Balance

Today is Good Friday. Next week it's Bad Friday.

That doesn't happen often.

Mark's mini movie review: The Hunger Games

Given the complete disdain for human life historically shown by governments and institutions sooner or later The Hunger Games will be a documentary. It is dark, but not dark enough, could have a sharper edge, but is well made and most entertaining. Whether or not the future will see some of America looking like The Grapes of Wrath and some of it spray painted by Gaultier on an acid trip remains to be seen. The potential self reflexive irony of The Hunger Games as the Hunger Games is in no certain way totally ignored. Then again, they did the same in The Running Man (but with Lycra)                       7/10

Mark's mini movie review: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D

In which it is proved that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear but you can polish a turd. The major faults remain, to my mind: the plot, the script, the under-use of and unnecessary termination of a cool bad guy (see also Boba Fett), and the age gap between Anakin and Padme which goes on to screw up episodes two and three. The action sequences, on the other hand, remain amazing and the pod race and space battles particularly look awesome in 3D. If you're asking why I bothered, you're wasting a perfectly decent question. Roll on Clones and Sith in 3D...                                             5/10

Mark's mini movie review: The Descendants

In which Alexander Payne reminds us that you can look like George Clooney and live in Hawaii but you'll still have to face death, deceit and decisions no matter what. Just not as well constructed. Save your two hours for when the crap really happens and watch something with explosions instead.   7/10

Mark's mini gig review: Jeff Mangum @ Union Chapel, 13/03/12

If Emo Philips had been eastern European and formed The Flaming Lips with half the crew they'd have been support act, The Music Tapes.
Jeff Mangum's voice rises and falls through a tumbling word stream like a penguin that's lost its footing on a particularly steep and slippery slope. His strumming arm remains conversely constant. The audience are so happy to see the Neutral Milk Hotel frontman at all they remain in rapt reverie and would ecstatically applaud his nosebleed. This is ok because he is geniously brilliant and worthy of such tonight. The tunes are acoustically beautiful. The bit at the end was wonderful.                       9/10