Review added to Book by ppint. ●
Thor Heyerdahl - American Indians In The Pacific (1952)Rated 10/10

thor heyerdahl's magnum opus, in which he details all the evidence for american indians' venturing into the pacific ocean from both north and south america, their use of both colonisable islands and islets incapable of supporting human life & societies, some of the societies they established and the development of their languages, religions, agriculture and other introduced crops and their origins, likewise their crafts and architecture - including, on some island, major wood, and truly monumental stone moai developed uniquely in these colonies, from traceable precursors on the main american continents...

..and also the near total lack of most major cultural and agricultural staples and other foods and animals from societies to their east in the pacific ocean and its south-eastern asian mainland, or in micronesia, melanesia or australia.

detailed study of published before his work, the examination of alternative possible explanations of the observed facts, detailed original research into many of these and other areas of study make this a multi-disciplinary tour-de-force, and one which should be read and understood by any and everyone before they seek to criticise his work, analyses and exploration of the possible, impossible, likely and unlikely explanations for the considerable body of evidence.

- as recently as 2021, further evidence has come to light in the field of dna research strongly suggesting that thor heyerdahl's studies, experimental research, hypotheses and major conclusions are substantially sound, even where these - and he, himself - have been much criticised, and from time-to-time lampooned.

Review added to Cinema by Magic Marmalade ●
The Forgotten (2004)Rated 7/10

Feels like a made for TV production...

...A bit cheap, with ideas above it's station.

There's moments of pretty wobbly (literally!) camera work early on, and it feels like it's setting itself up to rehash an old idea of a psychological thriller about what if everyone forgot about someone you knew except you, and presenting itself as something more profound, but with that whole NCIS vibe going on.

For this reason, I was not impressed early on, feeling it was miles below where it thought it wanted to be...

...At the same time, I was perplexed at the truly astonishing cast in this, for such a cheapo production... contractual obligation? .... tax loss enterprise?

...But no, as it very soon answered all my queries, and allayed my fears, by showing itself for what it truly was... an extended Twilight Zone episode... now it all makes sense!

And judged on that basis, it got better and better in the watching, using that basic premise merely as a platform for a mystery / conspiracy film. And especially the rather cruddy music score over the top, suddenly it made all the sense in the world:

I mention Twilight Zone, when actually, this has all the hallmarks of The X-Files!

It is basically that... a not overly long (hour and a half) episode of the X-files, which, if you love that series, you'll more than probably like this> In fact, I'm certain you will.

A few twists, some nicely genuinely surprising moments, and a good evening watch on the TV.

(Probably suffered on a cinema screen by virtue of it's shortcomings in this regard, but on the TV, late night... much more at home!)

Review added to Vinyl Album by Magic Marmalade ●
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (1983)

A slacker's daydream...

...A very skiffle-ish set up with brushy snare and drums, slack acoustic guitars and bass, with the odd bit of electric giutar, Xylophone, violin and other equally leisurely sounding instruments.

It's a bit like They Might Be Giants took up skiffle instruments to make a jaunty, early indie punk sound... shades of Television sometimes too.

I can't help but think, that given the date of recording and release, and what others were doing at the time, this might be quite an important album, in shaping the "slacker" indie sound of the nineties, and would be very surprised if the likes of Beck, and other nineties acts weren't inspired or otherwise influenced by this album.

Almost a blueprint for that coming sound, well before it's time.

...And not conceding to the contemporary sounds around them then (synths etc.), doesn't make this album dated in any way... as I have suggested, it could almost be mistaken for a nineties indie album.

Book-ended by two great tunes; The first, a song Iwas pleased to say I already knew...

(You've more than likely heard it too, being a feature on at least one nineties film: Grosse Pointe Blank)

...In the shape of Blister In The Sun, and the last, a very sensitive, memorable tune called Good Feeling, it all add up to a great "little" album, that fairly shuffles it's way along, with the occasional melancholy moments, punk-lite nods, and bops.

And yes, possibly more important an album in the scheme of things than is generally realised.

This pressing is a little flexible, but not overly so (not "Floppy" by any reckoning), but sounds great... full sharp, and with an acoustic weight that allows the music to roll about nicely.

