Gavin Weir and The Infinite Sadness

I usually hate Edward Norton. 

I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's the films he chooses (The Illusionist? Errgh.), maybe it's his characters, or maybe it's that I read he's a little bit of a whiny bitch. But In Fight Club, I love him.

Or..more so, I love his averageness.

I used to believe my tolerance of him as because I loved the film, but then I realised exactly why I love the film. Norton's character is a perfect example of Scott McClouds 'Amplification through Simplification' theory- basically the idea that the more abstract we make an object, the easier it is for us to 'project' ourselves onto it, essentially 'becoming' that character. (OK, so McCloud was talking about simplification in comics, but the theory still works when applied to films)

Norton's character is so utterly empty, so...devoid of personality that it is easy for anyone to slip under his skin. Any mid-twenties male can see themselves within him. He's basically an avatar for us to become for 2 Hours and19 minutes. The fact that he never gives a name makes this easier too. With a name, we would be able to build a character around him. 

This is why I think I can't see Norton in any other role. He nails the 'empty shell' so well that when he plays another character, I just can't accept it. 

So here's to you Ed, well done for being so perfectly average. 

A small animation done on the word waiting. (obv)

Nothing final, just literally a test to explore the relationship between sound and visual. 

I've tried to create the sound so it was filled with tension. That one, long drawn out note that just keeps on building. Hopefully, this audio emulates the feelings of anticipation whilst waiting for a moment to arrive, or an event.

For full effect, I recommend playing it through headphones turned up nice an loud. 

Hey Star Wars, 

First off, I'm sorry this is being done in a letter. If We had this talk face to face, it would only result in me shouting 'But Han shot first, admit it!' or 'You're defending Jar Jar?!' like it always does. 

Remember when we first met? Life was great then. I'd watch you on VHS for days, until the tape was worn out! You were perfect for me, a finely constructed sci-fi adventure. You influenced my dreams, stories...maybe even life. Back then I even tolerated the Ewoks! Remember that? We were never far from each other during childhood.

But then you went away for a while, when you returned things...changed. Friends and family warned me, but I still found myself falling for you, despite the obvious..additions. I hate to attack your psychical side but, you had extra baggage. I mean, the Han/Jabba bit? What was that all about?! I know you wanted to make it seem like this galaxy-spanning story was epic and interlacing, but the CGI just wasn't up to it and it added nothing to your beautifully simple story. Other needless additions only grated me more, but I still loved you, so I let them slide. Burping frog thing on the external shot of Jabba's palace? Sure...it's funny, right? (I'm not going to mention the added song and dance number that comes after this...it's, still too soon for me to talk about)

Then came the new films. I was so excited! It looked like you'd remembered why we fell for each other again. You promised adventure, Jedi's and a deep backstory to explain how the Empire came to be. But no, you didnt get it did you? Instead of the above, I got this:

Twice after this you would do the same. Build yourself up to be different, but again and again you would let me down. More fool me for believing you, huh?

But it was OK, I still had memories of how you used to be, how you could be again. So I stuck by you. Friends warned me, Hell...strangers warned me! But I believed in you. Like Luke saw the good in Vader, I knew there was still something there, something beautiful that could once again shine. The DVD box-set, this was your biggest chance to change, to undo all the bad things that you had done to me in the past. 

Sigh. 

Who the fuck is that?! Thats not Sebastian Shaw! Why would you ruin this scene?! It makes no sense! I know you've tried to convince me before, but that 'when a fallen Jedi dies, they return to the Force with the appearance of when they were last a Jedi' crap just wont wash with me.  I just don't know how you could change like this? Don't you understand that the Star Wars I grew up with, the Star Wars I spent my childhood with, thats what I love! Not this..altered, changed, bloated mess you've become.

I knew things were coming to an end when your Blu-Ray release was announced. I didn't care. I'm sorry, thats cold I know. But by then, my patience was gone. As cleaned up and amazing as you'll look at 1080p, youre no longer my Star Wars, you belong to that bastard Lucas now.

