So here's my best and worst films of 2011. Bearing in mind, I'm no professional so I have to source these movies myself and can't go see everything in the cinema for free which is why I've only seen about 40-odd and at least 10-15 came from cramming in December.
It was my first year really, but this year I have more time and can do it... properly?
Anyway, without further ado, let's get the worst out of the way with.
10. Melancholia
9. Cowboys and Aliens
8. Insidious
7. Apollo 18
6. The Tree of Life
5. The Hangover Part 2
4. Horrid Henry: The Movie
3. New Year's Eve
2. The Inbetweeners Movie
1. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
So there's the worst. The surprises in there might probably be Melancholia, The Tree of Life and The Inbetweeners Movie since they were quite widely liked, and quite popular.
With Melancholia and The Tree of Life, I recognise they are well made, I just didn't enjoy them. The Inbetweeners Movie, however, is just vulgar and Transformers as the worst film of the year speaks for itself.
Now onto the much more enjoyable top 10.
10. Attack the Block
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
8. Tyrannosaur
7. Hugo
6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
5. Tomboy
4. We Need to Talk About Kevin
3. Les Géants
2. Weekend
1. Trust
Now that list probably has a few films that weren't widely recognised: Tyrannosaur, Tomboy, Les Géants for the most part but they don't have to be big to be great.
Hey, even my no.1 Trust, wasn't a MASSIVE film. And don't get the wrong idea that my favourite is about the online grooming of girl. It was just such a devastating film. I wouldn't imagine the re-watch value is great but the film hits you hard and it certainly left an imprint in my mind.
Weekend comes in at no.2 for more personal reasons since it's a very, very good LGBT interest film and because it's the first 18 I ever went to see in the cinema :P
This is the first time I've ever done a top/bottom 10 of anything and it was rather tricky. There are a few films that didn't quite make it into the top 10 that I would have liked to include. Super 8, TrollHunter, Neds, 50/50, Bridesmaids could have each fit comfortably in there but just didn't quite make the cut.
But my list is as it stands.
As for 2012. I imagine it could be a little better. Prometheus is what I'm most looking forward to although there's also The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit and all these unexpected little gems that always come out of nowhere. It ought to be an interesting year for films indeed!
Rowan <3
P.S Album of 2011 is either Adele's "21" or Elbow's "Build a Rocket Boys"
Wasn't a big year for music. At least it wasn't me but I do love those albums.
Woke up on the Saturday morning, feeling a little rough. Didn't get much sleep because dad wanted to get on the road early for some reason.
Anyhow, we packed into the car and headed for London. Took about 4 hours in all i think. I always love coming off the motorway into Surrey, specifically the area we used to live. There's just something i love about the place. It's really nice. Lucky the sun was out and i stuck my head out the window.
Our accommodation whilst staying in London was actually provided free of cost since we have lots of family down there but we stayed with old friends across the road in the street we used to live in.
Bryan, naturally, felt a bit awkward meeting everyone as they were all new to him. Everyone was as nice as possible to him but the only time he came downstairs all night was for dinner!
He and my brother warmed to each other by their interest (obsession, rather) in all things gaming so i didn't feel bad by leaving them while i caught up and had a few beers with everyone else.
Trying to get to sleep that night was quite annoying. The room was really stuffy. I shared a bed with Bryan again (ahmygawd) but the bed was quite uncomfortable.
He sat up at one point, alarmed and said, "Crap i think i seen a spider on the bed" so we searched for a minute or so but found nothing and he just went, "Ah, i must have been dreaming"
It was quite sweet :3
However, I'd say sleeping that night was difficult not because of the room being stuffy or the bed being uncomfortable but, in absolute honesty, because of the fact that what i think about on a regular basis, what i have dreamt about on numerous occasions was inches in front of me. The temptation to throw my arm over Bryan's shoulder and cuddle him was agonising. There was like this invisible barrier between him and I that just said, "FORBIDDEN" on it.
It was actually quite depressing. I lay there on my side just staring at him, wishing, knowing that it's just impossible.
Sharing the bed was nice but, to put it bluntly, downright painful. A case of being so close to what i desire, yet so far away from it at the same time :(
But despite this, i thought of something else at the same time that made me feel happier: I was lying in that same spot about 9 months ago when we went to London for Grandma Knitter's funeral. My brother and I shared that very bed. If you were to tell me then, that in 9 months time i would be lying in the same bed but with Bryan next to me instead of my brother, i'd have called you a nutter.
I think it shows that mine and Bryan's friendship has developed well over the year we've known each other :)
Was really quite tired waking up on the Sunday. Needed a few more hours, but the nerves about tickets and travelling etc were all there again so i didn't even eat breakfast.
