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R.I.P Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch

It has just come to my attention that Adam Yauch, known as MCA, of the Beastie Boys has sadly passed away after long battle with throat cancer. I remember back in 2009 when Yauch was first diagnosed and he (along with fellow Beastie Boy Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz) posted an alarmingly frank and touching video to their website, letting their fans know what was going on. Yauch’s treatment forced the Beasties to delay their latest album ‘Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2’ but its release roughly a year ago lead me to believe that maybe he was on the road to recovery. Sadly I was wrong.

For those who hadn’t gathered yet, I am a huge Beastie Boys fan and have been for several years now. I was too young to appreciate their classic early output when it first came out (I’m 21) but I have been making up for lost time ever since I saw the video for ‘Intergalactic’ playing in a Hard Rock Cafe on a family holiday to Florida back in 2007.

For those who don’t know their music too well, it would be easy to dismiss the Beastie Boys as a bit of a joke, based on the huge success of their incredible/incredibly dumb breakthrough single ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)’. Pick up any of their subsequent releases and you’ll quickly realise they were one of the most wildly inventive and consistently brilliant groups ever to grace the world of music. I kid you not, ‘Paul’s Boutique’ changed my life. 

Though they were three parts of the same whole, each Beastie had his own sound and persona. Compared to his comrades Ad-Rock and Mike ‘Mike D’ Diamond, Yauch had a distinctly gruff, mellow tone and was probably the most technically proficient  rapper of the three. He was also the most spiritual, a firm Buddhist with a social conscience that informed both his lyrics and his life (he has been instrumental in ‘Free Tibet’ and other charitable events/organisations). He also directed a number of the Beastie’s most iconic music videos including ‘Intergalactic’ and the most recently the 30 minute epic ‘Fight For Your Right Revisited’ that accompanied last years comeback single ‘Make Some Noise’

I’ll work on a more fitting tribute at some point over this weekend. Maybe a retrospective of the Beastie’s albums or a look at some of Yauch’s videos. But, for now, this will have to do. MCA you will be missed.

Now to crank up ‘Fight For Your Right’ and remember the good times.

Movie Review: The Avengers

It’s a good time to be Joss Whedon. Not only has his pet project, The Cabin in the Woods (which he co-wrote and produced) gone down a storm with critics and held its own at the box office, The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble for UK audiences) is pretty much the hottest thing in the world right now. Case in point, it’s already made back its not insubstantial $220 million budget and that’s even before it’s been released in the US. At last, vindication for the king geek who’s last directorial effort (2005’s Serenity) sank without a trace, despite being well received by fans and critics.

So how good is the Avengers then? Well, to put it simply, it’s everything you dreamt it would be when you first heard that it was actually happening. If you like comic books, superheroes or good action films in general, then you will love The Avengers. 

Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Norse god of mischief and brother to superhero Thor has returned from his exile at the end of that particular film and has struck a deal with a mysterious inter-dimensional force to unlock a portal that will allow a massive alien armada to invade earth, which will be his to command. After this threat is revealed, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), head of super-spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D, begins putting together a team of extra-ordinary individuals to stop this threat.

What follows is superhero team-up 101. Individual heroes are recruited to the cause, they squabble and fight amongst themselves and finally, they unite to face the threat at hand. It’s been done a thousand times in the comics but seeing already established heroes share the silver screen together is a rare thrill. What’s most impressive is the way in which every character is handled with the utmost care. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) have all starred in their own movies while Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) appeared in Iron Man 2 yet here they all share the screen equally, coming into their own while at the same time remaining true to their already established personas. Tony Stark is still the sarcastic billionaire we know and love and Steve Rogers is as sincere and noble as he ever was. Seeing these wildly different personalities cooperate and, at times, collide is simply wonderful.

The brilliance of The Avengers is that we already know these characters and as such, it can keep the set-up to a minimum and then maximise the pay-off. Even early scenes feel more exhilarating than they otherwise would, simply because all these iconic characters are sharing the same space. Every character gets their moment in the sun too, both in terms of quiet, character-driven moments and “FUCK YEAH!” action scenes. The only character who gets even a little short changed is newboy Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who, for reasons crucial to the plot, spends about half the film out of action. When he finally joins the team however, he gets more than holds his own against such established heroes. 

