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Mr. Brainwash

by on 06. Oct, 2011 in Art & Design, Film, See, TV

LA based Mr. Brainwash has really got the art world in a whirl – some still believe he’s a lucky man who made the grade, whilst others suspect a puppet who can see the strings? Behind all the smoke and mirrors you’ll find the Bristolian street art enigma himself, Banksy, whose wonderful Academy Award nominated documentary ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ (2010), casts Thierry Guetta / Mr. Brainwash as an unexpected cause célèbre.

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The Mindscape Of Alan Moore

by on 06. Sep, 2011 in Art & Design, Books, Comics, Documentaries, DVD, Film, Read, See, Video

It’s only three months since I blogged about ‘Getting My Dylan On’, setting the wheels in motion for a voyage of discovery that took a turn in a direction I hadn’t anticipated, into the world of ‘Watchmen’ and onto the author behind it, feeding me full of impressions and insights as a whole new vista opened up.

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Three From Seven

by on 31. Aug, 2011 in DVD, Film, See, The Fifties, Video

‘Seven Samurai’ (1954), directed by Akira Kurosawa, is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest films ever made. Set in Japan in 1587, it’s the story of a village of poor farmers who hire seven ronin (masterless samurai) to protect them from bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. Kurasawa, widely regarded as Japan’s greatest director, would go on to make other essential movies, including ‘Throne Of Blood’ (1957), ‘Yojimbo’ (1961), and ‘Ran’ (1985), but ‘Seven Samurai’ remained his defining work.

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Watching The Watchmen

by on 02. Aug, 2011 in Animation, Books, Comics, DVD, Film, Read, See

Having now got a copy of the three and a half hour long ‘Ultimate Cut’ of the film, I know that my original copy of the DVD, an hour shorter in length, is now redundant. The whole problem with making ‘Watchmen’ into a film was how do you cram so much into so little time, so it stands to reason that the longer it is, the more detail you get.

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All Along The Watchmen

by on 20. Jun, 2011 in Books, Comics, DVD, Film, Read, See

It’s funny on how one thing can lead to another – those seemingly unrelated connections I’ve previously mentioned colliding to reveal exciting new avenues of exploration. Following on from my recent ‘Getting On My Dylan’ post (http://www.gregwilson.co.uk/2011/06/getting-my-dylan-on/) I finally got around to watching the film adaptation of the classic Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons graphic novel, ‘Watchmen’.

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Getting My Dylan On

by on 07. Jun, 2011 in Black Culture, Documentaries, Film, Hear, Living To Music, Read, See, The Sixties

Looking deeper into Folk and Country music has been a case of overcoming the final prejudice in many respects. These were always genres I shied away from, even though I’ve happily cherry picked tracks that I’ve liked along the way. I suppose I dismissed Folk as antiquated, and Country as over-sentimental, and although I’ve had a basic understanding of their roles in shaping popular music, I’ve never had the inclination to look beneath the surface. Until more recently that is.

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My Most Scary Movie

by on 24. May, 2011 in Film, Hear, My First / My Favourite, See, The Seventies, Video

Which was the first movie to really scare the hell out of you?

Like many kids of my generation, during my pre-teen years I was fascinated by Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and, of course, my favourite, The Wolfman, which used to be shown as part of a horror series every Monday night on ITV, if my memory serves me right. These mainly ‘Hammer Horrors’ (Hammer being a UK production company that specialised in the horror genre from the mid-50’s to the 70’s), were supplemented with dodgy US b-movies, one of which, for some strange reason, stuck in my memory, with a post-atomic giant scorpion terrorising an American city.

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The Wall

by on 18. May, 2011 in Animation, Art & Design, CD’s / Digital, DVD, Film, Records, See, The Eighties, Video

Watched the 1982 film ‘Pink Floyd The Wall’ with my son a couple of times during recent weeks. It made a strong impression on him, as I hoped it would, whilst reminding me just how powerful an audio / visual experience it provides.

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Cute Cute In A Stupid Ass Way

by on 20. Apr, 2011 in Documentaries, Hear, Misc, Random Influences, Records, See, The Sixties, Video

Scott Walker is a proper artist. Born in the US, but finding fortune and fame in the UK, at the height of his Walker Brothers 60’s celebrity, with pop hits and screaming girls a plenty, he turned his back on it all to follow his own unique path, inspired by the music of Belgian born French recording icon, Jacques Brel, who, in a strange twist of fate, he’d first heard at the flat of a bunny girl he’d picked up at the Playboy Club's opening-night party in London.

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Living To Music – Grace Jones ‘Nightclubbing’

by on 01. Mar, 2011 in Black Culture, CD’s / Digital, Hear, Living To Music, Records, See, The Eighties, The Seventies

This Sunday (March 6th), at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. Full lowdown here:
http://www.gregwilson.co.uk/2010/06/living-to-music/

Grace Jones was undoubtedly one of the most cutting-edge artists of the early 80’s - her unique fusion of Reggae and New Wave, coupled with her strikingly stark androgynous image (created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude), setting her apart as a true cult icon.

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