Film Review: Stations Of The Cross (15) (Germany 2014) (Director: Dietrich Bruggemann) (German, French & Latin with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Three, Edinburgh, Sunday 14.12.2014, 17:50

This is one I went to see due to the extent of critical buzz. The film shows a young follower of the Lord, within a modern-day fundamentalist Christian family, who in preparation for their Confirmation, spirals into martyrdom. The film shows what happens in defined-chapters, which have headings that emphasise the parallels to the Stations Of The Cross. Almost all of the film is made using static camera shots, which helps to focus upon the interplay between the actors.

The film has some, what I found to be, comedic moments, such as the followers mother raging against the evils of gospel and soul music. I found the film to be about the power of delusion. Some of the film had a degree of discomfort to the watching, and other elements were just sad; to see any young person self-persecuting to the degree of removing any joy from their life is not easy. I feel this is an interesting film, though I would not say it is enjoyable. 

Rating: 06/10.      

Film Review: Winter Sleep (15) (Turkey 2014) (Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan) (Turkish with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 29.11.2014, 14:15

I went to see this on the strength of the director's previous film, 'Once Upon A Time In Anatolia' (2011), my 2nd favorite film of 2012. Winter Sleep concerns a hotelier, who is a retired actor and part time writer, the hotelier's younger wife and his embittered sister who lives with them and assists with the running of the accommodation for hire. The tale takes place in the fairly rural Cappadocia area of Turkey and is picked up at the point of paying customers thinning then running-dry in the lead-up into the winter period.

The film is 3 & 1/4 hours long, though it did not feel anything like as long as that; itself a mark of very good film-making. There are scenes of conversation between two people that run for over 20 minutes, though it does not appear to drag for a second and just adds to the engrossing nature of the piece. 

The film concerns how difficult it is for any one person to be able to be truly empathetic to another. How difficult it can be to put ourselves to the side and not allow our vested interests to colour interactions. The film also deals with perceptions of guilt and the fact that we always carry expectations of how we want/expect others to behave/respond. The film then concludes with ruminations on the idea of contentment and how this differs from seeking the ideal. The film considers what it can take, or what can lead to, someone being able to accept their circumstances as good enough. The absolute ideal being almost never attainable, yet how often in modern film do we have lead characters resolve to accept their lot as is, including the imperfect.    

The film is a compelling and deeply humane piece, as well as being visually beautiful. The film has a joyously ambiguous ending encouraging the viewer to ponder on what could/should be. Despite saying all of this, in regard to all of these aspects, it feels as though it comes up slightly short of 'Once Upon A Time In Anatolia'. This in itself is no criticism, more a reflection upon the excellence of his previous work. I would happily recommend this film to anyone who is into proper films.   

Rating: 10/10.       

Film Review: Between Dog And Wolf: The New Model Army Story (NOT YET CERTIFICATED) (U.K. 2013) (Director: Matt Reid), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Wednesday 19.11.2014, 20:30

I went to see this film due to the fact that it was 'Green and Grey' (1989) by New Model Army (N.M.A.) which was either the first or one of the very first singles I ever bought. I remember seeing the promotional video on I.T.V.'s Saturday Morning Chart Show, and feeling that it was very distinctive and immediately appealed to me. I shortly after bought the single on 7" vinyl at the local Woolworths store, and still have it in very good condition. I still like this song as much as I ever did. 

Looking back I feel that for anyone who knows me, this was an early clue as to who I have become. Although it is not covered in the film, N.M.A. are regarded as being a big influence on the Levellers who for a considerable number of years I regarded as my favorite band and have seen more than any other live music performers (17 times). I have never seen N.M.A. live, I do have the early albums, though have never become an avid fan.   

N.M.A. are known to be a band who have never played the 'fame game' and who keep themselves to themselves. So this film has to potential the be genuinely quite revealing. 

The film itself I found very interesting. It is constructed in a way that tries to retain a wider appeal that just targeting N.M.A. fans. For myself who has low level interest I found it enlightening. The singer and founding member, Justin Sullivan appears to be a very principled strident man, though he is also clearly very intelligent, informed, decent and charming. I had also never realised that there has been one person called Jooles who is responsible for all of their imagery/art-work, and who Justin credits as the person who got things going. Jooles is another clearly very strong willed person who according to the film is not to the tastes of all N.M.A. fans, though I found her to be as equally engaging and endearing as Justin. The film does contain approx a 20 year gap (90's & 00's) in the bands career though this explained by there being a dearth of footage from this period.

I would recommend the film to anyone who is interested in principled artists who stay true to their ideals and don't 'sell-out'. I don't know if I would now go to see them live. It is a possibility though I am trying to curb my excesses. 

Rating: 08/10. 

There was a Q&A afterwards with the director, producer & Justin himself. To have Justin present for a Q&A is a very rare thing. As in the film he came over as a thoroughly decent, charming and considered gentleman & I now have my 'Green and Grey' single signed.  

              

Live Performance Review: Iron & Wine (Solo Acoustic), Sunday 16.11.2014 19:30, Adelphi Theatre, London 

When I first heard of these current dates from Iron & Wine (Mr. Sam Beam), I decided not to go as had already seen him touring the latest album at the Barbican in London in May 2013. Then when waiting for my mate Ross at Waverly Train station in Edinburgh on the 2nd of July for traveling to London to see Monty Python at the O2, I saw in an advert in 'Uncut' magazine that it was going to be a Solo Acoustic show, which he has not done for a good number of years. 

When I started to listen to Mr. Beam, it was after the 2nd album, 'Our Endless Numbered Days' (2004) and by the time gigs came around for the 3rd album, 'The Shepherd's Dog' (2007) he had began working with other musicians live and on record. Although he has done brief Solo Acoustic sections in two of the three previous performances I have seen him do, I have always wanted to see him do a Solo Acoustic gig, so once I realised this is what was being proposed, I saw to getting a ticket that day. 

At the gig, there was a support slot, where someone called Jesca Hoop performed. Most of it was not to my tastes, though some of the 'newer' stuff she did was far better. She then joined Sam on stage in his slot to do one of hers and one of his as well as songs they have been working on together, which happily have the quality of usual Sam works. 

Sam's performance was quite remarkable. He started off by performing a slightly adjusted (in terms of tempo) version of Trapeze Swinger, which was the song he did in encore when I first saw him perform in 2007 at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh. Now as then, I find this a very beautiful piece, causing chills and water in the eye. He then went on to do a fantastic variety of pieces from across his back catalog. 

After the first song, Sam started to ask what people wanted to hear, and returned to asking this regularly throughout the set, at the end of the gig he referred to this as having been an Iron & Wine Buffet. It was clear he had some songs in mind that he intended to perform, though it was also clear that he was genuinely taking requests. There were times where he would give his best shot at songs he has clearly not performed for some years and there were occasional gaps in his memory, all adding to the charm of the evening. In terms of attire and manner, this was very much the relaxed Sam, with a great line in banter with the audience, at one point asking the audience to close their eyes and imagine a naked Winston Churchill astride a unicorn that has to face of Margaret Thatcher. 'Naked As We Came' was requested and performed. Before beginning the song Sam said that he knew not all of the guys in the audience would be fans of his. He knew some where there because their girlfriends like him. For those guys he said that this is the one song that tends to get people going. Endearing gentle little chat-nuggets.

It was also very refreshing to hear one of your favorite artistes comment upon how awesome (while also adding he was not exactly sure what he meant by this) it is to travel halfway across the planet to perform in a room where you have literally thousands of people giving the reception that they do, and to have 'significant' numbers of these people passionately shouting out for their various favorites to be performed.  

My mate Ross reminded me at the end of last week to get my request prepared, recalling that at the Barbican last year, it was my request 'Naked As We Came' that he played (Solo Acoustic) as the encore. During the gig, someone shouted out for 'Lion's Mane', which I have heard him do before, he said he would do it, then came my request for 'Jesus, The Mexican Boy', which got performed instead. I could not have been happier. The audience appeared to be as enthusiastic as I was, giving appreciation that bordered on reverence. Utter silence while songs performed and then rapturous applause. To be at this performance was (again) a privilege.

