TOP 10 LIVE PERFORMANCES OF 2015

1) Laura Marling 05.09.2015
2) Pokey La Farge 09.10.2015
3) Laura Marling 25.04.2015
4) Derren Brown 20.05.2015
5) Blonde Redhead 26.03.2015
6) Sylvia Guillem 09.08.2015
7) Antigone 12.08.2015
8) Mark Thomas: Trespass: A Work in Progress 16.08.2015
9) Martin Carthy 23.02.2015
10) Nick Cave 28.04.2015

TOP TEN FILMS OF 2015

1) Carol (Todd Haynes 2015)
1) 52 Tuesdays (Sophie Hyde 2013)
3) Chuck Norris Vs. Communism (Llinca Calugareanu 2015)
4) Hard to be a God (Aleksey German 2013)
5) The Dance of Reality (Alejandro Jodorowsky 2013)
6) A Girl at my Door (July Jung 2014)
7) 13 Minutes (Oliver Hirschbiegel 2015)
8) The Tribe (Miroslav Slaboshpitsky 2014)
9) Amy (Asif Kapadia 2015)
10) Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (Alex Gibney 2015)

TOP 100 ALBUMS 2016: IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: TOP 10 INDICATED IN RED: 

Adam And The Ants, Kings Of The Wild Frontier 

Alabama 3, Exile on Coldharbour Lane 

Blonde Redhead, Misery Is A Butterfly

Jeff Buckley, Grace

Tim Buckley, Dream Letter: Live in London 1968

Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club  (1)

Grant Lee Buffalo, Fuzzy

Calexico, The Black Light 

Chumbawamba, Jesus H. Christ 

The Cocteau Twins, Treasure

Crystal Castles, (II)

Crystal Castles, (III)

Dark Dark Dark, Wild Go

Miles Davis, Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis, Sketches Of Spain

Dead Can Dance, Aion

Dead Can Dance, The Serpent's Egg 

Dead Can Dance, Into The Labyrinth 

Depeche Mode, Violator

Depeche Mode, Songs Of Faith & Devotion 

Toumani Diabate, The Mande Variations 
Nick Drake, Bryter Layter

Bob Dylan, Highway 61 revisited

Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks (9)

Duke Elington, New Orleans Suite

Ibrahim Ferrer, Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer

Ibrahim Ferrer, Buenos Hermanos

John Frusciante, Shadows Collide With People

John Frusciante, The Will To Death

John Frusciante, Curtains 

John Frusciante, The Empyrean

John Frusciante, PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone

Beth Gibbons And Rustin Man, Out Of Season

Ruben Gonzalez, Introducing

Ruben Gonzalez, Chanchullo

Grimes, Visions 

Grimes, Art Angels 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced? 

Iron & Wine, The Creek Drank The Cradle

Iron & Wine, Kiss Each Other Clean  (6)

Iron & Wine, Ghost On Ghost 

Iron & Wine, Archive Vol. 1

The Jesus And Mary Chain, Psychocandy 

Lemonheads, It’s A Shame About Ray 

Mariza, Fado Curvo 

Laura Marling, I Speak Because I Can  (3)

Laura Marling, A Creature I Don't Know

Laura Marling, Once I Was An Eagle (4)

Laura Marling, Short Movie

John Martyn, London Conversation

Massive Attack, Blue Lines 

Cerys Matthews, Tir 

Mazzy Star, She Hangs Brightly 

Mercury Rev, Deserter’s Songs

Van Morrison, Astral Weeks 

Nirvana,  Nevermind

Nirvana, Unplugged In New York

Orchestra Baobab, Specialist In All Styles

Orchestra Baobab, Made In Dakar

Josh T. Pearson, Last of the Country Gentlemen

Pink Martini, Sympathique

Pixies, Surfer Rosa

Portishead, Pnyc: Live At The Roseland Theatre 

Radiohead, The Bends 

Radiohead, O.K. Computer

Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik  (5)

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, By The Way

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Stadium Arcadium

Lou Reed, Transformer 

Lou Reed, Berlin

R.E.M., Unplugged: The Complete 1991 & 2001 Sessions 

Rodriguez, Cold Fact (10)