>One final thing of note, is that very striking cover, which, although looks like a reproduction print of some old oil painting that hangs in granny's hall way, it's actually a photograph, believe it or not, and having it standing in the room anywhere always draws the eye as a piece of art, just like a painting<

((It's also 40 years old next year... Possible candidate for an RSD release?))

(YouTube Video)

(YouTube Video)

Review added to DVD by Twistin ●
Huxley On Huxley - New Video (2010)Rated 5/10

Other than Peter Coyote's narration, the sound quality couldn't be worse. Significant audio cleanup of the archive footage and the Laura Huxley segments, which are mired via her heavy Italian accent, could have changed the entirety of this doc. The lack of subtitles means you lose the majority of the text. Further, there is no excuse for a DVD released in 2009 to present a widescreen film in a non-anamorphic display (meaning black borders on all four sides of the screen). Shot on video, it comes off more like a home movie than a serious documentary.

The DVD menus are also quite flat and uninspired. For bonus content, we have a number of extended interview segments, John Densmore has the longest one, as well as the most interesting to watch. There's also some trailers for other Docurama releases (Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back, Air Guitar Nation, A Crude Awakening, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill).

Review added to Vinyl Album by Magic Marmalade ●
The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F. (1977)

Notoriously bad pressing... but not quite the whole story.

I found a copy of this the other day (along with a US copy of Violent Femmes first album - sweet! :) in a charity shop...

...While not really a great punk fan, as a lot of it seems fairly same-y, tuneless, artless fluff.

...Anyway, my personal gripes aside, I recognised the band's name, as being something of a big wheel in this area, along with the immediately recognisable "Johnny Thunders" name on the back, which together caused a little bell to go off inside my head - or maybe my crate digger's "spidey sense" got to a-tingling... so I grabbed it then and there, for two whole English pounds - sleeve a little worn around the edges, ring wear, and some small wear on the print on the cover, but the record inside, well that was stone cold mint!

And so, the story of the audio on the disc begins...

...Having got it home, I began to look into the background of this album online (as you do), and saw time and again that the most notable aspect of this first issue, and the reputation that comes with it, is how bad a pressing it is... that the music / audio is said to be very "muddy" sounding, and pretty lousy in general.

So I made a priority of getting it on the turntable, to see if it was so.

My disc, being mint, would reveal immediately if this was simply people just having a bad copy, or if the actual pressing of all copies was as bad as they say...

...And it is.... kind of...

Because the first thing I noticed is how quiet the audio is on the disc... from the outset, I had to turn up the volume to hear it at normal levels... The opposite of what you'd be aiming for in this kind of music, I'd have thought!

...This, in turn brought something else to the fore - the bass and drums at this volume begin to "womp - womp" along in an unsettling, and unpleasant way that starts to overwhelm the other instruments and vocals- both lead, and backing, which are very thin, even weak, and which, along with the guitars, get squashed almost to nothing the louder you try to go.

Of course, the easy thing to do is simply turn up the volume, and turn down the bass, on you kit, but this does nothing for the experience really, as now it sounds quite pasty and washed out.

So is this an unfathomably rare mis-step form the legendary Mr. Porky, pressing impresario extraordinaire... who just fouled up putting this music on the disc?
I'd say not, as these simple shortcomings are not entirely consistent across the album.

This, as they say, is where the plot thickens...

...As if it was down to Porky, logically, it should be consistently bad all the way through, but it isn't:

The whole of side 1 is the same in this sense, but it immediately strikes you, from the off, how much better side 2 is, well, at least the first four songs, sounding broader, louder, and crisper, and with the lead vocal being bolder... "Goin' Steady" drops back to the standard of the first side, before picking up again for the last track.
Now the other feature of this sound, is how "Demo-ish" this whole thing sounds, like the group all got together in a single small room and just jammed while someone recorded from one single fixed point: Drum and bass closest the mic(s), then further away, the guitar, then somehow, all the singing done at the far end of the room... but on the side 2 tracks, that improve the sound, it sounds like they are more professionally arranged and recorded, and with a different mic for the vocal (Has that almost through-a-megaphone quality to it).