Rating: (Easily) 10/10.       

Film Review: The Imitation Game (15) (U.K./U.S.A. 2014) (Director: Morten Tyldum), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Friday 14.11.2014 18:30

I had considerable reservations about this film suspecting that it would be 'worthy'. I landed up seeing it as I would do anything to avoid being 'in' on the night of the BBC's Children In Need. 

The film concerns the work of Alan Turing during World War II to break the German's Enigma machine and his subsequent persecution for being a homosexual which was illegal at the time and resulted in his chemical castration, which he chose rather than be sent to jail and be separated from his machine 'Christopher'. 'Christopher' at the time of his persecution was Turing's rebuilding of the machine he built to break the German's code system, and was a precursor to the modern computer. Turing killed himself within years of his castration and it took decades before the contribution he made to curtailing the war became known to the general public as opposed to just those who had worked alongside him.

The film is well made, though slightly t.v. filmish. Benedict Cumberbatch is certainly decent as Turing, considering there was no footage to base his characterisation upon. There has been criticism that there was not much depth to the persecution aspect of the story, though I can imagine that there may not be much detail known about this element of his life. I can also understand a resistance to invent in this regard out of a wish to be sensitive. There may also have been a wish to keep the film as accessible to as wide an audience as possible to have Turing's tale as widely known as possible without putting some off, nothing wrong with that. I can envisage this film appealing to people as something to watch on their snugally sofa of a dreary Sunday afternoon, though it is by no means excellent and some aspects felt perfunctory. 

Rating: 06/10.          

Film Review: Leviathan (15) (Russia 2014) (Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev) (Russian with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Sunday 09.11.2014, 14:15

This is a thoroughly absorbing drama about the insidious nature of corruption and power. It is set in contemporary northern Russia where a local man dares to stand-up to the local mayor. The film then goes on to show how vested interests collude to pull the man's family and life apart to the point where he has no home or liberty. The film is peppered with moments of pitch-black humour which help lift the mood slightly.

It has been commented upon that the film presents an environment that is unforgivingly harsh and desolate where the characters drink copious amounts of vodka throughout. The landscapes reminded me of where I come from, Caithness, which for those who don't know, is the very north of the mainland in Scotland (Thurso where I was born, is north of Moscow). This may add to why I see the landscapes presented as being both desolate and beautiful at the same time, as I have a familiarity with this kind of environment. The hard drinking and tough characters also ring true of this kind of environment. The film presents a trapped-helplessness of some people who cannot bring themselves to leave the unremittingly grim community that also rang-true.

I cannot fault the acting or any element of the film and found it compelling, though it is also very depressing. It is like the area I am from with added overt and accepted corruption. I would recommend the film, though not if you are looking for a jolly time and don't go if you are already feeling low.

The cracking addendum is that this is the film that Russia has chosen to put forward for contention in the 'Foreign Language Film' category at the Oscars. Nothing like showing yourselves in a good light.

Rating: 10/10.         

Film Review: Interstellar (12A) (U.S.A./U.K. 2014) (Director: Christopher Nolan), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 08.11.2014 15:30

This is a film I was looking forward to due to how impressed I was by Nolan's 'Dark Knight Trilogy' (2005 - 2012) & 'Inception' (2010). A director who could do epic with intelligence. 

Proper paid critics have said that this is a flawed film and it most certainly is. The film is slightly shy of 3 hours, and although it does not drag, they could have certainly lost a chunk of minutes without damaging the film, and it may have even improved it. 

Mark Kermode has said that comparisons to '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) are lazy, whether this is the case or not, before the film began there was a trailer for 2001 which did not help with keeping the films separate in the mind. That trailer reminded of the brilliant use of music in 2001. In Interstellar the Hanz Zimmer music was okay though there are scenes where characters appear to be saying things quite important to the plot though it is impossible to make out what they are saying due to the music being so high in the sound mix. This is an error that is hard to understand from a filmmaker who is regarded as being meticulous with details. One of the images that is recognisable from 2001 is the black obelisk, Interstellar has robots who when at rest look suspiciously similar. 

Both films deal with the complex ideas of relativity, though I have to say that 2001 presents it's ideas in a manner that is far simpler, clearer and easier to understand (and by this may actually be seen as quite profound). Interstellar resulted in one positive, it made me realise how much respect I have for 2001. I would say that the story of Interstellar is made overly complex to a point that parts of the film become impenetrable. Parts of the dialogue are clunky and jar.

After the film I also recalled parallels with 'The Tree Of Life' (2011), in terms of it's visual grandeur and scale. With 'The Tree Of Shite' (as I like to call it), I was loosing the will too live in some of it's ridiculously slow and impenetrable passages. In comparison Interstellar is a remarkable achievement, though this only goes to support, in my mind, how bad a film The Tree Of Life is. Neither Interstellar or The Tree of Life are great.

Further film reference is that Interstellar explains worm holes in exactly the same manner as 'Event Horizon' (1997). Now it could be that 'the explaining' is the easiest way to convey the complexity of worm holes, though having noticed the similarities to 2001, I feel I had become susceptible to noticing other film connections.          

Despite the rant above, Interstellar did hold my interest, and I found it visually quite remarkable with there being scenes where I cannot begin to comprehend how they were achieved (the filming used no green screen, and it was all done so that what the characters see in scenes is what the actors were seeing while filming). 

Regrettably I don't feel I can recommend this to others. If it were 90 minutes, perhaps I would more readily encourage people to take a punt and see what they think, though I can't justify encouraging others to waste three hours of their lives. 

Rating: 06/10 (for visuals alone).      

Live Performance Review: Grupo Corpo, Wednesday 05.11.2014 19:30, The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Grupo Corpo are a Brazilian Contemporary Dance Troupe who I seen previously in the Edinburgh International Festival in 2010. The previous performance I had seen I still regard as one of the finest dance performances I have seen. 

What strikes me now is what had struck me before, the dancers have a fluidity and synchronicity to their movement that is gob-smackingly good. Differing sections of dancers may be doing differing movements, yet they all complement and integrate. Unless you pay close attention, it is the differing sections that can make it appear less syncronised than it is. There is also a delightful teasing element to Grupo Corpo's performances. 

One of the pieces they did I had seen them do the previous time. The second piece had an earthier sense to it. It felt less sexy then the previous performance largely due to the piece they did not do this time, though had done last time. Despite this the performance was without question impressively captivating and engrossingly hypnotic.

Rating: 10/10.     

Live Performance Review: Pink Martini, Tuesday 04.11.2014 19:30, The Usher Hall, Edinburgh 

The gig started with a support slot from The Von Trapps, who had collaborated on Pink Martini's last album, 'Dream A Little Dream' (2014). 'The Von Trapps' are grandchildren of one of the children represented in 'The Sound Of Music' (1965). I preferred the tried and tested songs by others that they did and much less so the original material. Though having said this I could not fault their singing and playing and felt they had an effortless charm and are clearly very practiced at performing with each other. 

When I saw Pink Martini last year they had performed with an orchestra, this time they were by themselves, though their sound felt just as rich. The two founder members, singer China Forbes and pianist Thomas Lauderdale, were both staggeringly supreme and displayed quite touching personal interplay between each other. 

I have a strong sense that without the orchestra, they could go a bit more off-pieste. It had got to a point in the performance where Pink Martini thought that some parts of the audience misunderstood which piece they were about to perform. So Thomas Lauderdale checked with China, why don't we do that one first and at the same time invited people to come up to the stage to leave notes for requests. There was a considerable stream of people coming forward with requests and this resulted in Pink Martini doing their first ever medley of songs they had previously recorded in their 20 year career. This could not have been done with an orchestra, and gave a uniqueness to the show that added to how memorable it was. Pink Martini played for a solid 2 and a 1/2 hours. Fantastic music with a splash of chaos for such a long  show, who could possibly quibble. 

