Been listening to a lot of Roxette lately, since I bought tickets to their Sydney concert coming up in February.
It got me thinking about what songs I'd like to see them play, bearing in mind they will play a number of tracks from their latest album.
I know there are a few that they are very unlikely to play but this is my ultimate set list....
Joyride
Dressed For Success
Way Out
She's Got Nothing On (But The Radio)
It Must Have Been Love
Dangerous
Speak To Me
Fading Like A Flower
Listen To Your Heart
Almost Unreal
Sleeping In My Car
(Do You Get) Excited?
Dream On
Spending My Time
Crash! Boom! Bang!
How Do You Do
Only When I Dream
Milk And Toast And Honey
Come Back (Before You Leave)
After All
Love Is All (Shine Your Light On Me)
Encore
The Look
Salvation
The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye
Sitting On Top Of The World
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Interpretations
I was having a conversation with someone recently relating to following what the Bible says.
While I am very much on the other side of the church fence at the moment it's always been my belief that, while some interpretation can be made, if you are a believer then you follow the word of God.
What surprised me was the view that just because it says something in there you can interpret it pretty much to suit yourself.
What puzzles me is if that is true then what importance does the word of God have to you?
If you believe the Bible is the word of God but that it can be twisted to suit yourself then what are you actually believing in - some kind of user-friendly deity that makes you feel better that you can say you follow without having to commit to it?
Sounds a bit dodgy to me.
Now I must say that I don't think the person I was talking with about this believes in this way and I think I made a valid point.
If the Bible says you shouldn't steal and you believe the Bible is the word of God then it follows that you shouldn't steal. You can't get around that.
Sure there are plenty of contextual things in the book but if everything is open for interpretation then what are you actually supposed to believe?
While I am very much on the other side of the church fence at the moment it's always been my belief that, while some interpretation can be made, if you are a believer then you follow the word of God.
What surprised me was the view that just because it says something in there you can interpret it pretty much to suit yourself.
What puzzles me is if that is true then what importance does the word of God have to you?
If you believe the Bible is the word of God but that it can be twisted to suit yourself then what are you actually believing in - some kind of user-friendly deity that makes you feel better that you can say you follow without having to commit to it?
Sounds a bit dodgy to me.
Now I must say that I don't think the person I was talking with about this believes in this way and I think I made a valid point.
If the Bible says you shouldn't steal and you believe the Bible is the word of God then it follows that you shouldn't steal. You can't get around that.
Sure there are plenty of contextual things in the book but if everything is open for interpretation then what are you actually supposed to believe?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Cowboys & Aliens
It's the genre clash that I guess was always going to happen.
Cowboys & Aliens brings together two widely used film genres and asks: what would happen if they met?
Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere with a thick metal bracelet attached to his wrist and no memory of who he is. After beating the crap out of three guys who try to rob him he rides (on one of their horses) into town.
After causing the town spoilt brat to be arrested he also winds up in jail and the kid's father Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) arrives to get him out.
At the same time aliens attack. As they do.
This isn't rocket science, and it is hard to take it too seriously given the ridiculous mismatch between the cowboys and the aliens, who quite amusingly lasso their prey.
Cowboys & Aliens brings together two widely used film genres and asks: what would happen if they met?
Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere with a thick metal bracelet attached to his wrist and no memory of who he is. After beating the crap out of three guys who try to rob him he rides (on one of their horses) into town.
After causing the town spoilt brat to be arrested he also winds up in jail and the kid's father Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) arrives to get him out.
At the same time aliens attack. As they do.
This isn't rocket science, and it is hard to take it too seriously given the ridiculous mismatch between the cowboys and the aliens, who quite amusingly lasso their prey.
Basically, it's up to Lonergan and Dolarhyde to team up and take on the aliens, and rescue those taken in their attacks.
If you get past the fact that this is a silly premise you find it has been pretty well done, a bit tongue in cheek and obviously done for amusement - even though the script is fairly straight.
I enjoyed it but my expectations weren't overly high. The casting of Sam Rockwell also helped, he's always good value.
A 7 out of 10 and not bad considering everything.
If you get past the fact that this is a silly premise you find it has been pretty well done, a bit tongue in cheek and obviously done for amusement - even though the script is fairly straight.
I enjoyed it but my expectations weren't overly high. The casting of Sam Rockwell also helped, he's always good value.
A 7 out of 10 and not bad considering everything.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Green Lantern
Yet another superhero film comes off the Hollywood production line and it's an acceptable piece of escapism and a chance for Ryan Reynolds to show off in more ways than one.
Green Lantern is not up there with your Spider-Mans, Supermans, Batmans, X-Men or Avengers flicks but it does entertain.
We meet the Lanterns on the planet Oa and discover that they are battling a force fuelled by fear, Parallax, and have just lost several Lanterns in the fight. One, Abin Sur, is mortally wounded and releases the ring to choose a successor to carry on the fight.
