CAPTAIN America has forever had the viewpoint as being among the weakest superheroes in Marvel’s assembled superhero roster.
The other elements have the respective strengths, such as Iron Man’s
technological array, Hulk’s destructive power, and Thor’s god powers.
But the captain is essentially a standard soldier turned supermassive,
which is largely down to the steroid injected into him at his origin.
One elaborate reading into him is that the shield is an admission of
weakness – that he is significantly more vulnerable than his superhero
chums and is a weaker link, although as this film routinely says, he’s
not exactly easy to take down.
Although his origins film was of a so-so nature, the return outing of
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is also the main continuation of Marvel’s
ever-complex Avengers franchise for 2014, with this the last stop on the
way to next summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron – the second full-on
superhero bunfight.
To the credit of the Captain, his persona as a trusting man from the
1940′s with set ideals thrown into the power struggle of the 21st
century is an interesting concept. It could have been easy for this to
be a simple wham-bam adjustment to our times, and coming across 70 years
of technological innovation, popular culture evolution and changes to
general life.
But the political elements are not so much bought to the fore as the
key composition, and they’re played in a very interesting fashion. This
film oozes Machiavellian scheming from shady characters – a bit like
House of Cards with superheroes, which is fitting given Washington DC
serves as the film’s primary backdrop.
Rogers’ boss remains Avengers assembler Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson),
who is harbouring a barrel load of secrets just as SHIELD is getting
the green light for the launch of a huge defence initiative entitled
Operation: Insight. These are three giant plane-carrying warships, using
satellites to pre-emptively find and eliminate potential threats to
national security.
But Rogers is losing faith in the structure of SHIELD, after finding
fellow agent and Avenger Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) received
different orders on a mission in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The web of deceit goes further, with SHIELD head Alexander Pierce
(Robert Redford) unconvinced his former friend Fury is trustworthy
enough – not helped by Fury’s lack of trust in everyone and everything.
But things then fully begin to spiral out of control, leaving the
Captain and Romanoff together on the run from the authorities.
The movie begins to take a turn for trouble when the titular Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and his hordes make their appearance, with a mission to take Fury out moments after he attempts to postpone Operation: Insight.
After refusing to divulge information on Fury, the Captain is added to the list of "take-outs" by as-yet unknown baddies, although they probably should've known locking 25 people in a lift with him was going to end in him victorious.
The tightly-woven nature of the film oozes political riffs, musings on the jettisoning of personal freedom and good, functional uses for each of its main characters.
Used particularly well is first film scientist Armin Zola (Toby Jones), whose consciousness is stored on a vast array of vintage data banks. He truly spills out the long game of scheming for good, confirming Hydra was not quite dead and more preparing to assume absolute control.
The interesting notion is another thing that is not quite far away. Similar mediums like the upcoming video game Watchdogs have been exploring the notion that the excessive extent of technology's place in all our lives is now making it very easy for the bad guys to prepare a global takeover.
This scheming and intrigue functions well despite the fact a lot of the basic structure within the
movie conforms to cliche. There are a number of plot points – primarily
near the end – that conform to the expected nature of these things,
which seems to be standard issue for films of these nature. Some
particular points come across when the identity of the titular Winter
Soldier himself is revealed, and when the showdowns come along.
Naturally, as is the case, the final moments are a big showdown as Insight is preparing for its world-changing launch, with the film's final moments seeing burning ships and twisted metal fall from the DC sky as the Captain and the Winter Soldier have it out on the bow of a stricken and tumbling vessel.
This is an obvious niggle, but there is much to admire nevertheless.
Particularly adept is the various performances, with Jackson and
Johansson continuing the impressive performances they posted in during
the first Avengers movie. Also impressive is newcomer Anthony Mackie as
ex-military paratrooper Sam Wilson, who becomes a huge aid to the cause as the film progresses.
While some reviews said Captain America himself was outacted by Stan
Lee and by a portrait of Dominic Cooper, his performance is nevertheless
well functioning.
The Captain may still not be Marvel’s best superhero, but he and his
friends do deliver a compelling vision of entertainment that continues
the Marvel universe in a suitably grandiose fashion, and perhaps
providing the studio a new direction to go into.
There is certainly plenty to build upon, and not just with an intriguingly positioned mid-credit scene that includes a new HYDRA and some minor characters from the X-Men comic books that threaten to play a big part in Avengers 2.
But for the moment, all Marvel fans can do after seeing this is wait and see if this more mature step becomes the stride Avengers 2 walks in.
3.75/5
Friday, 28 March 2014
Thursday, 27 March 2014
NME Awards Tour at Brixton Academy - Live Review
These are puzzling times for NME, which is still capable of breaking new bands but is struggling with falling circulation.
Despite this circulation fall, people still have interest in what it has to say and what it has to put on. While it takes a while to fill, its a sell-out crowd in the Brixton Academy tonight, assembled to watch 3 new bands and one not so new band.
Traditionally, the opening slots have been a breeding ground for bands that have reached big status. The likes of The Vaccines, Florence and the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay have all gone from opening the tour to winding up with top 10 records, arena tours and the like.