Finding out you're letting him convert you to 3D was the last wound my heart could take. Don't you see? You're over 30 years old! You've survived this long with out being in 3D, why change?! Dont you see you'll look awful?! People will be laughing at you, mocking you...and thats something I can't deal with anymore. I'm sorry. I don't want to end this, I still deeply love you, but I'd prefer to keep the memories I have of the good times rather than have them replaced with feelings of contempt, regret and shame.

I'll still watch the un-remastered versions of you and remember the good times when Han was still badass and the Gungans didn't appear at the end of Return of the Jedi...

Goodbye, Star Wars. I'll never forget what you gave to me. 

I've recently been given a brief based around the idea of waiting. My immediate thoughts on this turned to not necessarily the act of waiting, but more the moments building up to an event. 

That powerless feeling you get when you know something is about to happen and you can't do anything about it, but also the 'release' moment. This could be a good thing, like a sense of relief or it could be that '.....shit' feeling when what you thought would go wrong has. 

This clip from 'No Country for Old Men' illustrates this perfectly. 

The tension comes from the moment, the long still shots of Chigurh's face, the silence of the scene building slowly with the back and forth dialogue gaining momentum until the gas attendant makes his choice. 

In this similar moment from The Dark Knight, the tension builds from the ominous music and the swirling camera work causing a sense of claustrophic panic. All builds to a crescendo and then we get the 'release' feeling when The Batman turns up. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8yHvKYa_us (sorry,couldnt find one that allows embedding)

It's these feelings that I'll be working with throughout this project.

Now to think of different ways to convey these moments...

I was recently commissioned to produce 20 individual tape covers for Brave or Invincible's forthcoming mix compilation. Its a really awesome project to be involved in - mainly because the label are trying to bring back the importance of the physical product to music, something I whole-heartily agree with. Buying music should be more than just having the files imported to your iTunes. There's something special about scanning over the artwork of a well made vinyl (or even cd), thumbing through a booklet and finding little bits of information you might never know (Explosion from Doom anyone?). Of course, there's nothing wrong with digital distribution (my band recently released its first EP via bandcamp), but in order to make people want to buy a physical version, you've got to do something special to make it worth while. What could be more special than one of a kind, hand-made individual artwork?

Not much, I'm sure you'll agree.

So, keeping in mind the 'hand made' nature of the tapes, I broke out my oil paints, inks and acrylics to create an image influenced by 'collections' of covers (like this Jim Lee X-men series: )

So, I pieced the first 16 together, added my regulation masking tape (for texture) and went to town:

A homage to futuristic city scapes from films such as Blade Runner, Brazil and Metropolis. The light from behind the looming tower and the swirling, chaotic nature of the colours foretelling an uprising of the people (in true dystopian fashion).

The second set (4 covers) I used my inks and acrylics to create a 'comic book style' layout:

I first had the idea of a girls face on the right, but didn't really like how much blank space was on the left (also, that would have made the left 2 covers rather dull when separated) I popped a few panels in there. Sadly, due to an unfortunate drip of ink, the top left panel ended up being a lot darker than I intended it. Still, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Again, this is a really cool project to be involved in, so a big thanks goes to the BOI team for allowing me to be part of it.  You can read more on the mixtapes over on the BOI website: http://boirecords.co.uk/ . Be sure to check out the other artists work because they are all truly amazing.

After showing my friend Nick the travesty that is Alien vs Predator: Requiem (or Alien v Predator vs Dawsons Creek) the other day, we had some discussion on how it SHOULD be done. The concept of Aliens vs Predators is potential action movie gold, it has been for comics and games for year, so why cant the studios get it right? (I assume because they just see $$$ and realise any old shit with the names ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ will make millions). But still, I want that ultimate AvP film and heres how I’d go about it:

 1. Cut the Exposition.

There is not a single person who would go to see a film called ‘Alien vs Predator’ without knowing what either species is. AvP:R had around 45 – 60 mins of its paultry running time taken up with exploring these characters. We don’t need it. Everybody who wants to see these films knows the Alien life cycle and that they are a hive-type creature whos only goal is the continuation of its species. No need to show the ‘Oh my! It bleeds acid!!’ bit because, hey, 4 other films already did that.

