Blast From The Past: The Rolling Stones

It took me a long time to really get into The Rolling Stones for a reason I have no idea. The old argument always rears its ugly head when talking about The Stones… y’know the one, Beatles or Stones? For me it’s The Rolling Stones every single time, don’t get me wrong I do like The Beatles and they have some great songs. However The Rolling Stones just have this edgy appeal and I really love their classic rock and roll sound. It's not too very long for The Stones to become one of my favourite bands of all time.

What I found hard was where to begin with getting into The Rolling Stones because the back catalogue is absolutely huge. It’s very hard to know where to start with a band that has changed its sound over the years. Thankfully there is a really, really good collection called ‘Rolled Gold Plus’ which features all the great Stones songs and really concentrates on their early career which for most is when they were at their best.

I always imagine myself being around in the 60’s and really, really adoring The Rolling Stones, it would’ve been so easy to back then because there wasn’t as much competition as there is today. The Rolling Stones are one of those special bands that only come around every 40 years or so. Actually I would suggest there has never been a band quite like The Rolling Stones.

When you listen to ‘Rolled Gold Plus’ you pretty much will not skip a song (obviously if you like the band) however some of my favourite songs include ‘Come On’, ‘I’m Free’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘It’s All Over Now’ to name four that come to mind.

Other songs like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, ‘Paint It Black’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘Gimme Shelter’ and ‘Brown Sugar’ are more recognised songs. Obviously those songs mentioned are classic songs and ones that people will associate with The Rolling Stones.

However to me songs like ‘Get Off My Cloud’, ‘Play With Fire’, ‘Yesterday’s Papers’, ‘Time Is On My Side’ and ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ are just as good if not better than the more famous Stones tracks. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are two of the most iconic rock legends of all time and there is no question that The Rolling Stones are considered one of the greatest bands of all time. They definitely deserve that label especially when you consider the band have been going for 46 years!

Classic Record: The Smiths – Meat Is Murder

Every person has an “album” that defines the music they love, or the band that they are obsessed with or even a time in their life which they can relate to an album. Some albums help people get through life’s obstacles or help them cure depression and so forth. The gist is that all people who really love music have an album that they always go back to and consider the album which most represents them. One of my friends says ‘Kid A’ by Radiohead, another says ‘The Holy Bible’ by Manic Street Preachers and you get the idea.

‘Meat Is Murder’ is the album which I’ll always return to when I don’t know what to listen or just because I want to listen an album I know will I love. Some fans of The Smiths will say that ‘The Queen Is Dead’ is the best album but I think die hard Smiths fans will argue that ‘Meat Is Murder’ is the best Smiths record. It’s an album which I think you need to give at least two or three listens from start to finish before you can really have an opinion on it.

What I love most about the album is that there is no stand out “hit” or single, perhaps ‘How Soon Is Now?’ is that song but even then I don’t think it’s one of The Smiths most commercial songs like ‘Panic’ or ‘This Charming Man’. Each song on the album is different to the next which is another thing I really love about the album. Lyrically the album is my favourite too with lyrics like “Belligerent ghouls, run Manchester schools. Spineless swines, cemented minds” in ‘The Headmaster Ritual’. One of my favourite lyrics of all time is from this album and is in the song ‘Rusholme Ruffians’. Morrissey at his very best when he sings “So… scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen (this means you really love me).”

Some of Johnny Marr’s finest moments happen on ‘Meat Is Murder’ like in ‘I Want The One I Can’t Have’ and really every song on the album is as good as the next. ‘What She Said’ at two minutes forty-two seconds is a particularly short song in terms of the album but at the same time is just as fantastic as the ‘Barbarism Begins At Home’ which stands at six minutes and forty-eight seconds.

‘That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore’ is a slower song and contains such lyrics like “But that joke isn’t funny anymore. It’s too close to home and it’s too near the bone.” ‘Nowhere Fast’ and ‘Well I Wonder’ are two more fantastic Smiths songs and the closing song ‘Meat Is Murder’ is a fairly hard listening closer but at the same time a very daring and incredible ending track.

‘Meat Is Murder’ to me is the most perfect record I’ve ever listened to and it is an album that I know I’ll always love.

