Culture - September

Books Read:

John Gray - 'Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia' (non-fiction)
Thomas Mann - 'Death in Venice'
Aldous Huxley - 'Brave New World' (re-read)
Charles Dickens - 'A Tale of Two Cities'
William Shakespeare - 'Macbeth' (play)

It is my view that John Gray is perhaps the most accomplished and engaging philosopher alive today, and 'Black Mass', his attempt at debunking the staid notions of utopia and religious dogma, was a most valuable read.

He tackles the fallacy of human progress and enforces just how ingrained religious and millenarian belief systems still are in modern politics - in the case of Blair and Bush he elucidates with frightening clarity just how in hoc they were when it came to Iraq to their fervent spiritual convictions in a perceived good that would triumph over evil, and the West's divine purpose to export it's brand of liberal democracy and market capitalism to the wider world (a mindset that can be seen most recently with the Syria crisis), regardless of the suitability of those systems to countries with their own unique culture, history and traditions.

In short, I would recommend this book to just about anyone for it will explode your current perceptions and challenge your way of viewing both politics and religion.


Films Watched:

'You're Next' (Adam Wingard) (at the Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton)
'American Mary' (The Soska Sisters)
'Uncle Buck' (John Hughes)
'Final Destination' (James Wong)
'A Single Man' (Tom Ford)
'Dark Water' (Hideo Nakata)
'Wolf Creek' (Greg McLean)
'Blue Jasmine' (Woody Allen) (at the Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton)

I am an unabashed horror fan and have been ever since the age of 10 or 11 when my Dad, perhaps unadvisedly, permitted the viewing of 'The Shining', which in terms of terror became the high to which every horror film since was destined to chase. Nowadays, I consider myself quite a sophisticated cineaste, but this hasn't diminished my affection for horror when achieved successfully. Having earlier in the year, lamented the state of modern horror and the fact that I hadn't seen a genuinely scary film for a long time, this September did its very best to resurrect my former fondness from its shallow grave.

Firstly, 'You're Next' was a rollicking slasher film that, whilst doing nothing more substantial than ploughing the same field as 'Scream', managed to harness the clever irony, self-awareness and referentia that made 'Scream' so successful and that subsequent imitations have all too often fallen well shy of.

When it comes to horror, Asia has stolen a considerable march on Hollywood over the last 10-15 years. 'Dark Water' from director Hideo Nakata (the man behind 'Ringu'), is just about the most sophisticated and outright chilling film I've seen in a long time. The tension escalates to a near critical mass, at which point the film swerves into a wholly surprising and unpredictable side-street. Those seeking white-knuckle shocks and scares may leave disappointed, but those in favour of more complex psychological horror will find 'Dark Water's visual and narrative techniques as well as its themes of abandonment and loss thoroughly refreshing.

By contrast, I fail to see how Australia's 'Wolf Creek' could fail to live up to even the most fright-weary horror fan's expectations. I found it to be wonderfully crafted, interweaving the psychological tension of 'Dark Water' with a near-perfect establishment of the three main characters, as well as a grisy finale to titilate any 'torture porn' aficienado. This certainly ranks as one of the most harrowing and exhilerating horror films I have ever seen and will, predictably enough, take some surpassing in the future.


Albums Played:

Nine Inch Nails - 'Hesitation Marks'
Disappears - 'Lux'
Disappears - 'Glider'
Arctic Monkeys - 'AM'
Trentemoller - 'Lost'
Kings of Leon - 'Mechanical Bull'
Manic Street Preachers - 'Rewind the Film'

The major release for me this month was the surprise new album from personal favourites Nine Inch Nails, interrupting the 'retirement' hiatus of the last 4 years. NIN mastermind Trent Reznor ranks, in my mind, as one of the most consistently innovative, imaginative and just excellent musicians working in the mainstream over the last 25 years.

'Hesitation Marks' is a worthy and strong addition to his canon, and signals an exploration into an altogether barer, more naunced and funkier territory. This is no where more evident than on the track 'Everything', the closest NIN have flirted with 'throwaway pop music' since 'Maybe Just Once', a rare demo for the 'Pretty Hate Machine' album. There are shades of Prince, of 80's-era Cult and The Cure, and at times the sounds are 'glitchy' enough to be more than a little reminiscent of Thom Yorke's solo work.

The moments of sonic brilliance that one comes to expect from a Reznor record are present; for instance, the fade-in of a light airy Kraftwerk-esque synth line at the final part of 'All Time Low', and the mesmerising Indian string section that weaves its way into the brilliant 'Disappointed'.

However, unlike Reznor's 1994 masterpiece 'The Downward Spiral', there are flaws present as well. Later tracks such as 'Running' or 'The Various Methods of Escape' are deadweights and instantly forgettable when taken alongside the rest of the album. But more striking of all is the quality of the lyrics, which throughout 'HM' feel rushed, sloppy and oddly uninspired. Indeed, I found it impossible to attribute the lines -

'Hey / everything is not okay / we lost too much along the way'

with the Reznor who penned 'Hurt' or the lyrics -

'devils speak of the ways in which she'll manifest / angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress'.

Overall though, this is an enjoyable and worthy NIN album, one that may not attain former heights but nonetheless is evidence of an ongoing artistic development that is both welcome and consistently fascinating.


Exhibitions/Events:

Hunterian Museum, Lincoln's Inn Field, London
Open House London - Battersea Power Station
Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta
Tarxien temples, Malta
Hagar Qim temples, Malta
Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta


Theatre:

'We Will Rock You' at the Dominion Theatre, London
'Macbeth' at the Globe Theatre, London

The modern deification of Queen is an intriguing cultural phenomenon, with perhaps The Beatles being the only other British band universally revered to the level that a West End musical based around their songs could still be running after 11 years (see the recent failure of the Spice Girls musical as a case in point). Queen's songs have transcended the band to enter the domain of the public consciousness, however doggedly and often gracelessly both Brian May and Roger Taylor have tried to maintain a grip on the rope of ownership. To my mind this is the same as e work of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen or L.S. Lowry, that is seen as emblematic of the best of British art.

To enter 'We Will Rock You' with a critical eye is rather defeating the point; it requires you to disengage your brain at the door and take it at face value. I have no qualms with this in principle, although I couldn't help but cringe at the Ben Elton screenplay which was fairly ropey to begin with but now appeared to be positively fraying, with some jokes that must date back some 10 years. As well as this, the production at times had a touch of the end-of-year school performance about it, with vast acres of stage space lying neglected and empty.

All things considered though, one can't deny the stagecraft of the performers and the entertainment value to be gained from hearing all those old Queen songs live and loud again. In terms of the show's theme - that of rock & roll rising up and destroying the wealth of disposable mass-produced music - I was struck by the nostalgic resonance this had for the last 10 years-or-so of British rock music; an endless resurrection of former guitar heroes dusting off their boots for one last victory lap in the face of a perceived dearth of new and original talent.