Gil Scott-Heron, A New Black Poet - Small Talk at 125th and Lenox

Nina Simone, At Town Hall

Nina Simone, Live at Carnegie Hall 

Nina Simone, Wild is the Wind (2)

Nina Simone, Sings The Blues 

Nina Simone, Recorded Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1968 

The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream 

The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness 

Soul Asylum, Grave Dancers Union 

C.W. Stoneking, King Hokum 

C.W. Stoneking, Jungle Blues 

The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses  (7)

Suede, Suede

Suede, Dog Man Star 

System Of A Down, Toxicity 

Teenage Fanclub, Bandwagonesque

Timber Timbre, Creep on Creepin' on

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate, In The Heart of the Moon

Tricky, Maxinquaye  

The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground

M. Ward, Transistor Radio

M. Ward, Post War (8)

The White Stripes, De Stijl

The White Stripes,White Blood Cells

Amy Winehouse, Back to Black

Neil Young, Harvest 

TOP 100 FILMS 2016: IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: TOP 10 INDICATED IN RED: 

About Schmidt (Alexander Payne 2003)

Alien (Ridley Scott 1979)

All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar 1999) (6)

All The President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula 1976)

Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu 2000)

Apocalypse Now (Frances Ford Coppola 1979)

Attenberg (Athina Rachel Tsangari 2010)

Badlands (Terrance Malick 1973)

Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku 2000)

Beetlejuice (Tim Burton 1988)

The Big City (Satyajit Ray 1963)

Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky 2010)

Blancanieves (Pablo Berger 2012)

Blue Velvet (David Lynch 1986)

Bubba Ho-Tep (Don Coscarelli 2002)

Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders 1999)

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene 1920) 

Carol (Todd Haynes 2015)

Chinatown (Roman Polanski 1974) (4)

Christiane F. (Ulrich Edel 1981)

Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore 1988)

City of God (Fernando Meirelles 2002)

A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick 1971)

Confessions (Tetsuya Nakashima 2010)

The Conversation (Frances Ford Coppola 1974)

Danger: Diabolik (Mario Bava 1968)

The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan 2012)

Dead Man’s Shoes (Shane Meadows 2004)

Deep Red (Dario Argento 1975)

The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino 1978)

Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick 1964) (2)

Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker 1967)

The Double (Richard Ayoade 2013)

Enter The Dragon (Robert Clouse 1973)

Enter The Void (Gasper Noe 2009)

Eraserhead (David Lynch 1977)

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry 2004)

The Exorcist (William Friedkin 1973)

52 Tuesdays (Sophie Hyde 2013)

Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson 1970)

Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach 2012)

Garden State (Zach Braff 2004) (9)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Niels Arden Oplev 2009)

The Godfather (Frances Ford Coppola 1972)

The Godfather Part II (Frances Ford Coppola 1974)

Goodbye First Love (Mia Hansen-Love 2011)

Gregory’s Girl (Bill Forsyth 1981)

Hard to be a God (Aleksey German 2013)

Harold & Maude (Hal Ashby 1971)

Harvey (Henry Koster 1950)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (John McNaughton 1986)

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski 2013) (5)

Inception (Christopher Nolan 2010)

Julien Donkey-Boy (Harmony Korine 1999)

The Killing (Stanley Kubrick 1956)

Killing Zoe (Roger Avary 1993)

Kind Hearts & Coronets (Robert Hamer 1949)

The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick 1955)

Leon (Luc Besson 1994) (10)

Lost Highway (David Lynch 1997)

Love Exposure (Sion Sono 2008)

Marathon Man (John Schlesinger 1976)

Mars Attacks (Tim Burton 1996)

Matador (Pedro Almodovar 1986)

Mullholland Drive (David Lynch 2001)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick 1993)

Odd Man Out (Carol Reed 1947)

Oldboy (Park Chan-Wook 2003)

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan 2011)

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman 1975) (1)

The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni 1975)

