....Last night Liam and I went to Hoxton Hall to see the third in a series of comedy nights curated by Dave Gorman.
His 'Screen Guild' is a lovely, intimate event where he comperes, before introducing four lesser known, (to us, but liked by him), acts.
Hoxton Hall
Gorman himself is a very endearing character, an observational comic with a great deal of his material streamed from the internet. Tonight he introduces a new format, (and soon to be tour), involving PowerPoint as an aide. It works.
The acts were similarly good. Ed Gamble opened, whose fruit allergy acronyms stole the show. Next, Morgan & West, 'Victorian Magicians', delighted with their involving, intriguing and great set.
Morgan & West
After the break Tom Wrigglesworth took to the stage and after a shaky start involving a bit too much race and religion, won the crowd over easily. Last on the bill, and the only woman, was Helen Keen. She probably had to work the hardest of everyone, but that didn't stop an assured and funny performance.
Tom Wrigglesworth
All in all, a great night, in a great setting, curated by a man with more strings to his bow than you could imagine.
The new album, from Brooklyn's finest is out now. I've yet to give it a full listen, but expect to hear falsetto-rock-blues-pop-wig-out of the highest order. Sometimes their music is indefinable, but always absorbing.
TVOTR
And if you like your music visual, then they have that to. TVOTR have created a rather wonderful 'film' of their album, whereby each track plays back to back, with a video for each.
....So, the Met Police, to much uproar, have set up a website making available local crime figures in your area. The site allows you to tap in your postcode and see what offences, from burglary to violent crime, have been committed on your doorstep. On the morning of launch, 5,000 eager residents blocked the site for a few hours, before sanity was restored.
Clicking around my area it seems anti-social behaviour is the top offence, swiftly followed by violent crime. (Here's hoping that doesn't affect the price tag of my house too much!) Within hours of the launch, the backlash began, with this witty photoshopped image tickling my fancy, taking a stab at our dear government.
....A wonderful aggregator photography site by serial digital artist and nuisance Jon Rafman. The Nine Eyes of Google amasses images taken from Google Street View cameras, but distills them in to the more unique, funny, intriguing and sometimes gruesome selects, that show a true 'state of the world today' view.
....After blogging about this a few weeks ago, it was only right that Kelly and I road tested it. First off, I love the premise - a skilled chef taking the gastronomic staple of restaurants, and turning it in to an entirely more personal, fun affair.
Frank Hannon, an Irish former chef at Moro, was parked out side my front door tonight. On a bike. He was on his rounds, with a vast crate of food attached to a rack above his rear wheel. He passed it over, a couple of boxes, and described the best way to reheat the food. I thanked him, tipped him and wished him a safe cycle. Good old Frank.
Dinner tonight was poached guinea fowl casserole with winter vegetables and puy lentils. We reheated as directed, opened a bottle of rouge and Kelly and I bedded in and thoroughly enjoyed our winter feast. Far better than your average take away. But then this was a Friday Night Take Out. If you live in East London, look him up and see if he will deliver to your area. It's worth it.
....I have just been made aware of this rather curious little take away - a chap in East London has turned to making a big ol' dish every Friday night, which is available for take away.
He posts the menu at the start of the week, here, and it can be picked up or delivered from his kitchen. Costing £8.50 a pop, it is the price of standard take away but with a more personal touch. (Not sure how he'll fill out his tax returns mind......)
....It seems that this year's was more hotly anticipated and celebrated than others I remember. I am not sure why, but with Hallowe'en falling on a Sunday, the dressing up began as early as Friday on the streets of London.
Kelly and I were invited to a Hammer Horror themed night. But starved of horror films as a kid, I had to research what the potential Hammer options were.....and rather then the more obvious Dracula or Frankenstein, I adopted a more lateral approach. The Snorkel from 1958, (in which the victims are asphyxiated whilst the killer survives by wearing a snorkel), was my choice.
Kelly was a glamorous, runaway victim of The Mummy.
Frightful
Chris hosted a great night in his fantastic warehouse / studio / flat. I must say though, the theme hadn't been strictly adhered to and I was a little disappointed that my outfit wasn't instantly recognisable to all(!)
Phil, (anon), Chris
Gemma, Nico, Kelly, Branca
A fun night and one that has opened up a whole horror genre that I feel compelled to explore further.
