Hello,
Today I’m going to talk about things I’ve been reading, watching and taking part in – a mini update of general life things I suppose. I’ve avoided spoilers.
Television – Game of Thrones finished a couple of weeks back and I’m not missing it nearly as much as I did when I binged seasons 1-4 back over Christmas (had never watched an episode before then). Whilst yes it was good, it was also very stupid, it’s lost some of the political intrigue (apart from Littlefinger, who is by far the most interesting character arc currently) and has replaced it with, well, mundane action sequences.
Thankfully, GoT’s replacement on Sky Atlantic has more than filled any void that was left – True Detective Season 2! I was a big fan of the first season, especially the cinematography and the subtle build up throughout the first half of the season. The end of episode four will long remain a favourite moment in television for me. So it’s safe to say I’ve been keeping tabs on Season 2 for a while, the cast announcements intrigued me. I had no fears over Colin Farrell who I believe to be fairly under rated (Just watch In Bruges), nor was I particularly concerned by Rachel McAdams who is usually steady if a little unspectacular.
However I was having alarm bells over Vince Vaughn. Sure, Matthew McConaughey had a career resurgence shortly before True Detective and I’m sure Vince Vaughn was casted with the same idea, however the trouble is Vaughn just isn’t as good as McConaughey, even in the rubbish films. He can’t do subtle and measured approaches to a scene, which True Detective relies upon. This also feels like Taylor Kitsch’s final throw of the dice. After seeing him in Friday Night Lights, he really should have moved to Hollywood fairly easily, however the less said about his post FNL career, the better really. Here’s hoping this work turns it around for him.
So, season 2 – I’ve seen the first two episodes and I’m satisfied. Again it’s very subtle, perhaps a little too close to mundane, but I’m interested in the characters and how they go ahead with the story. The acting is solid, especially McAdams, and the style has again come to the forefront. My concerns over Vaughn still haven’t been relieved however, although I haven’t given up hope yet. A lot of gripe has been directed at the opening sequence, which I don’t get. It’s different from the first season because the season as a whole is completely different to the first one. Remember, True Detective is an anthology. Each season needs it’s own identity and the first and foremost to deliver any program’s identity is it’s opening sequence.
Ultimately, it’s unfair to compare anything of season 2 to season 1. Based on it’s own merits, the first two episodes are as good as anything on TV currently.
Books – I’ve nearly finished reading Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. It’s been an enjoyable read and has maintained my opinion of Murakami being a favoured author of mine. It’s my birthday on Monday, fingers crossed I get one more of his to get into!
Music – Aside from Father John Misty who has been played most days on my commute to work, I’ve been enjoying Everything Everything’s latest album Get to Heaven, via the ever wonderful Spotify.
I’ve also been watching the Glastonbury Festival coverage, really liked Courtney Barnett, Vintage Trouble and Florence and the Machine, really disliked Everything Everything, Kanye West and the lack of Foo Fighters, (was meant to see them at Wembley..).
Slightly off topic – every time I stream music, I’m reminded of Taylor Swift’s resentment of it, which is fair game. No artist should ever be expected to give their work for free, however, surely a line is crossed when you charge in excess of 50 pounds for a single ticket to one of your concerts? This argument of an artist’s right to being paid works both ways, especially with something where there isn’t a universal appreciation of pieces of work – if I had a photograph job and produced poor products, should still be expected a full payment? It becomes an extremely high horse when you say you shouldn’t give your work away to streaming platforms when A) You still earn money from them and B) have earned millions from album and concert sales anyway. It ultimately comes down to this, do artists make music for the output of their creativity, or to make money.
Hobbies – Woodworking has started! Look at the this post for more on that. I have also given a shot list to a friend of mine for a short film we are hoping to make in the not-so-distant future. I’m sure I’ll post more on that – and about film making in general – at a later opportunity!
That’s about it really, I kind of just wanted to post a little update, a summary of sorts about what I’ve been doing of late. I could over-saturate with what I’m doing on each day every day but I think a nice, concise post like this works wonders. Feel free to comment with anything that may have came to mind as you read this post!
-Lee