Playing in the slot with the ghosts of the big names are a four-piece from Liverpool who, in the words of their frontman, have grown quite a bit from not existing this time last year.
Kicking-off proceedings were Circa Waves, who are an impressively calibrated group. With a set formed of very pleasantly heavy but poppy tunes, there is something decent stuff going on here. Some reviewers have compared it to vintage-Strokes, although there is the odd wiff of a Foo Fighters riff lurking around here as well.
Drummer Sian Plummer is particularly impressive, with some superbly crafted percussive links throughout a continuously high-tempo set.
Following them on are Brighton two-piece Royal Blood, who have grown in reputation since Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders wore one of their t-shirts at Glastonbury last summer.
Like the first act, there's a pleasant heaviness here, but its amplified significantly. The impressively channeled use of Michael Kerr's bass guitar to perform heavy guitar riff is a fantastically brutal mood that dictates the track. Combining with some battering drum parts and some huge choruses, its certainly a winning combination - not least for a crowd beginning to fill up and get rowdy.
It also provokes some of the evening's first mass singalongs, with new single Little Monster and the brute force of earlier tune Out of the Black inspiring the crowd to join in on vocals and engage in some spirited moshing.
Third on is a band already heralded as one of the best new acts of 2014. Temples have been widely cited as the best (or only) band to ever come from the Northamptonshire town of Kettering, while the likes of Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr are fans.
With a top 10 debut album and such famous followers, one would be expecting big things. But one would not be counting on their slot getting off to a flat start. The band seemed overawed by their surroundings, and the opening song goes by quickly in an anonymous blur.
The show does improve the further down the setlist the band go. Early single Keep in the Dark is an intriguing stumbly feel to the band's psychedelic outlook, as is the title track from debut record Sun Structures. By no means is a bad performance provided - and one that deserved more credit than the odd "That was shit" uttered by crowd members - but by the same token, it feels quiet and almost sonically overawed in comparison to the two bands that preceded them.
Headlining the evening, in a curious trick, are a band who were show openers way back in 2003. Interpol were largely seen as failing to top 2004's Antics, with the following two albums charting higher but lacking the tunes to make a lasting impression.
Rather than return with their own tiny venue shows, the New York four piece have opted to return to the public consciousness by taking up residency on NME's jaunt. Its an unusual process for the magazine, given the headline act is usually an act breaking through, like recent headliners Django Django and Two Door Cinema Club.
But the moment they stride on, they look and feel confident to own the space. After all, they have previously headlined concerts at the famous rock venue five times. They open confidently with the rush of debut album single Say Hello to the Angels, but its following song Evil - from Antics, no less - that gets the crowd really rocking into high gear.
The song is introduced by a prominent bass riff, but that song is one of the few occasions that touring bassist Brad Truax's instrument can be audible over the hubbub of his bandmates on the stage.
Nevertheless, there is plenty power to the Interpol tracks. Following the opening duo is the melancholic delights of C'mere, while the likes of The Heinrich Manuever, Narc and Not Even Jail are expert reminders of the band's classic back catalogue.
There are also three new songs dotted around. Each provides an interesting update on the vintage Interpol sound, with My Desire adding a funkier strut, and All The Rage Back Home sounding impressively jangly, even despite its bizarre and seemingly unnecessary restart.
The main set concludes with the faster PDA and Slow Hands, much to the delight of a boisterous and rowdy front few rows. But of course, its not the end, with the band returning for a three song encore that concludes abruptly with the doomy Obstacle 1.
The band are well orchestrated as ever, with Paul Banks' stern baritone and the bandy-legged Daniel Kessler's serrated guitar adding expertly crafted guile to fulfill a very impressive 90-odd minute set.
Its the conclusion to a good evening's entertainment, and certainly proves that despite the NME's perceived failings a a magazine, the brand name is certainly well-allied to some excellent concerts bringing to the fore some good new acts, and some old friends.
4/5
Despite this circulation fall, people still have interest in what it has to say and what it has to put on. While it takes a while to fill, its a sell-out crowd in the Brixton Academy tonight, assembled to watch 3 new bands and one not so new band.
Traditionally, the opening slots have been a breeding ground for bands that have reached big status. The likes of The Vaccines, Florence and the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay have all gone from opening the tour to winding up with top 10 records, arena tours and the like.
Playing in the slot with the ghosts of the big names are a four-piece from Liverpool who, in the words of their frontman, have grown quite a bit from not existing this time last year.
Kicking-off proceedings were Circa Waves, who are an impressively calibrated group. With a set formed of very pleasantly heavy but poppy tunes, there is something decent stuff going on here. Some reviewers have compared it to vintage-Strokes, although there is the odd wiff of a Foo Fighters riff lurking around here as well.
Drummer Sian Plummer is particularly impressive, with some superbly crafted percussive links throughout a continuously high-tempo set.
Following them on are Brighton two-piece Royal Blood, who have grown in reputation since Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders wore one of their t-shirts at Glastonbury last summer.
Like the first act, there's a pleasant heaviness here, but its amplified significantly. The impressively channeled use of Michael Kerr's bass guitar to perform heavy guitar riff is a fantastically brutal mood that dictates the track. Combining with some battering drum parts and some huge choruses, its certainly a winning combination - not least for a crowd beginning to fill up and get rowdy.
