As they wrap up their 2013 Take Me Home Tour, One
Direction are not stopping their chart-topping success as they release
their latest single, Story of My Life.
With their third studio album, Midnight Memories, hitting the airwaves in less than a month, their
second single is a different vibe to their film’s title track, Best Song Ever.
Story of My Life
talks about a man giving all his love to girl who’s finding it hard to stay in their tumultuous relationship. It’s a song that captures the essence of promising
to be there regardless of the hard times, yet also finding hard to believe that you can keep that promise.
It’s a great acoustic-based track that grips you from the
first note and leaves you breathless as you take in the story it portrays.
Each member shines and supports the others; you can really sense that 1D finding their feet and defining themselves in the music industry.
Kudos to the team of songwriters, musicians and mixers for creating
a beautiful and emotive track for the next year with 1D!
sL Star Rating:★★★★★
Next on sL:One Direction - Midnight Memories (Deluxe Edition) Review
Firstly, I just want to say, I have
never been in a room full of people willing to be up on their feet for every
song, let alone cheer at the top of their lungs after every song.
I count myself included in that
description as I can finally say that I have seen One Direction LIVE. It was in fact my highlight – concert / gig
wise – for 2013 due to a few things:
1) The level of energy in the room,
2) The great choice in an opening act
and
3) I was not told to sit down!
The last one is really important to
me, considering I’ve been told to sit in my seat countless times during these
arena concerts. I’ve just always believed that you should be up on your feet
when the music is pumping! Sure if it’s a slow song I’ll forgive you for asking
me to sit down, but don’t get mad if I stand back up for a song that demands me
to be up on my feet! *Rant Over*.
Enough of that! Let’s get to ONE DIRECTION!!!
5 Seconds of Summer opened for 1D, and
they were incredible.
I’ve found that when people are in
their hometown they seem to own the stage a lot more, because it’s home!
Ironically, seeing as this is 1D’s Take
Me Home tour, that’s exactly what 5SOS did! And without a doubt they warmed
up an already excited crowd to a boiling level! So big, big KUDOS to 5SOS for kicking the night off
with a bang!
I also have to mention the amazing DJ
that was playing all those tracks that warmed up our vocal chords, starting
with Beyoncé all the way through to the Grease
soundtrack. I’m mentioning the DJ because he got us all nice and ready for One
Direction with a little bit of the Macarena
just as the lights began to dim. KUDOS
to you too mate! Loved it!!!
TAKE ME HOME TOUR
As Up All Night opened the set, the directioners all around the arena
were still taking in the fact that they were watching One Direction as they sang and danced along to a beloved track from
1D’s first album. But just as soon as they opened they were straight into
another one of my favourites, I Would.
Testing out my moves, I was spelling out, “L.O.V.E” as the boys were singing
the chorus – just like Hi5 taught me!
Heart Attack followed straight on
cue, as some fans seemed to be breathless after the two opening songs.
Regardless, everyone was still up on their feet cheering, singing and dancing
along.
As the song finished, Louis and Niall
took over and greeted the crowd gingerly. Liam, Zayn and Harry followed in suit
as they all took turns thanking us for being there before they slowed things
down just a smidge with another track from their first album – and my favourite
track!
As More Than This resounded throughout the arena, glow sticks, camera
flashes and light sticks flooded the darkness swaying from left to right. But
as the tempo kicked back up with Loved
You First, and the directioners were right back up singing at the top of
their lungs – or maybe that was just me…
Either way, by the time One Thing was introduced, the boys had
already told the crowd that we were, “The LOUDEST crowd they’d had across the
world.” I’m going to give the boys the benefit of the doubt considering my ears
were still ringing when I woke up the following morning. I can only imagine
what the boys feel like every night
since March!
C’mon, C’mon set another motion of high-energy
movement as everyone in the room obeyed the lyrics to dance about – and in
truth, “the music was so loud”, so
much so, you couldn’t help but let it lead your movements.
For a change in scene, Change My Mind saw the boys soaring
above the crowd to make their way to the floor stage located towards the back
of the arena. Giving those of us in that section a little glimpse of them. With
a bit of light banter and a mini-Q&A conducted by Niall, their Comic Relief charity single, One Way or Another / Teenage Kicks,
kicked off the next leg of the set.
Resting their vocals for a moment,
the boys answered some twitter questions with a piggyback race and a
demonstration of the worm by Liam. They also gave us a little insight into their
favourite foods by giving us a list of three things that they would eat for the
rest of their lives. I just remember a lot of chicken – haha!
Getting back to the music side of
things, the lads strapped themselves back unto their elevated stage and glided
the airwaves with my favourite track on this album, Last First Kiss. And as promised, by the time the boys were singing
Moments – still in the air, they let
the crowd’s voices take them back to the main stage as the finishing the song
for them.
Live While We're Young signified a change
in pace as time was ticking away – although mind you, I’m pretty sure everyone
in the room were pretty happy to stay until the following day and start
everything “all over again”!