The Kills - Midnight Boom

Released back in March of this year this review is over five months late, but better late than never is definitely the motto to have. The Kills are one of those bands that other bands seem to love and a band who are often trying to innovate and progress their sound. That is something that you have to admire when there are so many run of the mill bands out there at the moment. You have to respect any band that try and be different in a world where every band appears to be the same.

‘Midnight Boom’ to me was not an album that instantly clicked with my ears but after giving it some time it definitely has grown on me a lot. The fact that The Kills only consist of two people makes their sound interest me and impress me so much. The album at times is very old school rock and roll and at times is extremely innovative and intriguing. Alison Mosshart’s voice at times reminds me very much of Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs which is no bad thing.

The Kills are definitely doing great things for two pieces when you consider a two piece by the name of The Tings Tings are ruining the image of a boy/girl band should be about. Thank fuck that The Kills are nothing like the previously mentioned two piece.

Opening track ‘U.R.A. Fever’ kicks the album off to a pretty spectacular beginning and makes you want more tracks like it. Thankfully the album is full of songs as good, if not better than the opening song. ‘Getting Down’ is a great example of how two very different vocals on one song can work beautifully well if it’s done right.

‘Cheap and Cheerful’ and ‘Tape Song’ are two fantastic songs that really give the first half of the album a very strong start. ‘Last Day of Magic’ is and remains my favourite song from the record, Alison’s vocals sounding very strong and Jamie providing some great backing vocals as well.

Other songs such as ‘Hook and Line’, ‘Black Balloon’ and closing track ‘Goodnight Bad Morning’ makes this album a strong album from start to finish.

8/10

Label Focus: Rough Trade

Rough Trade is one of England’s most famous and oldest labels and it’s still going strong now and has some great record shops around London which put on some great in stores now and again. The label was founded in 1978 and is co-owned by original founder Geoff Travis and now Jeanette Lee (Public Image Ltd).

Rough Trade boasts some of the greatest bands and artists of the past thirty years including my favourite band of all time The Smiths. Other influential artists who’ve graced the Rough Trade label include Aztec Camera, The Fall, Delta 5, Galaxie 500, Television Personalities, Young Marble Giants and more.

Bands from the past ten years of rock, alternative and indie music include such artists like the heavily influential British band The Libertines and as influential New York band The Strokes. Arcade Fire are yet another important band from the past ten years that happen to be on Rough Trade too.

Other famous names include Jarvis Cocker, Belle & Sebastian, The Decemberists, Adam Green, The Long Blondes and many, many more. Rough Trade are one of the best labels of all time that include some of the most legendary artists of all time. Not many labels can say that!

Single: Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today

Port O’Brien are a five piece from Oakland in California and their latest single from the album ‘All We Could Do Is Sing’ is one of the most catchy and toe tapping singles of the summer. Three minutes and twenty-one seconds is pure toe tapping goodness from the Californians.

‘I Woke Up Today’ is extremely infectious from the start, middle and right the way through to the end. The song starts with some simple “Ohhhh's” that you cannot help singing along to and then “I woke up today in a very simple way” which immediately sticks in your head for whatever reason.

The lyrics are fairly simple but at the same time they are fun and feel very summery (despite our summer being an absolute wash out and it not feeling like summer one little bit). This song is bound to be a big hit for the band because you just can’t help humming, singing and nodding along to it.

8/10

Batman Forever

Tim Burton departed as director and acted as producer for Batman Forever and Joel Schumacher took over (Flatliners, The Lost Boys, Phone Booth) the reigns from Burton, unfortunately in this case.

Batman Forever was a return to camp Batman, camp comic style films and a return to the bad. Don’t get me wrong I really thought that Val Kilmer was a great choice for Batman and he made Michael Keaton look pathetic as Batman. The cast is fantastic with Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey the perfect bad guys and Nicole Kidman the beautiful love interest.

How could a director get a film so badly wrong with such a brilliant cast? The only man who knows that is Joel Schumacher. I thought Jim Carrey was very good at times as The Riddler however he was far too annoying and for me The Riddler wasn’t as evil as he could’ve been. The Riddler is next to The Joker the best bad guy in the Batman comics and it could’ve been so, so much better. Tommy Lee Jones was very good as Harvey Dent / Two Face and he did the role proud and himself. Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight plays a different Dent but ultimately better despite Tommy Lee Jones solid performance.

