Banksy - Pulling the Wool Over Your Eyes

Banksy it seems, will always remain an enigma. No one knows his identity, and yet he is one of the most recognised artists in modern Britain, largely through his achievement of taking the reviled art of ‘graffiti’ and making it the now publically acceptable ‘street art’.

What’s the difference? Where do we draw the line?

In the film Exit Through the Gift Shop ‘directed’ by Banksy, what starts out as a film you expect to be about Banksy himself, turns out to be about another artist ‘Mr. Brainwash’ or (‘MBW’ for short) who attempts to follow in his footsteps and become a street artist himself.

Now we all know about Banksy’s pieces provoking thought and turning conceptions on its head - so what about this film? As well as the initial ‘trick’ of having the film be about another artist, the film throws up questions about the nature of ‘art’, the fashions it goes through, herd mentatility and how someone can (as MBW does in the film) go straight into the business end of it - seeing it more as a means to an end rather than the process?

Is the film itself a Banksy ‘piece’? Is MBW even real?

The flipside to Banksy’s shenanigans is presented in the Channel 4 documentary Graffiti Wars in which underground graffiti legend King Robbo talks about his long standing feud with Banksy after the alleged desecration of a 25 year old King Robbo piece – a severe faux pas in the writing scene.

Robbo laments how Banksy’s ideas are stolen from other artists, how his stencils are a too easy a method delivery and how his ‘street art’ is now recognised as 'legitimate' and protected in London whilst all other graffiti is painted over and erased.

This further fuels the debate of what is classed as art and what is not. What makes the leaders of the graffiti scene wallow in obscurity whilst Bansky has become a household name?

This kind of discussion would be better suited elsewhere so we wont be delving into it here, but it seems generally that people cannot agree on an objective answer.

And why should they? After all, it's subjective; some people just seem to feel the answer after looking at a piece as it creates a gut emotion within them.

Perhaps this is why Banksy can so easily continue to pull the wool over our eyes.


23 Aug 2011

Capturing the Emotion - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

(Spoiler Warning! If you don't want to know what happens, stop reading now!)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an awesome movie.

Sure, the technology for this kind of thing has been around for a few years now, but what elevates this beyond other CG heavy flicks is that the special effects are integrated so well on an emotional level.

Of course, watching the revolution of an army of ‘clever’ apes on the screen is great fun, but for me, the crux of the film hinges on the central character Caesar’s emotional state to explain why he acts the way he does and the path that ultimately leads to the apes taking over.

And he does this. Just through his physical acting and facial expressions.

Andy Serkis needs an oscar for this.

For those of you who don't know, Rise was filmed in a similar way to Avatar or the Uncharted games, where actors are mo-capped and facial performances recorded at the same time. So everything you see of Caesar in the film (bar the ridiculous ape stunts of course) is Andy Serkis’ performance – and in my opinion, this blows Gollum out the water.

As well as Lord of the Rings, Serkis played the title role in King Kong and Monkey in the game Enslaved (which you can read about here) which pretty much makes him the go-to guy when you want an ape in your film.

In fact, if you think about it, Rise couldn't be made (well) any other way. Humans acting as apes in prosthetics would be stiff and too rubbery (remember those unmoving lips from the original Planet of the Apes films?), real monkeys would be a nightmare to wrangle not to mention their inability to accurately act the emotions (which as previously mentioned makes this film so great).

The only other option is animated CG – but that alone wouldn't be enough, you need the human in there – the human side of Caesar as he grows in intelligence. The human side so we can relate to his emotional state and be with him on the journey he takes throughout he film.

Which makes the ‘No!!!!’ moment more shocking than ever – the entire audience literally gasped at the cinema where I saw it.

Other things I like about the film include sly nods to the other Apes films, such as news of a rocket going missing in space, the Orangutan character (Dr.Zaius, Dr. Zaius!), Caeser riding a horse, as well as that iconic ‘damn dirty ape!’ line popping up.

So although the action and the spectacle is enjoyable to watch (the police attempt to hold off the advancing apes on the Golden Gate bridge – duh, its only the world’s biggest climbing frame, what did they think was going to happen?), the emotional core and how it was brilliantly realised through motion capture proves to be the most arresting element of this film and allows it to rise above all others to be the best film of the summer.


23 Aug 2011

Introducing... Debian Blak

When I first listened to Debian Blak's music, it sounded like much of the dubby electronica that I used to listen to back in the day, but the more I listened and the more it started to seep into my subconscious, the more it became apparent to me: the production quality of Debian’s music is sublime.

For one, the sounds are layered so intricately, utilising synths as well as instruments and vocals - all combined together in an irresistible concoction that is presented in an understated way that belies its complex arrangement.