Rating: 10/10.             

Film Review: Nightcrawler (15) (U.S.A. 2014) (Director: Dan Gilroy), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Sunday 26.10.2014 11:00 (FREE CAMEO MEMBERS PREVIEW SCREENING) (NOT RELEASED UNTIL FRIDAY 31.10.2014)

This I decided to see due to the level of buzz and the fact it was free for me to go to see. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, a drifter-bum-chancer who stumbles across 'nightcrawlers' and decides it would be worth his while trying to blag his way into that line of parasitic work. Nightcrawlers are the reprehensible beings that listen in to police signals to find out about crimes to get to as early as possible, to film and sell the footage to news stations.

Jake Gyllenhall is very good as the intensely focused blagger, who is clearly quite happy to spraf hollow shit and quote online-hokum to get where he wants. The portrayal presents the cocky though somehow endearing character who lulls others into a false security of thinking they are smarter than he is and then he turns the tables. Towards the end he nearly takes the manipulating too far, though again knows enough to not be trapped.

The one issue I have with the film is that all of the major characters are morally bankrupt. This certainly includes Mr. Bloom and the head of News within a station called Nina (Rene Russo). Though it is not a stretch to imagine that this may be close to the reality as to how some of these enterprises operate. This can make the film more complex in terms of trying to engage with as it is hard to care for any of the major characters. The only moral relief comes in the forms of  police pursuing Mr. Bloom, who regrettably only get very limited screen time & Mr. Bloom's assistant for most of the film, Rick (Riz Ahmed) is just a desperate schmo trying to hold down work that pays without having to prostitute himself (which sadly in a way he still lands up doing).

The film is engaging and Jake's performance is very impressive, though I feel it is difficult to call this a great film. This is despite the fact that it presents its story without judgement/moral-hand-wringing.

Rating: 09/10.      

Film Review: A Most Wanted Man (15) (U.K./U.S.A./Germany 2014) (Director: Anton Corbjin), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Monday 13.10.2014, 20:30

This is a spy drama based on a novel written by John Le Carre set in Hamburg with Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead role. This film has had a lot of very glowing responses, I suspect a lot of this is due to the lead being highly regarded before he died. I have to say it was all quite perfunctorily satisfactory. The ticks and gestures done by Hoffman which have often been raised in rave responses appear nothing exceptional to me. All of the micro-gestures done while trying to persuade and appeal, I have seen done by Derren Brown in his performances. It was a perfectly amenable way to spend a Monday eve, though it won't be troubling my memory. 

Rating: (a generous) 06/10.      

Film Review: Ida (12A) (Poland/Denmark 2013) (Director: Pawel Pawlikowski) (Polish with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Three, Edinburgh, Wednesday 08.10.2014, 20:20

The film is set in 1960's Poland and at the start the focus is upon a girl called Anna who is understood to be an orphan and is raised in a convent. She is getting close to taking her vows, when the nuns insist she goes to visit her only living relative, an aunt. This leads to her finding out that Anna is not her real name, Ida is, and she is Jewish. The rest of the film follows Ida throughout the impact of this and other subsequent discoveries. I don't wish to saw more of the what occurs. 

What I am about to write I have given careful consideration to. This is due to the fact that I have already emailed about and discussed the film with quite a number of friends and colleagues, and also due to the strength of what I am about to write. I don't like being hyperbolic unless I feel it is in some sense warranted...

This film is the finest film I have seen at the cinema this century. It is a masterpiece. So much so that I contemplated going back tonight to see again, though am now going for a 2nd viewing on Saturday eve. The two people who I was there with are also possibly going to come along again. I would go so far as to say that on 1st viewing, it is one of the finest films I have ever scene. 

The film is compact at 82 minutes, though has a fantastically economical and concise approach to its storytelling, with not a single moment wasted. The film is presented in luminous black & white, and every frame is crisp and staggeringly beautiful. Almost every scene has an implicit dichotomy of purpose and approach between the characters. All of these scenes also carry subtle unspoken meanings about identity (both perceived and self), choice & self-determination and how that fits within the wider community and impacts on life's direction. There is a subtlety throughout the film and nothing is presented in a confrontational manner. There is a passage towards the end of the film that is so delicately beautiful that I had tears in my eyes. 

I had a sense by the end, that in some ways is beyond description, that the film covers all essential elements of life. 

When I did the review of '12 years a slave' at the start of the year I thought it would be nigh on impossible for there to be another film out in the same year which would be as important and as good. How wrong I was. This is truly profound art, that in no way would I wish to sully with a rating.  

Live Performance Review: Billy Connolly: High Horse Tour Scotland 2014, Saturday 04.10.2014 20:00, The Usher Hall, Edinburgh 

This is the third time I have had the pleasure of seeing Connolly live, having first see in '94 and then again in '97. The first time was in Eden Court Theatre with my mum when I was in my final year of school, the second was at the Playhouse in Edinburgh. Connolly was infused into the fabric of my childhood, listening to his early material on tapes while being driven around by our dad, trying to listen through the upstairs floorboards as to what he is saying in the latest recording of the telly. 

As time moved on Connolly lost his position as my favorite comedian, though he has always remained a performer who I feel very fond off. I had in recent times began to think that he had begun to tame his material, which I felt was disappointing. To be blunt I only got the ticket for this show as strongly suspect that this may well be his final tour with his varying aliments. 

2 & 1/4 Hours with no break; still one of the best chucklemisters in the bizz. It was quite clear that his movement is restricted at times and there was no attempt to hide that he was using a note of prompts. None of the signs of frailty remained in the mind for long, as Connolly is still as mentally sharp and profanely off-the-leash as ever. Physical spasms and stitches; it's does one good to get that experience every once in a while. 

Rating (without hesitation): 10/10.   

Live Performance Review: Still Game: Live At The Hydro,  The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Friday 03.10.2014, 19:30

Still Game is a situation comedy set in the fictional Glasgow burgh of Craiglang. It is a programme I was always fond of, though my fondness has certainly grown over the years. The creative hub of the show, Greg Hemphill ('Victor McDade') & Ford Kiernan ('Jack Jarvis') were previously responsible for Chewing the Fat, which I actively disliked many parts of. I feel this was a large part of why my initial fondness for the programme had space to grow. 

This is a live show that I was not aware of wanting to go until the show was announced. I have already come across someone who thought it was the funniest thing they had seen. Sadly much as I enjoyed it, I cant be as generous as that. 

I think firstly I will start with the negatives. In the row directly behind me I had what was clearly a drunk, possibly inbred family, who for the entirety of the first have of the show were holding their own fairly loud inane conversation; loud enough that I actually missed parts of what were being said on stage. They were ignorant to the degree that when being signaled to please zip-it, they pretended to have no idea what was meant. In the second half their was a gap where the worst offenders previously where; hopefully they were taken out and shot.

I also did wonder how they would stretch what is usually a programme just under 1/2 an hour to a performance which is approx 2 Hours and 10 Minutes approx. Essentially it was a very flimsy outline about ensuring one of the central characters, Jack, could contribute to his daughter retaking her vows in Canada, and engineering a new-super-duper prosthetic leg for the character Winston (Paul Riley). 

What I enjoyed most about it was having the opportunity to see the characters of Isa (Jane McCarry) & Naveed (Sanjeev Kohli) just being those characters. 

I would not in anyway say it was side-splitting and it certainly did not have the same ability as the original programmes to make you hoot with laughter. It was mildly chucklesome throughout. It didn't drag and had some nice surprise aspects. I am glad I went, though would now like them to return to making good episodes for the television, as that is still clearly the format this works best in.

Rating: 06/10.     