It also provokes some of the evening's first mass singalongs, with new single Little Monster and the brute force of earlier tune Out of the Black inspiring the crowd to join in on vocals and engage in some spirited moshing.
Third on is a band already heralded as one of the best new acts of 2014. Temples have been widely cited as the best (or only) band to ever come from the Northamptonshire town of Kettering, while the likes of Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr are fans.
With a top 10 debut album and such famous followers, one would be expecting big things. But one would not be counting on their slot getting off to a flat start. The band seemed overawed by their surroundings, and the opening song goes by quickly in an anonymous blur.
The show does improve the further down the setlist the band go. Early single Keep in the Dark is an intriguing stumbly feel to the band's psychedelic outlook, as is the title track from debut record Sun Structures. By no means is a bad performance provided - and one that deserved more credit than the odd "That was shit" uttered by crowd members - but by the same token, it feels quiet and almost sonically overawed in comparison to the two bands that preceded them.
Headlining the evening, in a curious trick, are a band who were show openers way back in 2003. Interpol were largely seen as failing to top 2004's Antics, with the following two albums charting higher but lacking the tunes to make a lasting impression.
Rather than return with their own tiny venue shows, the New York four piece have opted to return to the public consciousness by taking up residency on NME's jaunt. Its an unusual process for the magazine, given the headline act is usually an act breaking through, like recent headliners Django Django and Two Door Cinema Club.
But the moment they stride on, they look and feel confident to own the space. After all, they have previously headlined concerts at the famous rock venue five times. They open confidently with the rush of debut album single Say Hello to the Angels, but its following song Evil - from Antics, no less - that gets the crowd really rocking into high gear.
The song is introduced by a prominent bass riff, but that song is one of the few occasions that touring bassist Brad Truax's instrument can be audible over the hubbub of his bandmates on the stage.
Nevertheless, there is plenty power to the Interpol tracks. Following the opening duo is the melancholic delights of C'mere, while the likes of The Heinrich Manuever, Narc and Not Even Jail are expert reminders of the band's classic back catalogue.
There are also three new songs dotted around. Each provides an interesting update on the vintage Interpol sound, with My Desire adding a funkier strut, and All The Rage Back Home sounding impressively jangly, even despite its bizarre and seemingly unnecessary restart.
The main set concludes with the faster PDA and Slow Hands, much to the delight of a boisterous and rowdy front few rows. But of course, its not the end, with the band returning for a three song encore that concludes abruptly with the doomy Obstacle 1.
The band are well orchestrated as ever, with Paul Banks' stern baritone and the bandy-legged Daniel Kessler's serrated guitar adding expertly crafted guile to fulfill a very impressive 90-odd minute set.
Its the conclusion to a good evening's entertainment, and certainly proves that despite the NME's perceived failings a a magazine, the brand name is certainly well-allied to some excellent concerts bringing to the fore some good new acts, and some old friends.
4/5
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Need for Speed - Film Review
At some point recently, Hollywood film producers clearly decided the video game console was the latest thing to adapt into feature movies by the barrel load.
There have been a number of films based on video games, but most adaptations have not worked. Resident Evil is somehow still having movies made despite the films being almost universally unpopular, while Doom, Lara Croft, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Super Mario Brothers have all spawned films that tanked with critics.
Yet the next few years will see an explosion in titles. A number of adaptations are in the works, with Angry Birds, Rachet & Clank, Assassin's Creed, World of Warcraft, Mass Effect, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Shadow of the Colossus and the more recent Lara Croft and Mortal Kombat reboots are all set for cinematic releases in the next few years.
While a Grand Theft Auto game might be the crossover name, the two other main video driving games are set for adaptation. Gran Turismo has only just been greenlit, but trying to steal a charge on the use of video games to tap into the Fast and the Furious' stranglehold on car-action is the EA title Need for Speed.
Somehow the 6th installment of TF&F was one of 2013's highest grossing movies, so clearly the market is there. But transforming what is essentially a racing game into a 2hr10 movie is not going to be easy. Nevertheless, Dreamworks and EA decided to have a go anyway, with a plot centered around a former racer called Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), who is running a mechanics in upstate New York.
Very quickly, we're introduced to Marshall's gang of mechanics and machineheads, along with the racing and the financial perils they are in. This leads to a "deal with the devil", who here is Indy 500 racer and car upgrades mogul Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), who offers a vintage Ford Mustang that Carroll Shelby worked on just before his death.
With no cash, they get to work on the car, and successfully sell it for $2.7million with a 25% cut to Julia (Imogen Poots), who is working on behalf of a mystery billionaire. But Dino is still not happy and challenges Tobey and his sidekick Little Pete (Harrison Gilbertson) to a race for the money inside three imported Koenigseggs.
The film takes a turn for the tragic when Little Pete is crashed into by Dino, leading to the car flipping 12 times before going over a bridge, into a ravine and bursting into flames. Dino duly frames Tobey and he's chucked in jail for two years. Its a bold and slightly odd step to do this early on, not least given its only been a few months since the tragic and early death of Fast & Furious star Paul Walker, who died in a fiery car crash in Los Angeles just after Thanksgiving.
