Well ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. Time to do away with a popular president who is leaving the White House with a 60% approval rating, and making way for a man who is going into it with a 40% approval rating. Here goes a president who made his best effort to engage with the media, and here comes a president who calls major news agencies "fake news" for running a story about him he doesn't like. A mature and well spoken president leaves office, and in goes a childish, petty, and immature gentlemen who seems more concerned about his image than his constituents.
All in all it's a sad day for American politics I would say. The wealthiest cabinet ever will be taking office, and one which has already managed to generate more than a little controversy. It is perhaps going to be a time when the people running the nation are more disconnected from the average voter in terms of lifestyle than ever. Add to that a key member of a rabid right wing news rag being made a key White House staffer, well we're in for some interesting times as they say.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Friday, 20 January 2017
Monday, 12 November 2012
Movie Review: Skyfall
Hello dear readers, I am here today to happily proclaim over fifty years of James Bond. To do so I will be giving a brief and spoiler free review of Skyfall the latest film in this wonderful series.
As readers ought to know Skyfall is the third film done with the first blonde Bond actor Daniel Craig. This film, unlike the previous Quantum of Solace, is not a direct sequel and instead is a stand alone film with an original story line following the escapades of M and of course 007 himself.
This film revolves around the mysterious and authorative M as she has her command questioned and an adversary from the past comes back to haunt her. As well 007 questions his loyalty and commitment to the organization he has so faithfully served for many years.
Now on with the show er review!
The Good:
Well what can I say readers? This film has once again given us reasons for why James Bond is a classic hero and such a suave character. From dynamic one liners to amazing action scenes we get a well put together movie with a stellar cast of characters and a wonderful set of villains as well.
Daniel Craig of course returns in his third showing as the eponymous 007 James Bond that lovable MI6 agent. We start of with him fighting valiently in the line of duty and being the good agent he always has been. During the opening moments of the films actions he has intense action sequences and is thrust into the line of duty while questioning his superiors orders and trying to do his duty.
Judi Dench returns as the grand old lady M and the leader of MI6 where we find she is being questioned in her role as a leader and we see her past has come home to haunt her putting some of her current and past decisions in the spotlight.
Then we have a cast of new (or old however you want to look at them) characters returning, with Naomi Harris as Bond's supporting agent, Ben Whishaw as the new Q, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, and Javier Bardem as the villain of this installment.
Put together these characters create a fabulous story of intrigue, betrayal, unorthodox tactics, plotting, and politics. It also delves more deeply into incidents in Bond's past which are interesting to see played out on screen and discover some interesting facts about our great hero.
Then of course we have the hilarious one liners and situational comedy that are so familiar to a 007 film with lovely lines along with my favorite "Seems like a waste of perfectly good Scotch" and I'll leave readers guessing as to the incident which prompts that ;)
The action sequences are amazing and impressively fantastic, what more could you expect from a Bond film? Strung together by an excellent plot we see an army of mooks being demolished by Bond in increasingly unique and unorthodox ways. The final showdown between Bond and our villain is impressive for the number of ways you can kill people with the contents of an old English house and 'the old ways' of killing.
To top it all off the music in the film is a call back to the original Bond soundtracks and we have the opening title song written and sung by none other than Adele. It's probably one of the best Bond openings to date.
For more astute viewers we also have dozens of callbacks to the original Bond films themselves, and much to my pleasant surprise a number of original gadgets. You'll be shocked to see some of the inventive ways they play these in to the film, and it also increases the re-watch value as you try to find all the shout outs to older films.
The Bad:
I honestly can't find to much to criticize about this film. Mind you, there are some things.
For those hoping to see the events of Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale wrapped up, better explained and expanded on I'm afraid you'll be disapointed. Unless later films write this in the film is purely stand alone with no connection to the events of the previous film whatsoever and little effort is made building upon Bond's character or how he's reacted to the previous events from the films. This is one thing that disapointed me but that's alright considering the film we are left with.