Film Review: Gone Girl (18) (U.S.A. 2014) (Director: David Fincher), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Thursday 02.10.2014 20:30

This is the new David Fincher film, the one about the wife who goes missing and the community, media and police suspect the husband. David Fincher has not misfired often in his career, being the director behind such great films as 'Seven' (1995), 'Fight Club' (1999) & my personal favorite of his, 'Zodiac' (2007). In my opinion, on first viewing, this is an equal to 'Zodiac'. By the end of the film, I found my self wanting to return to the start, to see if there signs/clues that I had not noticed before. The film is 2 & 1/2 Hours long, though it zips by, so much so that by about half way in I was aware of not having moved my body at all for the first half, and by then had numb-bum. 

I don't really wish to say anything about the content of the film beyond the initial premise I covered in the first sentence above. The film is flawlessly constructed and acted, particularly with Ben Affleck playing the role of the husband who is hard to warm to, and most notably Rosamund Pike as the inscrutable wife. I heard someone say on late-night radio a couple of evenings previous that the performance from Rosamund was going to be a game-changer in terms of her career. I have to concur completely with this reaction. With a lesser performance the film would have been in danger of not working nearly so well. Rosamund is the mesmerising centre of the film. 

There are at least three occasions where there are big, plausible twists that I did not see coming. It is such a finely balanced film, that I found sympathies oscillating back and forth. By the end sympathies are still there, though they have taken a bashing. 

The film is a very good portrayal of the regrettable narcissism that can be at the centre of people who are involved in such situations & members of the media and community that fixate and obsess over such local tragedies; and by their focus assist to perpetuate such crimes being committed. Again, as with most films I particularly appreciate, there is no easy tied-up ending. The ending is actually quite uncomfortable and claustrophobic. Though given all that had preceded it in the film, it has the right ending. 

When I heard this film was being released I was unsure, the combination of the Ben & Fincher initially did not appeal. Affleck is one who I generally feel cautious about (don't get me started on the prospect of him being the new Batman) and Fincher has not always struck gold, examples being 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' (2011) (not a patch on the Swedish original) & 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (2008). Essentially the film was getting such high chat and praise I became curious and I'm glad I did. This is easily in my top three films of the year so far. 

I cannot recommend this highly enough.   

Rating: 10/10.      

Film Review: Maps to the Stars (18) (Canada/U.S.A./Germany/France 2014) (Director: David Cronenberg), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 27.09.2014 19:30

Some reviewers have called this a satire, I don't know if I would quite agree with that, though do feel this is a biting fictionalised expose of 'Hollywood''s ways of being. 

Julianne Moore is great as the lead desperate-needy actress verging towards the end of her career. Olivia Williams & John Cusack play a cold-couple with a secret they must keep hidden below the surface, and an insufferable, just out of rehab, young brat child-star for a son. Mia Wasikowska plays the most complex character who weedles her way into the 'Hollywood' set, then becoming the assistant to Julianne Moore. Mia's secret's are hinted at on her scarred body, the rest I have to leave the film to reveal. 

There are some fantastic scenes, where all surface is very pleasant, though it is clear to see that the main characters being focused upon, hold nothing but venomous contempt for each other. There are some wonderfully off the leash scenes where the actors are portraying more extreme elements than they would usually dare allow themselves to, such as Julianne Moore on the crapper with trapped constipated wind leaking out. 

I don't feel there was any point to the film, beyond showing 'Hollywood' in not only a superficial light, though also in a way that shows it as being utterly-self-consumed, vacuous and bilious. Maybe not the most original of ideas, though this the most unvarnished I have seen a presentation of 'Hollywood'. I feel the film doesn't need a purpose or point beyond this.

It is quite a riot of a film, that also presents 'Hollywood' in a way that we can actually imagine it being. I found this to be a very enjoyable film, though it is hard to say exactly why. I also suspect it has more depth than able to pick-up upon on first viewing. It certainly sticks in my thoughts...

Rating: 09/10.     

Film Review: 20,000 Days On Earth (15) (U.K. 2014) (Directors: Ian Forsyth & Jane Pollard), The Cameo Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Wednesday 17.09.2014 19:00

Many of you will now be aware that this is the documentary about that most revered of Aussies, Nick Cave. All that is seen in the film, apart from the footage of 'im and 'is band playing live, has a high degree of artifice to it. I am not daft enough to expect that music documentaries are entirely factual, though this is unusual in that there is no attempt to hide to hide the fakery. It all felt a tad too contrived for my tastes.  

I had pondered how to do this review. I suspect it will be most straightforward if I say that I did enjoy the film, though I did have issues with it. I particularly enjoyed the sections which had Nick talking about processes of thinking and creativity; I enjoy how he uses language and how he 'puts things'. I also greatly enjoyed the parts where Nick is conversing with his band-mate/compadre, Mr Warren Ellis. Warren has a presence I warm to and find endearing. I enjoyed the sections where Nick (& Warren) were discussing Nina Simone, though this is because I'm a Nina nut. I liked when Nick was reflecting on his earlier career, and found the detail he gave intriguing. I had wished there had been more of this, though also understand he finds it hard to recollect from these earlier times. 

I did not like the passages where he picks-up in his car and has short periods of reflection with Ray Winstone, Blixa Bargeld & Kylie Minogue. I did not feel these added anything, and were just a bit of fluff distracting from the more important elements. I felt there was too much focus upon the latest album and it's music to the detriment of his great previous work.

I felt it odd that there was a complete editing out of the Nick Cave 'story' of one Polly Jean Harvey. Nick had once referred to her as his muse (the break-up of their relationship is the basis to the entire 'The Boatman Calls' Album). Though now he does not like that term, as he feels it does not do justice to his wife, Suzie. 

The was another section where he was speaking with a psychoanalyst (who he has never met before or since). A part of this section which I found particularly revealing is that he states that he himself does not believe in god. The god type figure who he devised for his songwriting is purely a device. It was only days later I realised that this greatly annoyed me, as an element of his songs I greatly liked was the preacher-style fire-&-brimstone-stuff (a la 'Red Right Hand'). Sadly for me, if he does not mean this stuff, if it is all a performance, then I don't know if I can relate to it as I did. I'll have to wait and see, though I do think that there is an argument to say, if he does not mean it, then it is just another version of pop; which is the last thing I ever would have expected to have said about Nick Cave.

Finally, I do wish to make clear, the film does not inform of much. There are the occasional nugget or the odd insight slipping through the artifice, which again I think is entirely apt. This is entirely as it should be. I don't like it when a music documentary removes a performers mystique, and this certainly does not do that. The film also has several moments which are very funny. 

Rating: 07/10.             

Live Performance Review: Nidiot: Performed by Jon Richardson, Saturday 13.09.2014 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

This is the third time I have seen Jon perform, the first time was during the Fringe festival in August 2010 when he was performing in the tiny Pleasance Courtyard Above venue. At that point I had seen him as a guest on Have I Got News For You and thought I would like to check out more of what he had to say. I have always enjoyed the passion of his despair with careless aspects of the modern world and can identify with elements of his fears and pernicketyness.   

This is clearly a step-up in venue size from the Fringe venues I have seen him in, and a lot of his audience will now be drawn from '8 out of 10 Cats' fans. 

I had to intervene with a couple of girls sat next to me who were carrying on their conversation after the performance began, and I was not surprised by the amount of people I couldn't help but be distracted by still having their dumb phones on. Part of the reason I was not surprised is that Jon is fairly mainstream in terms of my tastes in comedy. 

I was impressed by how he has been able to go from doing 1 hour Fringe shows to proper 2 hour shows and not have it drag or feel repetitive. The show was very engaging, inventive and frank. It felt heartening to hear so many people give a positive reaction to someone's 'obsessive-compulsive' neuroses. It almost is enough to suggest that these peccadilloes are more common than those afflicted with them may think.