....A rather incredible, beautiful and strangely moving film captured from a camera (and iPhone) sent in to the Earth's atmosphere, by a father and son in New York.
....My second advertising post in as many weeks, this time is slightly closer to home. AMV's own 'Big Picture' campaign for Aviva, where the public are encouraged to upload their picture online. The result is to have it projected on to the side of a building in a major international city, or at the very least receive your own unique film showing how it might look. In return Aviva will pay £1 to 'Street to School' for every new picture uploaded, with the aim of reaching a total of £250,000. It's worth getting involved both for the fun, but also the good will - I was obviously attracted to seeing myself on the side of a building, so the following film was the result!
It's an incredible tool, that takes place before our eyes after uploading your image. It is one part of a huge, exciting Global campaign that encourages social interaction from the outset.
....A superb ad for The Independent from when advertising was good. I don't usually feature a whole load of ads on this blog, but being in the industry I find it remarkable that one of this length, quality and level of risk was ever bought by client. And that it is still totally relevant today is testament to it's calibre. Top marks, (again), to Charles Inge and Lowe. Spotted on an advertising blog no less, here.
....Kelly and I spent a vast majority of today at the Counter Cafe in Hackney Wick.
Aside from it being one of our favourites for breakfast and coffee, there was another purpose. Just over a week ago I was fortunate enough and honoured to win the Matt Elliott memorial award at AMV. In its second year and now named the Radiator Award, (for it is awarded to warm, hard working, smiling people - just like Matt), it is voted for by colleagues and amounts to a travel bursary for a two week holiday of a lifetime.
Matt Elliott
I was flabbergasted and immensely lucky to win. I have thought about little else since - and neither has Kelly after it was revealed that the trip is for two and she is my chosen one. It is an award borne out of tragic circumstances, but one that serves as a reminder to Matt's wonderful personality and love for the outdoors. More information about Matt can be found here. Kelly and I have whittled it down, we think, to Argentina, Peru and Brazil. We are extending the two weeks to a month and plan to leave straight after Christmas. Needless to say we are excited. Just a bit. So, after a marvellous hearty breakfast, we pulled out the laptop and surfed for hours.
Scrambled egg with tomato, basil & chorizo
Cap
Kel at work, (sort of).
The cafe has a striking contrast - from the interior kitchen with great food, to the out-buildings that house the toilets. Here, the space seems to have it's own unique ecosystem!
Kelly and I are looking to book the holiday within the next month, so will update everyone on what we decide. Once again, a huge thank you to AMV for the generosity of the award and to Matt's family for their positivity and spirit in such adversity.
....Once or twice a year a film comes along on a wave of hype. This is one, but in addition, the hype has been increasing with each passing week. It shows no sign of abating, as our sold out performance at the Rich Mix on Wednesday is testimony to.
Christopher Nolan has both written and directed this feature, an incredible feat when you consider how mind bendingly complex the plot is and then how well and absorbingly he is able to realise it. The general, (non spoiler), plot is as follows: Inception is a psychological sci-fi action film about a thief who possesses the power to enter into the dreams of others. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) doesn't steal things, he steals ideas.
By projecting himself deep into the subconscious of his targets, he can glean information that even the best computer hackers can't get to. In the world of corporate espionage, Cobb is the ultimate weapon. But even weapons have their weakness, and when Cobb loses everything, he's forced to embark on one final mission in a desperate quest for redemption. This time, Cobb won't be harvesting an idea, but sowing one. Should he and his team of specialists succeed, they will have discovered a new frontier in the art of psychic espionage.
They've planned everything to perfection, and they have all the tools to get the job done. Their mission is complicated, however, by the sudden appearance of a malevolent foe that seems to know exactly what they're up to, and precisely how to stop them.
I thought it was a fantastic film, but it is difficult not to be slightly underwhelmed when the film had been hyped so much. (This is obviously no fault of the film itself). The cast are superb - in both their stature, but more importantly, performance. Nearly all of them top my favourites list. It's part Bond, part sci-fiKubrick, very Hollywood and well worth a watch. A film that provokes you to engage and think about what you're watching is always ultimately more rewarding. I think it is also a film that would benefit from a second watch - giving you the opportunity to find new little 'isms' that might have been missed first time around. For example, Edith Piaf's song Je Ne RegretteRien is used recognisably throughout the film, but it is also cut, pasted and slowed down to create the haunting, thumping, suspense score that accompanies large parts of the film.
