The problem with the Premier League

I'm watching Match Of The Day - most enjoyable. The relegation battle is still open, other than for Derby who are way down. But of Fulham, Bolton, Birmingham and Reading, it's hard to know who deserves to stay up, because in a way, they all do.
Looking at the Championship, only really West Brom show any signs of being good enough to be promoted. It seems that other than Derby, the Premier League really does have the best 20 teams in the country at the moment. The Championship is therefore weak.
Unfortunately, 3 teams swap position, not 1, so next year the Premier League will be of slightly lower quality, and I think West Brom will be the only promoted team with any chance of staying up.
This is all fairly irrelevant to life in general, but I thought I'd mention it.

Review: Delirious – Kingdom of Comfort

This is my review of the new album by Delirious, entitled Kingdom of Comfort.

Two tracks from the album (God is Smiling and We Give You Praise) had already been made available for download from the band’s website, so I’d had a bit of a taster already. The band were saying that this album was another step for them, was the hardest things they’d done, and was all about the hypocrisy of how we preach love but live in the comfort of wealth. I’d only been gripped by one of the two pre-released tracks, and had heard that the new stuff was ‘ok’ (said by a big Delirious fan). So to be honest I was a bit worried that the new album would be full of pretentious preaching, which I don’t think Delirious would do very well.

When the CD arrived, it came in a vacuum-sealed plastic case which will be rubbish for storage. I’ve no idea why they did this, it seems very silly. However, it did come with a little book which included the lyrics, some artwork, and some writing about some of the themes of the album. This was very cool, and said some things that Christians need to hear.

I’ll take the songs one at a time. The marks out of ten are with respect to this album, so 10/10 is the best this album has to offer, 1/10 makes me wonder why they included it. However, overall it’s a really good album, so 1/10 doesn’t mean it’s a bad song, nor does it mean it’s only a tenth as good as the best one! Overall, it's a good album. Not their best, but I think it's better than at least Audio Lessonover and Mission Bell. I couple of weak tracks (generally the slower ones), but also some absolute crackers.

Kingdom of Comfort – 6/10

The album opens with this mostly chilled song with an unusual sound. It was an unexpected sound that I wasn’t sure about to start with, but it grew on me quickly. The song it a simple prayer “Save me, save me, from the kingdom of comfort where I am king” – this is the heart of what they claim the album is about. It’s possibly their most alternative song yet, with a slightly eerie feel. It starts with just vocals and guitar, but after a couple of minutes the bass and drums kick in, creating a very cool sound. A solid opening to the album.

God Is Smiling – 9/10

This song begins with a very catchy riff, and it is easy to see why it was a pre-release download. It has a very positive message – “God is smiling over us”, “where hearts are broken love unites”, “our love can be the revolution that sees your kingdom come”. The challenge is to take God’s love and values to the world, but it doesn’t get overly preachy because it’s a song of such hope. Sound-wise, God is Smiling essentially belongs on World Service. Each of the first 5 Delirious studio albums seem to have its own sound – The Mezzanine Floor just sounds like a Mezzamorphis song, Sanctify just sounds like it’s off King of Fools etc. And this song sounds like World Service! Very like Rain Down, God in Heaven, With You, with soaring lead guitars which build to crescendos. A quality song.

Give What You’ve Got – 5/10

If I didn’t know better, I’d think this song was by Oasis. Rocky guitars, driving rhythms, even the sound of Martin’s voice. It’s not quite catchy enough though – it sounds like average Oasis rather than Don’t Look Back in Anger or Slide Away. It really doesn’t sound like Delirious! It has a simple message – give what you’ve got, do what you can, keep going, don’t get discouraged. It’s a decent song, but nothing extraordinary.

Love Will Find a Way – 9/10

Many people say this is the highlight of Kingdom of Comfort. It continues the more mysterious, alternative sound of the album (God Is Smiling being the exception so far). This song has an awesome message - love beats everything. The chorus is catchy without being anthemic which is nice and interesting from Delirious. It sounds most like The Mission Bell, especially in the verses. The bridge and chorus is where the new sound is. There’s a really good use of keys – they dominate more than usual, with the guitars being more rhythmical. It’s another outward looking song about spreading God’s love. A really good song, one of the highlights of the album.