Most electronic/dance music is blighted by its repetitious nature and yet the way Debian layers his sounds and tweaks his samples or messes around with the percussion and vocals using glitching and scratching always keeps things fresh, making it more akin to painting on a canvas – you can hear the elements being introduced in each track gradually, and then you get to witness them blend together, creating a different picture entirely, often in the most unexpected ways.

Perhaps this understated build-up of each track giving way to its devilishly complex arrangement partly accounts for the album’s title A Hint of Menace.

Take, for example, the track Tantalise. Although it starts off with crisp dry beats, by the end of it you feel like you are standing drenched in a warm rainforest.

Anna Stott provides breathy guest vocals on Take Me On evoking a balearic ambience, whilst TISW (Today I Should Win) haunts with piano chords tinged with the slightest shades of sadness.

Every one of the six tracks on the album offers a different listening experience whilst still maintaining a definite Debian Blak stamp of identity - something that is no mean feat in this day and age of copycat cut and paste dance music.

So even if you don't really listen to this kind of music I urge you to go here to listen to or download Debian Blak’s new album for free - something chilled for you to listen to in the cool evenings of these dying embers of summer.

You can listen to any of the tracks and/or download them here. If you like it, spread the word and let your friends know – as I’m sure the uniquely talented Debian Blak is sure to blow up in the near future.

Besides, its free music… and you cant argue with that!


19 Aug 2011

Longplay

Nostalgic for the games of yesteryear?

But cant be bothered to dig up that dusty old console, faff around with emulators or just don't have the time and patience to play these old games?

Then there is the perfect solution for you… Longplay!

Youtube is gradually turning into an archive for anything and everything recordable, from music tracks, movie scenes and trailers to famous news footage… the list goes on.

And now there is Longplay – recordings of old games played through from start to finish for the enjoyment of the viewer. Differing from speedruns (where the player attempts to finish the game as fast as possible), Longplay simply plays through these games fairly normally, making it more relatable for anyone who grew up playing said game.

And what a nostalgic trip that can be for some gamers – for me its mainly the SNES era, but there is plenty of old stuff too such as Amiga and arcade game emulations for the older folk.

There is a huge collection here and nearly all video have the original music and sound effects as well as intros and ending – very thorough indeed!

Speaking of music, you also sometimes come across gems like this that you never knew existed (seriously, what rockin’ music!) just by checking out random games.

Due to certain account privileges, this channel can also host more recent and longer games –some videos being many hours long. That's right, hours!

Want to watch a playthrough of Final Fantasy VIII in its entirety? No problem! It’s insane!

Shorter games are not a problem but who has that much time just to sit and watch an RPG from beginning to end? I guess at the end of the day they are just there for reference/posterity’s sake.

For many, I guess it fulfils the need for someone to reminisce of the experience of playing a certain game from their past again without needing the commitment of time and effort to dig them up and play through again.

Alternatively you can go through a game you've never been able to finish before and get to see the final boss beaten and the ending or see what happens in a game that you always wished you played back in the day but never got round to.

Ah nostalgia!

Followed by….

Ooooooaahhhhh… SAVAGE!!


17 Aug 2011

Folding T-shirts The Japanese Way

There’s another way to fold t-shirts?!!

Yes folks there is, although apparently the most efficient way to pack is to roll everything up – but that's another story entirely.

Although this method of folding can be a little confusing at first, it is quick and efficient once mastered so let me outline it here for you.

This was first shown to me by my good friend Tom, but apparently this is how it’s done in Japan. Anyway, onto the instructions:


1. Lay the t-shirt down flat, with the front side up and turn it so that you are looking at it from the side.

2. Imagine a vertical line that cuts the t-shirt across the middle. You want to use the thumb and forefinger of your right hand to grab the t-shirt about three quarters of the way up this line. Lets call this point A.

3. Now with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand, you want to grab a spot parallel to point A at the top end of the t-shirt (so it should be near the collar area but slightly further up). Lets call this point B.

With us so far? Now comes the tricky part…

4. Point B passes over where you are holding point A, all the way over to the bottom end of the t-shirt. We will call this point C. (Note: all three points should be in a straight line).

5. Hold points B and C together and then pull point A through and out from the middle towards you. If done correctly (and with the use of gravity as you hold it out in front of you) the t-shirt should start to resemble a rectangular shape.

6. Lay the shirt down and fold it once in half towards you and you should end up with a perfectly folded t-shirt.


Confused? Well, screw it – just watch this video instead!



As anyone who knows me well can attest, I own a ridiculous and wholly impractical number of t-shirts. I do like to keep them neatly folded so this method has proved very useful to me.