Similar situation with the Predators, they are a proud, ancient race of hunters who hunt only for sport and honour. Guess what? WE ALREADY KNOW THIS. Also, do we really need the ‘different vision modes’ scene? Do we not already know that the Preds see in various different heat modes? We do, see above.

                                                            “OMG, they can go invisible?!?”

 2. Turn the bloody lights on!

The best thing about AvP:R was the abundance of Predator handing Xenomorphs their asses on a plate, something seriously lacking from AvP. Alas, they decided to turn all the set lights of whilst filming, so all we get to see are big shapes colliding with other big shapes. Kinda like Transformers, but with various bits of rubber suit instead of indistinguishable bits of metal.

                                                                                                         Actual screen shot.

So lets get some light onto this. I don’t mean daylight, That just wouldn’t suit the characters. But it doesn’t have to be ‘dark’. I want to see these 2 creatures beating the shit out of each other, not play a guessing game as to whos doing what. This also could be added to the kills too. Stop cutting away when some poor fool gets its head punched in by an Alien. The film got a 15 rating in the UK and I'm pretty sure if we can see a guy get a pencil through the eye in a 12A, we should be able to see more than a few chest burts in a 15. Speaking of Chest-bursters:

3. The Creature Design.

This is the classic, H.R Giger designed Alien:

This is the AvP ‘Alec Gillis’/‘Tom Woodruff Jr” take:

Oh, I’m sorry, Gigers Oscar winning design not good enough for you? LEAVE IT ALONE YOU HACKS.

There is something truly unsettling about the almost human nature to Gigers design. Its elegance adds an air of unpredictablility, you know its humanoid, but something just isnt quite right. The Woodruff/Gillis attempt turns it into a sinewy, insect like creature far removed from a near human form. They seem to think covering the design in 7 metric tons of slime makes it 'scary'. Wrong,  it just lesson the impact and it just becomes a man in a suit.

Ok, so James Cameron/Stan Winston changed it first, but I’d say what they did was an evolution of the creature (they also had very good reasons for the re-design). Also, it was STAN WINSTON. The mans was a legend in his field legend and earned the right to try better.  The Gillis/Woodruffs is just a basterdisation that  was probably made so toys would be easier to model of it. 

The orginal is a classic, quit breaking it and if you really must change it, use the Cameron/Winston designs. They clearly had a love for the creature.

As for the 'Predalien':

                                                                                                        No. Just....no.

4. The Story

Easily the biggest let down of AvP:R was the daytime-soap storyline. It felt (and looked) like ‘Days of Our Lives’ stumbled onto the set of a Predator film and just carried on filming. Why waste 30 minutes setting up 2 dimensional characters that are only there to be killed? I cant say knowing ‘the kid fancies the girl, but she’s dating the jock-douch of the school’ added anything to the character other than making me want him dead more.

I spent 30 mins thinking of this plot, and I'll be damn if its not 100% better than the 2 AvP films:

The film opens much in the same way. Predator ship crashes, Facehuggers escape, impregnate people and inevitably chests are burst (though, I’d stick to the established gestation period of around 24 hours, none of this Paul WS Anderson advised 1 hour bull shit.)

After the chestbursters begin to feed and grow, the town is a total warzone. The one Predator dispatched to clean up calls in back up and about five more Preds appear, chaos ensues.

Following from Special Agent Keyes’ work in Predator 2, the Government are more than aware of this menace and dispatch a team of specially trained Marines (possibly with a certain Major Dutch Schaefer acting as an advisor), packing serious fire power to the town. The brilliance of the marines is we don’t need another 30 mins of exposition and back-story. Predator told us all we needed to know about Dutch’s men in one testosterone filled shot:

                                                                                                          Far too many pencils.  