The ring chooses fighter pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds), a man whose best attribute is his ability to walk away when things get tough. Yep, he's the perfect anti-hero who is actually a real hero underneath - he just hasn't discovered it yet.
Abin Sur is discovered by the government and his body is taken away to be studied. Scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) is chosen to examine the alien and he becomes infected with a secondary piece of the alien's DNA and he becomes Parallax's man on earth who must rid the planet of the Lantern in order for Parallax to consume it.
Blake Lively plays the obligatory love interest, Carol Ferris, and she does get one of the better lines in the film. When she realises that Hal is the Green Lantern that saved her and he tries to deny it she says - ''I've known you since I was 11, I've seen you naked, do you really think that because the mask hides your cheekbones I wouldn't know it is you!'. Great call and an obvious nod to the Superman story.
Green Lantern is not up there with your Spider-Mans, Supermans, Batmans, X-Men or Avengers flicks but it does entertain.
We meet the Lanterns on the planet Oa and discover that they are battling a force fuelled by fear, Parallax, and have just lost several Lanterns in the fight. One, Abin Sur, is mortally wounded and releases the ring to choose a successor to carry on the fight.
The ring chooses fighter pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds), a man whose best attribute is his ability to walk away when things get tough. Yep, he's the perfect anti-hero who is actually a real hero underneath - he just hasn't discovered it yet.
Abin Sur is discovered by the government and his body is taken away to be studied. Scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) is chosen to examine the alien and he becomes infected with a secondary piece of the alien's DNA and he becomes Parallax's man on earth who must rid the planet of the Lantern in order for Parallax to consume it.
Blake Lively plays the obligatory love interest, Carol Ferris, and she does get one of the better lines in the film. When she realises that Hal is the Green Lantern that saved her and he tries to deny it she says - ''I've known you since I was 11, I've seen you naked, do you really think that because the mask hides your cheekbones I wouldn't know it is you!'. Great call and an obvious nod to the Superman story.
Green Lantern relies a lot on CGI, which is pretty impressive on the whole, and the charm of Ryan Reynolds. It's a bit cheesy but overall it is good harmless fun.
Beware that there is an extra scene after the first half of the credits. A 7 out of 10.
Beware that there is an extra scene after the first half of the credits. A 7 out of 10.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Holidays
After a whirlwind trip to Melbourne I have a couple of weeks off which is great.
Decided to catch the train this time up to visit the family for close to a week instead of driving - which should be relaxing.
Decided to catch the train this time up to visit the family for close to a week instead of driving - which should be relaxing.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
As a general rule, prequels are pretty ordinary but I was very pleasantly surprised by Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes particularly since I didn't really like the original or the remake of the original.
Set in present day San Francisco, Will Rodman (James Franco) is working on creating a cure for Alzheimer's, which his father is inflicted with, and is testing his drug on chimps.
One particular chimp is showing amazing signs of cognitive development but in a frenzy escapes from the cage and runs amok before being killed.
It turns out the chimp was only protecting her baby, and Rodman ends up taking the infant home.
It quickly becomes apparent the young one is very smart, a side effect of the drug testing on his mother.
As he grows, Caesar keeps learning and becoming more intelligent.
Unfortunately, Caesar intervenes in a scuffle involving Rodman's father (John Lithgow) and is impounded - something the chimp takes very hard and, in the end, very personally.
In an effort to escape from his prison Caesar goes to extraordinary lengths to mobilise his fellow apes and march towards freedom.
Setting the movie in the present was a masterstroke. The original Planet Of The Apes wasn't as accessible or easy to relate to, but you can't help but feel for Caesar.
Set in present day San Francisco, Will Rodman (James Franco) is working on creating a cure for Alzheimer's, which his father is inflicted with, and is testing his drug on chimps.
One particular chimp is showing amazing signs of cognitive development but in a frenzy escapes from the cage and runs amok before being killed.
It turns out the chimp was only protecting her baby, and Rodman ends up taking the infant home.
It quickly becomes apparent the young one is very smart, a side effect of the drug testing on his mother.
As he grows, Caesar keeps learning and becoming more intelligent.
Unfortunately, Caesar intervenes in a scuffle involving Rodman's father (John Lithgow) and is impounded - something the chimp takes very hard and, in the end, very personally.
In an effort to escape from his prison Caesar goes to extraordinary lengths to mobilise his fellow apes and march towards freedom.
Setting the movie in the present was a masterstroke. The original Planet Of The Apes wasn't as accessible or easy to relate to, but you can't help but feel for Caesar.
My expectations were about medium because the trailer did look reasonable, but I have to say I can't recommend this highly enough. It's cute, entertaining at times, but also very clever, very unsettling and very ominous.
Most of the apes look pretty realistic and the face work with Caesar is amazing, you can really tell what he's feeling. Fortunately the film does give you a direction as to how things progress (naturally being a prequel we know where it is heading) and it is a very interesting development indeed.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, one of the best films so far this year. 9 out of 10.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, one of the best films so far this year. 9 out of 10.
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