Artivist
Film Festival
where the artist meets the activist
Artivist
Film Festival, the first international film festival
dedicated to raising awareness for Humanity; Animals;
and the Environment, came to London for 48 hours. Films
with subject matters ranging from asylum seekers to polar
bears, were shown and discussed at The Shaw Theatre.
The festival itself is in its seventh year and has showcased
over 400 films, some of which like Fast Food Nation
have gone on to play for large international audiences.
LLHG went
along for the opening night and attended the screenings
of Out of Sight, Out of Mind and Children
of War. Both docs focused on human rights issues,
with Out of Sight, Out of Mind following three
asylum seeking mothers in the UK and Children of War
dealing with former Ugandan child soldiers. Needless to
say, both subject-matters are important and deserving
of attention and the films themselves offer a good, contemporary
portrayal of these issues.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind has lots of human warmth
to it and the sense of the film makers genuinely caring
about their subjects is at its core. The three women portrayed
in it, all have incredibly moving stories to share and
their presence alone is powerful enough reminder of the
flaws in the system. However, the short format along with
the repetitiveness in narration, made it difficult to
see these stories in a greater context. What do these
women want from their lives on a long-term basis? What
are their future plans? All we knew was the women were
struggling and finding the wait unbearable. Groundbreaking
conclusion? Perhaps not. Important message? Definitely.
Children of War offered its audience more to
think about, and told a number of stories of former child
soldiers and the internal struggles they have to face
during the rehabilitation process at a children’s
centre. Issues like sexual abuse, religion, love of ones
country were all touched upon and combined with the beautiful
cinematography it was difficult not to be moved; even
more difficult not to think beyond the film and impossible
not to wonder what a long term solution could be.
There’s no doubt that Artivist is an important festival
and one would hope that in time, it will expand in size
and draw in bigger crowds in the UK. (not enough folks
attending if you ask me.) Its subject matters aside, one
of the best points about Artivist is the fact that it
showcases films of varying level of technical and artistic
sophistication, making it come across like there is a
forum for the smallest of the indies to make themselves
heard.
Definitely worth a second visit. Please check it out for
yourselves!
www.artivists.org
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crappy photo i'm trying to pass off
as 'artistic'
Liam
Frost
@ The Lexington
February 22nd, 2010
The
beginning is always a good place to start, and I can’t
write this article without mentioning the first opening
act of the evening – Among The Oak And The
Ash… or ATO&A which
is still rather cumbersome, but quicker to type and shall
therefore be how I refer to them from now on. (Even though
writing that explanation was probably a higher word count
than the one other time I’m going to mention their
name in this article).
So…..
ATO&A are a Country/Folk/Americana band from.. well…
America. Consisting of two lead singers, one of each gender,
this was a very riveting band. Especially during lady
singer’s solo tune. We felt transported to a different
era with their western tunes and Nashville inspired vocals.
Shame Liam didn’t follow on from them and ride the
high, as what happened next kind of ruined the evening
for us.
Jose Vanders. That’s pronounced
Joce with a soft C and not like Spanish
José as she repeatedly reminded us. At
first it was ok… she was quirky, young, cute, fresh,
pretty voice, but oh my goodness she just did not stop.
It was like watching Kate Gash
Nash only younger and ditzier if poss. She was sweet,
but wow, she was naïve with some very bizarre comments
that contained some incorrect geographical/historical
facts. Quite a shame over all. By the time Liam came on
stage, the soul had been sucked out of us.
We were already a bit under the weather (I blame the poor
service the NHS has been giving me lately… including
giving me a penicillin related drug they PROMISED wasn’t
THAT closely related to penicillin…. Um.. SERIOUS
ALLERGY PEOPLE), sorry… RANT! Anyway, we were crashing
hard before Liam took the stage and could only last for
a few songs as the melancholy of it was a bit too much
for us in our fragile states. What we did see, we liked.
Liam’s got a very beautiful voice with some quite
heavy and powerful material. The audience was silently
gripped as he made his way through his setlist. One thing
that I found quite striking, not being overly familiar
with Liam’s songs, is that his singing voice has
a very thick Mancunian accent to it, heightened further
by the audience’s hushed silence as they intently
listened to and watched his performance.
A shame we’re a pair of grannies (sorry Marko, but
we ARE), would like to have stayed to enjoy the silence.
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Michael Jackson’s
THIS IS IT
Out on DVD & Blu-Ray
February 22
You’d
have to have been in a pretty deep coma for the past 40
years to not know Michael Jackson and his music. What’s
beautiful about MJ is that he had the widest reach of
any modern artist. He broke genre barriers to reach across
to fans that are interested in Indie, Folk, Urban, Pop,
Punk; he has influenced everyone. He is the King of Pop.