Nicole Kidman was pretty cringe worthy at times and her scenes with Val Kilmer were not ones I enjoyed. Now. Robin, why? I think Robin is pathetic and any director who believes in the character of Robin should not be making Batman films. The choice to include Robin seemed very random and Chris O’Donnell was fairly lame as Robin.

What pretty much saved the film was Val Kilmer’s performance as Batman and at times Carrey as The Riddler and of course Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face. Otherwise this would be simply getting zero out of ten. Please don’t let Schumacher near any comic book adaptation ever again, and please Christopher Nolan don’t ever, ever bring back Robin.

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Olympics

With no football currently it has been very easy to be drawn into watching the 2008 Olympic Games. It seems to be on all the time and just about everywhere you look there is something about the Olympics. So far in the Olympics there has been a heavy focus on the swimming events and there seems to be so many heats, finals and events in the pool you get lost with what’s going on.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that Michael Phelps is cleaning up big style as far as swimming goes. He is already considered the greatest Olympic athlete, swimmer and man in the history of the Olympic Games. I am just incredibly happy and feel extremely privileged that I was alive during his prime. The man must have fish DNA. No. Shark DNA. He is a monster in the pool and I won’t be surprised if he wins all the medals he has entered in for (eight; five won so far).

The British have done pretty well in the pool and it’s good to see that most of the swimmers we have are very young ranging from 17 to 20 years of age. So we have a good future ahead of us for the London 2012 Olympics. Although the men pretty much have no chance if Phelps is still swimming in 2012 which you imagine he will be.

I’ve also been fascinated with the table tennis; hockey and today the beach volley ball grabbed my attention. The game I was watching happened to be Russia versus Georgia, both countries I wouldn’t expect to be particularly good at the sport. How many beaches do Russia and Georgia have? Anyway Georgia were getting hammered in the first set but came back and beat the Russians which seems slightly fitting when you consider what’s happening between the two countries at the moment.

So far the games have been fantastic and with track and field events set to begin on Friday the Olympics will get a lot, a lot better.

Single: Golden Silvers – Arrows Of Eros

Golden Silvers are an new band, to me anyway. They remind me of a mix between Mystery Jets (new album ‘Twenty One’ sound) and a slice of Larrikin Love. Imagine that sound for a second and then think toe tapping, catchy and poppy and then you have the sound of Golden Silvers. A pretty spectacular mixture I’d suggest.

‘Arrows Of Eros’ is pretty much doing the rounds on many radio stations, however BBC Introducing was where I keep hearing it. Huw Stephens is to thank for me hearing it, good job Huw.

“There was a girl who lived in London town. The scenes and sounds, they would only bring her down” is the lyric which stands out for me. I know for sure if this song was the sound she heard living in London town it definitely wouldn’t bring her down. It would most certainly get her up on her feet and get her dancing, for sure.

‘Arrows Of Eros’ is the perfect pop debut single by Golden Silvers, the song is out via Young & Lost Club and you should buy it (here).

8/10

Golden Silvers – Arrows Of Eros

Single: Magistrates - Make This Work

Magistrates are a band, from Essex. I’ve been to Essex and have family there and there is no way a band from Essex should sound like Magistrates. Magistrates sound very much like they are from across the pond; their style fits in well with a lot of the American bands having success in this country at the moment. If you click here then you can download the single from the website for absolutely nothing, pretty swish eh?

Lead singer Paul Usher has an extremely unique voice; listening to his voice you would never ever think that he was from Essex. I know how people from Essex sound (when singing) and they certainly do not sound like Paul Usher. ‘Make This Work’ is sleek and stylish and has a real groove to it; you can bet it’s going to be a dance floor hit for Magistrates.

Signed to XL Recordings Magistrates appear to have a very bright future ahead of them, especially if they can continue writing songs like ‘Make This Work’.

8/10

Label Focus: Wichita

Wichita Recordings are a label based in London and have a great roster of artists many of them being some of my favourite bands.

Wichita do not get as much recognition as many labels despite them being a very good label that has a reputation to allow their artists to have complete control over their music. Which is of course fantastic and very rare with virtually all major labels so it’s refreshing to hear about a label that allows the artist the control over releases, recordings and so forth.

Two of my favourite artists on the Wichita label are Les Savy Fav and Los Campesinos. Los Campesinos released their debut album ‘Hold On Now, Youngster’ on Wichita earlier this year and Les Savy Fav’s fantastic album ‘Lets Stay Friends’ at the end of the last year.

