Days 301 to 312

During these twelve days, I:

1. Went into town and took this picture of a great pun of a business name (treewisemen):

2. Brought and read a load of great comics:

'Wired Up Wrong Deluxe Edition' is one of favourite reads of 2017, down to earth, touching, very relatable and very funny and I highly recommend it (and Rachael Smith's other books): https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FlimsyKitten

3. Brought some DVDs:

I half remembered a great Denzel Washington film, where he plays a cop who is being framed and he is working against the clock to get out of the frame, and ordered Ricochet. When I watched it, I realised that this was the film I was remembering, Ricochet has got some great actors in it but the story is not good and it unfolds in a very predictable way, except for the parts which ignore logic so that the story can progress. It’s so bad that I gave up on it about half way through. The film I was thinking of was Out Of Time, which is a great little flick, which has a story that is logical and believable, even when the big twist comes in and events are turned on their head and you (and Denzel) are left thinking ‘No way, X was totally playing him, how is he going to get out of this?’

Atomic Blonde is set in Berlin in 1989, just as the Wall is falling, and Charlize Theron has been tasked with recovering a list of spies (from both sides) who are operating in Berlin. Atomic Blonde is a great spy flick, very stylised, kinetic and full of twists and fights. 

The Devil Rides Out is a nice, scary Hammer film, which focuses more on the psychological scares rather than blood ‘n’ gore and keeps the SFX to a minimum, which is probably why it still stands up and doesn’t feel schlocky.

4. Brought some CDs and 12”s:

The Very Best of Slade - After hearing about how great Sladewere beyond the big hits, I thought I’ll give their best of a try. Turns out that there is a very good reason the big hits were big hits and the other songs weren’t!

Can You Feel The Force? The John Luongo Disco Mixes – I haven’t had a chance to listen to this album yet, but given the artists being remixed it should be good.

Livin’ In Elizabeth Times by Alien Stadium - Alien Stadium are Steve Mason (ex-Beta Band member) and Martin Duffy (current Primal Scream member) who mix different genes and influences into a nice EP, but it does sound more like Beta Band or Primal Scream album tracks than singles.

Prins Thomas’ 5 is half way between his comics disco tracks and his recent ambient tracks, sounding a little like early Global Communication, which is a high benchmark to meet. Well worth your time.

The Elvis ‘Walk A Mile InMy Shoes’ Boxset, I haven’t had a chance to listen to all five CDs, but what I have is pure classic ‘70s Elvis, which everyone should have in their collection.

 

I also, as a nostalgic nod to my youth, got Pop Will Eat Itself’s Can U Dig It? single and Love Missile F1-11 remix 12”, both of which have remixes or full-length tracks that aren’t available elsewhere.

5. Went to the dentist, had a little filling, but still feeling some pain, although it moves around. One day the upper left side will hurt, the next day the lower right side will hurt, go figure why!

6. Got a copy of the ‘Welcome To The Dark Ages’ zine, ‘Between The Click And The Bang’:

I’ve only just started reading The JAMs 2023 book, so I’m saving this fanzine about the ‘Welcome To The Dark Ages’ event and 2023 for when I’ve finished it, so that I can appreciate it more.

7. And did a load of crosswords: