Wednesday, 13 October 2010









David Fincher's film about the inception of Facebook (and all ensuing lawsuits) has been at cinemas in the US since the beginning of the month and has just had advance screenings over here in England. To put it simply, this film is the best one this year. Better than Shutter Island. Better than Kick-Ass. Better than all the rest. Even better than Inception. And that I thought was impossible.
The two main characters; Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg and Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield are excellent. They are shown to be polar opposites, yet seem to be solid friends, Saverin's cool businessman persona juxtaposed with Zuckerberg's almost Asperger's personality fit together well.
In fact, Garfield is so good as Saverin that I'm watching the new Spiderman films, purely to see him act again. Eisenberg's next few films will be under massive scrutiny, due to his huge performance in this film.
The opening scene in the 'Thirsty Scholar Pub' is so archetypal of Aaron Sorkin's work, even people who had no idea he had written the screenplay, adapting it from Ben Mezrich's 2009 nonfiction book The Accidental Billionaires, would have most definitely guessed that he something to do with it. It also heralds to the conversations that can be heard on 'Gilmore Girls'. The way in which Eisenberg seems to squeeze four sentences worth of words into the time that any normal person says one sentence, seems to fit the character of Zuckerberg perfectly. The ability to seem to talk to himself because he spouting out any single thought he has. Great physical representation of his personality. No one would actually noticed all that about that opening scene, just someone whose media consumption has been ruined by Media and Film Studies and the necessity to over analyse everything to the moon and back.
Overall, the film shows Zuckerberg in a wholly negative light, that much is obvious due to the film's focus of the man's lawsuits from separate parties regarding Facebook. Throughout the film, I grew ever more aware of the necessity to ram the fact that this film's execs seem to think he is a bad person. Might have something to do with the fact that Saverin was the key consultant that the author used for information. Might not. However, there were glimpses of actual niceness from the lead, that I wanted to see more of. It made him more accessible as an actual person. Not just this all powerful entity who has seemingly entered our lives, 500 million of us. On the flip side, Saverin is supposed to be shown as the victim in this story, through many careful construed moments that make him seem unlucky (enter more negatives here). The cynicism within me thinks that no one in this film is actually like this in real life, the only person I wish was, would be Zuckerberg because I love his whole personality, seems to have a insanely dry sense of humour. Perfect. And he blogs, there is hope for all of us.
I have heard people say that the film doesn't really go anywhere. This is how every single thing that Sorkin has done works; you've got to know what you're getting yourself into. it's not a action packed heart stopping thriller, its full of clever dialogue that draws you into the story, but always keeps you away enough. This is due to the fact that no one has the patience to listen to a whole conversation, luckily there is no need to know every single word.
Also, Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker, the entrepreneur who founded Napster, the free music sharing website. This casting has been seen by many as quite surprising, the ability to use his celebrity persona and use it to both catalyse the amount of hype about the film and also see himself in his character in some instances, he definitely deserves the process that has been heaped on him for this performance. The words 'revelation' and 'superb' have been banding about on the forum for weeks.
Fincher, also known for films such as Aliens 3 and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has perhaps pulled off one of the great CGI moments. The 'Winklevii' are both played by Armie Hammer, of 'Reaper' fame. This is done by superimposing his face, seamlessly I may add, on to a body double by the name of Josh Pence. I didn't even notice it until I was reading the credits when walking out of the cinema.
Also, being of a certain age, it was just too weird seeing Brenda Song (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) and Malese Jow (Unfabolous) in grown up roles for once, but that's just getting older I suppose.
A moment should be taken to talk about David Fincher, the director. The bloke hasn't made a bad film in the whole of his feature film. Okay, Aliens 3 wasn't an epic and Panic Room was pretty average, but definitely no turkeys in his filmography for sure.
You can work out how good something is by the amount of times that you can quote it in a conversation. The writing of this film serves up many opportunities for quotations. There are way too many to name on here, but trust me. Big up, Aaron Sorkin.
To put a story quite short, this film is amazing and needs to be seen by everyone, and because its about Facebook it will be seen by absolutely everyone, no doubting it. I'm not at all surprised that The Social Network is being seriously talked about for next year's Oscars.
Believe the hype.

Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Show 3.

Scrubs




Starring.. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins...




First airing in 2001 on NBC, this series centring on the goings on at Sacred Heart Hospital. The first 8 seasons are shown through the eyes of John Dorian (J.D) (Braff). He is shown to grow up from an intern in Season 1 to medical professor in Season 9. His relationships with his colleagues become a major part of the show's storylines and funniest episodes. From his on/off romantic relationship with Elliot Reid (Chalke) (Ross and Rachel-esque) and his bromance with Chris Turk (Faison). The bromance especially forms a lot of the humour in the show. Turk's partner throughout a large portion of the show, Carla Espinosa (Reyes) is a nurse that at first is repulsed by him but later becomes his girlfriend, then fiance, then wife and finally mother to his children. J.D's reluctant mentor, Dr. Perry Cox (McGinley) is an acerbic Resident that J.D seems to relate to, for some strange reason, even though he is fond of calling him girls' names constantly. There are few occasions where he shows a positive view of Dorian's work and even validates him to a certain degree, even goes as far in 'My Fifteen Minutes' to praise him greatly in front of the hospital's board of directors. In season 8, Cox is given the job of Chief of Medicine which is open since Kelso's replacement, Dr Maddox (Courtney Cox) was forced out. Original Chief of Medicine, Bob Kelso (Jenkins) is seen as the show's villain. He nearly always chooses the hospital's budget or its overall wellbeing over the patients and their wellbeing. Throughout the seasons, his evil is shown to be a front so the decisions he has to make aren't so bad for everyone. The times he doesn't act like this are sparse and tend to shift the audience's perception of him to positive. When he retires from his post at Sacred Heart, he becomes much less hated by the other characters. He hangs around the hospital's coffee shop, eating muffins because of his 'free muffins for life' competition win in an earlier season. He and Dr. Cox even become friends because they both have been Chief of Medicine and he wants Kelso's guidance. The 'Janitor' played by Neil Flynn, from the pilot episode, has an adversarial relationship with Dorian. An incident involving a penny being stuck in a door created the relationship which endured throughout the series. His actual name has a certain mystery about it. In the season 8 finale, he tells J.D that his name is 'Glenn Matthews' but moments later he is acknowledged by a different name from another member of staff. It is unclear whether it is his actual name or not.
I like this programme because it is unlike any other I watch. The single camera setup in sitcoms is something that is much more popular since the show's inception in 2001 with shows such as: Cougar Town, Peep Show and The Mighty Boosh. Although Scrubs was one of the more famous shows that used the single camera setup, it has been used since the early part of the 60's with shows like The Brady Bunch. I like the fact that there is no laugh, I find that the inclusion of one in most shows often dilutes the hilarity of the supposedly funny moments. The show's humour is often described as 'zany' but that is rubbish it is just completely different to most of the things that are on TV right now. I'm for one very sad that it has been somewhat cheapened by the final season being nearly the opposite of the ones before it. The change of narrator and location has made it a shadow of its former self. I choose to forget about that and focus on the 8 glorious seasons before. The best thing about the whole show is Zach Braff. It is quite right that the creator's managed to get the late John Ritter to portray his dad because there is a great similarity between them in their acting styles. J.D is the protagonist of the whole show and he is also the one character that I feel I can easily relate to. It's not because he's the only young white male on the main cast, he just seems to 'speak to me'. Not really, he just makes me laugh and his internal monologue means I know how he feels and can see myself in him occasionally. Also Dr. Cox's elongation of words never fails to make me laugh. This show should never be taken of E4. I'm out. 

Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Show 4.

One Tree Hill


Starring: Chad Michael Murray, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti, James Lafferty, Sophia Bush, Lee Norris, Antwon Tanner...


