All Consuming : headapollo

A review of "St. Elsewhere" (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:24:59 GMT

by Gnarls Barkley

I expected a lot better. I don’t know exactly why but this just grates on me. It tries to be eclectic without really finding a unique voice. Crazy was excellent and Just a Thought is OK but the album is just bleh on the whole.

A question I have about "The Five Obstructions"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:10:17 GMT

The Five Obstructions

by Jørgen Leth

What is this really about?

On the surface it’s about a creative challenge, but it might be a study of two filmmakers. Lars Von Trier seems cruel and his films are full of cruelty, but they are also ultimately human.

At the end, Lars admits to perhaps trying to bring Jørgen Leth out of a slump or a depression but also that in trying to be Jørgen’s saviour he is rescuing himself, or that part of himself that is like his idol.

Why I recommend "This Is England"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sat, 19 May 2007 22:07:54 GMT

This Is England

by Shane Meadows

Absolutely brilliant. Funny, intense and very British.

The Greatest American Songwriter (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sun, 06 May 2007 09:27:06 GMT

Townes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love Me

by Margaret Brown (II)

This is a great documentary featuring some really great characters. Guy Clark is particularly funny. The subject matter is quite bleak, starting with the damage done to Townes’ mind by insulin shock therapy and going kind of downhill from then on. It’s amazing he lived as long as he did.

The music is particularly haunting and you get a good sense of why so many people consider him a great songwriter. Even despite the slide-guitar drenched shmaltzy Nashville version of Pancho and Lefty that crosses the line into that horrible mush that is modern country.

My most memorable part is when a Dutch interviewer asks him why his songs are all so sad and he replies that they aren’t sad, they’re hopeless.

A review of "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:07:20 GMT

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

by Liam Lynch

Really quite bad, and yet good enough to be forgivable.

A Bit Rubbish (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Tue, 01 May 2007 19:10:23 GMT

chikoo

Grainy like a pear, not much flavour, and not much of it.

A review of "Kumquat"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 12:53:33 GMT

Kumquat

Kind of like a little orange. Very sour. You’re supposed to eat the skin but it tastes bad. Tough and nasty.

A review of "ugli fruit" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:47:44 GMT

ugli fruit

Like a giant orange but with unpleasant looking skin. Not too bad.

Why I recommend "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:06:43 GMT

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

by David Allen

Great book! Better than I was expecting.

It creates a framework within which you can capture all of your responsibilities and plans and organise them efficiently. I was a little dismayed at times because some aspects were glossed over pretty quickly but David Allen writes quite generally to allow you to incorporate your own ideas and methods into the overall framework.

The unexpected benefit of using this system is how great it makes you feel to have things all written down or stored in some fashion and easily accessible. It doesn’t give you the energy to do everything you have to do, but it shows you how to use the energy you do have to its best advantage.

Why I recommend "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 15:00:52 GMT

In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower

by Marcel Proust

While Proust’s writing is convoluted enough to make reading him require a certain amount of concentration, it is always a pleasure. He dissects at length the meaning of all gestures, tones of voice, turns of phrase or even shafts of light. I was left feeling that no two gestures are the same, that each and every smile, for example, is unique, and while it may borrow something from the idea of a smile that we have learned to recognise, it is always imbued with the character of its giver and translated in the mind of its observer. Like phrases in a piece of music, it is copied yet transformed, built upon or expressed more subtly, given more meaning by juxtaposition with other emotions, other gestures, or even inverted to portray its opposite.

The names we give our interactions are useful conventions that aid understanding but they also limit our interpretation of the world around us. Proust’s world, though seemingly made up of very little, is rich with meaning, and he conveys this with great precision and insight.

Why I recommend "Tristram Shandy - A Cock and Bull Story"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:48:38 GMT

Tristram Shandy - A Cock and Bull Story

by Michael Winterbottom

Good for fans of Steve Coogan or Rob Brydon. Not particularly edifying for those who have read Tristram Shandy.

Possibly of some interest to film students, or those interested in postmodernism or intertextuality.

Funny enough in parts to be worth watching.

Why I recommend "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 18:13:49 GMT

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

by David Sedaris

I’m not sure that I find David Sedaris’s writing funny so much as poignant and incisive. There are moments when I did laugh out loud (such as when his brother sticks a note to his back saying “Hi! I’m gay”) but I was moved by the way he portrays himself as a flawed human being: looking at the Anne Frank house as a great buying opportunity for example. It’s a very dry, gentle comedy but it’s the subject matter and the commentary which is engrossing.