Bloc Party are another extremely successful artist on the Wichita label and one of my favourite bands of the last few years. The Cribs are another band that Wichita can boast to have on its roster and with The Cribs they’ve always allowed them to be themselves. Both artists mentioned have released successful albums with The Cribs having three on Wichita and Bloc Party’s third album out fairly soon will be out on Wichita.

Wichita has some extremely talented musicians from across the pond as well with the likes of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bright Eyes, The Dodos and Giant Drag all apart of the Wichita family. Other artists worth mentioning on the label include Simian Mobile Disco, Those Dancing Days and Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John. Overall Wichita remain one of the consistent labels in the country and you can imagine they’ll continue being just as consistent.

Premiership Season 08/09

Supporting Manchester United whenever the season starts you always predict that the title is going to end up in Manchester at the end of the season. We’ve been so lucky over the years that you would be silly not to predict anything but the Premiership crown come May 2009. This time last season it was the same story and thankfully May 2008 was a very good month for everyone involved with Manchester United. Where do the challengers come from? The same ones as usual but Arsenal and Liverpool can’t win the title (I may regret saying that). It’s mainly between United and Chelsea, if United were to sign a top class centre forward it’d be more straight forward, but they won’t so it’ll be very interesting.

Elsewhere the relegation battle doesn’t appear to be as interesting as usual because the three teams that came up look the most likely to drop back down again. Out of the three of them West Brom have the best chance but even then losing players like Gera and Phillips will be a big blow and they could yoyo back to the Championship like so many others. Above them expect to see the likes of Wigan and Bolton because they are the two others who could face a long old season.

Sunderland and Fulham have spent the most it seems and they could both have good seasons if they can keep the key players fit. Teams like Newcastle and Middlesbrough will never really be in serious trouble because they both have goal scorers and Boro are usually very solid at the back. Everyone is predicting as usual that Everton as usual will finish 5th however this could be the season where the toffees struggle. So far not signing any players and selling Andy Johnson could result in a lowly finish for the blue half of Merseyside.

Aston Villa could push for that 5th spot if they can get a proven goal scorer and another option in midfield. Tottenham will fancy themselves to get a top 6 finish however if they don’t sign another forward then it could be a different story. They are also quite dodgy at the back with the likes of King and Woodgate both very injury prone. Then the full backs Bale and Hutton both prefer attacking than defending, however the midfield looks very promising with Jenas, Modric, Bentley, Lennon, Dos Santos, Huddlestone and Zokora.

Other sides like West Ham, Hull, Stoke, Blackburn and Manchester City (let's fucking hope so) will probably have quite miserable seasons but Portsmouth are very likely to get a top 6 finish with the strike force of Crouch and Defoe. Domestically the League Cup could end up with a team outside the top four again (Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Newcastle all come to mind). However the FA Cup will DEFINITELY end up with a top four side, hopefully Manchester United. Eight excruciating days remain; pre season football is really getting to me.

Label Focus: Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi Records are a small independent label based in London; the name means Hello in Japanese and is also a B-side by the American band Brand New. Moshi Moshi over the years have released some very important singles from some of the biggest names in British indie music. Over the years Moshi Moshi have released a couple of their own fantastic compilation albums.

In 2006 Moshi Moshi released the compilation ‘Can You Hear Me Clearly’ which includes songs by bands such as Hot Chip, Bloc Party, The Rakes, The Grates, Yeti and more. More recent compilation album ‘Moshi Moshi Singles Compilation Volume 1’ which includes bands like Late of the Pier, The Wave Pictures, Kate Nash, Danananaykroyd, Friendly Fires, Slow Club and more.

Moshi Moshi is most famous for their single releases but more recently have released some full length albums. Hot Club De Paris fantastic debut album ‘Drop It ‘Til It Pops’ was released on the label and their new released ‘Live At Dead Lake’ is also available on the same label. Quite excellent Tilly And The Wall brought out one of my favourites of 2006 with ‘Bottoms of Barrel’s’ on Moshi Moshi too.

More recently The Mae Shi released ‘Hlllyh’ on Moshi Moshi and it remains my favourite Moshi Moshi release to date. Alongside the quintessential English band The Wave Pictures LP ‘Instant Coffee Baby’ which is really growing on me this year. Moshi Moshi continue to release some fantastic singles and some even more fantastic albums. Keep up the good work Moshi Moshi!

