The Stones Should Stop Rolling

Last night rock & roll's living legends took to the stage to commemorate their 50th anniversary plus obligatory greatest hits album "Doom & Gloom" (their 30th compilation, in fact) in a vast stadium performance at London's O2 arena.

Their 23-song set was acclaimed as one of their best gigs in years and the media and press subsequently supported the Stones' efforts very favourably.

The Master - review

Paul Thomas Anderson is, in my humble opinion, without doubt the most talented and distinguished film-maker of his generation. I'm certainly not, however, alone in this thought.

The New York Times described him as "one of the most exciting talents to come along in years" while Sight & Sound magazine wrote that he is "among the supreme talents of today". The American Film Institute lists Anderson as "one of American film's modern masters", and the Guardian ranked him first in their list of the greatest directors, saying: "His dedication to his craft has intensified, with his disdain for PR and celebrity marking him out as the most devout film-maker of his generation."

I adore Anderson's films, and above all There Will Be Blood (2007). It's my belief that There Will Be Blood is, in all seriousness, perhaps the first masterpiece of 21st century American film, and one of the finest works of American cinema of any era. 

It's successor, The Master, explores a disturbed World War II veteran enticed into joining an alluring and mysterious cult known as "The Cause" during the late 1940s and early '50s.

Freddie Quell (played superbly by Joaquin Phoenix) suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, unable to readjust to peacetime society after his experiences in the Pacific. His symptoms manifest themselves in his alcoholism, sex-obsession, and proneness to unpredictable outbursts of violence and aggression. 

One night, drunker than usual, he stows away on a large and opulent yacht. When discovered, he is taken to Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) - the owner and captain of the ship. In his own words, the charismatic and cryptic Dodd is "a writer; a doctor; a nuclear physicist; a theoretical philosopher."
In less effusive and verbose terms, Dodd and his clandestine philosophical movement evokes direct and not particularly complimentary comparison to L. Ron Hubbard and the founding of Scientology. (Amusingly, the Church of Scientology predictably expressed their horror at the production of this film, particularly at the suggestion that the doctrine is a product of the leader's imagination. It's understood that some members of the Church even attempted to disrupt or censor the film entirely).

Quell is inducted into "The Cause", intrigued by Dodd's promises of psychosomatic harmoniousness, and begins exercises known as "Processing"- disturbing psychological questioning exploring past traumas, and soon their convoluted relationship quickly begins to spiral dangerously beyond either man's control.

Quell (Phoenix) & Dodd (Hoffman)

 Events turn increasingly sinister as emotions are strained and Dodd's legitimacy is challenged, culminating in scenes of the most genuine tension and cinematic brilliance in recent years. 

Phoenix's performance as the deranged and unhinged Quell is phenomenal, and in my opinion a close rival to Daniel Day Lewis's towering and unforgettable turn in There Will Be Blood - both actors inhabit their roles with feverish, maddened, and disconcerting intensity. Hoffman, dependably brilliant, doesn't disappoint in any way whatsoever, in a performance many are hailing as among the best of his considerable career. 

The Master is expertly directed, exquisitely beautiful, perfectly acted, and wonderfully written - although it's not quite Anderson's successive masterpiece that many (myself included) so wanted it to be. 

It is a supremely competent and engrossing work of cinema, and immediately ranks as one of my favourite films. However, it is not Anderson's magnum opus, despite how enamoured I am with it.
I'm equally disappointed to write of the cause of this criticism (near enough my sole critique of the entire film) - particularly due to the tragically simple and avoidable nature of this imperfection.

To be blunt, it's too long. Or rather, not so much that it's too long, but more so that (especially in the last half-hour) the film loses momentum and sags, however slightly. The energy throughout the majority of the film was palpable, and brilliantly visceral and raw - however, if it was unsustainable, it simply should have been more concisely edited. Any failure to do so by a film-maker of Anderson's calibre can perhaps (admittedly harshly) be regarded as self-indulgent.

The film is two hours and twenty-three minutes long - and while that length is not unusual by Anderson's standards, it certainly requires every single scene to be consistently engaging and compelling (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Lawrence of Arabia, etc) - if not, their purpose is wasted.

However, that said, the film is unquestionably superb: Mesmerising, uncompromisingly brilliant, exceptionally crafted  - while Anderson's continued unpredictability in his writing and film-making combined with his peerless talent will only result in the continuation of his possession of the very highest esteem from many, and I certainly count myself as one of those.

The 'Apeman' of Tunbridge Wells

The picturesque and quaint Royal Tunbridge Wells Pantiles - circa... 2007

 My local town, Royal Tunbridge Wells, dear boy, has long been synonymous with genteel and quintessential Englishness. However, it appears it may have a new and rather unusual new resident, according to the Sun.

Eyewitnesses reported "a hairy beast with demonic eyes" stalking the common and surrounding woodlands, before "roaring" and frightening members of the public.

The Tunbridge Wells People forum, usually preoccupied with urgent discussions on gardening and 'the traffic crisis,' featured a surprising post: "One of the strangest stories to emerge about Tunbridge Wells this week is the claims that a British Bigfoot has been spotted in woodland near the town.

  "The Kentish Apeman has recently been spotted on Tunbridge Wells - the exactly spot where it was also apparently seen 70 years ago."

The post adds, helpfully: "The beast is reportedly eight-foot tall, has red demonic eyes and is covered in hair.

  "Have YOU seen the Kentish Apeman in Tunbridge Wells? And, more importantly, do you have a picture? Let us know!"

“One of the strangest stories to emerge about Tunbridge Wells this week is the claims that a British Bigfoot has been spotted in woodland near the town.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4656967/apeman-in-tunbridge-wells.html#ixzz2D3gZqJSm

“One of the strangest stories to emerge about Tunbridge Wells this week is the claims that a British Bigfoot has been spotted in woodland near the town.

Genteel ... stockbroker belt town Tunbridge Wells in Kent

“The Kentish Apeman has recently been spotted on Tunbridge Wells Common - the exact spot where it was also apparently seen 70 years ago.
“The beast is reportedly eight-foot tall, has red demonic eyes and is covered in hair.”
It then calls on locals to help, adding: “Have YOU seen the Kentish Apeman in Tunbridge Wells? And, more importantly, do you have a picture? Let us know!”


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4656967/apeman-in-tunbridge-wells.html#ixzz2D3gRJ6ya

“One of the strangest stories to emerge about Tunbridge Wells this week is the claims that a British Bigfoot has been spotted in woodland near the town.

Genteel ... stockbroker belt town Tunbridge Wells in Kent

“The Kentish Apeman has recently been spotted on Tunbridge Wells Common - the exact spot where it was also apparently seen 70 years ago.
“The beast is reportedly eight-foot tall, has red demonic eyes and is covered in hair.”
It then calls on locals to help, adding: “Have YOU seen the Kentish Apeman in Tunbridge Wells? And, more importantly, do you have a picture? Let us know!”


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4656967/apeman-in-tunbridge-wells.html#ixzz2D3gRJ6ya

Dismiss me as a cynical sceptic, but I somehow have my doubts as to the existence of an undiscovered 8ft tall higher primate with "demonic eyes" frequenting the elegant parks and woodland of Tunbridge Wells.

At any rate, 'the disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' would have made a quick end of such a creature years ago.

Israel & Palestine

The iconic comedian Bill Hicks distinguished and differentiated the use of the word 'war' when describing the Gulf War conflict of the early '90s: "Well, a war is when two armies are fighting."

Two decades later the Middle East remains beset by violence, and over the past few days the incessant embroilment between Israel and Palestine escalated with a series of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas members in the Gaza Strip. One of the most bloody and sporadic conflicts of the last half-century, Israel's latest of many military initiatives is in response to rockets and crude missiles fired into Israeli territories from Gaza.

I would personally say I'm quite successfully impartial and unbiased in this issue, or at least equally critical of both positions. I have no religious or political affiliation or association to either side, and have an intense distrust of any party or group who either scream Allahu Akbar before suicide attacks, or who claim divine and holy right to demand and insist (with violent consequences if disobeyed) that land and property now belong to them.  However, the dominance and exercise of military power that Israel exerts in the conflict is undeniable.

  

The statistics need no explanation to reveal the true dissimilarity between the damage and injury inflicted on the citizens of Israel and Palestine, particularly during the years of increased bloodshed (2002, 2004, 2008-'09, present).

In the past six days alone, at least 105 Palestinian citizens have been killed by Israeli air strikes - last week, three Israelis died in a Hamas rocket attack. Notice any disparity between those two figures?
  
Israel's militarism is absolute, and the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) are without doubt the most accomplished close-quarter and urban combatants in the world. Consisting of ground forces, air force, and navy, the IDF is infamous for its unhesitating and uncompromising utilisation of force (even against civilians) until any aggressor or provocateur surrenders or is annihilated. For this reason Israel has been criticised by the international community, and particularly condemned for its brutal Zionist expansionism into Palestinian territories. 

When Hamas rockets fired into Israel from Gaza (that aren't intercepted by "Iron Dome", Israel's advanced anti-missile defence system) strike the ground, they of course kill civilians in the immediate vicinity (they are sometimes literally directly hit by the rocket itself). However their crude and basic nature causes extremely low explosive capability, and limits their destructive power sometimes even only to damage the individual room of the building they hit, and only very rarely more than those in close proximity.

Israeli security personnel survey a building after it was hit by a rocket

Unsurprisingly, the Israeli military responsive is more than a little different. In the Israeli air strikes, entire buildings are levelled and destroyed in an instant by a single missile, reduced to piles of twisted steel and smouldering concrete rubble.

Palestinians stand around the ruins of a former Hamas building

However, although use of such excessive force against a comparatively defenceless and disempowered population is deplorable, Palestine is viewed globally with sympathy and support due to its victimised nature - yet this should be distinguished from its intentions and desires. It cannot seriously be argued that if in possession of the same military resources and technology as Israel, Hamas would respond with a ceasefire or call for reconciliation.

Public support for Hamas by the Palestinians is reinforced with every Israeli attack, and Israel is loathed and hated by countless citizens - while many wish for the destruction of the Jewish State and its inhabitants altogether. Although Israel and Palestine differ so greatly, they are united by a mutual hatred. 

In my opinion, there will never be peace in the region until religious tribalism is eradicated - a notion even the most idealistic do not contemplate, and dismissed by many as a laughable impossibility. While America remains predictably complicit in its unconditional support of Israel, and the IDF prepare for the possibility of a full ground invasion, one sad certainty is that more lives will be pointlessly lost in the future attempts to acquire this small but significant area of land.