One week ago from the time of writing, I was in Los Angeles California, in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, having just had the best weekend of my entire life. But I’m getting ahead of myself. To tell this story we have to head back to last Thursday.
Thursday
I’d spent a few days in Boulder Colorado with my friend Laura, and we both flew into LA on Thursday morning. At the baggage claim a couple of other girls came up to us, having recognised my ALL CAPS t-shirt and wondering if we were on our way to Vidcon too (which obviously we were). We all hopped on the shuttle and headed out into Century City – formerly the Fox Studio lot but long since redeveloped, and now the home of among other things, MGM world headquarters (which is basically adjoined to the hotel’s back wall).
After a quick bite to eat at the huuuuuge mall across the street, it was downstairs to the Vidcon office where I met Hank and John again, as well as meeting Karen Kavett who is as funny and awesome IRL as she is in her vlog. So began the mass bag-packing, preparing for the arrival of the 1400 guests who all needed to register for the conference in just a few hours. For those of you interested, see these photos:
http://www.twitpic.com/23lddh - first few
http://www.twitpic.com/23ldho - then a few more
http://www.twitpic.com/23ldli - then 100’s upon 100’s.
Then registration finally opened, and, WOW, credit to our volunteers on Thursday night. We needed them so much, and they pulled through in every way imaginable. I wish I’d got to know each and every one of you, because I know I would have found only awesome – I know I made some genuine friends for life
Friday
After the longest night ever, and only 2hours of sleep, Friday began, and John and Hank took to the stage in the Los Angeles Ballroom and the conference was under way.
Michael Buckley, of the What the Buck Show, and Ze Frank both gave marvellous talks as the day went by – Ze’s keynote address indeed was a spectacular exploration of online video and how the world of online media is continually evolving.
That evening we all filed into the ballroom to find it transformed into a dancefloor, and some of youtube’s premier musicians – from Alex Day and Hank Green to Rhett and Link and ALL CAPS took to the stage for a huge DFTBA Records concert. The highlights of the night included Hank and Alex joining to sing Rest in Peace from the Buffy musical, and about 50 of the biggest youtube stars all joining ALL CAPS on stage for the final song of their headline set: Don’t Unplug Me.
Not ready for bed despite the clear sleep deprivation we were all struggling under, we hung around a little longer as the crowd continued to dance into the night, the hall erupting as Michael Buckley appeared in our midst in the middle of Gaga’s Just Dance and the Black Eyed Peas.
And finally time to go to bed.
Saturday
On Saturday it was my job to ferry the speakers from the stage to the official post-event interviews, which generally meant hanging out backstage all day, with the most amazing people in the universe – some of whom I’ll admit I didn’t know of on Youtube before that day, and yet who I connected with almost instantly. From stage side I could see everything that was going on AND hang out with everyone too – an absolute win-win if you ask me. David Choi might be the best guitarist I’ve ever met, and Rootberry are simply amazing at getting a crowd going with their sword juggling and swallowing routines. I also got to go on stage and give Mystery Guitar Man his guitar. I tried very hard not to fanboy all of these people to their face, but you know, in my head I was kind of like: woooah.
Then came Saturday night, which, I’ll admit, I did not spend at the concert for the most part. Adam, a random conference attendee, and a few other people, had taken control of the Karaoke room and had instigated an impromptu karaoke contest, so me and all the leaky people ended up in there dancing the night away and singing. Me and a few of the people I’d met through the volunteering – Jess and Lidewij got to know eachother a lot better, and we all continued to party until we were finally forced out of the room (although even then we squeezed in another few songs – sshhh don’t tell anyone =D )
Sunday
After breakfast on Sunday 100’s of nerdfighters filed into the Pavillion to all watch the World Cup Final with John Green and Tom Milsom providing expert analysis at Half time/full time etc. Given that one of my new best conference friends (Lidewij) was dutch, I knew who I was supporting going in, and I must say, despite the disappointing result, Lidewij’s stalwart approach to the rest of the day was beyond commendable.
Me, Jess, Lidewij, and Chaya went and helped Tom Milsom record a video for the HPA which would eventually help them win $250,000, and then (minus Chaya, plus Cait) headed to Pink Taco’s, possibly the best Mexican restaurant in the world, and definitely the most double rainbow place in Los Angeles*
And then we head back to the hotel lobby where our story began. Just sitting, talking for hours on end. We’re joined at various times by Tom Stohlman (the original Nerdfighter Secret Brother), and William Redd, but generally it’s just me, jess and lidewij. We might only be talking, but honestly: its perfect. And this is after all what conferences like this are all about. People from different corners of the globe all meeting and getting to know one another. A Brit, a Canadian and a Dutch girl, all meeting in Los Angeles and having a great time. This was the awesome that was Vidcon. I would not change anything about it. I cannot wait to see Lidewij again when she’s over in August, and I know in Jessica I met probably the funniest person in the world. She is genuinely genuinely lovely.
