Film Review: A Complete Unknown

Another year, another music biopic about a problematic genius. James Mangold has of course got previous with Walk The Line. A Complete Unknown isn’t much of a departure from the Johnny Cash film, as it’s also a good character study. Here, the truculent rebel is one Bob Dylan, right at the start of his career.Continue reading “Film Review: A Complete Unknown”

We Need To Talk About Lisa

I watched Girl, Interrupted for about the fifth time the other evening, having seen Leah Shelton’s brilliant show Batshit. (My review of it is up on Fest magazine). I was wondering if it still held up, having not watched for a while. It’s good, if flawed : James Mangold directs brilliantly, but the narration andContinue reading “We Need To Talk About Lisa”

Film Review: Jonathan Miller’s Alice in Wonderland

One of the finest adaptations of the Lewis Carroll classic, Jonathan Miller’s Alice In Wonderland is singular, surreal and beautiful. A psychedelic phantasmagoria, this Alice feels like the epitome of sixties counterculture, evoking early Pink Floyd, Timothy Leary and Granny Takes A Trip vintage clothing. It’s all reinforced by Ravi Shankar’s lovely score, and theContinue reading “Film Review: Jonathan Miller’s Alice in Wonderland”

Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk

Running the gamut of genres- from Delta blues to experimental psych- the magnificent debut album from Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band is all about the inimitable singer songwriter and musical fruitloop, aka Don Van Vliet, finding his feet after an attempt at popularity with the swampy hit, the cover of Bo Diddley’s Diddy WahContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk”

Lost In Music: Screaming Lord Sutch- Jack The Ripper

Here’s a ghoulish garage rock classic to make you shake yr bones. Ivy and Lux were fans, so was Nick Cave and Jack White, and The Horrors have included it in their club nights,so you know it’s a winner. David Edward Sutch aka Screaming Lord Sutch, was doing the shock rock thing long before AliceContinue reading “Lost In Music: Screaming Lord Sutch- Jack The Ripper”

Preview: Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Few designers epitomised the spirit of the sixties like Dame Mary Quant. The iconic British fashion designer, who passed away last month aged 93, heralded a new freedom from the stultifying previous generation, representing the UK as the new leaders of fashion. Her work was exciting, colourful, bold and youthful, symbolic of the young personContinue reading “Preview: Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow”

Why Midnight Cowboy Remains Relevant

It may be nigh-on impossible to watch any Dustin Hoffman these days without hearing Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon parodying his nasal New York accent, but I watched John Schlesinger’s classic Midnight Cowboy the other night and it still remains an astute metaphor for the mess America is in, now as then. Joe Buck (JonContinue reading “Why Midnight Cowboy Remains Relevant”