Maybe not even a minuet has passed since I learned of the news of Roger Moore's death. A glance at twitter when I got back into my seat after grabbing a drink and there it appeared. Roger Moore dead at age 89 from Cancer.
James Bond has always been a favourite of mine and the was something about Moore's run that was special. The way it handles its self and the wink at the audience. He is what comes to mind first when I think of Bond. Over the top but never silly.
His was great in all of his roles but he is Bond. I will still enjoy his films but they will have a tangs of sadness to go with their upbeat romps.
Not the post I wanted to make today but words came out so I posted them.
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Sunday, 21 May 2017
One Song
One Song
I like my music, and I like to think that I listen to a wide variety of artists and groups. I only listen to what I like and so sometimes the are only a few songs I will listen to out of an entire discography.
Sometimes a song makes such an impression I just want to talk about it. I don’t have much in the way of arbitrary rules for this experiment.
One song per group seem like a good start but I don’t want to set anything in stone. Same with what I will say about each song, I will go on about what comes to mind, be it in depth look at the lyrics or just a short piece about what it means to me.
So this is my list of song reviews, analyse and thoughts put into text:
04.12.16 - Tides Of Time [Epica]
07.12.16 - And Then There Was Silence [Blind Guardian]
21.12.16 - Lost Christmas Eve [TSO]
20.05.17 - The Chain [Fleetwood Mac]
28.06.17 - The Poet and the Pendulum [Nightwish]
21.10.17 - '39 [Queen]
24.12.17 - Gaudete
24.12.18 I Believe in Farther Christmas [Greg Lake]
I have some more in the works to come out when they are done.
Songs by the following are in the works (kind of) as well as others.
Pink Floyd
Iron Maiden
Jonathan Coulton
REM
I like my music, and I like to think that I listen to a wide variety of artists and groups. I only listen to what I like and so sometimes the are only a few songs I will listen to out of an entire discography.
Sometimes a song makes such an impression I just want to talk about it. I don’t have much in the way of arbitrary rules for this experiment.
One song per group seem like a good start but I don’t want to set anything in stone. Same with what I will say about each song, I will go on about what comes to mind, be it in depth look at the lyrics or just a short piece about what it means to me.
So this is my list of song reviews, analyse and thoughts put into text:
04.12.16 - Tides Of Time [Epica]
07.12.16 - And Then There Was Silence [Blind Guardian]
21.12.16 - Lost Christmas Eve [TSO]
20.05.17 - The Chain [Fleetwood Mac]
28.06.17 - The Poet and the Pendulum [Nightwish]
21.10.17 - '39 [Queen]
24.12.17 - Gaudete
24.12.18 I Believe in Farther Christmas [Greg Lake]
I have some more in the works to come out when they are done.
Songs by the following are in the works (kind of) as well as others.
Pink Floyd
Iron Maiden
Jonathan Coulton
REM
Saturday, 20 May 2017
One song – The Chain [Fleetwood Mac]
Track 7 ‘The
Rumours’ By The Chain
Released 1977
Songs have a way of
bringing back memories or feelings. Parts of games I’ve played are
tied to the songs that I were listing to at the time. I still can't
listen to some Iron Maiden without being brought back to the back off
the school bus. 30 song MP3 player in my ears then sharing a bud with
my mate when he got on.
The chain is a song
where this happens to me, but not just one memory. It hits upon three
distinct parts of my life. Story time...
F1
The solo at the end
was for a very long time the F1 theme for me. I remember first
watching F1 on Sunday afternoons in the 90s with my Granddad and
loved it. The cars, the commentary and the drivers all bookended by
this great piece of music.
I got older and the
F1 rights changes hands a bunch but I kept an interest and when it
came back to the BBC I was excited to watch a whole season. I got up
at about half 4 in the morning to watch the race. The TV was on low
and I was excited for the show to start. The heavy base guitar track
came in cars raced across the screen and the theme played out. I got
goose bumps.
Waves of nostalgia
and excitement came at me and I was in my element. I watched all the
races that year glued to the news and reports from the paddock and
enjoying every moment of it. I was back 5 again learning from my
Granddad about how the rules went and how the cars worked. Sometimes
the things you love are complex and here is no exception. My
Granddad, the sport, my excitement all packaged up into a great slice
of music.
Listen
to the wind blow
Watch
the sun rise
Run
in the shadows
Damn
your love
Damn
your lies
Halcyon
I listen to radio 2
at home and I enjoy the oldies section in the afternoons. The was
this time I was on a trip for the weekend it was Friday afternoon and
the weather was nice. I was in the passenger seat of a mini bus some
people in the back doing their own thing but the driver was a nice
guy and we relaxed and enjoyed the drive. Then the oldies came on and
they were all perfect. A few in we were in full voice singing along
and probably annoying the youngsters in the back.
