Review: Searching for Sugar Man

Originally posted on www.moviemuser.co.uk

Searching for Sugar Man takes the unsuspecting viewer on an amazing journey of how a career that almost never was makes a remarkable comeback.

The documentary tells the story of Rodriguez, who after a brief stint in the music industry 40 years ago disappeared after failing to set the charts alight. However the story was quite different in South Africa as this mysterious musician, who many describe as anti-establishment, helped inspire and motivate a generation and in turn helped to aid a revolution.

This amazing story is not what I expected, when I first heard about the documentary I expected it to be just a little detail about how he apparently failed in the music industry only to be brought back years later as a bit of commodity, I couldn’t have been anymore wrong if I’d tried. This documentary takes you on a journey through the life of Rodriguez’ music, from its humble beginnings in smoke filled bars to recording his first album only to be dropped by the label when it didn’t set the charts alight. Then it takes us to South Africa where the artist made a huge and lasting impression.

Finally, after a long hunt to discover this mysterious musician – who many had thought was dead – the documentary uncovers him and brings him back into the spotlight to do what he does best, and find out what he’d been doing in his nearly 30-year musical absence.

This film is really sweet and touching as we see someone filled with talent finally make it after being discarded and discover the success he knew nothing about. The film makes you think about just how many talented individuals are out there that have succumbed to the same fate.

It’s also an excellent observation of how shallow and harsh the music business can be (Clarence Avant comes across as a less than favourable individual), and also an insight into how bad censorship can be for individuals.

Helped along by excellent and artistic looking visuals and a superb soundtrack, which is the music of the films enigmatic hero, this is more than just a documentary; it’s a real life rags to riches story twice over.

A remarkable and unique documentary everyone should see.

The Problem With Some Gay Films – Are they sold too much just on sex?

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

I’ve previously written a number of articles about gay men in films and on television, such as why it’s important that gay people are featured in the medium of both film and TV and why it is important that we have films that centre on gay people. I do believe that this is important, but as a gay man I also have a number of issues with many LGBT films.

The problem I have with many gay movies is they look just like soft-core pornography. I say this because after moseying around a branch of HMV, I came across a gay orientated film, however the synopsis and even the name of the movie have failed to stick in my mind. This is due to the fact that after looking on the back of the DVD I was greeted by a number of images of half naked men, some of which clearly depicted a sex scene, and this wasn’t an isolated incident to this one particular film.

I’ve watched and seen advertisements for a number of gay specific films that heavily feature naked men, guys wandering around in speedos or underwear, or full-on sex scenes. Now I’m not a prude or have any issue with seeing half naked men, but it does make me wonder, what happened to a good storyline? Now it’s possible these films do have okay plots, but the marketing suggests the only thing the viewer cares about is the beefcake (and quite a lot of the gay-themed movies themselves seem to think the same).

I say this because there aren’t that many films that feature primarily straight characters that are mainly sold on semi-nakedness and people having sex for no apparent reason, but it often feels that the majority of gay films seem to think titillating the viewer is necessary to get them to watch. Of course there are those films that are on late at night on some of the lesser-known movie channels that are solely about straight sex, but the less said about those the better.

Many gay films are like this, which is perhaps one of the reasons LGBT-themed films only have a very limited audience that doesn’t even encompass all gay people. They just sit on a DVD shelf in a shop and gather dust, only to suffer the fate of the bargain bin. It’s probably one of the reasons why a movie like Brokeback Mountain is such as success as – aside from having big name stars in it – it has a good plot and the sex scenes are used to push the story along.

I have a fear that until some makers of gay specific films realise that not all gay men need to see semi-naked actors parade around in tiny briefs, and would instead much prefer to see a well thought out plot and character development, that many gay films will continue to face the fate of the discount shelf. And equally, if gay movies continue to be sold purely on the sex, it undermines a lot of the good work done by filmmakers who do care about making a good film, but who then see that work ignored in favour of marketing it purely on the semi-nude men – which ensures many who would enjoy it won’t watch it, and those who do are disappointed it’s not the sex-fest the DVD cover promised.

After all, if you want to see naked men acting badly and running around in badly scripted films then, surely you can just watch porn; the sex scenes will probably be better too.

Has Reality TV Turned Us Into Audition Daters?

Originally posted on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

With the X Factor ending last week after four months on air, which in all fairness felt more like 10 months, and with the final of Strictly Come Dancing heading our way this weekend it looks as though the reality TV season is finally over for 2012.

