Ray

As I've said before, it is much easier to win an Oscar than it used to be, and so when this high profile biopic started to get average reviews outside of the lead performance I let it go at the cinema and consigned it to the DVD list. I think I was right to do so as, at its worst, this is little better in style and originality than a TV movie, and only the recreations of the insatiable music stand out. Interpreting a person's life in an interesting way has caused better directors than Taylor Hackford to fail before now, however - it is just a difficult genre. The most annoying thing in this example is how we spend two hours and twenty minutes following the man's amazing life from infancy to his early forties and then are given a two minute montage to sum up the remaining forty years! What is all that about? A lot of the problems structurally come down to editing, and you can't help wonder if the director's cut solves this issue - but at this point I can't be bothered to find out. That aside, the central performance from Jamie Foxx is exceptional and worthy of high praise - superficially he could be accused of doing little more than a good impression of Ray Charles Robinson, but that would be unfair; at no point does he descend into caricature, and although there are not too many actual dramatic scenes, when they do come he is more than up to the task, allowing you to sympathize with the character whilst being painfully aware of his faults. Once again (as with The Machinist) here is an actor and a performance worthy of a better film that doesn't materialize. But I sense this is just the beginning for the outrageously talented Mr Foxx. 6/10 Kx

Supergrass

Supergrass are a band that have always interested me. In Gaz Coombes they have a lead man who always seems to be on the edge of greatness but never quite reaches the consistency to get there. First and foremost, the Oxford trio are great musicians and can play around with styles and tone effortlessly - there is always a sense of dirty funk in there somewhere, mixed with a set of seriously good pop songs, as 1993's Supergrass are 10 showcases brilliantly. For me they are the band that The Stereophonics never were - and that is down to their secret weapon: a wicked sense of humour! Just skip to track 5 here if you need convincing - Coffee in the Pot epitomises the daft, yet ever intelligent feel that almost won them a Monkees style TV show a few years back, until the execs decided the world needed S-Club 7 more! There is a lot on this latest album to like, admire and, in a while, perhaps even love - 1st single and stand-out track St. Petersberg is as good as anything on their last two albums, falling only slightly short of the best tracks on their most accomplished (in my opinion) album, In It For The Money, from 1997. Labelled 70s Rock Revivalists by many, Supergrass are so much more than that and I look forward to letting the less immediate tracks wash over me, and hopefully to seeing them gain new fans on the back of this sophisticated new release. I used to think of them as a very studenty band - now they seem like a band for students who have grown up a bit, and, although quite a few will, I don't see anything wrong with that. 8.5/10 Kx

The Machinist

In his most high-profile feature to date, founder of Nomad films and relatively inexperienced helmsman, Brad Anderson, tries to deliver something with the spine-tingle of a Hitchcock and the savvy of a Fight Club or a Memento - and fails admirably on both counts. The problem is that he underestimates his audience, signposting plot devices too blatently and embelishing scenes that would have been better served with stillness and eerie silence with melodramatic music and flashback imagery. You can see what he aspires to, and there are promising moments in the washed out cinematography and use of character, but ultimately you are left feeling (and it's a familiar feeling) that this could have been so much better in the right hands. What is notable, of course, is Christian Bale, and the fact that he lost X amount of weight to do the role. Man, he wasn't messing around! More bone than flesh, and reminiscent of a prisoner of war, he creates a striking, haunting, disturbing image that stays with you long after the DVD has been returned. And it's not just his physical aspect that is startling - it's a terrific performance of a man lost in paranoia, guilt and sleeplessness: every time his eyelids droop, we find ourselves begging the Gods of cinema to let the poor fucker nod off for a bit. But no. Just a shame then that with this much (some would say psychotic) committment he didn't get a better film to surround him. It was nice to see Jennifer Jason Leigh again (she doesn't make enough films), and she was fine, but the supporting cast never seemed more than extras in a horror film (the appearence of Michael Ironside, for one, is never a good sign). I just felt that every time it got interesting and approached new territory it shied away just as quickly and subsided into the mediocre, badly scripted, or just plain daft. Worthy of a remake, but God, please don't make Batman go on that diet again!!! 6/10 Kx