Eagle Rider – 7/10

This song is chilled but not ballady. Think of Follow. It has a really cool ‘groove’, you can’t help nodding your head! It’s directed more to God than outward – it’s about God lifting us up, with some Isaiah 40 imagery. In the context of album, it’s probably about how we have to live in God’s power and strength, recognising that we need him. A very unusual song for Delirious, but a good one.

We Give You Praise – 4/10

The was the other pre-release track, about how life is tough but we still praise God. Piano-driven again, and ballady. The verses are good, but the chorus is a bit dirgey – there’s not enough going on in the background, just chords and vocals – it needs more interesting guitars and/or keys. The lyrics are good, but Delirious’ slower, quieter stuff tends to be weaker sounding (Mountains High being the main exception). Not a bad song at all, but they have a high standard!

How sweet the name – 1/10

Another slow, piano driven song. It sounds a bit like Mountains High or Every Little Thing, but weaker than both, especially in the melody department. It reminds me of Hands of Kindness – nothing wrong with it, but very forgettable. Nothing happens in this song for over four minutes. The most interesting thing is a cello. It does kick in with drums and bass towards the end, but too late to save it, especially as the guitars sound pretty poor and Martin starts whining. Lyrically it’s fine, if nothing special, but musically it’s boring. Weakest song on the album.

Wonder – 10/10

One thing Delirious are experts at is big catchy choruses, and here’s another. Great music, great lyrics, probably the best song on the album. The verses and bridges are simple, then the chorus explodes in a love song to God. This could be in the top 10 Delirious songs of all time. It’s fast and upbeat, and great to listen to – you can tell they had fun writing it, and it would be huge live. I expect it to become a classic.

Break the Silence – 7/10

A call to evangelism, this song sounds like a cross between World Service and The Mission Bell. Like God Is Smiling, it is a positive song of hope. Another big chorus with really good guitars, it sounds quite like Now Is The Time. Unfortunately it is too similar to Wonder, and not as good, so it becomes a bit forgettable due to its place on the album, straight after the best track.

Stare The Monster Down – 6/10

This song sounds similar to the last two and suffers for the same reason as Break the Silence – it’s not as good as Wonder. It’s standard Delirious – guitar driven with a good tune – and sounds very like U2. It’s about messing things up, but God being big enough to cope. A fairly good song.

All God’s Children – 3/10

This song is looking to the future, to when God is going to come. It has really good verses with cool synth work, a bit reminiscent of Audio Lessonover. The chorus melody is like the other ballads over the years – a bit droney (though not as bad as some). But again, not enough happens, for me. It builds in the second half as drums and guitars swell, producing a really good sound, but the middle eight is not defined enough so it’s easy to miss, and this 6 minute song seems to drag to 9 or 10. To be brutally honest, the kid’s choir gets annoying!

My Soul Sings – 6/10

This has a really cool guitar intro, really nice melody and keys in verse, and quality lyrics. There are decent sounds in chorus too, but the backing vocals sound like wailing. It’s a blatant worship song which finishes off the main album nicely. It’s a slow song and stretches to 7 minutes – it moves into an instrumental after 4 minutes which is cool but it doesn’t build enough, but just stays at one level. This makes it a bit long for me.

Hallelujah (bonus track) – 8/10

An awesome intro involving all the instruments – the sound is very good and continues into verse and chorus. The keys in the chorus are amazing – reminiscent of the genius of Matt Redman’s early work. An incredibly catchy song which just makes you smile! Another love song to God. In terms of just having a great sound, it starts as one of their very best songs. The lyrics are simple and honest, no problems there. The middle eight is not brilliant – it could have been cut, but it does lead back into the chorus well. The chorus has two halves which work well but it’s the first part which is catchy – so it would have been good to get a few repetitions of that to finish instead of the middle eight.

Mothers of the Night (bonus track) – 7/10

Another quite alternative sound, in a minor key. Very haunting music and lyrics. This is a slow song that has the melody to carry it and interesting background music, so even though it never builds, it never needs to, the song is good enough as it is. Musically it might fit on Mezzamorphis, but lyrically it fits well on this album and it’s hard to know why it wasn’t on the main CD.