One of the tracks
was the Chain. Something hit me at the time that I can’t put into
words. It was one of the best times. This song brings that feeling
back.
While not many
people would call it a feel good song it is for me. The feeling I get
from hearing parts are nice and soften any feelings. But to sit down
and listen to the song brings it all back. And I will sit and listen
it is not a background song fore me, it grabs my attention and I am
glad it dose.
And
if you don't love me now
You
will never love me again
I
can still hear you saying
You
would never break the chain.
GotG
Mixing two great
things can more often than not make a mess. Vibrant blue, red and
green can make a dull brown. Having the artistic skill to use two
mediums and work them together can make a masterpiece. Guardians of
the Galaxy by this metric is a masterpiece.
To me the shining
example of pop music from the films is its use of the Chain. It gets
two plays and though in very different parts they both fit the mood
(or even set the mood). The first time it is played is impactful but
compared to the next it is more of an overture. To go into the ins
and out is to mess in the domain of spoilers but I will say them
themes come through.
Working with
nostalgia has become a thing over the last few years and it can
impact greatly how something is perceived. The main issues are that
it can be seen a cheep way to control emotion and inject something
not present into the scene. The other and greater one is that a song
can mean different thing to other people.
Break
the silence
Damn
the dark
Damn
the light
I was going to go on
and on about the lyrics and song composition, but no. I Think I have
said all that I need to. Good songs effect people, great songs
effects lives over and over again.
Chain,
keep us together
Running
in the shadows
Monday, 1 May 2017
2017 Film Log [May]
Onto another busy month but lets see what I can see. Here is the link to the INDEX
01. Split (01.05.17)
Soooooooooooooo good. The are only a few gripes but they are minor and don't detract from the overall package. And it is all there great acting and story with some solid direction from M Night. I will have to dive back into his films more. I love the story and world to bits and the method of its telling is great.
02. Two [Short] (03.05.17)
By the legend Satyajit Ray, the short is a look at two children and their respective toys and the envy of the rich child. It goes just about as you would expect.Shot with no dialogue but the feels come through well and the acting and direction makes it all work. An interesting look back at 1962.
03. I Can Feel Friday by Day! [Short] (05.05.17)
Some shorts are great for all of the story and themes they squeeze into such a short time. But this is just fun. No larger or great meaning just a crazy idea or two that the run with and spin into a good little film.
04. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [Cinema] (08.05.17)
And if you don't love me now You will never love me again I can still hear you saying You would never break the chain. Marvel has another winner!
05. Attack the Block (15.05.17)
A fun well plotted film. The London 'gangster' scene is not one I am fond of bit it makes for a good background for a alien invasion film. It works well and on it's small budget dose a great job of looking good. Some very cool sifi moments and it is not ass feel good as it thinks it is.
06. Agent 327: Operation Barbershop [Short](17.05.17)
It's the animation studio name that caught my attention with this one. I have played about with blender a few times over the years and it has always been a powerful tool but the quality of this film is amazing its up there with Pixar. The story is a cool look at the British spy thriller well worth the watch.
07. Prometheus (19.05.17)
This film made me take notes! So here are a few un-filtered thoughts: Conflict??? Floored premise. Not enough background. People in suits waling in large dark space cliche, used a drone!!! TEAM. Where did the conflict come from. Incoherent incompetence.
There could have been more. This is a stupid film that is very nearly smart. It looks nice though.
08. Sintel [Short] (20.05.17)
A very well put together little film. How far would you go to look for your only friend? Some very cool moments and this would be great as a feature with some subtle ageing. The end song is great.
09. The Boy and the Beast (22.05.17)
The latest film by Mamoru Hosoda and it as good as his rest. It starts off with a very standard heroes journey and the master student dynamic that are as old as the hills. The are a few things that make this explore other places and the twist to the story are nice. Very well animated and directed but as good as it is nothing can top Wolf Children.
10. Arrival (26.05.17)
I love a good paradox. This film just got better the longer it went on, or was it just that good from the start? The are some very interesting high sifi concepts floating about; and while it didn't play out large scale as I would expect it worked for the story that they were telling. The look the sound and direction were all top notch.
11. Wallace and Gromit A Matter of Loaf and Death (27.05.17)
Somehow I had not seen this. Its fun and well crafted even if the jokes were a bit to Were Rabbit for my liking. It had the charm of the originals and some very cool easter eggs. I will have to re watch the others now I can see them in HD it looked cool seeing so much detail.