And even after his passing, he is still the reigning King
of Pop and I can’t foresee anyone taking his place
for a long long time.
THIS IS IT, the documentary of the preparation for his
comeback staging of the same name hammers home this point.
It is obvious from the rehearsal footage, planning talks
and all the extra DVD special features that this would
have been the greatest live show to have ever been staged.
Combining 3D, world class dancing, visual effects, wardrobe,
and Michael’s music and voice, this would have been
hard to top.
What’s really heartbreaking about Michael’s
death is that his fans never got to see this show. Instead
of THIS IS IT being a great alternative to that, it actually
leaves a bigger void as the fans can now see exactly how
amazing this spectacle would have been and it hurts to
think that Michael’s vision will never be realized
for us to witness.
The film starts last April with the show’s very
emotional dancers being interviewed about what it means
to them to be in MJ’s comeback show. Then BAM. The
pyro, the cinematic visuals, “lightman” crazy
robotic suit, and there is MJ slowly revealed behind the
costume. AGH! Cue screaming fans (if this weren’t
just the rehearsal).
Unlike Whitney Houston’s crack-induced-vocal comeback
recently, it looked like Michael Jackson’s talent
was still intact. His vocals were spellbinding. His moves
were a bit stiffer and robotic than we’ll remember,
but the man was 50 years old and still in progress of
training to get back in top form! Oh yeah.. and a total
drug addict… So considering all that and the still
awesome dance moves he was showing, older MJ can still
dance the sequins socks off of most people half his age!
Lots of HEE HEEs, lots of OWs, and a select few HOOOOOOs….
this was ALL Michael Jackson. Against popular belief,
the man was not incoherent, unintelligible or erratic.
He had FULL creative control, even with show director
Kenny Ortega by his side. It was the Michael Jackson show.
He was a man who knew what he wanted and a man in charge.
This was his creative vision and he was an artistic genius.
THIS IS IT blatantly showed that it was not only his children
that he lived for, but his music. In the DVD’s special
features, his acquaintances often said that the reason
Michael chose this specific time for his comeback tour
was because he was only 50 so still young enough to do
what he does, but his kids were old enough to appreciate
it. He appeared to have so much passion for the art that
he loved. He was laughing, joking, dancing, singing, directing,
choreographing all on great form.
The show itself was going to be the greatest live show
to date. What made it so was the innovative approach Michael
wanted to take with the creative direction. First of all,
the visuals. A number of short films were shot to enhance
the stage antics. Including the use of 3D. Thriller was
to be a full 3D film that converged to the live stage
action, combined with ghostly puppets that were to wander
the aisles in the audience. Awesome. Also for Smooth Criminal,
Michael shot loads of footage of himself inserted into
old classic gangster films with some of Hollywood’s
greats. Classic late 80’s style MJ.
The costumes were also key. The backup dancers had an
array of great duds. Especially all the silly Thriller
zombie outfits. But that aside, the special features section
had “The Gloved One” which was all about MJ’s
costumes that he was going to wear. A lot of the outfits
were reminiscent of classic MJ outfits like the red Thriller
jacket, the black-sequined Billy Jean jacket (apparently
he originally stole it out of his mum Katherine’s
wardrobe??) and some newer outfits based on his military
style, and encompassing his love of Swarovski crystals.
To the max.
One of the coolest costume ideas was for Billy Jean actually.
Not just the homage to the classic black sequined jacket,
but fashion designer Zaldy was working with Phillips’
light technology to recreate the classic Billy Jean video
sidewalk lighting up, but on Michael’s wardrobe
instead. SO COOL!
What’s a Michael Jackson show without world class
dancing! Michael held auditions with the best dancers
from all over the globe and had a personal hand in choosing
the best to join him onstage. Amazing. What enhanced the
dancing further was the classic Sound Effects that accompanied
some key moves. Think back to the BAD video with all those
WHOOSH sounds. ACE!
The voice. Michael’s voice. There has never been
one like it. There were key moments in the set list that
accounted for this and let Michael’s voice alone
be the focus. These moments were beautiful. Even his colleagues
were enamoured with his talent. The dancers would always
be in the audience watching him up close when they got
a break from the stage. The girl singing I Just Can’t
Stop Loving You as a duet with Michael, obviously was
in awe of him and looked like she was hypnotized by his
vocals by the end of the song.
Man in the Mirror was the finale. The film ends on a freeze
frame captioned “Michael Jackson King Of Pop Love
Lives Forever”. Roll Credits.
