Away to the British Museum for the Babylon exhibition which - for £11 - was well worth the entrance fee. Articles on display included lot of pieces of cuniform tablets, some wonderful cuniform cylinders, a number of differnt types of seals, exquisite smaller seals and presses (which may have been used to imprint images onto cakes)!
The level of detail in cuniform writing is astonishing (even more so if you consider it was achieved used reeds or metal styluses to press notations into wet clay). Seriously this stuff can't but help take your breath away if you have any soul at all.
There was a great list of some of the plants included in the royal gardens coriander, thyme, betroot, onions and well as decorative plants (rock on Babylonian horticulturalists). There was a beautifully drawn (engraved?) engraved piece of clay showing the layout of one garden and a reconstruction underneath showing the colours that would have been used to bring it to life.
The East India House Inscription was one highlight (not to mention in it's name a testament to how the English have raided the globe for pretty bibs and bobs from other cultures!). This 56cm x 50 cm stone tablet "with finely carved cuneiform was found in the ruins of Babylon before 1801, when it was presented to the representative of the East India Company in Baghdad, hence its modern name. It records Nebuchadnezzar's wish to glorify Marduk through his many building works in the capital and the nearby city of Borsippa."
This is something I really wanted to yank out of it's galss case and sit down with a magnifying glass to peer at the cunform more closely. The clarity and tiny-ness of the cuniform is quite stunning and - regardless of anything else - it's beautiful.
This utterly gorgeous little dragon ushumgal or 'snake-dragon' was also adorable. "The snake-dragon has horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind legs of a bird. It is represented in art from 2300 BC to the last centuries BC as a symbol of various gods or as a magically protective hybrid. It has been identified as the Akkadian mushhushshu or 'furious snake'. It is best known as the creature of Marduk, the god of Babylon. When Babylon was conquered by the Assyrian king Sennacherib (reigned 704-681 BC) the motif was brought to Assyria as a symbolic beast of the state god Ashur.
Plaques such as these were mass produced in moulds. Many show scenes of private life as well as images of gods and their worship. They may have been intended for private veneration or entertainment."
Then there were the panels. OMG the panels! These were about 1m high by 1.5 to 2m wide.They had several - two or three of the lion panels (one used as the photo on all the publicity material)- baked and glazed clay and the level of skill and detail was just amazing. One panel had a lapis coloured background the other malachite - and the colours were so very vibrant.
But the absolute piece de resistance for me was the panel of the mushhushho (or mushussu) - with a snake's head, eagle's talons and lion's torso. It was almost perfectly preserved.
The saddest part? The film running at the end about Saddam's "restoration" of Babylon (i.e. building on the ruins) and then the Allies putting down a military camp in the centre of the town after the invasion. The amount of damage done, and comprosing of, an archaeological sit of world importance? Incomprehensible.
The mind? Sometimes she boggles.
British Museum overview
For two thousand years the myth of Babylon has haunted the European imagination. The Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens, Belshazzar’s Feast and the Fall of Babylon have inspired artists, writers, poets, philosophers and film makers.
Over the past two hundred years, archaeologists have slowly pieced together the ‘real’ Babylon – an imperial capital, a great centre of science, art and commerce. Since 2003, our attention has been drawn to new threats to the archaeology of Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq.
Drawing on the combined holdings of the British Museum London, the musée du Louvre and the Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, and the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin, the exhibition explores the continuing dialogue between the Babylon of our imagination and the historic evidence for one of the great cities of antiquity at the moment of its climax and eclipse.
Away to Shepherds Bush with many fo the usual suspects plus 3 to see Teddy Thomspon.
But first we saw the support act Tift Merritt. Tift, a Texas born, now North Carolina residents is a girl with a guitar (and a keyboard) and quite a nice voice. Alas Tift seems to play at one volume (loud) and her songs all rather kind of blur into one another. For the first few this was OK, by he 7th or 8th you find yourself wondering how it differs from the previous number. In addition the reverb was racked up so high there was quite a lot of sound distortion. I think I'd be interested in seeing her in a smaller venue where she didn;t feel as if she had to rack everything right the way up to full throttle.
The guy we were there to see (having had him happily point out that he was toruing in february at the gig we saw last October) however was Teddy.
It has to be said Teddy looked more than a wee bit knackered, which having completed an insane work wee I could very much sympathise with. Tired or not he delivered a really good night - lots of stuff from A Piece Of What You Need, some covers, including Leonard Cohen's "Tonight Will Be Fine" and some witty and amusing, self-deprecating commentary inbetween.
How can you not like a muso who takes both the piss out of himself on stage (commentary on how so many of his songs are quite dark and depressing) and who admires the great LC? It was a little bit flatter than the gig in October (see tiredness!) but I'll definitely go see him again.
