Bohemian Rhapsody. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Rami Malek, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Lucy Boynton, Mike Myers, Aiden Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, Aaron McCusker, Max Bennett, Jess Rodomska, Ace Bhatti, Dickie Beau, Dermot Murphy, Meneka Das, Neil Fox-Roberts.

Queen can be viewed in two different ways, there will be those who champion the band, who see the band and revel in the music created, the uniqueness, the harmony of expression, the explosion of personality and the dedication to craft songs and albums in which nobody has been able to come close to capturing the vibe of since; then there will be those who see them as one of the architects of overhype, of being part of all that was perhaps wrong with rock, of destructive traits, of having a leading man who allowed his demons and desires to get in the way of making music.

Bohemian Rhapsody. Film Review. full post

(642 words, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)

To Have To Shoot Irishmen, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Gerard Kearns, Elinor Lawless, Robbie O’ Neill, Russell Richardson.

In our act of observance, of recording the facts of a certain situation so that if justice needs to be served, it is done so without bias, without favouritism and with impartiality at the forefront of truth, we can find ourselves in the unwarranted position of being accused of being involved with the crime at hand, or finding our name being labelled as a traitor. To observe, to witness history in the eyes of the pacifist is to know that death by other’s actions is always a possibility, it might just depend which side decides to pull the trigger.

To Have To Shoot Irishmen, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(504 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

The Habit Of Art, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: John Wark, Alexandra Guelff, Matthew Kelly, Veronica Roberts, Benjamin Chandler, David Yelland, Robert Mountford.

Almost half a century on from his death, the writing, the conscious of one of Britain’s most revered poets, not only of the 20th Century, but arguably of all time, hangs over the nation like Banquo’s Ghost at the table, accusing in many ways the country of neglecting its soul, of pursuing a course of action in which poems such as September 1st 1939 have been forgotten in their entirety, the message of W.H. Auden becoming an almost whimsy-like fascination. It is perfectly acceptable for the poet to come to hate his own creations, become embarrassed by them, shun them even, but a nation should never forget the deep riches left by the fire, singed, but never completely turned to ash.

The Habit Of Art, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(527 words, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

James Gordon, Monsters. E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound And Vision Rating 9/10

The silver screen perhaps doesn’t dominate our lives as it once had the power to do, the epics of today perhaps not quite satisfying the taste buds, the heroes not dashing enough, the heroines of not holding the attention of the camera in the same way as the actresses who schemed and challenged conformity across the genres of Noir and horror pictures, the Monsters steeped in a place beyond nightmares; where Dracula and the Wolf-man are no longer misunderstood creatures, and instead have the right to be ugly in thought and deed.

James Gordon, Monsters. E.P. Review. full post

(407 words, 1 image, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

J.E. Locke, Hunting A Predator. Book Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

The world is full of evil men who grab the headlines and place terror into the hearts of those too young to understand the reasons why they have been chosen, a target for the sick, an objective for the gruesome, it is the actions of the tasteless and the humanly revolting. Yet, somehow we find ourselves in the nightmare they create, we wish to see order restored but we are fascinated, intrigued, by how their brain works, what makes a person do such depraved acts, the methods they employ and how the police become involved in Hunting A Predator. 

J.E. Locke, Hunting A Predator. Book Review. full post

(442 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Early Morning Departure.

So close

that I could drown

in The Tamar in the attempt

in trying to reach

a buried deep home…

 

Too close the brightness of the day

that started out by hanging

on my doorstep

as the four in the morning Blues

threatened to send my over

active mind

into the screaming landscape

of anxiety filled possession.

 

The cold of autumn

on the empty dance floor of Lime Street

is briefly ignited by the warm

good morning greeting to stony Ken,

Early Morning Departure. full post

(217 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

Ferrari Across The Mersey.

 

Every Traffic -light has a Grand Prix start

For Boy racers in their testosterone fuelled cars

Every pedestrian is legitimate target to mow down

Score extra points for cyclists, dogs, and older people to

Students taking selfies glued to their mobile phones

Don’t hear you coming at them from front or behind

If I miss them, I’ll get them next time

Blood on asphalt Mad Max on the Redline

Auto erotic Car Crash TV

Vanishing point, Two lane Blacktop

John Carpenter’s Christine

Thelma and Louise drive over the precipice

Ferrari Across The Mersey. full post

(126 words, estimated 30 secs reading time)

Blancmange, Wanderlust. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Even in the act of the upbeat and positively engaging, there is always the beauty of the sudden and dramatic turn which leads the voyeur of art to appreciate the darker aspects of the performer’s work, an undertaking in which the sculpted metaphor of rhythm and rhyme cultivates a need to express itself in a way that is strangely familiar, but at the same time different, an altered perception of the reality that many would have been used to.

Blancmange, Wanderlust. Album Review. full post

(417 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: Rosa. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Vinette Robinson, Joshua Bowman, Trevor White, Richard Lothian, Jessica Claire Preddy, Gareth Marks, David Rubin, Ray Sesay, Aki Omoshaybi, David Dukas, Morgan Deare.

Doctor Who has arguably never been better than when it deals with the issues of our own history, for all the aliens that crowd and jostle for the audience’s attention, for all the elements of science fiction that is associated with the writing, it is to Earth’s history in which the programme excels. For what else can an alien traveller do but show us how at times, we as a species, are as alien to each other by our actions and deeds, our thoughts and the ugly side of our personalities?

Doctor Who: Rosa. Television Review. full post

(570 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

Ace Frehley, Spaceman. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

At some point, we have all perhaps looked up at the seemingly cold stars and wished that we could visit the strange, alien worlds that circle the long distant suns, that we could all be pioneers in the dark void that separates us from the rest of the Universe. For many of us we can never say our occupation is being an astronaut, but for those of us who will never see the raw, unfiltered light of our own Sun as it hangs in space, at least Ace Frehley will always be considered amongst the pinnacle of those who can say, I am the Spaceman.

Ace Frehley, Spaceman. Album Review. full post

(501 words, 1 image, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)