Watching the parade with pinpoint eyes

Cymbals Eat Guitars offered one of the best albums of 2009 with Why There Are Mountains, positioning themselves as one of the breakout bands of the year in the process. Whilst we wait for new material, they recently recorded a cover of "Ballad of Big Nothing," one of the strongest tracks from arguably Elliott Smith's finest album, Either/Or. It's a highly faithful version, but the distinct Cymbals Eat Guitars aesthetic shines through. I passed on the chance to check them out at the Night & Day last year; I won't be making that mistake the next time they're in Manchester. If you haven't already done so, then Why There Are Mountains is well worth checking out.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – “Ballad of Big Nothing”

2010 music in review, part one

On the couple of occasions in the past when I've tried to write multi-part entries, I've failed miserably (coming some time soon, or never: part two of The 69 Love Songs Project). For whatever reason, lately I've been much more productive on the writing front, though, so here's hoping part two will not just be a theoretical piece. Anyway, onwards...

I've never really cared for Los Campesinos! In many respects, they're exactly the type of band I should like, too; usually, quirky-and-intelligent indie pop always wins me over. Yet the Los Campesinos! brand of it never has, and I occasionally wonder why that is. Maybe it's the incredibly pretentious song titles (see: "Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)," and many more). Maybe it's that they wear their influences on their sleeves to such a ridiculous extent (going so far as to list a good few of them in "The International Tweexcore Underground") that when they don't live up to them, it's a huge disappointment. Maybe it's the seriously unimpressive vocal stylings...and so on, and so forth. I do keep trying; alas, their newest release, Romance Is Boring, has done nothing to win me over. It doesn't even possess an upbeat, "You! Me! Dancing!"-style high-point; "Straight In At 101" might have served that role, were it not for the opening lines - "I think we need more post-coital and less post-rock" - burying any value the song may have under their spectacular awfulness. True to form, the song titles are often ridiculous (with "I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know" the narrow winner this time round) and the music isn't good enough to redeem them. Romance Is Boring has a seriousness about it that detracts from the sense of fun of their earlier material, and whilst I wouldn't want to make the obvious "this is the sound of a band growing up" comment, the album plods along, and I'm still not interested in them.

Mind you, they've got much more going for themselves than Two Door Cinema Club, who've garnered a lot of hype and live up to none of it on debut album Tourist History. It's not that they do a great deal wrong; they're very much the sum of their parts, it's just that those parts are derivative, resulting in an uninspired mishmash of every indie-pop band you've loved these last five years. "This Is The Life" and "Eat That Up, It's Good For You" barely qualify as standout tracks, and will almost certainly end up on the soundtrack of the next season of Skins. Mediocre.

Meanwhile, the level of restraint Vampire Weekend show on sophomore release Contra is commendable; they've eschewed some of the more obvious indie-pop signifiers of their debut effort, and as someone who always preferred "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" to "A-Punk," I'm definitely in favour of this move. If opening track "Horchata" still sees them in Graceland mode, then by the time superb album closer "I Think Ur A Contra" comes around, they've done enough to convince that they're not one trick ponies, and whilst it's hard to imagine them ever actually deserving the two contrasting extremes of adulation and hatred they inspire, they should be praised for significantly improving upon Vampire Weekend. The franticness of "Cousins" and "Holiday" stand out as anachronisms that are best left in the past in favour of the slow-burn likes of "Taxi Cab" and "Diplomat's Son." There's a nagging part of me that wants to suggest that they've got a truly great album in them somewhere down the line; this isn't it, but it's enough to ensure I'll still be paying attention to them.

First Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World trailer

When writing about Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World last week, I suggested that the release of the first trailer must surely be imminent. Lo and behold:

So, first impressions? For me, it does nothing to quieten the doubts I have over Michael Cera's suitability in the role; I think it required an actor with a more forceful personality. That said, I definitely like the visual style of the film; that they've chosen to embrace the comicbook medium so fully was a good decision considering the often-cartoonish nature of the source material (and that element can be seen more fully in the sound effect screencaps at Bleeding Cool). The trailer seems to be getting a good response around the web (and the film is currently the #4 Twitter trending topic). I'm setting myself to 'cautiously optimistic,' with a real belief that it'll exceed my expectations.