Do The Splits

Eight months into 2008 and there already have been several casualties with bands, some good bands but mainly bad ones. August saw the announcement that Nashville rockers Be Your Own Pet announced they are splitting up. From all the splits this year the Be Your Own Pet split certainly saddens me the most because on record and live they were one of the best new and young bands around. Live they have so much energy and the self titled album is a great debut album and despite some criticism I really enjoyed the follow up ‘Get Awkward’.

Wolfmother have just announced they will no longer be recording music together and the members will go their separate ways. I am pretty sure we will see that big afro of Andrew Stockdale back one day but just not with Wolftmother. I can’t say I am that disappointed about this split because Wolfmother were not a band I really had much excitement about.

Earlier on in the year Mumm-Ra announced that after several years of constant recording and touring they would split up. Like the Wolfmother split I wasn’t terribly upset about this despite them having a couple of good songs. Northampton band The Departure announced they would no longer be recording as The Departure. This was something I was expecting for some while although their debut album ‘Dirty Words’ was a pretty good album you could never see the band lasting very long in the industry. The Dead 60s were another band to announce their split this year which was something that like The Departure did not surprise me. The first album was very listenable with some really good songs but the second album was absolutely terrible.

The final band to mention is Big Scary Monsters band Meet Me In St. Louis who I always really liked. Sadly I never got to see them live which was where I’m informed they were at their best. I am sure the members of Meet Me In St. Louis will be back in other forms however their legacy as one of the best post-hardcore bands from this country.

X2

Not that many sequels to films are as good as or better than the first but with X2 (or X-Men 2) Bryan Singer has made a film which certainly equals the first. Continuing on from the world’s quest to find all the mutants in the world William Stryker (played by Brian Fox) tracks down the school for gifted youngsters (mutants).

He also manages to capture Charles Xavier and through his son is able to get into the mind of Xavier and his plan is to through his son get into the mind of Xavier and find all the mutants in the world. Stryker builds his own Cerebro device to track down all the mutants in the world and kill them.

The usual suspects are back Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Rogue and Jean Grey along with a couple of new faces in Iceman, Pyro and Nightcrawler. Working alongside Magneto and Mystique to try and stop Stryker the X-Men of course managed to stop Stryker, rescue Xavier and shut down this fake Cerebro.

However, helping the X-Men get away proved too much for Jean Grey as she made the decision to save the X-Men over her own life. X2 sees Hugh Jackman’s performance as Wolverine come on a lot from the first film. Jackman really gets to grips with Wolverine’s past and in X2 we see how good Jackman can be as the Wolverine. Halle Berry continues her solid performance as Storm and newcomer Alan Cumming is an excellent Nightcrawler.

Brian Fox takes on the bad guy role in the film and does it brilliantly as William Stryker. Sir Ian McKellen is not so prominent in this film but when he is he is as good as ever and although Patrick Stewart takes a back seat in this film every scene he is in you thoroughly believe he is Charles Xavier.

Bryan Singer has added yet another superhero film to his Filmography and thankfully it’s another successful and enjoyable one.

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Single: Bombay Bicycle Club - Evening/Morning

I’ve followed Bombay Bicycle Club for a long time (I mean a long time) I have practically grown up with them. I saw them almost two years ago opening up the second stage at Chelmsford V Festival after they won the Road to V competition. Since then they’ve gone on to release a couple of really good EP’s but nothing that has impressed me greatly.

Until now I’ve had the new single ‘Evening/Morning’ on repeat for some time and I think it is the best song that the four piece have put together so far. If an album is coming out soon and sounds anything like this song then I can see it being a very, very, very good album.

At times the music sounds very much like something Kings of Leon would’ve come up with (first two album eras). Lead singer Jack Steadman has a very unique and obscure voice that I could imagine some people not liking however that is something I’ve always found so appealing and interesting about the band. ‘Evening/Morning’ is released via the superb Young & Lost Club and you should definitely be buying it with your pocket money this week (buy it here). “I’m ready to owe you anything” Jack sings, but trust me BBC with this song you owe us nothing!

9/10

Bombay Bicycle Club – Evening/Morning

Label Focus: XL Recordings

XL is one of my favourite labels, if not my favourite label. The label was set up by Tim Palmer, Nick Halkes and Richard Russell and was originally a label set up to release dance records. However the label has transformed since then and releases a wide range of different musicians.