Football

I have just spend an enjoyable couple of hours in the pub watching the Arsenal v Liverpool Champion's League quarter final first leg. I have a few things to say off the back of this.

1. The stories in the papers will focus on two goals, scored from poor defending, and on a turned-down penalty appeal from Arsenal in the 2nd half. The commentators called it 'stonewall' (a clear penalty, for anyone not in with the footy lingo). Rubbish. There was contact, and I've seen them given before, but it was not enough to send the player to the ground. Had it happened outside the box Arsenal wouldn't have even appealed. Liverpool could have claimed for a similar incident at the other end about 20 minutes later. So if you hear any Arsenal fans claiming they should have won, they're wrong. Football fans, players and referees seem to have an entirely different set of rules when the action is inside the penalty area, and it's beginning to annoy me.

2. Having said that, Arsenal easily had the majority of the possession and chances. Liverpool, again, did not keep the ball well. We tried to defend for an entire 45 minutes! One the one hand, it was a well fought European tie from the Reds, and a well-earned draw. On the other hand, it was insanely naive. Arsenal came very close to scoring a second on several occasions. And the goal. Oh my word. It came from a free header from a corner, but it wasn't just one unmarked player, but four attacking players between Liverpool's centre backs. This is the downfall of zonal marking - if the opposition flood one zone, you're in big trouble. And the opposition frequently do.

3. I thought the ref had a very good game, and both sides played in good spirits. Although players were clearly disappointed at certain decisions against them, there was no backchat or yelling in the refs face. Had it been Man Utd and Chelsea, represented by Wayne Rooney and John Terry, I expect we would have seen quite a bit more disgusting behaviour towards the officials. This has been a hot topic in recent weeks, with refs asked to clamp down on dissent. It has again been suggested that only captains should be allowed to talk to the referee, like in rugby. This idea has its merits, but the reason it works in rugby is because the officials get their decisions right, time and time again. In football, officials get decisions wrong time and time, which is why player tend to approach the referee to point out his error. The two main problems here are the relatively poor standards of refereeing, and the total lack of respect some players and managers (i.e. Alex Ferguson) have for the officials.

4. While I'm on the subject, if John Terry regains the permanent England captaincy I shall start supporting Mexico.

The Passion

During the week leading up to Easter, the BBC screened a four-part drama about the last week of Jesus' life. I watched it, and thought it was very good. It was quite unlike other 'Jesus films' I've seen, I think partly because it focused on Jesus humanity more than the others do. It seems to me that most portrayals of Jesus have him quite aloof and detached from what is going on around him, whereas in this version, we see him crying and laughing, telling jokes, and just being human! Joseph Rawle, who plays Jesus, said that a major inspiration for how to play the role was Philip Yacey's 'The Jesus I Never Knew', especially a single line: 'God didn't cheat' i.e. he felt everything a man could feel. Very interesting.

Also, the whole setting seemed more 'real'. The mania of passover and the politics between the priests, the Romans and the people was shown very clearly. And the filmmakers also managed to show almost everyone in a good light. We see the motives behind the actions of Judas, Pilate and Caiphas, and sympathise with them. It just seems to be showing a much more realistic story of what must have been going on.

As the drama moved closer to the crucifixion, the flow was lost a little, I think because the filmmakers were concerned to include as much as possible of what happened, whereas earlier they had been more liberal. This made the third and fourth parts seem a bit disjointed, as though they had got a selection of scenes and just stuck them one after another. But other than this minor point, it was a really good piece of TV. Watch it if you get a chance.