I find it very difficult to write about some comedy for some reason, and there is no point in me describing what he discussed. It is fair to say I laughed heartily and very much enjoyed the show. I am not sure if I would go again as I am trying to scale back, though at the same time the show was thoroughly enjoyable.  

Rating: 09/10.  

Live Performance Review: Les Troyens: Performed by Mariinsky Opera (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Friday 29.08.2014 17:00, The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Opera, as with Theatre, is a medium I feel I am just beginning to try to find my way within. This production was sung in French with English Supertitles, though it still had a very Russian feel to it. This, to me, is a long opera, which was put on in three sections and once you remove the breaks was a bit over four hours. 

I was most taken by the first section, where the staging appeared most grand and impressive. After the first section the staging became, on the whole, a lot more simplistic. Overall it feels difficult to pick fault as the singing and musicianship, to my ears, sounded fine. 

Sadly there was an element that niggled throughout most of the second and third sections. The production made very good use of screens, projections and mirrors to create the appearance of a greater and more malleable space. Though due to how the mirrors were angled, from where I was sat, you could continually see cast and stage hands doing prep in the wings. This struck as a careless oversight. I am sure there would have been enough space for these people to have stood back a bit further and therefore not have been as distracting as they were. 

The production, as a whole, did feel a bit of a trial and a bit turgid as it went on. I did have a sense of waning towards the end. I am aware that I did greatly enjoy Dido and Aeneas last year, though did not enjoy Bluebeard's Castle. I don't feel I greatly enjoyed this, though it was undoubtedly better than Bluebeard. I am undecided as to whether opera as a medium is really something I am curious enough about to continue exploring. 

Rating: 08/10.         

Live Performance Review: Ubu and the Truth Commission produced by Handspring Theatre Company (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Thursday 28.08.2014 20:00 Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

This is a revival of an older piece by Handspring, to commemorate 20 years of democracy in South Africa. Handspring Theatre Company are the ones who went on to make Warhorse. The details recounted in the play are based on archives of testimonies given in the hearings of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

The play follows a mixed race couple in South Africa in the lead up to and during the goings-on of the Commission. The white male of the couple has clearly kept a lot of his activities from his partner and he appears concerned at what may come out. The play follows him as details he tried to hide come out and he begins to unravel.   

This, at last, is a multi-media production that gets the balance of the differing elements correct. The production uses documentary footage and photographs grounding the play in the harsh reality of the apartheid era in South Africa. This is well balanced with simple though effective animation, which assists to convey the reality of this brutal period without overly traumatising the audience. There is also beautiful puppetry. The puppets which represent humans giving their testimonies are so captivating they further encourage the viewer to give concentrated attention to what is being conveyed.The play manages to have elements of humour without being insensitive, and I found the whole thing to be transfixing. 

In terms of 'theatre productions', I would still tend to think of myself as dipping my toes. Theatre is a medium that I feel I am still finding my way with and am not yet entirely comfortable. I strongly suspect that this is at least in part due to my strong love of film, where anything can be shown and does not need to be gestured towards. Having digressed for a moment, I wish to conclude by saying I feel this is a very well considered and balanced piece, and is the finest theatre production I have yet seen. 

Rating: 10/10.   

Live Performance Review: Patria: Performed by Paco Pena Flamenco Company (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Wednesday 27.08.2014 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh (WORLD PREMIERE)

In terms of the music, singing and dancing, this was a mesmerising performance. As with the Kronos Quartet performance of Beyond Zero 1914 - 1918 earlier in the festival, I was not sold on the modified multimedia visual accompanyment and found this to be a distraction. I felt there was no question as to the performance being strong enough without these sorts of added media elements and therefore felt this to not be necessary. Despite this element, the performance was still absolutely first rate, another belter. 

Rating: 10/10.   

Film Review: Miss Violence (18) (Greece 2013) (Director: Alexandros Avranas) (Greek with English Subtitles), The Cameo Cinema Screen Two, Edinburgh, Tuesday 26.08.2014 18:00

The film begins with a girl throwing herself to her death on her eleventh birthday, and from this starting-point the film slowly reveals a history and pattern of child sexual-abuse that has probably existed within the family for generations.

Elements of the abuse are hinted at in questions, that are then left to linger. At other times the abuse is confirmed by visual evidence. On the whole the presenting of elements of the abuse is handled subtly and without a hint of gratuitousness. There is only one scene which lingers on the abuse. It strangely feels appropriate for this to have been done once in the film, as to not have lingered at all would have caused for the severity of the behaviour to have not been properly acknowledged.

The film has seeped into its fabric, detailing of how social groupings such as families, become complicit enablers to abuse by taking the path of least resistance. That is until cracks start to show to the community and/or one or more parties has had enough. The film also details the element of abuse networks and their coded-ways, as well as the calm, yet strained, social veneer used ingratiate in social interactions with locals.

The film is superbly acted, appropriately it is in no way beautiful; there is a stark quality to the social tableau. There is a hyper-real sense to all that occurs. I have seen films before regarding this area of subject matter, though this does feel to be one of the more harrowing and I would certainly have no wish to see this ever again. I would not wish to recommend this to others, as know some would find it to be very difficult, though at the same time, as a film I have nothing to say by way of detracting.

Rating: 08/10.     

Live Performance Review: Sweet Mambo: Performed by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Sunday 24.08.2014 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

This was a hypnotic dreamlike queasy performance. There was a nightmarish oppressive quality to sections, at other times there was a cheeky-teasing playfulness that was very appealing. At times it felt mildly erotic. The fluidity with which the dancers moved from one element to another contributed considerably to the hypnotic quality. There was only one occasion where the fluidity was broken due to an abrupt change of musical styles, though otherwise the musical accompanyment was integral to the unrelenting nature of the work. 

The stage was sparse, yet the staging at times was quite dramatic due to clever use of curtains and lighting. There was fantastic use of wind machines directed towards the curtains to create fantastic billowing shapes which the dancers had to be able to work around. There was a section where an attractive female dancer was moving in a constrained fashion within an undulating curtain and due to clever use of lighting, the dancer was teasingly visible within varying degrees of shadow. 

There was only one aspect of the performance that did not sit immediately comfortably and this was the fact that several of the dancers were also speaking as they went about their movements. Some were repeating set phrases, which was easier, as this appeared at least in part to be for the rhythm of the words as they flowed. Some were expressing deliberately comedic utterances, which was also fine. Some were appearing to be doing almost mini-monologing, without purpose of humour or rhythm. This was the element I found to not sit easily, though also across the whole performance, it is a minor quibble. 

It was considerably refreshing to attend a dance performance which had such a great focus upon humour. This performance was engrossing, when it came to being aware that it was the end of the performance, there was a sense of the performance having flown by. Pina Bausch died several years ago, and there are questions as to whether this dance company can continue going. It would be a shame if they are not able to continue and the world of dance would loose this unique lighthearted approach and be poorer for it. 

Rating: 10/10.               

Film Review: God Help The Girl (15) (U.K. 2014) (Director: Stuart Murdoch), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Saturday 23.08.2014, 20:40

I firstly was not drawn to this film and was in ways put off  by the fact that it is directed by the chief member of the twee indie Scottish group Belle & Sebastian. I then noticed that two of the lead characters are played by Hannah Murray and Emily Browning and due to this had far greater intrigue. After having got my ticket, I also found out that Josie Long has a cameo playing the coach of a local football team, brucie-bonus.

This Glasgow set, geek-indie musical is a surprising, inventive, surreal, touching, genuinely funny, beautiful, melancholic and joyous treat. I did initially think some of the script to be overly simplistic, though then I realised that this helped it to work as an urban fairytale. The three leads, Emily, Hannah & Olly Alexander all have a suitably gentle and dreamy quality, which fits perfectly with the film's tableau of a not-quite-real modern day Weegieland. The film is utterly charming and an absolute gem.

Rating: 10/10.    