Now: JUST GO START SAVING FOR VIDCON2011 AND LEAKYCON2011, which trust me, will be the most awesome 2 weekends any group of people will ever share. And I want to share them with every last one of you.
*Double Rainbow, it should be explained, is a phrase which means: INTENSE AWESOME. It stems from a viral video of a guy who is far too interested in something wonderful in nature which was then parodied by The Gregory Brothers of AutotuneTheNews into the funniest song ever, a live version of which was performed at Vidcon just hours after it was originally posted. If you haven’t seen the video, go youtube search Double Rainbow RIGHT NOW.
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Toy Story 3
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
When last we saw Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear, Woody told us that he would stick with Andy until the end, and that “when it all ends, at least [he’ll] have ol’ Buzz Lightyear to keep [him] company”. Andy was 10 when Woody uttered those words. Now he's 17 and heading to college, and that day has finally come.
It’s been years since the toys were played with, and in the opening scenes we learn that we have lost many of our friends along the way as Andy has grown up and discarded them – there’s no Etch, and tragically no Bo Peep.
After a bag meant for the attic actually ends up in the trash on the kerb the toys reconcile to donate themselves to the local day care and get played with. They get played with yes, but ultimately what they find is an almost Abu Ghraib like prison, run by the dominating and hateful Lotso (a Lots O’ Hugging Bear who’s cute and cuddly appearance hides his true dark intentions) and his henchmen Ken (who is NOT a girls toy!!) and Big Baby.
Cue The Great Escape, as the toys all realise that their true friend is the owner they thought had abandoned them, and one last time they must return to him.
So often, animated movies blitz out the rubbishy cheap gags to keep the kids happy and just leave it at that. But Pixar has never really done that. And they aren’t going to start now. This is a tale of loyalty, moralty and redemption, and it’s a truly cathartic experience. You will cry with the characters, you will fear for their very lives, and you will leave utterly drained.
Having grown up with this series, we were the kids playing with toys the first two times out, and now are in university ourselves, and this is possibly why this film works so well. We have all discarded our toys thoughtlessly, with so little regard for them, and its as if this film is here to teach us the error of our ways.
There will be no Toy Story 4. This movie has an utterly perfect end, and this is where the trilogy must conclude. When Inception was released on Friday I said it had the potential to be the movie of the year. Well, just two days later it’s been beaten by the best of the Toy Story Trilogy. The best film Pixar has ever made. The best film of 2010.
Rating: 5/5
When last we saw Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear, Woody told us that he would stick with Andy until the end, and that “when it all ends, at least [he’ll] have ol’ Buzz Lightyear to keep [him] company”. Andy was 10 when Woody uttered those words. Now he's 17 and heading to college, and that day has finally come.
It’s been years since the toys were played with, and in the opening scenes we learn that we have lost many of our friends along the way as Andy has grown up and discarded them – there’s no Etch, and tragically no Bo Peep.
After a bag meant for the attic actually ends up in the trash on the kerb the toys reconcile to donate themselves to the local day care and get played with. They get played with yes, but ultimately what they find is an almost Abu Ghraib like prison, run by the dominating and hateful Lotso (a Lots O’ Hugging Bear who’s cute and cuddly appearance hides his true dark intentions) and his henchmen Ken (who is NOT a girls toy!!) and Big Baby.
Cue The Great Escape, as the toys all realise that their true friend is the owner they thought had abandoned them, and one last time they must return to him.
So often, animated movies blitz out the rubbishy cheap gags to keep the kids happy and just leave it at that. But Pixar has never really done that. And they aren’t going to start now. This is a tale of loyalty, moralty and redemption, and it’s a truly cathartic experience. You will cry with the characters, you will fear for their very lives, and you will leave utterly drained.
Having grown up with this series, we were the kids playing with toys the first two times out, and now are in university ourselves, and this is possibly why this film works so well. We have all discarded our toys thoughtlessly, with so little regard for them, and its as if this film is here to teach us the error of our ways.
There will be no Toy Story 4. This movie has an utterly perfect end, and this is where the trilogy must conclude. When Inception was released on Friday I said it had the potential to be the movie of the year. Well, just two days later it’s been beaten by the best of the Toy Story Trilogy. The best film Pixar has ever made. The best film of 2010.
Rating: 5/5
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Inception
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Have you ever had a dream so good that you really hated when you woke up just because it meant it was all over? Well in my case that dream is Inception. Christopher Nolan has created in this cinematic masterpiece one of the most complex and intelligent movies of recent years, and literally, I defy anyone to see it and not leave with a positive reaction to it.
The story centres on Mr Cobb (Dicaprio), a highly skilled thief who can literally enter your dreams and extract thoughts and ideas from you – the ultimate espionage. But while extraction is difficult, there is a greater skill he possesses, a skill thought by many to be impossible – the skill of Inception. The art of inserting an idea into the complexities of the human mind and making the mind in question believe it was self-generated.
