Pablo Cheesecake – 2009 - A Year in Review – Part 1

So 2009 is very nearly over. With that in mind I thought I would write a little (turns out its gonna large) blog detailing as many of my favourite things from this year. As usual, whenever I put together a list, they are in no discernable order. These are just a few things that found there way into my life in the last 12 months and how I feel about them.

Music

I make no secret about the fact  that my musical tastes are what some would call odd, I collect movie and TV soundtrack tunes for fuck sake. That aside I think this year I have found myself slightly more mainstream than normal. Lovely new web apps like Spotify and Blip FM have opened my ears to new music more than ever before. The two biggest discoveries for me this year have been Them Crooked Vultures and Alestorm.

Them Crooked Vultures self titled debut album is fan-fuckin-tastic. Take a little Foo Fighters, season liberally with some Queens of the Stone Age and add just a pinch of Led Zepplin and behold a super group is born. Every single track is a winner. There are a couple of truly exceptional tracks though. Caligulove, Gunman and Dead End Friends are all epic. This is a perfect example of musicians making music just for the hell of it. It is all fuckin great.
 
Alestorm are the kings of Scottish Pirate Metal. Now I know what your gonna say. “But Pablo that seems to be a rather niche genre isn’t it?”. Your not wrong but damn if they don’t totally own it. I should say at this point there is a good chance that I am a frustrated pirate at heart so I may be slightly biased…..Yar!!

Film

I’ve said before that I am a genre junkie and 2009 sure was a good year for genre films.  Watchmen was a garish big clusterfuck of a movie, personally I adored it. Pandorum was an unexpected gem. Star Trek was a fantastic update. District 9 was insightful, clever and thought provoking sci-fi. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was fun and looks pretty great on blu-ray.  In fact its worth mentioning that all the blu-rays I have watched so far look brilliant. Another highlight of 2009 I guess was my first exposure to blu-ray.

Thank fuck for that. I got through my movie section roundup without mentioning Avatar…aww bugger it.
Calm down Cameron you’ll get your review when I’ve seen the film. I’ve heard good things so hopefully Avatar will deliver.

My this blog is nowhere near finished but I have lost the will to type. I still haven’t mentioned books and TV.  I think I may have to split this into two and come back to the second part later. 

Till I can be arsed to write the next part.

Laters

Cheesecake Out

Let the right Cheesecake in

So I promised that I would post about this at the weekend and never got round to it. In retrospect I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. I found Let the Right One In to be an enthralling story. It’s taken me a couple of days to come to a conclusion so sorry for the delay.

Based on his own source material screenwriter John Ajvide Lindqvist has written a very subtle and engaging film. It captures the loneliness of the early teenage years (when no-one in the history of the world could ever be feeling the same way you are) and compares this with the loneliness of eternity.

Without giving to much away the story is that of a relationship between Oskar and Eli. I was impressed by the two young leads. Both their performances where great. Though I did feel sorry for the young chap playing Oskar as he seemed to spend a vast portion of the film with a snot moustache.

The thing I liked best was the fact the there was a lot that was left to the viewers own interpretation of events. Things happen and different viewers will take different things from the events as they unfold.

I strongly suggest you seek this out. Worth the admission price!

I hope the writer’s other work makes it to the big screen as I think the world needs a Swedish zombie movie.

Later loyal viewer.

The Cheesecake that Rocked

Bet you can’t guess what this blog will be about can you?

So the adorable Mrs Cheesecake and I have just returned from our local cinematorium. We have enjoyed the latest effort from a Mr R. Curtis (I believe he has previously had some success on the telly box and with other cinematic efforts.)

Set in 1966 at the height of pirate radio the film is choc full of whimsy and nostalgia. Now you’ve known me long enough now to know I am all about the whimsy and nostalgia.

There wasn’t much of a story but that’s not really an important factor in film like this. It was just a group of people doing something for the sheer enjoyment of doing it. That’s pretty fucking groovy in my opinion.

As you would expect in a film about the medium of radio the sounds were all classic. I particularly enjoyed it being the middle of the road stick in the mud that I am.

The cast were all excellent but special mention has to be made of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy. I should also salute Jack Davenport for taking on a character called Twatt. Lets be honest that could haunt him for the rest of his career!

Mrs Cheesecake and I got all rebellious on the way home and sang along to ‘Can I Play with Madness’ on the way home. Fuck Yeah we rock!

In other music related news I have started blipping on blip.fm. This is great fun and I have come across so sounds that, I have to be honest here, I would never have purposely sought out. If you want to hear my eclectic little collection of noise search out the Cheesecake.

Later minions!

Pablo Cheesecake:Warzone

So this afternoon I went to the movies and saw Punisher:Warzone. None too shabby. Now don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting Citizen Kane and that's not what I got. Instead I got some nice stylized hyper-violence and the ocassional flash of blacker than black humor.




In previous versions that have been brought to the screen the character of the Punisher has been a bit less than intimidating. The Punisher is meant to be intractable, monosyllabic and withdrawn. There should be glimmers of humanity but only very small hints that this man once had a life. In my opinion Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane were just a bit lacking. Ray Stevenson however is pretty damn near perfect. Mrs Cheesecake made a good point that Ray looks better as the Punisher than as pre-trauma Frank Castle. I've been a fan of Mr Stevenson's work since the tv series Rome and it is nice to see him moving into movies.

The other actors in the film all looked as though they were having fun hamming it up outrageously.

Dominic West - Who'd a thunk it from Oliver Cromwell to Jigsaw in one easy jump.

Doug Hutchinson looks like he was having a blast as 'Loony Bin Jim'.

It was nice to see that for a change the mighty Colin Salmon survived till end of the flick. Looking forward to Doomsday Colin!

The SFX were good. Lots of gore (Special mention has to be made to the inventive coming together of a free-runner and a rocket launcher).

In conlusion I would be happy to pay may hard earned to go see another movie with this particular Punisher in it. My brain didn't have to work to strenously and when I left the theatre I felt the warm fuzzy glow of being entertained.

Good Work Fella!




Till next time

Laters