Today is Good Friday. Next week it's Bad Friday.
That doesn't happen often.
Friday, April 06, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Mark's mini movie review: The Hunger Games
Given the complete disdain for human life historically shown by governments and institutions sooner or later The Hunger Games will be a documentary. It is dark, but not dark enough, could have a sharper edge, but is well made and most entertaining. Whether or not the future will see some of America looking like The Grapes of Wrath and some of it spray painted by Gaultier on an acid trip remains to be seen. The potential self reflexive irony of The Hunger Games as the Hunger Games is in no certain way totally ignored. Then again, they did the same in The Running Man (but with Lycra) 7/10
Mark's mini movie review: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D
In which it is proved that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear but you can polish a turd. The major faults remain, to my mind: the plot, the script, the under-use of and unnecessary termination of a cool bad guy (see also Boba Fett), and the age gap between Anakin and Padme which goes on to screw up episodes two and three. The action sequences, on the other hand, remain amazing and the pod race and space battles particularly look awesome in 3D. If you're asking why I bothered, you're wasting a perfectly decent question. Roll on Clones and Sith in 3D... 5/10
Mark's mini movie review: The Descendants
In which Alexander Payne reminds us that you can look like George Clooney and live in Hawaii but you'll still have to face death, deceit and decisions no matter what. Just not as well constructed. Save your two hours for when the crap really happens and watch something with explosions instead. 7/10
Mark's mini gig review: Jeff Mangum @ Union Chapel, 13/03/12
If Emo Philips had been eastern European and formed The Flaming Lips with half the crew they'd have been support act, The Music Tapes.
Jeff Mangum's voice rises and falls through a tumbling word stream like a penguin that's lost its footing on a particularly steep and slippery slope. His strumming arm remains conversely constant. The audience are so happy to see the Neutral Milk Hotel frontman at all they remain in rapt reverie and would ecstatically applaud his nosebleed. This is ok because he is geniously brilliant and worthy of such tonight. The tunes are acoustically beautiful. The bit at the end was wonderful. 9/10
Jeff Mangum's voice rises and falls through a tumbling word stream like a penguin that's lost its footing on a particularly steep and slippery slope. His strumming arm remains conversely constant. The audience are so happy to see the Neutral Milk Hotel frontman at all they remain in rapt reverie and would ecstatically applaud his nosebleed. This is ok because he is geniously brilliant and worthy of such tonight. The tunes are acoustically beautiful. The bit at the end was wonderful. 9/10
My big 'Summer of '82' movie challenge
The summer of '82 is widely acknowledged as being a halcyon time for sci-fi, fantasy and horror movies. Well at least here, and here, and of course, here. There may have been a few better movies before and since but as a package, '82 certainly delivered a big bag of treats - not all of them tasty mind you - for the movie (as opposed to film) geeks. Although to be fair, the latter did have Gandhi and some other stuff.
That so many of these movies have or are being revisited, or have made a lasting visual and cultural impact on the movie landscape certainly sures up 82's reputation. For me, it is brings back fond memories. Me, Chris and Steve catching Tron on the day Friday 13th pt 3 (in 3D - 3D folks, who would thunk that would ever catch on) came out, or peeking through the door at The Thing when going to see Firefox (we only saw the bit at the Norwegian camp before being chased out by an usher). Or getting taken to see Poltergeist (because kids could go with adults in the US) and having the bejeezus scared out of me, which was great fun. Most of these films I remember reading about because I was too young to see them or not allowed to. I read Starburst avidly in the UK and the awesome Fantastic Films when in Canada, or occasionally Starlog which I wasn't so keen on. Mad Max 2, Blade Runner, The Thing, Conan, I had the books and posters and every available scrap of knowledge about these movies long before I ever saw them, in some cases many years later.
And thinking back, I was probably about as fan-boy excited about the movies as I've ever been.
So to celebrate I'm laying down my Summer of '82 movie challenge. The aim: to see as many '82 geektastic sci-fi, horror and fantasy flics as possible before December 31st of 2012. The prize: none - the prize is in the joy of taking part and the movies you get to watch...
It works like this. You get points for each film. The winner is whoever comes back at the end of the year with most points. Of course. Of course the bigger and better movies get less points. The more obscure or awful they get, the more points. It wouldn't be fun any other way. And cheating just means you miss out. Plus there's no prize so no point anyway.