EDIT: a friend pointed me in the direction of this website, which does a fantastic job of highlighting direct references the film makes to the comicbook - there's quite a few, even in a minute-and-a-half trailer. Based on this, I'm upgrading my excitement level to "why is it not August already?"

The National debut "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

This has been a good day for quality bands putting out songs in advance of the release of new albums. Earlier today, when discussing Broken Social Scene's imminent Forgiveness Rock Record, I wrote that "no other album this year has me as excited as this one." Running it a close second: High Violet, the latest record from The National, due May 10th. The studio version of live favourite "Bloodbuzz Ohio" has hit the internet today; initially played on BBC 6 Music, a poor-quality rip had been making the rounds until 4AD responded with the high-quality version, which you can listen to here and download here. Initial thoughts: it picks up exactly where 2007s superb Boxer left off, which is no bad thing. This comes hot on the heels on "Terrible Love," which they debuted on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a few weeks ago:

High Violet track list:

1. Terrible Love

2. Sorrow

3. Anyone's Ghost

4. Little Faith

5. Afraid Of Everyone

6. Bloodbuzz Ohio

7. Lemonworld

8. Runaway

9. Conversation 16

10. England

11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

Two new Broken Social Scene songs

With the April 30th release of new album Forgiveness Rock Record imminent, and with lead track "World Sick" having been available for a while now, Broken Social Scene have decided to put up a couple more new songs on their website. Never a band to rush things, it has now been almost five years since the release of the superlative Broken Social Scene, and I can honestly say that no other album this year has me as excited as his one. With good reason, too, judging by these songs; several listens in, and "World Sick" really does stand out as something striking, whilst "Forced To Love" is an upbeat, instantly catchy track along the lines of "Cause = Time". "All To All", meanwhile, is very restrained, the kind of slow-burner they have always done so well. The albums Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning put out whilst Broken Social Scene were on hiatus were decent enough, but it's definitely good to have the band back together. In a recent interview, Kevin Drew talked about the new album, amongst other things.

Forgiveness Rock Record track list:

1. World Sick

2. Chase Scene

3. Texico Bitches

4. Forced To Love

5. All To All

6. Art House Director

7. Highway Slipper Jam

8. Ungrateful Little Father

9. Meet Me In The Basement

10. Sentimental X's

11. Sweetest Kill

12. Romance To The Grave

13. Water In Hell

14. Me And My Hand

Shutter Island

At this point, is there really much left to be said about Martin Scorsese? Quibbles over his lone Best Director Oscar success aside, no-one has been of greater importance to American cinema over the last fifty years, and only a few brave (and wrong) souls would suggest otherwise. He was at the forefront of the New Hollywood movement that emerged in the seventies and revitalised the film industry; whilst many of his contemporaries squandered their talent in the intervening years, he has stayed not just relevant, but frequently excellent too. Shutter Island stands as further testament to his skill as a director, and to his unparalleled understanding of the medium of cinema.

Adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are called to investigate a seemingly unexplainable disappearance at Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane, located on Shutter Island. It soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems; interviews with staff and patients alike leave Teddy and Chuck wondering what exactly is taking place on the island, and head psychiatrist Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley) seems keen to prevent them from learning the truth.

We experience the narrative through the eyes of Teddy, and DiCaprio should be praised for another superb performance in a Scorsese-helmed film; he perfectly captures the mental scarring that defines the character. Teddy was one of the US soldiers who helped to liberate the Dachau concentration camp; indeed, he is still traumatised by those memories, which frequently exhibit themselves in the form of dreams and nightmares, which are expressed as striking visual sequences that help transform the film into a waking nightmare from which Teddy cannot escape, much like the island itself.

Elsewhere, everyone else holds up their end of the bargain. Mark Ruffalo - who frequently gets cast in officer-of-the-law roles - offers consistency in the face of partner DiCaprio's increasingly erratic behaviour, doing his best to reign Teddy in but overwhelmed by the force of his personality. Ben Kingsley's performance, meanwhile, is also pitched perfectly, as restrained as it needs to be, with seemingly malevolent undertones that lend his character the necessary air of ambiguity; the audience doubts his motives, without having any compelling reason to do so.

