My review of Away We Go seems to have sparked quite a comments-box debate – offbeat gem or pretentious pap? Well, I loved it, but I understand why the marketing for the film has put some people off. IT IS NOT A ROMCOM. It’s a disarming film, a comedy lacking in cynicism is a rare thing and you’ll leave the cinema wanting to have Burt’s babies too.

I don’t like to give negative reviews, far better to see the positive in things. Afterall, chances are the people reading the review are already fans of the band or interested in the film etc. That’s not to say I’m from the Paul Ross school of critics, just that I don’t like to be unduly negative.

So when I have to give a bad review, I always get a pang of guilt. I have to stop and say to myself, “what would Charlie Brooker do?” I doubt Brooker gets the guilts.

My review of The Vivians latest single for All Gigs was less than glowing. It’s not that ‘Just Two Girls’ is a bad track, it’s just that after having listened to it numerous times, I still can’t remember how it goes. At least terrible tunes stick in the brain, bland ones don’t. Luckily b-side ’Glass Houses’ is a far better track, so it ain’t all bad.

At least online reviews afford the opportunity of the right to reply. So on the off-chance that The Vivians ever read this, the comments box awaits.

…and when I do bother it’s just a bunch of shameless self-promotion.

So here are my recent(ish) reviews:

Firstly a collection of old Mike Leigh gems, the stuff he did for the beeb in the 70s and 80s. Nuts in May is the highlight – “kiss Prudence”.

Now for something completely different… John Barrowman at Sheffield City Hall - the campest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

Confessions of a Shopaholic- really haven’t updated this blog for a long time – it’s just come out on DVD! Other film reviews – Two Lovers, Synecdoche, New York  and more recently, Looking For Eric.

A few on DVD too – Gonzo, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Trainspotting and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

On the albums front, just Camera Obscura’s recent offering.

Will try harder with the updates in future. If I don’t, please leave me a shouty comment.

It’s been a while since my last post and this is a rather lazy effort just to say I have been beavering away at a bunch of reviews.

Revolutionary Road (Winslet & DiCaprio play house)

Rachel Getting Married (not a bit like Bride Wars, phew)

The Armstrong and Miller Show (like, those chav pilots and shit)

J.Tillman – Vacilando Territory Blues (Fleet Fox doing his own thing)

Emmy the Great – First Love (listen carefully…)

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion (their best yet)

Cat Power – Dark End of the Street (EP of covers, beautiful as ever)

Oh, and my review of Dear Body at the Lyceum is in The Star today.

I’m done.

So this is the new year and I don’t feel any different (to quote Death Cab). Still, there’s plenty to look forward to, here are some of the things I’m excited about…

1. Slow Club

Slow Club are finally releasing their debut album on Moshi Moshi Records some time in the spring. They’ve been stalwarts of the Sheffield music scene over the last couple of years, they also reached the dizzy heights of number 72 in the Canadian charts for one week last year! Here is their video for Me & You:

2. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Directed by Terry Gilliam, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was Heath Ledger’s final movie, he died part way through filming. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law stepped in to take on the role after Ledger’s death. It also stars model Lily Cole and intriguingly, Tom Waits as the devil. It sounds a little Pan’s Labyrinth – magical, surreal and fantastical with the plot centred around Dr Parnassus’ quest to save his daughter from the clutches of the devil.

3. Mad Men

It may be old news in the States, but we’re still patiently awaiting series 2 of Mad Men here in the UK. It will be back on BBC4 this year. The action has skipped forward a few years but expect more cinched waists, sharp suits, chain smoking and skeletons toppling out of cupboards, together with an occassional knowing nod to the modern viewer. Bizarrely, the characters have taken on a life of their own on Twitter where you can follow Betty Draper, Peggy Olson and co., though curiously, no Don Draper. Perhaps this is a sign of respect from the most avid fans – Draper is inscrutable and untouchable.

4. Florence and the Machine

You could be forgiven for thinking their name is in fact ‘Hotly Tipped Florence and the Machine’ right now, the hype engine is most certainly in overdrive. I blogged about Florence before after seeing her at Fuzz Club and I am greatly looking forward to her album, expected in late spring. I smell a Mercury nomination in the air - if Florence Welch wins it’ll make up for Bat For Lashes losing out to Klaxons in 2007.

5. Psychoville

Psychoville is a new BBC series from The League of Gentleman’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. It sounds a lot like The League of Gents and the beeb describes it as a “dark character comedy mystery featuring the weird and the wonderful”. I really hope it’s a decent series, I can’t wait to see it but fear that Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson were the true geniuses behind The League.

