Reviewer Reviews...Les Miserables-A Film Review

  Les Miserables, or Les Mis is arguably one of the best musicals ever made. The music, the flow, the story, most of which is inspired by victor Hugo's wonderful book, is brilliant and truly unforettable. So who has the balls to ruin it in screen adaptation style? That guy who did The King's Speech, Wolverine and Catwoman. Be very afraid.
   All jokes aside, Les Mis is a lot better suited in these hands than it was in Liam Neeson's hands. But odd casting choices aside, this is still a really rather good film. The plot goes that Jean Valjean steals a loaf of bread for his sister's child, which gets him put in jail. After he breaks parole, he comes out after 19 years and is constantly escaping from no-nonsense policeman Javert, all of this involving a dying prostitute Fantine and her child, who Valjean promises to look after, all set during the French riots in the mid-eighteen hundreds.
   As supposedly simple this story is, it is an impossible role for Hugh Jackman as Valjean, who has to play Valjean as classy, a robber, an old man, and kind spirit, and an overprotective father. He does this amazingly well, capturing all these roles with suprising sadness and nuance. also stunning is Anne Hathaway as Fantine, whose truly upsettingly powerful rendition of I Dreamed A Dream will win her an Oscar. Eddie Redmayne is ok as Maurius as is Amanda Seyfried, but the true focus should be Samantha Barks, who is wonderful as Epinone and Sacha Baren Cohen and Helena Bonham Cater spicing up every scene they are in.
   Now we get down to the big problem: Russel Crowe. While he is not quite as horrendous as some people are suggesting, he isn't great, and his awful throaty singing makes for some hilarious moments where I nearly laughed out loud. It is just a shame they didn't cast Jude Law, who I think would have been perfect in that role.
   The direction of this is stunning too, a bit Moulin Rouge esque, with people constantly throwing things in your face and laughing at you. It can be a little distracting, especailly with some of the prettier songs having things thrown in your face constantly, as well as some really baffling framing, so much so that I had to visibly turn my head to see what was going on.
   While it is flawed, and doesn't really make sense in its own universe (why does Maurius go for Cosette when Epinone is so much prettier? Why is that awful red and black song in this? Rarely am I asking a film for more exposition.) it is still the most effective adaptation to date, and when compared to the musical, it adapts pretty perfectly. Be prepared for torrents of YouTube videos of I Dreamed A Dream though.

9/10

Reviewer Reviews...Breton-Surrounded at the BFI

I was fortunate enough to be given tickets to go and see Breton's 'Surrounded' at the BFI for Christmas. Although I was extremely excited about the chance to see my favourite band, I was wary that the results of the visual/audio combination could be horrendously pretentious. However I should not have worried. The band began with The Commission, which combined Star Trek like images of satellites and space. The video definitely has a melancholy feel to it, which will carry on throughout the night. As an unknown man's satellite hurtles towards the earth, he watches images of childhood, and a voice says 'You'll never see anything this beautiful again in your life'.

The band were bolstered on the night by a string quartet, who played some of the music to the shorter films on their own. Highlights of the night included Pacemaker, which combined glamorous dancing with warehouses and water. And December, based on the film Red Road, which was sinister, in both music and film. I would describe the feeling I got when watching it as 'on edge', which was true for most of the screening.

Another highlight was Edward The Confessor, which was both political and interesting. The lyrics 'Take everything, your filthy hands can carry', may be seen as a link to the 2010 London Riots, and the film almost makes me think of 'Ill Manors', although the art collective beat Ben Drew to it, as Edward The Confessor appeared on YouTube in October 2011.

Lastly we were treated to Home Invasion, a new song and an interesting video. The video itself featured a depressed girl who attempted to hang herself and a boy, who didn't seem to know his place, who was planning an armed burglary of that girl's house. However, we sense both got happiness due to the way the boy rips off his balaclava on sight of her, and how both look into each others eyes at the short film's very end. It was as though two lost souls had found one another. That's my intereptation anyway.