A little rant about Easter

Just a short rant here.
This year Easter Sunday is the 23rd of March. This is relatively very early. This has caused havoc for education authorities in this country who have had to decide whether to have their 2 weeks 'Easter' break starting that weekend, or a few weeks later. Almost always, the school break encompasses the Easter weekend, but to do that this year would make the Spring term stupidly short and the Summer term stupidly long, so many areas are taking the bank holiday weekend off, then going back to school for just 9 days, and then having the 2 weeks holiday. Bit of a joke really.
The Christian festival Spring Harvest, which normally takes place over 3 weeks, has had to spread itself over 5 weeks to encompass the school holidays across the country.
On a more personal note, the halls of residence in which I live are closed for the bank holiday Easter weekend, as they always are. Fair enough. But this year, I need to stay there over the weekend because I'm still on teaching practice until the 4th of April (Durham having chosen the later option for the 2 week holiday). Therefore I'm having to go home for 4 days before rocketing back up to Durham for 9.
I said that March 23rd is very early for Easter. It's actually only physically able to be one day earlier - it can fall on any Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th according to Wikipedia. And you know how they decide? "Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox". So they find the Spring equinox, then find the first full moon after it, and make the next Sunday Easter.
Is it just me, or is this at least in the top 3 most stupid things in the world? Just fix it and save everyone the trouble! Easter should be the first Sunday in April (or whatever), and stay there. Then it'll shift by about 4 days, rather than over a month.
Someone make me king of the world and I'll sort it out.

Wizard Rock

The Harry Potter books have had a bit influence on British culture, but one of the most bizzare and unexpected outcomes has been the development of the musical genre Wizard Rock. Dozens of band draw inspiration from the series (and the series alone, they only sing about the Harry Potter world) and perform in bookshops, libraries and all sorts of fan conventions.

I haven't heard much of the genre, but of what I have heard, the music isn't bad. Shame about the lyrics: "We've got to save Ginny Weasley from the basilisk, we’ve got to save the school from the unseen horror" (Save Ginny Weasley by Harry and the Potters). The band names are equally lame - others include Draco and the Malfoys, Remus and the Lupins, and The Moaning Myrtles.

Having said that, it's harmless stuff, though I think any music with only one inspirational source is incredibly limited, but if people enjoy it then fair enough. But today I saw the results of the Wizard Rock People’s Choice Awards. Awards included 'Best band fronted by a magical creature' (awarded to the Whomping Willows, even though plants don't count as creatures in Rowling's writing), 'Best evil wizard rock band (Draco and the Malfoys, even though Draco isn't evil in the end), 'Best music produced from beyond the grave' (The Moaning Myrtles) and 'Best holiday song' (Christmas with the Weasley's by The Remus Lupins). Is it just me, or are they trying to give every single Wizrock band in existence an award?

The biggest sham though is the Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to the Whomping Willows, who have been in existence for all of two and a half years. Lifetime Achievement?! What a joke.

Favourite films? Or just the best?

I know what my favourite ten films are. But over the last couple of days I have been very geeky and have given several films I like scores in various categories, weighted the categories, and ranked the films quantitatively. I was surprised that some films performed much better or worse than I expected. For example, one of my top 10 finished in 15th and a film I expected to be mid-teens came 7th.
It is clear that this method I used, while designed to examine each film critically, does not give an entirely accurate picture of my personal favourites (though the top 5 at least are pretty spot on).

I scored the films out of 10 in nine categories: plot, characters, themes, script, acting, mood, visual, audio and re-watchability. I weighted each section to give a final score out of 200, and the results of the 26 films scored so far are below. However this is not exactly a rank of my personal favourites, but rather an attempt to objectively decide what I think are the best films I have seen. Obviously I have seen more than 26 films, so there may be films I have not scored yet that will enter this top 26.

Rank	Film	Score
1	The Lord Of The Rings	197
2	Gladiator	176
3	The Matrix	170
4	The Green Mile	167
5	Stardust	166
6	Shrek	161
7	Shrek 2	159
8	Fight Club	158
9	Minority Report	158
10	The Man In The Iron Mask	157
11	Good Will Hunting	157
12	The Shawshank Redemption	156
13	A Beautiful Mind	155
14	Chariots of Fire	154
15	Notting Hill	152
16	Moulin Rouge	148
17	Cool Runnings	147
18	Equilibrium	145
19	Forrest Gump	143
20	Usual Suspects	143
21	X-men trilogy	142
22	Monsters Inc	139
23	The Rock	138
24	Toy Story 2	137
25	Finding Nemo	134
26	Toy Story	129

Clearly I am quite a harsh marker. Only 7 films got over 80%. According to the star rating, thats only 7 5-star films. Luckily I think the star system is a sham and don't use it. But I don't deny I am hard to please when it comes to films. They're all measured against a ludicrously high benchmark (see film #1!).
For now this system will suffice, but I don't really like marking out of 10 because I often get split between two numbers. So sometime I'll probably redo it scoring each category out of 20. Good times.