6. Isy Suttie

2009 will be a busy year for Isy Suttie, catch her on tour if you get the chance. She is best known for playing Dobby, ‘The One’, in Peep Show, which incidentally is returning for a new series this year – something else to look forward to. Isy Suttie is cute as a button and Chortle describes her as “wry, weird but witty addition to any comedy bill”. Complete with comedy songs! Plus she grew up in Matlock, which is sort of local.

7. Slumdog Millionaire

This 2009 highlight is already upon us and I implore you to go and see it. It’s Danny Boyle’s Dickensian tale of a kid from the slums winning the jackpot on the Indian version of Who wants to be a millionaire? Come to think of it, lots of Danny Boyle films revolve around life-changing sums of cash – the loot left by the dead flatmate in Shallow Grave, the money Renton swipes at the end of Trainspotting, the ransom money in A Life Less Ordinary, the stolen pounds in Millions…. I digress. Slumdog is perfect; uplifting, melancholy, bitter sweet, exuberant, lavish and joyful.

8. Emmy the Great

Emmy the Great’s album First Love is out in February and there is a tour to boot, I’m looking forward to seeing her in Sheffield on 19th Feb at Plug.  Whimsical folky tunes with a hint of darkness and a heap of honesty in the lyrics. Emmy’s voice is crystal clear and soars up and away. Lovely stuff. And check out the cover of Ash’s ‘Burn Baby Burn’.

9. Fantastic Mr Fox

Wes Anderson’s animated take on the Roald Dahl classic Fantastic Mr Fox, with voices from Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Angelica Huston. The voices of Mr and Mrs Fox are provided by George Clooney and Cate Blanchet, while Jarvis Cocker is apparently providing songs for the soundtrack. It’s a little premature to be getting excited about this (the film isn’t out until November!), but the Dahl / Anderson / Cocker combo ought to be nothing short of brilliant.

10. Flight of the Conchords

Bret and Jemaine return for a second series of hopelessly naive adventures in the Big Apple accompanied by a selection of funny and rather excellent songs. The series starts in the US this week but will be shown on the BBC some time this year. Here’s a little promo for the new series:

A strong contender for the worst film of 2008 accolade has to be You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. It is offensively awful. I had immense fun reviewing the DVD for Den of Geek. On the whole I don’t like to be negative in reviews, but in this instance, there was no redeeming feature.

Don’t mess with the Zohan – stay well away.

If, like me, you have no intention of tuning in to listen to Queenie this afternoon, here is an alternative festive message from Adam and Joe:

Happy Happy Time one and all!

A rather belated post about the recent Steel City Tour homecoming gig at Sheffield Arena featuring Heaven 17, ABC and The Human League, all synth electropop pioneers back in the day. It’s peculiar to think that such glitzy futuristic music came out of Sheffield. While the music of Manchester and Liverpool embraced its origins, asserting it proudly and occasionally aggressively, the electropop movement in Sheffield stood in defiance against its grimy industrial surroundings. It was intentionally glitzy, glamorous and slick; unsurprisingly, so was the Steel City Tour.

I enjoyed the gig very much, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a gig that includes costume changes before! (The gigs I usually go to hover around the scuzzier end of the spectrum). I covered the gig for the Telegraph, there’s also a nice write-up on the Sheffield Blog.

4Talent Magazine, issue 10

Channel 4’s 4Talent  seeksand promotes the next generation of talent in the fields of tv, film, new media and radio, as well as providing information on schemes, training and events for those hoping for a lucky break. Annual 4Talent Awards are presented to creative individuals (all under 30) who show great promise. The award categories encompass a huge range of specialisms –  photography, animation, writing, performing, documentary-making, presenting etc.

The winners for 2008 have recently been announced. I profiled a couple of the recipients – Oliver Lansley, who won the Multi-Talented award and Richard Mead, winner of the Production Music award. Profiles of all the winners have been published in Issue 10 of the 4Talent Magazine.

On December 2nd, Iain Hodgson, who presents BBC Radio Sheffield’s Raw Talent show, presented a showcase of local unsigned bands at Carling Academy. The bands were Rosie Electro, Skullbone, True Gentlemen (fronted by Paddy Orange of Orange 38), Playground Mafia, Dead World Leaders and Skeletons.

The line-up certainly made for an eclectic evening. I enjoyed the shimmering electro-pop haze conjured by Rosie Electro most of all. After recently scooping an Exposed Award, Dead World Leaders swaggered their way through their set confident in the knowledge there’s a buzz of excitement surrounding them at the moment. Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers briefly joined them on stage, adding to the sense that 2009 will be a busy year for DWLs.

Iain Hodgson’s Raw Talent show is on every Thursday, 7-9pm and last week’s gig will be aired in its entirety on New Year’s Day.  Here are some pictures from the gig.

My report on the event will be in January’s edition of Exposed Magazine.