   

Film Review: Wakolda (12A) (Argentina/Spain/Norway/France 2013) (Director: Lucia Puenzo) (Spanish, German & Hebrew with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Three, Edinburgh, Friday 22.08.2014, 20:45

This film is set in Patagonia in 1960 and it's advertising informs it is 'inspired by true events'.The story concerns the arrival in the area of a mysterious German speaking doctor and how he gains the trust of a pregnant mother and daughter of stunted growth within a local family. The film some way in, subtly makes it clear that it is presenting a version of what may have occurred in regard one Doctor Mengele, made infamous by the Nazi regime of Hitler's Germany.     

I was very impressed by this film. I felt it was finely acted by all involved. It is well written and edited. The film does not feel overly long or short, and is a nice length at just over 90 minutes. The story has subtleties as to how it is told visually, some of which I had not picked up upon straight away, it is only while cogitating upon afterwards that these nuances became clear. The cinematography & shot selection are quite striking and beautiful. The ending does not provide any neat resolution, an element I usually like. 

The film also deals with, in a very restrained way, as to how Nazism continued to have globally very far reaching affect upon peoples lives some considerable years after the end of the second world war. The film shows how such a person can insidiously gain peoples favour and trust by presenting a facade based on half/concealed truth, trying to present to the community as a kindly doctor. The film manages that rare thing for a piece revolving around the actions of the Nazis, in that it does not feel exploitative in anyway. 

I did for a short time within the film question whether a 12A certificate is appropriate. Though I quickly realised that the films true horrors are to some degree reliant upon the viewer having some knowledge as to what the Nazis had done. I suspect that someone coming to this without such knowledge would still find the film engrossing, though not as grave. 

The film also presents a very intriguing question. The mother of the family has a complicated birth to twins and calls on the doctor's ability to assist the newborn-children. Her husband is expressing to her his concerns as to who he suspects the doctor to be and her response, due to the assistance the doctor is giving, is to say that she does not care. This poses the idea that can someone have past crimes forgiven if they are being helpful in the present. Subsequently this question is cancelled out, as it becomes clear that the true nature of his 'assistance' has not been made clear to the mother. Though this itself reminds of a further point, what someone accepts is based on their perception, not on actual truth. 

As is clear, I feel there is a lot to recommend this film and I would recommend to anyone who does not require saccharine when watching a film. It has been several months since I have come across a top-notch new film, another reason why this was a welcome trip to the talkies. 

Rating: 10/10.   

Live Performance Review: Concerto Italiano (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Thursday 21.08.2014 17:45, Greyfriars Kirk (Unreserved Seating), Edinburgh

Concerto Italiano are regarded as one of Italy's finest Baroque ensembles. The performance alternated between instrumental pieces and madrigals. 

This was very pleasant performance. Although, reflecting my ignorance, while the performance was happening I did somehow come to think it was one long piece with differing passages. I was particularly impressed by the three violinists, and in terms of the vocalists I was struck by the expressiveness of the tenor, Luca Dordolo. The soprano Anna Simboli was also notable, though I feel the three vocalists were collectively let down by the second tenor, Gianluca Ferrarini.   

I feel this has addressed my curiosity in terms of Italian Baroque music. On the whole impressive, though not sure it is quite my cup of tea.  

Rating: 07/10.  

Live Performance Review: Gnosis Performed By Akram Khan Company (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Wednesday 20.08.2014 20:00, King's Theatre, Edinburgh

Unavoidably this was a modified performance of Gnosis. Akram does the first section and last sections solo, and the middle section was to be performed by Fang-Yi Sheu, who had regrettably injured herself and was unable to perform. 

We were still treated to Akram's sections of Gnosis, and between these, we got Akram and his musicians doing a fantastic music and dance 'jam' based around 16 beat patterns. We also had a tabla solo, Akram giving a demonstration of dance which is the product of a collaboration he is doing with a flamenco artist - there are apparent shared roots to historical/classical Indian dance and flamenco & a 'battle' between the three drummers, which was a lot better than what it may sound to Western ears. 

The dancing was virtuoso, with superb accompanyment from the musicians and singer. This was also heightened by the powerful yet minimal use of lighting and Akram's colorful dress. There were passages that were sublime, awe inspiring and bordering on the transcendental. To pick out but a couple of examples; the tabla solo was staggering in it's mastery and within the flamenco flavoured section, there was a passage where due to the continuous rhythm being generated by his subtle leg movements, Akram was creating a continual yet undulating ringing of his trouser-bells, the affect of which is unlike anything I have ever come across before. 

I have no regrets about the revised nature of the performance. I at times like what can come of these mishaps. All of Akram's dancing was top-notch, though if it had not been for his co-star getting injured, we would not have had the special flamenco and tabla sections. 

I have given this some thought, and even given the ad-hoc nature of the performance, I genuinely feel to give a score is not enough. (Thinking back on performances where I have felt it to be inappropriate to give a score, the element that they all shared is some kind of transcendental nature. So far that is again two such performances during the Edinburgh Festival period in 2014, just like in 2012. Life does not get better than these experiences.) The performance could in ways be seen as profound. It was certainly a privilege.    

Live Performance Review: Kronos Quartet (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Tuesday 19.08.2014 20:00, The Usher Hall, Edinburgh 

This was largely a very enjoyable performance. There was a good range of pieces being performed, including pieces by Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson & Clint Mansell, as well as pieces by composers from Syria, Mali, Canada & elsewhere.

The only piece I was not keen on was the final one, I found this to be too heavy on the sampled contributions to the piece. I also found it disrupting that there was a passage in the middle of the piece where the quartet had no contribution to make. It was an interlude of war sounds.

I was particularly taken with the first piece, which had some electronica elements, and the Clint Mansell pieces from the films 'Requiem for a Dream' (2000) & 'The Fountain' (2006) (Both directed by Darren Aronofsky). The pieces which come from film work felt to be the most dramatic along with the Syrian piece which I also particularly liked.

I have no criticism, though I did not feel this to be outstanding.

Rating: 09/10.     

Live Performance Review: Beyond Zero: 1914 - 1918: Performed by Kronos Quartet (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Monday 18.08.2014 20:00, The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 

Sadly this was a bit frustrating.

The quartet started and all was going lovely, I was enjoying the music, though I was distracted by the thoughts of 'when are the other multi-media elements going to kick in'.

Every now and again there were sounds or other music coming in along side the live music from the quartet, that was okay. When the screen finally got going, I felt there was far too much  damaged elements of photos/film, rather than focusing upon stuff that you could actually see what was happening, which sadly was just a fraction of what was being displayed. I had expected for the music being played to try to have some synchronicity with what was happening on the screen, this may be my ineptitude though I was struggling to see that (if it was there).

Truth be told, I though that what the quartet were playing from the off, was actually managing to convey elements of conflict and battle. This is not the sort of thing I would usually pick up upon, though I vividly recall being struck by how skilled they were at getting that across. I felt the other multi-media elements actually got in the way. Once I realised these other parts were a distraction, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the quartet. Had it just been the quartet, I suspect I would be giving top marks, though as it was compromised...

Rating: 08/10.

- Happily, I get to see them again tomorrow night without distractions.
We'll see if they pull it out the bag tomorrow eve.    

Live Performance Review: Polish Radio Choir (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Monday 18.08.2014 17:45, Greyfriars Kirk (Unreserved Seating), Edinburgh

This was a very enjoyable performance with flawless togetherness between the singers. The coral pieces being done reminded me of the sort of music we used to do in the church choir when I was a child. There was a comforting familiarity in the work. 

Although it was very impressive and there is nothing wrong with that, I don't feel it was perfect. This is not due to any particular flaw or deficit. There was never any error which gave a jolt, though also there was no je nais se quoi. In very simple terms; a perfectly capable perfunctory choir, very nice to listen to, though by no means in the same bracket as the 'Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir'.

Rating: 08/10.    

