Friday Three

01
Mel Gibson's got a movie out this weekend. Edge Of Darkness is the hollywood remake of the superb BBC drama series from the 80's. If you've got half an interest in film you should see this.

Why?

Gibson has been gone for three and a half years; he hasn’t acted in a leading role in eight. He’s been taking shit constantly since Passion Of The Christ and became a bit of a joke after his drunken roadside arrest in 2006. Since then he’s done AA and gotten a divorce. But he has a legendary career filled with classic films and Oscar wins, and his directing career has been solid. He doesn't have anything to prove. So with all the shit he’s going to take, all the jaded interviews, all the sniggers and remarks about his opinions, every bit of tabloid dirt that is going to get tossed around, and a real Hollywood legacy at stake, you have to ask yourself this - how good does a script have to be to get a guy like Gibson to step out in the open and face all that?



Oh yeah. If that hasn't got your hair rising nothing will. This movie is from the writer of Scorcese's The Departed. It's directed by Martin Campbell, who gave us a bond for the 21st Century in Casino Royale. Ray Winstone, one of the finest character actors on the planet is in support. You need another reason? Okay, Max Rockatansky and Martin Riggs, two of the greatest bad-asses in cinema history, exist because of Mel Gibson. The man is a fucking legend and I grew up with him and I will be seeing Edge Of Darkness this weekend. You should too.

02
German Industrial Metal Gods Rammstein have released a new single from their latest album Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da, and like everything this band have done it is pure and simply very, very good indeed. Heavy, pounding, technical music that hits like a fist to the temple. Out of the many gigs from many bands I've seen in my years these guys are pretty much near the best. Theatrical and dramatic, they combine crunching guitars and drums with Till Lindermann's gutteral voice to fabulous effect, and I totally adore them. Their videos are always interesting, often controversial and frequently astounding. Ich Tu Der Weh is no exception:



03
J.D.Salinger died on Wednesday, aged 91. He was one of the greatest modern novelists and a true literary genius. If you haven't read his landmark work The Catcher In The Rye now couldn't be a better time to do so. His 1951 depiction of Adolescent alienation has never been bettered, not even by Salinger himself, despite the superb work he turned out in later years. He was never comfortable with his success and often refused interviews, and much of his work remained unpublished due to his own self-censorship. Salinger said he wrote for himself, and one can only speculate on the stories that went from his typewriter straight into his drawer. The New York Times posted a superb biography of the man here. Anyone who has ever put pen to paper or fingers to keys can only dream of achieving a tenth of his talent.