Watching Pirates of the Caribbean 'On Stranger Tides' this evening, and when the credits were rolling at the end I saw the following:
'Suggested by the novel by Tim Powers'
I have seen 'based on' and 'inspired by', but this is the first time I've seen 'suggested by'. So it got me thinking...
Is this type of accreditation common?
What is the strangest credit in a film?
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Jury's still out on this one...
Haywire...
After seeing the trailer, nothing says great movie like Michael Fassbender beating the crap out of a woman who's giving just as good as she's getting, my expectations were high. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, and a cast including Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas (a cast I didn't realise was so good until the film started), I was ready for 93 minutes of great movie.
What I got was UFC and Jazz. With the feeling at the end of it all that I should have been more impressed.
The majority of the films soundtrack made me feel as though I was sat in a lift, listening to elevator music. Add to that the fight scenes, where by Gina Carano kicks seven shades of shit out of everyone, but ultimately you get the sense that she's a pro fighter. What you're then left with is a something similar to Universal Soldier The Return, with Goldberg. You enjoy the fighting, but it's wooden.
But it's not bad. So I ended up sat there at the end of the film, annoyed that I didn't feel more strongly about it one way or another.
It'll be good to see how Gina Carano fares in the upcoming sequel in the Percy Jackson franchise.
After seeing the trailer, nothing says great movie like Michael Fassbender beating the crap out of a woman who's giving just as good as she's getting, my expectations were high. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, and a cast including Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas (a cast I didn't realise was so good until the film started), I was ready for 93 minutes of great movie.
What I got was UFC and Jazz. With the feeling at the end of it all that I should have been more impressed.
The majority of the films soundtrack made me feel as though I was sat in a lift, listening to elevator music. Add to that the fight scenes, where by Gina Carano kicks seven shades of shit out of everyone, but ultimately you get the sense that she's a pro fighter. What you're then left with is a something similar to Universal Soldier The Return, with Goldberg. You enjoy the fighting, but it's wooden.
But it's not bad. So I ended up sat there at the end of the film, annoyed that I didn't feel more strongly about it one way or another.
It'll be good to see how Gina Carano fares in the upcoming sequel in the Percy Jackson franchise.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Better things to do with 90 mins...
This evening I went to see The Darkest Hour with a group of friends. Luckily I have an unlimited pass, so whilst paying for the pass, I haven't paid specifically to go and see that film.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't 'Skyline' bad. That is definitely 93 mins of my life that I will never get back, and would probably have a good grounds to sue based solely on that fact. Skyline bad will from now on be my new definition of a film that is truly awful, and trust me that's saying something as the last film to hold that prestigious title was A Sound of Thunder. Whilst I will not accept responsibility for the loss of your life, if you want to see truly terrible film making, you should check those two films out.
So The Darkest Hour was not that bad. It unfortunately just falls under the category of predictable. From the moment people very first start dying, you know exactly where it's going to go. There's some novel touches, and quirky ideas, but it lacks any real ingenuity. No boundaries get pushed.
I was even more surprised to find that production credits go to Timur Bekmambetov, of such great films as Day Watch, Night Watch and even Wanted. This makes sense only given the Russian setting, but unfortunately lacks any of the hallmarks of his other ventures. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you watch any of Timur's films that I have mentioned above.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't 'Skyline' bad. That is definitely 93 mins of my life that I will never get back, and would probably have a good grounds to sue based solely on that fact. Skyline bad will from now on be my new definition of a film that is truly awful, and trust me that's saying something as the last film to hold that prestigious title was A Sound of Thunder. Whilst I will not accept responsibility for the loss of your life, if you want to see truly terrible film making, you should check those two films out.
So The Darkest Hour was not that bad. It unfortunately just falls under the category of predictable. From the moment people very first start dying, you know exactly where it's going to go. There's some novel touches, and quirky ideas, but it lacks any real ingenuity. No boundaries get pushed.
I was even more surprised to find that production credits go to Timur Bekmambetov, of such great films as Day Watch, Night Watch and even Wanted. This makes sense only given the Russian setting, but unfortunately lacks any of the hallmarks of his other ventures. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you watch any of Timur's films that I have mentioned above.
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Tridecaphobia....
Also triskadekaphobia, triskaidekaphobia or triakaidekaphobia. An irrational or abnormal fear of the number 13. How was this Friday for you? I know there's a 13th day in every month. But when that 13th day happens to be a Friday as well, that just makes me want to stay in bed and sleep my way through it.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't like the 13th step on a staircase, or can't have the TV or stereo on the number 13 for volume. I don't know why, like it says in the definition, it's irrational.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't like the 13th step on a staircase, or can't have the TV or stereo on the number 13 for volume. I don't know why, like it says in the definition, it's irrational.