Focusing on the basketball team at Tree Hill High, Tree Hill, North Carolina, originally trailing the lives of half brothers Nathan (Lafferty) and Lucas (Murray). Their relationships changes throughout the show starting as warring enemies to affectionate friends. Both of their relationships with the female characters are also under a lot of scrutiny. The show when it was in its infancy, the show seemed to focus on five central characters; the aforementioned Lucas and Nathan Scott, Haley James, Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis. All the main characters change almost unrecognisably throughout the current 8 seasons. For the first four seasons, the show is set when the characters are at high school and from the fifth season onwards it is set at least five years from the group's graduation. Music plays a massive part in the show, in the first few series this is shown through Peyton's almost obsessive need for music. It is used by many bands as a vehicle to showcase their music. This is because they know that a large amount of 12-30 year olds watch around the world especially in the US and UK where a great deal of music is listened to, especially the type that features. Since the fifth season when it went forward in time, the show has evolved its storylines to incorparate things that have become more relevant to the group since they have grown up. In the seventh season, due to Lucas and Peyton's departure, Schwahn decided to introduce a number of new characters. Haley's sister, Quinn is brought in, fresh from a separation from her husband, her storylines focus around her coping with her new found singularity. Nathan's sports agent and newfound best friend, Clay is brought in. He is shown to be a ladies man at the beginning of his time on the show but as his back story is explored it is shown that he has a lot of baggage. His women related antics are shown to be a direct result of the fact that her wife, Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone and destitute. Also, there are a couple of other new characters, Alex Dupre, a seemingly washed up actress and Julian Baker who has appeared in previous seasons but becomes a regular in season 7, his relationship with Brooke and blossoming film directing career have been his major story arcs.This show has been a major part of my tv schedule since I found it when it was in its 3rd series being shown on British television on e4. It is pure escapism for someone who lives in the Jeremy Kyle guest holding pen that is Weston-s-Mare. No one is ugly in Tree Hill, for the most part the ideology of the show is that of positivity, minus the Columbine style school shootout and crazy stalker masquerading himself as Peyton's half brother. The focus of the first four seasons or so on basketball really got me interested in the sport. I was not the only one that was like this and basketball became the big sport in my school for a period of time, this shows the appeal of the show. Any show that has lasted for 7 years can't a bad one. I definitely rate this and I'll probably watch it over and over again on dvd for years to come. Although it will be repeated on tv so buying the dvds would probably be a waste of money. Great show. 
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Monday, 21 June 2010

Show 5.

Gilmore Girls


Starring: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Melissa McCarthy, Keiko Agena, Yanic Truesdale, Edward Herrmann, Kelly Bishop...




First broadcast in 2000 on the WB and then later on the CW, Gilmore Girls is a story about a mother (Graham) and her daughter (Bledel) who live in fictional Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
The show explores many different themes that range from family life to class divides in society. Relationships features heavily on the dynamic of the show, Lorelai's relationship with her parents, Richard (Herrmann) and Emily (Bishop) Gilmore creates a lot of both the humourous and heartfelt moments throughout the show's seven seasons. 
It has become synonymous with its fast paced dialogue, gestured by the show's tagline "Life's short. Talk Fast." The speech is often peppered with pop culture references, however vague and obscure. There are so many of these references, that the DVD releases of each series comes accompanied with a booklet full of 'Gilmore-isms' to explain them all.
The way that the show references so much in a short space is impressive and one of the reasons I enjoy the show so much. I love the dynamics of the cast and especially Lorelai's way of interacting with every single person in the show. The continuity of relationships in the show is a great feature, the questioning of Luke (Paterson) and Lorelai's relationship - will they, won't they? Clichéd but always great for watching. Throughout the whole seven seasons, in my opinion, there isn't a weak link in the main cast. A couple of the actors that feature heavily; Jared Padalecki (Dean Forester) and Milo Ventimiglia (Jess Marino) have gone on to star in bigger shows; Supernatural and Heroes respectively. It can be seen as a vehicle to get onto bigger and better things.
There is talk of a Gilmore Girls film being seriously considered by the people that could make it happen, the idea has now definitely moved on from being just fans pleading for it to happen. they are looking for a silver screen adaptation so much because a large chunk of avid viewers hated the way in which the final episode tried to copy the first episode. This didn't satisfy them sufficiently.
I'm not surprised that TIME magazine has named it one of the "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME." It's a show that isn't particularly plot-driven - this might hinder the film version - but also it makes you want to know more about the characters and their stories, making you watch on. That is all you can ask from a great TV series really.