The mind we learn has ways of recognising foreign elements and the well trained mind can put up security against them – projections of people the dreamer knows in real life, who can step in and try and stop the infiltrator before it’s too late. Fischer – the man who Cobb and his team must infiltrate is this well trained.
If you have seen the trailer for this film you will have seen the mindbending gravity defying visuals, which somehow seem out of place in the trailer, and yet every single one makes sense in the movie because they take place on various levels of this dream world, and the events in one are all intertwined with those of the others and so on. Nolan has admitted he rewrote the script numerous times, and I can imagine that every time he made a slight alteration somewhere half the script needed a rewrite – everything is so completely and irrevocably linked together.
The supporting cast of Page, Levitt, Michael Caine are all used to great effect – especially Page, in what will undoubtedly surpass Juno as her definitive role to date – and Marion Cotillard’s performance as Cobb’s late wife is both tragic and insane.
This is a movie which had such hype that I simply could not believe it would live up to the expectations. I was right, it didn’t. It surpassed every single one.
Rating: 5/5 – Definitive Movie of the Year Potential.
Have you ever had a dream so good that you really hated when you woke up just because it meant it was all over? Well in my case that dream is Inception. Christopher Nolan has created in this cinematic masterpiece one of the most complex and intelligent movies of recent years, and literally, I defy anyone to see it and not leave with a positive reaction to it.
The story centres on Mr Cobb (Dicaprio), a highly skilled thief who can literally enter your dreams and extract thoughts and ideas from you – the ultimate espionage. But while extraction is difficult, there is a greater skill he possesses, a skill thought by many to be impossible – the skill of Inception. The art of inserting an idea into the complexities of the human mind and making the mind in question believe it was self-generated.
The mind we learn has ways of recognising foreign elements and the well trained mind can put up security against them – projections of people the dreamer knows in real life, who can step in and try and stop the infiltrator before it’s too late. Fischer – the man who Cobb and his team must infiltrate is this well trained.
If you have seen the trailer for this film you will have seen the mindbending gravity defying visuals, which somehow seem out of place in the trailer, and yet every single one makes sense in the movie because they take place on various levels of this dream world, and the events in one are all intertwined with those of the others and so on. Nolan has admitted he rewrote the script numerous times, and I can imagine that every time he made a slight alteration somewhere half the script needed a rewrite – everything is so completely and irrevocably linked together.
The supporting cast of Page, Levitt, Michael Caine are all used to great effect – especially Page, in what will undoubtedly surpass Juno as her definitive role to date – and Marion Cotillard’s performance as Cobb’s late wife is both tragic and insane.
This is a movie which had such hype that I simply could not believe it would live up to the expectations. I was right, it didn’t. It surpassed every single one.
Rating: 5/5 – Definitive Movie of the Year Potential.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Back like a rainy day to spoil our summer’s entertainment, the latest in the seemingly never ending Twilight Saga has just hit cinemas. I should preface this review by saying: I have nothing against the Twilight book Saga as a whole (I dislike Breaking Dawn vehemently but on that more later), but the movies have rubbed me up the wrong way from the start with their mixture of bad script and terrible acting.
Making household names of stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, this latest instalment picks up where the last left off – Edward proposing to Bella, her turning him down, Jacob off in a huff, and Victoria trying to kill everyone. It’s like they just took the end of the last movie and turned it into a full 2hours when it came to making this one.
That being said: it is better than the two which come before. Far far better This is chiefly because of the demonic newborn vampire Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel), a vampire with superhuman strength due to his newborn status, and Victoria’s new right hand man. He gives a superb performance as the villain, and his scenes controlling the other newborns are the standouts from the movie as a whole.
Billy Burke’s Charlie also has a great film – the comic relief in what is otherwise a much darker and more brooding affair than has come before in the saga.
At the centre of the story though it really is just same old same old. The fangirls in the screening will giggle and gasp whenever Lautner has his shirt off (and yes, Edward does have a great line regarding this which I don’t think was in the book – its been a while since I last read it, but if not, credit to screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg), and Stewart’s Bella will go back and forth between Jacob and Edward for 90minutes and eventually make the inevitable wrong choice.
The end of the movie is not the same as the end of the book by a long shot – indeed my favourite scene from the whole series of books is missing from the movie, but it’s fine. The ending they engineer works naturally, and it’s the best that can be done.
Now just the 2 films which will destroy the series remain. The Breaking Dawn book remains to this day the worst thing I have ever put my hands on. What little plot there is centres around several scenes which – to do justice – would need to be 18 rated: they are disgusting and frankly vomit worthy - and which will undoubtedly be cut entirely or edited in such a way they literally won’t work anyway.
My advice to Summit: you’ve just made a perfectly good movie, which, but for the fact it doesn’t end PROPERLY (it is clearly leading into BD), has an almost acceptable ending for the series. Please just stop. Please?