 I'd say this could cover the first 25-30 minutes The rest of the film pretty much writes itself: 

Aliens and/or Predators pick off marines till we’re left with the obvious ‘Hero’, ‘Cowardly Loud Mouth’, and ‘Improbably Nerdy Scientist Who Will-No-Doubt-Become-The-Hero’ type characters and they must escape the town before the Government, realizing the severity, carpet bomb the town.

So, that sounds like a remake of Aliens, set on Earth with a few Predators thrown in. 

And that’s exactly what I (and Im guessing most AvP fans) want to see. I mean, its called ‘Alien vs Predator’, so do that. Combine the best parts of each franchise (god I hate that word) into one film. You could even go as far as to set it a few years into the future so you can get away with some ludicrous weaponry….prototypes of the weapons used in Aliens maybe?

So in short, more of this:

                                                                                                                                                 Pictured: One Badass

Less of this:

                                                                                                                                 Pizza Delivery boy. Not so badass.

There you go Fox, you have your film. All I ask is a £150mill budget. I might even tack a few 3D scenes on for you. (no I wont).

….that one album that whenever you hear it, you’re instantly reminded of a specific time.  It might not be your favourite, no one else may like it, but to you it’s a vessel of memories.

For me, that album is Every Time I Die's ‘Hot Damn!’

 Anytime it’s on, instantly I’m in Nuneaton town centre, singing its raucous lyrics at the top of my lungs with old friends. Usually, this would also turn into a playful, if rather painful, fist fight (no hitting in the face, I had work in a hotel bar on Mondays).

Many promises were made to this album, many were broken, even more have yet to be completed (when are we gonna start that hardcore band Gav??)

This wasnt the only album from that time, but its lyrical content caputures the time perfectly. Opening with the line "Tonight I'm coming home in a coma if it fucking kills me", this was our mantra. "When in Rome, do as the Romans, when in Hell we do shots at the bar". Ok, so not fantastic poetry, but the idealistic view of 'fuck where we are, lets party' struck a chord with me at that age.

Every song is a brilliant encapsulation of a heady summer of no cares, no worries with precious else to do but head to the Railway Tavern on a Friday night and drink.  I’m pretty sure this was the last summer I had before my life got ‘serious’, so I guess it reminds me of that simpler time.

 I've tried to push this album on many people to try to get them to understand. Its by no means a fantastic album, but I guess you had to be there.

You can listen to it here on Spotify: Every Time I Die – Hot Damn!

My friends, I fear for film.

Last December, like most of the world, I saw Avatar and was blown away.  A spectacle of a film that hasn’t been seen since the Lord of the Rings trilogy graced my eyes. However, it wasn’t the highly talked up 3D that blew me away, it was the world Cameron created and the seemless CGI he used to bring this world to life.

The 3D was just an addition….and that’s exactly how it felt.

It led me to think about other films that don’t use the technology, yet still suck you in. Lets take this scene from The Dark Knight for example:

Bruce Wayne perches on the edge of an impossibly tall sky scraper, before leaping off and plummeting down its edge, the wind rushing past us as he gains speed until he pulls out the wings and glides around another huge building, eventually crashing through the window and handing a warm cup of pain to everyone inside.

And it’s awesome.

Now, would this scene in anyway be improved by 3D? In my humble opinion: no.

The camera work and sound let us feel like we’re falling with the Batman and when he glides, they allow us to feel like were right there with him, smoothly gliding around these buildings like the Superhero everyone wants to be.

With good camera and sound work, you can achieve the same immersion 3D creates, but without the headache-inducing glasses or the ‘Hey…that 3D works well….’ distraction.

My fears come to light now, with Avatar (quite rightly) grossing well over $1 Billion in just 17 days, studio executives will be looking at this and thinking “3D is the future…make everything 3D!!” and not “Wow, so people want to see a decent story backed up by some stunning effects work and great action sequences…lets make more like this”.

Now, obviously, some directors will never make a film in 3D (cant really see Scorsese, Fincher, Nolan or Gallo adopting the technique), but will this harm the budgets they will be allocated to make films?  If we begin to take the money from these directors, then what for the future of film? Endless horror remakes with ‘3D’ tacked on the end of the title? I’ll pass thanks.

3D to me is a gimmick, a tool to hold back piracy and bring more people back to the cinema. Looking at this way, its hard to argue with it (Anyone who knows me will probably be bored with my “should be watched on the biggest screen available” mantra). But I feel it’s a lazy tool. A way to gain the immersion that any good director should be able to create through camerawork and sound.

Maybe I’m being melodramatic, maybe I’m just getting old and fear change, but for me, that immersion doesn’t come by wearing a pair of painful (and really unflattering) goggles, it comes from talent.

I'm sure this is how people must have felt 17 years ago, when Jurrassic Park usherd in a new era of CGI effects. Hopefully, a film will come along that utilises 3D so well I'll be able to say "yup....didnt even notice the 3D, it was that good". Until that day, I'll remain firmly agasint it.

Having seen the choices being made over at the LoveFilm website, I decided to produce my own list of the best films this decade.

I did try to do an actual top 10, but I could not separate some of these films in terms of quality, so I’ve just presented them in a ‘Best of’ list.

And just in case you were wondering, Alien vs Predator will not be appearing. In any form. Ever.

(Small disclaimer before I start: I’ve not seen every film made this decade, I doubt I’ve even seen half. This is my personal list chosen from the films I’ve watched. I’m sure I’ve missed out some films that others would say defined cinema over the decade, but I’m not going to include a film I’m yet to see….that would only make me look the fool)

28 Days Later (2002)

The opening scenes of this film are enough to get it a place on the list alone. Waking up from a coma, naked and alone in a Hospital, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wanders the deserted streets of London; desperately calling out for anyone (these scenes are vaguely reminiscent of Romero’s ‘Day of the Dead’.

These shots of London bereft of life are just stunning. Help by a small touches of digital trickery to remove un-wanted cars, it’s a haunting image of a society torn apart and laid to waste, all set to Godspeed You Black Emporor!’s ‘East Hastings’ (Boyle actually wanted to set the entire film to the ‘F# A# Infinity’ but the band would only allow an edited version of the one song).

'28 Days Later' was wholly responsible for the upsurge in Zombie movies in the early 2000s, but none managed to match its visceral intensity and gritty violence. (Especially not the lacklustre sequel, '28 Weeks Later'

Its this and Sunshine that easily makes Danny Boyle one of the finest directors of the decade.

There Will Be Blood – (2007)

The opening of this film is a fine reflection on how the film also ends, one man alone with nothing.

The tale of turn-of-the-century prospector Daniel Plainview, incorporates greed, loss, redemption and revenge all wrapped up in an absolute powerhouse performance by Daniel Day-Lewis. In particular the church scene in which we see hard-faced Plainview succumbing to his inner guilt and crying for forgiveness, the anguish Day-Lewis shows on his face is nothing but believable and this scene alone is proof enough why he deserves his Oscar.

Gloriously shot by director Paul Thomas Anderson (the oil derrick explosion scene is pure camera porn) and partnered with a haunting score by Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood, 'There Will Be Blood' is a captivating film that really pulls you in to its main characters, allowing the tension to build between the two leads until the final, unflinchingly brutal scene......”I'm finished”

Sunshine - (2007)

Just to prove he can do anything, Danny Boyle turns his hand to sci-fi and makes one of the finest for ages. Ok, so the premise is instantly famimiliar (crew on a long voyage, things start to go horribly wrong as they approach the mission end) but it’s done with such a fresh approach that you can forgive it.

Great performances (especially a surprising turn from Chris Evans), a nice little twist to the formula, some absolutely stunning effects work (I love the design of the Icarus II), a splash of Spiritualism and a whole heap of influence from ‘2001’ and ‘Alien’ all adds up to a gem of a film.