Live Performance Review: The James Plays: Performed by National Theatre of Scotland & National Theatre of Great Britain (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Sunday 17.08.2014 12:00 - James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock, 16:00 - James II: Day of the Innocents & 20:15 - James III: The True Mirror, The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh (WORLD PREMIERE)

Now straight off the bat, I did think it foolish to go to see all of these in one day, though I only thought this after I got the tickets. I wondered whether I would be able to endure, and I also thought it would have to be very good performance to keep me going for the advertised 7 & 1/2 Hours + Breaks. 

As it turns out I needn't have worried, the plays were very well staged and acted, and I was particularly pleased to have had to opportunity to see Sofie Grabol give a good performance. I would consider the original Danish version of 'The Killing' (Forbrydelsen) (2007 - 2012) to be my favorite T.V. series, so to get the opportunity to see her perform, was a draw I was not going to miss. 

Now sadly to my more negative comments. It struck me that the show was at times actively being played for laughs; this is something quite different to there being naturally occurring funny moments. I don't know if this struck as odd simply as I was not expecting it. I am not suggesting that the presentation of history needs to be dour faced, though these are not happy periods of Scotland's history that are being depicted. 

It irritated me early on that colloquialisms being used were, to my knowledge, too modern for times being set within. Though by the end of the third and final play it was clear that the producers of the work were not bothered by such considerations as historical accuracy. 

By the end of the third play, King James III was dressed in a see through black top with red velour trousers on and his tattoos still clearly showing through the top; there having been no attempt to cover these up during the performance.

By the third play several cast members were dressed in Kilts of the modern form. Kilts in their modern form did not exist until the Victorian era, when an English factory owner in Inverness had them designed as the work uniforms for his Scottish workforce. Hence why I refer to them as a symbol of Scottish servitude, and for this & other reasons I prefer a skirt (I don't even feel Scottish!). 

It may well be clear, that the conceiving of this triptych of plays was entirely separate to the development of the referendum on Scottish Independence, though sadly the authors politics are not hard to guess at. There was a section towards the end of the final play that felt a tad hectoring and soap-boxy. Though I did appreciate that they did not try to paint an overly rose tinted view of the past, and they gave voice to the idea that Scotland does not really have much except attitude, and that's not much to brag about.

It could encourage people to engage with their own politics, though presently in Scotland this is not much of an issue. I also hasten to think that most, if not all people in attendance, by the very act of purchasing the tickets and being there are likely to already be engaged. Possibly a case of preaching to the choir.  

I appreciated that the three plays act as a reminder, that historical development towards any moderately enlightened culture has had (many) periods of bitter jealous rivalry within greater periods of barbaric and brutal feudalism. It reminds that all power can corrupt and cause apparent instantaneous blindness to what able to see before. It also serves as a reminder that the history, that the Scots in particular are guilty of romanticising, is the last thing we can benefit from looking back at reverentially. The times depicted today, I am glad are times that I should never have to endure.           

Rating: 08/10. 

Live Performance Review: I AM: Performed by MAU (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Saturday 16.08.2014 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

There was an odd start to this performance. I entered the venue to go to the row where my seat should be and the entire row was missing. I informed the usherette, who after initially trying to pretend Row N was Row M, sent for the manager. The manager came and confirmed I had no seat and said he would just get one for me. Now to give them their dues, I was expecting a shitey wee plastic affair, though the manager came back carrying a correct theatre seat and installed the single seat for me. I was a wee wobbly mind. I don't know why they bothered, as it turned out there was plenty of spare seats round about (and more became available as the performance wore on). Not that I was going to try and get to a seat with a better view, after I had my very own installed. 

The performance is classed under dance. I think it is more apt to call this music & movement, sadly of the worst kind. Or should that be noise & movement, there was no music just industrial noise mixed in with other sound elements. 

Now the terms 'noise' and 'music & movement', I don't automatically use these terms in a derisory fashion, just here. I termed 'Hora' (2012) by the Batshiva dance company as 'music & movement' yet I could not have been more complementary. Industrial noise is an element I enjoy about some other performances and mediums as well as classing myself as a fan of David Lynch's work. So in the broadest possible terms, this could have worked for me. 

In terms of describing the piece itself, while watching it I thought of David Lynch and in particular his films 'Eraserhead' (1977) & 'Mullholland Drive' (2001), both in terms of movement and roles within performance and in terms of the soundscape. Sadly the entire piece felt very austere and abrasive. There was nothing lush to counterbalance the severity, a trick that Mr. Lynch always used so well. 

The far greater issue I have with the entire piece is the pace. the entire piece felt overly stretched. There were passages where some performers were moving to a more upbeat tempo, yet though-out the whole piece there was always one or more performers going at a painfully slow rate across the stage; this secondary permanent slow tempo was more or less maintained across the entire show. I have not the scoobiest as to what the slow pace was meant to represent, though it is this element that caused it to be a relief when the whole piece was done. I know it is not as straightforward as to say, why could they not have just gone twice the rate and be done in half the time. Though surely they could have 'represented' something by mixing up the tempo somewhat. Mixed within the performances were passages where an artiste was, for one example, doing a slow version of what appeared to be the New Zealand Haka. I feel the likes of this would also have benefited from a greater mix of tempos.

This one I will mark up to experience and it does get some points as I did like the overall tone and sounds. Just know when to gie it a rest.

Rating: 04/10.        

Live Performance Review: Robert Newman's New Theory Of Evolution  (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014) Friday 15.08.2014 20:30 Stand In The Square, The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh

I first saw Robert perform at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 1994, and then again in the Glasgow Garage in 2005 on a double bill with Mark Thomas. In my view Robert is the most cerebral and informative comedian there is. A couple of month's back I had heard of this show and it receiving rave responses. 

I had not realised Robert was performing in the Fringe this year until I was sat in the Stand Comedy Club on the evening of Friday the 8th, waiting for Josie Long to come on, reading a pamphlet where Robert's show was advertised. I got a ticket the following day...

The show was a very well considered, erudite, intelligent and funny monologue arguing that cooperation is as important as competition when considering ideas concerning evolution; and in evolutionary terms the misfit is more likely to survive than the fittest.

The amount of knowledge being conveyed within the theory being proposed was mesmerising. This was not the most laugh-out loud comedy performances I have attended, though it is without doubt the first comedy show I have seen that I would truly consider profound. This man should have a far greater audience than he has, though then he doesn't really do nob gags as such.

Rating: 10/10.           

Live Performance Review: Britten's War Requiem Performed By Philharmonia Orchestra (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Thursday 14.08.2014 20:00, Usher Hall, Edinburgh 

This is a piece that I am not aware of having heard before. To my knowledge the only work of Britten's that I know a version of is Corpus Christi Carol due to Jeff Buckley having having released a version of it on his 1994 album 'Grace'. So this was really a punt.

What a belter it turned out to be. A fantastically complex and rich piece with wonderfully dramatic changes and passages. Not a single weak element within the musicians in the orchestra or the singers be they choir or soloists. A tremendous performance, Marvelous.

Rating: 10/10.
  

Live Performance Review: Sister Marie Keyrouz L'Ensemble De La Paix (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Wednesday 13.08.2014 17:45, Greyfriars Kirk (Unreserved Seating), Edinburgh 

This Lebanese nun/church-singer/musicologist performed with the accompanyment of six male backing singers and no instrumentation. 

The performance was based upon Oriental Christian Chant; to my cloth ears, I could easily detect similarities with plain chant. Towards the beginning of the performance I did consider for a short period that there felt to be too much vibrato for my comfort, though this sense dissipated. I could also detect similarities with what 'Dead Can Dance' had concentrated on in their album 'Aion' (1990). 

Sister Marie's backing singers were very impressive and able to give very sympathetic musical support to her. It is though Sister Marie's voice that is easily the most impressive element of this. Staggering in it's control and stunning in it's beauty. There is no way to possibly begin to find fault with a performance like this. A remarkable privilege.   