Overall, I loved the show, and I will definately see Breton live again soon. It wasn't just the music, or the film, it was also a great experience. If you didn't go, some of the short films can be found on YouTube. Links Below

The Commission
December
Edward The Confessor

Reviewer Reviews...New Band Recommendations No.4

Only Real
Only Real is from West London-a proud of it too. The 21 year old keeps makes sure his Facebook followers know too with posts like, 'It's always sunny in West London bitches'. But I put up with it, simply because of 'Cadillac Girl'. This song is all about the bass and is 'As funky as possible, isn't it.' It's guitar music for people who don't like guitar music, and that, I my opinion, is something we don't see enough of. Watch Cadillac Girl here.


Mac DeMarco
Ok, we're sort of cheating here. Mac DeMarco has actually been around for quite a long time. Hell, the Vancouver based artist has been around since 2008, and released two albums in 2012. But I just don't think Mac gets the credit he deserves. He releases great music videos for almost all of his tracks(watch them 'Ode To Viceroy here), and the actually music is great too. He actually only developed his odd way of singing(more evident on the album 'Rock and Roll Night Club', which you can get for just £4.99 on iTunes), when he had tonsilitis and tried singing. As a result he sounds like a cross between Jonathan Richman and Steven Malkmus, which he describes as "jizz jazz". Oh yeah, and he still uses a guitar he bought for 30 Canadian Dollars when he was 16. That's the world of Mac DeMarco.

Reviewer Cooks...Seared Venison with Rosti and Shredded Plum Cabbage

Storytime. When I was about 7, we were in holiday in Italy, driving along the long, repetitious roads where we found a slightly grubby, though rustic and good natured trattoria. In a restaurant as empty and deserted as this one was, there were no children's menus, those of which are strongly disregarded in where I'm from. So, I bravely and slightly tactlessly order a huge plate of wild boar and venison. My parents, while no strangers to my crazy cooking ways, still insisted on half portions, an idea the miserable waiter took less than kindly, and he served me the huge plate of wild boar and venison ragu.
It looked weird, not like the spag-bol we used to have at home. This had huge chunks of real venison. I gingerly took a bite. It was good. Really good. My dad asked the chef why it was so good. He proudly announced he had been simmering it since 6 in the morning. And half an hour later, I had cleared the whole plate. My parents, who could barely finish their plates, were stunned, and not a little outraged that I had beaten them to the post on finishing portions. That started my venison love affair.
Venison is hard to get, and very expensive in the UK, unlike Italy where it is plentiful. Often I find anyone but the Italians butcher the strong flavour of venison, but good old Emeril has given us a flawed, but decent recipe. We try it out one day and find the venison still raw, the mash to be oddly reminiscent of garlic bread, and the spinach to be boring. So I have kept a few of his ideas, but this is a rehash. When paired with a more delicate rosti patty and a sweet and sour cabbage side, it oomphs the flavour but is still healthy and delicious.

Seared Venison Steaks with Rosti and Shredded Plum Cabbage

Ingredients:
4 venison steaks
1 tsp crushed garlic
3 diced shallots
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup cider vinegar
Splash of gin
Small glass of red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
Olive oil

1 kilo potatoes, parboiled until just tender and grated
Olive oil

1 head green dark cabbage, shredded
1/2 glass white wine
1 plum, finely diced
Knob of butter
1 tbsp cream
4 tbsp chicken stock
Balsamic glaze

1. Heat some olive oil in a pan. Sear each steak for 2 minutes on each side. Put on a plate and cover.

2. Crush the garlic and shallots into the pan. Cook until wilted. Add in the gin to deglaze the pan, then add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Reduce this syrup by half.

