The Descendants

Whilst a decent enough film, this is not an Oscar award winning performance by Clooney, good though it is. Recently Cloony's films have always been watchable, from Syriana to Up in the Air (we can forget the Oceans franchise) and this film follows in that rather rich vein, but lets not get too excited. It's the sort of story the BBC does well at although without the exotic locations.
What did strike me about the film and the book it was based on, is that someone, whether it was the author in the first place, or the director, knew Joni Mitchell's song Big Yellow Taxi.
She said back in 1970 (before the book author was born)
'I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise'
For that is the back story, the opening shot is of a multi laned highway crammed with cars going through urban sprawl with a hint of the sea beyond, and Cloony's character is having to decide what he is going to do with an unspoilt piece of coastline his family have held in trust with property developers offering vast sums for the rights to redevelop.
Then to compound the link, his wife comatose in a hospital bed looks like Joni Mitchell in the long shots, high pronounced cheekbones and long golden hair.
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel *, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum *
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT * now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

7.9 / 10 

Ani DiFranco @ Union Chapel, Islington

Our first visit to the Union Chapel and what a wonderful venue, but real star was Ani DiFranco. Bought her cd Dilate a couple of years ago but it has received only sporadic playing but a chance to see her and the venue proved irresistible.
Already slightly late we found seats up in the balcony which offered a good view but one more focussed on the pulpit and not the performer. Enjoyed the last couple of numbers by the support act Ruth Theodore especially her guitar playing, but it was when Ani hit those first guitar notes did the hairs on the neck stand up. I went hunting for different location for photographing from and discovered some empty pews to stage right and spent the majority of her set from there.
A couple of real highlights for me were the 'unloved happier' discarded track from her latest 'Which Side Are You On?' cd and the very impromptu duet with a member of the audience who joined her on stage and played one of her guitars. It turns out that he is Declan Bennett, an Ani fan, singer songwriter back over from New York. A magic moment indeed.
A great 90minute solo performance receiving a well deserved standing ovation, and a great gig.

Set list:
Little Plastic Castle
Dilate
As Is
Unworry
Lifeboat
Swan Dive
Rain Check
J
See See
Unknown Poem
Mariachi
Do Re Mi
Overlap
Albacore
If Yr Not
Which Side Are You On?
Gravel
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