However we don't have to wait long for it to start up again as I'm a Celebrity and Dancing on Ice will be back on our screens in the new year, that's if we survive the end of the world, but to be fair if 21 December doesn't kill us the monotony of C list celebrities eating kangaroo testicles and falling over on ice probably will. If we do survive this then we also have Britain's Got Talent, The Voice and more X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing to look forward to as the never ending stream of reality TV sets out to take over our lives again.

As a nation we watch these programmes religiously, I am no exception, as we get involved with the characters and storylines that the press and the shows themselves create. But one thing that has been niggling in the back of my mind for sometime is; have these shows changed the way we now live our lives?

This may sound like a strange question, but if I narrow it down to dating specifically you can see they have.

It appears that the days of meeting and dating are gone and the generation of dating auditions has begun, well it probably begun quite some time ago to be fair. The internet does play a large part in this with the huge rise in internet dating websites that now means it's easier to find a date. So you can get as drunk as you like on Saturday night as you could meet Mr or Mrs right tomorrow whilst online. Smartphones have also contributed as we can now date on the go, Grindr anyone?

But as I was saying it seems as though the X Factor audition process has seeped into the dating world, especially with online dating. Now people can spend hours trolling through thousands of profiles where they can decide if someone doesn't have the right hair, body shape or cloths size to go on a date with them, or they may decide that this person isn't right for the part after reading their profile, where they may find out they're a Satanist or maybe a little too obsessed with cats, either way this lack of sellable personality wouldn't get you through to boot camp on the X Factor or dating boot camp.

However a lucky few may make it to the online conversation where you can discuss yourself with one another, lets be honest many of those who make it to the online chat of internet dating are usually only there for the reason Jedward and Rylan got into the X Factor final, which is usually comedy value or just generally being bored.

Then if this person is lucky enough to go on a date it's like being at judges houses, where you decide to continue dating them the same way Gary would decide whether to put you into his final three. Here you can see if their personality matches up to what was online, or if the smoke and mirrors of the Internet made them appear to be something they weren't.

Either way dating in the digital age has got a set of rules, which coincidently or not mirror that of the X Factor auditioning process. Maybe this is how people have always dated, or maybe it's something we picked up because the formula worked and could be applied to other situations. Either way no matter how you look at it, Simon Cowell and all the other TV executives have changed more than just our Saturday night viewing; they've also changed our love lives.

Just Leave it for the Cleaners

Originally posted on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

It's a phrase most people would have heard on a daily basis at work, school, college or university. We all know the process; someone drops a piece of rubbish or leaves a stain or in some cases just flat out cannot be bothered to take their empty sandwich packet to the bin, so of course we will just leave it for the cleaners to deal with.

However the thing that many people fail to forget is that the cleaners aren't there to clean up after the workers, of course the job of the cleaner is to clean, but the job is to hoover the floor, change bin bags and ensure the place isn't dusty or unfit for human habitation, not pick up subway sandwich wrappers that have been strategically placed under chairs, in an attempt to hide them because the bin was a whole 10 foot across the room.

I myself have worked a number of cleaning jobs and on the most part they've been fine with the usual day-to-day mess that includes coffee stains on desks and floors, the odd smudge on a window and an overflowing bin that needs changing. On the other hand I've also encountered desks filled with dirty plates, with the occasional one gathering mould or even the odd half filled coffee up with mould growing on top of it. I once found a banana just left in the middle of the room as if it had tried to escape the kitchen that had been left looking like a small explosion had occurred in it, sadly the banana had just been dropped and not picked back up.

The worst part of this is that the majority of these issues were found in offices and kitchens in NHS offices. It's nice to see that a place that should be cleaner than all others like doctors surgeries are occupied by some people who don't know the practical function of a bin.

The funniest part about this is I recall a time when I was at sixth form and the common room had been left in a bit of a mess, by mess I mean a few empty crisp packets and foil wrappers left lying around the room. Because of this the cleaners made a complaint to the head of year, who promptly informed us that the cleaners job wasn't to pick up after us and if it happened again the room would be locked. A week later the room was locked.

Now is it just me or does anyone else see anything odd about this? Because a group of teenagers made a mess they were locked out of the common room and refused entry until they learnt how to keep the facilities they were using clean. However in the now adult world it appears that it is perfectly acceptable to leave a huge mess for the cleaners to deal with, without the worry of being locked out of the kitchen, sinks filled with dishes is a particular favourite in the workplace.

I also remember the question we would get asked regarding the mess in the common room, which went a little like this; "would you leave your own home like this?" to which the answer was no. So does the same question apply to adults who make mess? Or do they feel it is their right to leave copious amounts of rubbish lying around as they spend enough time cleaning in their personal lives? Which cleaners obviously don't do.