I thoroughly recommend the film - different to any I have watched recently, big, bold and intelligent with it. Go.
....I saw the final part of this wonderful trilogy on Sunday night with Kelly and my parents. None of us were disappointed.
In what is surely the most adult of the three, (in terms of humour, references and at times even relatively scary moments), the story is concluded as Woody, Buzz et al find a new home after Andy leaves for college. It is superbly written, incredibly animated, (Pixar will never fail to blow my socks off) and in case you wanted any more, it is showing in 3D. Although admirably, unlike, say Avatar, the picture isn't filmed to take advantage of this effect, in fact it can be just as easily enjoyed in 2D.
I would advise you to go and see at soon as possible, for the feature, but also the phenomenal and totally original 'Night & Day' short that precedes the main event. Truly, truly brilliant. I'd own & watch this trilogy a thousand times over before something like the Godfather. Fact.
....Good friend, Red, told me a little while ago that she'd landed a TV ad for Maynard's Wine Gums. Most people still remember the, "Hoots mon this joose, loose, aboot this hoose"version from the late 80s. Well this iteration has set upon a more hypnotic theme by way of memorability. And Red plays off her kookiness perfectly.
Great stuff Red, here's to more of the same. Oh, and did you get a life times supply or anything?!
....This is just brilliant and a welcome light relief from Election-mania. Attack of the 8-bit pixel - like the biggest non-natural disaster that could happen. (If you consider being attacked by a gaming icon and subsequently becoming html a disaster).
....As part of the Paul Newman season at the BFI Southbank, Liam and I went to see this early Coen brothers film. I knew nothing of it, other than it's title flitting in and around many peoples favourite films list. I must say, following the event, it's certainly my favourite Coen brothers venture, but whether it gains any greater personal status than that, remains to be seen.
Tim Robbins stars as Norville Barnes, recently employed in the mail room at hugely successful Hudsucker Industries, who becomes unwittingly part of a scheme, lead by Sidney J. Mussburger, (Newman), to drive the corporation close to ruin, following the suicide of founder Waring Hudsucker.
Mussburger leads the board of Directors who, in attempting to drive stock prices down, can then complete their master plan in affording to buy the majority stake in the company, revive it's fortunes and become vastly rich. The pawn in this plan is Barnes - idiotic, (and with a seemingly more idiotic invention , 'Y'know, for kids', scrawled on a piece of paper), and he is immediately made President.
The board sit back and watch the stock price unravel amid uncertainty in Barnes' ability. Until, that is, he is able to articulate and put in to production his 'idiotic invention' - the Hula Hoop.
Stocks rise, success looms, Mussburger's plan is not going to, erm, plan. All the while, local journalist Amy Archer, (Jennifer Jason Leigh), smells a rat and is intent on uncovering the truth behind Barnes' dubious ascent to President, whilst desperately trying not to romantically fall for the unlikely hero.
The film is a witty, comedic and largely successful take on big business and the American Dream, with the casting and performances of leads Newman, Robbins and Leigh second to none. For the me the Coens' are at their best when humour is at the fore - take the hula scene for example:
Every shot is considered, framed with intent - something we have now come to expect from a Coen brothers film, but in 1994 they had only just begun to establish.
I was hooked from the opening sequence, where narrator and 'clock man' Moses, (Bill Cobbs), sets the scene in an incredible Ohio drawl. Fittingly, as befitting the almost guardian angel-esque handle he has over the film, he presides over the ending too - you'll have to watch the film, as I don't want to spoil it, but false teeth, I love yous and a frisbee all play their part. A must see.
....Now, I like M.I.A. And I like her music. And I like red heads. But this video for her new single Born Free is just, well, brutal. Not surprisingly banned by YouTube, this is not for the faint hearted, and certainly not for you Mum & Nana.
Apologies to all red heads. Remember, it's artistic liscence - I'm sure M.I.A likes you really.
....The only politically minded post that I'll make ahead of the forthcoming General Election. Just so you know, I'm going to vote Labour. I'd probably rather vote Lib Dem, but I'm so worried that the Tories might actually get in to power, I feel obliged to vote for their closet rival. Please, no Tory Government. With that in mind, I thought this was rather good:
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