Sunday, 20 June 2010

Show 6.

Family Guy
Starring... Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Mike Henry...


                                                                         The only animation in this list, MacFarlane's satirical view of popular culture centres around the Griffin family consisting of Peter & Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian. It is famous as being the only show that has been reinstated due to high DVD sales of previous seasons. Although comparisons have been drawn with 'The Simpsons', it has been held in high regard by critics on the whole, with only a small minority of them looking at the series negatively. Also, the series has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, a feat that has illuded the yellow infested sitcom. This made the series one of only two animations that have been nominated in this category alongside 'The Flintstones' in 1961. Cutaways are used as one of the the main ways to create a joke and they are also used to formulate future jokes in the episode. The best joke, in my opinion, is the episode titled 'Three Kings' this is the one that pastiches three Stephen King stories. This one is 'Shawshank Redemption' Andy Dufrense (Peter Griffin) is talking to the Warden, metamorphosing himself as Carter Pewterschmidt. They are conversing and the Warden is being difficult, Andy askes him to stop being obtuse. the shot changes to the Warden looking like an obtuse angle. Smart humour, for sure.


                                                                   P.S Shut up, Meg.

Saturday, 19 June 2010

Show 7.

Glee


Starring: Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Dianna Agron, Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, Mark Salling...




Focused around a group of social underdogs who join the glee club to find acceptance with their peers, this is a musical comedy drama with real heart. The glee club is headed by McKinley High's Spanish teacher, Mr Schuester (Morrison). A former student at the school, he took charge of the club to bring it back to the level that it was when he was involved. His story is shown throughout the first series to include a blossoming romance with the school guidance councillor (Mays) and his wife having an hysteric pregnancy which she doesn't tell him that isn't real, causing great pain. He seems to use the club as a form of escape from these things. He shares this with his students in the club.
Things happen at McKinley High that seem improbable (to me) in real life but somehow they seem to work in this setting. The head cheerleader, Quinn Fabray (Argon) gets pregnant by the school's quarterback, Finn Hudson (Montieth), but it's later reveal that the baby is Finn's friend, Noah 'Puck' Puckerman (Salling) (its like Jeremy Kyle for pretty people). Teenage pregnancy is in the news, what seems every other day, but surely this situation isn't a regular occurancy? If it is, god, we are screwed.
Love triangles seem to be a mainstay of the writer's outlook for the show. The club's two leads; Rachel Berry (Michele) and Finn have a thing whilst he is thought to be the father of his girlfriend's baby. Also, the Schue and the mysophobic guidance councillor get close while he's married to his wife, a crazy bitch.
There seems to be so many subplots in any one single episode it seems impossible to keep up, but i think it is possible to create some sort of series arc in your head if you try your hardest.
To be fair to the writers - Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan - choose to tackle lots of different issues such as; homosexuality and peers' view of them, paralysis, teenage pregnancy etc. they could do something that could be twee and even MORE cheesy, instead the issues portrayed have given the show a level of creditability.
Other characters like Kurt Hummel (Colfer), Mercedes Jones (Riley), Artie Abrams (McHale), Tina Cohen-Chang (Ushkowitz) give the show's cast massive diversification of race and sexuality but at points it seems like they are just there to fill the gap to stop critics pointing out a lack of ethnicities. There are a couple of people in there that have a line every 7 episodes or something stupid, I just hope that the second series includes them all in enough detail to show the audience new things about them, giving the show a fuller feel. I am glad to hear that the recurring characters of Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris), cheerleaders that have taken over from Quinn as the most popular people in school, have been promoted to season regulars as of the beginning of the second series. 
I like this show because of many reasons; the music, SUE SYLVESTER! but the main reason is that Glee really doesn't take itself seriously at all, its a campy form of escapism from the outside world full of disappointment and despair. You can sit down for an hour and watch an episode and come out of it and feel so much better for it.
The introduction of Glee is a breath of fresh air at a time when the world needs it, and for that, Ryan Murphy, I salute you. 

