Film - Rampart - directed by Oren Moverman

Star rating – 7/10

Seeing all the razzmatazz and glitz of the Oscars this week, it’s very difficult to see how on earth Woody Harrelson was overlooked for a nomination for Best Actor for his role in Rampart, except maybe that the subject matter of the film is a shade or two too dark for Hollywood favour. Although the film itself is not flawless, his performance as bad LAPD cop Dave Brown is nothing short of phenomenal. 

Brown is sexist, racist, brutal , and violent – he is basically out to punish bad guys, and he doesn’t care if he breaks the law to do so. His call sign amongst his colleagues is ‘Date Rape’ – gained by the apparent murder of an alleged date rapist some time ago. But the problem for Brown is that the notorious LAPD is in the middle of trying to clean up its act – or at least persuade the public that it is doing so. Save for the powerful and beguiling way Harrelson makes the audience sort of root for the unlikely cop, he would not be a character you would waste much time worrying about. From the start he bullies a female officer under his command into eating her French fries when she clearly does not want to – a chilling insight onto his deeper psyche. 

His domestic set-up is odd – he has married and had children with two sisters, who live next door to each other, and to both he is still weirdly attached. Harrelson said that the thing that persuaded him that he could play this police officer was the fact that he had a deep love of his family. And the fact that the part of a policeman is so alien to Harrelson’s nature makes it all the more remarkable a performance. He gets under the skin of Brown like no-one else could. His performance is simply mesmerising.

The film itself is slightly less impressive, as it loses its way towards its climax. And the climax is a bit of a letdown – truth be told. But Harrelson more than makes up for any weaknesses here with his formidable acting. And there’s a great cameo performance by Sigourney Weaver as his superior who is clearly exasperated by his antics and continued lawbreaking. The cinematography is wonderful, with some beautiful shots of the LA cityscape at night. This film is worth seeing just for the mesmerising performance of Woody Harrelson, even if it did not tick all the Academy’s boxes.

Gigs - Jamie N. Commons - Sacred Trinity Church, Salford

Star rating - 8/10

Jamie N. Commons is one of the BBC sounds of 2012, and judging by the gig at Sacred Trinity Church in Salford on his first headline tour, that accolade is well deserved. He is just 22, with an interesting background fusing Bristol, Chicago, and London; but the sound he creates is pure blues.

 He has a rich, deep, gruff voice, which is very surprising coming out of such a young, self effacing and modest guy with his 5 piece band. Of course he could have misspent many years already on whisky and cigarettes, and for all I know he might have done, but somehow I doubt it. Many of his songs are very Old Testament, very apt for the church setting, and tell of heartache and the fires of hell. So nice and dramatic then, just the way I like it. 

He is very modest, and the way he couldn’t quite believe that all the audience had paid to come and see them was very endearing. The set mixed loud blues/rock numbers, with some quieter ‘romantic’ songs. A highlight was ‘Devil In Me’, their new single, released at the end of March. Overall the night, and in particular Jamie’s voice, was exhilarating and bewitching. And they finished off with a lovely a cappella version of ‘Hold On’ to finish – which is my favourite track from last year’s EP ‘The Baron’.  

And if he needs a few more years to get the country and blues scars of performers like Tom Waits, Muddy Waters, and Johnny Cash, then I’m sure his growing numbers of fans, will have an incredible time watching him acquire them.

DVD - Benda Bilili - directed by Florent De La Tullaye & Renaud Barret

Star rating – 9/10

If you want an uplifting and heart warming documentary with some great music at its core, then you should try to catch Benda Bilili on DVD. It follows a group of Congolese street buskers, many of whom are disabled, and all of whom are virtually penniless and living on the streets on cardboard if they are lucky. 

A French film crew discovered them, and over a period of 5 years, with many ups and downs, helped them to make a trip to Europe to delight crowds with their infectious rhythms and positive take on their extremely challenging environment.

It’s not just a sympathy trip though – they hardly even refer to their disabilities at all during the film. They are genuinely talented musicians, especially their leader and father figure ‘Papa’ Ricky Likabu, who instils a serious work ethic into his band despite the hardships they face.

Most touching of all is Roger, who comes to the city from his home village many miles away when he is still a boy to try to make money to help his mother and siblings back home. All he has is a homemade instrument consisting of an empty tin can, a piece of wood, and some wire. Over the course of the filming he develops his musical talent using this same instrument alone, into a truly wonderful thing. The final scenes of him enjoying every second of his European fame, and milking it on stage for every ounce he can, are absolutely delightful.

This is one of those films that you feel much better for having seen, that makes you feel very grateful for all that you have got, and in truth a bit guilty for not appreciating it a bit more.

Books - The Cold Cold Ground - by Adrian McKinty

Star rating – 7/10

Adrian McKinty has certainly achieved a very likeable and original creation in Sean Duffy as that rare thing, a Catholic police officer in the RUC in the 1980’s. And Northern Ireland at the time of the Maze Prison Hunger Strikes is a great setting for a crime novel – it gives so much more scope to break out of the often limiting confines of the genre.

The writing is good, and pacey enough to keep up interest throughout. And the unique dangers of Duffy’s position are fleshed out very well. He is on the trail of a murderer who is seemingly unconnected to the ‘Troubles’; and is that rare thing for that time and place; a serial killer. And making this a serial killer of gay men at a time when homosexuality was still illegal on both sides of the Irish border gives a great canvass to play with and serious themes to explore. Add to that the unconnected suicide of the ex wife of one of the hunger strikers and Detective Sergeant Duffy is kept very busy.

