The Brown Note Movie Review

I was a huge fan of Tom Krell's early work How to Dress Well, though faded when it became a more ordinary RnB proposition. This wildly artistic and conceptual 6th album is criminally underrated and one of the years unsung gems.

Being very much down with my fellow kids, I am a big fan of the last decades king of outsider rap, particular in the middle of a terrible era for mainstream rap music. Keef's wildly prolific period of endless album length projects on whatever the hell he felt like, has given way to much stronger and more focused releases in recent year, culminating with the rap album I will probably play the most...

Damon McMahon, AKA Amen Dunes' last album, 2018's Freedom, is one of the great singer-songwriter albums of the last few years and the first to make, sounds a bit like David Gray into a compliment. However, his far more experimental follow up has nowhere near the memorable songs of its predecessor.

My irregular series on albums that are perfect 10/10s - here celebrating the 25th anniversary of the album that put the underground alt stars on the same level as Radiohead, and with Yoshimi, one of the great one-two's in alternative music. Much credit has always gone to the incredible "Indie Pet Sounds" music, but Wayne Coyne's singing and in particular, lyrics are criminally underappreciated. It...

What should be the year's most important film, is its biggest let down. Director-writer Alex Garland, refuses point blank, to engage with anything at all happening in America today, and instead delivers yet another war correspondent film, and not a good one, that could have been filmed in any country, about any conflict in the last 50 years.

Actor Dev Patel has had a wild ride of a career so far, back to back the world conquering high of Slumdog Millionaire followed by the atomic crash of The Last Airbender. In recent years he has grown back fully into stature, peaking with his directoral debut - correctly dubbed the Indian John Wick.

Much like it's unexpectedly entertaining precessor, I enjoyed it more than most critics. Though it misses the faux-Spielberg 80s magic of Afterlife, once it clicks into gear, the second half is the superior.

I've been a big fan of the American iteration of the Godzilla franchise, though after the high water mark of the previous outing, this is arguably the least essential of the lot. Still enjoyable hokum but undeniably shown up by its proximity to the awesome Godzilla Minus One. A much lower stakes and for some reason lower scale outing.

Wildly imaginative and original and actually thrilling, plus a great showcase of a so far unsung actor, that crops up over and over again in hugely memorable bit parts (from Nolan's Batman to Villeneuve's Prisoners) David Dastmalchian. Writer/Director/Editors Colin and Cameron Cairne's 70s chat show horror is NOT a satire but definitely is a horror.      

Only being available to watch on Paramount Plus streaming in Japan, I took a flight to the country and ordered one months subscription, to be able to bring you this review. Is it worth the hype? It certainly is. The writing and development of the human characters wipes the floor with the (often excellent) modern American Godzilla franchise, the cinematography, effects and score are magnificent and...

The California singer songwriter broadens the setting of her voice on her lovely new album, sounding less idiosyncratic than in the past, though more of that instrumentation would've been welcome.

The first album by the legendary Hartnoll brothers is bizarrely a group in flux even on their debut. Much more a collection of tracks compared to the immortal run of albums that would follow and a more dated sound. Yet it's still often fascinating and when the material peaks across tracks like Chime and Belfast, they were already a cut above. This 5 CD reissue benefits from remastered sound qualit...

In my infrequent series on art denied classic status on release or forgotten from the conversation since. Like almost no one since Sergio Leone, director Paul Verhoeven's work was been critically derided on release, hugely successful with the public and gone through countless upward critical revision since. Whereas Robocop and Total Recall have remained permanently in the public consciousness, Sta...

As one of the world's most renowned PHD experts on Liam Neeson action movies, the modern era has been a truly testing time, with virtually nothing that hasn't been terrible. So with great exhalations I am thrilled to announce, by miles the best Liam actioner since the golden era of The Grey, Cold Pursuit and Run All Night. Imagine The Banshees of Inisherin but gangsters and terrorists and you're v...

I don't even know who this man is.

The second solo album by Sonic Youth founder, Kim Gordon, is every bit as avant-garde, abrasive, scouring and brilliant as her first. Though this time around we get some of the best art-house rap beats as a sound-stage, you wish Danny Brown was a collaborator on one of the albums of the year.

Given Kieran Hebden (AKA Four Tet), one of the century's most esteemed electronic music artists, capped his already exemplary career, with a well earned day in the sun at Coachella last year, I've no idea who this highly dull, wallpaper backing music album is for, or why it was even made.

Artistic titan, Zack Snyder, gives the world what it's been waiting for - a sequel to the all concurring first installment and a return to the amazingly original and well developed universe he created. We watch in awe as the packed story develops in ways we could never have seen coming, such as nothing at all happening in the first hour - absolute madman! We are lucky to be alive in an era when he...

IT-girl of the moment, Sydney Sweeney, is either incredibly smart, incredibly lucky or has a great agent, as this Gallo/Nunsploitation horror throwback is exactly the film she should be a lead actress in right now. It aligns her with two of the other hottest and trendiest actresses out there - Mia Goth and Anya Taylor-Joy - who've also made a massive mark through horrors. Its a perfectly decent fi...

The live music festival is dying for a number of reasons, including the acts that are headlining, the now failing Coachella is both an embodiment of why and far far worse.

A retrospective of Tarantino's very different third film.

Amazingly, despite being a massive Shawshank fan, I had never seen The Green Mile  before.

Arguably the most faultless three album opening run since Arcade Fire, hit a speed bump with the loss of Rostam, a core member and producer, resulting in the least well received album of their career, Father of the Bride and wonders whether the golden era was over. Only God is a dramatic return to form and will be an obvious contender for album of the year.

Two of the most prominent definers of modern commercial rap combine again, though this time for an album length project (already succeeded by a follow up) that is both a weak album and a crappy review as I was tormented by a wasp.

The venerable Uk indie-rock titans second comeback album, is sadly not as interesting as their first Anthems for Doomed Youth, but despite flirting perilously close with land-fill indie, has its more vital moments and it's still good to have them back.