There is also the fact that some elements of the plot seem strung together on a shoestring and could have been better explained. For instance the villain could have used just a bit more foreshadowing and given a bit more depth. Otherwise his plans seem kind of out there.
We've also got the issues with other events being left vague or unmentioned which left me confused, not critically so, but still wondering about events characters were referencing in the plot.
Verdict:
All in all though, Skyfall is definately an excellent addition to the James Bond series and filmography as a whole. I found that I was on the edge of my seat most of the film and I was laughing along with the fun events and gnawing my finger nails in suspense for later on.
I would seriously reccomend that people go see this movie and enjoy fifty years of James Bond!
4 out of 5 stars for this great film!
As readers ought to know Skyfall is the third film done with the first blonde Bond actor Daniel Craig. This film, unlike the previous Quantum of Solace, is not a direct sequel and instead is a stand alone film with an original story line following the escapades of M and of course 007 himself.
This film revolves around the mysterious and authorative M as she has her command questioned and an adversary from the past comes back to haunt her. As well 007 questions his loyalty and commitment to the organization he has so faithfully served for many years.
Now on with the show er review!
The Good:
Well what can I say readers? This film has once again given us reasons for why James Bond is a classic hero and such a suave character. From dynamic one liners to amazing action scenes we get a well put together movie with a stellar cast of characters and a wonderful set of villains as well.
Daniel Craig of course returns in his third showing as the eponymous 007 James Bond that lovable MI6 agent. We start of with him fighting valiently in the line of duty and being the good agent he always has been. During the opening moments of the films actions he has intense action sequences and is thrust into the line of duty while questioning his superiors orders and trying to do his duty.
Judi Dench returns as the grand old lady M and the leader of MI6 where we find she is being questioned in her role as a leader and we see her past has come home to haunt her putting some of her current and past decisions in the spotlight.
Then we have a cast of new (or old however you want to look at them) characters returning, with Naomi Harris as Bond's supporting agent, Ben Whishaw as the new Q, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, and Javier Bardem as the villain of this installment.
Put together these characters create a fabulous story of intrigue, betrayal, unorthodox tactics, plotting, and politics. It also delves more deeply into incidents in Bond's past which are interesting to see played out on screen and discover some interesting facts about our great hero.
Then of course we have the hilarious one liners and situational comedy that are so familiar to a 007 film with lovely lines along with my favorite "Seems like a waste of perfectly good Scotch" and I'll leave readers guessing as to the incident which prompts that ;)
The action sequences are amazing and impressively fantastic, what more could you expect from a Bond film? Strung together by an excellent plot we see an army of mooks being demolished by Bond in increasingly unique and unorthodox ways. The final showdown between Bond and our villain is impressive for the number of ways you can kill people with the contents of an old English house and 'the old ways' of killing.
To top it all off the music in the film is a call back to the original Bond soundtracks and we have the opening title song written and sung by none other than Adele. It's probably one of the best Bond openings to date.
For more astute viewers we also have dozens of callbacks to the original Bond films themselves, and much to my pleasant surprise a number of original gadgets. You'll be shocked to see some of the inventive ways they play these in to the film, and it also increases the re-watch value as you try to find all the shout outs to older films.
The Bad:
I honestly can't find to much to criticize about this film. Mind you, there are some things.
For those hoping to see the events of Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale wrapped up, better explained and expanded on I'm afraid you'll be disapointed. Unless later films write this in the film is purely stand alone with no connection to the events of the previous film whatsoever and little effort is made building upon Bond's character or how he's reacted to the previous events from the films. This is one thing that disapointed me but that's alright considering the film we are left with.
There is also the fact that some elements of the plot seem strung together on a shoestring and could have been better explained. For instance the villain could have used just a bit more foreshadowing and given a bit more depth. Otherwise his plans seem kind of out there.