Friday, 18 June 2010

Show 8.

Gavin and Stacey


Starring Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Ruth Jones, James Corden...


Originally starting on BBC Three, this is of the few shows to make the leap to BBC One. The titular characters are Gavin Shipman (Horne) and Stacey West (Page).  The show follows their long distance relationship from Gavin's hometown of Billericay, Essex to Barry Island, Wales where Stacey and her family live. The title characters aren't all that the show is about. Their best friends, Smithy (Corden) and Nessa (Jones) have a certain appeal to the audience. Even perhaps, their story throughout the whole three series and christmas special is more intriguing than the archetypal relationship of Gavin & Stacey. With many sexual encounters between them, one of them resulting in a baby called Neil. The supporting cast is filled with British TV stalwarts; Larry Lamb as Gavin's dad, Michael Shipman, Rob Brydon as Stacey's Uncle Bryn, Alison Steadman as Gavin's mum, Pamela, Melanie Walters is Gwen West, Stacey's mother.
I really like this programme because its a really likeable show that isn't pretentious at all, so lifelike. It doesn't sugar coat family life or sensationalise it in any way. Every single thing that happens in the twenty episodes is plausible in real life. The fact that James Corden and Ruth Jones are the writers of the show and they haven't made themselves the protagonists really lets their characters, 'Smithy' and 'Nessa' in fact become the people that the audience warm up to easiest. A cast of eccentrics are assembled round the writers' characters that compliment them perfectly. This romantic comedy will stand the test of time and will be remembered as most definitely the best thing to come out of BBC Three, probably ever, seeing what rubbish they are making at the moment. It is officially better than Robbie Williams, Oasis, Kylie etc, this is because that it has cracked America, thanks to BBC America, becoming a hit when broadcast on Friday evenings. All these things amalgamate to make this show a massive success, which has even resulted in an American remake by ABC. I do hope it doesn't ruin the franchise. That is all.

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Show 9.

Peep Show




Starring David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman...


Written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, this sitcom centres on Mark (Mitchell) and Jeremy (Webb), two flat sharing best friends. They are the oddest pairing of friends; Mark is an anally-retentive loan manager whereas Jeremy is a work shy, drug smoking, rock band hopeful. The clever use of the first person view helps to really get into the character from the audience's point of view, this technique is unique to this show, separating it from every other one. It is bizarre to begin with but well worth sticking with it to reap the rewards of this British cult classic. Also, another thing that set it apart from other shows of its kind is the internal monologue feature, again helping to get inside the character and get a level of intimacy that is sparsely available anywhere else. With supporting characters such as the crack addicted Super-Hans (Matt King) and Mark's boss, Johnson (Paterson Joseph), it is a great representation of Middle England. There is no surprise that this show is constantly being touted as the greatest British sitcom of the 2000's. 


Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Show 10.

Cougar Town


Starring Courtney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Phillips, Dan Byrd...


Courtney Cox plays Jules Cobb, a recently divorced mother who has started dating again. Residing in an archetypal suburb, aptly named 'Cougar Town' in the state of Florida, Cobb and her friends are obsessed with looking younger and they are focused on Jules's dry sex life. The supporting cast that includes Scrubs' Christa Miller really help to flesh out the stories running throughout the series. The underlying sexual tension between Jules and neighbour Grayson (Josh Hopkins) throughout all the episodes is a great series arc. This comedy is smart, funny and an interesting insight into the slightly outdated concept of 'cougars', what it loses in up to date terminology it more than makes up for in wit and clever scripting. This show is definitely worth a watch and if you stick with it, you'll see a damn fine Courtney Cox doing something that comes surprisingly close and occasionally surpasses her portrayal of Monica Geller in 'Friends'.