It was both too good to give a rating to, and also it would be inappropriate due to the nature of the music.  

Live Performance Review: Francesca Martinez: What The Fuck Is Normal?  (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014) Monday 11.08.2014 17:30 Lomond Theatre, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (Unreserved Seating), Edinburgh

Earlier in the year, when the Fringe programme came out, I became aware of Francesca's show and book at the same time. The book has the same title as the show, and both have the offending word in the usual '****' form. I purchased the book in Waterstones, where the person serving felt it necessary to inform me that they have the title as 'What The Hell Is Normal?'. 

The book is a very good and fairly easy read, and accounts Francesca's life including very frank and insightful depictions of prejudice she has faced. For those unaware as to who Francesca is, she is a comedian who lives with society's issues as to her physicality. She terms herself as wobbly, as this is how she has always seen herself; she has cerebral palsy. For those who like the work of Ricky Gervais, Francesca appears in the episode of 'Extras' which Kate Winslet is in.   

Francesca is someone I was curious about seeing for some years. The performance was very engaging, funny, with plenty to think upon. I did initially feel as though Francesca appeared a bit nervous, though then she appeared to relax and the show quickly settled into being highly enjoyable. 

Those who know me know I always try to go front and centre at performances. This is such a reliable fact that I have previously had my uncle ask me if I already had a ticket for a particular show as he went to book and saw one seat taken in the middle of the front row and thought that must be...sure enough it was. I, unlike many, don't have apprehensions about comedians engaging with me, though today was a bit different. 

It got to a bit in the show where Francesca is detailing an uncomfortable moment she had with someone in her car - yes she can drive. The person she was with, she was very fond of due to inspiring words that person had expressed to her. Francesca, nineteen at the time, had written him a poem and gave it to him to read which he did in the car. The poem which I had already read in the book is not untypical of an inexperienced young person. Francesca asked if I would mind coming up onto stage, there was a chair behind her's, which she asked for me to pull round and sit next to her. When sat next to her, she asked if I could read out the poem, as that man had done when sat next to her in the car. 

There was a book signing afterwards, I was first in line. She thanked me for taking part, commented that I appeared very nervous and asked why. I know it was not because of who she is, as Francesca appears to be a lovely person. I could remember a sense of the poem before going on stage, and when previous reading it of having a sense of embarrassment which comes when someone lays themselves bare as she had done and you know it is not going to turn out well. The intrepidation was due to not being able to remember exactly what happened after the man had read the poem and therefore where my being on stage may lead. I told her it was just because I was not sure where it would lead. (I got my book signed just next to where that poem is, rather than at the front. When I asked if she could sign there, she said 'well it is your poem now' or words to that effect).

After the show there was a Q&A hosted by Marcus Bridgestock, which enabled more eloquent off-the-cuff riffing on politics of disability and other matters. There was also discussion about the horrible idea of being an inspiration, which Francesca is very uncomfortable with, as in her eyes she is quite lazy and just living day-to-day trying to ignore her condition as much as possible - this is quite a common response to living with a condition, there are many days where I don't for a moment consider my dyslexia. 

The fact is though, by her giving voice to her reasoned views and justified strong responses to experiencing prejudice, she is a form of inspiration. Don't worry though, I don't mean a nausea inducing inspiration, this is not the U.S.of A.. There is nothing twee or sugar coated about Francesca, just a real funny person with a weakness for bare-foot Irish poets (see the show to understand). 

Rating: 08/10.       

Live Performance Review: Inala: Performed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo & Dancers from Rambert & The Royal Ballet (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Sunday 10.08.2014 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh (WORLD PREMIERE)

This was being advertised as a Zulu ballet. As well as dancers from Rambert & The Royal Ballet, there were other freelance dancers. The music was provided by Ladysmith Black Mambazo plus several musicians giving an instrument backing to Ladysmith... This is one element it took me a wee while to get into. Having heard Ladysmith... perform just the night previous, as they should be heard, i.e. a cappella, I found it took some adjusting. 

There were impressive leather costumes with head-gear for the male dancers and graceful floaty dress for the females. All of the dancers appeared to be well matched in terms of physicality and fluidity. There were some interesting moves which I assume may well be based within African dance.

An element I particularly liked was that the professional dancers where quite often 'mixin'-it-up' with the men of Ladysmith. I found it refreshing that there was this explicit collaboration between the precise and the funky. This appeared to be a very successful fusion of the classical/trained and the tribal/traditional. This is also the element that I feel worked best and felt to be genuinely groundbreaking. 

By the end, the entire performance felt to have worked well and I felt the entire piece was enjoyable. I am aware this may read as damming with faint praise. I did genuinely enjoy the whole experience, though in terms of dance, it was not up there with the very best I've seen within the International Festival, which to me are 'Groupo Corpo' (2010) & the 'Batsheva Dance Company' (2012). These are the two dance performances that I found to cause use of a string of superlatives. 

In terms of being honest, I also have to say that Ladysmith..., they were very good and I have not an iota of an issue with their performance, though again it is impossible not to be aware of that niggling thought that I wish they could have sung more a cappella. - This causes even greater appreciation for having seen them the night before doing what they do best. 

I certainly would have no hesitation in recommending to people who enjoy vibrant, colourful displays. This was upbeat feelgood - loose though cohesive, as opposed to stunned by brilliance, though that does not make it any less impressive.

Rating: 10/10.     

Live Performance Review: Ganesh Versus The Third Reich produced by Back To Back Theatre (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Sunday 10.08.2014 14:30 Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

The basic premise of this performance that Ganesh goes to Germany during the time of the Third Reich to reclaim the Swastika from its corruption by the Nazi's. I was expecting something interesting to be done around this idea...

Sadly there was a convoluted presentation where the audience were shown the actors doing their performances and also showed the actors as actors doing 'prep' for the production. Regrettably this device appears to have not been used in any creative manner. I suspect this may have been an attempt to be 'post-modern-archly-ironic'. These labels tend to only get applied to a performance when there is a clear attempt to do something with this sort of 'deconstructionist' approach. Sadly when a production, like this one, appears to be very muddled as to what it is doing, it tends to only get very negative labels attached.  

The actor playing the director of the group (also the only one involved who did not appear to have a mild learning disability) was at times speaking directly to the audience and in a very un-subtle way was telling the audience what they should be thinking of the show and it's purpose. That same character goes on to bully another participant. I did wonder whether this was a very cack-handed way of trying to draw parallels with the Nazi's. I can't see any other rationale, though if this is the reasoning, clearly I was not impressed by the heavy handed nature of this element. Clearly someone who is a fascist may well bully, though I feel it is impossible to say that someone who bullies is a fascist; this is too great a jump. 

Sadly the whole production felt am-dram in the worst possible way; there was one actor who on more than one occasion appeared to forget his lines only to be loudly prompted to be able to continue. There was crass jokes that trivialized elements of Jewish history; which resulted in me trying to chew my fist off. The entire performance felt stilted, staid & staged, there was no flow. This was not like seeing a local community panto where you accept small blips in the rustic charm of people putting on a performance with a sense of fun. This was people out of their depth, trying to tackle a subject which deserved a more creative and sensitive approach.  

I waited until the end just in case I was to slam this and then people were to say 'ah but you did not get to the twist at the end'. I was hoping there was going to be a twist to hopefully make me feel silly for having got my dander up. Sadly not, it was just an angering, bordering on the offensive waste of my time. - I suspect those involved feel there is a purpose to all this (I bet they would struggle to spell it out). It is not even good enough to be able to be controversial. 

This is quite seriously one of the worst live performances I have ever seen, professional or otherwise. I don't want to start doing negative scores, although I feel this does warrant it. 

Rating: 00/00.

The one good thing about the performance was the supertitles. The performance was done in English, German & Sanskrit. This is the first time I have seen Supertitles well positioned so I did not have to take my eye of what was happening to see the text. A further shame, when considering the rest of the comments I have felt to be necessary.