In the hands of a different script-writer, this plot point could have led to something like Breaking Bad on wheels. There were many times over the meth drama's run when Paul's character Jessie Pinkman lost someone that its a small wonder he wasn't mentally shot to pieces long before the end of the drama.
Instead, he gets out and, stone-cold serious, decides he wants to challenge Dino to a race. With Julia in tow, he borrows the vintage Mustang and goes for an epic drive from New York to San Francisco in 45 hours to register for a high-stakes car race organised by recluse DJ Monarch (Michael Keaton).
Along the way it takes in Detroit, Nebraska, the Grand Canyon and Bonneville Salt Flats, which clearly means someone is not reading the maps properly. It also takes in a variety of stunts, annoying other road users, hijacking helicopters, mid-road refuelling, an aerial stunt updating the famous ending to Thelma & Louise and eventually culminates in an angry exchange at a San Francisco hotel.
The journey plays like a po-faced update of how one might just play a regular game on one of the many dozen Need for Speed titles. Its unbreakingly, almost stiflingly, serious - almost enough to overlook potholes. For example, the breathless ease in which Tobey's air support Benny (Kid Cudi) is able to nick aerial vehicles is never fully explained, not to mention how quickly he appears to get from one place to another.
This is not the only plothole you could slide through. While we're led to believe the animosity is down to Dino being with Tobey's ex-girlfriend Anita (Dakota Johnson), the gap is never filled in, and the mutual hatred is never fully explained.
Dino is certainly given a very unsympathetic, almost loathsome appeal, but is also made to look incredibly stupid by keeping the evidence that implicates him in shortcut form on his work computer. It feels in many ways that his character required a lot more fleshing out.
Eventually, it winds up with the big race, but by then, a number of plot points have become eminently predictable. The race itself even has a predictable feel, almost as if you're just watching a big live-action remake of the game, or a version of Mario Kart where police carts have replaced banana peels.
That's not to say the plot is the mess everyone describes it as. The "revenge thriller" premise is a staple of expensive multiplex filler, and the motivation "he got away with killing my best friend" is as pure a motivational hatred as you can want. This motivation can certainly explain a number of absurd failings of reason by the main characters, even if it often struggles to convince as it continues.
In a way, the gaudy fun of a cross-country road trip and winning a dangerous car race is stifled by this serious cloak. It could just embrace its place as a showroom for expensive performance race cars, and it certainly does show off what car geeks will have paid their money to see - the likes of the Bugatti Veyron, the Lamborghini Aventador, and the aforementioned Mustangs and Koenigsegg's rushing around at miles per hour narrowly avoiding police cars and normal cars, and flying down turf.
But for those who fancy a bit more substance, its disappointing to see it believe its own substance too readily, and ends up going nowhere fast.
Its not a barren desert that many said it was. Aaron Paul's first major role after Breaking Bad does see him at least embrace a slightly less tormented existence, and he does do quite well with such meagre rations, while Imogen Poots certainly holds her own within such an orgy of testosterone and petrol fumes.
Much has also been made of its refusal to use CGI, with the cast all taking stunt driving lessons and dummy shells made of the real cars to do the explosions for real. Its certainly more authentic then all manner of random and pointless exploding cars that usually pad out these things.
But at the end of the day, this could have been one of two things - a film that finally shows its possible to add character, plot and something compelling to the macho automotive extravaganza film world, or a film that proves its possible to make a good solid movie out of the video game medium.
There were many possible turns on the highway towards its development, but it simply was content to be a midlane hogger. Its a surprisingly acceptable film but it could have been so much more.
2.5/5
There have been a number of films based on video games, but most adaptations have not worked. Resident Evil is somehow still having movies made despite the films being almost universally unpopular, while Doom, Lara Croft, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Super Mario Brothers have all spawned films that tanked with critics.
Yet the next few years will see an explosion in titles. A number of adaptations are in the works, with Angry Birds, Rachet & Clank, Assassin's Creed, World of Warcraft, Mass Effect, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Shadow of the Colossus and the more recent Lara Croft and Mortal Kombat reboots are all set for cinematic releases in the next few years.
While a Grand Theft Auto game might be the crossover name, the two other main video driving games are set for adaptation. Gran Turismo has only just been greenlit, but trying to steal a charge on the use of video games to tap into the Fast and the Furious' stranglehold on car-action is the EA title Need for Speed.
Somehow the 6th installment of TF&F was one of 2013's highest grossing movies, so clearly the market is there. But transforming what is essentially a racing game into a 2hr10 movie is not going to be easy. Nevertheless, Dreamworks and EA decided to have a go anyway, with a plot centered around a former racer called Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), who is running a mechanics in upstate New York.
Very quickly, we're introduced to Marshall's gang of mechanics and machineheads, along with the racing and the financial perils they are in. This leads to a "deal with the devil", who here is Indy 500 racer and car upgrades mogul Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), who offers a vintage Ford Mustang that Carroll Shelby worked on just before his death.