Review from the Telegraph below:
It's impossible to watch a show by Teddy Thompson without thinking of his parents: his red hair and his gorgeous voice he owes to his mother, the folk singer Linda Thompson, while his dark songs of troubled love and his habit of punctuating his shows with frisky comic patter, he owes to his father, the wily old folk-rocker Richard Thompson.
It's a bewitching combination, but it must be said, too, that in the years since I first saw him as a bashful youngster on stage with his dad, who fixed him up with a job as accompanying guitarist and also gave him his own little solo spot on his tour a decade or so ago, Teddy has become very much his own man.
Today, Thompson – London-born, New York-based – is a singer, songwriter and an interpreter of other people's songs with his own sound, his own vision.
And with four albums notched up, three of them made up of original material, he has a wealth of strong material to draw on.
This show majored on his most recent, and most affecting, collection, A Piece of What You Need; with his four-piece band of well-dressed blokes, he delivered a show that was rich, warm, sad and funny.
The richness and warmth came from songs such as Everybody Move It, a hymn to the collective power of music to get people going, and also from Thompson's mellifluous voice.
The sadness came from confessional numbers such as Slippery Slope, with its achingly destitute lyric: "Look at me, fully grown; look at me, still alone." And the funny stuff came in between, as Thompson rattled off a string of quips.
On a couple of songs, he brought vocal accompanists on stage to help out: his sister, Kamila, harmonised on Down Low, a stark country ditty from his Up Front and Down Low covers album; and support act Tift Merritt twirled and harmonised on the Everly Brothers' Till I Kissed You.
With these and other cover versions, Thompson revealed where he is coming from, musically: also during the course of this absorbing show, he delivered a devastating interpretation of Leonard Cohen's Tonight Will Be Fine, and finished up with a rousing, twangy rendition of another Everly Brothers song, The Price of Love.
It's this curious and distinctive mixture of old-school rock and roll, confessional folk, country heartbreak and timeless singer-songwriter stuff that makes Thompson such an appealing performer.
Oh, and there's his voice. Sweet, dark, rich and resonant: I could listen to it all night.
This series still strikes me as a bit of a low rent Indiana Jones. Noah Wylie isn't bad as the central character - grown a little more into the role by the time they made this (2 years after the first I think).
It's fairly innocuous Saturday afternoon entertainment or good enough for a midweek movie when I'm too braindead from work to have to think about plot or anything complicated. Good for kids a but not overly engaging for adults! also featured a totsally risible subplot re The Librarian's long dead dad and his supposed best friend.
Says something about the film or my head space whilst I was watching it that I can't remember much about it except being very much horrified at the cultural stereotyping going on (in which is was very reminiscent of a 1950's action movie).
Vampires make an appearance in this one - good old Vlad himself turns up - as well as a long dead pirate and some shady ex KGB russians. Okay we've already established these are not exactly challenging on the intellectual front nor are they particularly culturally aware.
Did find this one a wee bit more entertaining than the last - partly I suspect because New Orleans made an appearance and I have a soft spot for films featuring NO.
Unlikely, it must be said, to rewatch either of these.
It was a fabulous "steamroller" journey through popular music from the 900's to the present day. Everything pre 1920 came in the first half, the second half was from 1920 to date.
Sadly decided not to buy his 1000 years of popular music CD or DVD last night but I think I need to track them down - even if only to hear his version of Britnesy's "Ooops I did it again".
There were old folk and choral songs, madrigals, songs about miners strikes and blackleg pickets in the 80s (1880's that is) as well as medieval (who knew Richard the Lionheart wrote songs?) and Elizabethan ditties, add in some rock and roll, the 70's 80's and 00's (his cover of Nellie Furtado's Man Eater with a lapse to latin chorus in the middle was inspired) and a rousing beatles final encore.
Will be tracking down the rest of the Thompson clan next week (Teddy) and the week after (Kami)!
Barbican website notes below:
Richard Thompson's fantastic project takes a journey through 1000 Years of Popular Music. The idea grew from a request to submit a list of the greatest songs of the Millennium. Displaying his trade mark humour in the selection of songs Thompson takes you on a succinct journey from the ballads of the early middle ages, through more modern songs originally made known by artists as varied as Nat King Cole, Nelly Furtado, Gilbert & Sullivan, and The Who. Treating each song as if it were his own Thompson’s 'mysterious tunings, blunt harmonics and yearning melodies are ceaselessly astonishing, making this as much a journey through Thompson’s virtuosity as through a millennium of song.' (The Guardian).