So in a nutshell, it sounds generally a bit fusty, thin, and weak, under too strong bass and drums, but crucially it sounds like two separate recording sessions, both set up differently and with great differences in competence, that have later had their track orders rearranged for side 2 - so a track from a side1 session finds it's way on to side 2, jammed between the other side 2 sessions, and suffering by contrast, as a result. So you cannot really blame your man Porky here, he could only work with what he'd been given - a crap recording!

The saving grace of this, is in fact the type of music it is... it being Punk, the Done-It-Ourselves (Badly) quality can be thought of as quite in keeping with the idea and attitude they wanted to convey, and this would be simply horrendous if this was any other kind of music....That, and that this is fairly short album (32 mins or so) means the headache you would otherwise have had doesn't quite take hold.

Perhaps this pressing / issue is better thought of as an important punk era artefact, and bought - when bought - as that... But if it's the music you are after, best look to the later issues that sought to remedy these problems.

Review added to Cinema by Magic Marmalade ●
Peterloo (2018)Rated 8/10

An extraordinary film.

An historical piece, which serves to record a shameful event in British history, it centres around the immediate aftermath of the victory at Waterloo, where proud and preening aristocracy and ruling classes overtaxed, and underserved the struggling people of Manchester, Lancashire, who having basically delivered this victory through the expense of their blood, sweat, and indeed, tears, were all but forgotten in their demands for some basic subsistence, and the representation in Parliament that would give it to them...

....Naturally, they began to get more than a little agitated, and were threatening to rise up against their government if they did not get what they wanted.

The uncaring government, and the subordinate landed gentry, Industrial magnates and company sought to "Quell" this unrest by sending the Yeomanry (Soldiers / police of their day) to supress and disperse an event held in St. Peter's Field, where the ordinary people of the towns and villages had gathered to hear Henry Hunt speak concerning their rights, and it ended up with an overzealous cavalry charge through a crowd of men, women, and children that left 18 people dead... and so was recorded as the "Peterloo Massacre" of 1819 thereafter by the media of the day.

While this is one of those historical stories that is basically no more than a short article's worth to convey the essential facts, Mike Leigh delves deeper, by fleshing out the story with characters representing the people of the time and place, in a series of home-stead conversations, and set piece public speaking events.

...It is presented, therefore, as a series of discussions a lot like Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, with each conversation more like a small treatise on Civil Rights and Liberties, from home spun philosophies to great speeches and pronouncements on the subject, all leading up to the titular catastrophe, and which serve to give it context, and underline it.

This is not a conventional "drama", or period piece therefore, and is a thinking person's film, like a mediation on civil rights.... a "speaky" - "Talky" film....

...A serious study of a serious subject.

There is no music score, only the occasional piece of contemporary folk music played by characters in the film, and each frame of this movie is shot like an old oil painting by Rembrandt, or Vermeer... truly stunning cinematography!

The "everyday-ness", and ordinariness of the characters, in presenting them as people you might know, and speak to them, and their almost festive mood on the occasion of a day out to journey to the event only serves to heighten the horror of the final disaster, as it too, is unscored, and filled with only the awfulness of the various screams, and random, jutting movements of horses, people and soldiers flashing across the screen in the grim confusion of the situation as the mood turns, and it descends into hideous chaos.

An important film, therefore, and one which people, especially here in Britain ought to see, although wherever you are in the world, it's themes and events may be all too Universally understood.

If there is a criticism I have of it, it's that the film ends rather too abruptly... with no follow up of what becomes of the various characters, almost like they've served their purpose, in telling the story, then ditched... even though they have been well built up, and moulded by the actors through the rest of the film.... seems a little callous, and odd, given the movie itself is about the indifference of some sections of society toward others.

Would make a nice double feature, by way of contrast, to more mannered and reverential: The Madness Of King George... or maybe Blackadder III, as these also feature fat git parasite The Prince Regent (Later: George IV :).