Considering that suspense is so important to the film, the amount of direct visual references to Alfred Hitchcock to be found are entirely appropriate. The greatest compliment you can pay Shutter Island is that it is worthy of comparison to the films it homages. The tension levels keep on rising as the uncertainty surrounding Ashecliff keep the audience guessing, and some of the settings in which the action unfolds perfectly heighten the mood.

It is not, however, a perfect film; the ending stretches suspension of disbelief to breaking point. It does hold up, but it also strains credibility. I wanted to accept it unequivocally, out of love for everything that preceded it, but it stands as an example of an unlovable brand of narrative trickery, that being twists of the "everything you thought you knew is wrong" variety, which are just as often liable to leave the audience feeling cheated rather than awestruck, and whilst it didn't rile me as much as it did Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw, I share some of his misgivings. That said, the final scene is truly excellent.

Critical response to the film has so far been quite varied; Peter Bradshaw's review aside, there are several others which merit interest. Kate Muir's description of the film as sub-Tarantino is so far wide of the mark I'm not convinced she's ever even seen a Quentin Tarantino film, but her point about the evocation of the Holocaust seeming out of place is certainly one worth discussion; the A.V. Club offer a much more interesting comparison to another filmmaker when citing Park Chan-wook; and Moving Pictures (full disclosure: written by a friend of mine) offers the perspective of someone able to discuss Scorsese's achievement having read Lehane's novel.

Viva! Film Festival: Little Indi

Marc Rocha is something of a veteran now, a Catalan filmmaker with an eye for beauty and a particular fondness for the natural world. This shines through in his latest film Little Indi, which tells the story of Arnau (played by the superb Marc Soto), an insular seventeen year old living on the outskirts of Barcelona. His family life has been disrupted by an absentee father and his mother getting sent to prison; upon seeing a news report featuring a particularly successful lawyer, he dreams of raising the money needed to hire him to set his mother free. However, with himself and an elder brother and sister all working low-income jobs, it doesn't look like a realistic possibility. So he retreats into nature, finding comfort and solace in his songbirds, of which a prize-winning goldfinch is his pride and joy. Whilst off on one of his frequent walks, he discovers an injured fox, and decides to take it home with him, and nurse it back to health.

That's not just a brief synopsis; it pretty much summarises the film in its entirety. Little Indi moves along at its own leisurely, meditative pace. In no way concerned with packing too much plot or action in, it features longing shots of scenic locales and a wonderful score - filled with birdsong - which combine to lend the film a wonderful transcendental beauty.

What's really of interest, though, is the ending, and the absolute lack of narrative resolution it offers. Cinematic convention dictates that the central conflicts outlined by any film should in some way be addressed, with either a positive or negative outcome, from which the characters can learn the lessons they are supposed to. Little Indi refuses to play along; whilst the first part of the denouement carries a certain sense of inevitability about it, Arnau's reaction to it certainly doesn't, and initially leaves the viewer wondering what exactly they are supposed to take from it. It feels like an unsentimental and even nihilistic rejection of the supposed simpler life that the narrative has depicted up until that point, a bold and unexpected move considering that Rocha presents the city as an intrusive element throughout, something that constantly creeps into the background of shots in a deliberate attempt to highlight the schism between the city and the country; it's a successful device, one which becomes harder to pin down in light of the ending. Thought-provoking in the best kind of way.