4. Once reduced, put the steaks back in and cook to your liking. Season well and serve.

Rosti

1. Form the grated potato into a patty like a burger. Season and pat with paper towels to dry.

2. Heat some oil in the pan to cover the bottom. Sear on one side until browned and crisp. Flip over and cook for 6 minutes at a low heat. Make sure it doesn't stick to the pan

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When it starts to bubble, add the cabbage, the wine, the stock and the cream. Cover and cook on a low heat until wilted. If it ever looks burning, add a tablespoon of stock.

2. Take off the heat, sprinkle on the plum and drizzle on a little balsamic if you wish.

Reviewer Cooks...Pork Medallions in Sticky Soy Glaze with Bacon Courgettes/Zucchini

 

Pork has always been somewhat of my Achilles heel, from the unpalatabley fatty roast pork with crackling, the overwhelming toughness of pork chops or any of those tough cuts of pig are not my cup of tea. However, when done well, like in the delicious char siu pork, or even the stringy heavenly pulled pork, which is undoubtedly amazing when roasted for over 6 hours and drizzled with as much barbecue sauce as possible. And while the tenderloin is a cut I am not familiar with, of what I've tasted, it is like a mixture of fillet steak and spare ribs, a perfect budget alternative to these more expensive cuts.
On a random Tuesday night when for whatever reason, we had pork medallions. And after a short time browsing the web for some decent recipes, and with no recipes that were halfway decent, apart from honey balsamic pork, which my brother protested against, hating the flavour of cooked balsamic vinegar, an opinion which I can hardly blame him for.
So, just before giving up, I noticed a little recipe for soy sauce medallions which seemed easy enough, on the back of the packet. And as the timings were completely off, and produced bitterly burned pork, I adapted it and used an improvised zucchini/courgette recipe from all those leftovers slowly taking over our fridge.
Pork has not entirely won me over let but this recipe is a good start, and with a flavour and texture similar to steak, I can see this as a delicious budget alternative.

Pork Medallions in Sticky Soy Glaze

Ingredients
12 pork medallions or 1 pound pork fillet, sliced into rounds
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp treacle/molasses
Olive Oil

1. Heat a pan with a little oil. Use a spatula to create a thin layer of oil. Season this layer with salt and pepper. (This will form a nice crust on the medallions) Crush a clove of garlic into this oil if you want an garlicky medallion.

2. Sear the pork for 2 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Mix together the other ingredients and sizzle them in the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until pink. If there is not enough liquid, have a cup of water on hand to deglaze the pan every so often.

3. Snip on some spring onion/scallion and serve

Bacon Courgette/Zucchini

Ingredients
1 Courgette/Zucchini, sliced into rounds
2 strips bacon
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
1 tbsp butter
Splash of sake/white whine

1. Heat the oil and the butter until the butter melts. Add in the onion and saute until wilted and translucent. Add in the bacon and fry for 2 minutes, when the bacon crisps up.

2. Drop in the courgette, add the sake and some water, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the lid and evaporate the excess water, then serve immediately with a knob of butter.

Reviewer Cooks...Calamari

 Though it is true there is nothing I relish more than diving into a huge plate of calamari, it is a real tricky one to cook. Often the squid is rubbery and chewy as an elastic band, and the coating for me at least, needs to be devilishly crunchy but not taking away from the subtle nature of the squid. And while I find that it is truly hard to beat the Italian fritto misto with a huge pot of garlicky mayo and a squeeze of lemon, I attempted at trying such a task in my huge and terribly designed deep fat fryer which is sandwiched in our cluttered cooking cupboard.
Finding a place that will do squid is a challenge in itself. I opt for the slender prepared tubes Waitrose offer, while less fun to prepare, are quicker and better for a Sunday night supper. As advised by The Guardian, I soak the squid in milk, to add tenderness, supposedly, although for me there is no noticeable difference. I have heard something about covering it in mashed up kiwi, although I have yet to try this method. So one I cut the tubes into more elegant, though quite thick rings, I try some different coatings.
Again, as suggested by The Guardian, I do a mix of plain and corn flour, then I do plain flour on its own, and with cornmeal mixed in. All of these seem to work, but the sogginess of just plain flour, and the slight powderiness of corn and plain flour leaves the more crispy cornmeal, which has more flavour and just the right heaviness needed. I'm still in need of crispy however, so it will have to wait.
First batch comes out of our ever so unreliable fryer and the coating is golden, but the squid is disappointingly chewy. As suggested, I fry it more, but this burns it to a crisp, and the offending squid is binned. I make a ruling that undercooked is better than overcooked and I fry the rest of the squid until the cornmeal goes slightly darker than the flour. This seems to do the trick, and I end up with a huge mound of it. And while it doesn't match the Italian perfection of a dish, I'm getting there.

