Neo Cro-magnon

So I saw The Tree of Life on Sunday. 20 minutes in, 7 people walked out. 1 hour into the movie and 15 people walked out.

When the film finished, there was silence. No one was sure if that was an amazing cinematic experience that will substitue 2001 on film schools or if it was just a big prank.

I think I loved it, although I’m not sure. The Tree of Life is the story of a 50 year old man who questions if all the traumas of his childhood were significant enough compared to the immensity of the Universe. Love is all that matters, anything else is redundant. Or at least that’s what I understood.

Terrence Malick will show you the Big Band, Dinosaurs, first steps of a baby, summers of your childhood, everything that matters to anyone and will ask you, does it really matter? Look at the universe, it’s fucking humongous, do you really think that that summer when you were 8 would be important when the universe collapses?

One thing it’s for certain though, it’s the most beautiful film I’ve ever seen.

Germany, circa 1600, the story of the werewolf is born.

Whenever humans face something inexplicably tragic, we tend to justify it creating impossible explanations and out of this world creatures to prove that humans aren’t inherently evil.

Written accounts say that when the habitants of a small village in Germany back in the 17th century, found the corpses of children in the outskirts of their homes, wolves was the only natural explanation as it was their most feared enemy back then.

Obviously, when signs of the children been raped as well as murdered without the distinctive marks a wolf would leave them came to be the main conversation, the villagers started questioning what was going on.

One day, they found it was one of them, raping and murdering children.

But that was impossible, it couldn’t be one of them, he was a monster they said, obviously part wolf part human, but a monster, not a member of the community. Not the son of a father and a mother.

A monster.

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Intel and Vice are behind one of those projects that when first explained, it sounded like another of those webs that collates interesting assets together but, once you start exploring it, that idea is flushed down the toilet and the interest level skyrockets like when it was announced that Trent Reznor and David Fincher are working on The Social Network (the otherwise lame Facebook movie)

From the website:

The Creators Project is a new network dedicated to the celebration of creativity and culture across media, and around the world.

From movie directors to musicians, installation artists and designers, you can find all sorts of interesting people to be jealous about.

Pick one, I did.

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Rage Against the Machine Live at Finsbury Park

After the notorious Christmas Campaign to get Killing in the Name of to number one in the UK, an equally mischievous and wholeheartedly driven concert was in order.

Rage Against the Machine delivered.

For those without the enough patience to read a few paragraphs I would only say this; it was fucking epic. Let me rub it in the faces of everyone who couldn’t get the tickets, you missed one of the most significant concerts since Sauron lost the Ring.

There, you can go away now or keep on reading to find out what exactly happened on June the 6th 2010 at Finsbury Park.

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Funny documentary Time Trumpet style about the Internet. Recommended for fans of British Humour

If there’s something I wholeheartedly admire is the democratization and evolution of pop culture.

Concepts like ‘locally global’ define this new era of ours were culture has widely spread through the Internet, defining the identity of millions of people not by their geographical locations, borders or sociopolitical environment but through ideas.

The Internet has allowed anyone to share an idea with anyone, no matter distance, or relevance. Long are gone the days were art was synonymous of social class or propaganda. Now it represents and enhances our memories, our identity.

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Thanks to the nice people from Vice, I went tonight (while recording the Baftas on Sky+) to Barfly – Camden to see The Chapman Family among other bands.

Night of drinks, live music and some odd moments to finish a week only highlighted by the incredible experience that was watching A Prophet.

Was it a good ending night?

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Last Tuesday I went to the cinema after work, it was one of those days you just go because you couldn’t face another evening at home memorizing the Wikipedia. Having one of those Unlimited Cards from Cineworld, I get to go to the cinema without even thinking what movie to watch. That rewarded me with the discovery by chance of authentic masterpieces like Brick, and some slightly long evenings with some other movies not worth mentioning this time.

So, last Tuesday I watched A Prophet which luckily turned up to be not only excellent, but one of those films that forces you to go and talk about them with someone, anyone. The receptionist from the office, your uncle, strangers from the internet through a website that allows you to talk about things you like talking about.

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Thanks to the kind people from Vice, I will be attending the Chapman Family gig at the NME awards in Camden – Barfly this Sunday.

Expect some pictures, little review and if the signal allows it, a live feed of what’s going on from twitter – @neocromagnon

After the historical Killing in the name to Christmas No 1 campaign ended with a glorious victory for the people of the kingdom of the internet, Rage Against the Machine, or RATM as known by friends, are keeping their promise of performing a free gig for the UK fans.

The 6 of June that is at Finsbury Park. Tickets to the event are all ‘sold out‘. I write that between quotation marks because they were given away for free. No tickets left, don’t try to find any.

I’ve got one by the way.

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