Fantasy Football

Another great way to to keep yourself busy with something relatively meaningless is to play in a fantasy sports league. This year has been more organised than others and we managed to put together a small "friends and enemies" league on the original Fantasy Football site - Fantasy League Classic (click title to have a look). The idea is to spend an imaginary budget on a squad of 16 players you believe will out-score, out-defend and basically outclass all opposition in the premiership. With weekly, monthly and season long prizes at stake it is worth paying attention and doing your homework on who is and who isn't in form. For the long run I've taken a few chances on some unproven players: Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is my big tip to come of age in the midfield area, while £7.5m signing for Boro, Aiyegbeni Yakuba (pictured) carries the responsibility of lead striker. It has always been my philosophy (as you can only have a maximum of 2 players from each team) to use your choices from the top teams in defence, as they are likely to concede less goals - i.e. Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool all figure in a formaton that has done OK at this early stage. It seems that there are about 35000 paid up players this year so it will be tough to compete - but there is nothing a football fan likes more than being right, and this is the perfect chance to prove it. Another reason that Saturday is the most fun day of the week... Come on the lads... Kx

The Life Aquatic

What do a three legged dog, a Portugese Bowie fan and Willem Dafoe with a German accent have in common? Welcome to the world of Wes Anderson - the modern day epitome of that fine line between a genius and a lunatic. If Bill Murray in a red bobble hat and flippers doesn't immediately make you chuckle then the weird and wonderful tale of over-the-hill oceanographer / adventurer Steve Zissou is not for you. If, however, Anderson's previous works: Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenembaums filled you with wonder and a rediscovered sense of values long lost, then, despite its wayward script you will love this. I am a big fan of Anderson's best traits - his minute attention to detail, that leave his films almost overwhelmingly produced; his impecable taste and sense of film music (including his collaboration with composer Mark Mothersbaugh, again on top form here); his sense of juvenile fun, and the range of interesting characters he creates to inhabit his off-centre worlds; and the use of some of the best actors around to bring it all to life! Murray and Defoe I've mentioned - and both are excellent, especially the latter, who sends himself up in the most beautifully subtle way - but there is also Anderson ever present Owen Wilson, the amazingly diverse Cate Blanchett, the underused Noah Taylor, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston and, for good measure, a deliciously daffy cameo from Michael Gambon! How does he do it on an arthouse budget? The answer must simply be that Hollywood's best are falling over themselves to work with him - and why not? Even though I felt this was weaker than both Rushmore and the Tenenbaums, both in story and emotional impact, there are brief scenes and snatches of dialogue that just light you up! It's one of those things that you either get or you don't, and therefore I can completely forgive the many bad reviews it got on intial release - But trust me - on DVD this has enough energy and pure creativity per frame to keep it a cult classic for generations. A filmaker, not at the very top of his game, but certainly one in the highest echelon of "ones to watch". 7/10 Kx

Bright Eyes

My first few days back in the multi-corporational arms of iTunes led me to Bright Eyes, whose double album release at new year was not available on Napster. Of the two, I left the reportedly more raucous Digital Ashes In a Digital Urn for later and went straight to the acclaimed and somewhat mellower I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - which included the single First Day Of My Life, a huge hit in the states. For the uninitiated, Bright Eyes is more or less twenty-something Connor Oberst and his acoustic guitar. An acquired taste at first, his deliberate use of less than polished acoustics, childishly simplistic melodies and knowingly pretentious spoken sections can jar. But anyone who listened to his 2002 release Lifted... Or, The Story Is In The Soil should know that to stick with him for a bit is to experience something of rare spirit and grace, ultimately tinted with optimism and a soul beyond his years. And this album lives up to that promise brilliantly. Perhaps not as many moments of angst as the aforementioned work, it nevertheless has all the elements of a late night conversation with a drunken folk singer present and correct: disillusionment, loss, redemption and a whole lot of heart, to say the least. Closer, perhaps, to Nick Drake than Bob Dylan, his beguiling rhymes and distracted reason appeal on many levels and leave you wanting to take another listen, just to be sure you understood what he might be getting at. I'm not saying he's my favourite artist - even of his genre - but he is compelling and unique; with the ability, at his best, to cut you to the bone with honesty and beauty. And there aren't enough of those people in the world. This will be my main listen for a week, probably, and then I'll be ready for the flip side. Click on title for website with some great live photos and full lyrics listings. Good stuff. 8/10 Kx