We've also got the issues with other events being left vague or unmentioned which left me confused, not critically so, but still wondering about events characters were referencing in the plot.
Verdict:
All in all though, Skyfall is definately an excellent addition to the James Bond series and filmography as a whole. I found that I was on the edge of my seat most of the film and I was laughing along with the fun events and gnawing my finger nails in suspense for later on.
I would seriously reccomend that people go see this movie and enjoy fifty years of James Bond!
4 out of 5 stars for this great film!
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Music to Write to
I've been going through my ipod and YouTube account recently and while I've been studying/writing I've had different music playing in the background as I work and I'm finding that in both cases its really helpful when you have music playing in the background in each case, unless you get too caught up in the music of course!
I personally like both heavy metal and classical music. Though it is on the extreme opposite end of the music spectrum heavy metal can actually be both relaxing and something that keeps you energetic and motivated. Or at least it does in my case. When I'm relaxing listening to metal I usually just have the rythm wash over me and just enjoy it. But when I'm letting it get me going I just listen to the lyrics and usually awesome guitar solos!
One group that I really enjoy is Sabaton. They are a heavy metal band from Sweden who write songs exclusively about battle or war/fantasy related themes! A really cool song that I must admit I listen to when I'm musing about villains is the piece 'Shadows':
The piece is about the Nazgul of course. It has wonderful lyrics and throaty metal mixed with a truly phenominal guitar/pipe organ theme. Uniquely dark and interesting! Perfectly nice to relax to!
Another piece is called 'The Final Solution' which if you hadn't guessed is about the Holocaust. It lives up to the name really well, played as a haunting piece with sad lyrics and a sharp chorus talking about the death of liberty and of course the millions that burned in the death camps:
The sad part is that the piece is actually a masterpiece of metal and when I'm listening to it I can find myself headbanging along before guility stopping. The piece is just that good! In fact the band themselves noticed this and for that reason do not play it anymore in concert.
Then there is another Sabaton song 'Panzerkampf' which is about the truly epic battle of Kursk. The song really speaks for itself:
Then there are songs like those done by the Welsh group, Skindred. They have a wide variety of awesome pieces that are absolute joys to listen to. One piece is called 'Stand For Something', which is a truly phenominal piece with a kick-ass music video that I highly encourage readers to watch!
Another song done by Skindred is 'Rude Boy for Life' which considering the main singer is originally from Jamaica and had been a member of the rude boy culture that had taken hold among Jamaican youth does wonders for listening to it. Rude boy culture was, and is, what we might associate with gang culture or rap in the US and Canada, but bears a subtle difference in that it evolved around jazz and hip hop in Jamaica. Listening to the song can help you get a feel for what someone growing up in that environment might feel:
Then of course I do also listen to softer music. Instrumental country actually is something I like to listen to, since it lacks the usually depressing lyrics which usually acompany the wonderful playing. A lovely little piece like this one is nice, though it has a mix of other fine pieces in there I quite enjoy it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr2PPlyRvkU
Then there are some other lovely pieces like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4sA7l9TC-0&feature=related
And this is just an inspiring piece which matches what its attached to perfectly!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrAS20mNZUE
So these are just a few pieces (and one total nerd reference) which I like to listen to when I'm either doing work or relaxing. I hope they provide a decent contrast to each other and that I can convince some people just how amazing they are! It's certainly what I like to listen to and though it won't be perfect for everyone's taste I'm certain that you'll be glad you listented to at least one of these songs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr2PPlyRvkU
Then there are some other lovely pieces like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4sA7l9TC-0&feature=related
And this is just an inspiring piece which matches what its attached to perfectly!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrAS20mNZUE
So these are just a few pieces (and one total nerd reference) which I like to listen to when I'm either doing work or relaxing. I hope they provide a decent contrast to each other and that I can convince some people just how amazing they are! It's certainly what I like to listen to and though it won't be perfect for everyone's taste I'm certain that you'll be glad you listented to at least one of these songs!
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