The final few moments of the night
happened in couplets, Summer Love
took the tempo back down just enough for fans to settle themselves in their
seats to sway and wave anything that was glowing from the left to the
right. And as Over Again filled the arena, fans were ready to get up on their
feet again (yes, I was singing hard-out by the time the second verse kicked in;
and yes, I did keep up with Harry and Louis!)
As the band turned up the notch on
the tempo and the volume, their Wheatus
cover, Teenage Dirtbag, rang out
across the arena with the crowd’s contribution rising and falling depending on
their age. Being a 90s kid, this song was second nature to my lips, thus
needing no prompter to lead me as to when the chorus was coming or when the key
change was headed in my direction. And by the time, Rock Me demanded the crowd’s participation, I was a little
disappointed that the boys didn’t know the basic ‘stomp-stomp-clap’ that their
take on Queen’s classic, We Will Rock You, instructs.
Fortunately She's Not Afraid swooped in to get the crowd back in gear, just in
time to warm us back up for Kiss You!
Leaving the crowd on a high, 1D made
no effort and hiding that the night was not finished just yet. Their
silhouettes were still visible as they made their way to their final positions
for the night. When everything was ready and a small snippet from This
Is Us had fluttered the audience’s hearts, Best Song Ever kicked in right on cue.
But before leaving the stage for good, Niall takes the
lead once again to thank us for spending the evening with them and being part
of the “best fans in the world”. Liam, Harry, Zayn and Louis followed in suit
from their seated positions, happy to let Niall take the reigns as the night
drew to a close.
Closing with their very first single, What Makes You Beautiful, gave the crowd one last hurrah as everyone
was up on feet, singing and dancing to the song that launched One Direction to
the top all around the globe.
Overall it was a great night. Like I
said before, it was a great crowd to be a part of. The setlist was well
selected and the blueprint for the entire show was well maaped-out. Although
the set was amazing and the graphics were appropriate in summarising the last three
years of their life, I wish there was a bit more on stage for the boys to use
in order to really make the most of the space they had. I was also a little
disappointed in their use of the floor stage. Although it was meant to be a
‘casual space’ it was a little too casual and I felt like they were closing
themselves off from their fans instead of fully interacting with them. But in
saying all of that, it’s just the drama teacher / director side of me talking.
I had a blast and have no regrets in going to another One Direction concert in
the future.
I haven't done a book review in two years, and since I'm almost done with my degree, I thought I'd share a story within a story with you.
I have a sinking feeling in my stomach as I realise that I’m at the end of two things in my life: Uni and the #RangersApprenticeSeries.The two seem unrelated, yes, but I have to say, my real-life journey has been aided by the fictional journey written by John Flanagan.
I was 15 when a good friend recommended the series to me, ironically the same age as the protagonist it depicted. Although there had been 4 books published already, it seemed uncanny that I would begin this series at same time Will began his Ranger training in the story.
Buzzing through the four books and purchasing the latest release later that year, I was in love with the story, its setting, its characters and each dangerous mission. In 2007, Mr Flanagan himself entertained us with his presence as he attended our school’s annual Book Day. I was 16 and had manage to find a way to meet one of my favourite authors. I served him coffee and biscuits, along with a curious question of whether or not the rumours were true about the series being turned into a film. Even back then it was still unsure as they had just launched the series in America and the new covers still hadn’t been in the works.
Fast forward three years later - and I was sitting in front of my local Kmart with my lips twisted as my eyes were taking in the new covers. I thought to myself, “Well there goes my collection…I might have to re-buy the ones I have to match these ones…” Working at Hungry Jack’s at the time, that was not going to happen. But my curiosity got the best of me and so I wrote to John, who miraculously remembered me from three years before. I asked him why the covers had changed and he said, “It was time.”
Although the OCD part of me didn’t like it, the more logical part of me knew it was the truth. Getting over the shock, I was just glad that the RA series we’re still there for me when I needed a good book to cheer me up the end of every stressful year. By the time 2011 hit, I was catching up on three books in the series and had no regrets of choosing them over my uni readings - sorry to all my professors, but seriously, choose readings with a little more humour please.
2012 was a big year as I was still catching up on books 10 and 11 in the series. I was sure that book 11 was the last one in the series, but the OCD part of me didn’t want to believe it; truthfully, neither did the logical part of me.
But as 2013 rolled in and pictures and snippets of the final book were appearing on my Facebook feed I was so excited.
But now, as I’m almost finished and I’m about to say goodbye to Will, Horace, Evelyn (she was - and is - always Evelyn to me) and Halt (characters who were there for the majority of the series), along with my university setting, it’s all becoming too real.
As two paths running unconsciously parallel to each other both come to an end, I can’t help but think that the #RangersApprentice series has taken me through the later part of my education more so than any other series. No, they haven’t been my bible to life, but they have been books that have given me something to look forward in a simple way.
So for that, I’d like to say, “Thank you Mr John Flanagan”.
Percy (Logan Lerman), Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and
Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) are back for a whole new quest – a quest that seems
to drag all of Camp Half-Blood with
them.
With a war waging between cousins, immortal fathers and
mentors seem impossible to communicate with – even the Oracle of Delphi’s
prophesy was more cryptic than a court jester’s riddles.
With his destiny on the line, can Percy live up to the
prophecy told long ago?