Monday, 9 January 2012
Out of the mouths of babes...
On a trip to the town centre yesterday, my Son (age 6), turns to my Wife and says,
"Mummy, why are you not allowed boomerangs in town?"
At which point my Wife asks him to repeat himself, assuming she has misheard. He says the same thing again, word for word. My Wife looks up, wondering what has prompted him to ask this. At which point my Son points out the following sign:
"Mummy, why are you not allowed boomerangs in town?"
At which point my Wife asks him to repeat himself, assuming she has misheard. He says the same thing again, word for word. My Wife looks up, wondering what has prompted him to ask this. At which point my Son points out the following sign:
Quite simply, this is one of those magical moments that makes having children a joy.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Scott Pilgrim vs. The Thing
Finally got round to watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and to say I was surprised was an understatement. I suppose being a fan of computer games made it's styling, graphics and soundtrack very appealing to me. But the thing I most enjoyed (other than Mary Elizabeth Winstead), was the opportunity to watch something that dared to be different. Share someone's creativity and vision.
Speaking of Mary Elizabeth, I now need to get round to watching The Thing. Having had an interesting conversation with a friend who has yet to watch John Carpenter's original (tut), I came across this gem.
gu.com/p/34ent/tf
It reminds me of a time when I used to play around with stop motion animation. Great fun, great creativity.
Speaking of Mary Elizabeth, I now need to get round to watching The Thing. Having had an interesting conversation with a friend who has yet to watch John Carpenter's original (tut), I came across this gem.
gu.com/p/34ent/tf
It reminds me of a time when I used to play around with stop motion animation. Great fun, great creativity.
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Seek and you shall find.
So I found what I was looking for in the end. But not before looking through reams of customer service reviews. My favourite was somebody saying that from now on the were going to drop the 'rld' from the name, and in future call them PC WO!
Nestled in between a great many negative reviews was one 5 star review. The person could not understand why everyone was being so negative. Most negative responses came from in store experiences claiming the following:
- Poor Service
- Lack of staff knowledge
- Lack of staff enthusiasm
- Poor aftercare service and support
The person leaving positive feedback bought a keyboard, online. I can't help but wonder if the person read any of the other posts.
Nestled in between a great many negative reviews was one 5 star review. The person could not understand why everyone was being so negative. Most negative responses came from in store experiences claiming the following:
- Poor Service
- Lack of staff knowledge
- Lack of staff enthusiasm
- Poor aftercare service and support
The person leaving positive feedback bought a keyboard, online. I can't help but wonder if the person read any of the other posts.
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Happy New Year
New Year, new start, new blog....
Out with the old and in with the new. My New Year's resolution is to post more often. How am I going to do that? Stop writing about specific topics. Write about the moments each day that make me smile, pause, laugh, cry, or just wonder at life.
I am sat currently lamenting the fact that I'm rubbish at researching things on the internet. I'm sat with probably the greatest information resource of all time at my fingertips, and I can't find an answer to my question.
"Do PC World set up a product you've just purchased in store (e.g. a new laptop)? And if so do they charge for it?"
So I'm trying that age old trick of distracting myself from the problem before refocusing my attention on it later. Unfortunately between the blog and the research, I'm wasting time that I could be using to play Skyrim. No doubt I'll still be playing it by the time 2013 comes around. That's if we're still here and you're not buying into the whole Mayan calendar end of the world thing.
Hmmm....back to the research....
Out with the old and in with the new. My New Year's resolution is to post more often. How am I going to do that? Stop writing about specific topics. Write about the moments each day that make me smile, pause, laugh, cry, or just wonder at life.
I am sat currently lamenting the fact that I'm rubbish at researching things on the internet. I'm sat with probably the greatest information resource of all time at my fingertips, and I can't find an answer to my question.
"Do PC World set up a product you've just purchased in store (e.g. a new laptop)? And if so do they charge for it?"
So I'm trying that age old trick of distracting myself from the problem before refocusing my attention on it later. Unfortunately between the blog and the research, I'm wasting time that I could be using to play Skyrim. No doubt I'll still be playing it by the time 2013 comes around. That's if we're still here and you're not buying into the whole Mayan calendar end of the world thing.
Hmmm....back to the research....
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