Scott Pilgrim Volume Six: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour release date announced

"It's been quite a ride, and I couldn't have gotten here without the support of the fans and the retailers. It feels great to be in the home stretch, and I think this is going to be the best Scott Pilgrim book ever!" - Bryan Lee O'Malley

The announcement that the sixth and final volume of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series will be out on July 20th was not something I was expecting; whilst talking about the film the other day, I mentioned in passing that it was due in 2010, so to find out a mere two days later that it has a solid release date makes for a wonderful Friday afternoon. In the past, I have wrote extensively of my love for Scott Pilgrim, describing it as "a seriously impressive mix of music scene in-jokery, video game-inspired fight scenes, and relationships blossoming and unfolding and imploding, all drawn in Bryan Lee O'Malley's perfect manga-but-not-quite-as-we-know-it style." Those words were written almost four years ago, and whilst they don't come close to capturing the greatness of O'Malley's work, they do hint at its appeal. They were written whilst reviewing Volume 3 (Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness), and the series has only gone from strength-to-strength since then. That it must end is a shame - there's nothing else out there quite like it - but O'Malley always had a conclusion in mind, and I can't wait to read how it unfolds. For the uninitiated, there really could be no matter time to check it out.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Official Teaser Poster...

Like Kick-Ass, this movie seems to have one hell of a bandwagon behind it. Unlike Kick-Ass, I have no reservations about the source material. Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series (of which the sixth and concluding volume is due for release at some point this year) is some of the strongest work in the comicbook medium any creator has offered in the twenty-first century, and its heady combination of action, sarcasm and music should readily translate to the big screen. Mind you, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have doubts about Michael Cera in the lead role; in my eyes, his stock has plummeted since his Arrested Development days, due largely to his inability to display any signs of versatility as an actor. The usual Cera performance would not do justice to the character of Scott Pilgrim; here's hoping this is the film in which he shows he has a much broader range than anyone imagined. Edgar Wright's presence as director can only be viewed as a positive; his sensibilities should suit the material perfectly. I'm looking forward to the surely imminent release of the first trailer.

Jason Segel to star in new Muppets movie

Jason Segel is awesome. Whilst I've never gotten around to watching the two much-loved American television comedy-drama series which helped to launch his career (Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, both of which remain stubbornly unavailable on Region 2 DVD), his work in superlative American sitcom How I Met Your Mother (which will never get the credit it deserves on these shores, despite being funnier than at least 90% of Friends) always makes me laugh, and in Forgetting Sarah Marshall he ably proved that he can excel as the leading man. Said film also featured a charming sub-plot that could be seen as a homage to Jim Henson. So news that Segel will star in an all-new Muppets movie can only be considered a good thing. However, since it'll be a long time coming, here's a video of Jason Segel hilariously making fun of his own burgeoning fame whilst performing with The Swell Season (otherwise known as 'those two who starred in Once') to entertain yourself with:

Viva! Film Festival: Daniel and Ana

The Viva! Spanish & Latin American Film Festival has been one of the highlights of any calendar year at the Cornerhouse for sixteen years now, providing the city of Manchester with a unique opportunity to see a diverse range of films. Being the only festival of its kind in the UK, some of the films screened are unlikely to make it to the cinemas of these shores anywhere else, and with the subtle shift towards populism the Cornerhouse seems to be in the middle of (its disappointing decision to screen only the English dubbed version of Ponyo chief amongst its failings this year) its arrival is even more of a breath of fresh air than usual.

Daniel and Ana tells the story of the titular characters, siblings Ana and Daniel Torres. As the audience joins them, they're both at critical stages of their progression toward adulthood, with the elder of the two, Ana, soon to be married, and Daniel ready to leave his adolescence behind (one of the scenes intended to signify this, with Daniel practising potential signatures, is particularly cute). They get on well with one another, they get on well with their parents, and their respective futures seem certain to be bright. However, their contentment is shattered when they're kidnapped by people with a very specific demand to make of them. Failure to comply means guaranteed death. So they go through with it, and in the aftermath we see that their lives will never be the same again, as both of them struggle to cope with the trauma of their experience.

The film begins and ends by informing us that the events of Daniel and Ana are based on a true story, which means the air of discomfort the film provokes is heightened every time you remember that it is grounded in reality. People being forced into filming pornography is prevalent in Mexico, the footage being sold to international markets, with the crime often going unreported. The scene in question is one of the most shocking I've ever witnessed; it initially threatens to overwhelm the narrative, rendering everything that follows moot. It is to the credit of everyone involved that it doesn't.