Review added to Book by ppint. ●
Robert Silverberg - Edge Of Light (1998)

this was - is - a superb omnibus of some five of the very best sf novels by one of the very best writers of science fiction, during the middle third of his career as sf author, when he was writing at the height of his creative ability°.

there are, of course, other writers who've written classics in the field as brilliant as silverberg's best; there are even other authors who've written about as many classics in the field, as has he: but there are none that would have written these books, dealing with these matters, these topics, whilst telling so fluently readably as robert silverberg.

° - which was kicked off by an altercation with frederik pohl, then editor of galaxy, if and worlds of tomorrow, who'd reproached ''Agbob'' with writing perfectly competent, run-of-the-mill uninspired work so much less than he was clearly capable of, when asked by silverberg why pohl never bought any of his stories: the upshot was an arrangement unique in the worlds of science fiction, and possibly in publishing, ever: frederik pohl guaranteed to buy every novel robert silverberg wrote, and to give one entire novel's notice of ending this arrangement, on condition that silverberg wrote to the very limits of the best of which he was capable.
(frederik pohl had ''his'' magazines sold out from underneath him by their owner, which nobody had expected, but ejler jakobsson, the editor taking them over, inherited and honoured the arrangement for as long as silverberg needed or wanted it - until pretty well every novel he wrote sold to hardcover, as well as mass-market paperback publishers, and he was financially secure.)

Review added to Book by JimEss ●
J. F. Bone - The Lani People (1962)

Despite the provocative cover art this is not a sexploitation novel. Jac Kennon, space sailor veteran from the planet Beta and recently graduated veterinarian, signs a five-year contract to work for a large commercial farm business in a remote area of the planet Kardon. He doesn't know that this includes a remnant of original Kardon inhabitants called Lani, who despite being intelligent and looking like humans, except for having tails, were declared animals centuries ago. The males are bred for aggressiveness and are kept separate from the docile females. The Lani do not like or wear clothes. Eventually, Jac and his witty Lani secretary Copper Glow, whose tail has been "docked," fall for each other. Worried about "bestiality," Jac avoids her until they discover that the Lani are descended from Christian missionaries who crash-landed on the planet long ago. The tails had to have been a later mutation. When she becomes pregnant, they plan their escape. The book is well-written and the dialogue intelligent. There is a bit of hard science, mostly in the medical area, but not too much action. The conflicts arise from moral choices. A good, short, readable novel typical of its era.

Review added to Book by ppint. ●
Anne McCaffrey - The Survivors (1984)Rated 4/10

very poor sequel to ''dinosaur planet'' (q.v.), this reads as though it was a hastily and uninspiredly-completed contractual obligation novel, compressing the events of the outlined second and third books in an intended trilogy into one novel, and getting the pain out of the way quickly.

avoid, if you can tear yourself away from completing a series.

Review added to Book by Sundius-Larsen ●
Claes Gejrot - Svenskt Diplomatarium Band XII Häfte 1 (2020)

It started in 1829 when the first book was published, The aim was to print all known medieval documents concerning Sweden, As of 2020 the documents of 1381 was presented in this book, the latest in this long going series.. The speed of publishing is not great, but we could have reached a bit longer, if it wasn't for a side project they had for decades, It will take between 200 to 300 years to get to the year 1400.. Comparing to books from the 1800's a lot has happened, and the modern books are a joy to read.

Review added to Vinyl Album by Kurt Larsson ●
Samson [60s] - Are You Samson (1969)

Probably one of the first thematic albums of the sixties. Several better known groups seemed to have followed up on the idea. An underated band probably lacking in good management and although originally with EMI records ended up on Immediate records Instant label just when they went broke. If the group had been given the chance, I would suspect that we would have heard a great deal more of their unique and accomplished music.

Review added to Cinema by Magic Marmalade ●
Unsane (2018)Rated 8/10

Another one flew over the cuckoo's nest...

...But the premise of being an otherwise sane person in a psychiatric institution among people who are not is where the similarity ends.

.....Well, other than it becomes difficult to tell the difference between sane and insane, which is a device well utilised here.

This is basically your standard nightmare scenario:

You're suffering somewhat, so seek counselling, and they say: "Sign here" and admit you to an institution for what you think is a day or so, not realising that the term of the contract you've signed is at least a week, and everyone thinks you're nuts... And of course, the more you protest, and the more strenuously you do so, the more nuts you seem.