Children of Men - (2006)

This gets on the list mainly for its incredible cinematography. One scene in question starts with Theo (a brilliant Clive Owen) about to be shot by a gang, 'The Fishes'. At this very moment, the Army attack the building near him, allowing him to escape. He runs into the tower block, pursued by his former captors and with gunfire and chaos surrounding him. Cornered, he makes it to his goal and due to a fortunately placed tank shelling; he retrieves the mother of the first-born child in 18 years and her child (whom he has begrudgingly forced to protect) unscathed and takes her outside. The gunfire stops and silence crashes on to the street as he walks mother and baby, the only sound being the babies cries......the first heard in 18 years...the hope of a dying civilisation

All in one shot.

I'm under no illusion that some form of digital trickery was used to create this shot (I would love to be proven wrong on this), but that in no way takes away from its impact and technical genius. The film has a couple of these long takes, each as spectacular as the last and they help give the film an unrelenting pace that doesn't stop until the final scene.

The other compelling point of the film is the realistically bleak future depicted. From the video screen adverts on the buses, to the 'immigration camps', it all feels like it could happen. Obviously, the documentary style of the film helps this fact as well.

Special shout out must go to the brilliant Sir Michael Cain as Jasper, ageing Hippie and Theo’s closest friend.

He's both funny and loving, carrying a brilliant warmth only Cain could provide.

WALL.E – (2008)

Being ever the cynic, I went into 'WALL.E' expecting to be wowed by some incredible animation and nothing more. Brilliantly, the film is so much more than that. It opens on a barren wasteland that was once Earth. Long abandoned by humanity after consumerism has turned it into nothing more than a landfill. 'WALL.E' is tasked with cleaning the place up....alone.

The first 40 mins are the best part of the film, as we follow 'WALL.E' on his day to day tasks....with no dialogue and just a few beeps and whistles, this is a brave choice by Pixar. Needless to say, they are more than talented enough to pull this off and anyone who doesn't fall in love with the little robot in these scenes is either dead or pure, unhinged evil.

I don’t want to say too much about the film, else I'll start picking into its second half, which falls into the action/comedy routine of other Pixar films and never manages to live up to its opening (its still brilliant though). Even with these faults, 'WALL.E' is definitely the best-animated film of the decade, and just behind 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' as my favourite ever.

Gangs of New York - (2002)

In my humble opinion, Scorcese’s finest work, no doubt helped along by one character, Bill the Butcher, portrayed by an on fire Daniel Day-Lewis. Bill commands every single scene he's in, a presence larger than God in a fantastically re-created 1900's New York. With his top hat, fantastic moustache and utter unpredictability, instantly quotable, loath-able yet sympathetic Bill is a contender for villain of the decade.

'Gangs' was the film that finally allowed Leonardo DiCaprio to shrug of that 'pretty-boy' image he had garnered and prove he can act. He easily matches up to Day-Lewis in scenes they share, which really helps you to believe that this boy could fall under the wings of the man he sets out to get revenge on.

The whole thing really comes together when Amsterdam (DiCaprio) wakes to find Bill looking over him, (bandaged, bloody and draped in the American Flag) he proceeds to tell Amsterdam how he lost his eye. A brilliantly written, acted and directed scene.

If, for some reason, you've never seen this film, I urge you to go and get it, I could never put into words how amazing it really is.

The Dark Knight – (2008)

 What’s left to be said about 'The Dark Knight'? Not much, though I could not have a list without including it.

I actually had a real hard time choosing this over 'Batman Begins'. Without 'Batman Begins', superhero films would probably still be highly colourful, camp affairs. It showed everyone that you could bring the characters out of the comics and make them real, flesh out characters and give them real stories.

'The Dark Knight' just took that and amplified it. Gotham is no more an Art Deco fantasy city, this city was real……and it needed a real villain.

Enter Heath Ledgers grinning, unhinged and heavily anarchic Joker.

I wont go on about it too much, as I’m sure we’ve all read many, many stories about it. I will just say the scene at the party where he’s holding the knife to Rachael Dawes’ mouth, the camera spinning wildly around them whilst he does his “you know how I got these scars?” speech is one of my favourite scenes of the decade.

The film is not without problems; huge plot holes appear if you think too much about the story, but for pure entertainment value, I really think it’s hard pushed to beat it. Set piece after set piece; including the eye tearingly incredible truck flip.