With no cash, they get to work on the car, and successfully sell it for $2.7million with a 25% cut to Julia (Imogen Poots), who is working on behalf of a mystery billionaire. But Dino is still not happy and challenges Tobey and his sidekick Little Pete (Harrison Gilbertson) to a race for the money inside three imported Koenigseggs.
The film takes a turn for the tragic when Little Pete is crashed into by Dino, leading to the car flipping 12 times before going over a bridge, into a ravine and bursting into flames. Dino duly frames Tobey and he's chucked in jail for two years. Its a bold and slightly odd step to do this early on, not least given its only been a few months since the tragic and early death of Fast & Furious star Paul Walker, who died in a fiery car crash in Los Angeles just after Thanksgiving.
In the hands of a different script-writer, this plot point could have led to something like Breaking Bad on wheels. There were many times over the meth drama's run when Paul's character Jessie Pinkman lost someone that its a small wonder he wasn't mentally shot to pieces long before the end of the drama.
Instead, he gets out and, stone-cold serious, decides he wants to challenge Dino to a race. With Julia in tow, he borrows the vintage Mustang and goes for an epic drive from New York to San Francisco in 45 hours to register for a high-stakes car race organised by recluse DJ Monarch (Michael Keaton).
Along the way it takes in Detroit, Nebraska, the Grand Canyon and Bonneville Salt Flats, which clearly means someone is not reading the maps properly. It also takes in a variety of stunts, annoying other road users, hijacking helicopters, mid-road refuelling, an aerial stunt updating the famous ending to Thelma & Louise and eventually culminates in an angry exchange at a San Francisco hotel.
The journey plays like a po-faced update of how one might just play a regular game on one of the many dozen Need for Speed titles. Its unbreakingly, almost stiflingly, serious - almost enough to overlook potholes. For example, the breathless ease in which Tobey's air support Benny (Kid Cudi) is able to nick aerial vehicles is never fully explained, not to mention how quickly he appears to get from one place to another.
This is not the only plothole you could slide through. While we're led to believe the animosity is down to Dino being with Tobey's ex-girlfriend Anita (Dakota Johnson), the gap is never filled in, and the mutual hatred is never fully explained.
Dino is certainly given a very unsympathetic, almost loathsome appeal, but is also made to look incredibly stupid by keeping the evidence that implicates him in shortcut form on his work computer. It feels in many ways that his character required a lot more fleshing out.
Eventually, it winds up with the big race, but by then, a number of plot points have become eminently predictable. The race itself even has a predictable feel, almost as if you're just watching a big live-action remake of the game, or a version of Mario Kart where police carts have replaced banana peels.
That's not to say the plot is the mess everyone describes it as. The "revenge thriller" premise is a staple of expensive multiplex filler, and the motivation "he got away with killing my best friend" is as pure a motivational hatred as you can want. This motivation can certainly explain a number of absurd failings of reason by the main characters, even if it often struggles to convince as it continues.
In a way, the gaudy fun of a cross-country road trip and winning a dangerous car race is stifled by this serious cloak. It could just embrace its place as a showroom for expensive performance race cars, and it certainly does show off what car geeks will have paid their money to see - the likes of the Bugatti Veyron, the Lamborghini Aventador, and the aforementioned Mustangs and Koenigsegg's rushing around at miles per hour narrowly avoiding police cars and normal cars, and flying down turf.
But for those who fancy a bit more substance, its disappointing to see it believe its own substance too readily, and ends up going nowhere fast.
Its not a barren desert that many said it was. Aaron Paul's first major role after Breaking Bad does see him at least embrace a slightly less tormented existence, and he does do quite well with such meagre rations, while Imogen Poots certainly holds her own within such an orgy of testosterone and petrol fumes.
Much has also been made of its refusal to use CGI, with the cast all taking stunt driving lessons and dummy shells made of the real cars to do the explosions for real. Its certainly more authentic then all manner of random and pointless exploding cars that usually pad out these things.
But at the end of the day, this could have been one of two things - a film that finally shows its possible to add character, plot and something compelling to the macho automotive extravaganza film world, or a film that proves its possible to make a good solid movie out of the video game medium.
There were many possible turns on the highway towards its development, but it simply was content to be a midlane hogger. Its a surprisingly acceptable film but it could have been so much more.
2.5/5
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Franz Ferdinand at The Roundhouse - Live Review
Its been ten years since Franz Ferdinand first burst into the pop-rock mainstream with possibly one of the best debut albums by any band.
Their self-titled first album was a fabulously cultivated series of dance rock anthems, with an number of jangly and gleeful but massive choruses even beyond the signature scrawl of Take Me Out.The album led to an Ivor Novello songwriting award and two Brit Awards. It was then followed up by a second album in 2005 and a major tour that included four sell-out nights to 8,000-a-time at Alexandra Palace and a headline performance at Reading Festival 2006.
Franz may not have followed fellow '06 headliners Muse and Pearl Jam into doing tunes in a stadium environment, but their music is certainly a beast that works as well - if not, better - in a gorgeous-looking & intimate room such as the historic Roundhouse.
Dressed in identical black, white and grey suits, the band kicked off the evening in surprise fashion, as drummer Paul Thomson walked on alone, before counting in and kicking off the intro snare rolls of new song Bullet. This was soon followed up by the appearance of the rest of the band appearing from behind video towers onto the stage.