Does this make it the perfect superhero flick then? Not quite. Though the script does a great job of catering for newcomers, having seen the five preceding films undoubtedly helps, particularly as the opening 20 minutes lean quite heavily on concepts previously introduced in Thor and Captain America last summer. Actually, the opening 20 minutes are probably the films weakest overall as while Loki is a fantastic villain and a magnetic presence, you’re faced with some of the Marvel Universe’s most outlandish characters and ideas right out of the gate. There’s quite a lot of cosmic gibberish and science mumbo-jumbo before things settle down.

The only other thing holding The Avengers back is that it is so focused on pleasing fans of each franchise that it doesn’t really say much on its own. It lacks the grim existentialism of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, or the relatable characterisation of the Spider-Man series. It’s a film about larger than life characters doing larger than life things and while it is amazingly gratifying, it’s hard to see it connecting with people in quite the same way.

This is just nit-picking though. If you asked me to close my eyes and think of the perfect Avengers movie, it would probably be a lot like this. The Avengers knows its audience, it knows what they want and it gives it to them in an unprecedented fashion.

Oh and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) is a badass. Someone give him his own film. Now!

9.0

Movie Review: This Means War

This Means War could have worked. Really. A romantic comedy about two spies competing for the same girl seems like a great excuse for inventive, humorous situations and clever, gadget filled one-upmanship. The three lead actors are likable enough and if last year’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol proved anything it’s that espionage and comedy can be happy bedfellows. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a medium defining opus and maybe it wouldn’t have set the world alight but maybe, just maybe This Means War could have been a fun way to kill an hour and a half. Or maybe not. In reality, This Means War has turned out almost impossibly inept. 

The plot is basic, but then it doesn’t need to be anything more. Super spies Franklin “FDR” Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy) are partners and best friends who both happen to fall for the same woman, product testing executive Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). When they realise they both like the same girl, Tuck and FDR enter a gentleman’s agreement to let her continue dating both of them until she decides which of them is the guy for her. That is until, of course, their competitive nature leads them both to use the resources at their disposal to out-manoeuvre and sabotage each other’s attempts to woo her.

This could have formed a good back-bone for some smart, action-fuelled laughs but This Means War falls short on every level. The opening action sequence, a covert operation used to establish Tuck and FDR’s bromance, is utterly bewildering with jerky, hard to follow camera work and strangely flat banter between the characters. Meanwhile an early scene in which Lauren and her best friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) discuss the pros and cons of online dating fails to raise a smile due to the actors wrestling with ‘comedic’ dialogue that’s so forced the whole thing feels unnatural. Sadly this awkward start sets the tone for what is to follow: Crap dialogue, haphazard action, and a complete lack of chemistry between the otherwise competent leads. 

It’s a real shame too because there are couple of instances where the whole ‘spy comedy’ thing shows real potential. There’s a scene in which Lauren is cooking alone at home, completely unaware that both her potential suitors are simultaneously placing her house under surveillance right under her nose. It’s slick, it’s smart and it’s only slightly hamstrung by the obnoxious song and dance routine Witherspoon is forced to perform during it. Better still is when Tuck takes Lauren paintballing and uses his spy skills to mercilessly annihilate an opposing team of terrified children. Moments like this make you realise that there’s a good idea in here somewhere, buried beneath a shoddy script and McG’s (yes that is his actual name) trashy direction. The worst part? Based on McG’s previous credits (Charlie’s Angels, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle) this is actually an improvement.

4.5

Movie Review: A Dangerous Method

How perfect is it that David Cronenberg has made a film about Freud, Jung, and the birth of psychoanalysis? So many of his earlier films have dealt with the perverse links between sexuality, violence and death that this adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s 2002 play, The Talking Cure, couldn’t seem like a more perfect fit.

Set at the dawn of the 20^th century, A Dangerous Method centres on the changing relationship between Carl Jung and Sabina Spielrein, the former a young but respected psychiatrist, the latter his patient turned lover. When Spielrein (Keira Knightly) is committed to Dr. Jung’s psychiatric hospital she is in a bad way. Though bright and well educated, she has been reduced to a nervous, spasming wreck by her abusive father. Jung (Michael Fassbender) sees her as the perfect patient to attempt an experimental “talking cure” treatment, outlined by his idol, famed father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) but never actually put into practice. Spielrein’s condition quickly improves but during treatment she reveals intimate aspects of her past abuse - though she loathed the humiliation her father put her through, she found his violence to be sexually arousing and since formed an inseparable link between violence and sexuality.