Rating: 2.5/5
Back like a rainy day to spoil our summer’s entertainment, the latest in the seemingly never ending Twilight Saga has just hit cinemas. I should preface this review by saying: I have nothing against the Twilight book Saga as a whole (I dislike Breaking Dawn vehemently but on that more later), but the movies have rubbed me up the wrong way from the start with their mixture of bad script and terrible acting.
Making household names of stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, this latest instalment picks up where the last left off – Edward proposing to Bella, her turning him down, Jacob off in a huff, and Victoria trying to kill everyone. It’s like they just took the end of the last movie and turned it into a full 2hours when it came to making this one.
That being said: it is better than the two which come before. Far far better This is chiefly because of the demonic newborn vampire Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel), a vampire with superhuman strength due to his newborn status, and Victoria’s new right hand man. He gives a superb performance as the villain, and his scenes controlling the other newborns are the standouts from the movie as a whole.
Billy Burke’s Charlie also has a great film – the comic relief in what is otherwise a much darker and more brooding affair than has come before in the saga.
At the centre of the story though it really is just same old same old. The fangirls in the screening will giggle and gasp whenever Lautner has his shirt off (and yes, Edward does have a great line regarding this which I don’t think was in the book – its been a while since I last read it, but if not, credit to screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg), and Stewart’s Bella will go back and forth between Jacob and Edward for 90minutes and eventually make the inevitable wrong choice.
The end of the movie is not the same as the end of the book by a long shot – indeed my favourite scene from the whole series of books is missing from the movie, but it’s fine. The ending they engineer works naturally, and it’s the best that can be done.
Now just the 2 films which will destroy the series remain. The Breaking Dawn book remains to this day the worst thing I have ever put my hands on. What little plot there is centres around several scenes which – to do justice – would need to be 18 rated: they are disgusting and frankly vomit worthy - and which will undoubtedly be cut entirely or edited in such a way they literally won’t work anyway.
My advice to Summit: you’ve just made a perfectly good movie, which, but for the fact it doesn’t end PROPERLY (it is clearly leading into BD), has an almost acceptable ending for the series. Please just stop. Please?
Rating: 2.5/5
Monday, 28 June 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Trailer
The world watched with baited breath, counting down the seconds until the first official trailer for HP DH hit the internet. Refreshing HarryPotter.com again and again suddenly, at a couple of minutes to midnight UK time a person in the livestream chat I’m in explodes: MSN WENT EARLY!!!
We rush over to verify this and indeed there it is, 2minutes29 seconds of two of the most highly anticipated movies of the decade. Opening with the obligatory shot of that mountain range that we always get, we’re quickly into the action
I should point out: from here on out, things get spoilerific for DH, so if you haven’t read the book, then get the hell out of here. You’ve had 3 years, we can’t be expected to wait any longer before talking about it.
Scroll down to continue
We open into the sequence we have all imagined for so long, the Forest. Harry’s walk to his own destruction, and I keep waiting for it to cut away but it never does. We go right through to Voldemort raising his wand and shouting the words before we finally blink back to black. This sequence is so dark, so utterly right to how I imagined. I can’t believe they put it in the trailer, but what the heck. Like I’ve said: the books been around 3 years, people know the story.
Cut to a shot of the trio camping, blissfully only one – hopefully that will be a sign of things to come for the movie itself =D
We see Griphook, and Ollivander and the flying bike, and the music crescendos and you really get the feeling that this is something really actually important you’re watching
“THE FINALE OF THE WORLD WIDE PHENOMENON.” The screen reads, and what a finale it looks like being. As we see a huge explosive dome around Hogwarts and the Death Eaters hijacking the Hogwarts express. As if HalfBlood Prince’s Burrow attack wasn’t enough, Hogwarts is now the target (at least thankfully more canonically). Nowhere is safe any more. Not even the magical home we’ve come to know.
“THE MOTION PICTURE EVENT OF A GENERATION” Harry came into our world when I was 7 years old. I read every book as they came out, saw every movie opening weekened, I am a member of the Potter generation. And yes, this truly IS our event. The end of our saga. The 70’s kids had Star Wars, we had Harry.
Gregorovitch in his version of Ollivander’s shop, THE DRAGON, Hermione setting up the encampments as Ron lies battered on the floor, The Death Eaters army looking gleefully at Hogwarts, the shots flash by at lightning pace, so perfectly edited and mixed with this music. By this point I’m struggling to lift my jaw of the floor its dropped so far.
And then we’re back in the fight. Back at Hogwarts. “Why do you live?” Tom Riddle asks. “Because I have something worth living for.” Our hero answers defiantly.
We get a brief glimpse of the snake attack at Godrics Hollow, and of Ron destroying the Locketcrux as we zoom on towards the final shots. 2 sides, the good army and the death eaters, running into battle against eachother, Hogwarts exploding, and then the final fight. Harry and Voldemort locked in battle. Neither can live while the other survives. “Only I can live forever.” Voldemort says confidently. And the darkest most brutal version of Hedwigs Theme we’ve ever heard kicks in as the title appears.