Daniel and Ana is the first feature film from writer/director Michel Franco, who should have a promising future ahead of him. The film has echoes of the oeuvre of Michael Haneke, and whilst he's some way from scaling those heights, there's enough evidence here to suggest that he could become a very important filmmaker. That he steers clear of melodrama is something he should be commended for; given the subject matter, it would have been all-too-obvious to see the film descend into hysterics. The psychological level on which the film operates is far more interesting. Franco coaxes impressive performances from Dario Yazbek Bernal (Daniel) and Marimar Vega (Ana), whose subtle work is exactly what is required, and the restraint on display throughout precludes any accusations of shock tactics. It is far from perfect; the unrelentingly bleak tone makes it difficult to sit through, and it almost certainly belongs to this school of cinema; and the occasional appearance of a brass-heavy orchestral piece of music lent certain scenes a tragicomic air that was certainly not intended. In spite of that, it stands up as a challenging piece of cinema, and evidence that Michel Franco is one to keep an eye on.

Kick-Ass trailer

Having watched this for the first time today, I think I can say I'm officially on board. The first few issues of the comicbook didn't grab me quite as much as they might have done (and if this movie opens strongly, my first printing of #1 is definitely going straight on eBay), but right from the off it was obvious how well it would translate to the big screen, and it didn't take long for that promise to become reality. What's more impressive is how much buzz the film has generated. It's already made the cover Empire and Little White Lies, two magazines on entirely different ends of the movie coverage spectrum, which seems like a good sign. I'd forgotten that Nicholas Cage was in the film; after his staggeringly brilliant, endlessly quotable performance in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans I've had to reassess my opinion of him and decide I'm up for watching anything he's starring in. I have no problem admitting that Christopher Mintz-Plasse makes me laugh, and Aaron Johnson looks to be well-cast in the titular role. If the latest trailer is anything to go by, the film strikes the balance between action and humour perfectly. It won't be clever, but not everything has to be:

New Iron Man 2 trailer

The first Iron Man film was an absolute triumph. Robert Downey Jr. was seemingly born to play Tony Stark and, equally importantly, Jon Favreau gets the character. What they and everyone else involved produced ranks in the top five 21st century comicbook movies (I'd put it at number three, behind only Batman Begins and Spider-man). My hopes are even higher for the sequel. To have Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell - both of whom are coming off arguably the performances of their lives (in The Wrestler and Moon respectively) - is a massive coup, and Don Cheadle represents a significant upgrade over Terrence Howard in the role of Jim Rhodes/War Machine. And this newest trailer offers even more reason to be excited as hell ahead of the April 30th UK release date:

Mark Linkous

It's always difficult to pay tribute following the death of one of your favourite musicians. All I know Mark Linkous for is his music, and to lament his passing seems almost selfish of me. Somewhere right now, his family and friends are going through an emotional turmoil I couldn't even begin to understand. Indeed, at least some of what they're feeling is captured beautifully in a statement from Linkous's family, part of which reads: "We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There's a heaven and there's a star for you."

That spirit of positivity is something to cling on to. He leaves behind a handful of truly wonderful albums, and his memory will live on, not just in the hearts and minds of those who knew him and cared about him, but through his music. Rest in peace Mark.

In Advance of the 82nd Academy Awards

Yes, it's that time of year again. It's hard to tell whether or not anyone has much enthusiasm for the Oscars anymore. Indeed, much of the focus this time round seems to be on the fact that the films that have garnered the most nominations - Avatar and The Hurt Locker respectively - were directed by James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow, who were once married to one another. It's a reasonable enough angle to hang the ceremony off of, but in truth it betrays a general lack of interest in the event itself. Which is fair enough, really, as even the most cursory trawl through the main categories reveals very little to get excited about, with the most obvious candidates generally garnering their expected nominations, as we're about to see:

Best Picture

Given that the category has been expanded to include ten films, you really would have hoped for a wildcard of some kind to spring up - The White Ribbon or A Prophet, for example, moving up from the Best Foreign Language Film category into the supposed big leagues. That hasn't really happened, though. Admittedly, Up manages to make the shortlist, but has no chance of winning - it'll surely take home the Best Animated Feature, but isn't a serious candidate for the big award. Neither is District 9, a somewhat baffling inclusion. The Blind Side hasn't been released in this country yet, which makes any kind of assessment difficult. By all appearances it can be easily filed in the 'American sports drama' bracket, but it is based on a critically acclaimed true life story, so it could be decent. For practical purposes, I'm ruling it out of the running. Ditto An Education, simply because I find it hard to believe that an American audience will be interested enough in what is a very British film for it to take home the big prize. A Serious Man doesn't quite match the heights of multiple Oscar winner No Country For Old Men, and so it seems a reasonably safe bet that it will end up missing out here.