My Calamari Recipe

Ing.
500g squid tubes (tentacles if you want)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1 1/2 tbsp cornmeal (polenta)
375 ml milk
Oil for frying

1. Pour the milk into a bowl. Slice the squid into rings and save a few for traingles, then add them to the milk. leave for as long as you've got.

2. Stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper.

3. Take the squid out of the milk and coat in the flour dusting.

4. Fry the squid until there are small gold dots on the calamari. Drain on paper towels and serve with lemon and a garlic mayo. Enjoy!

MT

http://theyoungchefcooks.blogspot.co.uk/

Reviewer Plays...Fifa 13 Ultimate Team...Getting Started

So, I presume that if you've clicked on this post, you are interested in, or already interested in, Fifa Ultimate Team. But I've got to presume that you're new to the game, so here is how you should get started in the game.

Step 1: Play Some Matches

The easiest way to get coins is by playing some matches with the Bronze players you get in your starter pack. I would recommend playing in the Bronze Cup to begin with, as I doubt your team will be good enough to compete against Gold teams you will face in Seasons.

Step 2: Dream Up A Squad

Once you've managed to build up enough coins to start developing your Bronze team whatever dream team you chose to make. Be aware that Chemistry-the links between players does matter. Players have a high Chemistry when they are playing in the position and formation specified on their card. You can also gain Chemistry for your team by having players from the same league or nation in a team. If you are stuck for ideas, I would recommend using videos by YouTubers such as HarryRox23 or Toby Leighton. Leighton makes especially good videos, and does lots of squad builders which are under 10k. I also plan to do some squad builders on this blog, so keep your eyes open. And if you're feeling original, Futhead's Squad Creator is a great tool to give you ideas of how much Chemistry your team will have.

Step 3: Buy Your Players

Before you buy your team, find out how much the players you are looking for go for on average at the Ultimate Database. I NEVER buy a player before consulting the website, and it is also a great tool for trading. Again, you can find trading videos on YouTube, but I am currently writing a Trading Guide, so again, keep checking this site.

Step 4: Sign Up Your Staff

The next step in creating your Ultimate Team is to get a Manager. In order to get more Chemistry, pick a gaffer from the same nation and formation as your team.

Step 5:Play!

The next step is to play with your Ultimate Team. There are many different ways to play, which ensures that the game never gets boring. By playing in Tournaments, you can earn packs as well as coins if you win. Whereas in Seasons, you can fight to get your team to Division 1, and maybe even win it.

I hope this guide helped you. As I said, I plan to post trading guides and squad builders too. Subscribe so that you don't miss any of the action! And if you play Ultimate Team and would like to write for the blog, please let us know.

Reviewer Reviews...New Band Recommendations No.3

FIDLAR
Fidlar are a band from California, USA. Their name stands for the skateboarding term, Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk. So I'm sure you can already tell that the band are quite crass, to say the least. With song titles like 'Cheap Beer', or 'Crackhead Ted', and dedicating live songs to,'Everyone who's high out there', you would not be mistaken in believing the band are on the ruder side of the garage rock scene. However, the band, who site influences as Blink-182 and Green Day, have an interesting live or die attitude which is reflected in their music- unfortunately leading to sameness and loud and often ugly music. My favourite Fidlar song is 'No Waves', which perfect sums up their whole attitude to life. Their music videos are also interesting, and very Ninties. If you're still not convinced, download their 'Shit We Recorded In Our Bedroom' EP here for free. Their debut album comes out on January 22, and I for one will be buying.