Thompson’s uncanny genius is evident in his astonishing guitar technique which sees him juggling simultaneous lead, rhythm, and bass parts on the same six strings. Bringing his personal slant to all the songs he presents an eccentric view of the last 1000 yrs of songwriting that subtly makes the point that songs are good whatever century they are from. Accompanying Thompson on this tour are Judith Owen (vocals, piano) and Debra Dobkin (percussion, vocals).
'Riveting, enlightening, witty, moving, provocative, entertaining and heartily recommended.' (Time Out)
Bit of a standard murder courtroom shenanigans.
However this one is enlivened by a good plot and terrific performances from Anthony Hopkins (goes without saying really), Ryan Gosling (turning into a wonderful actor) and yet another Hercules alumnus Cliff Curtis (who seems to be doing well for himself these days).
Even though I wasn't paying full attention (sifting paperwork had to be done before it takes over) I still enjoyed it very much.
Sunshine - yet another case of "I want to see this at the movies - oh damn I missed it".
I more or less ignore the pseudo-science in these kind of movies so I can sit back and enjoy the adventure mystery bits without having to yell at the screen (aside from one moment of "OMG how did the oxygen garden grow and survive in 7 years of total darkness you prats")! *Ahem* Yes apart from that I rather enjoyed it.
Parts were a tad Event Horizony and I kinda knew what the end was going to be way way way before we got there. But it was a nicely framed little piece on the disintegration of people under pressure. Cillian Murphy is always watchable and it was interesting to see Chris Pine in something pre all the brouhaha about the new Star Trek movie.
Sharpe's Peril - no TV that works since I moved back to the flat (well I do have a TV but I cannot get a watchable picture!) so I missed this when it showed on ITV and have only just got around to it.
Why did it take me so long? And oh Richard - how I have missed you and your lovely green uniform - which still fits remarkablly considering Sean Bean is what - 20 years older then when he first started playing Sharpe?
Penultimate line of the show from Sharpe? "I'll be buggered if I'll change, there's nowt wrong wi' me." Indeed there isn't Richard and may you and Pat have many more adventures before finally retiring.
Original Sin - Antonio Banderas and Angelia Jolie in a costume drama? How could one go wrong? Why did I never see this? Was it straight to DVD?
Not a bad movie but perhaps just a little over long with one too many twists and turns. Not that you couldn't actually spot most of them a mile off because one thing this movie did was Foreshadowing of Doom. Nevertheless - pretty cast, interesting premise, generally well enough acted if occasionally a wee bit OTT.
Made quite nice Sunday afternoon/early evening viewing.
I feltit owed quite a bit to Ordinary People and I rather saw the second part of the great reveal coming right from the beginning (but not, it has to be said, the first part).
I've always found Andy Carcia eminmently watchable and Vinnie too delivers quite a performance, plus, nice to see him in something outside of Angel for a change. Not the most relaxing of movies for a Sunday night but glad I saw it.
The Librarian I - Quest for the Spear - Noah Wyle.
Had never heard of this trilogy until recently so test drove the first on Sunday night. It's ab it Indiana Jones meets The Mummy meets Neverending Story - but entertaining enough on the disengage brain and just go along for the ride style of viewing.
I'm assuming with the first one everyone was finding their feet. Will be interesting to see how numbers 2 and 3 play out.
Noah Wyle has quite a good delivery for the nerdish side of the Librarian - I remain yet to be convinced as to whether he'll always remain a nerd or gain some competence in the action hero-y elements.
Pathfinder - never seems to have made it to the big screen in the UK which is a shame.
Karl Urban, Vikings, Native Americans - what's not to like. (she says overlooking any and all issues of cultural appropriation because I watched htis right around the middle of that debate on LJ). Oddly enough the whole cultural appropriation really stung when I was watching The Darjeeling Limited but not so much with this.
Maybe because in Pathfinder - although the film makers were plundering two cultures for the making of what is basically a kick ass adventure story - they were treating at least one of them (not the viking one) with some kind of respect.
Thematically about finding yourself and finding a way to fit - maybe a bit heavy handed with the messages but I did enjoy it. And not just because of the amount of Karl on display.
It reminded me of the good old buddies in the 70s and 80s cop shows - Starsky and Hutch, dempsey and Makepeace, Bodie and Doyle...positively warms the cockles of your heart.
And no-one can slither and ooze across the screen in evil mode quite as well as Timothy Dalton.
Friday night movie night since I have a lot of unwatched movies to catch up on!
Quantum of Solace
Latest Bond which had provoked much anticipate with work colleagues (and LJ friends) when it came out and which many many people told me was utter shite. It wasn't engaging enough to keep me interested - witness the fact that I fell asleep half way through and ended up having to rewind and replay the same scene about 4 times *G*
Pretty much a bog standard Bond movie for all that. Lots of money spent on big set pieces and special effects - sadly very little time spent on character development. So much so that I really didn't give a damn whether Bond won or lost. It all becomes rather academic when you don't care about any of the characters.
