Day: September 1, 2019

Arsenal 2 Tottenham Hotspurs 2

- Roshan

Arsenal staged a stirring comeback to earn a point in a chaotic, thrilling north London derby against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium. Spurs looked to be in complete control when Christian Eriksen pounced to put them ahead in the 10th minute after Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno pushed out Erik Lamela’s shot. Leno then saved superbly from Son Heung-min before the South Korean was senselessly hacked down in the area by Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka to allow Harry Kane to score his 10th goal in 11 derby games. Arsenal started the revival when Alexandre Lacazette pulled one back on the stroke of half-time before they laid siege to Spurs’ goal after the break. Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris saved superbly from Matteo Guendozi’s low shot and from substitute Dani Ceballos before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang showed the poacher’s instinct to turn home the equaliser with 19 minutes remaining.

Kane struck the inside of the post and Sokratis had a goal ruled out for offside but neither side could make the decisive breakthrough and this entertaining encounter ended with honours even. The result lifts Arsenal to fifth in the Premier League with seven points from four games, while Tottenham head into September’s international break four places behind their rivals in ninth on five points. Arsenal showed real character amid the mood swings of this north London derby to fight back from a precarious position to earn a point. Unai Emery’s side found themselves in big trouble at two goals down but never felt sorry for themselves, fighting their way back to parity and pinning Spurs back for most of the second half. The Gunners were guilty of poor defending and moments of carelessness but no-one could question their heart.

Lacazette’s goal with seconds left of the first half was vital, lifting the spirits of Arsenal’s players and supporters and setting the perfect platform for a second half that was low on moments of high class but full of fervour and entertainment. The action swung from end-to-end but Arsenal looked stronger after the break with 20-year-old Guendouzi performing with great maturity in midfield. Guendouzi certainly showed greater composure than his captain Xhaka, who was guilty of a moment of crass stupidity when diving into a sliding challenge on Son to concede a penalty. The young Frenchman almost scored only for Lloris to make a brilliant save and it was his intelligent, probing ball into the box that was diverted in by Aubameyang.

The Dirt

- Roshan

The Dirt is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Jeff Tremaine from a screenplay by Rich Wilkes, about glam metal band Mötley Crüe. The film stars Douglas Booth, Colson Baker, Daniel Webber, and Iwan Rheon. Talks of a Mötley Crüe biopic began as early as 2006, when Paramount Pictures and MTV Films purchased the rights to the book The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by the band and Neil Strauss.

The movie starts off with showing us Nikki Sixx’s bad family life with a mother who had several boyfriends, who were abusive, after his father left them. He left his Seattle home and ends up in Los Angeles in 1978. After a failed attempt to connect with his biological father, Frank legally changes his name to “Nikki Sixx” in 1980. A year later, after a falling out with members of London at the Whisky a Go Go, Nikki befriends drummer Tommy Lee and reveals to him that he is forming a new band. Joining the band is guitarist Mick Mars, who suffers from ankylosing spondylitis. The trio then recruit lead vocalist Vince Neil from the cover band Rockandi, and after some brainstorming, the quartet name themselves Mötley Crüe.

After a quick brawl with some audience members during the start of their first performance, the band start to gain a solid reputation in the Los Angeles rock community and gain a large fan following. They sell out all over LA and have outrageous parties afterwards. Rookie producer Tom Zutaut of Elektra Records approaches them with a five-album deal and they sign Doc McGhee as their manager. Their first major tour is supporting Ozzy Osbourne, played by Tony Cavalero, who advised them on limits of partying – and then goes on to snort ants and lick urine. The movie showcases some of the partying excess, success & notoriety that the band would go on to earn during the heady days of the 80s. Tommy, after dumping his ex-gf who was disapproved off by his mom, would meet Heather Locklear and get married, while Vince marries mud wrestler Sharise Ruddell and they have a daughter named Skylar.

At a party, Vince and Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle drive out to buy more drinks and get into a car accident that kills Razzle and has Vince sentenced to 30 days in jail for vehicular manslaughter, which is subsequently reduced to 19 days. Nikki becomes addicted to heroin and starts to display destructive behavior towards his bandmates. He fires McGhee for bringing Deana to visit him. Nikki overdoses on heroin and is initially declared dead, but a paramedic who is a big fan of the band brings him back to life with two shots of adrenaline. Following this, Nikki has the band go to rehab. A sober Mötley Crüe rebounds in 1989 with Dr. Feelgood, which becomes their first number one album on the Billboard 200, followed by a lengthy world tour. The months of touring and staying sober take their toll on Vince and Tommy, who resort to drinking again after being away from their families for too long.

Following the tour, Vince discovers that Sharise and their daughter Skylar have left him, causing him to miss several rehearsals and eventually part ways with the band in 1992. The band then hires John Corabi as his replacement. In 1995, Skylar dies of stomach cancer at the age of four. Heather divorces Tommy after he is caught having an affair with a porn star. Seeing the backlash by fans over Vince’s departure from the band, Nikki negotiates with Zutaut to give them back the rights to their songs in exchange for their release from Elektra Records. After visiting his father’s grave, Nikki regroups with Tommy and Mick before they reconcile with Vince. Mötley Crüe would perform together for another 20 years, playing their final show on New Year’s Eve 2015 (however the band have since reformed).

Debauchery, rock music and partying aside, the movie is a bit tame for Motely. It’s more like a VH1 style movie, sans a couple of scenes, and fails to showcase the more controversial events of the band. They should have had more stuff from the 90s onwards and therefore seems like only half a story. I give it a 7 outta 10! It was fun.