The choice of films and distribution of the points system is entirely my own and throws in a couple of movies that lie on the cusp of the year as well as a couple of action flics I fancied chucking on for the hell of it. If you don't like it, sod off and go make your own challenge :)
OK, so here's the list. Have fun, good luck and happy memories.
Conan the Barbarian
Creepshow
The Dark Crystal
ET
Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior
Poltergeist
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
The Thing
Tron
Airplane 2: The Sequel
Android
Basket Case
Britannia Hospital
Cat People
Firefox
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Q: The Winged Serpent
Swamp Thing
Tenebrae
Amityville 2: The Possession
Beastmaster
Class of 1984
The Flight of Dragons
Friday 13th Part 3
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
Megaforce
Pieces
The Sword and The Sorcerer
Turkey Shoot
Friday 13th Part 3 in 3D
Humongous
The Incubus
Parasite (extra 50 if you get to watch it in 3D)
Slumber Party Massacre
That so many of these movies have or are being revisited, or have made a lasting visual and cultural impact on the movie landscape certainly sures up 82's reputation. For me, it is brings back fond memories. Me, Chris and Steve catching Tron on the day Friday 13th pt 3 (in 3D - 3D folks, who would thunk that would ever catch on) came out, or peeking through the door at The Thing when going to see Firefox (we only saw the bit at the Norwegian camp before being chased out by an usher). Or getting taken to see Poltergeist (because kids could go with adults in the US) and having the bejeezus scared out of me, which was great fun. Most of these films I remember reading about because I was too young to see them or not allowed to. I read Starburst avidly in the UK and the awesome Fantastic Films when in Canada, or occasionally Starlog which I wasn't so keen on. Mad Max 2, Blade Runner, The Thing, Conan, I had the books and posters and every available scrap of knowledge about these movies long before I ever saw them, in some cases many years later.
And thinking back, I was probably about as fan-boy excited about the movies as I've ever been.
So to celebrate I'm laying down my Summer of '82 movie challenge. The aim: to see as many '82 geektastic sci-fi, horror and fantasy flics as possible before December 31st of 2012. The prize: none - the prize is in the joy of taking part and the movies you get to watch...
It works like this. You get points for each film. The winner is whoever comes back at the end of the year with most points. Of course. Of course the bigger and better movies get less points. The more obscure or awful they get, the more points. It wouldn't be fun any other way. And cheating just means you miss out. Plus there's no prize so no point anyway.
The choice of films and distribution of the points system is entirely my own and throws in a couple of movies that lie on the cusp of the year as well as a couple of action flics I fancied chucking on for the hell of it. If you don't like it, sod off and go make your own challenge :)
OK, so here's the list. Have fun, good luck and happy memories.
Tier 1 - 5 points per movie:
Blade Runner (original European or US version)Conan the Barbarian
Creepshow
The Dark Crystal
ET
Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior
Poltergeist
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
The Thing
Tron
Tier 2 - 10 points per movie
Airplane 2: The Sequel 
Android
Basket Case
Britannia Hospital
Cat People
Firefox
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Q: The Winged Serpent
Swamp Thing
Tenebrae
Tier 3 - 25 points per movie
Amityville 2: The Possession
Beastmaster
Class of 1984
The Flight of Dragons
Friday 13th Part 3
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
Megaforce
Pieces
The Sword and The Sorcerer
Turkey Shoot
Tier 4 - Mega bonus - 50 points per movie!
Alone in the DarkFriday 13th Part 3 in 3D
Humongous
The Incubus
Parasite (extra 50 if you get to watch it in 3D)
Slumber Party Massacre
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Mark's mini movie review: Midnight In Paris
Wherein Woody Allen channels an existential meditation on the 'grass always being greener' through a time travel movie; Owen Wilson channels Woody Allen through West Coast Hollywood; and everyone else just has fun turning up and pretending to be other people. Some folks get to change the course of their lives so that they presumably get to live happily ever after. But not all of them. 9/10
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Alt Tags
It struck me the other day that the genius of those who photograph political figures, especially our own here in the UK, is that almost all of their work can be better captioned with the words: "Look Mummy, I just did a poo!"
Naming Conventions
I was greatly impressed by the recent story suggesting the Home Secretary is going to split the UK Border Agency. Not that bit, but the creation of a UK Border Force. I think it's great that all new police agencies are going to be given names that can be preceded with Ross Kemp's...
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
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