Swim Deep
Like bezzies Peace, Swim Deep have emerged from the B-town scene in Birmingham, UK. The slack/skater genre is rapidly growing in popularity recently, and Swim Deep have certainly tapped into that market. I was really excited about this band after hearing their first song King City, and it's B-Side Beach Justice. I liked the dark undertow to the two songs, but I find their newer, more upbeat material quite boring. Nevertheless, I firmly recommend you check out King City, and it's aforementioned B-Side, Beach Justice.

Reviewer Reviews... Life of Pi-A Film Review

Life of Pi

Ang Lee, along with Tarsem and James Cameron, are often directors that suffer from a style over substance view of film-making  with Tarsem's visual masterpieces The Cell and The Fall, Cameron's Avatar or even Lee's frustrating Hulk. However, all have had wonderful films, and with Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Lust, Caution under his belt, Lee is most probably the most talented out of these directors, and while it could be argued that Life Of Pi is his weakest film (a flimsy narrative, excessive symbolism) It sure looks absolutely stunning.
    Following the wise words of Roger Ebert, who, like me, cannot stand 3-D and who raved about the 3-D, I saw it on the biggest, dumbest screen I could; Vue Westfield. And Ebert was right. I don't think I have ever seen better use of 3-D in a theatrical release. It is not distracting, not headachey and just looks wonderful. I am proud I paid the £1 extra.
    And that brings us to the main thread of the film: the visuals. They are stunning. Again, I don't think I have seen more stunning visuals since The Tree Of Life or The Fall. As the second and third act are all set on a boat in the middle of the ocean, Lee takes full advantage of the visual potential as possible. A scene on a deserted island is a definate hilight, and while the animals are not always convincing, they do look disturbingly genuine almost always, especially hundreds of meerkats in a very memorable scene.
    And this brings us to the main problem with this film. Just the visuals alone would get it a 10 out of 10, but there are problems. The film starts off in sunny India, where young Pi embarks on a spiritual journey and wishes to be "Hindu, Muslim and Christian". He seems to be one of those kids that no one is, no one has been, or will be. Either way, he grows up in a zoo, but then has to move his family and animals to Canada, where they are shipwrecked, and he has to use a small lifeboat with a tiger as a home. And while this is not a very convincing premise, it is still exciting in the way that Up or Inception is exciting: ridiculous, but captivating enough to be forgiven for the silly premise.
    So that's Life Of Pi, and while this isn't the best film of the year, the visuals are good enough to put it on the top 10 list of 2012, and the fact that it is captivating like Inception means that it is well worth seeing. But only see it in the cinema for full effect. Please.

9/10

MT

Reviewer Reviews...The Best Films of 2012

My Favourite Films Of The Year

I'm not going to be that bastard who says 2012 was the best or worst year for film, because, let's face it, 2012 was neither of these. It was however, a very slow start especially in the first half of the year, which was followed up baby a huge array of brilliant films. So here it is, my favourite films of 2012.

10. The Muppets
I know this is kind of an odd choice, but when as film is this damn happy, it is quite simply irresistible. Directed by Flight Of The Conchords veteran James Bobin, and featuring three writing of Bret McKenzie, whose ebullient songs are perfect for the source material, this joy of a film features all the gang in a tongue in cheek 'the theatre's going to close, let's do a fundraiser!'. And while the film itself is smart enough to overcome this dumb proposal, it is funny, self referential and takes itself seriously in places it needs to.

9. The Descendants
George Clooney has never been better than in his tour de force as a man thrown in a situation he doesn't know how to handle, being burdened with an unfaithful, terminally ill wife, and two sharp as nails daughters. And while it sometimes wobbles on the tightrope of schmaltz, it almost always succeeds in its intended goal, making you laugh and cry simultaneously.

