Everything's changing

So, today marked the end of my Guildford Argos career (i may well get a job in the Dudley branch if all goes to plan). I left some decent colleagues and i'm meeting up with some of them for drinks tomorrow night which i'm hoping will be fun.

England won the Ashes with an eventually-comfortable fifth test win.

United beat Wigan away 0-5 with Rooney scoring a brace, and Owen opening his United account.

That is all for now, though i move back to Dudley on Wednesday and hopefully i'll find some way of hooking this laptop up to the router though the network at the house is dodgy so God knows if it'll work.

Ciao for now.

Away Days: Review

Away Days Review

Away Days, a Pat Holden piece, focuses on the intense world of football hooliganism. The bloody, violent and twisted elements of the phenomenon have been well-publicised over the last three decades in British and European football and this production is an attempt to explain why individuals choose to join larger circles and batter their rivals' fans.

Going into this film, I knew Stephen Graham was involved and as such I already had high hopes, knowing full well the standard of performances he is capable of. Sadly, i was incredibly disappointed.

What could have been an epic unravelling of the world of hooliganism insteads turns out to be more of a homoerotic and unfocused portrait of belonging, one which leaves a lot to be desired but also seems to glorify the harsh and brutal nature of the hooligan arena.

The story takes a while to get started and even then it seems to plod along, with only three or four major plot points; yep, you guessed it, fist-fights. The relationship between Carty, a newcomes welcomed into the local Liverpool hooligan gang, and his sister verge on the realms of incest at times and seems unsettlingly intense. As Carty makes his way through the hierarchy of the gang, he finds a thirst for blood, pain and violence which drives him on through his dreary day job. As he does so, his newly-found friend 'Elvis', is slowly edged out by the leader John (played by Graham), a tough, no-nonsense captain.

With Carty finding himself on top of the ladder and leading his way through the various conflicts that arise through his sister's own problems, he realises he needs Elvis's help, not only emotionally and physically. Though by opening up to Elvis, he lets him back into his former prominent position within the gang, and once again Carty is a relative outsider.

As the inner conflicts reveal themselves within the gang, and the captain is bumped off to make way for younger blood (with little consequence, which surprised me somewhat), Carty must decide whether to save Elvis from his depressive drug habit, or instead focus on what he loves best, taking apart rival fans week in, week out. Inevitably he chooses the adrenaline rush; losing a true friend along the way, as Elvis decides to end his life.

Whilst the film may appeal to those who enjoy watching fist-fights and pavement stompings, this was not for me. The relationships brought about in the film often made little sense, and there were scenes which left me searching for their worth within the overall piece. Of course, the scouse accents didn't help; but nothing else could save this from being a rather average piece.

6/10

The Damned United Review

The Damned United: Review

Adapted from the David Pearce novel of the same name, The Damned United is a stark account of Brian Clough's managerial stints at Derby County Football Club and Leeds United Football Club, revealing the stresses and intense compications that accompany the often-hellish thrill ride that is football management.

Michael Sheen plays the world-famous manager; who went on to be the only manager to take a team to two consecutive European Cup victories, and relishes the role, doing a wonderful job of converying the emotional rollercoaster ride and frustrations that come with it.

Alongside Sheen (of Frost/Nixon and The Queen fame) are Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall and Stephen Graham who i personally felt didn't shine as much as one would assume they should. Graham in particular is an actor I assumed would perform well but seems miscast as a Scot when he clearly has a clear and sharp Scouse accent.

One of my biggest criticisms of the film was that the chronological narrative is very confused. Director Peter Morgan clearly felt his system of narrative would convey the complications of Clough's career and would demonstrate the topsy-turvy nature of the job but it felt to me more of a hindrence in trying to understand the plot. Quite frankly, whilst the personal rivalry between Clough and Revie (Leeds manager) is obviously important in explaining to the audience where Clough seemed to fail in his managerial duties at Derby, the to-and-fro technique employed in a bid to create tension and a sense of unavenged frustration simply ruins any natural flow the film could and should have possessed.

As a football fan myself, I was able to understand the nature of football management and the frustration of results not going a manager's way, the depression that seeps into Clough's mind throughout his time at Derby and Leeds is brilliantly brought out by Sheen who seems able to reprise signficantly dramatic roles and delivers them with credibility.

I can't honestly recommend the film outright, for I don't think it would keep everyone satisfied or entertained and seems to lack focus at times but once again I am left praising Michael Sheen, a man who is certainly not as well-known as he should be and who does so well in each role I have experienced, though his inability to decide whether or not Clough had a Welsh accent - here's a hint, he wasn't - remains one of the biggest mysteries of the film.

7/10

An ending...

Watching the last few moments of yet another terrible Top Gear episode, i was greeted by a magnificent track which i am subsequently downloading.

Called 'An Ending' by Brian Eno, it was apparently used for a NASA documentary in the 80s and i can imagine it being used pefectly, accompanying a shot of outer space, ambience in every sense.

I will attempt to embed it though i don't know how successful that will be.

On another related 'ending' issue, my time at Argos is almost up; i leave at the end of this month. Sad times.