The weight of the world

Lyrics to 'The Weight of the World', by Editors, from their 2nd album, An End Has A Start:


Keep a light on those you love,
They will be there when you die.
Baby there's no need to fear,
Baby there's no need to cry

Every little piece in your life
Will add up to one
Every little piece in your life
Will mean something to someone

You fuse my broken bones
Back together again
Lift the weight of the world
From my shoulders again

Every little piece in your life
Will add up to one
Every little piece in your life
Will mean something to someone

You touch my face,
God whispers in my ear
There are tears in my eyes:
Love replaces...
You touch my face,
God whispers in my ears
There are tears in my eyes:
Love replaces fear

Every little piece in your life
Will add up to one
Every little piece in your life
Will mean something to someone


Not a religious band, but this is so 1 John 4:18..."There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear"...Love replaces fear. This is so true. And I love the idea that God speaks to him through the touch of another person, and through this, love replaces fear.

My favourite songs

My favourite songs at the moment are:

British Sea Power – Carrion
Delirious – My Glorious
Enya – Wild Child
Idlewild – American English
Jars of Clay – Worlds Apart
Lifehouse – Quasimodo
Mew – Am I Wry? No
Sabio – Mother
Stellastarr* - Lost in Time

Other honourable mentions should go to:

British Sea Power – Please Stand Up, Waving Flags
Casting Crowns – Stained Glass Masquerade
Coldplay – Yellow
DC Talk – Jesus Freak, What Have We Become?
Delirious – Heaven, Investigate, Obsession, Deeper
Editors – Weight Of The World
Easyworld – Junkies And Whores, This Is Where I Stand, Stain To Never Fade, Demons
Enya – I Want Tomorrow, Flora’s Secret, One By One
Feeder – Morning Life
Idlewild – You Held The World In Your Arms, Let Me Sleep
The Kissaway Trail – Smother + Evil = Hurt
Lifehouse – Hanging By A Moment, Sick Cycle Carousel, Simon
Mew – 156, She Came Home For Christmas
Muse – Time Is Running Out, Citizen Erased, Micro Cuts
Oasis – Slide Away
Rock’n’Roll Worship Circus – Loving You
Sixpence None The Richer – Melody Of You
Strangeday - Fogpilot
U2 – Beautiful Day

"Dumbledore is gay": my reaction

Ok, so JKR has said Dumbledore is gay. This has provoked a variety of reactions. Some say it’s great, and shows that people of any sexuality can be great in their field. Some say it has ruined Dumbledore’s character for them. Some are just puzzled as to why it wasn’t mentioned in the books. Some are convinced she made it up on the spot to incite the religious fundamentalists.

In an interview a few days after the revelation, JKR said she’d known Dumbledore’s sexuality since before book one was published. This is consistent with how she has written the books – she knew basically all of it before book one came out in 1997. She’d already been working on it for seven years. I’m happy to take her word for it. She didn’t make it up on the spot. The reason she actually revealed the information was that she was asked a very direct question by a fan, something along the lines of ‘Dumbledore was a great advocate of the power of love, but did he ever fall in love himself?’ In case you haven’t heard, it turns out that Dumbledore was indeed gay and had a youthful infatuation with his friend Gellert Grindelwald. This of course makes Dumbledore’s story even more tragic. Not only did he lose his father to Azkaban, his mother to a premature death, his sister possibly by his own hand, and the friendship of his brother Aberforth, but he also lost the man he loved. This would also explain why it took Dumbledore so long to agree to hunt down and defeat Grindelwald. Ironic that love, the supreme virtue according to Dumbledore, was essentially the cause of World War 2. The reason that Dumbledore’s sexuality wasn’t explicitly stated in the books is because it wasn’t relevant to the main Harry-centred plot.