12. Spaceballs (28.05.17)
I knew this was going to be good but damn was it ever. So packed full of references and jokes. I loved it to bits.
13. Spriggan (29.05.17)
It started off as a generic 90 action thriller anime but turned into a thoughtful sifi film. I will have to pick the manga up sometime even if it seems a bit trope filled. Nice animation and music but the direction was a bit flat and the tone was strange. Again having some background may of helped. Not bad.
14. Cream [Short] (31.05.17)
A creepy short by David Firth. I love this style of animation it takes me back to my erly days of web browsing and looking at sites such as B3ta. The short had a cool concept but it is told in a very interesting fashion. The ups and down of a creation by the old media a very pertinent concept.
So goes another month. Best will have to be Arrival by a hair. It's been a good month quality wise.
01. Split (01.05.17)
Soooooooooooooo good. The are only a few gripes but they are minor and don't detract from the overall package. And it is all there great acting and story with some solid direction from M Night. I will have to dive back into his films more. I love the story and world to bits and the method of its telling is great.
02. Two [Short] (03.05.17)
By the legend Satyajit Ray, the short is a look at two children and their respective toys and the envy of the rich child. It goes just about as you would expect.Shot with no dialogue but the feels come through well and the acting and direction makes it all work. An interesting look back at 1962.
03. I Can Feel Friday by Day! [Short] (05.05.17)
Some shorts are great for all of the story and themes they squeeze into such a short time. But this is just fun. No larger or great meaning just a crazy idea or two that the run with and spin into a good little film.
04. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [Cinema] (08.05.17)
And if you don't love me now You will never love me again I can still hear you saying You would never break the chain. Marvel has another winner!
05. Attack the Block (15.05.17)
A fun well plotted film. The London 'gangster' scene is not one I am fond of bit it makes for a good background for a alien invasion film. It works well and on it's small budget dose a great job of looking good. Some very cool sifi moments and it is not ass feel good as it thinks it is.
06. Agent 327: Operation Barbershop [Short](17.05.17)
It's the animation studio name that caught my attention with this one. I have played about with blender a few times over the years and it has always been a powerful tool but the quality of this film is amazing its up there with Pixar. The story is a cool look at the British spy thriller well worth the watch.
07. Prometheus (19.05.17)
This film made me take notes! So here are a few un-filtered thoughts: Conflict??? Floored premise. Not enough background. People in suits waling in large dark space cliche, used a drone!!! TEAM. Where did the conflict come from. Incoherent incompetence.
There could have been more. This is a stupid film that is very nearly smart. It looks nice though.
08. Sintel [Short] (20.05.17)
A very well put together little film. How far would you go to look for your only friend? Some very cool moments and this would be great as a feature with some subtle ageing. The end song is great.
09. The Boy and the Beast (22.05.17)
The latest film by Mamoru Hosoda and it as good as his rest. It starts off with a very standard heroes journey and the master student dynamic that are as old as the hills. The are a few things that make this explore other places and the twist to the story are nice. Very well animated and directed but as good as it is nothing can top Wolf Children.
10. Arrival (26.05.17)
I love a good paradox. This film just got better the longer it went on, or was it just that good from the start? The are some very interesting high sifi concepts floating about; and while it didn't play out large scale as I would expect it worked for the story that they were telling. The look the sound and direction were all top notch.
11. Wallace and Gromit A Matter of Loaf and Death (27.05.17)
Somehow I had not seen this. Its fun and well crafted even if the jokes were a bit to Were Rabbit for my liking. It had the charm of the originals and some very cool easter eggs. I will have to re watch the others now I can see them in HD it looked cool seeing so much detail.
12. Spaceballs (28.05.17)
I knew this was going to be good but damn was it ever. So packed full of references and jokes. I loved it to bits.
13. Spriggan (29.05.17)
It started off as a generic 90 action thriller anime but turned into a thoughtful sifi film. I will have to pick the manga up sometime even if it seems a bit trope filled. Nice animation and music but the direction was a bit flat and the tone was strange. Again having some background may of helped. Not bad.
14. Cream [Short] (31.05.17)
A creepy short by David Firth. I love this style of animation it takes me back to my erly days of web browsing and looking at sites such as B3ta. The short had a cool concept but it is told in a very interesting fashion. The ups and down of a creation by the old media a very pertinent concept.
So goes another month. Best will have to be Arrival by a hair. It's been a good month quality wise.
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