The Woodsman

Second in an ill-fitting double bill last night was Kevin Bacon in The Woodsman - equally brilliant as Garden State, but for Very different reasons. I talked about looking out for this one months ago when it was announced that he was going to do it, but it can't even have lasted a week at the box office and was very easy to miss. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out, then, that this sunk without a trace not because it is bad, but because of the subject matter - one of Hollywood's last taboos, child abuse. Based on the play of the same name and brought to the screen by rookie director Nicole Kassell as something of a passion project, long time husband and wife Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick adopt serious, understated and consistantly convincing personas as the former abuser trying to put his life back together amidst prejudice, hatred and fear and the women who is prepared to give him a chance. We are asked as an audience not to forgive or justify, but simply to understand and the compelling script allows us to do that, as does a central performance that is certain to gain momentum in after-the-event criticism once intial discomfort subsides. At times theatrical, using devices such as a new abuser that Bacon watches and ultimately confronts (when we finally see the centre of his frustration as he visualises beating himself up) and a cop of ambiguous morality (played with some panache by Mos Def, who although good, seemed to be playing in the wrong movie) which do detract from the realism Bacon and Sedgewick achieve so effortlessly in earlier scenes, nevertheless, this is powerful stuff worthy of intelligent debate and a success by its own standards. Also interesting to note how lesser performances fared much better at the years' numerous awards festivals - Bacon's bravery in confronting such a role should have been commended and acknowledged much more than the sole nod for best male lead from the Independent Spirit Awards. Sadly, this proves to me that it is still an industry much more full of "stars" with images to maintain and politics to protect than genuine artists with things to say. Despite all that, I highly recommend this film and hope that Bacon's career is full of these kind of choices. 8/10 Kx

Garden State

There was nothing but good word of mouth for this quirky debut, both as writer and director for Scrubs star Zach Braff, upon it's cinema release. To get such a film made at all is an achievement, but to make it this good is a minor miracle. It is well observed and both witty and touching in equal measure, if sometimes a little sacharine on both ends; it is well cast - Braff also takes the lead and turns in an affable performance, Natalie Portman is just perfect as Sam, the compulsive liar with epilepsy and a bad record with pets, and Peter Sarsgaard (very under-rated) and Ian Holm provide ever interesting support; it has a soundtrack to compete with a Wes Anderson movie; and there's something about the whole that just works for me. On an originality level it may not win any prizes - it is as though Braff has taken all the things he loves about movies and made it into his own montage, but what is wrong with that when the result is so entertaining? For its many flaws you have to say that he is going to be a filmaker worth keeping an eye on. It's also nice to get back to this kind of thing after a Summer of blockbusters, superheroes and aliens. It's a film that takes you on a strange journey, like After Hours or Brazil and is never the same twice because neither are you - I wouldn't call it deep, exactly, but I still can't wait to see it again. (p.s. Click the title to check out Z.B.'s personal blog) 8.5/10 Kx

Ben Folds

As of 1st September my affair with Napster will be temporarily over. We've had some good times, but I have to move on... Mostly because my current PC is a piece of shit and I need the money to upgrade it so it actually works when I want it to. Besides, I have been stuck listening to the same old albums for months, and only a long train journey on Friday snapped me out of it and into Ben Folds' 2005 offering. I've liked this guy for years, whether with the Five or on his own (more or less the same thing, anyway) - but I've always felt a slight frustration that he never quite seems to peak and get all his ideas into a fulfilling whole on his albums. Four or five good hummable tunes are going to be there everytime, he is a talented writer, but ten or eleven seems too far for him. Songs for Silverman, then, is no exception - the emotion is there, the piano rings out, the lyrics are as tragic and touching as ever, but after a couple of listens you have your favourites and the rest are discarded. A shame for him, because he can't be described exactly as a singles artist, either. Some time soon he will release a Best Of compilation and everyone will buy it, saying, oh my God, I never knew he had so many great tunes, but that doesn't help Songs for Silverman. There is a growing maturity present; a less frivolous air, whilst his trademark humour remains intact - his songs, as always, are little stories in themselves, mini journeys into lives and loves and mishaps and failings, and I love that. If intelligent melancholy melody were the currancy of the world Ben Folds would be a rich man. There's a time and a place where your mood can only be satisfied by him alone - and that's the best endorsement I think I can give him. Ben Folds: 9/10 Songs for Silverman: 7/10 Kx