Either I zoned, or we’re missing Heal The World
and Bad in this? Oh wait.. here we go. After THIS IS IT
in the credits, they play the recorded track of Heal the
World. Still no BAD tho. Hmm….
After all the spectacle, his songs and voice are so good
that I would have been more than happy to have sat through
a minimal acoustic gig with Michael singing his tunes
raw. He was that much of a natural talent. Even though
that’s the case, I must say that This Is It would
have been the most amazing show of all time. R.I.P. Michael.
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Hadouken!
@ The Barfly, Camden
Next Big Thing Festival
Feb 5-14th
6 London Venues
Next
Big Thing festival is a great idea. Taking the top acts
to come for 2010 and putting them on in various London
venues in the span of a week and a half.
We checked out Hadouken! ‘s big break at The Barfly
in Camden on Friday February 5th. Next Big Thing festival
is clearly aimed at the next big generation to come. The
audience ranged from about 18-21 years of age all dressed
like characters from the hit TV series SKINS. The band
themselves I could appreciate on a musical level, but
they were definitely down with the kids more than the
older non-spring chickens like us and the rest of the
adults who hid at the back of the venue admiring the band
from afar whilst the youngens moshed away and went mental
for their heroes Hadouken!
The band had some great energy, musically fusing influences
from Klaxons, Prodigy, The Streets and Metallica. They
were a bit all over the place genre-wise, but each song
was fierce and had the audience wanting more.
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Youth
in Revolt
Out in UK Cinemas February 5th
Based
on the Nick Twisp novel by C.D. Payne,
Youth in Revolt sees Michael Cera playing
Michael Cera in a predictable, yet highly entertaining
Michael Cera vehicle.
If you don’t like Michael Cera, don’t even
bother seeing this film. This film is the epitome of a
Michael Cera film. Michael Cera is forever playing the
awkward teen, social outcast virgin who is always using
big words and dialect far beyond his supposed young years,
to a background soundtrack of quirky indie tunes and some
claymation. With Youth In Revolt, this is still holding
up… but for how much longer can Michael Cera play
the awkward teen card?
Hopefully by now you’re playing a Michael Cera drinking
game and every time I write the words Michael Cera, you
will do a tequila body shot off some awkward virgin teen’s
body. ew. Ok… enough about Michael Cera (*burp*).
The rest of the Youth In Revolt cast was absolutely stellar!!!
Starring some serious legends such as Steve Buscemi,
Fred Willard (genius), Ray Liotta,
Jean Smart, Zach Galifianakis
(funny fat dude from The Hangover), and Justin
Long, the supporting cast manages to shine through
in spite of the clear focus on making Cera the focus on
screen.
If you like Cera, you know what to expect. But I have
to say that this was one of his better performances and
more entertaining films. Part of what makes this film
so is Cera’s Nick Twisp’s alter ego Francois
Dillinger. Francois was basically the devil on Twisp’s
shoulder, with the classic evil twin look of Cera in a
moustache, with cigarette in hand and the creepiest blue
contact lenses EVER! Oh, and a subtle yet hilarious “deeper”
voice. I think he was trying out his RANGE there.
Not just about visuals, as with every quirky indie film,
notably ones starring MC, the soundtrack was very cute
and catchy. I might check that one out on Spotify!
I don’t mean to be so cynical in this review as
I ADORE Michael Cera, but I just worry that he won’t
be able to play the Michael Cera card for much longer
having done it so many times before. But as I’m
still enjoying his character, I do recommend seeing this
film as it’s as endearing as Michael himself.
If you don’t know who Michael Cera is, but still
managed to read this entire review, you’re a bit
odd…. But to help you out, here’s a stock
A to Z of Michael Cera.
www.youthinrevolt.co.uk
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Fyfe Dangerfield
Fly Yellow Moon
Guillemots
frontman Fyfe Dangerfield has finally released his long-anticipated
solo album Fly Yellow Moon. The verdict is in. And it’s
a bit surprising…
While the Guillemots albums are usually a bit offbeat
and possibly not something that can grab on first listen,
they entice further listening and are packaged well as
albums with a consistent sound that feels cohesive. Obviously
you can tell where I’m going with this review…
While Fyfe is an extremely talented musician, on first
listen, I couldn’t quite figure out what was going
on here. A very large mish-mash of styles that don’t
necessarily go together. Eclecticism is good though, right?
And Fyfe’s voice does carry the album…. But
on first listen, it just didn’t draw me in.
Luckily it did have a second life and after seeing Fyfe
perform the album live at The Scala my mind was changed.
These tunes are good. Played acoustically, these songs
were beautiful and Fyfe’s voice only enhanced that
fact. So what is it about the album that doesn’t
have the same effect as the AMAZING live performance?