This trailer is so dark its crazy. They’ve really caught the intensity of the final book and fans can only hope this carry’s over from this 3minute glimpse into the whole movie(s)
Is it November yet?
We rush over to verify this and indeed there it is, 2minutes29 seconds of two of the most highly anticipated movies of the decade. Opening with the obligatory shot of that mountain range that we always get, we’re quickly into the action
I should point out: from here on out, things get spoilerific for DH, so if you haven’t read the book, then get the hell out of here. You’ve had 3 years, we can’t be expected to wait any longer before talking about it.
Scroll down to continue
We open into the sequence we have all imagined for so long, the Forest. Harry’s walk to his own destruction, and I keep waiting for it to cut away but it never does. We go right through to Voldemort raising his wand and shouting the words before we finally blink back to black. This sequence is so dark, so utterly right to how I imagined. I can’t believe they put it in the trailer, but what the heck. Like I’ve said: the books been around 3 years, people know the story.
Cut to a shot of the trio camping, blissfully only one – hopefully that will be a sign of things to come for the movie itself =D
We see Griphook, and Ollivander and the flying bike, and the music crescendos and you really get the feeling that this is something really actually important you’re watching
“THE FINALE OF THE WORLD WIDE PHENOMENON.” The screen reads, and what a finale it looks like being. As we see a huge explosive dome around Hogwarts and the Death Eaters hijacking the Hogwarts express. As if HalfBlood Prince’s Burrow attack wasn’t enough, Hogwarts is now the target (at least thankfully more canonically). Nowhere is safe any more. Not even the magical home we’ve come to know.
“THE MOTION PICTURE EVENT OF A GENERATION” Harry came into our world when I was 7 years old. I read every book as they came out, saw every movie opening weekened, I am a member of the Potter generation. And yes, this truly IS our event. The end of our saga. The 70’s kids had Star Wars, we had Harry.
Gregorovitch in his version of Ollivander’s shop, THE DRAGON, Hermione setting up the encampments as Ron lies battered on the floor, The Death Eaters army looking gleefully at Hogwarts, the shots flash by at lightning pace, so perfectly edited and mixed with this music. By this point I’m struggling to lift my jaw of the floor its dropped so far.
And then we’re back in the fight. Back at Hogwarts. “Why do you live?” Tom Riddle asks. “Because I have something worth living for.” Our hero answers defiantly.
We get a brief glimpse of the snake attack at Godrics Hollow, and of Ron destroying the Locketcrux as we zoom on towards the final shots. 2 sides, the good army and the death eaters, running into battle against eachother, Hogwarts exploding, and then the final fight. Harry and Voldemort locked in battle. Neither can live while the other survives. “Only I can live forever.” Voldemort says confidently. And the darkest most brutal version of Hedwigs Theme we’ve ever heard kicks in as the title appears.
This trailer is so dark its crazy. They’ve really caught the intensity of the final book and fans can only hope this carry’s over from this 3minute glimpse into the whole movie(s)
Is it November yet?
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Doctor Who – The Big Bang
The universe is ending, the TARDIS has gone supernova, and only one girl can save the world. The girl with the fairytale name. The girl who waited on a suitcase all night for her raggedy Doctor to return. Little Amelia Pond.
This is the stage that is set as The Big Bang gets under way, leading up to the best pre-titles cliff hanger ever as big Amy appears inside The Pandorica – “Ok Kid, this is where it gets complicated” she says… No kidding!!
With more time and space paradoxes than you can shake a stick at, the Doctor abandons the laws of time and space in hope of saving them, criss-crossing the timelines like never before to get everyone to the museum in Alt-1996, jumping back and forth to Rory to save Amy, and to River aboard the TARDIS. This is the only moment he realises he can do it – the universe is DEFINITELY going to end if he doesn’t meddle, whereas there is only a very strong chance if he doesn’t. So he has to try.
There are moments of supreme romance as Amy and Rory are finally reunited in the museum, the boy and the girl who waited.
There is comedy too though, the most notable being River and Amy’s reaction the fez. We’ve put up with a (entirely un)“cool” bowtie, we’re not putting up with a goddam fez Eleven!!
We had all assumed the title was simply referring to the explosion, but no, it was infact a not-so-subtle clue that the way to reset the universe is to use the explosion as the second Big Bang, The Doctor sacrificing himself and his memory for all of time. You can see the heartbreak in Matt Smith’s face, and its at this very moment that I realise what I’ve always known but never wanted to admit – remaining loyal to David Tennant until I absolutely couldn’t do it any longer – Matt Smith is my Doctor. He is the Doctor. The greatest Doctor. He is willing to sacrifice himself just so that Amy can have a family.