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Favourite TV Shows

Over the years that I've been watching TV, there have been few shows that I've really wanted to watch. the ones i have wanted to watch, I admit that most of them are American, I don't know why this but I definitely don't agree with many people's views that American TV is better than English or vice versa. TV like any medium is subjective to the viewer so cannot be strictly be classed as good or bad. I watch these shows for different reasons. I'll show you over the next few posts which have made the list and why.





Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Paranormal Activity [2007]

   The film that has taken America by storm has opened in Britain. Basically it is the scariest thing I've ever seen, yet strangely watchable. Only one scene made me jump in the whole film, the one where there was a random bang of the bedroom door in the middle of the day. All the other scary bits weren't shit yourself scary, only because all of the rest of the scares happen in the night where its expected to.
   The director/writer, Oren Peli creates a suspense that is reminiscent of early Hitchcock, it is extremely intense, making every minute sound ten times scarier than it probably is.
   This film is made with an educated audience in mind, it isn't for everyone and I'm sure that'll be apparent by observing people's reactions. However the audience view the film as a media entity, it is unquestionably successful being the highest profitable film ever made. It was made with costs of about £8,000 and has now grossed over £88,000,000. This rather poses the question "Why do Hollywood think they have to spend so much on films to make one that creates a large profit?" This ability to ask serious questions of the industry is one of many of the film's stronger points.
  Don't see this alone. Never a truer sentence spoken/written/heard.







Saturday, 6 March 2010

Transformers [2007]

Transformers (12A)


Plot
   Protagonist Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is caught between two warring alien colonies (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Jazz and Ironhide, the Autobots & Megatron, Starscream and Barricade, the Decepticons) and their fight for an ancient relic which has landed them on Earth. Their ability to ‘transform’ into everyday objects keeps their presence a secret for as long as is needed.

Review
   This film is very much along the same lines as many of Michael Bay’s films including; Bad Boys I & II and Armageddon. He has become synonymous with big budget action films. Massive special effects often contribute hugely this large budget.
   The acting of LaBeouf is the high point of the film, with many calling him ‘this generation’s Tom Hanks’ with his uncanny knack to be able to play the down on his luck everyman, much like Hanks. His accomplice throughout, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) isn’t given enough of the good lines. She is only really shown to be eye candy for the men and teenage boys; this doesn’t show her extremely high level of acting ability.
   The relationship between the two main characters is shown to be highly developed, it is one of the reasons that the film appeals to its audience in the way it does. It shows that a seemingly normal person (Witwicky) can get the girl of his dreams (Banes). Granted, the circumstances that he is shown to be a hero in are a little peculiar at best, but the underlying story is quintessentially the same.
   The supporting cast throughout the film is great with high profile actors such as Jon Voight, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White and John Turturro. These actors give the characters they play a sense of reality and enhance the film. The older actors are shown to be slow on the uptake as a parent would be in the same sort of situation, this accentuates this film as a young person’s thing.
   This film is what is called a ‘Ronseal’ film; it does exactly what it says on the tin. It doesn’t set out to be an art house film that intends to baffle the reader with an intricate narrative and unique cinematography. It has been made to take the audience on a thrill ride, with big highs and low lows. This is achieved with great aplomb.
   The special effects throughout the film are spectacular, from the ‘mundane’ scene where the Autobots are waiting outside Sam’s house for him to find the sacred glasses, to the climatic action scene in Mission City. This scene takes the SFX to the next level; it must have pushed the animation team to the absolute limit.
   Bumblebee throughout the film speaks through the car’s radio because of broken vocal receptors. This is homage to the animated Transformers film of the 80’s. In this film, there is a race of robots called the Junkions which derived from the planet Junk. Even a film maestro like Orson Welles has his connections with the Transformers franchise, Transformers: The Movie (1986) was his last movie, he voiced Decepticon Unicron. The line “Across the inanimate vastness of space," is an infamous line from Welles’ radio broadcast ‘War of the Worlds’.
   Megatron was frozen in the Hoover Dam this refers to his first battle with Optimus Prime at the fictional Sherman Dam in the original series. The film contains references to ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ 1984’s three part pilot; both Sam and Optimus Prime both say it in their lines in the film.
   The film makes references to the Hasbro Toy Company, official distributor of the Transformers toy. Firstly, when the girl discovers the transformer in the pool, she is holding a ‘My Little Pony’ toy, another product of the company. When Bumblebee and Ironhide protect themselves from Starscream’s attack in Mission City they use a ‘Furby’ truck which again is another toy that the company produce. Finally, in the climatic battle, there is a readable sign that says ‘Takara Sushi’ Takara is the company in Japan that distributed the Transformer toy before the Hasbro Company bought them out.
   The scene in Mission City at the end of the film, action packed as it is, is very confusing. This is due to the fact that the action is almost too much; many of the people who were asked their thoughts on the film said that it was dangerously close to being too much action. One of the group asked even said that when one of the Autobots (Jazz) gets ripped apart by Megatron, he got confused by the pace of the scene, and then by the end of the scene when it gets explained fully, it has put the whole scene out of the sync.