After some encouragement by Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel), a sexually radical former psychiatrist admitted to his care, Jung finally gives into his temptation and begins an affair with Spielrein. Yet when his guilty conscience permits him to break off the affair, Spielrein is transformed into the embodiment of a woman scorned and wreaks havoc upon his personal and professional life. 

In any film of such intimate interaction it’s the performances that are key and thankfully the three central roles all perform admirably. Fassbender is fantastic as the conflicted, idealistic Jung and although his performance is perhaps the least memorable, it is the glue that holds everything else together. Knightly has the most grandstanding role and though she still retains some of her usual stiffness this is unquestionably her best performance yet. She handles Speilrein’s development from gnarled, animalistic mental patient to shrewd and controlling psychiatrist surprisingly well. Despite Knightly’s showy performance, the real scene stealer is Mortensen as Freud. After their first meeting, Jung admits he is afraid of Freud’s influence on his ideals and it’s easy to see why – in Mortensen’s hands he is gently authoritative and effortlessly charismatic. The mind-games played by Jung and Freud during their exchanges are easily the highlight of the film and this secondary relationship frequently threatens to outshine the films central romance.

Yet for all its impeccable casting and mechanical excellence, A Dangerous Game somehow fails to come together in a truly satisfactory way. The individual pieces are fine but as a whole it is somehow lacking. It just never seems to amount to anything. Scenes are followed by other scenes, events followed by other events but there is no rhythm, nor the sense that events are building towards anything. Things just happen for an hour and a half. These things are well acted and often interesting but by the end it’s hard not to feel a little tired and frustrated at the lack of cohesiveness. 

Some way into the movie Jung and Speilrein meet again to work on an academic paper and Jung vows that this time they will be strictly professional. After one quick scene showing them working together we see them engaging in masochistic sex and the result is simply jarring. Shortly after, Jung is pleading Speilrein not to leave him but up until this point we have seen no indication that he actually feels anything for her beyond the physical. There is a disconnect between what we are told these characters feel for each other and what we actually see.

A Dangerous Method’s biggest crime is that is simply never lets go. We are told there is passion and we see that there is passion but we never feel that there is passion. So much time is spent discussing unleashed sexuality but even when we are shown this release it feels somehow restrained. Much like one of Freud’s patients,  A Dangerous Method is frequently fascinating, occasionally exciting but above all, repressed.

6.5

Album Review: Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring Amnesty International - Various Artists

Amnesty International are celebrating their 50^th anniversary with Chimes of Freedom, a mammoth 4 CD, 75 track, release of newly recorded Bob Dylan covers by everyone from Sting to Miley Cyrus. Of course, the proceeds go to charity but is “it’s for a good cause” enough to justify splashing your cash?

In a word “no”. Here’s the thing; there’s a LOT of great music here and the staggering range and breadth of the participants almost guarantees there will be something here for everyone. Most of these covers are fine. There are very few outright bad tracks and a handful of great ones but there’s little to warrant purchasing this over, say, 2007’s 3-disc Dylan compilation.

Most of the covers here are disappointingly literal. Pete Townshend’s take on Corina, Corina for example is perfectly pleasant but delivered in much the same rootsy strum as the original. Lenny Kravitz’s rendition of Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35 sounds exactly the same as Dylan’s 1966 version, begging the question: “What was the point?”

There are a few bright spots here and there though. The Silversun Pickups do a decent job of the existential Not Dark Yet, blowing it up to U2 rivalling expanse while a live performance of Make You Feel My Love by Adele contains all the intensity you’d expect. By some margin the biggest surprise is Kesha’s reading of the classic kiss-off Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright. She gives a stark, emotional performance that sounds like an intimate poetry recital – you can almost hear her choking back the tears. It’s about as far removed from her usual auto-tune and glitter sound as possible and is all the better for it.

And that’s what Chimes of Freedom could have used more of: bold, original takes on these well-known classics. With 75 tracks and artists to play with we could have used a lot more variety. What about a soulful club version of Emotionally Yours by Katy B or a rap take on Hurricane by The Roots? Without risk comes no reward and as such, Chimes of Freedom is little more than a noble curiosity.

5.5