Its just a pity that the image of Ledger as the Joker has started to become saturated, appearing on everything from T-shirts

to cash-in posters for stage productions of ‘Othello’, as he truly was a terrifying creation that is in danger of becoming a

watered down poster image.

Primer (2004)

Fantastically low on budget, but absolutely massive on ideas, 'Primer' is the finest time travel film I’ve ever seen. It feels real, from the clunky machine created to the science behind it all, it really is like this it's actually happening.

I don’t want to say too much about this film, other than repeat viewings are most definitely needed to wrap your head around the mind-bendingly complex time travel plot.

Intelligent Sci-Fi doesn’t come along very often, so this should be celebrated, especially when made by a first time director and for under $7,000.

Watch it, get hopelessly confused about what just happened, then watch it again to try and figure out the timeline….

Inland Empire – (2006)

My friend described his feelings after watching this film as “feeling like I’d just woken up from the worst nightmare I’ve ever had”, and I honestly couldn’t have put it better.

'Inland Empire' is 100% pure undiluted David Lynch, with his trademark surrealism dialled up to ‘bat-shit crazy’ levels. The story centres around an actress who’s about to make her break in a big film, but as she starts filming, strange things begin to happen around her and reality itself starts to become warped. 

An extremely claustrophobic and disorientating film, 'Empire' is so much a film as an experience. Maybe not the best for someone not au fait with the works of David Lynch, but for his fans, it’s a bountiful feast of the weird and wonderful world he operates in.

The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – (2001)

“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth.” The begging of a true cultural phenomenon that no one was seemingly immune to. I don't think I had ever seen a film of such epic scale before sitting down to this one cold winter night back in 2001. The one stand out moment for me will always be the Balrog. I remember seeing adverts in Games Workshop's windows advertising the LOTR range featuring images of the beast and I thought to myself: 'there's no way they can do that on screen....'

Oh, how wrong I was.

When that thing rises from the fire, it was my personal “Star Destroyer flying over the camera” moment. I was so taken back to see something that large moving on screen. Sure, CGI had been done on that scale before, but never that real, it had a real weight to it as it smashed through the caverns of Moria.

I could gush for days about this film. Its effects, the actors (all completely perfect for the roles, though how Sir Ian Mckellen never claimed an Oscar for his portrayal of Gandalf, Ill never understand) the incredible journey, how perfectly Peter Jackson and co translated 3 'un-filmable' books....but its all been said a thousand times before and a thousand times better than I could ever articulate it.

I almost felt I should put these films as one entry, but for me, the other 2 never really captured the amazement I felt on watching TFOTR. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love 'The Two Towers' and 'Return of the King' (parts of which moved me to tears), but that sense of epic journey was a little lost with them.

I've been a massive fan of Brand New since seeing them support Finch in 2000 sometime....(a while ago anyway). I had actually only ever head of them in fleeting conversations and I had never heard a single note until this gig.

They pretty much blew me away.

It was a combination of the pure energy I was seeing onstage mixed with the slight darkness and self loathing of the lyrics that got me. I was young, still listing to nu-metal and this was everything I needed to hear to push me away from that dark place.

Lately however, with the release of newer material, Brand New seem to be lost on me. The newer stuff washing over me, leaving no real trace or lingering memory, just a slightly disappointed feeling were there was once joy. I decided to take a look back over their albums and highlight what made them so special......

'Your Favorite Weapon' is still a fine pop-punk album. It’s got the 'hit' song (Jude Law and a Semester Abroad) but it’s also got some absolutely killer songs with some insanely catchy chorus' and some great late-teen angst lyrics (including some brilliant referencing of The Cure and The Smiths). This carries all the way through till 'Soco Amaretto Lime', a song that perfectly captures that feeling of being an 18 year old, thinking your completely invincible and that you know everything, back when your life had no responsibilities and every day was just about hanging with friends. I'm sure I'll be able to put this song on when I'm old and bitter and still get that feeling: 'and we'll never have to listen to anyone about anything.....'