Of the five films that leaves, it becomes much harder to pick one out as the winner. Inglourious Basterds was very much a return to form for Quentin Tarantino, but it doesn't seem likely that a film that plays Adolf Hitler for laughs will win Best Picture. Precious is a film with much to commend it for, but it also has a number of failings that mean it shouldn't win here. Up In The Air might actually have a chance. After all, it's the most extensively nominated film in the main categories, which suggests that the Academy are keen on it. Avatar is now the highest-grossing film ever, but it could hardly be described as any kind of critical success, although that in itself isn't reason to rule it out of the running, and it has to be considered one of the front-runners. Yet I'm taking the safe option, and backing The Hurt Locker to emulate the success it had at the BAFTAs. I imagine the recent controversy surrounding the film has come too late in the day to affect it negatively, and it probably is the only truly standout option.

Best Director

Not a massively straightforward category. For all his detractors, Quentin Tarantino has had as much of an impact on American cinema as anyone these past twenty years, and that deserves greater acknowledgment than a single Best Original Screenplay award. I can't see him winning in that category this year, and in truth, I can't see him winning Best Director either. But he wouldn't make for a terrible choice. As previously mentioned, Precious is a fantastic film, but it is not one without its failings, and I think some of them can be traced to Lee Daniels's inexperience as a director. James Cameron won a Best Director award for Titanic, and I'd like to believe that Avatar is far too similar a film (on a structural level, they're nearly identical) to earn him a second one. Kathryn Bigelow is again the safe option, so I'm backing her, although Up In The Air is surely going to take home at least one of the big awards, and considering Jason Reitman has been nominated for the ho-hum Juno in the past, I think there's a genuine chance of him winning here.

Best Actor

I'm very much of the belief that George Clooney has to win one of these awards one day - he is a very talented individual, and it's obvious that he's beloved by the Academy. This could definitely be his year. Surprisingly for a Clint Eastwood film, Invictus has been largely ignored, so I wouldn't back Morgan Freeman. I don't see Colin Firth winning, either. Jeremy Renner has a chance - he's won more than a few (comparatively minor) awards for his role in The Hurt Locker, as does Jeff Bridges (mostly in a Martin Scorsese "he's surely done enough over the span of his career to deserve one of these things for something" sense). I'm going for Clooney, though.

Best Actress

Give it to Gabourey Sidibe! Helen Mirren really doesn't need any more recognition at this point, nor does Meryl Streep - fine actresses both, their legacies are secure. And for Sandra Bullock, the nomination itself should be sufficient to redeem someone who had previously been seen as something of a joke. That leaves Sidibe and Carey Mulligan, and as far as portrayals of adolescence are concerned, Mulligan's just isn't that interesting, and her performance not that impressive. I've expressed my opinion that Precious is a flawed film, but those flaws do not extend to the performance of Sidibe, which is nothing short of remarkable, and will hopefully earn her this award.

Best Supporting Actor

One of the strongest fields. I have precisely zero interest in watching The Lovely Bones, which has been made to look entirely mundane by its own advertising campaign (and, indeed, by its reviews), so I can't comment on Stanley Tucci's performance. Matt Damon - for all my belief that he's spreading himself a little thin just lately - is a fine actor, but I don't see him winning here. Ditto Woody Harrelson - they've both been nominated for the Best Actor award in the past, without success, and I expect them to go home disappointed tonight. Christoph Waltz is the best thing about Inglourious Basterds, and time was I'd have been rooting for him to win. But Christopher Plummer probably deserves it. Not only has he had a long career, filled with fine performances, but aside from The Last Station, he was excellent in Up (as the voice of the villain of the piece, Charles F. Muntz) and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Still, I expect Waltz to win here.