These are all questions I can only speculate on, so for the time being it looks like I may just have to suck it up and accept the fact that most work places, including those in the NHS, will be left in an almost apocalyptic looking state until the cleaner makes it fit for habitation, that is until the next work day starts of course.

Giving Thanks: Ryan Murphy

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

We’ve been giving thanks to a number of different people from behind the scenes of various television shows that have helped bring LGBT characters into the mainstream over the years, and in their own way helped us become more accepted in society.

This week we’re taking a look at Ryan Murphy, who after working as a journalist for a number of years moved into television in the late 90s. After the success of his teen comedy series Popular, Murphy then went on to create the extremely popular Nip/Tuck and also worked on a number of film projects.

During this time he created the pilot Pretty/Handsome, which dealt with a transgendered storyline, however the show didn’t get picked up and we can only assume that maybe audiences weren’t quite ready for a show like this.

However, audiences who may have been upset by this needn’t be worried, as the forward thinking Murphy soon unleashed his monster hit Glee on the world. The up-tempo original musical television series was an instant hit with audiences and introduced a whole new generation to musicals. But it is his inclusion of a number of LGBT storylines that we have to give him credit for here.

The show includes openly gay and lesbian characters and relationships and deals with the issues of closeted homosexuality – as well as being young and openly gay. Also, during the wake of the It Gets Better Campaign he created a storyline that showed audiences just how harmful homophobic bullying can be, and showed young people that they could be themselves in the Born This Way episode.

In the most recent series he has also introduced the character of Wade Adams, who has to deal with the issues that come with being trans, something that hasn’t truly been tackled on a scale like this on American television, especially with such a young character.

It doesn’t stop there though as Murphy has since gone on to create two more hit shows; American Horror Story and The New Normal. The former, despite being a nail biting, eye hiding horror story, has incorporated a number of LGBT characters throughout the first two series, and even demonstrated just how hard it was to be gay back in the 1960s during the second season. The New Normal on the other hand shows us just how far our society has come as it centres on what is by all means a new normal in society, an LGBT couple having a baby, which is told in both a funny and heart warming way.

Yes it’s easy to say that for the last few years Ryan Murphy has helped shape a number of attitudes when it comes to LGBT people in society, and has helped tackle the issues faced on a vast scale in funny, horrific, touching and beautifully laid out stories.

Review: Bjork - Bastards

Originally published on www.soundblab.com

The eccentric or, as some may put it, batshit crazy Icelandic singer Bjork returns to the music scene with the remix album of her seventh studio album Biophilia, the aptly-titled Bastards. Now credit where credit is due, anyone who names their album Bastards deserves a round of applause. Of course, Bjork has been doing that kind of thing for almost 30 years, first as part of the band The Sugarcubes and then solo.

She's done more than garner masses of applauses as well. After all, the unconventional singer has gained herself numerous Grammy Award nominations and has even been nominated for an Academy Award. However, I don't quite think that honour will be bestowed this album. I'm a big fan of Bjork's massive back-catalogue and I often find that some of her songs work extremely well as remixes. In fact, the remix of 'Army of Me' is probably better than the original version.

However, her eclectic mix of music and amazing vocals just aren't enough to save this remix record. Some tracks are OK, some are good, some are bad and some are a little hit-and-miss altogether and tend to just blend into the background, and Bjork is someone who should never blend into the background. The album does sound very worldly and mixes what sounds like Bollywood and African music into her rocky, electro sounds. While this is all well and good, many tracks sound too samey and just get lost while you're doing something else.

The best track on the album has to be 'Crystalline', which mixes Bjork's excellent vocals with an upbeat, haunting and Bollywood-inspired sound. It's not a combination you would initially put together but it works. The same thing works but not quite as well on the track 'Thunderbolt,' although there's just not enough of Bjork on it.

Other good tracks are 'Sacrifice' and 'Sacrifice Reprise' with their haunting vocals and almost minimal music, focusing on the voice, which is, as always, amazing. Both tracks are very atmospheric and melancholic, with the later making you feel as though Bjork herself has been engulfed in waves. Listen to it and you'll get what I mean. The worst track has to be 'Hollow', which is just seven long minutes of really boring music and boring vocals which don't grab your attention or make you feel anything other than bored. Basically, it's an awful track.

A special mention has to be given to 'Mutual Core', which has a number of excellent vocals. When it kicks in, it's extremely dark and heavy. However, only these parts are worth listening to - some are flat out yawn-inducing. It's a classic case of the hit-and-miss song.

Overall this album has some good mixes and some brilliant vocals. However, some parts completely miss the mark and leave you bored while only a few others pick you up. I think Bjork needs to go back to the drawing board and work on some new music, which is probably best for all of us.