Ever since the episode aired, I’ve seen all over the fanboards about the fact there are 2 Doctors in The Time of Angels, hinted at by the jacket, but I’ve always just assumed it was a continuity error. But no, its Stephen Moffat’s utter mastery of time travel, shutting down every loophole of every paradox, closing the cracks in time once and for all. I'm starting to wonder if he might secretly have a time machine, and he's worked it out by trial and error. “Remember what I told you.” But he hasn’t told her anything. She can’t remember
And then the final trick. The Doctor’s greatest stand. He cannot just sit there and take it, he has to try one last thing, and pray it works. He refuses to just die. He refuses to just never exist. So he plants a memory. A memory which might be a dream in a 7 year old girls head.
“A mad old man who stole a magic box. Did I ever tell you I stole it? Or borrowed it. I always meant to take it back. You will dream about that box your entire life. It’s big and little at the same time. Its brand new and ancient, and the bluest blue in the world” And with that he sacrifices himself.
We flash forward to the wedding of the year, as Amy and Rory finally tie the knot. But as Augustus Gloop. Umm…Augustus Pond (surely a homage right? I cannot be the only one who noticed)… gives his Father of the Bride speech the whole game changes. Amy remembers The Doctor’s words just as he hoped she would. Something old. Something New. Something Borrowed. Something Blue. And The Doctor is saved. "Something remembered can come back."
Rory of course takes Amy's last name. I mean come on, Mrs Amelia Williams?! Thats not fairytale-ish at all! It was always going to be Mr Rory Pond
The Doctor dances, and River leaves one final cryptic message: You will know who I am soon. And we get the usual Christmas set up and off we go.
This was by far the best finale of the five – yes, even past Doomsday.
Not everything was solved sure – the silence is still out there, and River an enigma, but I think its fair to say Moffat is not done with either element, as he exclusively reveals to confidential, telling them that by the end of series 6 we will know all there is to know about River Song, and that the Silence is definitely a question for 6 – I still bet its Omega, but we shall see.
Ones things for sure, and you’ll have to excuse the pun: The Big Bang sure was all it was cracked up to be.
This is the stage that is set as The Big Bang gets under way, leading up to the best pre-titles cliff hanger ever as big Amy appears inside The Pandorica – “Ok Kid, this is where it gets complicated” she says… No kidding!!
With more time and space paradoxes than you can shake a stick at, the Doctor abandons the laws of time and space in hope of saving them, criss-crossing the timelines like never before to get everyone to the museum in Alt-1996, jumping back and forth to Rory to save Amy, and to River aboard the TARDIS. This is the only moment he realises he can do it – the universe is DEFINITELY going to end if he doesn’t meddle, whereas there is only a very strong chance if he doesn’t. So he has to try.
There are moments of supreme romance as Amy and Rory are finally reunited in the museum, the boy and the girl who waited.
There is comedy too though, the most notable being River and Amy’s reaction the fez. We’ve put up with a (entirely un)“cool” bowtie, we’re not putting up with a goddam fez Eleven!!
We had all assumed the title was simply referring to the explosion, but no, it was infact a not-so-subtle clue that the way to reset the universe is to use the explosion as the second Big Bang, The Doctor sacrificing himself and his memory for all of time. You can see the heartbreak in Matt Smith’s face, and its at this very moment that I realise what I’ve always known but never wanted to admit – remaining loyal to David Tennant until I absolutely couldn’t do it any longer – Matt Smith is my Doctor. He is the Doctor. The greatest Doctor. He is willing to sacrifice himself just so that Amy can have a family.
Ever since the episode aired, I’ve seen all over the fanboards about the fact there are 2 Doctors in The Time of Angels, hinted at by the jacket, but I’ve always just assumed it was a continuity error. But no, its Stephen Moffat’s utter mastery of time travel, shutting down every loophole of every paradox, closing the cracks in time once and for all. I'm starting to wonder if he might secretly have a time machine, and he's worked it out by trial and error. “Remember what I told you.” But he hasn’t told her anything. She can’t remember
And then the final trick. The Doctor’s greatest stand. He cannot just sit there and take it, he has to try one last thing, and pray it works. He refuses to just die. He refuses to just never exist. So he plants a memory. A memory which might be a dream in a 7 year old girls head.
“A mad old man who stole a magic box. Did I ever tell you I stole it? Or borrowed it. I always meant to take it back. You will dream about that box your entire life. It’s big and little at the same time. Its brand new and ancient, and the bluest blue in the world” And with that he sacrifices himself.
We flash forward to the wedding of the year, as Amy and Rory finally tie the knot. But as Augustus Gloop. Umm…Augustus Pond (surely a homage right? I cannot be the only one who noticed)… gives his Father of the Bride speech the whole game changes. Amy remembers The Doctor’s words just as he hoped she would. Something old. Something New. Something Borrowed. Something Blue. And The Doctor is saved. "Something remembered can come back."
