Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2008

And so the time is nearly upon us once again for my favorite thing about the month of February in Dublin, the annual film festival =D

Running from the 15th to the 24th of February, the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is in it's 6th year, and this year I'm volunteering.

The launch night took place on the 29th in the Button Factory in which this year's programme was announced. Everything went very smoothly and overall I had a great night, the other volunteers were very friendly (particularly after the free whiskey hehe) and I'm sure we'll get along fine during the festival.

For those interested in film, including myself, the festival is a great opportunity to see some great movies and often, to meet the producers, directors, writers and actors behind them. I've only had a quick flick through the programme but early interesting-looking movies include ''In Burges'', ''I Am Cyborg'', ''There Will Be Blood'', ''My Kid Could Paint That'' and of course the Surprise Film... which is always great to attend.

Also this year, a number of outdoor screenings will be held around Dublin in places where a certain movie was shot. (For example, Educating Rita was partly shot in Trinity College so it will be screened there) It seems like a great idea and hopefully it works okay.

So, in early anticipation I'm am looking forward to working in the festival. It should be an amazing experience. I'll try to keep the interweb updated, in fact consider this to become a bit of an ''unofficial festival blog'' during the festival. You're welcome to drop into the various cinemas around the city to say hi, I'm sure you'll find me in one of them.

For those interested, I highly recommend attending:
Here is the website address where you can view the entire programme online and buy tickets. Be sure to get them early, as popular screenings sell out well in advance:
http://www.dubliniff.com/

So... roll on the festival and stay tuned for more! =)

The Cold...

...alright, I've had enough of it.

No, really.

It's been fecking freezing recently and I'm getting kinda tired of freezing my balls off.


Will global warming hurry up already? =P



(Disclaimer: To any tourists thinking of coming to Ireland this time of the year to experience Dublin's 'Winter Charm', don't. Save it for the Summer. Trust me on that one.)

You have got to be joking me...

Found this article relating to the recent death of young Australian actor, Heath Ledger. To sum it up, some Baptist Church in America is planning on picketing at his funeral because of his involvement with Ang Lee's, in their views, 'blasphemous' movie - Brokeback Mountain.

It's unbelievable that people in this age of modernity and cultural diversity that such, for want of a better word, bullshit still goes on. I mean, I just can't get my head around it. America is such a vast and modern country but still has it's fair share of small minded, 'God' obsessed maniacs who insist on holding such ridiculous views, not to mention showing any respect for Heath Ledger himself!

Not to jump on the band wagon, but I did enjoy Heath Ledger as an actor and his performance in Brokeback Mountain, possibly the one he will be most remembered for, was quite compelling. It's a shame to lose such a young and talented actor at such a young age. And 'citizens' like mentioned above, have no right, especially in the name of 'God' and their backwards right-wing views, to parade around at the poor guys funeral. Stand on the side of the road and shout at passing cars if you must, but at a funeral for an actor who just happened to play a gay character in ONE of his movies....

/sigh

The world upsets me sometimes.

Time for a Sing Along...

Do join in =)

Lack of intresting events...

...this time of year is terrible.

Nothing ever happens and hence, I have nothing to blog about.

Either that or my creative writing ideas have dried up completely...

..although I'm pretty sure it's to do with my lack of free time/lack of interesting blogging topics.

Hmm I'll have to trawl the Internet at some point to find something.

That could work.

/meh

*waits for something to happen*

New blog post because...

..yeah, it's that time of the month again =P

Korn, Live @ The Ambassador Theatre Dublin 13/1/08

It had been a long time coming but finally Korn had gotten around to playing in Ireland again. Last due to play in 2006 supporting Metallica, they had to pull out at the last minute because of front man Jon Davis' suddenly contracted blood condition. This left a number of fans at the time disappointed, including myself. Especially considering the last time they had played was in 2002. However, 6 years later... their long overdue visit finally happened.

Even though the tickets were on the pricey side at 50 euro, especially considering the not so good support and the general belief that Korn are past the prime, both nights sold out in the Ambassador Theatre. This was a perfect chance to see Korn in intimate surroundings. The crowd was quite mixed from young to pretty old and everything in between. In fact I was surprised to see some too young looking fans considering the gig was over 18's. However the security weren't as strict as they were a la Machine Head in November... so they were lucky!

The less said about the support the better. Perhaps it something to do with a little 13 year old Aidan deep inside really excited about finally seeing Korn that made the support so unbearable to sit through ... but the sense of anticipation in the crowd was unbelievable. Following a crowd sing along of the classic gig PA song 'Fucking Hostile' and an odd choice of 'The Ring Of Fire', a single roadie came on stage to remove the black sheet covering what every Korn fan knew was Davis' signature microphone. Everyone knew what was next, the lights finally dimmed and the intro off the new album sounded which led to the show being kicked off with a blistering performance of 'Right Now'. Not one body was still or one voice silent as the crowd jumped, headbanged and screamed ''I fucking hate you!'' along with Davis.

What followed was a ripping performance that lasted nearly 2 hours. Flying through classics such as 'Freak On A Leash', 'Blind' and 'Here To Stay' combined with a mixture of new songs and some rarities such as 'Trash' and 'Faget', Korn were in top form. I was surprised to notice by the second song that Joey Jordison wasn't on the drums. Apparently he is not performing with Korn on the European tour as he has to work with Slipknot. Which is unfortunate as Jordison would've made for a fantastic drummer on the night, however it should be noted the drummer they did have did the job fine. The stage setup was a plain back sheet as a backdrop and the support musicians either side of the drum kit. The lighting included some cool lazers and traditional spotlights.