Paths Of Glory (Stanley Kubrick 1957)

Peeping Tom (Michael Powell 1960)

Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock 1954)

A Room With A View (James Ivory 1985)

Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski 1968)

Searching For Sugarman (Malik Bendjelloul 2012)

The Shining (Stanley Kubrick 1980)

The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodovar 2011)

Star Wars (George Lucas 1977)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner 1980) (8)

The Sting (George Roy Hill 1973)

Stoker (Park Chan-Wook 2013)

The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone (Shane Meadows 2013)

Submarine (Richard Ayoade 2010)

Susperia (Dario Argento 1977)

Tabu (Miguel Gomes 2012)

Talk To Her (Pedro Almodovar 2002) (3)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper 1974)

The Third Man (Carol Reed 1949) (7)

They Live (John Carpenter 1988)

Tomboy (Celine Sciamma 2011)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick 1968)

What Have I Done To Deserve This? (Pedro Almodovar 1984)

Where The Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze 2009)

The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy 1973)

Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson 1987)

V For Vendetta (James Teigue 2005)

Volver (Pedro Almodovar 2006)

Zodiac (David Fincher 2007)

Film Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2D) (12A) (U.S.A. 2015) (Director: J.J. Abrams), VUE (OMNI), Screen One, Edinburgh, Wednesday 30.12.2015, 19:10

This is excellent fluff. The pacing, visuals and story telling are all fine. The film is slightly too referential to the 'Classic Trilogy' and the actor playing the main baddie doesn't quite fit right. These are minor quibbles. It was lovely to see that, in a way unlike ever before, the new central hero to the Star Wars world is a woman. When she took control of a lightsaber and began behaving as a badass, it got to me. It was certainly far better than I had any right to expect it to be and slips by easily.

Rating: 10/10.    

Film Review: Carol (15) (U.K./U.S.A./France 2015) (Director: Todd Haynes), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 12.12.2015, 18:10

This is a film I was initially very sceptical about as do not generally like Cate Blanchett or her work and the only previous film I've seen of Todd Haynes, 2007's 'I'm Not There' I found to be a horrifying experience in the worst possible sense. I went to see this as it was getting so much positive buzz and the subject matter should be within my ballpark of interests. 

I'm delighted to report, having just seen it, that I too regard this to be one of the finest love story's I've ever seen in film. The acting of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara is sublime and the film is simply perfect in every possible way. I am delighted that I put my scepticism to the side and went to see this masterpiece. Bravo!

Rating: 10/10. 

Film Review: The Lobster (15) (Ireland/UK/Greece/France/Netherlands 2015) (Director: Yorgos Lanthimos) (English and French with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Monday 30.11.2015, 20:30

This is an incredibly absurd work of art, though not as absurd or as good as his previous film 'Alps' (2011), which is almost impossible to distil down to an essence which could adequately convey the complexity and breadth of the piece. Having said this, I laughed from the first scene (I think I was the only one to laugh at the first scene in a packed cinema) and remained engaged throughout. 

This is a surreal film that is based upon the idea that everyone has to be in a couple. If a person's relationship disintegrates for whatever reason, they have to go to a hotel where they have a set period of time to find a new 'mate'. If unsuccessful, they are turned into an animal of their choosing. The lead character played by Colin Farrell, chooses to become a Lobster, hence the title. 

I have to agree with what I have heard various critics say about it loosing it's focus once the action shifts from the hotel to the escapees in the forest. Though it is only in this part where it also becomes clear that the film is also about how most people misunderstand what empathy is. 

Although not perfect, it is great that films like this exist. Although I have more time for 'Alps', I feel it would be a lot easier to introduce people to the director's work via 'The Lobster', which is more accessible. 

Rating: 09/10.         

Live Performance Review: Dynamo: Magician Impossible - Seeing is Believing, Sunday 29.11.2015 20:00, The Playhouse, Edinburgh

Regrettably, to a large extent, the only way I can write about this performance is by referencing how it compares to the only other magician/illusionist I've seen perform, the Master, Mr. Derren Brown. 