Normally this would be all I have to say on the subject, but the reaction of some fans has surprised me a little. It’s those who say that the character of Dumbledore has been ruined for them, and they’ll never look at him the same way again. Some have even said it puts a new angle on his relationship with Harry, or they’re now not sure whether to let their children read the books.

I don’t have a problem with Dumbledore being gay. I haven’t read the books since the announcement but I don’t think that Dumbledore being gay will have any bearing on the plot. The only difference is that there will be a different slant on his relationship with Grindelwald compared to before we knew of his sexuality. I fail to see how his sexuality can ‘ruin’ his character. Some will say that homosexuality is wrong. Regardless of my own views on that subject, since when was Dumbledore perfect anyway? We already know that in his youth he had a similar ideology to that of Voldemort! JKR was careful to make sure none of the major characters came across as flawless, not even the saint-like Lupin. Dumbledore being gay doesn’t make him any less powerful a wizard, any less intelligent or wise, any less kind or noble. Dumbledore being gay is just another piece of information about a character in the books that has a slight effect on how we view one of the relationships in the story.

JK Rowling vs Harry Potter Lexicon

JK Rowling: author of the biggest-selling series of all time, holder of numerous world records, super-celebrity, known across the world, first person to become a billionaire from writing books.

The Harry Potter Lexicon: online Potter encyclopedia, by far the biggest source of information on Harry Potter in any form, winner of JK Rowling's 'Fansite of the Year' award. The immensity and significance of this website cannot be overstated.

So what's the deal with the lawsuit? Well, in 2007 the lexicon planned to publish the website in book format. Essentially they were releasing a comprehensive Harry Potter Encyclopedia. JK wasn't happy about this and filed a lawsuit seeking 'damages copyright and federal trademark infringement'. Huh? Basically, for many years it has been well known that JKR plans to release her own encyclopedia with lots of extra information in. She claims that the release of the lexicon book pre-empts this and that the lexicon is just trying to make money out of her work.

In her defense, I must say that releasing this book is a crazy idea. Whatever Steve Vander Ark, editor-in-chief of the lexicon, says, the book is clearly just intended to make a profit, as it is just the website on paper; it contains no extra information. There is information that JKR will make known in the future which will not have been included in this book so it is not in any sense a definitive encyclopedia. It also blatantly pre-empts JKR's own encyclopedia, which will contain new information. I am a massive fan of the lexicon, but there really is no need for this book.

However, I don't think JKR has much of a case. All the lexicon is doing is writing about the Harry Potter books. Hundreds of books have been written about the series, so as long as they don't claim to have written the official encyclopedia, there's not much she can do to stop them.

This is the second time a HP fansite has made a shedload of cash from idiotic Potter companion books. In 2007, another popular site, Mugglenet.com, published 'Mugglenet.Com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love and How Will the Adventure Finally End'. Apart from having the most idiotic title I've ever seen, this was just a collection of theories from Harry Potter 'experts' about what would happen in the final book of the series. For people whose life is basically Harry Potter, the predictions were rubbish: I predicted more things correctly on my own. But my point is that these so-called fans were just jumping on Rowling's bandwagon to make a little profit from her success. It's sickening that such people, celebrities and role models in HP fandom, would do this. The rest of us managed to theorise about book 7 without having to make some dirty money out of it.

And it's not just these two books. What about the films? (a separate article/rant devoted to this may soon follow). The makers of the films are clearly not particularly devoted fans of the book (compare with Peter Jackson and co. with LOTR) - they're just another, albeit larger, money-making scam. Sickening. Please note that although JKR likes the films, she has still said that if she could choose again to sell the rights, she would not sell them.
And the theme park! Don't get me started, what a joke.

The truest fans are those who enjoy the books, even lap them up, read other writings about Harry Potter and enjoy it for what it is, without having to get their little bit of money out of it too.

Stardust

This is not so much a review as just a heaping of praise on the film Stardust.

It came out in the UK in October and I saw the trailer and thought 'that looks quite cool' but then forgot about it. Then in December I happened to have the chance to see it at the cinema. 24 hours later I was there for a second time with my sister and brother. Now all three of us are massive fans. Yesterday I watched it on DVD for the first time, and that prompted me to write this.

