I absolutely hate this film. I saw it with some girlfriends at the cinema and seemed to be the lone naysayer. I don’t hang out with those women anymore. Baz Luhrmann’s fin de siecle “spectacular” is like Cirque De Soleil for pre-teens who’ve never seen films-or the circus- before. It’s an absolute disaster.Worse yet, itContinue reading “Overrated Crap: Moulin Rouge!”
Tag Archives: Pop culture
Favourite Cover Versions: The Mike Flowers Pops- Wonderwall
Set the table for fifteen, get the bowls ready for the keys, tout de ruddy suite. Make sure the kids are safely ensconced with the neighbours across the road, chill the Blue Nun and get the Twiglets and cheese and pineapple on sticks onto the orange. We’re swinging tonight, like it’s 1969. The Mike FlowersContinue reading “Favourite Cover Versions: The Mike Flowers Pops- Wonderwall”
Keep It Live
There’s nothing like seeing artists playing live. The energy, that electricity that can’t be replicated elsewhere is one of my favourite experiences in life. New artists are passionate and give their all. At the moment, though, I’m recovering from hip replacement surgery, so unable to see music like I used to. This town has noContinue reading “Keep It Live”
After the BAFTAs
In a day where Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education promised in her keynote speech that children with special educational needs and those from impoverished backgrounds were going to get extra governmental support, I couldn’t help but sigh, swear and roll my eyes. Ill believe it when I see it. She spoke of herContinue reading “After the BAFTAs”
Documentary Review: The Myth of Marilyn Monroe
What an utter train wreck of a documentary, The Myth of Marilyn Monroe is. Directed by Oliver Elphick, it charts her rise and fall, with some historical context of America in the fifties, as opposed to telling her life story with any nuance. Instead, fairytale rags to riches clichés abound. The American Dream symbolismContinue reading “Documentary Review: The Myth of Marilyn Monroe”
Archive Review : The Punk Singer
Arts:Blog Cinema Review: The Punk Singer Posted by Across the Arts on March 4, 2014, at 8.20am “Girls to the Front!” Lorna Irvine reviews the celebration of music icon Kathleen Hanna. Once upon a time in the early nineties, long before Britney, Beyonce, Miley and Ri-Ri, Bikini Kill, along with Bratmobile, Huggy Bear, Die Cheerleader, Lois and Sleater Kinney, were part ofContinue reading “Archive Review : The Punk Singer”
Disney Villains
Ever since I was a child, I found Snow White and the like pretty insipid. They just seemed to waft around waiting for things to happen, they had little to no agency. Good girls and boys were boring. I liked the villains., or the creepy ones. Cruella DeVil is a style icon, albeit one thatContinue reading “Disney Villains”
Lost In Music: David Bowie – Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Remix)
This is a cut from The Next Day, a remix by James Murphy for DFA featuring the one and only Steve Reich, sampling his ‘Clapping Music’ and a soupcon of Bowie’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’. The clown is faded- the hat may be jaunty, but love is lost.It’s at once a jump forward and a lookContinue reading “Lost In Music: David Bowie – Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Remix)”
30 Years Of Baz Luhrmann’s “Star Cross’d Lovers”
As Valentine’s Day doth approacheth, I take a look at the enduring classic, as reimagined by Australian director Baz Luhrmann. I bloody HATED Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet when I first saw it at the cinema in 1996. I felt that transposing the Shakespeare classic to Venice Beach and bringing in nineties slackers in HawaiianContinue reading “30 Years Of Baz Luhrmann’s “Star Cross’d Lovers””
The Lolita Problem
Kidcore; Jenna Ortega as ‘Wednesday’, ‘St Trinians’, ‘Pretty Baby’, Jodie Foster in ‘Taxi Driver ‘, a young Britney Spears, Natalie Portman’s early roles, Kawaii, groupie tales, sexy young models, schoolgirl strippers, Page 3 and of course, the book from which the fetish arose- these are all massive cultural touchstones for many fans of pop culture.Continue reading “The Lolita Problem”