I did have a couple of problems with the book through. There is an awful lot of signposting of the politics of the times, which feels a bit like an ABC of the modern history of Northern Ireland. I am not sure that McKinty really needs to spell out in such basic detail what the various factions such as the UVF and the UDA stand for, as he does at the start of the book. And the use of real figures to play such a prominent role in the unfolding drama, such as Gerry Adams, felt like a bit of a distraction from the action at times. I just kept wondering if they really would have done those things. And the end felt like a slight cop out, and although I am all for my crime novel heroes crossing the thin blue line in the cause of a good story, I didn’t totally buy some of the things that Duffy ends up doing. 

But having moaned a bit, I would be very interested to follow what DS Duffy gets up to next, as this is the first part of a trilogy about him from McKinty. It did keep me turning the proverbial pages right to the end, and I did have a lot of empathy with the hero and his situation, so I call that a very entertaining and intelligent start.

Theatre - Oliver! - Palace Theatre, Manchester

Star rating – 8/10

I’m a sucker for a great musical, and Charles Dickens is up there with the greatest writers for me too, so this touring version of ‘Oliver!’ is pretty much a perfect recipe for my delight and delectation. And it did not disappoint.

It’s difficult to get the images and performances from the classic 1968 film out of your head, but for the most part I was transported back to a world nineteenth century poverty and petty crime in the way I was supposed to be. And that in no small part was due to the wonderful set - the clever use of perspective on the relatively small Palace stage, and the series of transformations from one scene to another were really magical and very effective.

The other major plus were some of the bigger musical multi cast numbers, such as ‘Consider Yourself’ as the charming Artful Dodger and Oliver meet for the first time; ‘Who Will Buy’ set against a fantastic London sunrise backdrop; and the bar room ditty ‘Oom- Pah- Pah’, led by Samantha Parks giving a great performance as Nancy. These big numbers really made the show come alive and surely have the power to put a smile on even the most resistant of faces.

Neil Morrissey was a bit of a revelation as Fagin. Although his voice might not be the strongest he was really great as the crafty old leader of the pick pockets. He even managed to get a ‘Bob the Builder’ reference in there too - bless him. Some of the storyline is a bit messed around with, but compromises always do have to be made. Overall this Oliver gave just what I wanted from a great musical – good performances; great foot tapping musical numbers; a good story; and thrilling sets. And a real live Bull’s Eye as Bill Sykes’ dog. Job done.

Gigs - First Aid Kit - Manchester Academy

Star rating – 8/10

After the charm of The Secret Sisters at the Ruby Lounge a few weeks ago, comes another delightful sibling creative coupling in the shape of Swedish duo First Aid Kit. And to be honest, anyone who can write a song about Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons, who happen to be my all time favourite duet pairing, and set the standard of how to wrap one beautiful voice around another in perfect harmony, is off to a very promising start in my book.

Johanna and Klara Sonderberg are surprisingly young, at 21 and 19, but confidently command the stage with their beautiful fresh music. They have a folksie country sound, with some perfect pop thrown in, as in the aforementioned ‘Emmylou’, which has been much played by the likes of 6 Music. They played this perfect crowd pleaser about the craft of classic country duets like Harris/Parsons and Cash/Carter quite early on in the set instead of saving it up. But lots of other tracks from their accomplished second album ‘The Lion’s Roar’ sounded just as good. 

Some of their songs have lyrics redolent of much more mature artists, like their opener ‘This Old Routine’ about relationships going stale. And on the subject of their lyrics, it never ceases to amaze me how people from other countries write songs, sing, and speak so fluently in English when it is not their native tongue. Cue to hang our British heads in shame I think...

They did a brave number without their microphones, and ‘Ghost Town’ really sounded more melodic and haunting for it. They did go a bit new age/prog rock at the end, with their long hair flying about the stage like some sort of female Jethro Tull, but their music, voices, and personalities are so charming it was a minor blemish. They finished with the rousing ‘King of the World’ ... ‘I'm nobody's baby, I'm everybody's girl. I'm the queen of nothing. I'm the king of the world.’ First Aid Kit are the perfect combination of light and shade, and they really are a joy to behold.

Books - Story of a Secret State - by Jan Karski

Star rating – 8/10

Jan Karski’s  story of fighting for the Polish Underground during the Second World War, in fierce resistance to their Nazi oppressors, reads at first a bit like a thrilling espionage boy’s own story. But this detailed account is the true story of the author’s wartime experiences. 

It was first published in 1944 in an attempt to get the Allies to support the Polish struggle to regain their country. It is surprisingly published now for the first time in this country, and so the message seems all the more poignant, falling as it did on deaf ears following the end of the war and carve up of the Polish nation.

Karski suffered torture by the Gestapo, recounted in horrifying detail. “Of all the beatings I have endured, I never felt anything to equal the instant of sheer pain produced by the impact of the rubber truncheon. It made very muscle in my body wince in sharp agony.” But that was nothing in comparison to the horrors he witnessed perpetrated against the Polish Jews in the Nazi death camps and the Warsaw ghetto, where he was taken to make sure he could recount the exact horrors of those places to British and American politicians. What a damning indictment it was of Eden and Roosevelt et al they did not really listen to him in 1943. 

Aside from these horrific memories, Karski is able to recall the details of the life as a Polish Underground member in thrilling and fascinating detail. Although he does say that some of the time it was really quite boring, often little more than unglamorous ‘office routine’.  He gives a very moving account of the experiences of some of his female fellow fighters, whom he feels had a much tougher time than the men, as they were often more exposed and more dispensable than their male counterparts, but were in his opinion better suited to a life of espionage.

Karski comes across as incredibly brave and determined, and he lived a long life until 2000. Although his account is not very descriptive or flowery, sticking as he does to the facts and details of his experiences, they are more than enough to impress, astonish and horrify the modern reader. So hopefully his memoir will still convey a powerful message, even if not quite the one it was written for.