If you don't know, the story is set 150 years ago and follows Tristan Thorn (newcomer Charlie Cox) as he seeks to find a fallen star to bring back as a gift for Victoria (Sienna Miller), with whom he is smitten. The star happens to have fallen the other side of the Wall, believed by the locals to be the boundary between England and a fairy-tale kingdom. The star also happens, as Tristan discovers, to actually be a girl, by the name of Yvaine (Claire Danes). Yvaine is also hunted by a witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who wants the star's heart to restore her beauty and youth, and by the three still-living sons of the late king, who seek the jewell she possesses to claim the throne of stormhold. The film also features Robert De Niro, Ricky Gervais, David Walliams, Peter O'Toole, Ian McKellen, Mark Strong, Rupert Everett and Sarah Alexander, among others!

Stardust is essentially a fairytale, but a sufficiently dark, violent and complicated one to make it a PG. The story is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman and, other than LOTR, is the best plot I have come across in a film. The multiple characters all chasing after the same goal makes it a lively story, but the real genius is in the many little things dropped in at the start which turn out to be highly significant later on. Think JK Rowling on a smaller scale.

The film is also a heck of a lot of fun, both just as an enjoyable watch and with many laugh-out-loud moments. Ricky Gervais, while still acting David Brent, is great, and all the cast perform their roles admirably. Director Matthew Vaughn deliberately tried to make the roles difficult for some of the actors (DeNiro and Pfeiffer especially I suspect) but you wouldn't know it. Everyone fulfills their role well, which in such a big cast is quite something. You can tell they had a really good time making the film.

Visually, it also delivers. I believe it was filmed on the Isle of Skye, so the scenery is great, very LOTR. The effects aren't Matrix-level spectacular, but at least 10 times as good as anything in the Pirates trilogy. The music is good too, with the originial score and songs such as the Can-Can (don't ask, you have to watch it) working well together, and the closing song by Take That is perfectly placed (please note, I am not a Take That fan (!), but Rule The World is a fairly good song and fits amazingly well at the end of the film).

Tellingly, the only award won by Stardust was the Phoenix Film Critics Society award for 'Most Overlooked Film of The Year'! It's a film that scratches in all the right places - a brilliant plot, an abundance of humour, great performances from an all-star cast, beautifully delivered on screen and it also treads a wonderfully fine line between romance and cheese. Although a fantasy film, like LOTR, it's the humanism that makes it so good rather than the world and the effects.

Obviously I'm now going to tell you to get hold of the DVD and watch it, because that's what one does at this point. So go on! If I could recommend only five films to you, Stardust would probably be one of them. It's that good.

Team Speed Connect 4

Think of Connect 4, the game.

Now imagine playing it at speed, where you can play pieces as fast as you like without having to let the loser on the other side have a go. First to four wins. It's about speed, alertness and downright aggression.

Now imagine it as a doubles game. Two players on each side. Each player may use one hand only (the other hand must hold the base of the frame to stop it being knocked over). Each player may only have one piece in his or her hand at a time. You may not move your hand past the centre of the frame.

Four hands fly to the same column at the same time. Or maybe three fight it out while the fourth sneakily slips two quick ones down the far side. Do you work on a single line of four or try to control as many columns as possible? How do you watch four players at once - is it best to concentrate on your own game? Do you block the other team as soon as possible or let them waste time putting three in before stopping them, but run the risk that they make the fourth before you get there?

It has the tactics of chess, the adrenaline of boxing, the beauty of ice dancing, the thrill of poker, the luck factor of chase the ace and the sheer madness of extreme ironing.

The fastest game ever lasted under three seconds. The longest was over twenty, which when playing doubles speed connect 4 is a very long time.

Photo: the reigning undefeated world champions, Ben Jiggins and Nick Purdon

Dwain Chambers

Today the British squad for this years World Indoor Athletics Championships was announced, with Dwain Chambers confirmed in the 100m.
Chambers was once Britains brightest talent in Athletics as the only man to run under 10 seconds for the 100m since Linford Christie. He tested positive for the banned substance THG in 2004 and was banned from athletics for 2 years, before trying and failing in an American Football career. He has recently returned to the sport and won the British trials a few weeks ago, a feat that guarantees him a place in the team (he has now been joined by the selector's choice Simeon Williamson).