Best Supporting Actress

Rob Marshall's previous film Chicago swept up at the 2002 Oscars. His latest effort, Nine, has been a catastrophic failure. Critics hated it, and it has been almost entirely ignored by the Academy. That Penelope Cruz is nominated here is testament to her talent, and her status as another of the Academy's most beloved performers. Yet having won the same award last year, it'd be a surprise to see her take it away again, especially for a role in a universally panned film. Anna Kendrick and Vera Famiga are both nominated for Up In The Air, and could end up splitting the vote. Maggie Gyllenhaal may have a chance, then, but Mo'Nique has so far swept up at the other award shows - taking home the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild versions of this award - and it seems ridiculous not to back her to do the same here.

Marina and the Diamonds, "Family Jewels"

Having made a significant impression on the live circuit in 2009 - including a stunning set at Nottingham Dot To Dot Festival last May that I was fortunate enough to witness - Marina Diamandis and her Diamonds ended their year as one of fifteen bands the BBC tipped for great things in their Sound of 2010 feature, which in the past has proven to be an extremely useful launching pad for several bands. The 2009 version included Lady GaGa, Florence and the Machines and La Roux, all of whom have gone on to do very well for themselves. For Marina and the Diamonds, the signs of success are already evident. The venues are getting larger and the gigs are still selling out, and quickly, and before their debut album Family Jewels had even been released. Exactly how big they might become is uncertain; the suggestion that they might one day headline stadiums is not as fanciful as it would've been a year ago.

Indeed, the shadow of imminent fame casts itself over Family Jewels from beginning to end, as the band show no fear of being too self-referential. Lead single "Hollywood" comes across as a direct address aimed at potential superstardom, the line "I'm obsessed with the mess that's America" very much intended as both a critique of our infatuation with celebrity culture and a rejection of any such lifestyle for themselves. In the midst of the song, the lyrics craft a scene where photographers and bystanders confuse Diamandis for Shakira and Catherine Zeta-Jones, prompting her to confidently assert that "actually, my name's Marina," a non-too-subtle declaration of her intention to retain her own sense of identity, no matter how successful she might become. It's a bold statement, and she's created a rod for her own back if fame does end up changing her, as well as a tune that is something of a grower.

Elsewhere, the strongest songs are those from earlier EPs - "I Am Not A Robot" and "Obsessions" both have a similar structure, proving to be perfect distillations of the best elements of the band, with fragile, introspective beginnings flowering into bombastic pop that perfectly showcase Diamandis's range. Her vocals are possessed of a theatrical quality not entirely dissimilar to Amanda Palmer, an approach that is sure to alienate some listeners right off the bat. That's something of a shame; like Palmer there's a depth to her singing that goes beyond the attention-grabbing screechy nature of the catchier singles, as she proves to be capable of subtlety when it's required. Another single, "Mowgli's Road," wouldn't feel out of place on Gwen Stefani's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." which, let's face it, is no bad thing.

However, it's several songs too long. In most cases, I tend to be an advocate of the ten-song LP - only the very special bands are capable of all killer, no filler albums, and Marina and the Diamonds aren't there yet, stretching themselves a little too much in places. "Girls" and "Hermit The Frog" are both humdrum studies in gender politics, and "Rootless" is a rather plodding Kate Bush impression. Their presence ends up interrupting the flow of the album, and a less-is-more approach would have served them well. For the large part, though, the album is simply pop done very well, certainly an improvement on the efforts of the aforementioned trio of 2009 success stories, and an impressive statement as to the ambitions of this band.

Married Single Other

Q: On which date did the Battle of Hastings take place?

