Category — film

Babel have a new video for ‘Make your bed’ a song from their forthcoming LP ‘Crooked Timber’ due out later this year. Directed by the very talented Graeme Swinton, Bristol’s finest get cosy in a tiny room…

Despite being my friends I really, really rate this band and hope that more and more people get to enjoy their music with the release of their new LP. 

Anyone in my neck of the woods can check them out playing the Friday at this years Moseley Folk Festival, and anyone brave enough to risk Glastonbury this year will have a couple of chances to see them in action. 

As is they way nowadays - find them on myspace.  

I saw a feature on BBC’s Culture Show about irish animator Johnny Kelly and was reminded quite how good and funny his film ‘Procrastination’ actually is.

I thought it was worth sharing… One half of the very talented Mickey and Johnny, his animation talents have now been brought on board to create a short film for the United Nations.

Great stuff. I look forward to seeing more in the future.

Saw this on the blog of the mighty HiRes and thought it was worth sharing…  

Brilliant beat made by a team of jugglers

Yesterday I got back from a brilliant weekend at ATP. It’s the first time I’ve made it to ATP despite years and years of quality line ups. This one was at Pontins in Camber Sands in East Sussex and it’s a really great festival experience. Lots of great music, fun by the sea, a HUGE sandy beach, some really great company plus a bed to sleep in, hot showers, non portaloos, a swimming pool and a kitchen(ette) to make some delicious grub.

We shared our chalet with our lovely friends the Capsule girls, Mr Ben and Ian - who despite not having a website is most certainly no less fun

It was also a good opportunity to properly meet and hang out with Ian and Pip from 7 inch Cinema, amongst others.

After our  trip to the mudbath that was Glastonbury last year, I have to say that the chalet based festival experience might be the future as far as I’m concerned…

Hooray for ATP! Boo to Mud! 

…when video camera’s took two people to operate (one to carry the battery pack -  about the size of a betamax video recorder, am I showing my age here?) I used to spend my sunday afternoons in the dance studios at Birmingham’s (soon to be refurbished) mac. Hip Hop had landed and breakdancing with it. Eventually after many years (nearly 22 in fact) I have digitised these clips from the C21VOX archive.

Originally shot for use in sequences in a film about International Youth Year (1985), I have treasured this now fairly gnarly gem, a glimpse into the urban history of this city I call home. I knew where the Hip Hop happened back then (well as much as a teenager would) and led the camera’s to the dancehall and several extensive graffiti sites around the city.

It’s time to share it. I’ve posted these two clips on You Tube and a couple more will follow. It’s awesome stuff - Enjoy!

This looks like it’s gonna be fun! Be Kind Rewind is the new movie by French director (and creative genius) Michel Gondry, due for release later this month.

Gondry, in my opinion, has created some the most innovative and stunning pop videos ever, and this, his third feature, looks like it’s gonna be great. With Jack Black and Mos Def starring, and the kind of Lo Fi (ok, Lo Fi in a $20 million kind of way) mastery you’d expect from Gondry, classic movies are ’sweded’ and rented out.

The fantastic website defines ’sweding’ as “… remaking something from scratch using whatever you can get your hands on.”

Michel has even ’sweded’ his own trailer! Seriously, this guy is a Genius!

Oh… and he can solve the Rubiks cube with his nose!

Today, (like so many other day’s) I went to Google and saw that their name was built of Lego? Hover over the image, and up pops the alt tag… Happy Birthday Lego! 

You’ve nurtured many hours of… innovative,

creative,

and hmm… ‘devoted’ (?)

hours of play!

Building stuff up, and then knocking stuff down… 

LONG LIVE THE BRICK!

Also, while I’m talking about building stuff up… today I see that the Created in Birmingham blog is a joint winner in the Media Guardians Innovation Awards, which is great news. 

Anyone who know’s me and has gotten into any conflab’s about what new music is making me buzz, will no doubt have heard me enthuse (stop yawning!) about the amazing guitar work of Rick Tomlinson aka Voice of the Seven Woods.

I first heard Rick on Stuart Marconies Freak Zone on BBC 6 Music in 2006 and was instantly hooked. Fortunately it was only a matter of months until I was lucky enough to enjoy his live performance at Capsule’s annual Supersonic Festival. On that occasion Rick had drummer Chris Walmsley with him and together they made a glorious sound. 

Since then Brimngham has been able to enjoy VOTSW live on a number of occasions, the last being the one I missed… Well, isn’t YouTube great! Clips from Rick’s performance at last summers Moseley Folk Festival have just arrived online thanks to ever busy Chris (Prime Objective) Keenan - who is also responsible for the Supersonic clip above 

I look forward to more new music and captivating live show’s in 2008 - seriously worth checking out!

Worth noting too, that tuesdays Birmingham Post featured a great article about Chris in it’s Culture section. You can read it online, here.

I’ve just read that 2008 will see the release of a movie version Maurice Sendak’s absolutely classic illustrated book, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. As if that’s not great news by itself, the director is non other than Spike Jonze . You’ll know his genius promo work for Sabotage by the Beastie Boys, Drop by the Pharcyde, Praise you by Fat Boy Slim, as well as the delightfully insane movie Being John Malcovich.

Where the Wild Things Are, is my default gift choice for the youth of my friends, it’s a book that no kid should be without, with some of my favorite illustrations ever.  Hopefully Mr Jonze will do it proud on the silver screen…It’s not due to be released until Oct 2008 (US) so hopefully we’ll get to see it before the end of next year.