While some have accepted that Dwain has earned his place in the team, many are unhappy that a convicted cheat is representing his country. On one hand, he has served his ban and there is nothing in the rules to stop him from competing. On the other, it sends out the message that doping (drugs cheating) isn't that bad and that cheats always get another go.

It reminds me of a situation in football a couple of years ago. Liverpool, my team, finished 5th in the Premier League in 2005, not high enough to win a place in the Champion's League the following season. However, they also won the Champion's League in 2005 and it was thought that for them to not have the chance to defend it would be crazy. Although the rules at the time said they should not compete in the 05-06 season, a special case was made and they got a place in the first qualifying round (two rounds earlier than they would have otherwise entered the competition).

It's common sense versus the rulebook. The rulebook says Dwain Chambers is free to compete. Common sense says that 2 years is far too lenient a ban in such a drug-plagued sport, and that to send an athlete who claims that the only way to win nowadays is with drugs. In addition, Chambers received a lifetime Olympic ban for his offence, so is it really sensible to send someone to the World Indoors who cannot compete in Beijing in August, when there are plenty of young athletes who could use the experience ahead of the Olympics?
But he won the trials, so he is on his way to Valencia next week.

My question is, if common sense prevailed over the rulebook for Liverpool in 2005, why not this time in 2008 in athletics? I expect it may be because athletics has enough bad press already, both due to drugs and the general underperforming of recent British teams, and if the selectors overlook Chambers he is likely to appeal and win. He is also probably our best medal hope for the men, and medals are crucial for national athletics morale ahead of the last Olympics before London 2012.

Strangeday - Please Intervene

Strangeday have the privilege of being the subject of my first post here.
Strangeday are a band that I first saw in the summer of 2004 (I think) at a Chrsitian music festival in Milton Keynes called H3. Steve were headlining the weekend and most of the other acts were being watched in a politely interested kind of way without any audiences getting too excited. Then these four young men got on stage and started playing and ten minutes later the area was packed with people. The band was met with huge approval, and arguably stole the show from Steve. At this time they had 2 EPs recorded, and I bought both immediately.
I've listened to Strangeday's music regularly since then, until last autumn I heard they had recorded a full-length album entitled Please Intervene. I had to hear it!

Strangeday are Toby (vocals, guitar), Aaron (guitar, vocals), Ally (bass) and Paul (drums). They play what they call 'smackface rock'. I have no idea what this means, but it's flippin' brilliant.
It's hard to compare the sound to anything mainstream; Greenday might come the closest. It's generally very guitar driven but the bass and drums are by no means just a rhythm section. They're not a band who you would say play a huge variety of music but, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this doesn't matter, because it's just great to listen to. On the heavier side of Indie, it would be easy to just crunch out quality riffs and cool bass lines, but song after song the melodies and the sheer energy steal the show and keep you listening repeatedly. One thing you can say is that they have talent, but instrumentally and in terms of song-writing.

The guys are all Christians and the lyrics reflects this brilliantly but very subtly. If I didn't know about their beliefs I doubt I'd pick them up from the music, but given that I know, the songs make a lot of sense. Like U2 really, but more subtle. The songs are mostly about living as Christians day-to-day, often focusing on the hard stuff - if I had to sum up the album in a word I couldn't, but in two words I'd say 'integrity' and 'struggle'. The lyrics are very honest so it doesn't get depressing to listen to but actually is quite inspirational.

I realise I've compared these guys to Greenday, the Chilis and U2, arguably 3 of the biggest 5 bands in the world (maybe with Foo Fighters and Coldplay?). Personally I think they could hold their own with this lot. For a debut album, Please Intervene is very impressive in its maturity. And the EPs, 'Blink and Miss It' and 'Before You Go', are just as good.
they've been together for at least 5 years now which makes me think they aren't going to make it big, but maybe that's not always a bad thing.

To have a listen to Strangeday, go to http://www.myspace.com/makerocknotwar
There are a few songs on there, though sadly not many of their very best. The pick of the bunch is Fogpilot, one of my favourite songs ever.
They also have a few videos on YouTube, just search for Strangeday.