Getting to Reading was a bit more complicated. Had to take a train then a replacement bus, then a further shuttle bus. Would have been another 3 trains if my dad didn't drop us at a certain station. I hate navigating the South East. But it reminded me of getting to Wembley last year and it was just something that added to the event. Don't let anyone tell you different - getting there is all part of the experience!
Go into Reading central about noon and didn't quite know where to go from there, where the shuttle bus was etc. so we saved a few quid, followed the crowds and got there after about half an hour's walk.
Tickets again, were fine and we got our wristbands without hassle.
Moar bands xD
Getting to the arena itself was actually quite a trek. Weren't quite sure where we were going, cutting through campsites and everything. I tell you what though, the smell at Reading was ripe. 4th day of one of the UK's biggest festivals. Not very hygienic i must say :P
We had a plan of who we were going to see that day so the first half an hour in the arena was spent filling up on drinks, going to the toilet and getting food - not necessarily in that order. Frank Turner was first this time, enjoyed his set at Leeds and his set at Reading was enjoyable as well although it was pretty much the exact same. Even his speeches were rehearsed. I was able to recite them out of memory as he said them haha
The crowd being told to sit the fuck down by Frank Turner :P
After Frank Turner, we headed to The Alternative Stage to catch Tim Minchin but the tent was so crowded that when he came on, we couldn't see anything. I like Tim Minchin but not enough to just stand there and listen to him so we left :(
Without anything to do, we caught Warpaint in the NME Tent. Josh adores them and said we should see them so we did. We sat near the back of the tent and got chatting to a few people. Told them we had been to Leeds and like everyone we told, they were shocked haha. I said it was mainly for Muse but we get to experience both festivals and see other bands. Truth :P
Warpaint weren't bad but weren't anything to shout about either although i did head into the crowd to take a few snaps.
Back to the main stage after this for the rest of the day. Seen Friendly Fires and Interpol. Just sat near the second barrier with a small deckchair we brought with us - lifesaver.
They weren't very good and Interpol must be one of the most boring live bands on the planet. Had such a small crowd, too. I investigated during their set and got about 5 rows from barrier without much hassle. After they finished we placed the deckchair behind the barrier and headed into the growing crowd for Elbow and Muse, in anticipation of a few very special hours.
Elbow, i have to say, were fucking fantastic. Enjoyed them at Leeds but at Reading they were just perfect. The sun was setting and that was just so suiting for a band like Elbow. Got about 7 or 8 rows from barrier at this point - knew we should have headed in properly during Interpol!
The only Elbow song i properly know is Grounds for Divorce which was great live but the have other fantastic songs such as the beautiful One Day Like This, Open Arms, Neat Little Rows. It was majestic.
Camera video i took of Elbow coming on.
:O... :D Woooo! \o/
The calm before the storm :P
\o/
(final picture before Muse)
Immediately after Elbow things got hectic. The crowd surged forward and we were crammed in like sardines. Even before Muse came on the "domino effect" started happening. If you can't guess, it's where stupid drunk cunts start pushing people just to make others fall over and smash into other people, thus making them fall over. And this was before Muse even came on. I was already a bit scared and had already lost Bryan - was looking forward to sharing at least some of the gig with him :(
When Muse came on with New Born, shit got real. Domino effect every 30 seconds and crushing like nothing else. After fighting for my life during New Born, Bliss and Space Dementia (being unable to enjoy them) i tried my best to retreat a little and managed to get to a slightly safer spot and pay attention to the gig.
I've honestly never been in such a rough crowd. Wembley had a lot of crushing but not to this effect. This was simply the fault of people being drunk and being twats, although i still did my standard confetti throwing during Feeling Good and managed to take a few videos on my phone but the quality is pretty crap.
Darkshines
Megalomania (fiery stuff!)
The flames at Leeds were better - they even melted part of the stage :P
After Megalomania finished Origin, i said to some random hardcore fan that is was unbelievable, and saddening, that it's the last time those songs will probably be played again. He agreed and we both started chanting for Dead Star! :P
I then decided to chance my arm and head back to the front. Wasn't gonna let some rich, spoiled twats who's mummy and daddy paid for their weekend spoil my fun.
Thankfully, things had calmed down by the time Uprising came on and i was able to enjoy the rest of the set. Got about 3 or 4 rows from the front by the end. Reading highlight was this:
I was on the right side of the stage, as i always am at Muse gigs, so i had a great view of that bassline and that guitar solo played right in front of me. It was so epic even though it was the 4th time i'd seen it!
Stockholm Syndrome was apparently one of Muse's best performances ever, according to people who watched it on tv, but all i remember is going mental with two random guys and jumping about while everyone else stood and watched. Their loss :P
Knights of Cydonia closed the set as usual which is a bit unexciting as it always does it's but always insane fun at the end, as i said.
Some pics:
A Man With a Harmonica
Fin.