Now, unless you haven’t already been fumbling along in an attempt to follow my inept instructions, go try it out now!


17 Aug 2011

Enslaved - The Epilogue

Before we start… SPOILER WARNING!

If you don't want to know what happens at the end of the PS3/Xbox360 game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West stop reading here.

If you don't plan on playing the game or have already finished it – read on!

So a brief outline of the game – set in a ravaged post apocalyptic world, the story is very loosely based on the Chinese folk tale Journey to the West.

So you have characters such as Tripitaka, Monkey and Pigsy represented in a reinterpreted human form (no Sandy unfortunately though) as they escape slave traders, battle vicious mechs and make their way across the wasteland. So far, pretty standard.

Now the Epilogue scene at the end of the game is where it gets interesting.

Having chased down ‘the slavers’ to their base Pyramid, Monkey and Trip are confronted with the truth – Pyramid is actually rescuing humans from the wasteland and plugging them into an artificial reality where they can live out their days as they did pre-apocalypse. The model for this reality is based on one man’s life experiences and memories (glimpsed as obscure flashbacks throughout Monkey’s journey) embodied here by Andy Serkis.

Although Serkis also plays the character of Monkey brilliantly, it is this performance of his as ‘Pyramid’ that surprised me. Although some have called out the live action footage as being jarring when mixed in with the in-game graphics, I think it works here as to me it represents the ideal, the perfection of memories of the past and how it compares now to the desolate future.

Furthermore, you can really feel the sadness in his voice, not just in terms of an artificial intelligence trying to preserve itself but with a real fondness for humanity that has been lost during the war and the humanity that will be lost if Monkey and Trip decide to destroy Pyramid as they had come here originally intending to do.

It all really boils down to the philosophical argument of whether you would prefer to live out a life of pain and suffering in a ‘true’ existence or be in a false reality where everything was perfectly preserved the way it used to be, an idea which has been explored repeatedly from Descartes to The Matrix.

This opens up more philosophical questions such as the nature of ‘truth’, whether or not Pyramid can be justified in acting for the greater good and with whom the choice ultimately lies.

Although this ‘Epilogue’ scene of Enslaved was a shock ending to the game for some, I consider it to be a bold move on behalf of the game developers. Brilliantly realised by Tameem Antoniades and writer Alex Garland, this downbeat ending leaves things open and makes you think – did they make the right choice? What is going to happen to all those slaves once they are freed? What is to become of Monkey and Trip?

Although well received critically, the game’s underwhelming sales means that a sequel is now unlikely. Besides, Ninja Theory, the Cambridge-based developer is now currently hard at work on developing the reboot of the Devil May Cry franchise.

You can watch the whole ‘Epilogue’ scene below.





17 Aug 2011

Film Roundup - July

Film Roundup time!

So we start this edition of the roundup with Insidious, a horror film from the creators of the original Saw, James Wan and Leigh Whannell. Whilst it does start in sufficiently creepy form with sudden loud scares and a few ‘did you see that?’ moments during the quiet build-up, the last half an hour or so seems fudged due to budget constraints and tying up loose ends. Still, if you like the haunted house movie genre then this is a worthwhile watch.

Zach Snyder’s Sucker Punch, with its over the top action scenes and sumptuous visuals – truly breathtaking on the big screen, but the effect is diminished somewhat on home viewing. Although I do like this film (the design and production is fantastic) the story holds up less well on repeat viewing- and the dramatic scenes seem to be put there to bolster the action sequences instead of the other way around as it should be.
Still, you can’t complain when the girls kick so much ass – even if it is all just make believe. Oh and not so much slow-mo next time, Zach!

What is it with Nicholas Cage’s bad hair in movies? Drive Angry is another such example – a film despite a nod to its grindhouse influences fails to fully satisfy. It does have two things going for it however, the insane hotness of Amber Heard and the ever-watchable William Fichtner clearly having more fun than anyone else in this movie.

Other quick stuff – Jason Statham returns in another generic contract killer flick The Mechanic, Colin Firth does a sweary Hugh Grant impression in The King’s Speech, Seth Rogen is a dick that you actually find funny simply for being a dick in The Green Hornet, the enticing combo of Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg unfortunately fall short of the mark in the disappointing Burke and Hare; and finally, Disney’s Tangled impresses in its entirety, with great CG animation whilst retaining its old school Disney charm.

That's it for this roundup – some films I have left out due to me wanting to write separate articles on them. Watch this space!


11 Aug 2011

Film Roundup - An Introduction

So a quick introduction to this section – which would be better to get it out of the way if I decide to make it a regular article.

This isn’t meant to be blanket coverage of recent films that have come out - or necessarily to review films (read Empire magazine for that or visit their website). Rather simply it is just to inform you of what I’ve been watching recently and a quick description of what the film entails. I may even give a recommendation at the end of the article of one film that you should watch out of all the films discussed – even though I hate telling people what they should and shouldn't watch. After all, everyone has different tastes.

Before we start, I would quickly like to mention that the films I mention are by no means exhaustive of what I have watched recently (I will be selective in what I write about) as otherwise I will literally be writing forever.

Also, I wont go too in-depth with each film – if I want to discuss it in more detail I will do so in its own article (for example with Limitless).

Finally, I am averse to ‘hating’ on things and so will not be unduly cussing things out – so if that's what you came here for, you are shit out of luck. It’s all love, baby!

I wont go too much into describing the synopsis of each film (unless the film itself is quite obscure) – but instead just a brief comment on each. You can click the title of each film to link to it on IMDB for more info or to watch trailers etc…

I may also link certain clips from youtube if there is something particularly of interest.

I will also endeavour to not include spoilers, however if I feel there may be one involved it will be clearly marked.

Anyway, on with the roundup – starting in the next post!


11 Aug 2011

Why I Love Films (the short version)

As you can probably guess, I watch a lot of films. And I mean A LOT.
Shockingly so.

I love stories. We all do. We as intelligent humans tell them to each other all the time every day, often without even being aware of it. They come in many shapes and forms, as an anecdote, a piece of advice offered, a journal entry, song lyrics, an excuse – stories are all around us – we ARE stories in ourselves.

But anyway, lets keep this light-hearted as I can ramble on way too long about such topics and the aim in this blog is to keep things short and deliciously sweet.

The reason I love films is, firstly, they have the ability to draw on huge canvases with world-class talent in every aspect involved (direction, acting, writing, cinematography, music) etc… in order to tell their story. Now obviously we are talking in generalities here as not all films are well-made, cohesive and polished products but the point I am getting at is that they have the potential.

This is because there is so much money involved in the movie business these days that the boundaries are constantly being pushed, both technically and artistically. Sure, people can argue at the sheer amount of dross being produced out there, but that's because more films are being made in general and for a wider audience. It's the law of averages.

The second main reason why I love films is to do with their length. Generally ranging from 90mins to 150mins, for me that gives adequate time to be long enough to tell a satisfying story and yet not too long so that you start to lose focus and interest. Long enough to get emotionally invested in the characters but not short enough so you don't feel like you are wasting your time in what is essentially a passive pastime.

I could spend more time comparing the merits of the film format against that of TV or books but really that would be starting to go off topic. Really, this was meant to be an introduction to my film roundup that is coming up to the next article.

So yeah – that was (very briefly) why I love films.


11 Aug 2011

Deadliest Warrior Update

An update on Deadliest Warrior then… didn't think I would be doing that so soon.

So I haven’t been watching it for a while, but recently I’ve started to watch a few episodes again to catch up. Some things have changed, others haven’t. But at the end of the day Deadliest Warrior is still one of the most ridiculous yet entertaining shows out there.

So yeah, pig carcasses are still getting hacked and gel torsos bludgeoned, but in two recent episodes I’ve seen, more modern killers have been pitted against each other – namely in ‘Mafia vs Yakuza’ and ‘Green Beret vs Spetznaz’ – which means the introduction of… guns!

So that switches up the game a bit in itself and seeing the killing power of guns used out there in the world today makes you feel slightly uneasy in a way that watching someone lob a ninja star does not.

Other things that have changed: the computer nerd Max Geiger is starting to come out of his shell a bit since the series started. He is getting a bit more input in contributing his advice and opinions as well as continually cheering and whooping like an adolescent boy when a bomb goes off. Actually, no wait - they all do that.

The fight reconstructions at the end are also getting more elaborate. Now whilst they still have to make sure they cycle through all of their weapons at some point in the fight, now they seem to include more story and setting; for example a Pirate finds a treasure chest of gold and has to protect it from a Knight; or they have scenarios of five-on-five squad brawls (in the episodes where lots of guns are used).

The macho boisterous smack talk continues – although I suspect the producers actively encourage it and edit the show to make it look more scathing. I wonder if a fight has ever broken out on set?

And now it seems all the more personal, as we get actual Mafia and Yakuza descendents and former Green Beret and Spetznaz special forces guys represent their respective sides – so I presume the smack talk for them would be much more personal.

As for the guessing game of who is going to win as each episode goes on? I’ve been mostly right so far but sometime I wonder if American’s bias comes through sometimes.

I’m only half way through the first season and there are three! It’s interesting enough but can I really sit through it all? Find out next time on… The Deadliest Warrior!


7 Aug 2011