Is Unpaid Work Building a Wall Around the Creative Industries?

Originally posted on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

Its been a hot topic for some time now, how the creative industries are taking advantage of new graduates who are looking to get their foot on the career ladder. Many of us would have heard the debate about the fashion industry and how it was exploiting workers by offering them unpaid internships to help them gain experience.

However many of these interns have spoken out about how they were treated badly and made to work nearly every hour that was available, and all this for no pay. Many have spoken out about how this is wrong, but it isn't just the fashion industry that's doing it, many others are too.

For those who want to work in television, radio, PR or as journalists, they all have to undergo the same routine. For many recent graduates out there wanting to forge a career in their chosen industry doing this type of unpaid work, in some cases for up to 12 months, just isn't practical as it's just not financially viable.

To start most of the jobs in the creative industries are located in London, and as we all know the cost of living in London is pretty much unaffordable to most. Many taking part in these internship are also working part time jobs in call centres, restaurants and bars just to get a bit of money behind them, but this type of part time work isn't enough to allow you to live in the capital.

Therefore many young people who are fully qualified to do these types of roles just aren't getting their foot in the door as they either don't live in a commutable area to get to London, or their parents can't afford to foot the bill for them to work unpaid for 12 months. This is therefore preventing many people from entering work that they are qualified for, resulting in them having to take menial jobs. That's if they can get those jobs as many employers are worried that they'll leave as soon as something better comes along, which I wrote about in a previous article.

It's not just the fact that most of these jobs are unpaid, there are even websites offering freelance work that is unpaid with the hope of giving someone experience. But when you apply for any of these types of freelance work or internships the process you have to go through is very long and gruelling, and for the most part you end up with a rejection at the end.

Take freelance writing, many times I have had to undergo the sending of the application form, CV and cover letter, followed by sending some work, which then leads to an interview and a test article and in some cases even a second article, only to be told you didn't get the job as you didn't have enough experience, even though it was an unpaid entry level job. Many people endure this on a daily basis.

I've seen many job adverts from companies that say they cannot yet afford to pay people and this is why there is the offer of unpaid work. Although this looks like a way of hiring a number of people to do all the hard work in order to avoid paying someone by saying it's an internship. Now not all places are like this but you'd be surprised how many job adverts actually say this.

It only seems to be the creative industries that are getting away with this too, because lets face it, someone who has just qualified as a nurse wouldn't be asked to rush around a hospital and help save lives for no pay for 12 months, all in the name of experience. I know that student nurses train throughout the three years they are at University, but so do those who aspire to work in the creative industries, otherwise what is the point of spending the best part of £20,000 to earn a degree for that specific job?

As this issue is rife within the creative industries, and many people have already weighed in on the issue surrounding the fashion world it looks as though it's about time the remainder of the creative industries were looked at; before a generation of graduates fall to the sides as they just didn't live close enough, or have parents able to pay for them to get their foot in the door.

Review: New Year's Eve

Originally published on www.moviemuser.co.uk and www.biggaypictureshow.com

New Year’s Eve gives us a look into the way in which we all cross over into each other’s lives on a daily basis without even knowing it, amongst a combination of romance, heartache, laughter and sadness.

With an all-star ensemble cast the audience gets to enjoy the many different plots, in what reminded me of films such as Love Actually. The film is generally good and moves at a steady pace so the audience won’t get bored as they keep zigzagging through the multiple stories, some of which are much better than others.

The story involving Michelle Pfeiffer and Zac Efron is one of the more touching, and we get see Michelle looking very dowdy, something I thought I’d never say as she gets Efron to try and fulfil her New Year wishes. Also, the interlinking story of Halle Berry nurse and Robert De Niro’s dying patient is enough to bring a tear to anyone’s eye.

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara has to get a special mention for her laugh out loud one-liners and superb comedic acting; she truly steals the show from everyone else. The same however cannot be said for Abigail Breslin who, aside from looking completely unrecognisable, will make you thing it’s baffling that she was once nominated for an Academy Award, as her performance is a little wooden and unbelievable.

The one negative aspect of the film has to be the fact that in two hours some of the stories don’t get as much time as others, therefore making you either forget about them or not care too much. A few are so perfunctory they’re barely stories at all.

Aside from that the film is very enjoyable, taking us on an emotional rollercoaster of happiness and sadness. There are quite a few points when you will hear yourself go “aww” or wipe a tear from your eye.

New Year’s Eve is surprisingly enjoyable, light-hearted and quite sweet at its core. It’s just a shame some stories couldn’t have been padded out more, but overall very good.