Muse saying their goodbyes.
Unfortunately, having watched the tv broadcast of Muse since, i can't spot myself on it. I recognise a few people but that's about it. Also, i'm pissed off that Muse didn't want to show Origin of Symmetry in full. Scared because they hadn't played the songs in years. Like anyone cares. The entire Muse fanbase was looking forward to watching it, and personally i'd have loved to relive it. I love Muse but it's so typical of them to pull something like that. Need to hope they release a DVD. Certainly, there will be fan-made recordings at least.
Yeah, quite disappointed with that and not getting on tv for Muse, although maybe if the whole set was broadcast i might have been.
Bryan and I can be seen during Elbow however...
:D
Anyway, i regrouped with Bryan after the gig and part of my life had been fulfilled by that time. Seriously.
We walked back to the train station, shattered, where my dad and uncle picked us up after a while. It was weird walking around an unknown town centre at 1am...
When we got back, i just crashed into bed, but i was so happy. I had just experienced one of the best weekends of my life, and i shared it with Bryan who was lying beside me as these thoughts ran through my head. It was a surreal moment. My expectations had been more than surpassed. The following statement is also true: I have slept with Bryan.
;D
Ok, not in that sense but waking up the next morning and his smile being the first thing i seen made me so happy :)
We travelled home on Monday, by car, and when we dropped Bryan off i thanked him and told him how grateful i was because, without him this weekend would have never happened. I wouldn't have gone on my own and i would never have been able to see two gigs that will go down in Muse history. I know he wasn't as bothered about seeing them twice as i was, but he did and i have a feeling it was partly for my benefit. Gave him the biggest hug i could have given and told him i'd never forget the past few days. No words were needed on his part, just a smile.
When all is said and done, i have to be honest, i enjoyed Leeds more than Reading. The people i met were nicer and i didn't almost die in the crowd. It was also more special because it was the first time seeing those songs and the second time at Reading, i knew what was going to happen. Not even one tear was shed during Citizen Erased at Reading! :P
Don't get me wrong, Reading was epic and more comfortable because the sun was out but Leeds just had something for me, personally, that Reading didn't. The crowd problems at Reading were scary and made me miss some of the gig but it certainly didn't spoil it. I still seen one of my favourite albums live twice, attended two historic Muse concerts and for that i feel extremely privileged.
I'm a lucky guy, but i'm now a broke guy. Although i really don't care - you couldn't put a price on that weekend :)
Sorry it's taken me a while to get round to doing this. Got back on Monday quite late and yesterday i was really tired. Probably made way for the cold i'm currently putting up with but i shall type away about Leeds first of all and Reading in another post in the next few days! *sniffles*
We left on Friday morning, that is, me, my dad who drove and my brother who came along for the ride and to miss some school :P
We picked Bryan up and headed for Leeds festival. The journey was quite meh, i was quite nervous for the whole thing as i usually am before going into a gig - I always worry that something is wrong with the tickets etc - We got to Leeds about 11am but didn't actually get into the site till around noon. Everything went smoothly by the way. On arrival, it was chucking it down and it was obvious that wellies were needed - lucky we brought a pair each. So we got our wristbands and entered the site.
Once inside, Bryan had to buy a rain poncho as he forgot any sort of waterproof clothing.
The first band we seen were Fucked Up. Personally, i wouldn't have gone to see them but the rain was really heavy so we went into the NME tent and they happened to be playing. I wanted to see Dananananaykroyd but we were too late. Fucked Up aren't my kind of music but they put on a good show nonetheless.
We decided to brave the rain at the main stage for Frank Turner and it was worth it. He was surprisingly good!
Now. Festivals aren't all about the music. In fact, just outside the arena there was an EA Games setup. They were showing advanced previews of Battlefield 3. I wouldn't have been interested in it but Bryan, being the obsessive gamer that he is, was all over it. I went with him of course, coz it was his festival as much as it was mine. We waited a while to get in and once we did all i really cared about was being dry for a while :P
We got some new gameplay footage and a test demo of the game which is apparently in pre-alpha stage or something :S
The demo was quite fun admittedly. I thought i'd be partnered with Bryan but we got separated and i played with some randomer who died within a few minutes :/ I blame the fact that it was on PS3!
Anyway, we got custom dog tags made for us by the staff and were told that this is the only public showing of this game at the moment so i guess we were rather privileged in hindsight.
Back in the rain, we watched Enter Shitkari and they were atrocious. Really don't like their music. Bryan does somewhat but admitted that their setlist and performance were crap. I was so bored by them that i took a picture of a depressed looking security guard.
The torrential downpour probably didn't make Enter Shitari any better.
I had to get some food after this because i was STARVING. Had to settle for some greasy, overpriced festival chips but they did the job i guess.
We caught the end of Panic! At the Disco because Death From Above 1979 were on after them.