8. Beasts Of The Southern Wild
I think most of us can agree that one of the best feelings is surprise, and I was truly surprised, in a good way. Having gone into this film having known very little about it, then to be blown away by a sudden rush of wonderful filmmaking and acting, especially from the wonderful Quenzhane Williams. I doubt if she will win Best Actress at the Oscars, but I think she is really the one who deserves it most. I can't really describe it, just see it.

7. Skyfall
I had originally disowned the whole Bond franchise, after a few mediocre Pierce Brosnan vehicles, but that opinion was quickly dropped after the Daniel Craig movies, all of which I liked a lot (including Quantum of Solace, thank you very much), and Skyfall does not disappoint. Javier Bardem and Judi Dench are particularly good here, and it kicks ass to see London and Scotland being used, instead of the more foreign locations, making this feel close to home. Sam Mendes deserves a cookie for his stunning direction too. All stand for that stunning song, the best since You Only Live Twice.

6. Life Of Pi
With the visually stunning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon under Ang Lee's belt, he is a perfect choice for that supposedly unfilmable book. And by God, does it deliver. These are some of the most stunning visuals I have ever seen, and though the acting can be weak at times, and the symbolism is annoying, that is all forgiven for the sheer scope of some of the scenes. But for the love of God, see this on a huge screen.

5. Moonrise Kingdom
If Ang Lee is a HD tv, impressing you with it's huge scope, Moonrise Kingdom is a Polaroid camera, with lower quality image, and a faded view, but with bucket loads of charm, sardonic wit, and tender poignancy. Telling the fable of two kids who run away from home and their small town's attempts to find them, it is typical Anderson fare, delivering wonderful performances, occasionally dark humour, and the viewpoint from the beyond his years little boy protagonist. Whimsy at its classiest.

4. The Dark Knight Rises
I am putting it out there, Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors of our generation. He has never done a bad film. Even Following, his weakest picture is a masterpiece in its own right. And his brain conclusion to his perfect Batman series is just what we hoped for, clever, disturbing, funny and surprisingly heavy for a superhero film. Marion Cotillard gives an enjoyable nuanced performance, where Joseph Gordon Levitt is surprisingly intense and focused. The central focus is Bane, who may be my favourite Batman villain.

3. Samsara
All of the other films on this list are plot driven, heavily based on the characters and what they do. Samsara has no plot, no focus or really any characters. It is a swaying visual masterpiece, taking us on an adventure of all cultures, the wide eyed beauty of Indian dancing, the surprising melancholy of the transgender Thai prostitutes, or even the terrifying performance art scene. Like the equally masterful Baraka, we get those stunning time lapse shots of the sky, the Chinese factories, everything. It all ends on the Buddhist monks creating those lovely sand paintings, admiring them for a moment, than scooping up the sand. Interpret that what you will.

2. Tie-Amour/Shame
I am tying these two films together because they are very similar in my eye. The direction is static, smooth, the plot about getting over an illness and failing, or even the twinning of both films being set in an isolating universe. Michael Fassbender gives a heartbreaking performance that sheds new light of the so often mocked sex addiction condition. Is he homosexual? Straight? He may even be asexual for all we know. He is simply addicted to the orgasm, nothing else. In Amour, Georges has a similarly tortuous job caring for his ill wife, who starts well, slowly receding through time, with only the audience and Georges understanding the pain of old age, and the gradual loss of a loved one. So brilliant.

1. The Master
Yeah, you all saw this coming. I can't help it, this film really changed my views on cults, their leaders and how they work. Both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix give unbelievable performances as two very broken, disturbed people who find solace in each other, but in a horrible way, and the way they work off each other is quite scary, but representing such a dark truth that lingers inside us. Anderson's direction is very astute, and it looks fantastic. They just didn't fuck up in any way.  See it for an interesting night out.