Tuesday 9 June 2009

TV

Robin Hood
3x10 Bad Blood
A good idea for an episode, as much as anything for the change of pace, but it was seriously flawed by an overuse of cliches and thoroughly implausible plot twists, not to mention some dodgy dialogue and accents. Just to round it off, one also has to wonder if it was a tad too dark for the series' primary audience. Try harder next time, eh?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Insomnia (2002)
[#33 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Being the only Chris Nolan film I've not seen. It's on BBC One tomorrow night, so I aim to get a review up at 100 Films before then. We'll see...

Music

Battle For the Sun by Placebo
This is the first time I've consciously set out to buy the new Placebo album by pre-ordering it. Normally I wouldn't, but I'd bought their last two (respectively, a re-release of Sleeping With Ghosts bundled with a second disc of Covers in a sale, and a good deal on a +DVD version of Meds) and enjoyed them both much more than I'd actually expected to.
Sadly my faith was slightly misplaced as, on a first listen, Battle For the Sun is tracks that sound like Placebo-by-numbers and so didn't really grab me. There's nothing really wrong with them, but not a huge amount right either. For What It's Worth, The Never-Ending Why and Julien are worthwhile listens, as is the title track, but I'm not sure any will remain as memorable as The Bitter End, Every You Every Me, or even Meds.

Articles

Lots, again, but today it's all film news/views...

Boyle and Beaufoy Return to Mumbai by Owen Williams
(from Empire)
"Maximum City to be Slumdog 2?" Has potential: "The book actually features several stories, taking in gangsters, cops, right-wing Hindus, Bollywood and strippers, so it's possible a portmanteau approach could work, or even a sprawling multi-character narrative a la Magnolia or Robert Altman's Short Cuts."

Is Harvey Weinstein asking Tarantino to cut 40 minutes from Inglourious Basterds? by Russ Fischer
(from /film)
Though the Cannes reviews were variable, I do hope this isn't true. The article certainly implies it isn't, and has a couple of other interesting points on the Tarantino/Weinstein partnership.

James Cameron Goes Heavy Metal by Owen Williams
(from Empire)
A portmanteau movie directed by Cameron, David Fincher, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski and Kung Fu Panda's Mark Osborne? Please yes please.

The McTiernan Run by Chris Hewitt
(from the Empire Blog)
An interesting hypothesis, though, as many commenters point out, there are other more apt names for it.

Pixar Sequels Are Go! by Owen Williams
(from Empire)
Namely, Monsters, Inc. 2. So Pixar are making sequels to two of their weakest pictures? (The other being Cars.) At least it's not Another Bug's Life I guess.

Transformers: Bigger And Longer On Imax by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
Well that's lovely if you have a convenient IMAX. I don't.