Most acts nowadays perform with LCD and LED video screens that give the effect of being giant televisions, to the point where its now a bit perfunctory to see these. So some kudos has to go to the band for using the vintage high school projector, which displays a myriad of funky artistic imagery around and behind the four-piece. This had begun with a montage of airport departure windows, which had been booted up some 10 minutes before the band had even begun the gig.
After the opener, the band were back into the debut material - beginning with carefree anthem The Dark of the Matinee. It leads to a trade-off of sorts, with new songs like Evil Eye followed up by vintage classics like No You Girls and an extended rendition of Do You Want To.
New or old, the band and crowd were certainly enjoying themselves. Sweat was apparent on both sides of the crowd control barriers, with the crowd entering the dance-rock spirit with gusto. Meanwhile, singer Alex Kapranos looked to be having one hell of a time behind the microphone, energetically bouncing around the stage with a number of high-kicks.
There is certainly a fine interlocking music ship, with Bob Hardy and Thomson's rhythm section finely placed for Kapranos and guitarist/keyboardist Nick McCarthy to layer on a number of jangly guitar licks. Its also impressive how much energy flows through the show from the start, with Kapranos showing more energy than many bands half his age.
The energy does recede for the calm melancholy of new single Fresh Strawberries and classic ballad Walk Away, before restarting for the build-up tune Stand on the Horizon and a surprise I Feel Love-inspired remix of Can't Stop Feeling.
Bigger surprises follow, with an airing for vintage track Auf Achse followed quickly by a shortened version of electro-rock freakout Lucid Dreams. But they are both warmly received old friends, and set us up nicely for a big run of finishes. It starts off with Michael and then the pop-rock classic Take Me Out, which is very much the song that gets the room moshing like never before.
It leads nicely into a raucous rendition of Love Illumination, the demonic This Fire and a final run-through of Ulysses, which closed the bands last appearance here.
They're not done this time though, kicking straight back into things with the punchy and direct Right Action. Two older album cuts follow before a run-through of new album closer Goodbye Lovers and Friends seems to bring things towards the end.
"But what if this is not the end?" ponders Kapranos, before adding "Do you want one more?". An enthusiastic crowd agrees, and we're led straight into the delightful Outsiders. Its an impressive myriad of jangly styles led by the percussive snap of tambourine, and it ends with the classic dogpile around Thomson's drums, as the sound of percussion fills the room all the way to the nights conclusion.
Certainly, the band have proved that, for all the trials and tribulations they've encountered since reaching the rock n roll big time, the band are still an impressive live force and capable of delivering a fantastic night out for all.
4.5/5
Supporting the band were underground troupe Mazes, whose singer said his previous time seeing Franz Ferdinand came 10 years or so back when the band were opening for Belle and Sebastian. While Mazes somehow managed to five songs before someone remembered to switch on their snare drum microphone, the band certainly improved from unsubtle beginnings to an impressive conclusion.
Their self-titled first album was a fabulously cultivated series of dance rock anthems, with an number of jangly and gleeful but massive choruses even beyond the signature scrawl of Take Me Out.The album led to an Ivor Novello songwriting award and two Brit Awards. It was then followed up by a second album in 2005 and a major tour that included four sell-out nights to 8,000-a-time at Alexandra Palace and a headline performance at Reading Festival 2006.
Franz may not have followed fellow '06 headliners Muse and Pearl Jam into doing tunes in a stadium environment, but their music is certainly a beast that works as well - if not, better - in a gorgeous-looking & intimate room such as the historic Roundhouse.
Dressed in identical black, white and grey suits, the band kicked off the evening in surprise fashion, as drummer Paul Thomson walked on alone, before counting in and kicking off the intro snare rolls of new song Bullet. This was soon followed up by the appearance of the rest of the band appearing from behind video towers onto the stage.
Most acts nowadays perform with LCD and LED video screens that give the effect of being giant televisions, to the point where its now a bit perfunctory to see these. So some kudos has to go to the band for using the vintage high school projector, which displays a myriad of funky artistic imagery around and behind the four-piece. This had begun with a montage of airport departure windows, which had been booted up some 10 minutes before the band had even begun the gig.
After the opener, the band were back into the debut material - beginning with carefree anthem The Dark of the Matinee. It leads to a trade-off of sorts, with new songs like Evil Eye followed up by vintage classics like No You Girls and an extended rendition of Do You Want To.
New or old, the band and crowd were certainly enjoying themselves. Sweat was apparent on both sides of the crowd control barriers, with the crowd entering the dance-rock spirit with gusto. Meanwhile, singer Alex Kapranos looked to be having one hell of a time behind the microphone, energetically bouncing around the stage with a number of high-kicks.
There is certainly a fine interlocking music ship, with Bob Hardy and Thomson's rhythm section finely placed for Kapranos and guitarist/keyboardist Nick McCarthy to layer on a number of jangly guitar licks. Its also impressive how much energy flows through the show from the start, with Kapranos showing more energy than many bands half his age.