XL definitely boasts one of the most eclectic ranges of music around at the moment. With the likes of solo artists Adele released her debut album ‘21’ on XL to other solo artists Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A. all releasing critically acclaimed albums on the XL label.

What is so great about XL is how they’ll sign lots of new talent and are constantly signing the freshest talent in the music scene. Most recently they signed hotly tipped St. Alban boys Friendly Fires who release their self titled debut album very shortly. Other debut albums to be released by XL this year include Cajun Dance Party’s ‘The Colourful Life’. Vampire Weekend dropped their self titled debut album in January and the album is one of the best on XL for some years.

Along with some great new bands XL has a range of more commercially known bands such as The White Stripes, Beck, The Raconteurs, Sigur Ros, The Prodigy and of course one of the best British bands of all time, Radiohead.

The talent doesn’t stop there when you consider the likes of Jack Penate, Be Your Own Pet, Tapes ‘n Tapes, The Teenagers and To My Boy have all used the XL label to release very successful albums. The Horrors have just recently announced that their new album will be out on XL Recordings too and future albums from new bands such as Magistrates and Kid Harpoon are expected too.

XL also assist in the development of other small labels such as Young Turks, Merok and Abeano who are all trying to bring fresh sounds to our ears all the time. To say XL Recordings is one of the most respected if not the most respected label in the country would be no understatement.

Formula One

On Sunday afternoon I spent a few hours watching a whole grand prix race, something I have never done before. I’ve always seen Formula 1 as a pretty dull sport really and only ever have watched highlights here and there. In the days where Michael Schumacher dominated the Championships I do honestly believe it was pretty dull. To watch a guy win race after race, title after title was slightly boring, especially when the sport itself can be at times boring.

In those years that Schumacher was dominating there wasn’t really any challengers either that could really take over from him. Y’know like when Chelsea spent 500 million on players and Arsene Wenger arrived to turn Arsenal around to challenge Manchester United. There was none of that during the Schumacher era really, however it’s in current climate there are so many drivers who have the ability to win the Championship, but at the same time lose it. Last season was one of the most exciting in history as only two points separated the top three drivers. In the end Ferrari’s Finish ice man Kimi Raikkonen wan the drivers Championship with Lewis Hamilton second and Spaniard Fernando Alonso on third.

This season the race is as close, as exciting and of course as unpredictable as ever and Lewis Hamilton is still leading the charge for the drivers Championship. Eleven races in Lewis Hamilton leads the table but only by a mere 5 points over last year’s winner Raikkonen and 3 points behind him is fellow Ferrari Felipe Massa. Seven races remain in the race for the biggest price in motor racing and Lewis Hamilton will be pushed all the way by the two Ferrari’s I’m sure. Many questioned whether last year’s success for Hamilton would be a one off but he has come back this year as strong as last year.

Winning races so far in Australia, Monaco, Germany and the Silverstone track in Northamptonshire, Great Britain. However Lewis will have to keep it up because in Massa and Raikkonen he is up against a very fast Ferrari car. Lewis Hamilton’s arrival and drivers such as Massa, Raikkonen, Alonso and Kovalainen have made F1 exciting again. I really hope Lewis does the business this year and secures the F1 Championship. 1996 was the year Damon Hill won the F1 Championship, the last from Great Britain and it’s about time we had a new British motor racing hero.

X-Men

Bryan Singer found his fame with his critically acclaimed film and one of my favourite films of all time, The Usual Suspects back in 1995. Five years on he was releasing highly anticipated X-Men, everybody watched (well I think everybody) the cartoon series as a child. I used to tune in to Fox Kids when I was small to make sure I watched the series about those X-Men and women of course.

For some reason I’ve never seen the film until today even though I’ve seen the second film X2, how that came about I really have no idea. X-Men is basically like the TV series Heroes which I am pretty sure most of you have seen / know what it’s about. Despite this comparison X-Men IS different because all the characters feel like superheroes and the characters are far better, obviously.

The world isn’t ready for mutants (X-Men) and considers them dangerous and wants them to come out and own up to whom they are and what they can do. The problem with the world of mutants is that there are bad ones and there are good ones. Magneto falls into the bad category along with his troops Sabre Tooth, Toad and Mystique. Where as Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops and Rogue are part of the good guys of the film.