It was a shorter performance by some considerable margin. It was far less intense in pace and due to this I felt it was easier not to concentrate as much. The illusions, I would also say to on the whole be a less impressive. If you have seen all of his television programmes, there was nothing new. 

The illusion that started the 2nd half did not feel to be particularly well carried off, being a case where I could tell what the illusion was before it's climax. 

There were some impressive parts, though I also feel there was far too much referencing back to his childhood, again nothing new having seen his programmes. I have to keep in mind that this was his first live tour and the only comparison I have is a hyper intelligent slick performer who had already done several tours before I saw him for my first time of four. It looks as though the Master may be retiring from touring, though I don't feel excited enough by Dynamo to have him replace his superior. Despite the negative comments, I did enjoy myself though did leave feeling slightly short-changed. 

Rating: 07/10.        

Live Performance Review: Dave Gorman Get's Straight to the Point, Sunday 22.11.2015 20:00, The Alhambra, Dunfermline

This is the fifth time I have seen Mr. Gorman, king of the geeks, perform since 2006 and I have still never been disappointed. I probably would not have gone, due to the travel involved, if it weren't for the fact that I have a friend who was keen to see him.

There was support from a Nick Doody, who was a lot better than an audience has any right to expect from a support act. 

Mr Gorman himself did close to two hours all of which was very enjoyable and geeky. I would say this was not quite as good as the previous tour, though that relates to the material being presented not the delivery. We were treated to two 'Found Poems', just as he did on the last tour and it was lovely to hear him get such a jubilantly joyful response from packed crowd in this more provincial venue than I am used to. 

It was lovely to hear that Mr. Gorman is now a dad. It was even better to hear his response to the audience's cheers, saying along the lines of 'Don't applaud the fact that my cock works, we are not American'.

I had thought of giving this a top rating, though this did not feel quite right. It was a fantastically engaging eve. 

Rating: 9.5/10.    

Film Review: Love 3D (18) (France/Belgium 2015) (Director: Gasper Noe) (English and French with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Wednesday 18.11.2015, 20:30

I went to see this film solely upon the strength of the director's previous film, 2009's 'Enter The Void', one of my all time favourite films and if you have not seen this masterpiece, I cannot recommend this more highly. 

I was aware of the sexually explicit nature of this film, though this neither intrigued or put me off. 

This is monumentally dull film. Every element was tedious. The dialogue was numskullish in the extreme. The three central characters are completely unengaging, with the most central character being a misogynistic prick who spends the film very self-indulgently hankering after a past lover while being unable to appreciate what he has or his own agency in creating his circumstances. All of this echoes what I have subsequently heard some film critics say of the film.

Gasper Noe has commented that he sees the film as being sentimental, which suggests to me that he struggles to understand  how his produce may be received by normal viewers. I really have no time for what I understand to be Gasper's first two films, 'I Stand Alone' (1998) & 'Irreversible' (2002), and now having seen  his latest dirge I can only conclude that 'Enter The Void' was a fluke. I don't know after this whether I will allow him any more chances with new product. I cannot rate or recommend this film in any way.         

Film Review: Spectre (12A) (U.K./U.S.A. 2015) (Director: Sam Mendes), VUE (OMNI), Screen Four, Edinburgh, Tuesday 27.10.2015, 18:30

This is obviously the latest of the 'James Bond' films. It is by the same director who had helmed 'Skyfall' (2012) and I would say that it is of equal quality. Having said this, I do feel 'Spectre' to be better paced and more playful than the previous effort. I would say that this film, in terms of it's acting and storytelling, has subtleties that feel uncommon when considering the 'Bond' cannon.  

I was going to this with the sense of this being potentially the last Bond for me. This is due to finding the character of Bond a tad rapey and the films generally far too male. I was then very pleased to find that the female lead character of Madeleine Swan, performed by Lea Seydoux, is the most equal to Bond of any of the female characters from the 23 films. The film is also, in my mind, the least misogynistic of all 'Bond' films.

