In a world gone PC mad...

Unite, the union for truck drivers, fighting for the right's of drivers throughout the UK, may have missed a trick.  Whilst causing havoc over the Easter period, locked in negotiations to secure better conditions, pay and working hours for it's members, they've missed a grievous wrong being exacted on truck drivers, even as you read this.  Call me liberal, but I don't think I can live in a world where this kind of blatant prejudice is allowed:

I remember my parents, battling against a tyrannical system that wouldn't accept the use of their left hand dominantly over the right.  Hands were tied behind backs, knuckles were rapped with rulers, many naturally left handed people were lost.  They were dark times.  And it seems whilst we have taken huge steps forward in becoming a more tolerant and accepting society, we may have taken one big step backwards.

I've seen many left hand drivers, and they drive just as well as right hand drivers.  So to be labelled in this way is outrageous.

Truck drivers, unite!  Take action against this wrong! Viva la left hand resistance!

Things I thought I'd never see on the big screen...

I never thought I'd see a Unicorn, stab a man through the gut with it's horn and kill him.

That's right, a Unicorn like this.  Mythical creature, popular in the Middle Ages, symbol of purity and grace, supposed only able to be captured by a virgin.

Not only that, but I never, ever, thought I'd see it during the film Cabin in the Woods.  About 20 minutes in and you're scared that this highly anticipated film is going to be just another teen slasher flick.

Boy, would you be dead wrong.

I was deeply impressed by the creativity, ingenuity and humour of the film.  If you haven't seen it yet, go, now.  I mean, RIGHT NOW.

I recently read an article on the BBC website, saying that the trailers for the film gave too much away; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16972394 and whilst I agree it gives away a little, there is no way it 'spoils' the film.

I really enjoyed the film, and will talk about it more at length later.  But for now I don't want to give away any more details until you've had plenty of time to see it.

Until then, enjoy.

Getting older and Joseph Gordon-Levitt...

As a Father, you see time pass quickly.  You have a child growing and learning rapidly before your eyes.  It gives you a great ability to enjoy the smaller, seemingly less significant things in life.  Ask an 18 year old to sit and watch a child playing at playground for an hour, and you will probably be met with a roll of the eyes and a sharp tongued quip about it being an amazingly boring way to spend an hour.  Yet I in fact spent such an hour (several in fact), just last week when I took my children to an adventure park.
Another ability, imparted by age, is the use of the phrase, "when I was a lad/lass" (delete as appropriate, and spoken with a broad yorkshire accent).  And I'm finding with the rapidly changing world we live in today, courtesy of the technological advances of our time, the use of this phrase comes to us all the sooner.

Now, you're probably thinking what the hell this has to do with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL).  It all started when I was looking for information on upcoming releases for this year, finding that 3 bigs one star none other than JGL (Looper, Lincoln, and of course TDKR).  JGL is, quite rightly, on the up and up with regards to his big screen career.  A rise that started when he played the role of Arthur in Inception (a role that was originally meant for James Franco before he pulled out).  Here's how he looked when he hit out screens in 2010.

Inception was a 12A, meaning that people old enough to see the film, may not have been old enough to know JGL from his earlier career success in television.  Between 1996 and 2001, JGL starred in TV sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.  Here's how he looked back then:

This is how I remembered JGL.  Needless to say, when he hit the big screen in 2010 for Inception I was amazed at the transformation.  Made all the more profound by the fact that we are very similar in age.  Looking at his filmography, it's clear to see that JGL has had a slow burning, and successful career.  One that leads him to his position now, one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a very busy 2012 on the cards.

I'm really looking forward to JGL's contribution to the coming year.  I'm off to watch some 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Why not go watch some yourself?

High School Drama Productions...

...In my opinion, should remain where they are...school.

At the weekend I went to see;

If we're to take the ticket literally, I'm the tit in question.  My wrath due to my waste of time and money seeing the film (which was in fact Wrath of the Titans).

I watched Clash of the Titans, and was unimpressed.  It is very rare that I am not fooled into liking a film that is visually spectacular, but Clash of the Titans marked one of those rare occasions.  So needless to say I was very surprised that it was given a second outing, in the form of Wrath of the Titans.  That surprise turning to slack jawed wonderment, when I read that it had a budget of $150,000,000.  That's $25,000,000 more than Clash, although Clash did somehow manage to take nearly $500,000,000 at the Box Office.

So I decided to suspend my disbelief, and my cynicism and give Wrath of the Titans a go.

The day before I went, I did however read a particularly scathing review on aintitcool.com.  Here's the link if you want to read it yourself:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/54586

Quint has now written a slightly less scathing one since, which may help to balance opinion for anyone still considering going to see it.

The film starts 10 years on from the last.  Perseus has a son, and some other stuff has happened.  Or should I say, some other stuff has been hastily written into the opening bits of dialogue to give some back story, with no Gemma Arterton to narrate it.  This I was able to forgive, as we then plunge straight into the action.  Which for the most part is none stop. The brief pauses in the action, to introduce new characters, and move the story forward, are just that...brief.  So they don't get boring.  There's even comic relief in the form of Bill Nighy's Hephaestus, and whilst I'm not entirely sure about the broad Yorkshire accent he has, I would dearly love to know who's idea it was for him to have it!

So up until the last 20 minutes of the film, I have to say that I was enjoying myself.  It's no masterpiece, but it was fun.  Then, I was brought back, snap, to reality.  With scenes so cringeworthy and amateur, that it spoiled my enjoyment completely.

Let me set the scene...

Perseus has saved the day, and is surveying the aftermath.  A mixture of injuries and celebrations, when his gaze comes to rest on his son, Helius, playing with Queen Andromeda.  A smile crosses his face, and then his cousin (another demigod) Agenor, catches his eye.  Agenor gestures with his head (the equivalent of a nudge and a wink), urging him to go and speak to Andromeda.  Agenor then calls Helius over to him, so that Andromeda is on her own.

** At this point, 2 things have also happened during the course of the film;

- They have shoe horned in back story about Perseus and Io being wed, having a child, with Io then dying.

- Andromeda has given Perseus ONE 'look', which Perseus does not see or acknowledge.  Beyond that there is no chemistry between the two. **

We then cut to Andromeda in her tent, and it is at this point that I began to cringe.  It is like a high school production, where they are doing a first run through. As the scene starts, it's almost as if I can hear the director reading from the script;

"Andromeda move things around on the table at random,"

Perseus then strolls up to her, and kisses her.  At this point, I would like you to read back the two points I mentioned above.  There is zero chemistry between them, and Perseus has managed to stop giving a shit about his dead wife in record time.  The film should have just ended, very abruptly, three minutes earlier.  That would have been a better way to finish.

But then they drive the final nail into the coffin...

Perseus' final promise to his dying wife, Io, was that his son would never pick up arms and fight as a soldier.  So what better way to end than with an emotionally stunted Perseus handing his sword to his son, saying it was time to train him to use it.  The dialogue may as well have been,

"Here, take this, it's about time you bloody learned how to use it you scrawny little git."

After these two terrible scenes, I then can't help but begin to pick apart the rest of the film, until I come away feeling aggrieved at having had my time wasted.  Which you can probably tell from my rant.

They're already talking about making a third....