Written and directed by the seasoned professional George Lucas, Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace focuses on the early life of Anakin Skywalker, the boy who grows up to become one of the greatest movie villains of all time: Darth Vader.

Anakin is rescued from his slave life on the desert planet of Tatooine and taken by Jedi’s Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi to begin his Jedi training. Due to Anakins age and his uncertain future, the Jedi council led by master Yoda, refuses to allow him to be trained. This leads to Qui-Gon taking Anakin on as his apprentice against the approval of the council.

The story is fun and light in tone, and has plenty of exciting, fast paced action sequences to keep everyone entertained. Granted, the movie leans somewhat towards childish at various points, but it is aimed more towards kids! The Phantom Menace is the calm before the dark storm that is the rest of the Star Wars saga. And with a brilliant cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Samuel L Jackson and Natalie Portman the movie was bound to be appeal to adults too and become a success from the word go.

An interesting addition to the movie is that the original (terrible) Yoda puppet from the 1999 release has been removed from every scene he was involved in, and in its place a fantastically detailed and life like digital Yoda has been seamlessly inserted instead. Lucas originally intended for the little green Jedi to be computer generated in the movie, however due to technological and time constraints it was not achievable.

The film has undergone the 3D treatment, and it has been perfectly pulled off. The 3D is not in your face or distracting, but it adds so much to every shot. From the epic, sweeping location establishing shots right down to simple shoulder-and-head shots, the 3D adds a fantastic sense of depth and scale that just can’t be achieved with standard 2D films. Oh, and the iconic opening crawl is worth the price of admission alone!

But Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace was always going to look good in 3D, as will the other two prequel movies: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). The true test will come when the time comes to convert the original trilogy into 3D.

A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) are classic cult movies that have generations of fans, and no doubt die-hard fans will want the films to remain as close to their original form as possible, but if the 3D treatment of The Phantom Menace is anything to go by, fans will have nothing to worry about.

They will however be waiting for quite a while. Lucasfilm intends to release one movie per year, meaning that the 3D saga won’t be complete until 2017!

Date: 1st September 2009
Location: Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley, UK
Coordinates: 53°34’19.34″ North 1°35’23.80″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Date: 24th October 2010
Location: Coventry, UK
Coordinates: 52°24’29.74″ North 1°30’27.48″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Date: 9th August 2011
Location: Liverpool, UK
Coordinates: 53°24’22.61″ North 2°59’11.26″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Date: 25th July 2005
Location: Royston, Barnsley, UK
Coordinates: 53°34’35.14″ North 1°27’15.11″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Date: 30th October 2011
Location: Packwood House, near Lapworth, UK
Coordinates: 52°20’50.49″ North 1°44’47.18″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Date: 10th April 2005
Location: Royston, Barnsley, UK
Coordinates: 53°34’35.14″ North 1°27’15.11″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Working with jazz producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall (wife of Paul’s erstwhile writing partner Elvis Costello) they put together an album consisting of 12 standards and two originals. While the album was recorded over the course of 2011 it has been in the pipeline for years.

Speaking at a recent press conference at London’s Hempel Hotel, Paul said “Every time I came to make this album someone else would make one. I’d think ‘now is the time’ and then Robbie Williams came out with one, sort of big band hall stuff, so I thought ‘I can’t do it now cos it’s going to look like I’m jumping on his bandwagon’. And then that dust settled down, then Rod Stewart comes out with one, so I’d think ‘oops, can’t do it now!’ And just when I thought it was okay to go back into the water Rod releases his next one!”

The album title has caused a lot of debate amongst fans, however it has a completely innocent explanation: It’s a line from the albums opening song; Fats Waller’s I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter. The song opens with the lines, “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter and make believe it came from you / I’m gonna write words oh so sweet / They’re gonna knock me off of my feet / A lot of kisses on the bottom, I’ll be glad I got ‘em.”

The album contains 14 songs, only two of which are self penned by Paul. The rest of the album consists of songs that Paul remembers from his youth. While other people who have recorded albums in the genre have selected the big, well known songs from the Great American Songbook, Paul decided to choose lesser known tracks.

Although much of the album could have been recorded with big, loud, Broadway-like vocals, Paul made the conscious decision to try to emulate the quiet and gentle vocal styles of one of his musical icons: Fred Astaire. Speaking at the press conference Paul said, “Musically, his vocal style is very interesting. Everybody thought he was lazy except the songwriters. He had this voice I wanted to try to get near. It’s like a little voice. I tried that. That became a big part of the signature of this album.”

The first McCartney original song on the album is the delicate My Valentine. Written for his wife Nancy Shevell, he performed the song for her at their wedding reception. The track consists of two juxtaposing sections: the first is the descending minor chord pattern for the chorus, and the second is the major, uplifting verses. Also featured is Eric Clapton on acoustic guitar, adding soft little licks and an understated solo.

The second McCartney original is the luscious Only Our Hearts, featuring Stevie Wonder who plays a soulful trademark harmonica solo. While the song fits the style of the album, it would not seem out of place on any other McCartney album. It is also the first time Paul has worked with Stevie since the recoding of their 1982 megahit Ebony and Ivory.

The concept of the album is very reminiscent of Paul’s 1999 rock and roll album Run Devil Run, in which he selected many songs from his youth including All Shook Up and No Other Baby, and then wrote 3 in that style.

While Kisses on the Bottom is the polar opposite to Run Devil Run, and may not be to everyone’s tastes, it is still a successful venture into the standards genre of music. The music may not be instantly appealing but it does grow on you after multiple listening. The hard work and craftsmanship is undeniable, and there was obviously a lot of love put into the album. Only time will tell if Paul’s foray into this all but forgotten style will be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the music from which it draws its inspiration, but so far the reviews have been very favourable, and to quote one of the songs from the album: “You’ve got to accentuate the positive / Eliminate the negative / Latch on to the affirmative / But don’t mess with mister inbetween”.

Kisses on the Bottom

I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter
Home (When Shadows Fall)
It’s Only a Paper Moon
More I Cannot Wish You
The Glory of Love
We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
My Valentine
Always
My Very Good Friend the Milkman
Bye Bye Blackbird
Get Yourself Another Fool
The Inch Worm
Only Our Hearts

Bonus Tracks

Baby’s Request
My One and Only Love

Date: 22nd January 2012
Location: Costa Coffee, Coventry, UK
Coordinates: 52°24’29.61″ North 1°30’46.89″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Kodak Easyshare M1063 digital camera

Date: 18th March 2011
Location: Oxford, UK
Coordinates: 51°44’46.83″ North 1°15’23.16″ West
Google Maps: Here
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 digital camera