The Proposition

Released in 2005, 'The Proposition' boasts a talented batch of actors and a talented writer in Nick Cave, so for me there was never really any doubt that i'd enjoy it. It starts off with lawman, Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone), capturing brothers Mike Burns (Richard Wilson) and Charles Burns (Guy Pearce) for their supposed involvement in a horrific crime. Captain Stanley tells Charles that his borther Mike will be hung on Christmas unless he kill his older brother, Arthur Burns (Danny Huston), the real suspect for this crime. Guy Pearce puts on a flawless performance and does very well with the Irish accent. Ray Winstone also puts on a great performance as the Captain desperate to achieve great things for Australia, it's not often he has to play a weak character and he does so extremely well. Nick Cave's script is flawless also, so to is the music as it fits in well with the stunning photography and cinematography of the film. 5 stars, no doubt about it. Lets hope Nick Cave can team up with Ray Winstone again in The Death Of Of Bunny Munro.

Eastbound and Down: Season 2

 Kenny powers has got to be one of the best comic characters ever created. His self-centredness and general 'fuck you' attitude to everything but himself would never have been considered traits that relate to comedy, until the arrival of Kenny Powers (Danny McBride). Normally we'd want a person like Kenny Powers' face to break our fists, but Danny McBride and his co-creators of this unique and amazing series manage to make Kenny Powers a person we love. Malice was once something we looked at with disgust, then Kenny Powers arrived, and now it is one of the funniest things to watch. This is only one reason that 'Eastbound and Down' is so clever. It pushes the boundaries of comedy today. Kenny is a horrible person in every way, yet we shout in his favour. It's very clever. There's no silliness at all involved in the comedy and this is what makes it unique to America's idea of what is seen to be funny these days.
 This second series sees Kenny Powers in Mexico after abandoning his one true love April (Katy Mixon) at a gas station in North Carolina. He has become an outlaw making his money through gambling. Kenny has two sidekicks, one of which is played by Gurdeep Roy who does very well to be absolutely hilarious. The story is brilliant and does well to follow on from the first series. Nobody can watch 'Eastbound and Down' with a straight face, and I'm not surprised with Will Ferrell as Producer, and Danny McBride as the leading man. Do whatever you can to watch both series if you haven't already watched the first. You will not regret it, it truly is an instant classic. Five Stars

Kid Cudi - Man on The Moon II: The Legend of Mr.Rager

Cudi is back and thank fuck he hasn't lost one ounce of talent. His intelligent lyrics and flawless flow from the first album have been directly transferred to his second to create a masterpiece once again. Producer Emile plays a large part in this album once again and, once again, he delivers. His dark, ominous beats compliment Cudi's individual style in such a way that anybody listening can't help but go absolutely oriental. The album also features producer No I.D. who is a regular producer of Drake's music. If only Drake had featured on this album. I have considered Kid Cudi and Drake to be the biggest and most talented artists around at the moment for a while now. Both are flawless in my view. I guess I'll have to wait longer now for their collaboration. The album undoubtedly gets a five star rating. The best tracks for me are  'Scott Mescudi Vs. The World' featuring Cee-Lo, 'Don't Play This Song' featuring Mary J.Blige, 'Ashin Kusher', 'Mr.Rager' and 'Trapped In My Mind'. Just bloody buy it.

Another Year

Mike Leigh is back with a new film and I must say after watching it that I don't think he will ever lose his touch. The way the characters are presented and developed throughout is absolutely amazing. We can learn so much about Mike Leigh's characters just through their mannerisms and this is owed to the actors of course but mostly I think to how Mike Leigh creates them. What I love about a lot of Mike Leigh's films is that nothing can happen, but everything can happen at the same time. Though there is not much of a beginning middle and end in terms of actions, we are led through the lives of many different people, some growing old and being able to adapt to that part of life, others who are struggling to come to terms with growing old and being alone in the process. Another thing I love most about Mike Leigh's films is how real his characters really are. Every time I watch one of his films, whether it's 'Meantime', 'Life is Sweet' or 'Another Year', I can't help but relate his characters to somebody i know, friend or relative. The way in which he captures real life and satirizes it is a classic example of why he is one of the greatest film makers around, for me. I give 'Another Year' 4 stars, purely because my only criticism is that the film may be better understood by people that are older than I am. Regardless of this point I enjoyed it very much. Great performances all round, from Leigh's regulars to those who are new to his films and it is a great film to add to Mike Leigh's collection of masterpieces.

Jackass 3D

I've seen a lot of ratings for this film, like the one star it got from 'Culture' and the three it got from 'Empire', and i've been trying to remember what the last two Jackass films were given. Failing to remember, I started to contemplate on whether i should go and see the film or not because if I had gone and the film was shit then it would have been upsetting for the Jackass team to have (apparently) ended on a low. However, I took that risk and left the cinema in a great mood.
The ratings that the film received from 'Culture' and 'Empire' completely underplay it. Yes, it has no structure; yes it has no story, but so what. It's Jackass after all. It's not meant to be anything serious. All it is meant to be is a bit of a giggle, and this is achieved completely. Personally, I love the Jackass team and the stunts they do, and they just keep getting better and better and the 3D was used to hilarious effect. But fair enough, it's not a film one could give full ratings for a magazine like 'Empire', so in that sense three stars is spot on. But for me it was Jackass at their very best, and because the film kept me laughing my head off throughout, i'd give it 5 stars. Remember though, only go to watch it if your in the mood for a laugh.

Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer

First album review and what better artist to choose for it. The super talented singer of hit single 'Fuck You' (no, not 'forget you' the syllables are all fucking wrong so don't sing that shite) Cee-Lo Green is back with his new solo album 'The Lady Killer' and what an album it is. For those who have only just heard of him it would be worth looking at his previous works. Way back in the 90s he was part of Goodie Mob(with Outkast) who are, some say, the creators of Dirty South, as a term and a genre. He moved on to do a couple of solo efforts and then formed a two man group with DJ Danger Mouse called Gnarls Barkley. You may remember their hit single 'Crazy'. Yes this is the big bloke from Gnarls Barkley with the most amazing voice.

'The Lady Killer' is absolute quality for the most obvious of reasons: It is completely different to anything else out at the moment and shits on those artists who make music suitable to be played in Mcdonald's and on X-factor. I wasn't going to name names, but absolute muppets like JLS or traitors to their original genre like Chipmunk or Tinchy Stryder; these are the people who need to study this shit hard and rediscover their talent (not JLS, talent alongside their name is a complete oxymoron). If i were to compare 'The Lady killer' to a former album to emphasise how different and revolutionary it is, i'd say Amy Whinehouse's 'Back To Black'. Though they are two very different albums, they do go back to the soulful roots of music and completely disregard the mainstream. The soulfulness of Cee-Lo's album is really brought out in tracks such as 'Bodies', a song in which he really shows off his vocal skills; and 'Fool For You' with it's slow pace is a perfect song to just cruise to. Every track on this album is top drawer stuff, my only criticism would be that i wish it had come out in the summer. Even though his album gets five stars from me, listening to this in the summer would have been absolute perfection.