benefit from a gym. (short writing break to remove a huge Bumble Bee that has just flown in through the window) If I can improve through simple exercises at home then I will wait until I need the next step up, which should be in a month or two.

I have also been getting out for long rids on my bike every few days and I think I will chuck in a run now and then. I just need to keep things going not just because I want to get fitter. But if the past 5 or so years are any indicator I will struggle with my asthma sometime in the next month or so. I hope I can have a fitness level where I wont be as badly affected as I used to be.

Mother Duck

Oh yeah it's been hot. Nice though the weather is, it could stand to be a bit cooler. 

Especially at night...