A: Love. At least, that's the answer according to new ITV flagship drama Married Single Other

The handy thing about ITV is that, after years of neglect, you know exactly what to expect from any new programming they choose to heavily hype. You expect it to be awful. With good reason, too. Take Michael Winner's Dining Stars. Inexplicably the focus of a number of Granada Reports "news" features prior to its premiere on Friday night, the show involves the washed-up one time director now most commonly known for one of those inane television advertising catchphrases - "Calm down, Dear, it's only a commercial" - that are funny precisely once, if you're feeling in a particularly charitable mood. The show consists of Winner visiting two families, eating a three-course meal in their company, before inviting them to a London-based cinema setting, where they're screened footage of him critiquing everything from their cooking to their conversation, before deciding whether or not to award them one of his entirely valueless dining star awards. The whole thing is an exercise in providing a vehicle for a smug, needlessly self-satisfied man - whose most significant directing job of the last twenty years involves the aforementioned esure adverts - to patronise the general public whilst expecting them to be grateful for it.

That's having sat through a full episode. Married Single Other, on the other hand, looks like the kind of show you can safely assess simply by sitting through the adverts a couple of times, whilst saving yourself the bother of actually suffering through an hour of it. The premise: a group of thirtysomethings angst over settling down - either they're ready to but can't; they have done and they regret it; or they don't want to and aren't certain what that means. Admittedly, that's not the worst premise for a show (This Life could be summarised in much the same way, as could Cold Feet), but being a product of ITV's recent reverse Midas touch commissioning policy, you cannot help but expect the worst. The first episode drew decent ratings, but that's to be expected - so much promotion had gone into it that it couldn't help but start strongly, with plenty of people likely to tune in out of curiosity, if nothing else (the very reason I chose to sit through it). The second episode didn't fare quite so well. So far, the show has received decidedly mixed reviews.

You know you're in trouble when, minutes into the first episode, you're introduced to an annoyingly precocious child who has his own blog and uses words such as 'aplomb.' Trouble is, he often comes across as the most intelligent character of the ensemble - in contrast, Dickie (played by Dean Lennox Kelly), is an online poker-obsessed bloke who thinks nothing of declaring "man, am I good at that" post-sex. Everywhere else, the approach to characterisation possesses the same sledgehammer-subtlety, too. Ralf Little plays Clint, whom we know is supposed to be a womaniser because a) he refers to someone he picked up drunkenly the night before as 'Sofa Girl,' in lieu of actually remembering her name and b) he has a large framed picture of a lingerie-clad model on all fours hanging above his bed. Eddie (Shaun Dooley) is the token nice guy, devoted father and loving boyfriend, who really wants to marry his long-term girlfriend Lillie (Lucy Davis). Despite being with him since sixth-form, Lillie doesn't feel the same way, being a post-feminist woman who doesn't need to be tied down. Her opposition of marriage - on the grounds that it is entirely unnecessary, given the longevity of their relationship - stands in contrast to the desires (conscious or subconscious) of her friends, and might make her a sympathetic character were it not for the fact that the script insists on repeatedly hammering home just how independent and modern a woman she is, in the process managing to patronise her rather than empower her. Meanwhile, Abbey (Miranda Raison) and Babs (Amanda Abbington) are as yet somewhat peripheral, not massively sketched out beyond their obvious personality traits.

Of course, the show follows their trials and tribulations in the pursuit of love and long-lasting happiness. The problem is that love is so common a theme that there really is nothing new to say about it, so the only option is to try and say it in an interesting way, avoiding as many of the cliches as possible. That's not the approach Married Single Other chooses to take, however, with characters spouting boring platitudes such as "money doesn't matter, only love matters" and "love is always the answer" on a semi-regular basis, sentiments that are tired and, ultimately, boring, whilst the characters who don't quite agree with these declarations act as ciphers to remind us all that love is complicated. Yes, ITV, love is complicated. Thanks for spelling that out to us in the least imaginative way possible. In fairness, the performances aren't terrible - aren't bad at all, in fact - and there is a reasonable amount of chemistry on display. The problem is that each character is such a broad stereotype that it's impossible to view them as individuals worth caring about and, for all their supposed uncertainties, the truth is that each of them seem entirely stuck in their own particular ways, with little scope for change. The argument could be put forward that, only two episodes in, the show still needs time to gel, that the characters need a little more time to develop, and that then the audience might get on their side. But between episodes, almost a third of that audience has already disappeared. It's hard to imagine why anyone would stick around to see how their lives develop.