Verdict
This film is a very good summer blockbuster but will always be scoffed by pompous film critics who will say that the amount of explosions and car chases make it a pointless film. I disagree; this film does exactly what it sets out to do. I fully look forward to the sequel set for release in blockbuster time in 2009.

Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip.

Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip are a duo that herald from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. Their music really speaks to me so I thought I would try and help them anyway I can.
They are a electronic hip-hop outfit whose lyrics are extremely interesting and satirical, have a look yourselves:



Their first studio album, Angles is great with some pretty special songs, for example: Thou Shalt Always Kill and Fixed.


To find out more about the duo go to:
http://www.lesacvspip.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/lesacvspip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_le_sac_vs_Scroobius_Pip

Thursday, 25 February 2010

Favourite Videos

Throughout the time that music videos have been around from the time of the first up to the present day, there have been some epics and some that have failed epically. These are some of my favourites:

5.
Bjork - Triumph of a Heart

Björk - Triumph Of A Heart- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.



This video was directed by Spike Jonze (Where The Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich) which is apparent in the style of the piece, using a mundane setting and plot but putting something abstract in show the artist's own persona. In this video it's the cat representing the husband of Bjork's character, this accentuates her quirky personality.
And also the song is one of Bjork's best, especially with the Japanese beat-boxer,
Dokaka, his input makes the song edgier than the majority of her catalogue, if that's actually possible.


4. Radiohead - Just
Directed by Jamie Thraves (1995)



This video by Radiohead was directed by Jamie Thraves it features a middle aged man lying down on the pavement of his own accord. There is a heated, subtitled discussion with a bloke that falls over his legs. When this video was released in 1995, it earned Radiohead a MTV Music Video Award nomination, rightly I believe. The video is symbolic of many things; prominently Thom Yorke, I believe is supposed to be God looking down on Earth through the clouds, looking at the world and how people interact. Great video.



Directed by Spike Jonze (2000)


The mixture of Christopher Walken dancing and a great song, Fatboy Slim's best in fact, makes this a classic video, no doubt.



Directed by Walter Stern (1998)


This video is epic, a talking foetus! although the CGI is a little dated now. the concept was truely groundbreaking. It's also a very creepy video, scares me everytime I watch it, and I really don't know why. My favourite until I recently came across the video below. Classic.



1. WAX - California
Directed by Spike Jonze (1995)


Sometimes an image is powerful enough not to be discussed in great depth, I think a man running on fire is one of these said images.