The cast is as good as any superhero film out there, any film which includes Sir Ian McKellen as the bad guy works for me. Hugh Jackman is the perfect Wolverine; in fact he is Wolverine just as Christopher Reeve is Superman. I couldn’t imagine Wolverine as anyone else, it would be wrong. Patrick Stewart is definitely the ideal Charles Xavier and Halle Berry is faultless as Storm. Bryan Singer’s 2000 X-Men definitely remains one of the best superhero films made to date.

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Batman Returns

Right from the word go this film feels very much like a Tim Burton film, a lot more so than the previous film Batman. The opening music and the very opening scene is very much what you would expect from Tim Burton, which of course is no bad thing.

The film follows the story of the Penguin also known by his “real name” Oswald Cobblepot who is played by Danny DeVito. His performance as The Penguin is one of the real treats of the film, he fits into The Penguin role perfectly and if you were to see The Penguin down the street (unlikely of course) then you’d definitely see DeVito.

Michael Keaton carries on as Batman and he definitely is growing into the role as Batman but I still cannot take him seriously as Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is meant to be a cool character but Michael Keaton is more like a geek something you do not associate with Bruce Wayne. Thankfully when he puts the mask on he is a very good portrayal of Batman.

The sexual feline Catwoman is played by Michelle Pfeiffer despite her being a quiet and shy secretary. Max Shreck who is played by the great Christopher Walken is the brains behind The Penguin who gets The Penguin to go for mayor so that he can go ahead with his power plant which will suck all the electricity from Gotham City.

The people of Gotham pity The Penguin when they find out how he was abandoned as a child and they begin to love The Penguin. Until thanks to Batman they find out what he is really like and at one point the people of Gotham turn on Batman because The Penguin sets him up but of course Batman is the man of the people and he saves the people from The Penguin and Max Shreck.

Overall the film carries on from the first and it’s very much the dark Tim Burton film everybody expects from a Batman film.

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Summer Transfers

2008 has been slow for transfer activity mainly because of the European Champions however transfer activity in the Premiership is now in full swing. Sunderland has one of the most active so far signing Spurs trio Taino, Chimbonda and Malbranque along ex Liverpool and Bolton forward Diouf. Roy Keane certainly has signalled his intent for the new season not to just stay up but to get a high table position.

The big four have been fairly quiet especially Manchester United and Arsenal who haven’t really splashed out with United not signing anyone so far. Arsenal have signed young starlet Samir Nasri but have sold Hleb, Gilberto Silva, Flamini and Lehmann. Chelsea have splashed out on Portuguese duo Deco and Boswinga and let the likes of Steve Sidwell and Ben Haim leave. Liverpool has made the biggest signing so far purchasing Robbie Keane for £19million and are still trying to get Gareth Barry for a similar price. They have recouped some of the money though by selling the likes of Crouch to Portsmouth and Riise to Roma.

Teams like Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester City have yet to really set the transfer window on fire. City did sign Brazilian Jo with Villa buying Chelsea’s Steve Sidwell and Blackburn’s veteran keeper Brad Friedel however you expect all three to bring in plenty of talent. Fulham have quietly been making several acquisitions including Andy Johnson (£12 million), West Ham pair Bobby Zamora and John Paintsill, Swede Fredrik Stoor along with free transfers Zoltan Gera and Mark Schwarzer.

Tottenham have probably been the most active signing the likes of Dos Santos, Bentley, Modric and Gomes. With the likes of Milito and Arshavin both expected to be Spurs players sooner rather than later. However Spurs have sold a lot of players with the likes of Gardner, Taino, Malbranque, Kaboul, Keane, Chimbonda, Robinson all departing and Berbatov is expected next too.

Newcomers Stoke, West Brom and Hull have all been fairly active in the market. Stoke City have made Dave Kitson their transfer record and have also signed experience Danish keeper Thomas Sorenson. West Brom meanwhile has signed Scott Carson and Gianni Zuiverloon and Hull have brought in George Boateng, Giovanni, Bernard Mendy and Anthony Gardner.

Elsewhere Newcastle and Middlesbrough have all been fairly quiet only making a couple of signings each. Wigan has made a fair few signings including former Birmingham duo Kapo and De Ridder. I expect so much more activity over the next 4 weeks with the transfer deadline looming on August 31st.