Damien's Irishperson in Exile Diary

The rabid and almost comprehensible meanderings of a software engineer and psychology student moved to Cambridge from Ireland.

Archive for the ‘Reviews’ category

Slumprawn Millionaire

September 6th, 2009

Image by sgroi via Flickr

Based on his short film, Alive in Jo’burg, Neil Blomkamp has come up with an intelligent science-fiction action movie in District 9. Shot mostly in a mock-documentary style the movie chronicles an alternate Johannesburg twenty years after an alien ship arrived.

In a plot heavily influenced by Apartheid era South Africa, the aliens are forced into the eponymous District to keep them separate from the native Jo’bergers but this does nothing to quell unrest. We follow newly-promoted bureaucrat Wikus Van De Merwe (in an amazing breakthrough performance by Sharlito Copely who improvised most of his dialogue) as he leads a team to move the Prawn to a new camp, two-hundred miles away from any human settlement.

Despite the science fiction plot and more obviously fantastical elements, there is a gritty realism that pervades the whole movie, especially in the more mockumentary parts. The effects are flawless and fit into the dystopian background of the shanty town that has built up in the aliens’ ghetto and the aliens themselves are a far cry from the plastic and latex creations of Alien Nation. Many difficult questions are asked and few answers are given – like most good science fiction the movie is more than just an excuse for spotty teenagers to see some explosions, but serves to make us think about xenophobia, racism, and how we treat each other as a society.

One of the best films of the decade.

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Posted in Reviews

“I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices”

July 15th, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was a wonderful interpretation of the most complex and emotional book of the series. While it suffers a little from Empire Strikes Back syndrome, there’s enough there to let it stand on its own without feeling like the middle child.

Wonderfully natural performances, as can only be expected from a group of actors who have grown up together making these movies and a sense of wistfulness as they come close to the end of this part of their careers. Michael Gambon, as always, played Dumbledore so well that it’s a struggle to see how the late Richard Harris could have done the same.

While the fans are up in arms about missing scenes and changes made, the emotional impact of the ending would have been lessened too much if the book was followed too faithfully. With David Yeats set to direct the next two, the series can only end on a high note.

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Posted in Reviews

Tags: Reviews

How can so much awesomeness exist?

June 26th, 2008

Image by ‘Scratch’ via Flickr

Joss
Wheedon, Neil
Patrick Harris, Super Heroes,
Super Villains,
and a theremin.

This only way this
could get any more awesome would be if it tied in with How I Met
Your Mother.

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Posted in Funny, Reviews, Video

The Original Sims

June 5th, 2008

Image by Damien Ryan via Flickr

Alter
Ego was a video game released by Activision in 1986. The brainchild
of psychologist Dr.
John Favero it allowed players to play out an entire lifetime as if
it were a Choose Your Own Adventure
novel by playing out events based on hundreds of interviews conducted
with people about their lives.

Now you can play a very faithful reproduction
online.

Update: For $5 you can get a version for mobile phones using the Android operating system in the Android Market.

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Posted in Computer, Psychology, Reviews

Doomed to repeat its mistakes

April 15th, 2008

Image via Wikipedia

Skins in its present form had its
final episode last night. True to form it was a rather stylised
presentation of an A-level results day with some smashing music and a
hard hitting performance from Larissa Wilson.
Next year’s series will feature a while new cast of rowdy teenagers with
Sid and Cassie popping in occasionally. I’m not sure how it’ll work
as, for me, it was the characters that made the show, but I’m prepared
to give it a chance.

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Posted in Reviews, Television

Musicology

October 14th, 2003

Inertia strikes again. Not only had I not been to a gig in ages, I go to two in a week and don’t bother reviewing them. I’m feeling lazy so I’ll only tackle the first one for the moment.

On the 25th of September I went to see The Broken Family Band at the Arts Cinema in Cambridge. It’s the first time a concert’s been played there and I have to admit it was quite strange standing in a fairly well-lit bar-type atmosphere watching a band.

First up was Candidate (which through some strange quirk of acoustics I thought were called Pieces of Eight) which seemed pretty good quite jolly and acoustic. A conversation about Badgers set up what was to happen later on.

The main band themselves were on good form, singing a mixture of new and old stuff and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. Because of the badgers, it became an ad hoc cheer after each song (well for two of us, at least) and when we got a little rowdy it ended up confusing the band. So much to that “I Don’t Have the Time (Too Mess Around)” was changed to refer almost exclusively to badgers.

Elbow review in a day or two, followed by Frank Black and the Catholics.

Ta Ta.

[Listening to: Ana - Pixies - Bossanova (2:09)]

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Posted in Reviews

Tags: Cambridge Music

Gaybar

May 12th, 2003

: Cover of Radio Ga Ga

Okay so I said that The Cooper Temple Clause were bloody brilliant but tonight’s gig surpassed even that. Electric Six were even better, surpassing all levels of the Ryan Rating System and bring about a new grade of gig coolness. They were “Fuckin’ Deadly”. They rocked pretty much with the stuff that I hadn’t heard, but once GayBar came on I found myself sucked into a pit of moshing joy from whence I didn’t emerge for an hour.

A mix of disco, heavy rock, punk, and a stage presence to rival Sir Lawrence Olivier made for the perfect gig to bounce around to like a mad thing and bounce around I did. I imagine I’ll be unable to walk in the morning but it was very much worth it. Especially with their well-timed monarch dissing, and the slightly ironic timing of their cover version of Radio Ga Ga, which confused the younger members of the audience.

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Posted in Cambridge, Music, Reviews

Tags: Cambridge Music

Powerwalking to Jesus

April 23rd, 2003

: Image by monkeyleader via Flickr

Yes I know it’s been a while, but I haven’t been to a gig in ages. Tonight was Harvest Time at the Portland Arms and, as usual, The Broken Family Band were headlining. It was a very poor turnout gigwise, with only myself and Red Setter attending, but turned out to be absolutely smashing.

First up was Rob Jackson and friend. The singer was pretty good in a James Taylor style and Rob’s lead guitar led to a fairly mellow but toneful start to the evening’s proceedings.

Lionshare are another band much in the Americana mold. Having a bad start where I was tempted to head to the bar, they got into the swing of things with some dark, almost gothic, country style music. Filled with harmonica, textured guitar, and a growling Johnny Cash type voice I do believe they rawked.

The Broken Family Band this time around played a lot of new stuff which will be on the album, aparantly coming at the end of June. Of course, they played old favourites like Twisted and The Devil’s in the Details but I think the highlight for me was Walking Back to Jesus: Part I, which was nice and Pink Floydy for my tastes.

Another highlight of the evening was witnessing Red Setter’s change from relative gig virgin to full fleged groupie. I feel so proud since she left with both a t-shirt and CD and chatted to the band.

Next week is The Bluetones.

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Posted in Cambridge, Music, Reviews

Tags: Cambridge Music

If you go down to the woods today

September 10th, 2002

: Image by Cruccone via Flickr

Well it’s a bit late, but I do want to talk about 100 Acres that was on in Longstanton the Saturday before last. The first festival of it’s kind in Cambridge and appeared to be a rousing success.

Alabama 3, the headliners, were every bit as good as expected, though the American accents started to slip back towards Edinburgh and Brixton towards the end. Cornershop were great as well, despite the lead singer’s seeming boredom with the whole event. They played a fantastic sitar jam at the end of their set which blew us all away.

A couple of new bands there seem to be worth watching out for. Other Garden (who impressed me with an impromptu cover version of Lazy Sunday Afternoon) and Silverfish.

Hopefully the festival will continue next year.