The story is a good yarn and there are no parts that sagged or were uncomfortable. I found this to be genuinely mostly harmless fluff. There are a couple of scenes which cause me to question the wisdom of a 12A certificate. I think it should have been at least a 12, as though couple of scenes are not for the eyes of young children. 

The film also ends in a way unlike any other 'Bond' film. I agree with what Simon Mayo said on Radio 5 Live, that with how the ending is, that it makes sense for Daniel Craig to now step aside. The film also nicely brings all of the previous Daniel Craig 'Bond' films into the same greater narrative, which was a nice touch, considering that 'Skyfall' had previously always been talked of as being a stand-alone story.

As I said before in regard to 'The Raid 2' (2014), I think action films are a curious thing in that you cannot really consider them alongside other genres of film. Though within the field of action films this is another top-notch effort and a perfectly enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours (and a bit). 

Rating: 10/10.      

Film Review: The Dance of Reality (18) (Chile/France 2013) (Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky) (Spanish with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Saturday 10.10.2015, 17:55

I first began to check out the work of Jodorowsky earlier this year when I found out that it is a key influence on the latest album by Laura Marling. I watched 'El Topo' (1970) on television, and saw 'Santa Sangre' (1989) during the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year. I also have 'Holy Mountain' (1973) on disk waiting to be watched. I have heard 'The Dance of Reality' being compared favourably to 'El Topo' & 'Holy Mountain' both of which are regarded as Jodorowsky's early hallucinogenic masterpieces. 

If you are not familiar with Jodorowsky's work, two little titbits that may give a sense of his output are that Marilyn Manson considers him the greatest director who ever lived, and Jodorowsky was meant to direct Dune before it got passed to David Lynch. From what I understand of what Jodorowsky's film would have contained, It sounds as though it would have been a far more interesting film than Lynch's, if he had been allowed to finish it.  

The film I understand to some degree to be based upon Jodorowsky's memories from early childhood, when his father was enamoured by Stalin and we are shown his mother only vocally expressing through operatic singing. The film has some funny moments, but on the whole is a far more abstract work than you could come across in the work of most other directors. It feels hard to describe the piece in anyway that would come close to describing how wonderfully weird it is, or that could give a fair snapshot of the story. This is a film which requires a leap of faith, for the viewer just to go with it and not judge too quickly. It feels difficult to say more about it, without given away vital plot details. Suffice to say I greatly enjoyed the piece and it has some spectacular Chiliean landscape scenery. 

I would say that the Russian film from last weekend 'Hard to be a God' (2013) did feel slightly more engrossing, though I would say that I had absolutely no idea what to expect of that film. I feel that I certainly did know what sort of work to expect this time round, though I don't feel that makes it any lesser a film. 

Rating: 10/10.      

Live Performance Review: Pokey LaFarge, Friday 09.10.2015 19:00, The Art School, Glasgow

This is the third time I have seen Pokey live and he never disappoints. Good-times inflected blues performed by musicians of a very high calaber. Pokey is a high-class showman and his band have presence and character as well. The audience were very enthusiastic, in fine voice having a good time. What more could you possibly ask for. 

I had the added joy of having my dad come along to a gig of my choosing and thoroughly enjoying himself. A special evening that will live with me.   

Rating: 10/10. 

Film Review: The Martian 2D (12A) (U.S.A. 2015) (Director: Ridley Scott), The Dominion, Screen One, Edinburgh, Sunday 04.10.2015, 17:00

This is the latest si-fi offering from Ridley Scott. When I was initially aware of it I was not keen from the information I had to go on. As the publicity crept-up I became more intrigued and had a mate ask if I was interested in seeing it, hence going yesterday. 

It was refreshing to have a space film that was not solely ponderously serious. I don't know enough of the science to know where all of the plot holes were. I understand that it is regarded to have made a good effort in regard to the science element, though there were still some aspects I could tell to be fairly ludicrous though they did not jar in terms of conveying the story. Visually it is very engaging and I found it to be an enjoyable watch, though I would not personally go as far as to suggest excellence. A good, fairly engaging watch which did not just feel like fluffy pop-corn. 

Rating: 08/10.       

Film Review: Hard to be a God (18) (Russia 2013) (Director: Aleksey German) (Russian with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Three, Edinburgh, Saturday 03.10.2015, 13:30

This is a film of epic proportions. From conception to completion the film took fifty years. The film is just shy of three hours though as with any very good film of epic length it is very well paced and never drags. The film essentially concerns a group of Russian scientists travelling to the planet Arkanar, which is still going through a period that we would understand as being medieval. The visitors are meant to be detached observers, though it's Hard to be a God...

The film starts on the alien world and has an unrelenting though steady momentum from start to finish. The films environment is stunningly realised and benefits greatly from the tactile black and white presentation. Most frames a crammed full of squalid, torturous, deformed and grotesque details, drenched in all manner of fluids. There have been entirely justified comparisons to the art of Hieronymus Bosch, and I think this is particularly apt when considering the Hell panel of his triptych 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' (1500). 

This is a film that rewards playing close attention, and it may be hard to follow if you don't. There are also parts of absurd humour which in ways reminded me of both the works of Monty Python, and Vivian Stanshall in the film version of 'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End' (1980). 

Some may find the film a bit grim, though the entire experience is so complete that it truly feels immersive. This is a film which will in no way appeal to a large audience, though there is no question that this is a cracking masterpiece.      

Rating: 10/10.   

Film Review: Mistress America (15), (U.S.A. 2015) (Director: Noah Baumbach), Tuesday 08.09.2013 14:30, Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh

This is a new film by the writer/director, Noah Baumbach, and star, Greta Gerwig, of the excellent 'Frances Ha' (2012). This is a subtle comedy of manners, where the main protagonist for most of the film appears to be a very unsubtle self-obsessed narcissist. The joy of the film is in the attention given to fine details that are brought to life by fine performances, particularly by Gerwig (Brooke), and Lola Kirke (Tracy) who is expected to become Brooke's sister via an up-coming marriage. 

I would say that the film is very good, though I still prefer 'Frances Ha'. The reasoning for this is very simple. Frances Ha's main character was an agendaless naive innocent who was just trying to find some semblance of a way to be. There was no bitterness, resentment, competitiveness or sense-of-entitlement which sadly dog a lot of Brook's actions and expressions. Obviously there is more to Brooke, and I would say that the reason I stuck with this fundamentally largely objectionable character was due to the quality of the portrayal. 

Although the film was very engaging, I cannot consider Brooke to be endearing in the way Frances was. That pretty much sums it up; two very good films, one has a central character who could be considered charming and the other has a central character who I would want to run away from. 

Rating: 09/10.         

Live Performance Review: Laura Marling, Saturday 05.09.2015 19:00, The Forum, Kentish Town, London

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. FOR REASONING AS TO WHY, SEE THE ENTRY FOR LAURA'S GLASGOW CONCERT ON 25.04.2015.

I indulged myself with the treat of going to this with the reasoning of it being a way of marking a major development in my life. 

This was a special one-off concert which is not part of the touring schedule for most recent album, 'Short Movie' (2015). Due to this I was expecting something a bit different and I was not disappointed. I was in the middle of the front row being treated to a selection drawing from all five of her albums, plus a cover of a Dolly Parton song. 

The performance also included a couple of songs I was keen to hear live though had not heard her perform before, namely 'Once' ('Once I Was An Eagle' 2013) and 'My Manic And I' ('Alas I Cannot Swim' 2008). She was also reworking older songs such as 'Devil's Spoke' ('I Speak Because I Can') in forms I had not heard before, though which worked well and had clearly been carefully considered. 

There was also older songs presented in familiar form such as 'Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)' & 'What He Wrote' (Both from 'I Speak Because I Can' 2010). From what I recall, these songs have been played at most of the performances I have seen her do. I know that 'Goodbye... is one of her favourites which I find very pleasing, though 'What He... is one of my favourites and always beautiful to hear. 

The crowd were crazily enthusiastic and parts of the concert were like a mass sing-along, which was lovely to be a part of. The venue was not particularly big, I would estimate about halfway between the size of the Picturehouse (which used to be in Lothian Road in Edinburgh) and the Academy in Glasgow. A good size of room for harnessing the enthusiasm of her devoted followers. 