Daniel Kitson

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is well into it's second week and I've not done badly this year in getting to see stuff despite the prohibitive ticket prices, largely aimed at rich American tourists. The highlight for me so far was comedian, Perrier award winner and genius Daniel Kitson's non-stand up show at The Traverse Theatre. Titled "Stories For The Wobbly Hearted", the ever charming and instantly lovable ball of hair and specs that is the man sauntered in to a full house and sat in a big comfy chair centre stage, surrounded by old lamps and record players, with a carpet complete with worn out patch where his feet go beneath him and a full wall projection behind him! A good start right there... He then proceeded at his own pace to beguile his audience with six very different tales of loneliness, unrequited love, rejection and shyness, with the underlying message that these things alone are not necessarily as tragic as we think they are - sometimes they are beautiful! And his writting, sparkling with wit, originality, simplicity and, above all, humanity demonstates this in such a way that it leaves you uplifted and full of optimism: you have been treated to an hour with a person whose view of the world is better than yours, and all you can do is applaud and say, Thanks, Dan... Punctuated by mini-films shown on the back wall projection and music from Punch Drunk Love by Jon Brion (perfect choice) all in all this has to be one of my favourite live shows of the last five years. So, it cost £15 to get a ticket, or 25p a minute, if you like, but you certainly get what you pay for, if, like me, you are indeed one of the wobbly hearted. Check out his site and try to see one of his shows - this is a performer destined to become a legend in his own teabreak. Kx

The Island

In a Summer of films I have largely enjoyed, namely Batman Begins, War of the Worlds and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, director of The Rock, Armaggedon and the risible Pearl Harbor, Michael Bay, delivers a high-gloss sci-fi tale that from the trailer promised much. Bay is good at what he does when allowed to do it freely, i.e. make things look pretty and then go boom! So from the start I never expected the subject of cloning to be dealt with with either sophistication or intelligence, and I'm glad, because with a plot this full of holes, expecting something cerebral would have resulted in big letdown. However, pretty it is, and with two highly charismatic leads in McGregor and Johannson, all you have to do is accept the cheese quotient and enjoy the ride. A dozen memorable moments and set pieces later and you still find yourself caring what happens (always a good sign...), despite plot twists being signposted a mile away and some dialogue that even Arnie would be ashamed of. As a popcorn muncher I can highly recommend this - it's cool, it's fast, the production design is great and you get your happy ending... and that's what Summer movies are for. 7/10 Kx

Halo 2

The latest addition to my toolbox of gadgets designed to waste more time over the last two months has been an Xbox. I tried to hold out for as long as I could, realising the full implications and dangers of such a device, prefering to do my gaming on the PC since abandoning the original Playstation about 18 months ago, but the allure was too strong! Not only are the games way in advance of anything I've had on the PC or the Playstation, but the novelty appeal of Xbox live (putting on a headset and talking to someone in Brazil whilst kicking the shit out of their onscreen alter-ego) is irrisistable. I know I'm way behind the times - the new Xbox 360 is due out at Christmas - but to me this is new stuff, and I like it!!! My delay has also given me a chance to see which games have had the most longevity and make wise choices in the software market. Which leads me to Halo 2... Oh my God, what a game! Storyline, graphics, playability and addictiveness are all there in spades, and when your controller vibrates as some alien elite creeps up on you and tries to break your neck, believe me, it is time for new pants...! I am on the verge of devoting endless hours to this, I can tell - it is just so absorbing: the closet yet to a first hand experience in a movie that you are the star of that I've seen a console game acheive. What little sunlight still reaches Scotland this time of year will have to take a backseat; bring on the thumb-plasters! Kx

Athletics World Championships

The final day of the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki ended in a few more smiles for the British team, who before Sunday hadn't won a single medal! The responsibilty fell to marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, who had already failed terribly in the 10,000m and still held memories of Athens and that iconic breakdown on the side of the road very fresh in the mind... We needn't have worried as a magnificent display of will gave her a full minute lead by the final 5km, which she maintained to the line to ensure the Union Jack would have at least one outing. The men's 4 x 100m team added a bronze later on, as did the women's 4 x 400m, but with so many disappointments surely questions have to be asked. It was Britain's worst ever World Championships since their inception - a timely wake up call for youngsters dreaming of making it to London in seven years time for the Olympics... The meeting as a whole has, though, been a great success: the Finns have done a magnificent job as hosts, and there were some spectacular perfomances - unprecedented doubles for both Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi and Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopa, who at only 20 years old could become one of the greatest female athletes of all time. Then there was Yelena Isinbayeva's dominance of the pole vault and a new world record; not to mention Carolina Cluft coming from behind to win yet another heptahalon; or Justin Gatlin with the big sprint double early on in the tournament. The medal table belonged, naturally, to the USA, with a tally of 14 Gold and 25 medals overall - look down a bit and you see Britain at number 16, between Estonia and Ecuador! Dame Kelly has retired and the greats of the past are, sadly, all in the commentary booth. Whatever needs doing needs doing fast - or, ahem, we will be left in the starting blocks come 2012... Kx