The energy does recede for the calm melancholy of new single Fresh Strawberries and classic ballad Walk Away, before restarting for the build-up tune Stand on the Horizon and a surprise I Feel Love-inspired remix of Can't Stop Feeling.
Bigger surprises follow, with an airing for vintage track Auf Achse followed quickly by a shortened version of electro-rock freakout Lucid Dreams. But they are both warmly received old friends, and set us up nicely for a big run of finishes. It starts off with Michael and then the pop-rock classic Take Me Out, which is very much the song that gets the room moshing like never before.
It leads nicely into a raucous rendition of Love Illumination, the demonic This Fire and a final run-through of Ulysses, which closed the bands last appearance here.
They're not done this time though, kicking straight back into things with the punchy and direct Right Action. Two older album cuts follow before a run-through of new album closer Goodbye Lovers and Friends seems to bring things towards the end.
"But what if this is not the end?" ponders Kapranos, before adding "Do you want one more?". An enthusiastic crowd agrees, and we're led straight into the delightful Outsiders. Its an impressive myriad of jangly styles led by the percussive snap of tambourine, and it ends with the classic dogpile around Thomson's drums, as the sound of percussion fills the room all the way to the nights conclusion.
Certainly, the band have proved that, for all the trials and tribulations they've encountered since reaching the rock n roll big time, the band are still an impressive live force and capable of delivering a fantastic night out for all.
4.5/5
Supporting the band were underground troupe Mazes, whose singer said his previous time seeing Franz Ferdinand came 10 years or so back when the band were opening for Belle and Sebastian. While Mazes somehow managed to five songs before someone remembered to switch on their snare drum microphone, the band certainly improved from unsubtle beginnings to an impressive conclusion.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
The Lego Movie - Film Review
There has always been a love from people for a certain well-known brand of little Danish plastic bricks.
Lego has grown into a well-loved toy brand, and even among adults still has a certain wistful feeling looking back. Its still an entertainment Goliath with many different toy ranges and licensing deals with famous film franchises, spawned many computer games and .
Even so, the idea of a movie based on Lego does seem faintly ridiculous at face value. While kids may have spent many hours playing with the items and assembling the more-recent and more-ambitious Lego kits (personally I enjoyed the Bionicle toys when I was young), it seems faintly odd that these little plastic bricks could be the premise for a movie.
The hope of the film's success had been pinned down to a surprisingly impressive cast roster, which includes a number of bankable film stars playing supporting roles, and that kiddie-nostalgia feel.
There is certainly plenty of intrigue to the way it runs, plus plenty of films it liberally runs similar. Opening the film is a scene similar to the opening of Avengers Assemble where evil guy Lord Business (Will Ferrell) steals a fabled weapon called the Kragle but is warned of a prophecy to stop him by the wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman).
But it then leads into something almost from a pop montage, all set to a bubblegum pop track called Everything Is Awesome. The song is so sweet and sugary its enough to feel like an overdose of pick n mix.
The montage introduces us to principal character Emmett (Chris Pratt), who is an ordinary construction worker in the capital city of the Lego World. His pleasures even include living life by the instruction manual, drinking overpriced coffees, watching derivative slapstick and loving pop songs on loop - almost a satirical version of contemporary society.
Things begin to turn when he is the last one to leave his construction site job and runs into Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who is a "Master Builder". Emmett tries to meet her but falls through a hole in the world, suffers hallucinations and eventually winds up discovering a fabled artifact called The Piece of Resistance, which bonds itself to him.
He is subject to heavy questioning by split personality Bad Cop (Liam Neeson), who spoils the fact that Lord Business is about to use the Kragle - a tube of glue - to destroy the Lego World as they know it. But Wyldstyle is able to help him escape first the prison, then rows upon rows of cops, and then the city itself - moving to a distinct and different realm.
In this new world based on the Old West, Wyldstyle and Vitruvius explain the world has been divided into separate realms by the evil Lord Business, who is planning to use the Kragle to permanently preserve the world in perfect shape.
Emmett attempts to convince them of special powers, but he is heroically weak. This is before Bad Cop - now just Bad Cop, after his Good Cop persona was erased - to him. But just as all seems doomed and their about to be eaten by Crocodile Cops, they are saved by Wyldstyle's boyfriend, who just happens to be Batman (Will Arnett).
The central axis of characters has certainly created a good story arc out of it, with a number of good gags, and a well-formulated (if formulaic) storyline.
Filmed from a mish-mash of the actual bricks and CGI, the cinematography of this film is vastly superior to a number of recent animated movies. Its a very good looking film, and there are plenty of good jokes peppered throughout the movie.
But there are a number of frustrating touches is the way it wastes some of its sight gags. There was impressive scope for references to the Star Wars characters, which appeared midway through. It also underplays the relationship between Superman (Channing Tatum) and Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), which is consistently amusing on its rare forays, while Wonder Woman (Cobie Smulders), Gandalf (Todd Hansen) and Dumbledore are among characters underused.
This wealth of characters appears in a lurid neon land where the Master Builders reside, and where Emmet is expected to have the plan to help defeat Lord Business in his evil plan. But Emmet deflates the builders, before its revealed a tracking device fitted to him led the police to their hideout, with the cops promptly destroying it.
