Hello friends, in an attempt to do something a bit different, this post is a video review of the Neil Blomkamp film Chappie. It’s simply an attempt to mix things up a bit and hopefully future videos will be a little bit more ambitious, but I thought I should start small. Let me know if you have any thoughts and enjoy.
The Rise of the Panther
A hair metal band singing songs about gloryholes. If you were asked, you probably wouldn’t pinpoint that as the kind of band who could headline Wembley Arena. Yet, somehow this last weekend saw that happen, as Steel Panther continued their remarkable rise to the top of the rock and roll food chain. Yet how have they done it? How have a band, that on first glance are little more than an elaborate joke, achieved so much?
Still Alice
Even though the Oscars have come and gone, those of us in the UK are still catching up on the last of this years nominees. The biggest of which comes in the form of Still Alice, which saw Julianne Moore capturing a gong for the first time, despite four previous nominations. It’s a film that has taken on even more symbolic strength, following the death of Richard Glatzer, one of its directors. Having passed away at the age of 63 from motor neurone disease, his final film will probably be his best remembered.
Terry Pratchett
My book shelf could be very easily split into two halves. Terry Pratchett and related, then all the rest. It also wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which half is more loved. The rest is all pristine books, read once or twice and returned to their slot. On the other hand, my Pratchett books are falling apart. Some held together by pure force of will. One is even splattered with Warhammer paint, from when I was young and thought those were two tasks I could do simultaneously.
The Shape of Cinema
2015 is shaping up to be the year of the blockbuster. From Star Wars to Avengers right back round to Fast & Furious 7, cinema is set up to be big, brash and a whole lot of fun. Yet some people aren’t on board with this. Some people think that cinema is become homogenized, that super hero movies and Michael Bay now dominate the big screen and because of it we are losing all those special little films that not everyone sees, but those who do never forget.
Beyond The Final Countdown
We’ve all heard it a million times. It has an intro that wheedles its way into your brain and never leaves. ‘The Final Countdown’ is Europe and no matter what that band do, it will always be that way. But should it be like that? These Swedish rockers have just released their 11th album. Surely there has to be something beyond that keyboard?
Live Review: Bleed from Within w/ Excellent Cadaver, Perpetua and Exile the Traitor
Bleed From Within are pretty much the top of the food chain when it comes to Scottish metal. Therefore, their pre-tour show at Edinburgh’s Opium, a venue far too small for the band, should be packed to the rafters. Sadly, Edinburgh once again fails to deliver and despite it being a Friday night the crowd is noticeably thinned out at the edges. Thankfully, they don’t seem to let it bother them.
It Follows
The problem with most horror films, is that they are not actually that scary. Oh sure, they’ll make you jump and even maybe have the easily scared scream, but the second the jump is gone, the fear is gone as well. It’s what a few people have described as cattle prod cinema and quite frankly most of us are bored with it.
Trailers = Shit
Trailers. They’re a bit shit aren’t they?
I like getting to the cinema early. I like finding my seat (particularly since most Cineworld patrons seem incapable of working out the seating system), getting comfy and watching the trailers. Now, this ritual has led to some issues over the years. I still involuntarily scream every time I hear Kevin Bacon’s name and you don’t want to see what happened the last time I walked past an EE store. (Seriously, those adverts were the bane of my life). But, I always enjoyed watching the trailers. As someone who goes to the cinema far too often, I actually do see most of the films I want to (it’s the wonders of being unemployed, you run out of things to do around 2 pm) and slowly this has led to me realising that this trailer watching tradition, is negatively affecting my cinema going.
Where have all the rock stars gone?
Recent years has seen people begin to question where the rock stars have gone. Those big personalities, who explode into your brain and make you sure you never forget them. Thirty years ago, they seemed to grow on trees. Axl Rose, Ozzy Osbourne, John Bonham and co meant that if you wanted a hellraiser, there was never one too far away. Sadly, they have either gotten old, got fat or died and there is some truth in the idea that they were never replaced. There are still hard partying musicians out there, but none of them grab the headlines in the way these legends did.
Ramblings About Wrestling 