I didn't really know what to expect from Korn, must admit I was slightly disappointed not hearing some personal favorites like 'Shoots and Ladders', 'Good God' and 'Kill You'. However we did get Faget which is one my favorite old school Korn songs. The set was a bit of a strange mix and in a weird order, chosing to finish with 'Got the Life' instead of 'Blind' (which they played instead to begin the encore.) This led to a lot of confusion as many people, myself included figured that was the end of the show where as they went on to play another 3 songs! The set also included a medley of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' during 'Coming Undone'. Strangely enough, it worked rather well. Some of the new songs however were met with a lukewarm reaction in comparison to the outbreak of jumping, moshing and shouting during some of the older songs. I could go as far to say that the likes of 'Ever Be' and 'Evolution' are a bit boring live. They definitely proved to be the weaker songs in the set that kinda stilled the crowd slightly.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable night. It was great to finally get to see Korn live after what for me and all other Irish fans, was a long wait. Personal set highlights included 'Faget', 'Adidas', 'Here To Stay', 'Ass Itch', 'Got the Life', 'Right Now' and 'Blind'.

My business with Mr Davis is finally settled. It's good to see that Korn are still going strong, I'll admit they may be past their prime but they still know how to put on a show and my ticket stub is now proudly stuck to my wall.

Sure Korn may not be my 'cup of tea' anymore but I'm still glad to have gone to see them.

And for that obsessive 13 year old Korn fan I once was... it was sure worth the wait!

Set:
01. Intro
02. Right Now
03. Starting Over
04. Love Song
05. Adidas
06. Hold On
07. Falling Away From Me
08. Coming Undone / We Will Rock You (QUEEN)
09. Here To Stay
10. Faget
11. Throw Me Away
12. Trash
13. Helmet In The Bush
14. Freak On A Leash
15. Bottled Up Inside
16. Kiss
17. Evolution
18. Ass Itch

Encore:
19. Blind
20. Haze
21. Ever Be
22. Got The Life

Korn Ticket...

^^ Self-explanatory really =P

I'm quite pleased for getting it just a little over the face value (even if the face value was a bit overpriced to begin with IMO).

I hope I'm not too disappointed with them on Sunday, either way it'll be good craic.

Even if the support is going to suck balls. (In the bad sorta 'sucking balls' way)

Expect a review sometime during the week.

Hmmm...

Saw this sign in my school, and well... I stayed around all day to see the plants crossing

...they never came O_o

And so...

I've returned to school.

/eughh

Now, really...

http://www.oxfordcoffins.com/

The exact site you would generally come across at 2:30 in the morning.

It has to be a joke, it has to be!

O_o

Varg Vikernes (a.k.a Count Grishnackh) - A 'Neo-Nazi Satanist?'

(Disclaimer: I am at most a 'casual' Burzum fan (tbh I'm more of a Mayhem guy), not some crazed 'OMGZ Hail Varg' obsessive. However following reading a biased article about Varg on the net, I thought I'd write this as some form of a reply - to clear things up a bit.)

Listening to 'Ea, Lord of the Depths' it is understandable that somebody may think Norwegian musician, Varg Vikernes as being a bit .. well... disturbed. Since his conviction for murder of Mayem guitarist Øystein Aarseth (a.k.a Euronymous) in 1993, Varg has spent his time in jail. Having recorded two of his latest albums in jail (Hliðskjálf and Dauði Baldrs) under the name of his famous one man band 'Burzum', he has been reported to say that he will no longer make any more albums, even after his release. However he has also been reported to say in recent rare interviews that he may continue to make more albums following his release from prison.

Varg has often been incorrectly labeled as a Neo-Nazi and a Satanist, largely by the clueless tabloid media that rather make the story juicy than actually bother to research the truth. Sure he may have in the past played up this image to the media (Nazi salute during his own hearings, anyone?), but the important fact is... it's not true.

Satanist: Varg himself has claimed number of times to be a Paganist. Unlike many of the Black Metal bands of the time, none of his songs (bar one perhaps) bares any reference to Satan.

Neo-Nazi: Varg, as a teenager, may have proclaimed himself to have some form of Nazi views. Going as far to even set up a branch of the German Heathen Front in Norway, Varg has never proclaimed himself to actually be a Nazi. In fact, he has often disagreed with Nazism on a number of fronts. He holds a certain amount of respect for the Nationalist Socialist Black Metal scene as the members are not afraid to speak their mind. His time in prison has matured his view on a number of different subjects, including some of his original views that appeared similar to that of Nazism. Although he still possess some racism, it is nothing that can be considered in any way 'Nazi'.

Love him or hate him, Varg Vikernes has to be one of the most complex and infamous underground metal figures to have ever lived. With radical and controversial opinions and ideals, Varg is a sensationalists dream. He has recognized this and utilized this attention to spread the infamy of Black Metal. And for that you must give him credit.

With the new year upon us, Varg's next date for parole (April 2008) is on the horizon. I've wondered before, if his parole is granted, what he will do next? Will he continue Burzum? Or end his ties with music forever? Only time will tell. However I think when he finally leaves that prison, the Varg we will see will be very different to the young Varg we saw enter it all those years ago.

Either way when the time does come, I can guarantee you that some desperate tabloid newspaper, looking for a quick and juicy story to fill its pages, will cover his story. Once more we will see resurface - the horror stories, the pictures (like the one above) that have been printed so many times before and of course, the words.....'Neo-Nazi Satanist'.

Will they ever learn?

NTL Ireland and Soulseek

*sigh*

After sending two emails to NTL Ireland regarding the 'difficulties' they are having with the Soulseek P2P Client and their servers, I'm getting quite annoyed.

It's been almost two months now and Soulseek still refuses to work under any NTL Broadband customers in the Dublin area, they are not blocking Soulseek but rather 'having problems' with it.

I for one can speak for all their customers that use Soulseek in Dublin when I say I wished they'd get off their ass and do something about it.