If you don't know what's going on, you're not cool. There, I said it.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Today's excellent thing:
Scott Pilgrim cosplay.
If you don't know what's going on, you're not cool. There, I said it.
If you don't know what's going on, you're not cool. There, I said it.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Of princes and divisible blood
So, it appears the new Harry Potter trailer has been heartily splattered over t'net.
I like it. Phoenix managed the rather odd feat of making the magic world seem kind of unextraordinary and prosaic - I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the film, but it wasn't the best. (To be honest, in my view Goblet of Fire remains the only one of the lot to actually work as a good film in its own right, rather than a passable adaptation of a book.) Anyway, this slightly strange ability of returning director David Yates should work very nicely for this film. The flashbacks were by far the most interesting part of the book for me (it was my second-favourite tome of the series, after Azkaban, fact fans), and his particular touch of the grey and authoritarian should hopefully hit just the right note for 'em.
Plus, Jim Broadbent's in it. And Jim Broadbent's great.
I like it. Phoenix managed the rather odd feat of making the magic world seem kind of unextraordinary and prosaic - I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the film, but it wasn't the best. (To be honest, in my view Goblet of Fire remains the only one of the lot to actually work as a good film in its own right, rather than a passable adaptation of a book.) Anyway, this slightly strange ability of returning director David Yates should work very nicely for this film. The flashbacks were by far the most interesting part of the book for me (it was my second-favourite tome of the series, after Azkaban, fact fans), and his particular touch of the grey and authoritarian should hopefully hit just the right note for 'em.
Plus, Jim Broadbent's in it. And Jim Broadbent's great.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
When satire fails
Coming straight into the "you couldn't make it up" theme, a tour company's planning a package designed around fraudster-canoeist-type John Darwin's travels and travails. Satire does not know what to do with itself.
I still find it highly amusing that they're called Darwin yet displayed a singular lack of human intelligence.
I still find it highly amusing that they're called Darwin yet displayed a singular lack of human intelligence.
Monday, July 28, 2008
This is my island in the sun
I totally want to produce a great bit of blogging - a monumentous piece of prose that will echo through the ages and will have wizened old 'net-heads nodding sagely eighty years from now. "Ah yes," they will say, "that was a great and noble time for blogging."
Unfortunately, it's too bloody hot and clammy and my brain's given up. To prove it, I just tried to spell "bloody" with two "d"s. It's like in the Beano when they have a heatwave and the streetlights start melting.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind a go on Billy's Whizzer right now. It's not even as rude as it sounds, it's a ride at the Beanoland bit of Chessington World of Adventures. It's a waveswinger (those things where you sit in a single chair suspended by chains and it spins around a bit) that squirts water at you, and it's absolutely the best thing in the world on a hot day.
I should additionally point out it's nearly 10pm at the time of writing. I really do not cope with the summer at all. I should move to Alaska or something.
I saw on Smithy's blog (Holy Calamity, over there to the right) that some people don't like Jamie Hewlett's glorious Monkey idents on the BBC for the Olympics. This is because people are idiots. It scares me that these are the people together enough to successfully leave comments on a website. I shudder at the thought of the real reactionary, backwards-thinking people in their armchairs across the land, who haven't worked out how to get their messages of bile and idiocy to a wider world. "Stupid moving drawing things, where's Britannia punching the foreign devils in the face?" Ugggggh.
Right, I give up. To leave things on a lighter note, here's a hot girl in her underwear.
Unfortunately, it's too bloody hot and clammy and my brain's given up. To prove it, I just tried to spell "bloody" with two "d"s. It's like in the Beano when they have a heatwave and the streetlights start melting.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind a go on Billy's Whizzer right now. It's not even as rude as it sounds, it's a ride at the Beanoland bit of Chessington World of Adventures. It's a waveswinger (those things where you sit in a single chair suspended by chains and it spins around a bit) that squirts water at you, and it's absolutely the best thing in the world on a hot day.
I should additionally point out it's nearly 10pm at the time of writing. I really do not cope with the summer at all. I should move to Alaska or something.
I saw on Smithy's blog (Holy Calamity, over there to the right) that some people don't like Jamie Hewlett's glorious Monkey idents on the BBC for the Olympics. This is because people are idiots. It scares me that these are the people together enough to successfully leave comments on a website. I shudder at the thought of the real reactionary, backwards-thinking people in their armchairs across the land, who haven't worked out how to get their messages of bile and idiocy to a wider world. "Stupid moving drawing things, where's Britannia punching the foreign devils in the face?" Ugggggh.
Right, I give up. To leave things on a lighter note, here's a hot girl in her underwear.
...Hey, you can totally see her nipples. I didn't notice that before.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Walllllllllllllll-e
So, I saw that movie with the robot in it last night. It was agreeable to eyes and mind.
They didn't give themselves much to work with, but every emotion comes across as clear as a bell - joy, fear, resigned irritation. She is, frankly, a work of animation art.
I won't go into lengthy details for those of you who haven't seen it, but I must praise, laud and generally proclaim the greatness of the character animators. Body language is key to a good cartoon, and when you've given three-quarters of your cast the inability to speak more than three legible words then you're setting yourself up for quite a potential fall.
While Wall-E is ultra-expressive, he's got plenty of moving bits and bobs to help his comedic flailing along. The really impressive bit is the love interest, Eve.
They didn't give themselves much to work with, but every emotion comes across as clear as a bell - joy, fear, resigned irritation. She is, frankly, a work of animation art.
That's all I'll say, other than "go see it". Because you should go see it.
(Oh, and Wall-E's pet cockroach, whom I christened Gavin in honour of Strong Bad's associate, also deserves many props. Bet you never thought you'd find a cockroach cute.)
(And one more thing - make sure you're in time to see the traditional 5-minute opening short. It's another silent piece, called Presto, detailing the battle of wills between a magician and his rabbit. It's in the Looney Tunes style of ridiculous slapstick, and it's wonderful. Chuck Jones would be proud.)
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