Now DFA are on a reunion tour and haven't played in over 5 years. I've only got into them recently but their gig was great. Was cautious to begin with as i didn't want to hurt myself before Muse but i decided that since it may be the only time i'll get to see them live, i'd go down the front. Bryan stood nearer the back because he wasn't too impressed with them. Meh, i had a great time. Crowd were really up for it!
Seeing DFA was a little risky because they were on quite close to Muse so we ran in ankle deep mud from the NME tent to the main stage where we caught Elbow in the middle of their set. Just in time. I'd listened to Elbow before going and wasn't too enamoured with them but even in the rain they managed to brighten things up.
Guy Garvey is such a great frontman. Amazing voice as well, and now i'm certainly a lot more interested in the band.
Muse followed Elbow nearly an hour later and we had decent places for them. Probably about halfway between the sound desk and the stage, although i'd have liked to have been a bit closer.
Now, i had been waiting for this moment for months, and to see the songs Muse were going to perform for years so when they came on and the intro called 'What's He Building In There?' was played, i started to well up. Seriously. It's the intro to their best DVD which is such a brilliant gig - Hullabaloo. When it came on i just felt a tingle in the air and knew it was going to be a great night.
Not my video btw
And this is the version on the DVD:
On their DVD this is followed by, "Dead Star" so i got really excited, only for them to launch right into Origin of Symmetry with "New Born"
Would have like to see Dead Star but i wasn't too bothered. The gig of a lifetime was under way.
They proceeded to play Origin of Symmetry as i proceeded to bounce my way closer to the front without knowing it, losing Bryan in the process but that was always going to happen i think.
I met some awesome people in the crowd. An equally hardcore fan who i enjoyed Hyper Music with before joining up randomly with a group of other hardcore fans during Citizen Erased. I only realised i was a few rows from the front by about Darkshines. So maybe about 40 minutes in.
I proceeded to do my usual confetti throwing during Feeling Good as it's something that Matt Bellamy used to do in the Origin days but stopped. Although apparently he brought it back for Leeds. I didn't see coz i was throwing my own :P
Was quite sad after that when Megalomania was played as the album was coming to a close. But i was determined to enjoy it and i did. It was one of the highlights without a doubt. I met a Scottish guy in the crowd who asked if i wanted to go on his shoulders (i swear he fancied me or something, kept brushing my hair out my eyes :P) but i politely decline before thinking, "fuck it, why not" y'know? Not something i'll get to do an awful lot.
Was only probably on his shoulders for 30 seconds before he got tired but the view from there is something i'll take to my grave. Looking back all i could see was a sea of faces stretching as far as the eye could see and in front of me, an unobstructed view of Muse playing one of my favourite songs ever. It was just surreal. So grateful to that guy, that legend <3
After that unbelievable performance of one of my favourite albums of all time, i could have died right there. It was bliss. It was perfect. It was flawless.
The Scottish guy and I sang Celtic songs (my dad supports them, too, so i know a bit about them) during the break between Megalomania and Uprising. Probably getting some weird looks from people but who cares, it was great fun!
Muse went into the greatest hits part of their setlist after Origin, all of which i'd seen before so it was the cool down period but i enjoyed it nonetheless (except from the crap that is Undisclosed Desires, Resistance and Starlight) and took a few photos. It was still a bit disappointing that Muse didn't surprise us with any other rarities but then again, they just played about 8 of them so i shouldn't complain :P
It may not look very close but that's my camera for you. Plus, the barrier was further away than usual to allow for pyrotechnics etc.
They closed on Knights of Cydonia which is good to jump around to no matter how many times you've seen it - this occasion was my third - and afterwards i was done in. Met Bryan at a pre-arranged point afterwards, stumbled up to him and almost collapsed in the mud.
I literally could have fallen asleep there but we had to wait over an hour for a bloody taxi in the pouring rain. Not fun, but we got chatting to some people in the queue about the gig and everyone was really kind and funny. Weird, coz on the Muse Messageboard people have been saying that festival crowds, and especially Reading and Leeds crowds, are mostly twats. Maybe i missed them, at Leeds, and got lucky, coz most folk i met were great! :)
We eventually got our expensive taxi to the hotel where my dad and brother started laughing at the state of us. Not that we really cared. Bryan and I both had a shower (not together - i wish!) and we watched some Billy Connolly before going to bed.
I said before that i can never usually sleep after a gig but with Bryan by my side, the day couldn't have ended better and i slept like a log in anticipation of doing the whole thing again at Reading :)
I'm 19 years old and am a raging homosexual... yes I'm gay :P
This blog is simply where i can throw down thoughts, musings, frustrations... comical genius... (?) But through this blog I also hope to help anyone who is scared, confused, unsure or in need of some place to feel better about themselves :)