So my favourite living musician has again put on a great show. That's now nine times I have seen her perform and I have never yet been disappointed. I now look forward with anticipation and intrigue for her next Long Player. Fabby. 

Film Review: 52 Tuesdays (15) (Australia 2013) (Director: Sophie Hyde), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Friday 21.08.2015, 20:15

This is by the same director who made 'Life in Movement' (2011), the excellent documentary about the choreographer Tanja Liedtue. Though I only became aware of this fact after I became interested in seeing this film due to it's personal relevance to my life. 

52 Tuesdays focuses upon a mother transitioning to be male and how this impacts on his teenage daughter. The title refers to their agreement to meet every Tuesday throughout the first year of the transition, while the daughter stays with her father. 

I will get my one tiny quibble out the way, it did feel ever so slightly long. Having said this I felt it was a beautifully acted, balanced and considered film. If people find it difficult to define what exploitative is, they should watch this and then consider what would be the polar opposite to it, and they would be on the money. I feel quite overwhelmed that there is such a positive though complex portrayal of this nature publicly available. 

I found the film very moving, though as I said at the start, I have to acknowledge how personal this is to me. Having said this, I would find it hard to imagine any decent person seeing this as anything other than a profoundly humane and engaging film. For the average punter I would still give this ten out of ten, though due to how affecting I found it, I don't feel I can give it a rating reflecting my feelings towards this. In a completely different way, I see this as being just as important a film as my favourite film of last year ('Ida' 2013). 

I'm sat feeling and thinking I should try to say more. I don't feel I really can without getting silly, I think this is more of a reflection of how positively affected I am by this. Thank you Sophie Hyde and everyone who worked on this.   

Film Review: The Diary of a Teenage Girl (18) (U.S.A. 2015) (Director: Marielle Heller), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Thursday 20.08.2015, 20:45

The film is set in 1976 San Francisco, a time oft referred to as sexually permissive. British actress Bel Powley plays the teenager of the title, Mini, who at the age of 15 is going through her period of sexual awakening. Kristen Wiig plays her hedonistic flake of a mother and Alexander Skarsgard plays her mother's highly dodgy boyfriend. 

I felt that the film did a good job of capturing the nievity and sweet innocence of a child at this stage of adolescence, without falling into the typical American trap of having to make it overly sweet and mawkishly sentimental. It was also refreshing in that the only character who appears to do any learning is Mini who appears to learn from her various experimenting (and to an extent betrayals) in terms of sex (with males and females) and drugs. By the end of the film Mini is more self-assured and is no longer desperately reliant upon the displays of interest from others. 

The film has some very frank and funny passages without becoming overly explicit. I don't really understand why this needed to have an 18 certificate, as I don't feel it contains anything that a 15 year old would not be able to handle, and there may even be some 15 year old's who would benefit from seeing this. 

A very enjoyable watch and recommended, particularly for the younger viewer. 

Rating: 08/10.  

Film Review: A Girl At My Door (18) (South Korea 2014) (Director: July Jung) (Korean with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Thursday 20.08.2015, 18:10

This is a rarity from South Korea, being a film by a female director that also contains elements about homosexuality. The film begins with  a female police chief arriving at a new post in a remote fishing village. The film contains themes regarding child abuse and how communities make allowances for this sort of thing, alcoholism and the manipulative prejudice directed towards someone for what could be seen as the merest public display of sexually transgressive behaviour. The film also has plot development hinge on the community assuming that if someone is homosexual then any interest they show in trying to assist someone who is younger than them and of the same sex must be sexually based. 

I felt that the film managed a very fine balance of these differing elements. I also felt that the film did a fine job of capturing the sorts of maladaptive behaviour that can be displayed by someone who has experienced verbal, physical and possibly sexual abuse for a very long time. 

The subject matters I felt to be sensitively handled and the film never veered into gratuitous sensationalising. The film also left me as a viewer with many elements to ponder. A fine piece of film making and highly recommended. 

Rating: 10/10.