Rory of course takes Amy's last name. I mean come on, Mrs Amelia Williams?! Thats not fairytale-ish at all! It was always going to be Mr Rory Pond
The Doctor dances, and River leaves one final cryptic message: You will know who I am soon. And we get the usual Christmas set up and off we go.
This was by far the best finale of the five – yes, even past Doomsday.
Not everything was solved sure – the silence is still out there, and River an enigma, but I think its fair to say Moffat is not done with either element, as he exclusively reveals to confidential, telling them that by the end of series 6 we will know all there is to know about River Song, and that the Silence is definitely a question for 6 – I still bet its Omega, but we shall see.
Ones things for sure, and you’ll have to excuse the pun: The Big Bang sure was all it was cracked up to be.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Erase This – CD Review
Lyrics + Bass: Alan Lastufka
Vocals: Luke Conard
Guitar: Jason Munday
Drums: Christian Caldeira
Piano: Ted Hu
Backing Vocals: Jason Munday, Kristina Horner
I posted a video blog about Alan Lastufka’s album Erase This about a day after I got the digital download a month and a half or so back. I’ll save you the hassle of watching it and just sum it up with 2 words I used in the video: “Musical perfection”.
That was the only way I could describe it after one full listen through.
Now, with a play count on my iTunes alone (not including on my iPod, or the CD, or the DVD, all of which combined probably add another 30-40plays each, just my iTunes) of over 20 for every track, I feel its time to come back and break it down properly.
So here it is, track by track:
Making a Scene: What an opening. Sax solos, great lyrics, and great vocals (both from Luke and Jason), this is a lesson in how to open an album.
Shortwave Part 1: My favourite track on the album by a mile and away. I could literally listen to this every minute of every day. A great catchy pop tune, the mix here is just perfect, Luke Conard’s vocals mesh perfectly with the band behind them, all of which play their parts in forming an absolutely symphony behind him. When the static breaks in with Shortwave Part 2, the true concept of this amazing album shines through in a way which is just indescribably good. Alan really triumphs here.
All I Am: This piano led track is very different from the two which come before – much more melodic and reflective. This and Mirror Song which follows are a great interlude between the first few tracks and the body of the album which follows after them.
Mirror Song: Originally placed on Alan’s Taking Leave EP, this song has been COMPLETELY revamped and revitalised to the point of being unrecognisable. When I heard there was going to be a new Mirror Song before the album came out I was shocked – the original having shone for me on Taking Leave, but this version is so much better. It perhaps feels a little bit of a cheat to have this song repeated from TL (as well as Forgiven later on), but it really is so different that it’s acceptable. Maybe it’s because I know Luke and Kristina are together, but you can literally feel the feelings between them as this ballad unfolds, and this is stronger than anything ALL CAPS have shown to date.
Turn Signal: Breaking into the second half of the album the band returns in full force for what is undoubtedly the most rock and roll track on the album. It was an early favourite of mine, and remains in the forefront.
Boxcar Blood: This song is the first official single on the album, although ironically I think it might be the weakest offering. That’s not to say it’s not a great track, which it is, but if I’d been making the decision I would have led with Turn Signal. I’m not sure what it is about Boxcar, it just didn’t pack a punch with me the first time round, it really took me a couple of listens to get into it in the same way.
Winter’s Song: The album as a whole is a dysfunctional love story, and this is the point when the dysfunction is at its highest.
“While you sing, sing, sing your own ending,
I want to start at the beginning.
While you lie, lie, lie there pretending,
My words quietly keep on spinning”
Conard pines. Desperate for a love song he wrote to be recognised as such by the girl who claims to be his greatest fan, he realises he simply cannot get through to her, and the song ends with a particularly dark piano part.
Shortwave Part 2: And we’re back to Shortwave. After Winter’s Song the uplift into this song is tremendous. The protagonists are “….no longer hiding, doubting”, but instead standing together at last, singing together. As a listener you feel you simply have to join in as Conard informs us that it’s time to “sing it out loud, as if we’re all singing along.” Everyone has come on this emotional journey and it’s almost at its climax. Almost.
Forgiven: Another Taking Leave veteran, this is more recognisable than Mirror Song, but again a vast improvement on the original. Killswitch Kevin comes in one last time and spins his final track (although not the albums). This is an anthem. A straight up anthemic masterpiece. You can almost visualise Jason Munday rocking his guitar solo on stage, as Christian, Alan and Luke all shine with their parts of the song. This is a song for stadiums.
Erase This: This was the first song Alan wrote for the album, initially titled “This.” About a guy who, despite being in a relationship which isn’t working, always ends up going back for more. “I knew what you would do before I even knew you” the character says, almost joking at this point that the relationship is so predictable that it’s never going anywhere different. But maybe that’s the point. “Familiar hands and familiar places” are what we think we need.