The plot fizzes and rushes in a lurid neon hue, but it almost suits the film's aesthetic to do so, and the central "stop the bad guy" plot does not feel rushed, even if more time could be spent setting up the final assault.
Its there where things get interesting, and where we really reach the interesting moments just as all hope has truly seemed lost. Possibly the best sequences of the film come as a little kid called Finn (Jadon Sand) and The Man Upstairs (Ferrell) appear in a live-action sequence that almost recalls the scenes from Toy Story, and adds a new text.
These sequences are the best-paced and best portions of this film.
This is a very odd piece of film. The plot, for what it is, moves very nicely and there are plenty of amusing gags and interesting points raised. Yet at the same time, it waited too long to deploy its most moving and what could've been its most amusing part, while wasting a number of impressive actors and potentially great setpieces.
Its still a good movie. Its just not the movie it could've been.
3.5/5
Lego has grown into a well-loved toy brand, and even among adults still has a certain wistful feeling looking back. Its still an entertainment Goliath with many different toy ranges and licensing deals with famous film franchises, spawned many computer games and .
Even so, the idea of a movie based on Lego does seem faintly ridiculous at face value. While kids may have spent many hours playing with the items and assembling the more-recent and more-ambitious Lego kits (personally I enjoyed the Bionicle toys when I was young), it seems faintly odd that these little plastic bricks could be the premise for a movie.
The hope of the film's success had been pinned down to a surprisingly impressive cast roster, which includes a number of bankable film stars playing supporting roles, and that kiddie-nostalgia feel.
There is certainly plenty of intrigue to the way it runs, plus plenty of films it liberally runs similar. Opening the film is a scene similar to the opening of Avengers Assemble where evil guy Lord Business (Will Ferrell) steals a fabled weapon called the Kragle but is warned of a prophecy to stop him by the wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman).
But it then leads into something almost from a pop montage, all set to a bubblegum pop track called Everything Is Awesome. The song is so sweet and sugary its enough to feel like an overdose of pick n mix.
The montage introduces us to principal character Emmett (Chris Pratt), who is an ordinary construction worker in the capital city of the Lego World. His pleasures even include living life by the instruction manual, drinking overpriced coffees, watching derivative slapstick and loving pop songs on loop - almost a satirical version of contemporary society.
Things begin to turn when he is the last one to leave his construction site job and runs into Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who is a "Master Builder". Emmett tries to meet her but falls through a hole in the world, suffers hallucinations and eventually winds up discovering a fabled artifact called The Piece of Resistance, which bonds itself to him.
He is subject to heavy questioning by split personality Bad Cop (Liam Neeson), who spoils the fact that Lord Business is about to use the Kragle - a tube of glue - to destroy the Lego World as they know it. But Wyldstyle is able to help him escape first the prison, then rows upon rows of cops, and then the city itself - moving to a distinct and different realm.
In this new world based on the Old West, Wyldstyle and Vitruvius explain the world has been divided into separate realms by the evil Lord Business, who is planning to use the Kragle to permanently preserve the world in perfect shape.
Emmett attempts to convince them of special powers, but he is heroically weak. This is before Bad Cop - now just Bad Cop, after his Good Cop persona was erased - to him. But just as all seems doomed and their about to be eaten by Crocodile Cops, they are saved by Wyldstyle's boyfriend, who just happens to be Batman (Will Arnett).
The central axis of characters has certainly created a good story arc out of it, with a number of good gags, and a well-formulated (if formulaic) storyline.
Filmed from a mish-mash of the actual bricks and CGI, the cinematography of this film is vastly superior to a number of recent animated movies. Its a very good looking film, and there are plenty of good jokes peppered throughout the movie.
But there are a number of frustrating touches is the way it wastes some of its sight gags. There was impressive scope for references to the Star Wars characters, which appeared midway through. It also underplays the relationship between Superman (Channing Tatum) and Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), which is consistently amusing on its rare forays, while Wonder Woman (Cobie Smulders), Gandalf (Todd Hansen) and Dumbledore are among characters underused.
This wealth of characters appears in a lurid neon land where the Master Builders reside, and where Emmet is expected to have the plan to help defeat Lord Business in his evil plan. But Emmet deflates the builders, before its revealed a tracking device fitted to him led the police to their hideout, with the cops promptly destroying it.
The plot fizzes and rushes in a lurid neon hue, but it almost suits the film's aesthetic to do so, and the central "stop the bad guy" plot does not feel rushed, even if more time could be spent setting up the final assault.
Its there where things get interesting, and where we really reach the interesting moments just as all hope has truly seemed lost. Possibly the best sequences of the film come as a little kid called Finn (Jadon Sand) and The Man Upstairs (Ferrell) appear in a live-action sequence that almost recalls the scenes from Toy Story, and adds a new text.
These sequences are the best-paced and best portions of this film.
This is a very odd piece of film. The plot, for what it is, moves very nicely and there are plenty of amusing gags and interesting points raised. Yet at the same time, it waited too long to deploy its most moving and what could've been its most amusing part, while wasting a number of impressive actors and potentially great setpieces.
Its still a good movie. Its just not the movie it could've been.
3.5/5
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