Booker Prize 2005

The 2005 Man Booker prize announced it's longlist earlier in the week - a 17 strong list, including some of the best authors around today. I can't pretend to have heard of half of them, but perrenial favourites Kazuo Ishiguro and Salmon Rushdie are both there with new books, as are Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith and J. M. Coetzee, who can all bash out a good yarn. On previous forrays into Waterstones a sticker indicating a Booker shortlist place is a fair indication of quality, as recent winners, Life of Pi, Vernon God Little and last year's victor, Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty (above) can prove. My book reading has taken a knock in this technological age, what with MP3 players and Xboxs in the ascendance, so I shall be looking in with interest when the shortlist is announced in September, with a view to cramming a bit of literary culture in before the winner is revealed in October. Having said that, I do fancy a few biographies for my bedside table - and having said that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas might get in the way of both. What are we coming to!? To view the full list of contenders click the title above and follow the links there. Kx

Match Of The Day

Gary Lineker returns in the chair for a new season and a bit of a facelift again for Britain's favourite football show. So, yeah, I promise less football with one hand and then deliver my first proper new post on that very subject. Well, no apologies really, as there are few days in a sport-lover's calandar more exciting than the first day of a new season. Man Utd and Wayne Rooney stole the headlines, perhaps, beating Champion's League hopefuls Everton 2-0, but there was lots more to cheer: with promotion play-off winners West Ham getting off to a superb start, coming from behind to beat Blackburn 3-1 and Spurs also getting off to an excellent start with a 2-0 away win over Portsmouth. As for my beloved Boro, they played host to the recently crowned champions of Europe and the ever intimidating Steven Gerrard as they struggled to a 0-0 draw - Ugo Egiogu was sent off with 20 minutes to go and it was backs to the wall after that, so a decent point, all things considered... as for the highlights show in question - well, it beats forking out for Sky plus, and despite the irritating banter between regulars Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrensen, is still miles ahead of anything ITV or, ahem, channel Five can offer. The furniture might be new, but the format is more or less the same and that's how we like it; Motty is still there in snow, rain or shine and that's good enough for me. Just hope I can win some tickets in the goal of the month competitions this year - it's been ages since I managed a live match anywhere - tut, call yourself a fan! Come on Boro. Kx

Wasteland... The Comeback!

Bless me, Elvis, it has been eleven weeks since my last blog entry... Hey, hey, I'm back! It may not be 1968 alas, nor am I The King, but this surely marks the biggest comeback since that famous time in Memphis. Last time you heard from me was shortly after the UK elections in May and shortly before the dramatic climax of the 2004/05 premiership season and Boro's highest ever finish to gain automatic inclusion in the Uefa cup (hurray!!!) - my excuse is that I had a real job (well, some acting) to get on with for a bit, but now I'm back in the dole queue and with today being the first day of a brand new premiership season I thought it was the perfect opportunity to re-ignite The Wasteland to once again comment on the best pop culture has to offer, as the nights draw in and we head towards another long Winter. I've thought long and hard... well, for a reasonable amount of time, somewhere between mild enthusiasm and total apathy... about a few changes: Firstly, I think it best, looking back over old entries, to restrict my passionate commentaries on the fortunes of MFC to moments of exceptional achievement or failure, and not to include an entry for them for each game - I may, however, comment more on the state of the premiership season generally if it seems approprite. Secondly, I may toy with the idea of devoting certain days of the week to certain topics - Monday is movie day, Friday is for music, Sunday is for sport, etc. As always, comments are very welcome, as are any suggestions for improvements and / or requests on stuff to take a look at. So, let's get back to it and see where it all leads... Kx