Overproduction and complicated instrumentation is my opinion.
Having gone back and had another listen to Fly Yellow
Moon, I think my first judgement was a bit harsh as I
can now hear the songs for more of what they are at the
core, which is beautifully melodic. But some effort is
required as to filter out all the bizarre instrumentation
that pops up on most tunes. This instrumentation does
vaguely work on Fyfe’s first solo single She Needs
Me. Anything that is reminiscent of Electric Light Orchestra
is ok in my book. But again, it sounds completely different
to any other song on here.
After seeing Fyfe live and listening to the album, I am
gutted Fyfe didn’t make a raw acoustic album as
that would have been more daring, suiting and standout
as an instant classic. As it is, there’s nothing
classic about Fly Yellow Moon, but I do recommend seeing
Fyfe perform in concert if you get the chance. One can
only hope that he’ll release a live acoustic album
of these performances in order to redeem himself…
one can hope…
This all sounds so harsh.. but expectations were high
for this release. I can’t help but be a bit cynical
when delivery falls at all short.
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A
Prophet
(Un Prophète)
Out in UK cinemas January 22nd
Buzz,
hype, awards, praise... French film A Prophet
has been a hot topic amongst the Foreign Film buffs for
quite a while now. It was the winner of this year’s
Grand Prix at Cannes as well as having won the
Best Film award at the London Film Festival.
It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language
film at the Golden Globes, losing to Germany’s The
White Ribbon. Lead actor Tahar Rahim
has also been acknowledged for his gripping performance
with a BAFTA Orange Rising Star nomination, and
there’s still the Oscars to come!!!
A Prophet is good. It’s really good. It’s
gritty, dark, violent, a perfect character study and a
harsh crime story to boot. The story follows inmate Malik
(Tahar Rahim) from age 19 during his six years of prison
condemnation. He arrives friendless and vulnerable, but
soon finds himself drawn into the violent gang warfare
of prison life. Malik is taken under the wing of a big
Corsican mob boss and initiated into the criminal ranks.
This story follows his journey and his character.
Whilst the story was enthralling, characters intense and
mood dark, the only flaw that I found with A Prophet was
its sheer length. There were some bits of the film the
viewer could have done without, and coming in at just
over 2.5 hours, the length of this film is giving LOTR
a run for its money! Not ever fully losing interest, there
were points about 2 hours in that audience members started
to shuffle and squirm, but with 30-60 minutes less footage,
this film could have been perfection. It’s still
worth sitting through the extra minutes to experience
such a classic crime drama, so please don’t let
this bit put you off.
A Prophet = A Masterpiece. Just make sure you pee before
you get settled in.
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Hey Rosetta
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Luxe
London, UK
I
briefly caught the end of Hey Rosetta’s set the
night before at Queen of Hoxton where they opened for
Toronto darlings Spiral Beach. I liked what I heard. It
was fate I walked by The Luxe venue the following night
and saw the “HEY ROSETTA, 7:30pm” sign out
front. Now that I have caught their entire set, I can
officially say…. This band is amazing!
A 6-piece act with drums, bass, abstract lead guitar,
a singer who alternates between piano and acoustic guitar,
and rounded off nicely with Violin and Cello. Hailing
from Newfoundland, Canada, this band is following a strong
pattern that is emerging from that side of the pond with
the success of Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. The
mellow beauty of the performance was serene and magical
at some points. The singer’s vocals carried the
songs with ease and when they finished their set, the
audience demanded MORE!
This band apparently sells out venues across Canada, yet
here in London, nobody has heard of them (yet….).
I think that is brilliant and I am very fortunate to have
seen them play such an intimate gig. I doubt this luxury
will last long as these guys have potential for global
success. Keep an ear out for Hey Rosetta.
www.heyrosetta.com
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Spiral Beach
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Queen Of Hoxton
London, United Kingdom
Toronto
indie band Spiral Beach have conquered their hometown,
winning audiences over with their fresh, energetic sound
and visuals. They embarked on their latest European tour
with a stop in London as part of the Canadian Blast at
Queen of Hoxton with fellow Canadian bands including Hey
Rosetta.
Commanding the headlining slot, Spiral Beach stormed the
stage with powerful catchy tunes that fuse elements of
ska, rockabilly, pop and indie. Some people may be taken
aback by how young they appear to be, but don’t
be fooled by youth… Spiral Beach have 7 years experience
in what they do and a natural musical ingenuity that has
them sounding more professional than bands well into their
30’s.
With their need to scale back a bit on the visual props
as they trek across Europe, the band had to heavily rely
on their music alone to win over cynical London audiences.