The Story
Based on the Percy
Jackson Series by Rick Riordan, this movie adaptation is much closer to the
book than the first film. I take my hat off to Marc Guggenheim for his
page-to-screen delivery of one of this century's endeavour to
revive Greek mythology for a new generation.
Unlike the first film where Poseidon is brought to life in human form, this film immortalises him into the deity that
seemingly abandons his child – but in reality, gives him a different
perspective when a certain “optically-challenged” half-brother is thrown in the
picture.
Guggenheim’s rearrangement of the events in the book was
classy and straightforward and really gave the film an edge.
The Cast
Logan Lerman – Reprising his role as the sole demi-god spawned
by one of the “Big Three”, Lerman is nothing short of brilliant. Although it is
not his best performance, he brought Percy to life, making his suffering as
the seemingly only son of Poseidon grappling with the fact that he has a
somewhat half-brother, along with the weight of the fate of the world in his
hands.
Alexandra Daddario – Loving the blonde that was missing from
the first film, Daddario is still her feisty self, yet less intense - which is
exactly what Annabeth needs to be through the progression of the series.
Retaining Annabeth’s bossiness, Daddario has found a great balance between her
driven Greek-demi-goddess side and her caring human-being side.
Brandon T. Jackson – Although Jackson was brilliant as the
film’s comic relief, he hasn’t really done anything new with the character,
which is both great, yet disappointing. Great in the sense that he’s the
audience’s constant, but I think in not growing as a character, he lacks the
essence of the Grover in the book series.
Douglas Smith – Perfect portrayal of Tyson. Sure the story
doesn’t allow for the childish nature of the Cyclopes mythology, but Smith
captured the Tyson of the books perfectly. He was a great contrast to Lerman in
regards to seeking and speaking with Poseidon.
Leven Rambin – I loved that we see Clarisse in this film! She’s
such a central character to the first two books of the series that I grinned so much when
she entered in the opening scene. Rambin captured her PERFECTLY and I’m dying
to see what she does with the character next!
Jake Abel – Also reprising his role as the lightning thief,
Luke, Abel gets a longer reign as the antagonist in this film. What Abel lacked
was a sense of consistency in his dialogue, which I think was on purpose in the
sense that he was trying to revive the titan of all titans, while trying to gain
revenge on Mount Olympus. So for me, I think Abel almost outshone every other
cast member, with the exception of Rambin.
Graphics and Visual
Effects
The mechanical bull, taxi ride, hippocampus and water
surfing were all done very well. What I hated was Kronos; he was too mechanical
or graphical to be believable. I really wish that we saw a human aspect to him.
Yes, I do in fact understand that
he’s the scary Titan who ate his children, but Greek pottery did portray him
with human-like features, had Kronos been portrayed in that way I think he
would’ve been much scarier against the theme park setting.
Overall, it was a great film. Well written and well executed. Kudos
to every single member of the cast and crew.
Following in suit with the Jonas Brothers, Hannah
Montana (Miley Cyrus), Michael
Jackson and Justin Bieber, One Direction have released their own 3D
“doco-con” (documentary concert) for their fans to enjoy.
Taking a few crowd favourites from both Up All Night and Take Me Home,
along with their Comic Relief single,
One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks),
the concert aspect of the film begs you to sing along – had I been in the back
row of the theatre, I would have actually been dancing. On the documentary side
of things, I thought it lacked novelty in the sense that much of it was a
combination of their BBC documentary,
One Direction: A Year in the Making,
and their multiple biographies that have just been released.
But let’s unpack it a little more…
Airtime: Who Do You See A Lot Of???
You do see a lot of the boys, but if you’re curious as to
how much time for each, I think I’d have to agree with my sister who said that
‘Harry got a lot of airtime’. I mean don’t get me wrong, Harry got a lot of
great serious airtime too, but they were just overshadowed by his shirtless
scenes. Seriously, any excuse to have him shirtless or looking at the camera,
it was in there. Louis dominated the contemplative talking time. I felt like he
had a lot of the mature things to say in regards to their journey as a band.
Liam was following the same train of thought, but at a more personal level.
Zayn had a lot of family airtime, which I thought was sweet and so realistic to
what a lot of children who grow up in working class families want to do for
their family. Niall was just plain Niall, laughing, having a bit of fun and was
just thankful to the fans. So I guess there’s a enough in there for everyone to
enjoy.
1D in 3D
I’m sorry but I’m still not convinced that people need to be in 3D. I mean it was
great with the concert scenes. But even in those scenes, because there weren’t
too many 3D graphics in the songs themselves (and the boys didn’t actually
pop-out at you), there was no need to spend $20 for 3D.
Concert Concept
I love the set concept (because I’m a theatre nerd). I also loved
that it was a mixture of London and all the places in the world, along with the
comic book and gaming theme. It captures One
Direction as a group and as individuals.
Favourite Part: When
Mr Payne (Liam’s dad) says, “You never see it from the dad’s perspective…I miss
him.”
Overall it was a
good film. Nothing new, both in the genre of doc-cons or One Direction – but, it is one that fans will enjoy.