Had heard great things about this but never quite made it to see it at the cinema. Glad I finally caught it. Full of engaging, watchable characters and beautiful, spot on performances. Ellen Page was fabulous in the title role (I was trying to work out what I'd seen her in before and it wasn't until I googled that I realised she haf the lead in Hard Candy - which I must remember to track down so I can see the end). Michael Cera turned in a great performance too. Jennifer Garner and Alison Janney are always worth watching - both can do so much without ever tipping their hands. Jason Bateman turned in a beautifully nuanced performance too. Definitely worth watching a definitely a keeper.
I had high hopes for this - I find Owen Wilson quite watchable and entertaining and was looking for something light and enjoyable but I just didn't get this on any level. It seemed horribly self-indulgent. Pampered rich white boys go off to 'find' themselves in India? I wanted to smack the thre central boys and tell them to grow the eff up and get a grip. Self absorbed, self obsessed and dysfunctional to the point where I had no sympathy for them at all. And watching this particularly coming on the back of the cultural appropriation round 12,358 on LJ made me want to smack the director/writers for what they appeared to be saying about indian culture and the roles indian actors were given. In short a world of no.
Another film everyone raved about when it came out and which I spectacularly missed every opportunity to see.
Rounded out the evening rather well - can see why it was a hit. Enjoyed it much more than Run, Fatboy Run and it's certainly given me the appetite to see Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
To the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday night with Ravurian, Parthenia14, Patsyrants to the Liebovitz exhibition which was....interesting.
Many of the portraits were amazing - there was an un-posed one of her mum which was gorgeous, an equally lovely shot of Johnny Depp and Kate Moss in which Kate looked a tad coy and artful but Johnny just looked natural and an absolutely gorgeous side on shot of Willie Nelson which - if it had been for sale and I had had the cash - I would have bought in a heart beat. Some very terribly over posed though - particularly Brad Pitt in Vegas and Leonardo di Caprio and a dead swan.
There were some lovely 'family' photos which to me looked no different from any ordinary bods shots of those big family get togethers.
On the whole I didn't like - or indeed get - her landscape shots. There were a couple of huge ones of Monument Valley - one of which was OK and the other (badly out of focus) made me ill to look at.
To me her landscape shots didn't seem composed - almost as if she has something extra when shooting people - whetehr it was empathy or a certain way of looking at things which just brings out the best. For me that was lacking in the landscape shots. There was nothing there, nothing to hook the eye or lead the viewer in.
Anyway - here's the summary from the PNG website:
Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990–2005 includes over
150 photographs by the celebrated photographer, encompassing well-known
work made on editorial assignment as well as personal photographs of
her family and close friends. "I don't have two lives," Leibovitz says.
"This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work
are all part of it."
The exhibition features many of Leibovitz's best-known portraits of public figures, including actors such as Jamie Foxx, Nicole Kidman, and Brad Pitt; athletes preparing for the 1996 Olympic Games; George W. Bush with members of his Cabinet at the White House; and her famous 1991 image of then-pregnant actress Demi Moore, one of the most recognisable photographs of its time. The show also highlights images of artists and architects such as Richard Avedon, Brice Marden, Philip Johnson, and Cindy Sherman. Leibovitz’s assignment work includes reportage from the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s and the election of Hillary Clinton to the U.S. Senate.
At the heart of the exhibition, Leibovitz's personal photography documents scenes from her life, including the birth and childhood of her three daughters, and vacations, reunions, and rites of passage with her parents and extended family.
Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990–2005 threads together the two sides of Leibovitz's work both chronologically and creatively, projecting a narrative of the artist's private life against the backdrop of her public image as one of the world's best-known portrait photographers.
Astonishingly I managed to remain completely unspoiled. *G* I'd seen the reports that it had been screened int he UK back in Feb 07 and during '08 but had resolutely refused to read reviews, spoilers and reports.
So two years on I managed to catch it without any preconceptions. Oddly it wasn't at all what I expected and saying that I'm not really sure what I'd expected. I liked the feel and balance of amateur and professional - calling on your mates to help you make a first indie movie is never a bad move (especially when those mates are as accomplished as the SG crowd) and it was nice to see McGillion, Lutterel and Judge getting their teeth into something a little different. I did enjoy the gentle fun poked at the franchise (Starcrossed indeed!) and the comedy and humour worked well as far as I was concerned.
You could feel the Python/Keaton/Fawlty Towers overtones that Hewlett had talked about when referencing what influenced his take on the comedy.
Enjoyable and definitely worth a rewatch.