As a whole: This album is, simply, my favourite album ever. “Now hold on” I hear you say. “That’s a bold claim!” I know it is. And not one I will make lightly. The connection I made with this album from the very moment I first heard it was unique. I just couldn’t describe it even. The album doesn’t have any of my all time top-10 favourite tracks on it, but as an album, as a whole, it’s simply perfect. The concept is superb and amazingly executed, and from the first bars of Making a Scene to the final moments of Erase This, Alan has taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving off with a sort of cathartic release that many songwriters could only wish for.
Vocals: Luke Conard
Guitar: Jason Munday
Drums: Christian Caldeira
Piano: Ted Hu
Backing Vocals: Jason Munday, Kristina Horner
I posted a video blog about Alan Lastufka’s album Erase This about a day after I got the digital download a month and a half or so back. I’ll save you the hassle of watching it and just sum it up with 2 words I used in the video: “Musical perfection”.
That was the only way I could describe it after one full listen through.
Now, with a play count on my iTunes alone (not including on my iPod, or the CD, or the DVD, all of which combined probably add another 30-40plays each, just my iTunes) of over 20 for every track, I feel its time to come back and break it down properly.
So here it is, track by track:
Making a Scene: What an opening. Sax solos, great lyrics, and great vocals (both from Luke and Jason), this is a lesson in how to open an album.
Shortwave Part 1: My favourite track on the album by a mile and away. I could literally listen to this every minute of every day. A great catchy pop tune, the mix here is just perfect, Luke Conard’s vocals mesh perfectly with the band behind them, all of which play their parts in forming an absolutely symphony behind him. When the static breaks in with Shortwave Part 2, the true concept of this amazing album shines through in a way which is just indescribably good. Alan really triumphs here.
All I Am: This piano led track is very different from the two which come before – much more melodic and reflective. This and Mirror Song which follows are a great interlude between the first few tracks and the body of the album which follows after them.
Mirror Song: Originally placed on Alan’s Taking Leave EP, this song has been COMPLETELY revamped and revitalised to the point of being unrecognisable. When I heard there was going to be a new Mirror Song before the album came out I was shocked – the original having shone for me on Taking Leave, but this version is so much better. It perhaps feels a little bit of a cheat to have this song repeated from TL (as well as Forgiven later on), but it really is so different that it’s acceptable. Maybe it’s because I know Luke and Kristina are together, but you can literally feel the feelings between them as this ballad unfolds, and this is stronger than anything ALL CAPS have shown to date.
Turn Signal: Breaking into the second half of the album the band returns in full force for what is undoubtedly the most rock and roll track on the album. It was an early favourite of mine, and remains in the forefront.
Boxcar Blood: This song is the first official single on the album, although ironically I think it might be the weakest offering. That’s not to say it’s not a great track, which it is, but if I’d been making the decision I would have led with Turn Signal. I’m not sure what it is about Boxcar, it just didn’t pack a punch with me the first time round, it really took me a couple of listens to get into it in the same way.
Winter’s Song: The album as a whole is a dysfunctional love story, and this is the point when the dysfunction is at its highest.
“While you sing, sing, sing your own ending,
I want to start at the beginning.
While you lie, lie, lie there pretending,
My words quietly keep on spinning”
Conard pines. Desperate for a love song he wrote to be recognised as such by the girl who claims to be his greatest fan, he realises he simply cannot get through to her, and the song ends with a particularly dark piano part.
Shortwave Part 2: And we’re back to Shortwave. After Winter’s Song the uplift into this song is tremendous. The protagonists are “….no longer hiding, doubting”, but instead standing together at last, singing together. As a listener you feel you simply have to join in as Conard informs us that it’s time to “sing it out loud, as if we’re all singing along.” Everyone has come on this emotional journey and it’s almost at its climax. Almost.
Forgiven: Another Taking Leave veteran, this is more recognisable than Mirror Song, but again a vast improvement on the original. Killswitch Kevin comes in one last time and spins his final track (although not the albums). This is an anthem. A straight up anthemic masterpiece. You can almost visualise Jason Munday rocking his guitar solo on stage, as Christian, Alan and Luke all shine with their parts of the song. This is a song for stadiums.
Erase This: This was the first song Alan wrote for the album, initially titled “This.” About a guy who, despite being in a relationship which isn’t working, always ends up going back for more. “I knew what you would do before I even knew you” the character says, almost joking at this point that the relationship is so predictable that it’s never going anywhere different. But maybe that’s the point. “Familiar hands and familiar places” are what we think we need.
As a whole: This album is, simply, my favourite album ever. “Now hold on” I hear you say. “That’s a bold claim!” I know it is. And not one I will make lightly. The connection I made with this album from the very moment I first heard it was unique. I just couldn’t describe it even. The album doesn’t have any of my all time top-10 favourite tracks on it, but as an album, as a whole, it’s simply perfect. The concept is superb and amazingly executed, and from the first bars of Making a Scene to the final moments of Erase This, Alan has taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving off with a sort of cathartic release that many songwriters could only wish for.
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