Live Forever

As ever. Truly excellent. Highly reccommended!!

Mediocre documentary charting '90s Britpop. It lazily references rather than successfully explores influential bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Massive Attack, Portishead, Suede and Supergrass. A few witty sound bites and quotes from the Gallagher brothers can't save it. Seeing as Live Forever focuses mostly on Oasis, you're better off watching the Definitely Maybe DVD. There are not nearly enough live performances, too much self-important babble (particularly from Albarn) and muddled nonsense to be regarded as an achievement. It's all pretty unremarkable to be honest.

The blurb on this film said - a series of hilarious interviews - with the people that made Britpop happen. I didn't find them that funny at all. Remember Britpop the way it was, don't ruin it by getting this out and defiling your precious memories. I was so bored I could barely watch it the whole way through.

If you hanker after the days of cordrouy flares and tales of Camden Town, then this is for you! Absolutely cracking - great entertainment and an interesting look at the interplay between politics and music in the mid-90s. Some connections may seem laboured but it is still worth a view. Liam Gallagher is the highlight - he is hilarious (the extras featuring him were especially amusing - Liam on 'the rest of em a prime example)! Sleeper's Louise Wener comes across as an intelligent and thoughtful survivor of Bripop, and of course Jarvis Cocker is a great story-teller so the intervews with him are especially lovely. It is interesting to see how Damon Albarn fails to acquit himself at all well, and gives credence to Noel Gallagher's less than effusive descriptions of him! My only criticism is that there is too much focus on Blur and Oasis - Pulp emerged from Britpop with their credibility in tact and continued to make good albums, so I feel their frontman deserved more screen time. On the whole, a really interesting documentary. If you're a music fan you will love this.

I did find this interesting but it was too narrowy focussed on the battle between Blur and Oasis. What about other britpop bands like Elastica, Sleeper, Echobelly, Lush, Gene, Menswear, Charlatans and Ocean Colour Scene. However it was insightful. Before I watched this I didn't realise what a pretentious twat Damon Albarn was. Also the interviews with Noel and Liam are at times hilarious. Liam's reaction to the suggestion that he was androgenous, is one to cherish.

There was also an attempt to attribute the rise of New Labour to britpop,which was a bit far-fetched.

Overall this is only really a must for Blur or Oasis fans or for students researching the relationship between popular culture and politics.