Your Favorite Weapon - Spotify Link

'Deja Entendu’ is their un-equalled masterpiece. Starting with an opening line of 'I'm sinking like a stone in the sea, I'm burning like a bridge from your body', you can tell this albums going to head to darker waters than YFW. The lyrics are undoubtably this albums stand out point. Mixing it up between teen heart-break (Sic Transit Gloria), unashamed cockiness (Ok, I belive you...) and more self-loathing and regret (Guernica). Yet all the songs are unified by themes of loss, be it innocence, time or people, all culminating in the hauntingly beautiful 'Play Crack the Sky'. It’s one of the very few albums I put on without having to skip a track. It really is the sound of a band perfecting what they do.

Deja Entendu - Spotify Link

'Devil and God'...well....on first listen I was genuinely impressed, maybe not at first by the songs themselves, but more by the change of direction. The first track, Sowing Season, literally made me jump the first time I heard it. After a few listens, the subtleties of the album started to set in and the quality of the song-writing really began to show through.

One of the highlights of the album on whole is Jesse's lyrics. Darker and more self loathing than anything Deja offered up, with a constant theme of death, or at least the fear of dying running through the album. Another stand out point is how far the band had progressed musically on this album. The songs no longer adhere to the 'verse/chorus/verse/chorus/Bridge....' structure, most don't really have anything that could be singled out as a chorus, yet the songs still remain catchy and stay with you long after the album is through. The level of musicianship has been upped as well, with some incredible intricate lead lines and some unbelievable drumming, particularly on the song 'The Archers Bows have Broken', I've seen them perform this live and I have no idea how the drummer can keep that roll going through out.

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me – Spotify Link

'Daisy'.....Daisy is a tough one. It follows on from Devil and God quite nicely, with the same dark, melancholic tone....yet something just doesn't grab me in the way the previous albums have. 'Bed' and 'At the Bottom' start off well, great lyrics, nice melodies....but they don't ever go anywhere.....they just plod along at their own pace....each song has the feeling of an unfinished demo track. I have since read that the band wrote this album so it would be 'fun for them to play live'. This is all well and good, we don't want them to be bored up there, but it may be great to play, but for us in the crowd, there's nothing to get on.....no soaring hooks.....it appears Brand New have forgotten what made them so special (to me at least) and that’s the songs....the sing along parts...the 'fist-in-the-air-with-my-arm-around-my-friends-singing-it-as-we-come-out-the-pub' parts that made me love Brand New in the first place. The one stand out moment is in the final track 'Noro', with its pounding drum beat and massive bass recalls the same unapologetic energy Nirvana had on 'In Utero'.

Daisy – Spotify Link

I understand that bands move on, change style....and I'm all for that. No one wants the same old songs regurgitated over and over, but there always has to be an element of what that band was in there.

Add to this Jesses live presence. Now, I'm all up for a good Kurt Cobain impression from a front man....but even Kurt sang his songs once in a while....Jesse just seems content with making as much noise as he can whilst avoiding any form of melody. His whole behavior whilst on stage makes him appear like he wants to be anywhere else other than at the show (I'm basing this on the recent Birmingham shows, I hear they were much better in London). There's nothing wrong with being the shadowy, mysterious frontman, but there's a clear difference between being mysterious and just acting like a mardy teenager. Also, concern comes when the band return to older material live. I love hearing the old songs, but not when those luscious melodies are being drowned in the sound of a man hating his very existence. If you don’t like the old songs, don’t play them....I for one dont want them ruined.

I guess all this comes down to the fact I would love Brand New to re-capture a part of their old glory....that soaring, gang vocal - infused pop fury that they perfected in their early years, but for one reason or another they decided to move almost as far away from that as they musically can. You could almost say that my reluctance to embrace this new direction is linked to my reluctance to let go of my youth....knowing Brand New will never be the same is a stark reminder that I wont be that age again.

But thats the great thing about music, not matter the time, day, year, weather, location....a song/album can transport you back to memories that you may else forget. For that reason, regardless of direction, Brand New will always have a huge part in my music collection.