In this case, Sawyer is suffering from paranoia due to an experience with a stalker, and when she sees his presence everywhere, decides to get help, but ends up getting "committed".

Obviously, this examines the idea that many women face of not being believed when they assert that they are being, or have been victimised, stalked... or worse.

Indeed, she is convinced her stalker is one of the staff in the institution, with whom, and under who's power, she now finds herself.

...Is she right, or is she genuinely paranoid, and suffering from mental health issues?

This ambiguity is maintained for just long enough, before taking a few twisty turns, such as is her institutionalisation been part of a conspiracy among health care and insurance companies... a scam, of sorts... Or is that part of her delusion too?

Queue the "Kafka-esque" oppressive nightmare situation label.

This is brilliantly conveyed by virtue of being shot (I think) on VHS tape, with that over-saturated look, and in a standard aspect ratio (There's bars down the sides of the screen), with very carefully crafted shots from strange angles, showing strange, or slightly "off" and unsettling scenes that would otherwise look crushingly normal... And almost fish-eye lens shots on occasions.

...But it's more than that, as you get the impression this is a bit of a pet project, or labour of love for Steven Soderbergh, as there are a dozen or more influences you can readily pick out, and which have been chucked in a bag, given a shake, and created this...

...Such as the look, and feel of the movie being very reminiscent of George A. Romero's seventies / eighties Day Of The Dead films, and there's more than a hint of Silence Of the Lambs, Michael Mann's Manhunter, a good helping of John Carpenter / Halloween vibe, and done in a kind of hand-held camera, Blair Witch way, with a seventies style title and end credit shot.

Not overly long, and an hour and a half, but uses the time well, being constantly tense, suspenseful and claustrophobic, and keeps kicking into different gears as it thickens it's plot at certain intervals.

Occasional gore, and violence, some pretty grim (Would make a nice double header with: Joker!).

Claire Foy carries the film, brilliantly conveying her character's turmoil through the ordeal, and the rest of the cast are great too.

If you are a fan of those seventies and eighties thriller / horror nuggets, you'll love this, as it has one of those cult classic, shown in the dead of night gems feel about it, which I don't think the poster or cover of the DVD does justice to...

(Actually, I think it's a case of mis-selling, as that poster art makes it look like a slicker, bigger budget affair / vehicle for upcoming starlet, which this isn't).

(YouTube Video)

Review added to Book by ppint. ●
A. E. Silas - The Panorama Egg (1978)Rated 8/10

without attempting to copy his stylistic techniques, ann elizabeth silas manages to share much of the feel of some of jack vance's borderline sf fantasy novels.

a professionally successful lawyer drowning in his work is drawn - possibly tricked?, or hypnotized? - into entering another world, a world in which life is frequently strenuous and sometimes dangerous, by a - or, rather, the melaklos, a user of magic who has tasks for him and a couple of ill-assorted companions - tasks, and warnings, and occasional partial explanations that don't satisfy, though they may turn out to be true, and who seeks to prevent a magician of far greater power than she taking over this world and destroying its patchwork quilt of different cultures and generally unco-operative towns, cities and island kingdoms...

this first (and only?) novel by the author rates an impressive ''8'' on re-reading - which i've happily just done, having accidentally unearthed the novel from the oubliette into which it had fallen...
the time and scene shifts are often abrupt: this is evidently her deliberate choice, but it's sometimes a bit disconcerting.

(there's one short story i have by this author, ''mistaken oracle'', in ''heroic fantasy'' ed. gerald w. page, hank reinhardt (1979), q.v., but i know of nothing else by her.)

Review added to Book by ppint. ●
Peter Currell Brown - Smallcreep's Day (1965)Rated 10/10

aloysious smallcreep has tended his machine press in the great factory faithfully and unquestioningly, stamping out the same part day in, day out, since the first day of his employment; now, upon the day of his retirement, he is suddenly taken by the notion to discover what it is the widget he's been making for so many years is actually used for, what it does:

and so, for the first time ever, and on the very last day it will be possible for him, he sets off upon an adventure into the unknown...