Not a problem. Their tunes rock, they are TIGHT, tons
of energy and oh-so-much-fun.
Sadly the band haven’t yet released their latest
album “The Only Really Thing” this side of
the pond, but with today’s Internet culture, you
have no excuse not to check them out.
www.spiralbeach.com
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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
Last night, yours truly was treated to a screening of
Paranormal Activity. Today, your’s truly is rather
grumpy because Paranormal Activity freaked me out so much,
got me all sorts of paranoid, unable to sleep and it’s
with these feelings in mind, I’m now putting my
thoughts on paper.
First time director Oren Peli, tells the story of Katie
and Micah, a young couple with an original way of dealing
with a haunting presence that show you the best way to
piss off a ghost. Basically, take one camera, tripod and
a boyfriend that has an unhealthy obsession with paranormal
phenomena. Mix with a ghost that does not enjoy the paparazzi
treatment, sprinkle with some weird noises, scary duvet
lifting and you’re in for a hell of a horror film.
The plot in itself is the very familiar affair of a couple
living in a spooky house and trying to do something about
it. In the case of Paranormal Activity, they film the
events and it is this footage we see in the cinemas. Cue
handheld, doc style footage, dark corners, suspense and
although this film does bear a strong resemblance to Blair
Witch Project, I have to say that it’s a much more
sophisticated affair than BWP ever was. This is mainly
accomplished with the effective camera work and the fact
that it’s allowed to observe and let the audience
to spot the scary stuff as it’s happening. In other
words, lots of tripod, night vision shots and (thank God)
very little handheld shaking.
The biggest reservation about Paranormal Activity is its
characters and the way they develop. Both Katie and Micah
start off as well-rounded, multi-dimensional individuals,
only to turn into stereotypically hysterical horror-victims.
Add to that the fact that every decision Micah makes is
borderline idiotic (Who chooses to carry on filming while
weird stuff is going on at night? Who goes to investigate
a noise in the middle of the night without turning the
lights on?) and you’ll be forgiven for not feeling
too sympathetic towards them at times.
Having said all of that, Paranormal Activity is still
a cracker of a horror with heaps of suspense. Take it
for what it is and you’ll have a great time and
probably even get a bit freaked out… I certainly
did. Enjoy!
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Little Red
@ Lexington, NOV. 13
Being
an Australian living in London, I was intrigued by Little
Red who on record, sounded refreshingly different to the
average band down under - usually a bog standard rip off
of american grunge/indie, with mediocre songs and nothing
overly distinctive - Their songs, on first listen were
catchy, fun and made me want to bop my head up and down
with a big smile on my face...
With my expectations high, I headed down to the Lexington
in King's Cross and found a room full of eager Australians
in red flannel check shirts (boys and girls) necking pints
whilst they waited for the arrival of their local boys...
The band marched on stage armed with their instruments
and several cans of Kronenberg and from then on i have
to say it was decidedly less-than-average. The songs were
catchy to the point where i recognised the last three
songs of the night - up until this point it felt like
it was a warm up rehearsal with wayward vocals and a band
who couldn't hold the timing the whole way through.
The highlight for me without a doubt was the drummer,
who had a permanent smile on his face. His enthusiasm
was contagious and i couldn't help but smile when he walked
straight into the mic on his exit from the stage having
necked one too many beers inbetween songs - rock n roll
boys, enjoy the lifestyle while you can.. I'm not sure
bands like these can survive, without the ability to sing
in tune...
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Super K Sonic Booooum
Nelly Ben Hayoun, sound by Tim Olden
SHUNT, London Bridge
Particle
physics in a rubber dinghy? That was the headline for
the latest installation at London's bizarre underground
venue SHUNT. This science-inspired exhibition did fall
a bit short at times, but overall it was an enjoyable
experience.
The
centrepiece was a neutron hub with a canoe you could use
to row across it. Bizarre, but highly entertaining fodder.
The installation was developed by award winning curator
Nelly Ben Hayoun and was inspired by physicists at the
Super-Kamiokande (Super K) neutrino observatory.
Whilst
the installations were stellar, it was the live performance
that let the evening down. One example was some lady on
a stage who emerged from what looked like to be an ikea
paper floor lamp, then she leaned upside down against
the wall for a while before people (myself included) got
bored and left the room to find something more exciting.
Some
of the other live bits looked more enticing, although
they were too full up for us to get a spot to see for
ourselves. Oh well. I'm sure it's not a big loss. We enjoyed
the art, that was enough to satisfy our artsy needs for
the evening.
shunt.co.uk
www.nellyben.com
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