How "An Inconvenient Truth" changed my life

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:23:50 GMT

An Inconvenient Truth

by Davis Guggenheim

I encourage everyone on the planet to watch this film.

I had assumed, as Al Gore mentions, that there were differing opinions on global warming, but he shows quite effectively that this is a view created by the media and those with a political or financial interest in creating misinformation.

The facts presented here are quite awe-inspiring and genuinely frightening but there is also clear guidance on how the approaching climate crisis can be avoided.

Watch the film. Then visit www.climatecrisis.net

A review of "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (Supercharger Edition)" (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:28:23 GMT

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (Supercharger Edition)

by John Hough

Quite possibly the worst movie I’ve ever seen. It took me half an hour before I realised that Susan George was doing an American accent. There were parts where Peter Fonda almost acted. Adam Roarke who played Deke the mechanic was actually a good actor but he was portrayed as a bit square in what seemed to be a movie about hippies on the lam. The dialogue was so bad it went beyond bad into funny and then back into bad again. No wonder Dennis Hopper hates Peter Fonda, he must have watched this movie.

A story about "The Pianist"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:48:07 GMT

The Pianist

One of the most moving parts of this film for me was when the family are being held in a walled area waiting to be taken to the concentration camp and the two children who were left behind suddenly arrive and for a moment everyone is happy, even though this means they will all die together. It was strangely uplifting.

Why I recommend "Marathon Man"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:58:08 GMT

Marathon Man

by John Schlesinger

An excellent and creepy thriller. You’ll never go to the dentist again.

Why I recommend "The History Boys"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 20:11:02 GMT

The History Boys

by Nicholas Hytner

This is a very literate look at what it means to be “educated”. There are moments of subtle conflict between characters but the real question seems to be, should we study to enrich our minds or to pass exams?

You can hear Alan Bennett’s voice in each character to a certain extent which can be jarring falling from the mouth of an eighteen year old boy. What was surprising though, was how well he captured the mindset of a teenager and their concerns.

Beyond all this, it should be stated that this film is very funny indeed.

A story about "Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Dummies"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:58:58 GMT

Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Dummies

by Romilla Ready

This book does very little to explain what NLP is or how it has developed. The difficulty in describing NLP seems tied to the fact that it is an unrelated bag of psuedo-psychological techniques presented without foundation or on anecdotal evidence.

This book is in fact a self-help manual lacking in rigourous ideas. Nevertheless, there are some valuable pieces of advice, although sorting these from the speculation and guesswork is a thankless task.

Why I recommend "Redlight"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 19:06:41 GMT

Redlight

by Grails

This is one of my favourite albums.

Grails are an instrumental band straddling the genres of folk, rock and metal but never extending themselves over 12-minute drone fests in that way that post-rock artists tend to.

The only band I can think of as a comparison is the Dirty Three, but Grails are a little darker and their songs are more eclectic.

A review of "Walk the Line" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 23:27:10 GMT

Walk the Line

by James Mangold

This was a bit of a disappointment for me. I would say I’m a Johnny Cash fan but this film didn’t sit with my idea of him, in fact it didn’t say much at all. I didn’t get any real insight into him as a songwriter or as a person, and the story seemed told in a predictable biopic way. Joaquin Phoenix was good, but not really anything like Johnny Cash, Reese Witherspoon was excellent as June Carter but the script was abysmal and superficial and the direction was nothing special, almost made-for-TV style.

The music held my interest, what little there was of it, but didn’t capture the spirit of the originals. I kept thinking that if this had been what he sounded like, he wouldn’t have been famous at all.

Why I recommend "Wolfmother"

nobody@allconsuming.net (headapollo) — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 18:56:00 GMT

Wolfmother

by Wolfmother

A couple of people told me I would really like this album, and despite initial misgivings I have to say that they were right. Part Led Zeppelin, part Spinal Tap, it’s so cheesy it should be unbearable but at the same time it ROCKS SO HARD.

They drift over the line into twaddle with their lyrics occasionally but they are at their best when they remind me of the rawness of the White Stripes, in particular on the song “Apple Tree”.